As Conall turned his horse and began to make his way back up the beach, the string of horses following docilely behind, Morgan strode to a tumble of wave-smooth rocks near the high-water mark and began climbing into them. The others followed him to the edge of the rocks and stood watching, dark cloaks wrapped close, until Morgan finally raised a dark, gloved hand in the moonlight and motioned them to follow.

Scrambling after him, they soon spied a deep, narrow cleft, nearly hidden amidst the rocks and the tangle of shoreline scrub encroaching from the sand dunes inland and above their heads. Into this cleft Morgan lowered himself, feet first, disappearing into some hidden recess even as they watched. The three remaining, Duncan, Kelson, and Cardiel, exchanged uncertain glances; then Duncan climbed up and stuck his head inside to look around. It was pitch-black inside, and he gasped when Morgan’s face suddenly appeared in the darkness below.

“Jesu, you gave me a fright!” Duncan muttered, as the others crowded nearer. “You just disappeared.”

Morgan grinned, his teeth flashing white in the moonlight. “It’s a bit of a drop, but come ahead. Send Kelson first.”

“Me?”

“Hurry up, hurry up. Duncan will give you a hand, and I’ll help you down. We don’t need any injuries.”

As Morgan disappeared from sight, Kelson obeyed, bracing himself on his elbows and then letting Duncan lower him by his hands. His face flashed pale in the moonlight as he glanced anxiously toward the promised floor he could not see. Then, abruptly, he disappeared as Duncan released him.

There was a muffled oof! from the darkness below, a muted scuffling, and then Duncan could see Kelson’s face beside Morgan’s in the darkness below.

With a grin, Duncan motioned Cardiel to follow. Very shortly, all four of them were standing in the nearly total darkness of the subterranean chamber. Morgan let them all stand for several seconds while their eyes adjusted to the lack of light, then felt along the wall until his hand found an opening into even deeper darkness. Grinning, he returned to his three colleagues and gathered them closer around him.

“So far, so good. It’s exactly as I remembered it. I don’t dare show a light until we get around a bend or two, though—you can never tell who might be patrolling above—so we’ll just link on one another’s belts and go a while in darkness. I can feel my way for the first few dozen yards.”

There were grunts of assent, and then the four were inching forward in single file, Morgan in the lead and followed by Kelson, Cardiel, and Duncan. As they edged into the deeper darkness, Kelson cast one last look back at the wan moon-and starlight framed by the entrance to the chamber, then began resolutely to follow Morgan.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in fact encompassed only minutes, Morgan halted. The blackness was total now, no hint of light reaching them from where they had come.