"There's only one challenge left to face." She swallowed and shuddered. "But it's the most horrible, terrifying enemy of all." She clutched Neev's hand and squeezed it. She hated this part of the journey. Hated it. She was tempted to turn back and run to Earth. "What is it, Romy?" Neev asked. He patted her hand. "You're trembling." She squeezed his hand so hard, he grunted. "Oh, it's awful, Neev!" "Worse than the molemen?" "Mhm." "Worse than the snakes and the whale?" "Much worse." She thought she could hear them ahead: the terrible padding of their feet, the bloodthirty call of their voices. "We're going to die, Neev! We're going to DIE!!!" "Calm down, Romy!" Neev muttered a spell and a fireball formed in his hand. "We've defeated so many enemies before. We'll defeat this one too. You've come through here before and survived, right?" Holding hands, they stepped deeper into the tunnels. Romy's knees knocked. Maybe the monsters wouldn't see her this time, she thought. Maybe they were sleeping.
