His eye was assaulted by white light made even brighter by the fact that he’d been entombed in darkness for so long. For the first time in a while, he was thankful to have only the one eye, which meant the blinding effect of the light was half of what it might’ve been.

Squinting, he turned back toward his guide. “What is this pla—” He stopped. Not only was Crescendo gone, but the tunnel was too, replaced by a shining wall made of crystal. “The Crystal Quarters,” he muttered, taking in his surroundings.

Everything was made of crystal, exuding its own light. The walls, the floor, the ceiling…crystal shards stuck out at various angles, but all pointed in Ludo’s general direction. He scoffed at his own overactive imagination.

Am I supposed to do something? he wondered. “Hello?” he said, voice echoing. Some of the crystals seemed to vibrate, as though disturbed by his call. “I’m here to receive my augury! Hello?”

This time he got a response.

With a groan, the room began to move.

Bryony

Aria shoved her from behind into the inky darkness. She felt her way forward, afraid of running headlong into a wall. Her hands met only empty space, so she spread them to the side like wings, fingertips grazing the sides of the rough walls.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Nosy,” Aria said. She made a sniffing sound, and Bryony was pretty sure she was the subject of the strange woman’s nose. “Smells funny.”

“Thanks. Haven’t had time for a bath in a couple of days.”

“Not bad. Good. In a way.”

“In a way. Wow. High praise.”

“Never says what she means,” the croaky voice behind her muttered. “Never means what she says. Odd girl. Would probably make her taste better.”

Bryony ignored her, walking with more confidence now, though every so often she extended her arms forward to ward off anything that might hurt her. And every time there was nothing but air.

The hand that had been relentlessly pushing her forward now grabbed her arm, holding her back. “Careful, child. Stepping over the edge only ever requires a single step. What do you see?”

They were the most words Aria had strung together in Bryony’s presence, which gave her pause. She searched the blackness, trying to pull even a single thread of light from within the fabric of shadows.

“I see only darkness.”

“Look again.”

She did, and this time a light appeared, though its source was unclear. Bryony gasped, feet skittering where her toes overhung the edge of a fissure carved into the tunnel floor. She lurched back, stomach leaping.

With a suddenness that almost sent her off-balance onto her backside, her guide rushed past, just a blur on the edge of her vision, and then leapt into empty air, her long hair swirling around her nude form. For a moment, Bryony thought Aria was going to clear the chasm, but then she seemed to lose momentum at the penultimate point, as though a shadowy hand had shot up from the depths to grab her, dragging her below.