Landyn sighed and regarded Raven. He saw her eyes burning with anger and felt the heat of it in the air. “We have no choice but to follow the directions now. We can’t go out the way we came in.”
Raven nodded, her jaw tight. “We’ll move forward. Slowly, Sage.”
Sage’s shoulders slumped as she trudged down the tunnel. Marcus stepped beside her and reached out to take her hand in his. She tensed, but when he didn’t let release her, she gradually relaxed, their fingers entwining.
Christian strode past Raven and Landyn, Willow following, her gaze lingering wistfully on the hole at the top of the ceiling.
Raven glanced at Landyn and sighed softly. Her eyes were heavy with worry, and she shook her head.
Landyn put on a brave face despite the trepidation in his heart. “It will be well,” he assured her, even though he didn’t feel confident in his words.
“We have no choice,” she replied, her voice heavy with resignation. She set off after the others.
Landyn stared up at the dark opening, his chest tight with apprehension, before following the rest.
Landyn ran his fingers over the cool, smooth walls of the corridor as he walked. He swiped his hand through the air, dissipating the thick spider webs that coated the ceiling and walls like a second layer of dusty skin. In the torchlight, he could just make out Willow ahead of him. Every now and then, she would stop and brush away a web from her hair or clothes.
Sage led the way holding the torch; its flickering light illuminated the tunnel’s walls.
A few rocks lay scattered on the ground, and the only tracks in the dirt were theirs, so faint it was evident that no one had ventured this way for many years. The corridor was quiet besides the soft crackling of fire from Sage’s torch.
“Where are we?” Willow asked gazing at the roof.
“Past the cemetery,” Christian answered.
Landyn studied the chiseled walls and ceiling in awe. Whoever had built this was an amazing architect. He was filled with admiration, but at the same time, a sense of dread crept in. Whohadbuilt it? And why?
“I hate caves,” Willow stated again.
“We know,” Sage responded in annoyance.
“And yet, somehow I keep ending up in them,” Willow added with the same annoyance.
As they continued through the tunnel, it slowly opened enough for Landyn to stand upright. He examined the walls for any sign of an exit, but all he saw was the smooth rock. “What’s the next part of the directions?”
“Follow the tunnel and enter the door,” Sage answered.
“At least that’s not a riddle,” Willow murmured.
“Could we have missed it?” Marcus asked. “We’ve been walking for a while.”
“Are you sure you remember correctly?” Landyn asked.
Sage slowly turned her head toward him, her eyes narrowing in an icy glare.
“Maybe it read ‘don’t go into the tunnel,’” Willow suggested.
Sage huffed and rolled her eyes, her frustration obvious.
Willow shrugged.
“Keep going,” Raven said. “Let’s see where the tunnel leads.”
Sage led the group down the hallway.
Landyn couldn’t help but question Sage’s memory as they walked through the seemingly endless tunnel. He looked for clues on the walls, but all he found were cold, damp rocks. His uneasiness grew with each step—there was no sign of an exit or any life in the tunnel apart from them, yet it was certainly man-made.
Silence settled around them like a shroud as they moved, the only sound that of their footsteps.
