“Very small seers,” Micum noted. “I’d have my knees up around my ears if I tried to sit on that. That’s sized more for a child.”

“A child?” Klia went suddenly pale. “Shut away in here, year after year? Illior’s—” Clapping a hand over her mouth, she ducked into the tunnel the way they’d come and they could hear her hurrying away.

Thero followed in dismay, leaving the others looking at one another in surprise.

“I’ve never seen her react to anything that way,” said Seregil.

“Could be the bad air,” Micum suggested.

Alec started toward the outer tunnel. “We’d better go see if they need help.”

But Micum put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “If you were Klia, would you want your friends watching you puke?”

“No, I guess not.”

Seregil stuck the end of the torch through a space in the metalwork of the brazier, pulled his tool roll from his coat, and took out the lightstone set on a knurled wooden handle. “Less likely to burn off our eyebrows with this,” he said, tucking the roll away.

“True.” Alec retrieved his.

Micum hunkered down to look into the tunnel and shook his head. “Damnation, I can’t fit through there. Guess I’ll wait up here. Holler if you need me to find someone skinny to send down to save you.”

The tunnel was much narrower and shorter, making it necessary to proceed on hands and knees. After a few feet it pitched down quite steeply. Coming back would be a bit of a scramble, but obviously people had managed it.

Seregil slid the last few feet and ended up lying on his belly in a shallow puddle of very cold water. “Less chance of snakes, at least,” he muttered, climbing to his feet just in time to get out of the way as Alec slid out of the tunnel.

“Damn!” Alec sputtered in surprise.

Seregil chuckled and offered a hand. “You looked like a calf being born.”

“Thanks for that,” Alec grumbled, taking his hand and pulling himself up. They were both soaked and dripping, and the cave was cold. “The smell is definitely stronger here.”

“There must be a natural vent letting in vapors of some sort. If you start to feel dizzy or odd, let me know, and I’ll do the same. They can be unhealthy.”

“I will. Let’s have a look around.”

They both held up their lights and gasped.

“Illior’s Light!” Alec exclaimed softly. His hushed voice echoed in sibilant whispers around the chamber, underscored by the plink plink of dripping water.

The chamber was much larger than the other two, so much so that their lights didn’t reach the far wall. What they could see, however, took their breath away. Zella’s brief description had not prepared them for this.

The walls were alive with drawings, done in charcoal, chalk, and ocher.