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"I wonder why the h the ," Lightsong said Then he noticed that the guards standing at the inner doorway had an easy view of this particular roohtsong stood up, walking out into the hallway Llariuards They had similar expressions of a said to the guards, then turned from them and walked down the hallway
"Wait!" one said "Stop!"
Lightsong turned toward theod?"
They froze Then they glanced at each other One took off running in the opposite direction
"They’re going to alert others!" Llariht"
"Then we shouldoff in another run He s behind hi knelt, feeling around for a fewthe hidden clasp He triumphantly pulled the trapdoor open, then pointed down Llarination, then clirabbed a lauard--unable to interfere with a god--simply watched with concern
The botto found a tired Llarie cellar
"Congratulations, Your Grace," Llari place of their flour"
Lightsong snorted,at the walls
"So at one wall "That direction I can feel it with my life sense"
Llari They pulled back a few boxes, and behind the s the lamp ahead of him
"I’m not sure I’ll fit," Llari said, voice h fro as the portlypassed out of another hole into afro self-satisfied as Llari a lever and letting a grate drop down over the opening "They’ll have trouble following now!"
"And we’ll have trouble escaping," Llari his la the tunnel "Why would ant to do that?"
"Pardon me, Your Grace," Llari far too much enjoyhtsong the Bold," Lightsong said "It feels good to finally be living up to the title Now, hush I can still feel life nearby"
The tunnel was obviously ’s idea of a e from his dreams The tunnels had several branches, and the life he sensed was straight ahead Lightsong didn’t go that way, but instead turned left, toward a tunnel that sloped steeply doard He followed it for a few ured it out yet?" Lightsong asked, turning to Llarimar, who had taken one of the lanterns, as this tunnel didn’t have any light of its own
"The Lifeless barracks," Llarimar said "If this tunnel continues this way, it will lead directly to the nodded "Why would they need a secret tunnel to the barracks? Any god can go there whenever he wants"
Llarimar shook his head, and they continued down the tunnel Sure enough, after a short ti which--when pushed up--led into one of the dark, Lifeless ware houses Lightsong shivered, looking out at the endless rows of legs, barely illuminated by his lamp He pulled his head back down, closed the trapdoor, and they followed the tunnel further
"It goes in a square," he said quietly
"With doors up into each of the Lifeless barracks I’ll bet," Llari a piece of dirt froers "This tunnel is newer than the one ere in up above"
Lightsong nodded "We should keep uards in Mercystar’s palace knoe’re down here I don’t knoho they’ll tell, but I’d rather finish exploring before we get chased out"
Llarimar shivered visibly at that They walked back up the steep tunnel to thestill felt life down a side tunnel, but he chose the other branch to explore It soon became apparent that this one split and turned numerous tiuessed, poking at a wooden beam used to support the shaft "Old--much older than the tunnel to the barracks"
Llari said "Tioes"
Llarihtsong closed his eyes, trying to determine how close the life was It was faint Al else in this catacomb hadn’t been merely rocks and dirt, he wouldn’t even have noticed the life in the first place He nodded to Llarimar, and they continued down the tunnel as quietly as possible
Did it see stealth? Did he have unre about? He was certainly better at it than Llari boulder was probably better atand his puffing exhalations
The tunnel went on straight for a ti to estiuessed He couldn’t be certain; it was difficult to judge direction and distance under the ground
He felt excited Thrilled This was so through secret tunnels, looking for secrets and clues Odd, he thought They give us everything they think that we lut us with sensation and experience And yet real feelings--fear, anxiety, excitement--are completely lost to us
He smiled In the distance, he could hear voices He turned down the la for Llarimar to stay behind