"If she dies at all, you will have to get in line," he said.
The light from the pane painted the tired lines under his eyes, but his voice stayed light.
Inside, the knot in his chest pulled tighter.
He could feel the dungeon now, in a way he hadn't before. Not as a mind, not exactly, but as pressure. A slow, heavy pulse pushing against the tiny threads his hive had sunk into its edges.
Predator noticing another predator.
"Keep mapping," he said under his breath.
Whether he meant the scouts or Rhaen herself, it was hard to tell.
Rhaen did not see the flickers.
She only felt the air change.
The last curve of the spiral opened into a deeper glow. The mana here was thicker. It pressed against her skin like humidity, making each breath feel heavier.
She reached the final step and stopped.
The shaft opened onto a wide gallery.
