“Deep,” Arryn says. “But don’t worry. There are ledges where we can rest along the way.”

Strangely, a smile grows on her face.

“What?” I ask.

“I just realized that having you both here is going to make this a walk in the park compared to every other time I’ve done it.” Arryn seems pleased. “Between the two of you, you can heal away our aches and pains every time we stop. This’ll be easy.”

I look dubiously at the metal rungs welded down one side of the passageway, the rusted steps disappearing into the blackness beyond. “Easy” is hardly the word I’d use for what’s ahead. But nevertheless, when Arryn indicates for us to begin our descent, I start down the ladder, with Cami following, and Arryn bringing up the rear so she can seal the manhole after us. The moment she does so, the darkness becomes all-consuming and I freeze like a spider on a wall. I focus on my other senses to keep me grounded: the coarse feeling of the rusted rung I’m gripping with all my might; the muffled sounds of distant traffic above our heads; the smell of dust and iron and old cement mixed in with a damp, mildewy scent. It’s the last that has me wrinkling my nose, grateful, at least, in knowing it could be worse if this were a tunnel with a direct route to the sewer.

“Lyss, you okay?”

I’m not sure how Cami knows I’ve stopped, but her awareness keeps her from stepping down onto my hands. I don’t want to think about what could have happened—whether I might have lost my grip and fallen. Arryn said there are ledges along the way, which implies safety somewhere, but I have no idea how high up we are in relation to those ledges. A fall from this distance could—

No, I won’t allow my mind to wander. I won’t allow fear to overwhelm me. I will focus on our task.

“I’m okay,” I say, and I slowly start moving again, trembling slightly but managing a steady grip on the rungs.

“You want to help us out?” Arryn’s voice echoes down to me. “I know I warned against it earlier, but I’d rather not carry the flashlight in my teeth if I don’t have to.”

It takes me a moment to figure out what she’s talking about, but then I realize that we don’t have to remain in the dark. Not with me here.