Page 26 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

When their turn arrived, and Frankie looked down, she turned to Dagor. "You need to let go. We can't fit side by side on the stairs."

He grimaced and reluctantly removed his arm from around her waist. "Give me your hand. I'll go first, and you follow, so if you fall, I'll catch you."

Smiling, she stretched on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I like your protector act. It's kind of cute."

"It's not an act."

"I know." She gave him her hand. "Let's go. We are holding up the line."

The truth was that the narrow staircase scared her. It was a spiral, so she couldn't assess how deep down it went, and that bothered her.

Holding on to her with one hand and the flashlight in the other, Dagor started the descent, going one step at a time and annoying everyone behind them who didn't need to be as careful.

"We can go a little faster." Frankie put her other hand on the wall for balance more than anything else. There was nothing to hold onto, and she was grateful for Dagor's hand.

He kept the same pace despite her comment, and it was a good thing because the staircase kept spiraling down without any landings to break it up, and she was getting dizzy. Not only that, but her leg muscles were starting to hurt something fierce, and she cursed herself for not keeping up with ballet practice or at least hitting the StairMaster in the gym.

When they finally reached the bottom, she leaned her forehead against Dagor's side. "My head is spinning. I need a moment."

"Take your time." Dagor rubbed soft circles on her back.

She was still sweaty and warm from going down the stairs, but the chamber was so cold that soon she was shivering.

Wrapping an arm around her, Dagor brought her tighter against his side. "My offer to carry you on my back still stands. You'll be warmer."

"Not a chance." She wasn't going to embarrass herself in front of all the immortals.

The only illumination in the chamber was coming from the flashlights that they were all holding, but it seemed like it was empty. Perhaps at one time it had served as a storage area for the temples, but now all that remained were some etchings on the walls that seemed much cruder than the ones they had encountered before.

"Should I do it here?" Mey asked Kalugal.

"Do you feel like you should?"

She nodded. "This place gives me the creeps, so I'm not sure that I want to. I have a feeling that the echoes in these walls are not going to be pleasant."

Kalugal regarded her for a moment. "Can you even do that with everyone here?"

She let out a breath. "Usually, I would have said no, but this place reeks of tragedy."

"It's up to you," Kalugal said. "If you don't want to do it, don't. After all, we are here to have fun, right?"

Frankie was disappointed but also relieved. She would have liked to see Mey's talent at work, but she didn't want to hear about ancient tragedies. She wasn't much of a history buff, but the ancient Mesoamericans were known for their bloodthirsty religions and rituals. What if this was a ritual chamber where they had sacrificed people to their gods?

"I'll do a quick listen." Mey motioned for everyone to give her space. "If you can all be quiet for a few minutes, that would be helpful."

Her mate looked worried, and as the two exchanged silent communication, Frankie was sure that he was trying to convince Mey not to do it.

Yeah, good luck with that.

If Frankie had Mey's talent, she wouldn't have been able to resist either. How often did Mey have a chance to be in an ancient chamber that seemed like it hadn't been visited in centuries?

Well, perhaps this was her job, so it might be quite often.

Frankie didn't envy Mey. She wouldn't have wanted to have her talent and listen to sad stories lingering in ancient walls, no matter how well it paid.

Mey

Why am I doing this?