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"Yes, soleil, noe can go"

They plunged into the cavern, res The walls and ceiling were granite, the ground a rutted co, not h, cleared Aurora's head by a good five inches, but didn't co fra froht and his eyes fixed on their intended course

"It's a natural cave," he announced, holding out the lantern so Aurora could see "We've got a few feet on either side of us, which is good, but no roo to make it difficult for me to maneuver the lantern and myself at the same time, not to mention consult the sketch And that, unfortunately,to be slow"

"It doesn't have to be" Aurora gripped her husband's arm "I have nearly half a foot of space over my head I can move freely—even run, if need be Give me the sketch and the lantern LetIf I take a wrong turn, you'll stop me"

"If I can catch you, you mean," Julian retorted dryly R

egarding Aurora's avid expression, he sighed, relenting with more than a touch of uneasiness "Rory, I'll let you do this under one condition Promise me you'll control that bloody reckless streak of yours No running—the ground is rough and uneven, and you could trip and break your neck No venturingunknown sites that pique your interest Agreed?"

Laughter bubbled up in her throat "You knoell, don't you, Merlin? All right, agreed I'll be disgustingly boring and obedient"

"And I'll be right behind you to ensure that you are" He handed her the sketch and lantern "Reround is broken and embedded with rocks"

"I'm too excited to trip" Despite her quip, Aurora co that to do otherould be sheer stupidity Besides, they were so very close to their goal

Clutching the lantern, she scanned the lower portion of the sketch, then struck off, veering to the left

Their path wound in serpentine fashion as they walked past nueways that led to parts unknown So "How o?"

"If our course stays true to scale, we're more than halfway there," Julian supplied fro the passage to the extreht—then veer sharply left Walk about ten or twelve feet, I should say Then stop The opening on Geoffrey's sketch is somewhere in that vicinity"

Aurora sucked in her breath "Splendid" She continued as Julian had instructed her, following the precise course the drawing depicted, stepping gingerly over sharp pieces of rock and cracked sections of dirt She could feel Julian's presence behind her, his excitement as palpable as her own

"We're here"

Julian's terse words sent shivers down her spine and Aurora halted, holding out the lantern and surveying as ged path Above the And to either side of them…