Like the ladder they'd come down, the ladder up was oversized, the rungs much further apart than Hina was used to. She had to stretch to reach each hand and foot hold, and hold on to the side with her hands and feet to keep her balance.

She climbed. It was further up than she remembered from the last ladder. Her hands grew slippery and she could feel her muscles straining. Her legs ached as she pulled herself up. The pressure in the air—she'd almost forgotten about it—eased as she climbed.

They'd walked a long way, in the corridors and after, but the walls of the shaft were the same as before. Were they still inside the same tower, or were they going to pop up in an entirely different place? And the graveyard had been somewhere else entirely. Hina suspected that they would have trouble finding the city if they were too far away. They'd have to ask someone the way. And they'd have to find someone to ask.

Maybe it would be best if they could find a way to go back out they'd come in, even if that meant dealing with the wolf-things. Between the sling and the spear, they'd be able to chase them off now. Probably.

After what felt like forever, she reached the top. Above her was another hatch, this one was made from silvery metal, not wood—maybe it would be lighter. She moved as far as she could to the side of the ladder so that Kai could help. Hina checked her grip on the ladder, then began to push up.

The hatch began to move. Hina had to climb up the ladder to keep her grip as it lifted.

At the tipping point, the hatch stood for a moment and then fell backwards. It slammed into the floor with a great reverberating crash.

The room above was small, round and dimly lit, with single oversized door that had a handle on the left at the height of Hina's chest. It looked familiar.

"Where are we?" Kai spoke quietly.

"I... I don't know," Hina said. "In the room behind the locked door? Maybe? Or somewhere else."

A shallow cupboard with simple wooden shelves was set into the wall by the door. Most of the shelves were bare, but one held a small glass object.

She picked it up—it was a glass container with white powder inside it, and holes in the top. "A salt shaker? What is that doing here?" She turned it over in her hands, looking for a label, but there was nothing. When she shook it, the powder swished around inside.

"Poison, maybe?" Kai said. "Or tiny white rocks—sand?"

"It looks like salt. It would be nice to have some extra spices. The beans have been pretty bland so far."

"We should test it first. On an animal, maybe. It could be anything."

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"Yeah, I guess so," Hina said. "I suppose that's sensible. Where are we going to find an animal though?"

"When we get out of here. We'll have to catch one. Or set out bait, or a trap."

Hina put the salt shaker into her pocket. "Let's keep going."

She tried the handle. A mechanism clicked and the door swung open.

Beyond was a wide open room—a landing, a broad half-circle that the room with the ladder touched on, stone floors covered in rich green carpets. Across the space, on either end of the flat side of the half-circle, two wide sets of stairs curved out of sight. One leading up and curving to the left, and the other leading down. The height of each step was taller than Hina's knees. And there was something about the staircase that drew her eyes—she forced herself to look away.

To the right a huge metal door was set into the wall—a familiar door. It must lead to the antechamber where they'd slept. On this side, it had a handle.

To the left of the stairs—next to the downward staircase—was an oversized door, this one made of rich dark wood. It was closed, and the handle was up in the corner, well out of reach. On the other side, near the upward staircase, a regular-sized door was set into the wall.

Hina stepped towards it. It was the first time she'd seen a door in the spire that looked like it was made for people. She reached out to touch it, but her shaking hand stopped short of the wood. The back of her neck itched. Something was wrong. She had the sense that they'd made a terrible mistake.

A noise came from high above and out of sight, a heavy thud. Whoever it was that lived here...

Kai grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?" he whispered. "Let's go!"

Another noise, a thunking clatter. It was awake.

Hina froze, her heart racing. The staircase was in the edge of her vision, a few short steps away. Her head turned towards it. Another thud came from above. An oppressive presence flooded the space, and a throbbing spike of pain shot into Hina's temple. She took a step backwards, Kai pulling her towards the exit.

A thunk from overhead. And then another. The sounds resolved into great, heavy footsteps on the stairs. Descending slowly.

Blood roared in Hina's ears. She stopped. If she stayed perfectly still—

"Hina!" Kai hissed. "Come on!"

The footsteps grew closer and louder. It was coming.

Kai pulled, and Hina stumbled on wobbly legs. The bent iron poker dropped from her hand. It bounced off the carpet and clattered against the stone at the edge of the room. Kai dragged her on and over to the door to the right. "Push!"

She pushed.

After a long moment of both of them pushing with all of their might, leaning into the door, the door shifted. The hinges shrieked. The massive door moved, shifting slowly, the gap widening.

The footsteps boomed behind them. It was nearly here. In moments it would step into the room and see them tresspassing, and there would be nothing that they could do about it. It would—

"Come on!" Kai darted through the gap, pulling Hina on and into the antechamber where they'd slept the night before—unaware of the dangers hiding just out of sight. Unaware of the thing on the stairs. It must have been sleeping only a handful of meters away this whole time.

Kai ran across the room. He tripped on the edge of the rolled up rug and pulled away from Hina's hand, stumbling past the fireplace and towards the door before he caught his balance. His feet left tracks in the dirt and dried mud. Hina ran a few paces behind him, already breathing hard. A sharp pain developed in her jaw, her blood roared in her ears.

The barrier snapped with a sound like a twig breaking as Kai's foot touched it. He pushed his way through the gap.

Behind them, the door slammed shut. The room fell silent. The footsteps were gone.

Hina's hands found the weapons at her belt as she followed Kai. She took out the sling and one of the heavy stones, slipped the stone into the sling's pouch and held it ready in both hands.

She passed through the doorway. To the outside, where the wolves were.