47

Your grandma hesitates for a moment before replying in a quiet voice.

"Almost as long as the rest of this house. I'm sorry, Huknock, for keeping it from you—I just needed a space where I could do whatever I needed without putting you in harm's way."

Standing up and clicking her fingers, your grandma conjures a few small orbs of light, which immediately begin to drift down through the gap in the floor. You keep still, expecting her to lead the way—but then, to your surprise, she moves aside and gestures towards the stairs.

"You'll need to go down first—I'll have to close the door after us. Don't worry; I'll be right behind you."

She puts a hand on your arm as gentle encouragement and smiles. Meeting her unwavering gaze one last time, you nod and step down into the dark.

As soon as your head dips below the level of the ground, you smell cold stone and damp soil and a trace of something metallic. Instinctively, you put out your hands to touch the walls, and you feel that the distance between them is barely wider than your shoulders. Behind you, you hear the telltale click of the lock, and your grandma's own footsteps begin to follow yours as you descend ever lower into the earth.

It isn't long, however, before the floating lights illuminate flat ground beneath you. When you step down onto it, you see that the stone walls extend just a little further ahead of you—and at the end of the short corridor, a heavy metal door blocks the way. Now, as your grandma reaches you, you stand and watch as she approaches the door, waiting to see what kind of ingenious method your grandma has of opening this one—

Only to see her reach into her pocket and pull out a key, which she pushes unceremoniously into the lock.

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