The air from the newly revealed tunnel was colder than the outside—an unnatural chill, which was carrying the echoes of a forgotten world.
Jonan felt it wrap around his neck like fingers of a ghost, urging both fear and awe.
Kedes handed him a torch, its flame flickering violently in the draft, casting strange shapes on the tunnel walls.
Behind them, the rest of the colony prepared their own lights, speaking little as they lined up in solemn rows.
Raerin moved to the front, his spear raised, and he gave a single nod that passed silently down the line like a wave.
With a last look up at the world above, they entered the cave.
The passage slanted steeply, rock-hewn and slippery with water; the walls were streaked with radiant minerals.
Every step of his resonated like drums in a cathedral, producing rhythms that seemed too intentional to be an accident.
Jonan's senses were sharp, and he remained alert, considering this was his and the other's first time in this place.
