Maela hadn't spent two minutes in the tunnel to freedom when she had strongly considered turning back. Each stop brought her closer to otherworldly wailing that got louder with each step.

Pausing, she tapped Darla's shoulder. "That is the wind?"

"Yes. There is a strong wind that blows through the chasm, and the many crevices and small caves that dot the path down create the sounds." Darla squeezed Maela's arm. "You will see."

Maela nodded and followed as Darla continued forward. The tunnel they were in was small and barely fit one person. It was a natural cave with narrower and wider sections and parts where Maela had to duck her head.

"We are at the chasm. You must be careful. The path down is treacherous. Always have a hand on the wall to your right and with each step assume it will give way. So when it does you will be able to catch yourself."

"The path will give way?" Maela wasn't a fearful person, but the ominous dark, lit only by Darla's single torch which flickered in the wind, and the horrendous screeching combined to make difficult footing almost one fear too many for her.

"The path is not steep. It is like a small ridge, but there are rocks and pebbles. You will take a step that won't be secure, but just try again. It is not dangerous if you take care." Darla walked forward.

It was the change in the sound of the wind that alerted Maela that they had entered the cavern. As bad as the shrieking was in the tunnel, it was even worse in the open air of the cavern, and as it echoed from distant walls and the ceiling, it created an even more frightening sound.

"No wonder everyone thinks this tunnel is haunted," Maela muttered.

"Yes. And those who enter to prove their bravery often slip on the path and don't return." Darla stopped. "Now the path is clear for a while. Just keep your hand on the wall to the right and follow me. We will pass some caves. They are empty and nothing more than dead ends. Just keep your hand prepared to touch the wall again once we pass the opening."

"I will."

Darla was right. The path was relatively flat and easy to navigate. Maela found herself peering into the black to the left. She could see nothing. It was clear that a huge opening was there, but it was as black as the cloak of the thieves. Just how big the chasm actually was, Maela couldn't tell.

"The path ends here."

"What do you mean? I thought you said there was a path all the way down?" Maela did her best not to sound nervous, but it was difficult. Everything was so alien.

"The easy path. From here on out it is the small ridge I mentioned. It is not so steep you can't stand on it, but it is still not flat. The real danger is that the pebbles may slip out from under foot. It will be slow going. Please do not be impatient."

"Trust me. I'll be going slower than you will."

They moved forward, and Maela could immediately tell what Darla had meant. They weren't so much on a path as a slightly less steep part of a rocky cliff. She couldn't even use her boots to carve out support in the dirt, as they were walking on rocks and stone.

Almost immediately, Maela's forward foot slipped, but she caught her weight on her back foot and leaned toward the wall to stop from falling. Darla turned back to her, the concern on her face lit by the flickering torch.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." Maela took a deep breath. "That was good, actually. I now have a feel for what it is like to have my boot slip." Darla nodded. "The torches are not helping, however."

They both had at least a half dozen torches tied to their backs. Maela noted that they wouldn't be in the cavern long enough to be weighed down so heavily, but Darla refused to budge on leaving a single torch behind, even going so far as saying that they should have stolen some food, too. Agreeing that it was too dangerous to venture back into the mine for food, they hoped for the best on that count.

"Do you want me to carry them?"

"No. I'll manage. I'm just complaining. Never mind me." Maela smiled, and Darla returned it, before turning back to the path.

It was difficult to gauge time, but Maela was certain that they had been incrementally moving downward for over an hour. "How much longer," she asked.

"We are probably half way." Darla turned and smiled. "See? Not so bad."

The shift of her weight must have loosened some stones, and to Maela's horror Darla's feet slid right out from under her. The torch was in her left hand, and she held onto it rather than grab toward the wall.

The flickering light made the surprise on Darla's face look even more frightening as she threw her right hand toward Maela in a desperate attempt to get her body on solid ground.

Maela reached out and caught Darla's sleeve. Planting her feet, Maela put all her weight back toward the cavern wall. Darla desperately scrambled with her feet, but they slid down toward the chasm below and soon the only thing keeping her from falling was Maela's grip.

"Toss the torch! You can help climb up!" Maela exclaimed.

"I. Can't," Darla said through gritted teeth as she desperately tried to find a purchase for her feet. "Darkness is death here."

