Once she was back on her feet, Mira shook her head again to try and clear the fog that lingered around her head. Something had not only knocked them unconscious, but had also stolen most of their supplies. They weren't lost, but they had only a tenuous hold on their location in relation to the gnolls ahead. They still had lights and ropes nailed to the walls with iron hooks to guide them, but that was all.

Their supplies were gone. Most of their water was gone, and they were at least a five or six hour walk from the exit. If they started now, they would be out of here in the middle of the night. The prudent plan had been chosen: to try to catch up with the gnolls. With any luck, they would still have food and water. Or a plan. Maybe the shaman could somehow whisk them out of here.

Mira urged them forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "Come on. The gnolls can't be far ahead."

Her eyes leaped from place to place in the dark, trying to pick out details, but their light was scant, and it only added to her growing dread. One hand trailed along the coarse rope that marked their path. The rough fibers caught on her gloves. She'd worn a pair that left her fingertips exposed to better sense details in the dark, and now she wished she had sacrificed that feeling for something a little more substantial.

"I'd kill for a drink at the Wandering Boar right now," Bowen said, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

Tobias grunted in agreement. "Their dark ale goes down smooth. Better than that watered down swill most places serve. The Green Griffin does it, and we all know it.”

"Why not drink at the Shadow's Respite?" Mira asked, wincing as she adjusted her grip on the lantern.

"Haven't you heard? They can barely keep anything in stock," Bowen replied. "I went in a night ago, and they had run out of summer ale. Imagine a tavern ain't got none on hand. One wonders how they hope to stay in business. Truth is, I like the atmosphere there better than that hopped-up and overpriced Wandering Boar. A peculiar man runs the Shadow's Respite, but I give him leeway. It's said he took a knock during the war. Got his memories scrambled."

Mira almost laughed at Bowen’s description of Varix, but then she clenched her teeth. She knew Baron Swiftwood was behind the delays in Varix getting his supplies, and she wished she could do something about it, but the man was practically royalty. She'd entered into a deal with Varix at a profit sharing level, and the Baron was now cutting into those proceeds.

"Yeah. I don't care for him," Tobias said.

"Varix?" Mira asked him.

"Nothing personal. He's too nice."

Mira laughed and said, "Too nice? He's a tavern keeper. He's supposed to be nice."

"I suppose you're right. He helped one of the new men get in with the town guard.”

“That’s a bad thing?” Mira asked.

"Sure, he's nice and all, but that doesn't mean he's not trying to gain something out of it. I've seen it before—people too eager to help usually have an angle."

"What angle could he possibly have? He's just a tavern keeper."

"He’s done up and helped Raynard get into the guard, didn't he? Might be stacking the deck."

"Raynard's a good kid. Annoying to train with, but decent enough," Alic added. "I know, because I brought him in. He's going to be a good guard, and he has a unique fighting style."

"And what happens when the next 'nice guy' Varix helps along isn't so decent? The guard's no place for favor. It's for those who've earned it. Weeding out those not fit for it is the difference between life and death for some of us."

Mira turned to Bowen and said. “You are reading too much into it.”

“Maybe."

"She's right," Alic put in. "You're reading too much into it. I pick the recruits, and Varix was very insightful when he sent Raynard back to me for a second trial."

"Fine. Fine. Don't mean that Varix don't have ulterior motives."

Mira blew out an exasperated sigh and said, “Let’s move on.”

“Aye.”

Their lantern light danced across the walls, creating grotesque shadows that seemed to move with lives of their own. The passage twisted and turned, sometimes forcing them to duck under low-hanging rock formations or squeeze through narrow gaps.

A scuttling sound echoed through the darkness, causing Bowen to jump.

"Just small animals," Mira assured them, though her hand tightened on her sword hilt.

"What kind of animals live down here?" Alic wondered aloud, his voice tight with tension.

"Probably bats," Bowen suggested.

"Shut your mouth about bats," Tobias snapped. "I hate those flying rats."

"Why did you come down here if you hate bats so much?" Mira asked, pausing to check their direction with the lodestone.

"Didn't think we'd be here this long," Tobias grumbled. "Thought it'd be a quick look around, then back up for dinner. Guess I didn't think it through."

"Let's keep going. As soon as we find the gnolls, we can head back."

"If we find them," Alic added.

"One more hour. If we don't find them in that time, we will return," Mira said.

"How will you know how long an hour is?" Alic asked.

