The plain stretched endlessly in every direction, its glasslike surface shimmering faintly with buried light.
Kael took the first step, and the glow beneath his boot pulsed outward, a ripple of color that faded slowly back into the floor.
The others followed more cautiously, their eyes darting between the horizonless expanse and the shifting hues underfoot.
"It reacts," Aila whispered. She crouched, touching the smooth surface with her fingers. The light stirred again, this time in a spiral, as if drawn to her hand. "Like it knows we're here."
"Not knows," Tey said, eyes fixed downward. "It remembers. Each step is like a question, and the plain chooses how to answer."
Maro let out a sharp breath. "I don't like it. We left one trap only to step into another." He glanced at Kael, bitterness edging his words. "What if this whole place is just a cage?"
