CHAPTER THREE
I glanced at the steep stairs. The old man’s light illuminated a large space, and even as I stood there more lights were lit down below. I took a deep breath and eased myself down the steps. The narrow stairs opened into a room as large as the shed and cabin combined. The walls had been hewn from the rock and earth but then been smoothed and plastered over with a thick coating of whitewash.
The walls were also covered in all manner of hiking gear and preserved foodstuffs. Shelves contained cans and pouches of dried meats and vegetables and hanging from hooks beside those were small leather pouches, toothed saws, and even hiking boots. It was an emporium of simplistic survival gear. There was even a small rack of homemade clothes. They were like the simple threads Gi
