We continued on, the tunnel stretching ahead of us, the air growing heavier, the glow dimming just enough that the shadows felt deeper.
And somewhere beyond it all…
Something waited.
I could feel it.
And this time, it didn’t feel like a possibility.
It felt like certainty.
Keegan looked down at me as we continued walking. “You feel the stone, don't you?”
I didn’t know why I wouldn’t just admit that was the case, but it almost felt as if, by admitting it, the stone truly had some sort of hold on me.
But I never made a habit of lying, so I nodded.
We came to another break, with several tunnels ahead of us. Twobble started heading towards the one on the right.
“I don't think that's the way we should go,” I said softly.
Twobble turned around, and his eyes met mine. There was a seriousness in his expression that I hadn't seen much before. Nova noticed and drew a breath.
“Which tunnel is calling you?” Nova asked.
“The one straight ahead of us,” I said softly.
Twobble grumbled. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
My brows raised. “Why? What’s wrong with that one?”
Twobble didn’t answer right away.
That was the first thing that told me I wasn’t going to like whatever came next.
He shifted his weight and glanced down the tunnel I had pointed to, then back at me, his usual quick confidence replaced with something a little more careful.
“Well,” he said, dragging the word out just enough to make it worse, “it’s not the worst tunnel.”
“That doesn’t sound reassuring,” I replied. “It obviously isn’t the greatest either.”
“It’s not meant to be,” he said quickly. “It’s just… not the best choice if you’re trying to avoid complications.”
Nova stepped a little closer, her gaze moving from Twobble to the tunnel and back again. “What kind of complications?”
Twobble rubbed the back of his neck. “The kind that doesn’t always show up. So no reason to needlessly worry about it.”
“That’s vague,” Stella said, her tone light, but her gaze hardened slightly.
“It’s accurate,” Twobble replied.
I folded my arms slightly. “Twobble.”
He let out a breath. “Alright, fine. That tunnel…” He gestured toward it with a small flick of his hand. “It has a connection point further down. A split that leads toward Shadowick.”
The word settled in the space between us.
Nova’s expression shifted immediately. “You didn’t think that was important to mention before?”
