The root that had opened before them descended like a spiral corridor, and as they passed through it, the group entered a space that no longer seemed part of a forest, but rather the interior of a living being that had breathed for millennia. The ceiling was formed by translucent ribs, like the belly of a colossal creature; each pulse caused light to run in bluish and silvery waves across the walls, illuminating the way.
The air was dense, laden with resin, memories, and something approaching the smell of freshly forged iron. There was no silence: the entire space vibrated with a subterranean sound, low and constant, like the beating of a heart.
