Melcorka felt as if somebody had kicked her in the stomach. After fighting the selkie king and walking the endless dark length of the tunnel, to face defeat was sickening. She stood at the wall of rock that stretched upward and all around, breathing heavily, fighting the sickness of despair.
"Where is the light coming from?"
Bradan pointed to a small hole about thirty feet above their heads. "There. It is no larger than a human head."
Melcorka heard the released prisoners cramming into the space behind her, and the expected wails of despair. She looked upward; the wall of the cave was glass-smooth, with only the tiniest of handholds and footholds. No ordinary man or woman could climb that, but she knew there was no choice. Growing up on a small island, climbing down cliff faces to retri
