In near-darkness, Moonshadow and Groundspider dashed through it until suddenly the sides and ceiling flared and they found themselves entering a vast, separate gallery that had apparently been blasted out of the rock. This gallery was almost as enormous as The Sifter. Dome-shaped, with a high ceiling, the upper half of its walls was streaked with shadowy rocky ledges. Small tunnels fed off the gallery in all directions. In the centre of the gallery’s floor yawned the mouth of a massive pit. Cage-style lavers on iron tripods surrounded it, perched on a wide lip of level rock that ran around the big hole. Moonshadow stopped at the edge. Groundspider slid to a halt, almost crashing into him from behind. Together they glanced down into the huge opening. It was around one hundred paces in diameter and perhaps half as deep. Its level floor was rock covered with a thick layer of dust. In one dim corner of the pit was a wide, high, tunnel mouth. Closing footfall echoed from behind them. ‘My turn to hold the Fuma!’ Moonshadow gestured at the many small tunnels.
