Chapter 725 - Collaring the Ossuary Hound (End)

Glowcap cistern band breathed up and down like the chest of a sleeping giant. A rope-ant line formed a living belay—bodies linked by instinct and practice. They moved as one organism, mapping each shift of the vertical shaft with patient feet. Every step was a question asked only on the exhale. Rodion's blue ribbon sang that part, a simple melody that told them when the shaft was a throat and when it was a mouth. They danced to it without shame because it is polite to dance when a room offers you music.