Page 103 of Into the Isle

And it had nothing to do with any of the reasons I’d initially thought.

Chapter 30

Ravinica

THE TUNNEL THROUGH the mountain brought me around bends, blind curves, and up and down stone steps. It was stifling, stuffy, and quiet. Eerily quiet, with only the sounds of the crackling torchlight and my heartbeat in my ears keeping me company.

The tunnels narrowed at parts and widened at others. At a certain point, I had to walk sideways to get through to the next section. I was waiting to stumble upon a rockslide that had caved in, knowing my luck.

I kept the map close to my face, glancing over at it with every turn I took. When the tunnel started spiderwebbing into different offshoots and corridors, I grew a bit nervous. One wrong move and I might get lost in this labyrinth forever. No one would ever hear my cries for help.

The overbearing sense I’d bitten off more than I could chew weighed heavily. Yet my feet kept pumping, no matter how much my thighs and ass ached from all the steps I’d gained and all the slopes I’d walked up.

Eventually, the beige ceiling of the cut stone darkened to a deeper shade of brown. I put my hand overhead, touching the wall, and noticed it was damp.

Further along, I heard the faint sounds of dripping water. Water means civilization. I think I’m close.

I’d been so focused on my trek, not making a wrong move, that I essentially lost track of time. I knew it was night, obviously, but how deep into night?

The tunnel leveled out as I began worrying I was losing oxygen and my wandering mind was driving me insane. Past a left-hand crossroad, then another fork, the dripping water overhead became louder, trickling in more spots. I came to the end of a tunnel that opened into a dark cliff face—

And wretched, choking back vomit and doubling over. An intense, putrid smell of shit drifted up from the endless pit. I’d stumbled upon a sanitary repository. A sewage system, basically.

I took the map’s direction, right, into another tunnel, which widened into a round room. At the end of the room was a ladder.

Breathing for the first time since the shit pit, I let out a deep sigh. I steeled myself and hurried to the ladder, checking the map one more time. It ended right here.

I’d made it.

An empty sconce was nailed to the wall next to the ladder. I placed the torch into it to keep it lit, for my return journey. I also wasn’t about to bring a damn torch anywhere near books—I would find a way to manage without light. Quickest way to end up in the torture chambers is to light one of Tomekeeper Dahlia’s tomes up like a Yule log.

I stuffed the map away and climbed the ladder. It groaned against my weight. About twenty rungs up, it ended on a latticed, iron drainage cover. I flexed my muscle and squeezed my fingers in between the slats, then slowly raised it.

The damn thing squeaked like a caught mouse. There was nothing I could do to stop it. Slowing down would only endanger me more.

Once I had the heavy grate pushed aside, I popped my head up through the opening. I was staring into a dark room, complete with mops, brooms, drawers, and open-faced shelving units. It was a large room, definitely bigger than a typical janitor’s closet. Then again, Mimir Tomes was four stories tall. Lots of space to upkeep.

I climbed out of the hole and rolled onto my back, staring up at the dark ceiling. Now I’d made it.

Returning the cover to its position, I crouched and crept through the room, around the shelves. There were two doors in opposite directions, and I knew I had to take my chances with one. Gods, a map for this place would be nice.

I chose a door, prodded it open, and stuck my head out. I cursed myself for having silver hair that brightened in the moonlight, because that’s exactly what happened: Light barged in through a window across the hall I looked out into.

The hall was empty besides the treacherous moon. I started my way down the corridor. Red rugs and tapestries I recognized from orientation gave me a sense of direction. I knew where I was, and within two minutes I had navigated over to a staircase.

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