Bet led them around the edge of the massive cavern, taking care not to stumble over underwater outcroppings of stone. Then, on the left side of the cavern, they discovered the opening of a dark tunnel. They tiptoed into another small hallway. Evin could barely make out a few torches along the wall, but they weren’t lit. In the distance, he could hear the rumbling of voices.

Swirling her wand in a circle, Bet conjured a sphere of light and moved deeper down the hallway. They reached an intersection and she took them right, then another intersection that took them left. The halls were all empty, all dark. Aside from the distant mutterings that didn’t seem to get any closer, there was no noise except for their footsteps and breathing.

Finally, they reached a wooden door. Putting his finger to his lips, Evin pressed his ear against the polished wood. He could hear the crackling of a fire on the other side, but nothing else.

Slowly, he opened the door. It creaked and he stopped, held his breath, and waited.

No gnolls came running, so he opened the door the rest of the way. Jorick and Bet crowded at his back to see inside.

In the center of the room was what must have once been a long table, but two of the legs were missing and the table lay against the ground at an angle. A fireplace with a flickering flame revealed cobwebs in the corners of the room.

The distant muttering that Evin had been hearing seemed to be coming from behind a door on the other side of the room. They were louder now.

“I hear voices ahead,” he whispered, turning to face Jorick and Bet. “Maybe we—”

Evin stopped. Bet was gone.

Jorick tilted his head and leaned against the broken table. “‘Maybe we’ should what?”

“Where’s Bet?” Evin asked. As he said it, his stomach felt heavy.

“What?” Jorick asked. “She’s right—Hey!” He spun around. The room was small. There was no place she could be hiding. “Did the gnolls get her? We have to go back and—”

Evin jumped forward and grabbed his friend’s arm. “Listen,” he said, “I don’t think anything got her. I think she left us. I have to tell you something: You were right about Bet.”

“What?” Jorick scowled. The firelight sent shadows into the creases on his forehead. “I was going to tell you that I was wrong. She fought so well back there, and without her I’d have been killed by that trap. She’s not so bad.”

Evin nodded. “She did fight well,” he said. “Even if she did insist on arguing with me the whole time.”

“Is that what this is about?” Jorick asked. “Are you mad that someone other than you is making decisions for once?”