The place was just too huge, and he had no idea where Vera and Dust might be. A vast hall without a single person in it spread before Lourié. A small airfield would easily fit inside it. On all sides of him was stone—but the surprising thing was that there wasn’t a single seam in the walls, floor, or ceiling. This place had been hollowed out of the rock. He’d thought about turning back, but the door had shut just seconds after he entered, and now it wouldn’t budge at all. This was a one-way street—the room didn’t allow you to exit again. Shaking his head, Lourié cleared it of all thoughts of going back. Right up until the time he vanished, his father had kept telling him, “Don’t look back, son. Taking the long way around is fine. But don’t look back. If you look back, you’ll want to turn back. And that keeps you from moving forward. The important things always lie ahead.” Along with Crey, the boy had been brought back outside. The cells had been opened and the two of them freed by a shadow cast on the floor.
