Laurel gazed at the blank wall. The kids were right that she could tell something was behind it but even with her formidable senses and cycling mana to her eyes, she couldn’t see any visible indication of the doorway. Laurel was forced to conclude there was nothing there until mana was infused. That was more sophisticated than she expected from an inverted City Core. Though, since she was mostly going off of rumors and children’s stories, maybe she should stop having expectations all together. Behind her, the rest of the expedition waited on edge. Leander and Rebecca were clumped together on one side. Flint was on Leander’s shoulders, grooming the boy’s hair.

  Despite what those two thought of her teaching style, she was apprehensive about forcing them to come along. If they wouldn’t be with her the entire time, she wouldn’t have done so. Struggle was good for growth. She repeated that to herself every time her instincts said to keep them back and handle things herself. Reina and Reynard were with them as well. Trip had bowed out, and Laurel had accepted without protest. The man was already walking his path, and that was enchanting and piloting his plane, not exploration or close combat. Oro stood with another two local cultivators. The ruling council was aware of the magic users, with different clans leveraging magic in their superior skyships. But this was the first time they would be sent into danger or to interact with a Core. They were both adepts and Laurel didn’t see anything to worry about when she scanned them. Maria had lobbied to come despite the lack of magic, but they weren’t sure if non-cultivators would even be able to enter, let alone survive whatever hazards were in place. She spun back around to survey the group.

  “Okay one last time. What do we need to keep in mind?”

  Rebecca answered. “Expect traps. Expect monsters. Stay together. Slow and steady.”

  “Good.”

  Leander went next, pointing to his eyes, then ears, then the whole room.

  “Exactly, senses alert at all times.”

  She swung to the rest of the group. Reynard jumped, not expecting to be questioned, but months of learning from Laurel kicked in and he answered as well. “Use the gear to test before touching anything.”

  Reina was quicker on the uptake and didn’t hesitate. “Keep a map of where we’re going.”

  Laurel looked at Oro next. The young dragon was confused but went along. “Umm, be ready to fight?”

  “Kind of a repeat but I’ll allow it.”

  The other two locals looked at Laurel like she was crazy. But the rest of the group's expectant expressions goaded them into participating.

  “Do not do anything to destabilize the tunnels,” the first one said.

  “Keep out of any rivers, the currents are treacherous” the second one added.

  She had forgotten their names, but those were some good ideas.

  “Excellent. And take notes during your breaks. We’ll compile them for the sect archives later.”

  Laurel turned back to the wall and let some mana leak into it. Face hidden from the rest of the group, she let the smile she’d hidden stretch across her face. This was an adventure right out of her childhood dreams. She watched in fascination as the door melted into existence, looking for all the world as if it had always been there. It swung open as the kids described, a torch flickering in the black. The map orb was tossed into the air and emitted its normal mana pulse, only for the wave of energy to stop dead at the door.

  “That was a long shot,” she muttered.

  A sword appeared in Laurel’s right hand as she stepped confidently into the dark.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  *********

  Leander watched Laurel disappear into the dark. She should have been right there but they couldn’t see anything. Or hear anything. Or feel anything with their spiritual senses. The soldiers went in next, quickly followed by Oro and the Araxian cultivators.

  It was their turn. He took a gulp and grabbed Rebecca’s sleeve as he walked through. He emerged still hanging onto her sleeve, in a bare stone room. He could feel his heartbeat thudding in his ears as he spun a slow circle, the wall behind them was smooth, no sign of the doorway.

  They were alone. No Laurel, no soldiers or dragons, just the two of them and Flint. Rebecca was gripping him back, just as hard.

  “What do we do?” Her voice echoed in the silent chamber, the rushing noise of moving water had cut off when they stepped through the door.

  The single glow stone in the room sent out a steady blue light, enough for Leander to see his own terror reflected in her eyes. Flint was still on his shoulders and did his mooing to let them know he was nervous too. Leander desperately pushed down the panic. He went over the list Laurel made them memorize. Expect traps, expect monsters. Had the others gotten caught by monsters? No nonononono. He cut that off and forced himself to continue. Senses out. His spiritual sense spread out from his body in a circle. It was both easier and harder than usual. He could feel the whole room without any effort, further than ever, but nothing beyond it. Laurel said lead and some other stuff could block spiritual senses. Maybe the walls were made of lead. Or maybe that was part of the trap.

