I stare at it. At her. At the offer sitting there between us like it’s the simplest thing in the world.
It’s not. It’s everything.
My brain cycles through a dozen deflections — a joke, a shrug, athanks but I’m finethat would let me keep my walls exactly where they’ve always been.
But my hand is already moving.
Her fingers close around mine. Warm. Real. Hers.
We walk back to the center of the cavern together. Hand in hand. And I don’t let go.
The others fall in around us — Aspen and Torric, Kieran, Malrik. Even Darian edges closer, though he keeps his distance.
“This place isn’t just safe,” I say slowly.
Everyone looks at me.
I meet Kaia’s eyes. Then Malrik’s. Then each of them in turn.
“It knows us,” I say.
The motes swirl overhead, brightening in response.
A soft wind stirs Kaia’s hair.
Shadows curl at her feet.
And I finish, quiet but certain:
“All of us.”
Chapter 26
Kaia
The motes settle slowly around us, the cavern still humming with whatever just happened.
We stand there in the soft glow — Finn’s hand still warm in mine — and I don’t want to move. Don’t want to break whatever this is.
But then Aspen tilts his head.
“There’s one more,” he says quietly.
I follow his gaze. On the far side of the cavern, half-hidden in shadow, there’s a sixth tunnel. I didn’t notice it before — too caught up in the halls that were blazing to life, too overwhelmed by everything we were learning.
But it’s there. Waiting.
We drift toward it together, the group moving as one without anyone saying a word. Finn’s fingers slip from mine as we walk, but the warmth lingers.
It’s not dark like the others were before they woke up. It’s not waiting. It’s just… nothing. Smooth walls. Bare wood. No carvings. No light. No hum.
We stand in front of the blank hall for a long moment.
I move toward it, curious, and my shadows refuse to follow. They pool at my feet, tense, unwilling. Bob’s edges sharpen like he’s warning me. Mouse chirps once — short, clipped.Don’t.
“What’s in there?” I ask.
Nobody answers. Nobody knows.
