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"I don't like those words," I muttered.
"What words?"
"To the death. There's such a ring of finality about them, and I don't have Delilah or Menolly here. Speaking of, I wonder how Delilah's doing. I just hope she managed to avoid Smoky out there."
"She probably went back to the house to check on Chase once she saw what was happening. She's a smart girl. Don't write her off as too naive."
I shrugged. "Smart, yes. Wise? Not so much. Okay, so how do we get me around the pit?"
Morio laughed, then lightly tripped around the edges, showing no sign of unsteadiness. Once he reached the other side, he set the light on the ground and braced his back against the wall, his left hand outstretched toward me.
"Face the wall and take my hand. Then inch across. I'm strong, I'll be able to hold you if you fall."
"Right, just like I can fit in a size two dress." But with no other choice, I pressed my face against the stone wall and began a shuffling side step along the lip of the pit. Morio grasped my fingers, giving me enough sense of balance that I was able to scoot the rest of the way across without incident. I was not looking forward to the return trip.
When we were on solid ground again, Morio picked up the light, and we slowly progressed along the corridor. Morio tested each step before putting his weight down. Where there was one trap, there might be more.
We'd traveled another thirty yards when the passage branched again, this time with our path leading straight ahead, and a fork to the right. The fork would take us deeper into the mountain. Again, I reached out. This time, the energy was stronger and to the right.
"Take the fork," I told Morio.
We had barely turned onto the branch in the road when Morio stopped. "Look—straight ahead. See the light? That's no illusion." Sure enough, a faint glimmer of light filtered through a crack in the solid rock. We hurried along to the end of the passage, which stopped short. A dead end. End of the line.
"There has to be a hidden door," he said, running his hands over the crack. "But I don't sense an illusion. At least not any I'm familiar with."
I stood back, thinking. If there wasn't a door on the end of the passage, had we missed one coming down the hall? I began to hunt around, listening closely. At first, all I could hear was a gentle susurration as the air currents shifted, but then I began to hear breathing—slow and rhythmic.
I spread my hands against the rock, and sure enough, a thin stream of air flowed over my hand. The rough granite was cool against my skin as I squinted, trying to see the edges of the door. Sure enough, there it was—faint but still visible in the dim light. The door was roughly six feet tall by three feet wide. The question was, how to open it?
I motioned to Morio. As I traced the outline, he held up the foxfire light, and we inspected the rock for any sense of indentation or latch.
Near the ground, we found a handhold. I swallowed hard and reached into the dark opening. My fingers met a cold lever and—damn! I snatched them out and held them up to the light. Faint red blisters were beginning to form along the pads of my fingertips. Iron welts. The metal burn hurt like a son of a bitch, but I managed to keep my mouth shut. Morio gestured for me to stand back.
He reached down. I heard a faint click, and the door began to swing out, the stone block swiveling on its hinges.
We jumped out of the way, and the minute it was open, we squeezed through to the other side.
I gasped. The chamber into which we had stumbled was huge. Stalagmites and stalactites formed a forest of columns throughout the cavern, but most of the chamber was open and glistening. Limestone waterfalls cascaded in frozen brilliance down the walls, and a rim stone pool sat off to one side, pearls of calcite creating a glistening stone bubble bath around the edges of the mineral tub. A faint illumination emanated from the walls.
"We aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto," I muttered, glancing back at the door. Sure enough, a sparkling barrier confirmed that we'd entered a different realm. This part of the cave wouldn't be found on any map or surveyor's guide. We'd crossed through a natural portal into… where? Could we be in Otherworld? Or was this someplace entirely different?>"So tell me something. Why didn't you catch Tom yourself? Why haven't you eaten him yet?"
Smoky's eyes sparkled, scintillating and brilliant. "I didn't fancy a bout of indigestion," was all he said.
As we passed by him, I could feel his hot breath warming the air. Actually, compared to the rain it was pleasant, and part of me wanted to stand there for a moment to dry off from the downpour, but then I thought the better of it. After all, a dragon giving you a pet name like Witchling only spelled trouble. The smell of charcoal and meat was so thick around him, though, that I shuddered and hurried past.
Morio followed close behind, his hand on my shoulder. As we came to the entrance of the cave, I forced myself to walk sedately. No use in exciting the dragon into a mistake that we'd regret. Once inside, however, I slumped against the wall, shivering.
"That was one encounter I never expected to have. Nor do I fancy a repeat. Okay, where the hell is Tom? Let's find him and get out of here." I shook my head and looked around.
The walls of the cave glistened. Phosphorescence, perhaps? Faerie fire? I closed my eyes and reached out, searching for any sign of life. There—a flicker, just a mind's touch, down the tunnel and to the right.
"Someone's in here, that's for certain," I said, not exactly keen on the idea of tramping through the dark. I didn't like caves. I preferred the open sky or at least a house where I knew I wouldn't be falling down any mine shafts or tripping over rocks or getting squashed by rockslides.
Morio glanced at me. "You're claustrophobic, aren't you?"
Shrugging, I stared at the floor. "Kind of. And I've got vertigo, and I'm squeamish when it comes to babies' diapers. I'm just a mess, aren't I?" I let out a sigh and reluctantly leaned against the wall of the cavern. "Actually, I'm not claustrophobic in the truest sense of the word, but my magic comes from the moon and stars. I don't like being trapped under the earth. I never went to visit the dwarven city back in Otherworld because most of it's buried in the mountain. My father took Delilah and Menolly, but I couldn't face it."
"Did your mother go?" Morio asked.
