"If I die down here, I am officially haunting you first," Pearl said, her voice echoing against the damp rock walls as we shuffled through the narrow tunnel.
"Me?" Des gasped, nearly tripping over a huge tree root sticking out of the dirt floor. "What did I do? I am just the guy carrying sixty pounds of wet hemp rope! Blame Kai. He's the one who said taking the abandoned mining shaft was a brilliant tactical shortcut."
"It is a tactical shortcut," Kai replied calmly from the front of the line, his broadsword drawn and resting lightly against his shoulder. "It bypasses the high-altitude mountain passes where Vane's scout snipers would have picked us off like sitting ducks. Unless you would prefer to be target practice?"
"Honestly? Target practice sounds great," Des grumbled, adjusting his heavy backpack with a loud grunt. "At least up on the ridge I'd get fresh air and a scenic view of the valley instead of smelling like wet bat dropping and ancient earth magic."
