the ceiling, there were a series of small holes going all the way across the arch. They looked uniform in size and distance. I looked on the floor and there were the same holes, perfectly aligned with the ones on the ceiling. Bingo. I knew what this was. I knelt, cautious to keep myself from extending anything into the opening. Not even the tip of my nose.
I shone the light on the floor directly inside the small chamber and a glint of metal shining up told me what I needed to know. Then, I shone the light toward the exit on the other side, scanning the floor. Another glint. I turned around.
“There’s a pressure plate the moment you step inside,” I said, pointing. “And another on the other side. I’m not sure how big they are. Hmm… Let me try something first.” I looked around and picked up a small rock, tossing it as far as I could so it wouldn’t land on the pressure plate. It cleared the opening and landed on the floor about two feet into the chamber, about midpoint. Nothing happened. “Okay, so it’s not just motion activated. So we go through. I’ll go first. Step right by the rock, then another wide step to clear the other pressure plate. Understand?”
They both nodded. I steeled my courage, then stopped. If something went wrong, we only had one scroll to get the hell out of here. I turned to Angel. “I want you to hold the scroll. If things go wrong, get your ass out of here, and if you can, take Raven with you.” I met Raven’s eyes. She nodded. Angel started to protest, but closed her mouth as I shook my head. “We don’t have time to argue.”
After handing her the scroll, I took a wide step, clearing the first pressure plate, to the middle of the chamber. Then, steeling myself, I took another and managed to stretch my way into the tunnel beyond. Nothing happened.
Breathing easier, I cleared out of the way. Raven came next, and she too managed to avoid both plates. Angel was taller than either of us and for her, it was an easy pass. When we were all in the tunnel together, I motioned them to follow me and we headed down the corridor. My flashlight showed that it was a short jaunt, about seven feet, to the next opening.
As I neared the tunnel exit, I paused. The energy was growing thicker and once again, the feeling that I wasn’t actually breathing swept over me. I gasped, leaning back against the wall to my right. As I fought to contain my fear, there was a sudden scuttling, and I jumped as something landed on my shoulder.
“Crap,” I said, lurching forward.
Angel let out a muffled shout, pointing at my shoulder. “Ember!”
I looked down to see a large beetle on my shoulder, about eight inches long and three inches wide. It hissed at me, and scuttled toward my chest. I knocked it off, sending it to the floor where it headed toward Angel.
“That’s a death beetle!” Raven shouted, pulling out her dagger and swooping down to pierce it through its exoskeleton. The beetle went splat, and she shook it off her blade. “They can burrow into your chest and eat your heart.”
I froze, hearing a hissing from all sides now. As I slowly swung my head around, looking at the upper walls of the tunnel, they seemed to seethe with movement, hundreds of the beetles climbing over one another.
“Run!” I shouted, pushing Angel toward the exit. She ran, leaping to clear the opening. Raven followed and I was right behind her. As I landed between them, I looked up to see Viktor, chained to the wall. He looked unconscious, draped forward, limp, as far as the chains would allow.
An opening on the opposite wall showed sky directly ahead. The floor was scattered with bleached bones, and several skeletons seemed humanoid in nature. Yeah, there had been others come through here, only they never made it out. And the next moment, I caught sight of the creature to which they had lost their last battle.
Standing between Viktor and us was a large creature that looked like the mother of all death beetles. Her shell scintillated with blues and greens, and she—I knew it was a she, though I didn’t know how—began to move toward us. She had mandibles on her head, and they were opening and closing. She had to be eight feet