Chapter 25: Guardian of the Depths

The trail before us dropped down forever, it seemed, into darkness. It was colder now, the air heavier; even the wolves, attuned as they were to the night, betrayed a flicker of nervousness. The earth beneath our feet was soft, almost spongy, and that pulse of force from the Memory Core still hummed within our very bones, a challenge to our strengths. 

Silvermane went forward with caution. "The obstacles of the Depths will be different for each one of us," she warned. "We can't know what they look like, only that they're contrived to make us feel weak and entrap us in our fears. "

Ember's eyes shone with resolution, her shoulders stiff with tension. "Whatever it is, I will no longer be controlled by it."