"I spent over a year in the campaign against Morthisal. Sometimes, all I had was keeping time in my head." Alic reached out and touched her shoulder. He squeezed lightly, and she was grateful for the touch.

Mira's throat burned with thirst. She reached for her water skin and found it distressingly light. Looking back, she caught Alic eyeing his own empty water skin.

"Here," she said, passing him her water. "Take a sip, but make it count."

"I shouldn't have drunk my backup supply," he admitted, taking a careful swallow before handing it back.

They pressed on, each step becoming more difficult than the last. Mira's feet felt like they were on fire, even through her sturdy boots. Her fingers had cramped into claws from gripping the rope and lantern.

The air grew thicker, and it became harder to breathe. Sweat trickled down her back, making her shirt cling uncomfortably. She hoped to see signs of the gnolls each time they rounded a corner, but there was only more darkness.

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Just as despair began to creep in, the passage widened. Mira's lantern light spilled into a vast cavern, and her heart nearly stopped. The gnolls lay in a heap in the center of the chamber. None of them moved. The sight reminded her of winter nights when hunting dogs would pile together for warmth, but this was different. Wrong.

"No," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

The four of them entered the chamber.

Caden leaned forward to look at the mass. "Are they-"

A large head in the middle of the pack lifted its head slightly.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Mira called.

The gnolls roused themselves, breaking up the pile and staggering to their feet. Grix'gnash, the shaman, looked around, with sleep obviously pulling heavily at his eyes. He rubbed them and then pulled himself upright and looked at Mira and the others.

Some of the gnolls whispered to each other in their strange mix of human-like vocals, low yips, and growls.

"Grix'gnash. Can you talk?"

"Something has…"

"Yeah. They got us, too. Are you able to help us get out of here? The ropes seem intact, but we're low on water and food. Something stole it while we were unconscious."

Grix'gnash shook his head and pulled himself up to his full height. "I am feeling better, but there is something here. A presence. Ethereal and ancient. It is gone now. Along with our supplies. We were stricken.”

“So were we. They took most of our supplies. We’re low on water. Do you have any?”

One of the gnolls looked through the remains of their own sleds and growled.

“It appears to be gone.”

“This isn’t good.”

Mira looked around the cavern. Two passages on opposite sides led away from the chamber. Several gnolls had already begun hammering metal hooks into the wall of the leftmost tunnel. "Why that direction?"

Grix'gnash's nose twitched. "We smell life that way."

"How far?" Mira asked.

"Unknown to us," Grix'gnash said. Several gnolls behind him yipped and barked. "The others wish to go that way."

"We should head back the way we came," Mira said. "It's a sure path out. The other way could lead anywhere or nowhere."

The shaman nodded slowly, but several gnolls growled and barked at him. He turned and spoke to them in their own language, his voice rising and falling in a series of yips and growls. The argument continued until Grix'gnash slammed his staff against the ground. The other gnolls lowered their heads in submission.

A deep rumble echoed through the cavern. The ground beneath their feet trembled.

"What was that?" Bowen asked.

The rumble grew louder. Loose rocks clattered down from the ceiling.

A deafening crack split the air as the tunnel they'd come through collapsed. The rope that had guided them through the darkness whipped along the wall as the falling rocks yanked it free.

Several gnolls lunged for the rope, their clawed hands grasping at air.

Tobias dove forward and caught the end. The force of the moving rope dragged him across the ground.

Mira rushed to help him, but Tobias screamed as the rope tore through his hands. It disappeared into the darkness, leaving them only the gnolls' chosen route.

"Hands," Tobias groaned, holding them up. Even in the dim light, it was evident where the rope had burned through his skin.

"Let me see," Mira said, pulling a small dark glass pot of healing salve from her belt pouch. She'd carried it through several battles and was now grateful she hadn't left it behind. She worked quickly to spread the cooling ointment across his palms.

"That's better," Tobias said through gritted teeth.

Alic walked to the collapsed tunnel and held up his lantern. "No way we’re getting back through here. Too much debris."

"Then we go forward," Grix'gnash said, his yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness. "The spirits have chosen our path."

"Some spirits," Bowen muttered.

Mira finished wrapping Tobias's hands with strips torn from her spare shirt. She stood and faced the group. "We don't have much choice now. Forward is our only option."

"The gnolls will lead," Grix'gnash stated. "We see better in the dark."

“Agreed,” Mira said.

