The Nightmare Creature was the same pale color as the stone, making it almost invisible until they were right upon it. The thing was long and thin, lying along the riverbank against the last of the broken bridges before the falls.

The eel had crawled out of the water most of the way, but its tail was still in the shallows. It was three times as long as Flint and just as tall.

Thankfully, it was dead. As the group came around the other side, they saw why.

'What? How?!'

Detonating like a bomb, something had eviscerated the monster's midsection. Pieces of meat were scattered around the area of impact.

A pool of fetid blood oozed out and flowed back toward the water.

The kill was fresh.

But what had done it?

Sending out her emotional sense, Noble felt for any signatures that might be in the area. She felt no hatred or anything at all except the travelers heading down the pass on the cliff.

That should have been a comfort, but instead, Noble was uneasy. The killer could not have made it far, yet somehow it was evading her detection.

If it was dangerous to the gigantic eel, then it could just as easily attack the people of the caravan. They needed to find it.

"In the locks." Syrce pointed to a doorway. While the locks themselves were broken, the parallel shaft for the humans who operated them seemed mostly intact.

The tunnels ran vertically and then horizontally at each lock, allowing it to follow the dam's walls and use its structure for strength.

Encased in stone…that was how they were hiding.

Yet another way her flaw inhibited her Abilities!

"How frustrating…"

Syrce gave her friend a pitiable glance. "You can stay here, dearest Bel. I will chase after it. Protect her, Titus."

'Ha, she must have heard of your aversion to getting dirty.' Flint smirked.

Noble's pride was pricked.

Sure, the close quarters and stone all around would prove an obstacle because of her Flaw, but she had fought monsters underground before and lived to tell about it.

Just barely…but still.

"Thank you, Lady Syrce, but I don't need Titus's protection. I am going with you into the locks." Noble shot an accusing glare at Flint.

The man coughed lightly. "Facing an unknown killer in a set of damaged tunnels? What could possibly go wrong?"

Syrce's smile split her face. "That's the spirit!"

Flint sighed.

'And I thought you didn't get sarcasm, Blondie…'

Noble kept the biting retort to herself. She had bigger things to worry about.

The door to the tunnels was ajar, ripped from its mooring by the impact of the dam collapsing. Runes were inscribed in the broken wood.

'I hope they have nothing to do with the structure's integrity…'

Even though she had said she didn't need protecting, Child of Promise found herself sandwiched between the two other warriors as they began their descent.

The vertical tunnels were accompanied by a combination of ladders, which forced them into a single file.

Without the locks to stem the flow, the river toppled down the cliff in a spectacular waterfall. The rushing tide sounded like a lion's roar outside, but here it was like a mother's whisper.

If they listened closely enough, the words were almost audible.

Solemnly touching the pendant around her neck, the Saint answered. "Don't worry. We won't give up."

Coming to the first flat landing, the tunnel that was carved into the side of the rock widened. Runes and other contraptions covered the wall facing the falls. Some of the writing shimmered while other parts were cracked and ruined. A small breach in the wall allowed the afternoon sun as well as a fresh breeze.

Water leaked in, filling the chamber with a centimeter of standing water. The soft earth of the floor below was disturbed with a myriad of prints.

They were fresh.

Letting go of the pendant, Syrce placed both hands on her blade. She paused, listening for any movement on the next ladder.

Finding none, the group headed into the darkness of the next level. The integrity of this section was much better; the only water was the drips from above that fell unevenly and without notice.

Part of Noble wanted to light the oil lamps or call on her lucent taper, but that would provide a beacon for anything lurking in the darkness.

Noble used her limited second sight instead, hoping that the tunnel would not become unexpectedly narrow.

It didn't, and Noble floated out to the second landing after Syrce released her grip on the ladder.

The second lock was like the first, with a few of the runes along the dam's wall shimmering with an ethereal light.

The light reflected off something on the far end of the landing, and Noble felt an emotional signature enter her detection.

But it disappeared a moment later as the figure dipped down the opposite ladder.

'We're not alone…'

Flint's eyes narrowed.

Tucking away his slingshot, he pulled his hunting knife from his belt.

He was right. In close quarters, the leather strap would do little good.

Sheathing the Zenith, Noble pulled the Paradox Fang from beneath the cloak that blended with the darkness.

Although she had tried out a few experiments with her new dagger, she did not consider herself adept by any stretch of the imagination.

The gentle scraping sound as it moved past her armor was a testament to that fact. She froze, chastising herself at the sloppiness which would easily give away her position.

Fortunately, the metallic sound blended with the whisper of the falls.

The sounds below did not cease. Instead, voices mingled with the clang of feet on the ladder.

"Watch out for my hand!" Someone hissed.

"Move your hand out of my way." A second retorted.

Humans…at least Noble hoped they were humans. After her interactions with the Skinwalker, Noble wasn't willing to be certain until she got a better emotional read.

Below, the bickering continued.

"How much farther is this power source?"

"Not far, just be patient, Vharn. The man said it was a quarter of the way down. We aren't there yet…" A second man answered gruffly.

"Can't you just blast our way there, Captain? I don't see why we are being careful." Vharn continued to whine.

A third voice barked a laugh. "I can only use my powers in the open, idiot. Don't you know that by now? If I try it in here, I will bring the whole place down. Dead gods, your mother must have dropped you on your head as a child."

The fourth man, wisely, let the others duke it out without his input. The rest of the group continued in their oblivious bickering as they descended the ladder.

Above, the three warriors peeked over the edge.

Noble's eyes opened wide. The mysterious group below was almost to the next landing.

They needed to hurry!

On Syrce's signal, the three lifted from the ground and dropped silently through the vertical shaft. But they didn't stop there. Hovering close to the ceiling, the trio surrounded their counterparts. Flint and Noble advanced to exit, while the Saint cut off their retreat.

Noble sent the message to her companion. 'Close your eyes… Now!'

All at once, the three dropped from above, surprising all but one of the occupants.

But before any of them could react, Noble called on her Lucent Taper, and Syrce momentarily took on her Transcendent form, filling the room with her radiance for a heartbeat before becoming human again. In that beat, Noble spoke the True Name of Light, enhancing both sources. The world was awash with brightness, temporarily blinding the four strangers who had drawn their swords.

As the light dimmed, Noble got her first real look at the group they had chased down. The four men were all clad in robust armor, and three of them had blood-red capelets draped across their shoulders. A gold medallion fastened the capes in a gaudy display.

Child of Promise frowned.

They weren't simple treasure hunters.

They were soldiers.

'What are they doing here?'