The group cautiously moved down the stairs, maintaining formation.

The deeper they went, the darker the way grew until only a dim light remained.

Rip felt his [Night Vision] ticking up, and he had a flash of gratitude toward the sisters for their boons.

He could appreciate, though, Blair’s warnings about how such benefits might lead someone to want more and more power. These skills were probably the tip of the iceberg in terms of what vampires could do.

Certainly that mist trick is pretty formidable, he thought. On the other hand, silver is an easily available kryptonite.

He went down a few more steps, thinking about it.

The whole drinking human blood thing is a turnoff, too. But the boons are nice. No arguments, there.

“This is a right rotten quandary,” Twig said, interrupting his thoughts.

Everyone stopped and looked at the two infiltrators in the middle.

“I can’t see a bloomin’ thing. Is the rest of the way like this? I’d like to ask permission to light my torch, if it pleases the Colonels. And the Lady, if you please.”

Bixby said, “The map indicates Level Two under the stairs is used as a mushroom garden in these parts. One presumes that is the reason light is limited in this area.”

Blair took a quick sniff of the strong, earthy smells wafting up from below, mixed in with the scent of horse manure.

“Disgusting.”

“I just can’t see anything, Colonel. I doubt anyone else can, either. Excepting of course the Verez sisters.”

“I do not think using a torch would be a very wise thing to do right now, Mr. Twig,” Sharp said. “We’ve already wounded, if that’s the word, the garden golem who is apparently the guardian of these parts. Using a light would only alert it, or perhaps others, as to our location. It would be best if we could sneak through the mushroom garden and make it to Level Three without incident.”

“Talking probably attracts attention, too,” Finley said from her spot in the back, higher up on the steps.

Bixby said, “Indeed. Let us stay close to the girls, and stay alert. Should we get into a pitched battle, everyone feel free to light their torches at that point.”

Twig did not argue, but Rip could see the frown on his face. Chance could too, standing nearby. He slapped the other man on the back to help cheer him up.

The party continued their descent.

At last they came to the second level, and here before them in dim light they could make out garden squares plotted out as before, spread out in a huge room like a giant chessboard. The difference, so far as Rip could tell, was the plots had rows of mushrooms rather than the trees and crops up above.

“We shan’t need to tarry here long,” Sharp said. “Behind us should be a similar set of stairs leading down to Level Three.”

As he whispered this, they heard the sound of a voice drifting over from somewhere deeper in the mushroom garden.

“We should look into that,” Liza said, tilting her head and listening.

Rip found himself wondering if her hearing was as good as her eyesight.

“I can’t see a thing,” Twig grumbled.

Sharp said, “Girls, go and investigate if you think you must. Do not engage unless you have to. Join us at the top of the next set of stairs. Everyone else, follow me. I think we can make our way around unassisted. And without torches.”

The Verez sisters nodded and faded into the gloom. Rip took a couple steps to follow them, but Blair reached out to grab his arm. They locked eyes in the dim light.

“I’m going to follow them. It’ll be alright.”

Reluctantly, she let go. She watched him disappear in the darkness before turning to follow Lady Finley toward the back of the wide staircase.

Rip had no trouble following the girls, his [Night Vision] clicking up another notch as he walked.

One thing they excelled at, he thought, was moving quietly. He noticed his footsteps seemed loud in comparison, the leather soles of his boots softly scuffing the floor. Their steps made no noise at all, as far as he could tell.

Soon, the voice grew louder. They came to an intersection between squares, and the girls cautiously peeked around the corner. Rip joined them and looked, too.

The man they had seen earlier on the stairs fussed over the mud golem, standing on a small A-frame ladder, his arm deep inside the shoulder.

“What have they done, Kipouros? How did they manage to break your eye? It should not be possible. It should not. I will fix it, Kipouros. I will fix it and you will see as good as you could before. Now, where are the rest of the shards? How did they do this? It has never happened before, that I know of. I must . . .”

He continued, quietly muttering and fishing for fragments of the shattered eye in the giant’s mud body.

Rip looked at the sisters, who watched the old man intently as he worked. Their eyes never wavered from him.

Rip found himself wondering if bloodlust would overpower them. After all, here was a human and they needed the blood.

Soon after that thought, another one manifested itself. What if they turned on him, too?

The rational part of his mind found himself doubting that would happen. He had spent enough time with the girls to develop considerable trust.

Nonetheless, he took a step back and put some space between himself and the two vampires. Just in case. Their eyes remained laser-focused on the old man.

Liza noticed his movement in the corner of her eye, and finally stopped staring at the worker.

She whispered, “He is no threat.”

Hilda sighed and nodded. She too turned from the old man.

“I hope somebody attacks us soon,” she whispered. “A real person this time, and not something made out of mud.”

Liza nodded, commiserating with her.

Together, the three made their way back to the stairs and the rest of the party.