They all paused and looked at the knight. Then the joke landed. Not the cleverest of jests but given how little he’d said up to that point, it made even Virgil laugh. “We have two comedians now, I see.”

Farilane and Kolby looked at each other, puzzled and a little disappointed.

“All right—” Virgil relented. “Three. You’re all clowns. Does that make you feel better?”

Farilane nodded. “Much. Now, shall we proceed?”

“I’m still getting pie, aren’t I?”

“We didn’t bring any, Virgil. The pie is a lie. You know that, right?”

The philosopher sighed but nodded. “Then by all means, lead us to our deaths.”

Farilane turned to Kolby and made a welcoming gesture toward the tunnel as if the cave were her home. “After you, light-bearer.”

The knight held the lantern as if it were an astrolabe and began the descent. Cedric followed at the rear. The route was uncomfortably tight at first, and the knights struggled to squeeze armor-plated shoulders through the narrow space. Certain noises were painful to Farilane’s ears, and metal scraping stone was near the top of her list. The tunnel widened but never allowed for more than a single file march. They hadn’t gone far when Kolby stopped. “That’s not good.”

“What’s wrong?” Farilane asked, unable to see past him. His silhouette, outlined in the glow of the lantern, filled the tunnel, but she heard a constant rushing sound, a roar of water that echoed loud enough to suggest the corridor had opened considerably.

“See for yourself.” He stepped aside, granting her access while holding the lantern higher. The tunnel stopped at the edge of a cliff—a massive vertical shaft with no visible ceiling or floor. A waterfall spilled from high above, its spray illuminated by the lantern. “Passage ends here.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Farilane pointed across the chasm. “The tunnel continues on the far side.”

“You can see a far side?”

“Yes. About thirty feet, maybe less. What I can’t make out is a way to cross.”

“Might not be any,” Virgil said. “There may have once been a bridge, which time and that waterfall destroyed. Or perhaps the means of access was intentionally removed.”

Farilane shook her head. “I don’t think so. There are no signs of erosion, and while the book has been buried to keep it safe for future generations, the monks would have needed a means to retrieve it.” Farilane looked up at the waterfall that issued from darkness and plummeted to more of the same. There was a bottom. She couldn’t see it but heard the splash from far below. “Why do you suppose that waterfall is here?” she asked.

“Because water has to go somewhere? And usually that direction is down.”

“But why here?”