Four days pass inside the cave.
Four days of darkness, careful decisions at every bend, natural traps that almost catch us more than once.
Lola stops complaining about the dark on the second day—starts adapting to it instead. That surprises me and worries me in equal measure. Kids shouldn't adjust this well.
Rhayne keeps the Cloaked Cape active almost the whole time, conserving her energy, becoming part of the walls when we rest. Oliver takes point with the torch without ever being asked. The four of us learn to walk in silence.
I learn that silence in the dark is the only language that doesn't attract things.
On the fourth day, we find a huge gallery. The ceiling climbs past the reach of the torch. And when I take my third step into the chamber, my boots knock against something that isn't stone.
I lower the torch.
