The sand continued to pour into the opening hole, cascading like a waterfall, glittering brilliantly in the sun. Slowly, something beneath the sand began to reveal itself, and James stepped forward, holding his breath. It was made of stone and seemed to follow the sand down into the ground. As the top cleared, James realized it was a staircase spiraling along the emptying circle.
After some time, the sand stopped pouring and the ground settled. James stepped as close to the edge as he dared. The area before them had transformed from a flat, unremarkable plot of sand to a doorway to darkness. The stairs were narrow and rough-hewn, spiraling down as far as James could see. There was nothing in the middle but empty air.
James couldn’t believe what he had just seen. The sand had moved, entirely on its own. Emptied like a plug had been pulled in a bathtub.
Calico surveyed the gathered group of adventurers, Supers and Normals together. A smile played at his lips.
“Well,” he said. “Shall we?”
And so they stepped onto the ancient stone stairs and descended into darkness.
Into the unknown.
Chapter 23
The air felt immediately cooler against James’s skin as they stepped down under the ground. For the first few steps, the wall was made of tightly packed sand, somehow not spilling onto them. But it soon transitioned to a dull yellow sandstone, cool to the touch. James trailed his hand along it as he descended, taking comfort in its solidness. The stairs were barely wider than his hips, and one wrong step would send him careening into the dark pit. He forced himself to focus on each step, not thinking of the seemingly bottomless pit beside him.
But soon, the sun was cut off from view and they were thrown into darkness. James hesitated, the stairs now mere shadows below him. At the front of the line, Calico raised a hand and a small orb of light appeared, shining brightly. He held his arm up before him like a torch, giving them enough light to continue safely.
They descended.
Down.
Down.
Until the surface was just a dot of light far above them. Only then did they reach the bottom.
They stepped off the stairs and entered a small chamber so tight they could barely all fit. James could almost feel the weight of the earth pressing down, ready to suffocate them. The air was stuffy and stale. It might have been thousands of years since somebody last breathed the same air. The thought made James’s stomach turn.
There was only one way out of the chamber. An arched doorway cut through the wall across from them, leading to a clearly man-made corridor. Unfortunately, it was filled with stone and rubble.
Calico held up his light and examined the blocked passage.
“A cave-in?” Afectrus peered toward the top of the arched entrance. The rubble was packed tightly all the way up.
Mungus knelt at the base of the entrance. He picked up a loose piece near the bottom, threw it up, and caught it like a baseball. He shook his head. “This is sandstone, like up there.” He jerked his head toward the stairs, where the sandstone had long since transitioned to normal stone. “It was put here on purpose.”
“Whatever,” Tonitrus grunted. He raised his hand toward the rubble. Mungus scrambled out of the way.
Nothing happened. James glanced at Tonitrus, wondering why he was hesitating, and was surprised to see the Super straining as if lifting the stone by hand. His face turned red, and a vein bulged on his forehead.
“What is this?” Tonitrus gave up and looked at his hand like it had betrayed him.
“Try pushing it in instead of pulling out,” Myrcellus said, smirking, clearly amused that the hulking man had failed to move the stones. She raised both hands, pointing at the blockage.
Nothing happened.
“What?” Myrcellus dropped her hands. “What’s happening?”
“Don’t you feel it?” Calico said quietly, his voice as heavy as the earth around them. James noticed that the light in Calico’s palm had dimmed. It was dull, no longer sparkling brilliantly.
James shivered. The Supers looked at each other, horror clear on their faces. Something, it seemed, was draining their powers.
“I don’t like this,” Afectrus said, panic dripping in her normally even voice. “I don’t like this at all.”
While the others panicked, Calico rubbed his chin thoughtfully, like this was a puzzle to solve, an interesting experiment.
“Don’t you see?” He turned back to the blockaded stones. “This is a test. Come, our power together should be enough, even if diminished.”
James, Katie, and Rocky stepped aside as the Supers gathered in the middle of the chamber. They all faced the rocks.
“Ready?” Calico said, raising his hands before him. The others followed suit. “Now.”
The air around James shifted, and a moment later, the rocks dislodged from the passage with a loud scrape. They floated toward the Supers in a massive clump. It was almost comical, watching five Supers working together to move a bundle of stones. It should have been funny, but James only felt disquieted. He knew this was just the beginning.
Once the rocks were discarded, they moved forward, into the passage.
After only a short distance, they came to a halt. The passage broke off into two, leaving them a choice: left or right. Calico considered both options. Without saying a word, he started down the left corridor.
The others hastened to follow.
Soon, they came to another fork, and this time Calico didn’t hesitate. He turned right.
This passage continued for some time, and as they walked in the cool darkness, James wondered how Calico knew which way to go. Did he sense something, somehow? Or was he just making educated guesses? Either way, he was the leader, and the others followed him. James just hoped he was right.
After a while, they came to a third fork—this one
