Deep inside the abandoned mine, the narrow fork marked by the Magic Radar was like a fissure that had suddenly opened, dragging the two of them from a deathly silent void into an entirely different world.
The air no longer had that nauseating dryness. In its place was an ancient, damp, earthy scent mixed with a faint trace of sulfur-the distinctive breath of mineral veins buried deep underground.
Water seeped from the rock walls, refracting faint glimmers in the gloom before dripping to the ground with clear, lingering echoes, as though it were the only heartbeat of this forgotten place.
The mine passage twisted and turned, sometimes so narrow that only one person could squeeze through sideways, sometimes opening up abruptly to reveal the rough marks left by the miners.
The point of light on the radar in Douglas's hand steadily guided the way, its green trail of life especially conspicuous in the darkness.
They walked for a long time, passing beneath low arch after low arch and winding around jagged stone pillars. The gravel crunched beneath their feet, the sound particularly jarring in the deathly silence.
Lupin followed close behind. He could feel that suppressed, faint breath of life in the air drawing nearer, like a flickering candle that might go out at any moment.
At last, the green dot on the radar stopped directly above their heads.
"We've been circling right above it all along."
Lupin spoke quietly as he looked at the three-dimensional map projected by the radar. The green dot was like a thumbtack pinned beneath the floor.
Douglas neither continued forward nor climbed upward.
He simply stood where he was, his gaze resting on the floor of the mine passage beneath his feet. His deep eyes seemed capable of piercing the rock and seeing the