They walked down the shallow steps into the tunnel, the darkness increasing around them untill it was like a force in itself, pressing down on them. Tynan seemed at ease, carrying Adam. "I don't like this," the little boy said, burying his head in Tynan's shoulders as the echoes of their voices and footfalls sloshed around them.

"You and me both." Arum muttered. "It's darker than a... a very dark thing. I forget exactly."

"I'm sorry, it will soon be light, we're far too close to the surface for any vurms to survive," the guard said.

"What in Mezen's name are vurms?" Arum muttered, feeling agitated and quite helpless in the dark. "What was that? I just heard water!"

"Vurms are creatures that glow and live off anything, basically. From our breath to our waste. Very sanitary, your average vurm," Tynan replied as the sound of water sighing on gravel indeed started to get louder. "And this is a sluice boat." He said as they stopped at the water's edge. There was the sound of splashing and Arum swore.

"How nice." Arum grumbled as he shook his feet dry. They climbed into the small boat and there was a sudden sense of downward motion. "It - it moves? Like hydraulics - all water pressure... This is amazing!"

Feather smiled.

They reached the level of another gravel beach and disembarked. There was the sound of sliding stone, and then light. Tynan heard Adam and Arum gasp, his eyes closed to ease his transition from pitch darkness to this... the pale green white glow of the vurms. "It's like we're underground - but the whole sky is glowing!" Adam breathed in awe. Tynan opened his eyes and looked down at the cave before him. Unlike the village of Oak where he was trained, this cave was like a deep amphitheater full of homes. Each man's cieling was the street above, and so the village descended in wide terraces to an underground lake below in which glowed more vurms, illuminating the water from below. The whole cave was lit by the surreal glow, which brought out the color in the Araawan's skin. "Beautiful isn't it?" Tynan asked, feeling nostalgic for his village. Adam and Arum nodded silently.

They were led to a comfortable large cut out cave several terraces down. Small glass globes of vurms hung from the cieling, illuminating a single large round bed, cushions and soft carpets on the floor. There was a low table of Araawan food and a small amphora of the sweet Araawan drink. "The Festival of the Hunter's Moon will begin in an hour, at moon rise." said the guard as he escorted them into their cave. "Clothes have been laid out for you." He bowed and left.

"A merchant's soul!" Arum exclaimed suddenly, grinning happily at the others who looked at him perplexed. "That's what it's as dark as."