She pressed her lips together, pondering the risk of stepping down into an unknown environment. Then she thought about Jinx calling her novie, about the fact that she’d traveled through the wildlands of Caelira, and stared into the heart of a skyfire storm, and survived to return home. Now more than ever, she needed to be brave.

Decided, she tugged up a piece of cloth that was already knotted around her neck and used it to cover her face. She gestured for Jinx to lift the door higher, and carefully she swung her leg over the ledge and found the first rung of the ladder.

More sunlight poured in, illuminating a small, empty room with dirt floors. She caught glimpses of debris, a few wooden supply barrels, and a small darting shadow that she guessed was a rat. She moved quickly and quietly down the rungs, not wanting to draw attention. Jinx appeared to have the same thought as she lowered the door until only the barest crack of light shone through. Aurora paused to let her eyes adjust to the limited amount of light. The room smelled dank and stale, as if it had not been touched by fresh air in months. The sound of her heartbeat in her ears reminded her of a stampede, and Aurora could only hope that her descent down the ladder was quiet enough to go unnoticed.

Finally her foot hit earth, and she stepped down and turned around. The voices had stopped, and she struggled to listen for movement in case she needed to hide or run.

She began feeling her way around the wall, careful not to run into anything. Then she had an idea.

She wore a leather vest with a connected high collar, closed by a series of belt-like clasps. She undid the straps and opened the collar just enough so that the flickering light of the skyfire in her chest lit up the darkness. It worked, allowing her to see enough to explore more quickly. She moved toward the barrels first, finding them empty. She quickly scanned the rest of the room, only finding a few rotted boards and piles of degraded linens. Finally, she made her way to a wooden door. She could see the barest hint of light escaping from beneath the door. Pressing her ear against the wood, she heard the stifled murmur of voices.

She managed to make out the words weapons and storms before she heard a shout aboveground, and the shelter door dropped closed with a loud thud.