Chapter 17: Secrets in the Night
Vix lay awake in the dead of night. Or it felt like the dead of night, at least. Day or night, everything was always dark and dismal here, within the heart of the mountains.
She sat with her back propped against a wall, deep inside the hidden passage that Mirra had opened. Hovering near the ceiling, Mirra’s ball of light hung, dimmed significantly, bathing the portion of passageway in a dim and dusky light.
A few hours ago, they had followed it along the passageway, looking for the exit that Mirra had told them about. Then, it had zipped along at a great speed at the front of the group, darting about like an exuberant firefly.
But, as time seemed to stretch as long as the passageway, the minutes becoming hours and the hours seeming like days, the glowing ball at the head of the group began to fade and sputter. The spell had clearly taken a toll on Mirra. Ashen-faced and stumbling, she looked as though she had not slept for weeks.