Chapter 525: Level One

I turned from Theridialis to take my first good look around. At nothing. A round chamber, dome just a few feet above my head without doorways, windows, cracks even. Nada. Zippo.

We were trapped.

"Now what?" Sassafras looked around. "What is this place?"

"First level of protection," Theridialis said. "Only Node monitors can find it. If, for some reason, those without true knowledge were to make their way here, they would be truly caught for all eternity."

Before I could panic, I felt the part of Theridialis's magic he'd given me thrumming softly, while Ahbi's magic pulled me gently toward the center of the space. I found myself approaching a small depression in the floor with the portly scientist on one side and the demon girl, Tara, eyes wide but no longer afraid, on the other. Tara smiled at me, a bright and shining expression before she crouched and poked her finger into the divot in the stone.