The ruins on the ground above the temple, meant to conceal it from prying eyes, had been built by the still-prosperous Worm Order at the beginning of this epoch. Back then, this had been where the cult's priests and Believers who Came Here to worship resided. Later, the Cult declined, and the ruins were abandoned, becoming the large-estate-like remains now before Shade's eyes.
Time had destroyed most things. Only the faded patterns on a few pillars hinted at how prosperous this place had once been. Ancient writing from the Third Epoch had been carved into the pillars, every letter resembling a curled worm. It had been created by the races that lived alongside worms during the Third Epoch, and in the modern Sixth Epoch, probably no one besides Shade could read it.
The entrance to the underground temple lay beneath the floor on one side of the ruins. Opening the passage below required an awkward incantation and a key. After Shade translated the incantation, its meaning was roughly: "Praise the Great Earth-Shaking Worm; may Your vibrations be with us."
As for the key that opened the entrance, it was not an inanimate object, but a worm living inside the body of Old Woman Ilal, the Cult's last priest. The worm was entirely black, about one-fifth the length of Shade's arm, and its mouthparts were exceptionally conspicuous.
It crawled out of Old Woman Ilal's mouth, its hundreds and thousands of tiny legs wriggling. Not only Shade, but even Miss Aurora found the sight somewhat unbearable. The cat on Shade's shoulder was even more alert, looking ready to pounce and protect Shade from the worm. Mia thought the worm was smaller than her, so it posed no danger at all.
As the incantation was recited, the pitch-black worm burrowed into the ground.