She helped Tobias to his feet, and they fell in behind the creatures they'd been pursuing just hours before.

"Stay close," Mira said to her companions. "And save what water we have left. We don't know how far we'll need to go."

They moved into the tunnel, leaving behind the blocked passage and any hope of an easy return to the surface. The darkness ahead seemed to swallow their light, and Mira couldn't shake the feeling that something watched their every move.

They trudged on and hours later emerged into another cavern, this one larger than any they had yet encountered.

Mira stepped into a vast chamber that took her breath away. Their meager lantern light caught and multiplied across countless crystalline surfaces. It created a dazzling display that filled the cavernous space. The crystals extended from floor to ceiling, some as thin as her arm, others thick as tree trunks. Faceted surfaces sparkled with deep purples, vibrant blues, and rich greens.

Strange flora carpeted sections of the ground between the crystal formations. Luminescent moss clung to the walls, casting a soft blue-green glow. Delicate vine-like plants wound their way up the crystals, their leaves a strange shade of azure.

The air hung heavy with moisture, and a musty scent filled her nostrils. Along one wall, water trickled down in a thin stream, collecting in small pools before disappearing into cracks in the stone floor.

The gnolls spread out through the chamber.

Mira approached the trickling water. She reached out, letting the cool liquid run over her fingers.

Grix'gnash moved beside Mira, his staff tapping against the stone floor. "Do not drink," he growled. "Water here can bring sickness and death."

Tobias joined them, his bandaged hands cradled against his chest. "We're probably going to die down here anyway. Might as well test your theory about the water." Mira licked her lips and almost threw Grix’gnash’s advice about the water away to agree with Tobias.

"Death by water not quick," Grix'gnash said, his ears flattening. "Hours of pain. Days maybe. Stomach turns to fire. Blood flows wrong way."

"What if we boiled it?" Tobias asked. "Fire would clean it, right?"

"We could gather wood from those blue plants," Mira suggested, though the idea of burning the strange vegetation made her uneasy.

Grix'gnash shook his head. "Plants here not like surface plants. Smoke might be worse than water."

"We have to do something," Tobias insisted. "We're all out of water, and--"

"Mira!" Alic's voice echoed through the chamber.

She continued examining the water flow, trying to determine if there might be a way to collect and purify it. "Maybe if we used our helmets as cooking pots..."

"Can we burn extra clothes as fuel?” Tobias asked.

"Mira!" Alic called again, more urgently this time.

"What?" she yelled back in frustration.

Alic stood near the far wall with his lantern held high. "I found stairs!"

The chamber fell silent. Even the gnolls stopped their movements to stare at Alic.

"Stairs? Really?" Mira asked, already moving toward him.

As she drew closer, it was apparent what had caught his attention. Cut into the rock wall was a series of broad steps, each easily wide enough for three people to walk abreast. They ascended into darkness, their surfaces smooth and worn from countless feet. Not only that, but they also descended into total darkness.

"These aren't natural," Alic said, running his hand along the wall beside the stairs. "Someone made these. Look at how precise the cuts are."

Grix'gnash approached, his claws clicking against the stone. "Yes. Old work. Very old. From the before time."

"The before time?" Tobias scratched his head.

"I think he means pre-cataclysm."

Grix'gnash nodded.

The gnolls gathered around, their tails swishing with excitement. They chattered amongst themselves in their yipping language.

"Up or down?" Mira asked, looking at Grix'gnash.

The shaman closed his eyes, his nose twitching. After a moment, he opened them again. "Up leads to something. Down leads to the city that is our goal."

"How can you tell?" Tobias asked.

"Spirits whisper. Like wind through dry grass. They say city below. But..." He paused, tilting his head. "Something else above. We have a better chance at safety in that direction. Explore down later.”

Mira looked between the ascending and descending stairs. Her vision blurred momentarily. Why was she even questioning the direction? Up should lead them to the surface.

Mira dug out the lodestone gem Seraphina had created and held it up. The blue light shone brighter than it had before.

“We’re under Everspring.”

"Thank the gods,” Alic said.

Before they could start up the stairs, the earth shook around them again, and a deep groan echoed from below, like some ancient beast stirring in its slumber. Debris fell around them—chunks of stone raining down from the crumbling ceiling. Mira instinctively raised her arm above her head, offering scant protection from the rubble shower. The tremor seemed to last longer than the previous ones, and the vibrations resonated through her boots and up her legs.

"We need to go now!"