  He took a step back and reviewed the room again. One glowstone in the ceiling, casting enough light to see by, but the corners were still dark. There were some markings on the walls he didn’t recognize, and another doorway. This one wasn’t pitch black. They could see a hall beyond, with more glow stones at even intervals. Just in case, he walked towards the walls and began thumping them again. Rebecca – who he was still holding onto and who was still holding onto him – joined in. They worked their way around all three other walls without finding any other hidden doors.

  Both of them stood there. They glanced at each other then went back to looking through the door.

  “Laurel will find us, right?” Rebecca asked. Her voice was smaller than usual. More like when she had first shown up to the sect and flinched at every loud noise. Leander didn’t know what to do. Laurel would find them if she could, unless she was trapped the same way they were. A faint skittering came down the hall. He gestured to the door and Rebecca bit her lip.

  “Maybe, but if we wait here we can fight it off as they come through the door.”

  Leander pointed to the different walls. They might be able to fight it off but for how long. And they were stuck here with nowhere to run.

  “Fine. We’ll move forward.”

  They both prepared themselves to set out. Laurel had insisted everyone be carrying some adventuring gear instead of relying on her tattoo. It was lucky, even if he’d complained at the time. Leander took a collection of sticks out of his pack, all of them tied together with a stretch string. He popped each piece into place the way Major Kat had shown them, and ended up with a narrow stick about two and a half meters long that he could tap on the ground. He made sure his daggers were belted in place and put the pack back on. Rebecca had armed herself, and was holding her staff in both hands. She had even somehow gotten Flint to wear the leather vest she had insisted on spending the last few weeks making as an extra layer of protection for their new friend. Slowly, they eased into the unknown. Leander tapped the ground, walls, and waved the stick through the air before taking a step, Rebecca close behind.

  ********

  Reina looked around the room they had ended up in. Reynard was there but Laurel was nowhere to be seen. They waited a few minutes but no one else appeared.

  “That didn’t work at all,” Reynard said into the quiet.

  “No it didn’t. Do we carry on the mission or wait here to regroup?”

  “I mean, Laurel will figure it out and gather everyone up right? Maybe we should wait for her and proceed together.”

  It was a reasonable argument but Reina wasn’t sure it would work. She let her spiritual senses spread out but there was no feedback beyond the edge of the room. Using the senses was still unnerving. Even with months of practice, being able to feel what was happening behind her or through a wall put her off balance.

  “If the Core was powerful enough to split us up, do you think Laurel will find us quickly? I think we need to push towards the center and the Core.”

  ********

  Oro looked at the others. They stared back. All of them were there because they had been told it was important, and the Council had asked (told) them to participate. But no one really had an idea of what was going on.

  “Did the witch betray us?” It was a valid question from Indrix.

  “I don’t think so,” Oro replied. “We aren’t in the same place as the door, something moved us as we went through.”

  “So what now?”

  “We keep going and follow what the witch planned. And we get answers when we find the others.” Calix was a surly man but had a good head on his shoulders.

  “Okay, remember the traps” Oro said as he stepped up to the only opening in the walls. He did what he’d rarely have reason to anywhere but the deep desert, and called his inner flame to the surface.

  *******

  “Fuck!” Laurel shouted into the empty room. The teleport had taken hold of her the moment her first foot passed through the door, and she hadn’t been able to stop it. The rest of her body had been ripped through space and deposited in this empty room. That was more elaborate magic than she understood these places to be capable of.

  This was a disaster. Oro and the Naxians were experienced, if not particularly powerful cultivators. Reina and Reynard were trained soldiers, which should count for something. Rebecca and Leander were children. They had progressed wonderfully, but because Laurel was a fucking idiot, they were now trapped in a dangerous, unexplored pit riddled with spacial mana. If she thought she had been doing a passable job as Sectmaster that belief was shattered. She stalked into the hall, gusts of wind probing for any traps. Speed was of the essence. Getting to the Core itself would be the best way to find the others