Try as she might, Dawn couldn’t make out any sound other than the soft lapping of water against the shore. The ship they’d left behind had been swallowed into the darkness, along with everyone who’d stayed behind. Maybe they’d be able to get the boat unstuck from the shallows, given enough time. She didn’t really know enough about ships to say. With it out of sight, she felt… trapped, even with the cave walls hidden in shadow.<br/><br/>Instinctively, she sent a pulse of magic into the darkness, hoping to find some clue as to what waited for them there. It washed over rock, empty houses, and cobblestone streets, until, with a feeling like nails against sandpaper, it just<i>stopped</i>. For a second, she gritted her teeth and tried to force it to go further, but finally she let it go with a shudder, almost dropping the bundle she was carrying. The glass orbs around her dropped soundlessly into the black sand.<br/><br/>Something was very wrong.<br/><br/>And why was it so<i>quiet?</i>She could still see the water a small ways behind them - she was close enough that she ought to be able to hear it, still. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t hear<i>anything</i>other than her own heartbeat and everyone’s breathing. She was practically blind<i>and</i>deaf, and without being able to reach out with magic… she wouldn’t sense anything that came out of the darkness before it was much too late.<br/><br/>“The closest five or so houses are all empty, I think,” she said. The sound of her own voice was almost deafening. “They should be safe enough, and there might be clues inside.”<i>Safe enough until whatever’s out there comes in. But still, light, a wall to my back, and a door we can lock… it’s better than being out here.</i><br/><br/>“Try to keep each other in sight. This darkness feels like it could swallow a person whole.” She slowly made her way to the nearest house, her footsteps seeming to make almost no sound. She made sure to keep hold of Verita’s hand. She knew Foran and Ashy could fight, if they had to, and Tyora seemed like she could, too. But Verita seemed to fight through others. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she ended up alone in a place like this.<br/><br/>Somewhere, there had to be a way out of the cave. Maybe one of the houses would have a map of the town, or a magical button that would teleport them all to safety, or a giant torch that would burn away all the darkness. She didn’t think that was too much to ask for, really.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>