Thero cast a moving light and they followed it from chamber to chamber and down to the innermost cave. It was steep as Alec had described and Thero slid the last few yards into cold water, barely managing to stay on his feet. Alec slid out after him with the pack and bag. Thero enlarged the light to illuminate the whole cave and what he saw amazed him, even though he’d already heard it described.

The artwork was stunning, as were the dripstone formations. There was no time to admire them, however, as Alec splashed across the chamber and showed him the stone-encrusted skull surrounded by stalagmites.

“Do you know what the symbols painted on the skull say?” asked Alec.

Thero leaned over it, studying the markings. “They’re hard to make out, but it looks like it might be some sort of curse, although the boss holding the skull to the pillar appears to be made of silver, which doesn’t make any sense, magically.”

Alec was still showing the effects of the other plane, despite the food he’d had. His face looked skull-like as he turned to face Thero. It was a bit unsettling. “What kind of curse?”

“Parts of the pattern are too obscured to make out. Given the placement, though, the spirit attached to this skull may have been condemned to stay near it, which would explain the ghost.”

As if on cue, a deep sigh echoed around the chamber, followed by the sound of whispering, though Thero could not make out the words.

“That’s him,” whispered Alec, looking around nervously.

It was strange to see Alec looking frightened of anything, but Thero remembered what Seregil had once told him of Alec’s fears: heights and ghosts. “Are you with me, Alec?”

Alec nodded. “Let’s find that seal. Move the light in front of the skull.”

“Why?” Thero asked as he did so.

“Because it’s not facing the entrance of the cave, the way you’d expect. I want to see what it’s looking at,” Alec replied, sighting over the top of the skull’s head.