Darla had rid herself of her armor, but she was still not light, and while Maela seemed to have solid footing, there was always the possibility that she would slip, too. Using all her strength, she tried to pull Darla up, but it was no use—the Harvest guard was too heavy to lift with one hand.

"I have an idea," Maela said through gritted teeth as she strained to hold on. "I'm going to swing you. Try to get back on the path with your hands and knees, when I swing you high enough."

"Okay."

Maela knew it was absurdly dangerous. Swinging Darla only increased the pressure on Maela's unsure footing. It was entirely possible that they would both tumble down the cliff before Darla found stable ground. Yet she knew it was the only option, so she did it.

It took a few swings before Darla moved very far, but when she did she cried out. "There's a spot here! I can feel it with my knee. Just swing me a little further!"

Maela gritted her teeth and swung harder. She was worried that she would lose her grip. The pressure on her fingers and shoulder filled her with searing pain. The only thing that gave her hope was that she appeared to have solid footing.

With one more swing, the torch slammed to the ground, sputtered, but didn't go out. The pressure on Maela's hand lessened, and she watched as Darla scrambled on her knees up to the small path. Her right knee slipped again, and Maela's heart fell, but Darla tossed her body forward and against the wall.

Huddled against the wall and at her feet, practically prone on the path, Darla lay still, taking large breaths. As she did, Maela watched as the torches slowly slipped from the ropes on Darla's back and fell one by one into the abyss below. But that didn't matter—Darla was safe.

"Are you okay?" Maela asked.

Darla nodded. "Thank you. You saved my life." She slowly pulled herself up along the wall and checked her footing.

"You would have done the same thing for me." Maela rubbed her hand. "You did do the same thing for me. You saved me from a life in a cell."

Darla ignored the comment and touched her back with her free hand. "I've lost my torches." She sounded alarmed.

"It doesn't matter. I have five or six. We should be fine."

Darla nodded, but appeared concerned over the loss, although Maela blamed that on her recent brush with death. Soon they would be free and the descent along the chasm would be a story they would use to regale their friends.

After Darla's near fall, they descended more slowly and reached the bottom two hours later. Maela immediately tossed herself onto the ground and lay on her stomach, hugging the floor. "I don't think a stone floor ever felt so wonderful."

While Maela felt joy over finally being on solid ground, Darla was holding the torch up and waving it around, peering into the distance. "Well, there's the cart track. We may have quite a bit of walking to do on this solid ground, though. The cavern appears to have no end."

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

They followed the mine cart into the darkness, walking side by side. Darla made a point of telling Maela to take care with her steps. They didn't know what kind damage could have been done to the path, with cave-ins and landslides entirely possible within the mine.

An hour later, Maela wasn't sure how far they had progressed when the cart path ended at what appeared to be a wooden loading dock of some sort. The wood was warped and decayed. Darla walked around the structure.

"This is used for loading wagons." Darla pointed to a collapsed wooden beam. "That lifted the ore into the wagon via an operator." She walked away from the dock and into the distance. Maela hurried to catch up.

"We must be near the entrance, no?" Maela asked. "The wagons would need access to the road out of the mine."

Darla was standing still, staring at the ground. "Maela."

"What?" She hurried over.

"This is the road."

Maela looked down, and Darla was right. They were on a road that looked like it was paved with wide flat stones. "Stone? Who in their right mind paves a stone cave with a stone road?" But that's exactly what it was—a road with packed dirt between flat stones.

"This makes no sense," Darla replied, walking further into the darkness. Maela followed, looking at the ground. It was indeed a paved road in excellent condition, with no grass obviously overgrowing it without any sunlight. "Here is the other side."

Maela shook her head. "This is wide enough for two wagons, maybe three, to ride side-by-side."

"Well, our path is at least clear—we follow the road." They both looked up and down into the darkness of where the road led.

"But which direction?" Maela asked. She was completely turned around. She had no idea which way led to the exit.

Darla walked over to Maela and pointed at the torch. "I think we follow the road in the direction from where the wind is blowing." The torch was flickering in the direction directly behind them.

Together, they looked up the road in the other direction. "Looks like the wind is coming from that way," Maela said.

"The exit!" Darla replied.

"Yes, and it shouldn't take long. Maybe it winds south and then out to the Old Quarter. So if we walk slowly and with care maybe a day?" Darla nodded, and they started down the road, a joyful spring in their step.

They would be free soon.