Kayla allowed her steps to take her closer to the fire elf. A small smile showed on her face, the first in an awful long time, and probably the first he had seen on her. It lit her silver eyes and delicate features with a warm glow for a long flickering moment, and then faded. The Storm elf was touched that Zaer was willing to give up his position as protector simply because she looked tired. She bit back a stinging comment on the honour of the warrior being protected by a small Storm Elf girl, it was unnecessary, reflexive, and she didn't really mean it anyway. She simply shook her head "Thankyou, but she isn't so heavy just yet. But maybe in a little while you could share the burden. It makes sense to have you up front just now, just in case we have unexpected company".<br/><br/>She smiled once more, as if she had remembered how, and they continued on into the winding tunnels beneath the hills. At one point the tunnel narrowed as they strode through it. The natural narrowing of the cave structure brought the ceiling way down, almost low enough that the taller elf could have jumped and touched it with fingertips. Kayla pointed up at strange scrape marks across the rough rock, giving Zaer a meaningful glance. "Durfle Beast" she said simply. She was glad when the roof expanded once more, though it never quite disappeared again. She felt a little less claustrophobic. A little less like a tiny work inching through a vast rocky apple.<br/><br/>She shrugged off the feeling and they moved on, noting a line of runes across the floor of the tunnel. Kayla explained as they walked that they would find these all through the tunnels. They could be lit for guidance or extra light as required, but their main purpose was to trap the unwary in place. When the alert was sounded they would cause a shield across the tunnel and prevent unwanted guests moving between sections. The Durfle Beast rolled through them like they weren't there of course so those trapped were usually swiftly destroyed. They continued even more swiftly now, Kayla feeling time pressing almost like a physical force rushing her along. How long before the search of the dungeons showed no sign of them? How long before someone woke old Harman who controlled the guardian magic in the tunnels? She could almost picture the white haired elf shuffling about in his slippers. She liked him well enough, but tonight she hoped he might sleep a little longer than usual. She distraced herself by peeking at Ayesha from time to time. The signs were good. The pallid elf was showing more colour, and her heartbeat felt stronger. Her weight was what seemed to Kayla as back to normal, though the girl was still hardly a great burden. And best of all the sleeping face was no longer strained and horrified. She appeared relaxed, almost peaceful once more. Panting along, Kayla envied the Light elf!<br/><br/>It happened without warning shortly after. They had just passed a line of runes when their shadow on the wall flickered. Eyes widening, Kayla stopped and looked back. There was no mistaking the line of blue fire which winked into being at one end, quickly racing along the linked symbols of the runeline. She muttered an elven curse, gently laying Ayesha down on the ground a moment. Stepping closer she gingerly pressed her fingers across the gap, meeting gentle resistance, then having her fingers stopped and finally a growing electrical buzz which made her pull back, shaking her fingers. She called back to Zaer where he was continuing unaware. "I think we may have a problem here!". Even as she said it there was a distant rumble, a steady vibration through the solid rock.<br/><br/>Her eyes met the Fire elf's widening in alarm. She looked at the prone Light Elf, and bit her lip, mind racing. No going back, and they wouldn't get much further forward without racing into another barrier. Besides, they had no way of knowing which direction danger lay in. The vibrations through her calfskin boots increased a little, not much, but enough to worry. Was that a distant shriek of inhuman glee? Her fear of being trapped underground was surging back, the thought of being crushed by this monstrous beast more than she could stand. Taking a deep breath, Kayla squashed her panic down and tried to think quickly, only shaking hands betraying the cold terror balling in her stomach. Her eyes traced the uneven rock floor and walls. "Quickly, this way!" She gasped, hefting Ayesha over her shoulder and heading away from the barrier, scanning the lower walls as she went.<br/><br/>A few yards further ahead she found a spot which looked promising. She lowered the Light Elf and scrabbled at the loose shale surface of the tunnel floor right next to an outcropping shelf of rock. Scooping the gravel and rubble from beneath it she could just make a out a gap below, almost level with the floor where the shelf pulled back. "Quickly, help me please! There is enough room to get under it if we both work at it!". With strength born of panic she bloodied her fingers scraping away the chips, shards and crumbs of stone, coughing away dust heedlessly. The vibrations were much stronger now, increasing all the time as something wicked hurtled through the rocky passageways, inhuman cries of freedom and bloodlust echoing ahead. Kayla gave a grim smile when she saw they had cleared a gap and that there was a narrow alcove just beyond. Desperately she grabbed Ayesha, knowing time was short. She saw with some surprise that the elf girl's eyes were flickering, life and consciousness returning to the girl. She rejoiced even as she inwardly groaned at the timing. Well nothing for it now. She laid the girl down and half rolled her, half shoved her into the back of the shallow nook. Panting she worked the Light Elf as far back as she could, and then turned to Zaer. The rumbling grinding noises were much more distinct, coming from ahead by the sounds. This was going to be very tight. She nodded at the gap "I think it's the only way! Follow us in!". Not stopping to see what the Fire Elf did, Kayla dove to the ground and shuffled her way inside.<br/><br/>It was a tight squeeze between stony floor and the rocky shelf, and Kayla almost began to panic once more. Instead she forced herself to breathe and reached for the girl she knew was already there. Managing to turn on her side, she looked back and saw there was hardly any room at all. With a curse, she pressed further in, her slender body pressing tightly up against Ayesha's curves, face buried in the hollow of the girl's neck where she spoke soft, comforting words to the waking elf. The world was fast becoming full of noise and a vibration which made her insides wobble. She pressed her eyes tightly closed and desperately tried not to think what would happen if the shelf gave way above them, feeling Zaer press in behind her...<br/><br/>