“It’s just a creepy mural,” Ichabod began, before a yelp of pain interrupted his words.  Like a cat, Ruin seemed to forget that his grip came with sharp claws.  Sucking in a deep breath, Ichabod did his best to ignore the discomfort spreading through his shoulder.  “Some cult probably worshipped here.  People will pray to any damn thing if they’re desperate enough.”<br/><br/>Ruin’s fear would have been comic, if it wasn’t so painful to watch.  Honestly, Ichabod felt a little surprised to see his companion so upset.  Didn’t demons thrive on this sort of thing?  Dark rituals, blood sacrifices, blasphemous prayers?  Opening his mouth, Ichabod started to ask another unwise question -- but this time, the universe intervened.<br/><br/>Ichabod jumped when the temple entrance caved in, startled by the sound of collapsing stone.  But he didn’t panic.  This was just the sort of thing that usually happened to him.  A few feeble rays of outside light still leaked through cracks in the rubble, allowing Ichabod to evaluate the damage.  “Don’t worry,” he assured his companion, as soon as he had any positive news to report.   “I think we can move some of these rocks.  Come over here and help me.”<br/><br/>Taking advantage of the demon’s greater strength, Ichabod placed Ruin’s hands on the first stone which needed to be relocated.  “Go slowly.  I’ll tell you if anything starts moving in a way we don’t want.”<br/><br/>Ichabod kept silent as they worked, allowing Ruin’s sensitive ears to pick up any shifts in the rubble.  But after a few minutes, he felt a current of warm air brush against his neck.  It occurred in short, regular bursts -- and, oddly, it wasn’t coming from outside.  It seemed to be originating from somewhere above them.  Now a tingle of genuine fear ran through Ichabod.  Glancing up, he saw that the mural’s stars were glowing in the darkness.  And even more impossibly, they’d begun moving, swirling across the temple ceiling in strange patterns.  Then Ichabod realized that what he’d felt wasn’t a draft.  It was breathing.<br/><br/>“We have to get out of here!”  Ignoring Ruin’s previous warnings about being touched, Ichabod grabbed his companion’s hand and dragged him through the darkness.  Somehow, he remembered where the larger door had been, stumbling through it just as a grinding noise filled the room behind them, like some immense beast gnashing its teeth.  Ichabod didn’t look back.  All the gold in the king’s treasury wouldn’t have been enough to make him look back.<br/><br/>Flailing through the darkness, Ichabod continued running down the hallway.  But he wasn’t accustomed to being deprived of vision.  This realm of absolute darkness was the place where Ruin lived.  After crashing into a wall for the third time, Ichabod came to a reluctant halt.  “I can’t do this,” he admitted.  “I’m not used to being blind.  You have to lead us.”