He grabs up his harness and swings the double axes back onto his shoulders. “I can’t believe that worked,” he says. “It might have attracted Bright Home’s attention,” Amon says, belting his hammer. “Or the elves inside.” I unsheathe Sleipnir’s Tooth as Amon takes out a flashlight from his coat pocket. He heads in first. I follow, with Sune behind me. I hear the snap as he unhooks his axes and draws them. As I step into the black fissure after Amon, my heartbeat thrills. The spear of flashlight is swallowed immediately by the mountain. I take slow breaths, blinking and widening my eyes as though it will help them adjust faster, and hold the sword close to my body. The thick gold elf ring forces my grip to adjust. With my left hand, I skim along the rough, cool granite of the narrow passage. Sune’s boots scrape quietly behind me. The stone floor is uneven, sloping slightly downward, and the air grows thicker and colder.
