*
Thomas sat ona rock, exhausted. They’d finally reached the end of the long, meandering tunnel. There, they’d found a sliver of an opening that led hopefully to the cavernous space where the tablets were supposed to be located. Unfortunately, it required shimmying through a narrow corridor to reach it. Benson looked reluctant to go any further. Thomas had measured the width of the slender space; they would all fit, though it would be tight.
“We need to travel in pairs,” he explained. Thomas had a friend become stuck in a cave a few years ago and almost died, so he always had specific rules when traversing any underground system—working in pairs or trios was one of them.
“I can go,” Lisbeth said.
Her guard, Benson, frowned so deeply that Thomas had to refrain from laughing. Lisbeth sighed, “I’m the smallest. It would make sense for me to go. Thomas will be with me. I will be fine, Benson.”
Her guard sighed, unsure. “Your Grace, this makes me nervous.”
Lisbeth stepped into the opening and pointed at the space between her and the wall. “Look how much room there is.”
Thomas slapped him on his shoulder. “How about Lisbeth and I go see if this leads anywhere. If it doesn’t, we can come back and try the next tunnel tomorrow. If we are lucky and it leads to the opening on the map, everyone can push their way through.”
Fadir nodded, seemingly at ease. The man had been traversing the tunnels probably his whole life, so Thomas wasn’t surprised. Benson finally sighed and sat down on a rock. “Fine. I know you want to find the tablets, but I hope I don’t have to push my way through that opening.”
Thomas chuckled. He turned back to Lisbeth and moved her out of the opening. “I will go first.”
She looked as if she wanted to argue, but he shook his head. “You are smaller than me. If I fit, we know you will.”
Lisbeth nodded, and he handed her the lantern. She smirked. “At least I’ve become responsible enough to carry our light.”
He gave her a pointed look.
She shrugged. “Just a jest.”
Thomas shook his head but then focused on the opening. He slid in sideways. He wasn’t truly the biggest fan of exploring caves, and this was precisely why—the damn tight spots. His back slid against the tunnel’s cool surface, but the further he moved in, sometimes his front was pushed against the wall he was facing, and in other places, he had more than enough room.
He could tell Lisbeth was by his side because of the light. In most spots, there wasn’t enough room for him to turn his head. “How are you doing?”
A gasp escaped Lisbeth, but there was amusement laced in her voice. “I don’t think cave exploration will be something I continue to pursue, but I’m fine.”
He grinned. “You wanted to do this.”
She nudged him in the side with her elbow. A familiarity flowed between them. It was an emotion he’d felt his whole life with Lisbeth growing up, and when they’d run away together. His thoughts were distracted as he stepped further and found himself in a large cavern. He stopped Lisbeth with his hand. “Hand me the lantern.”
She did as he asked, and he held it up. The space was breathtaking. They were on a large ledge, but further out was a drop and then a large basin of the clearest water Thomas had ever seen. Lisbeth joined him and gasped. “It is beautiful.”
He sighed. It was, but unfortunately, the opening to the cavity they were looking for was underwater. That meant, at some point, it had been permanently sealed, likely from a tunnel collapse, Thomas guessed.
“This path won’t get us to the cavern we are looking for.”
He pulled instruments from his bag and took measurements to ensure he was correct. Lisbeth looked around at the sizable space. “How do you know?”
Thomas explained, “Based on the dimensions of this cavern and the map, the opening would be underwater if it still existed.”
Lisbeth frowned, and Thomas began to step back into the narrow corridor from which they had just emerged. Lisbeth looked at him, shocked. “You won’t take a moment to enjoy this?”
Thomas turned back to her. Even in the lantern light, she was quite a messy sight. Part of her braid had unraveled, and her long shirt and pants were smudged with dirt. She had a bit on her cheek as well. “You are a mess.”
She beamed at him and held her arms out. “I do not care, Thomas Easton.”
Thomas shook his head, but he was mesmerized. She was a vision. Lisbeth smiled at him. “We will go back in a minute. Sit on the edge with me and look at the water.”
He looked at the edge of the rock ledge dubiously. “It could crumble.”
She sighed. “We will be careful.”
