‘We passed someone,’ said Grunewald shortly. ‘It felt… strange to me.’
‘Someone who should not be down here?’
‘Indeed.’ Grunewald uttered the word in a clipped tone which clearly heralded the end of the conversation. Bess had no chance to enquire further, for the sickening whirl of passage resumed without warning and her thoughts shattered into confusion once more.
Some minutes passed, as far as Bess could judge; perhaps it had only been a few seconds, and the extent of her misery only made it seem longer. She came to herself again to find that, to her relief, full light had bloomed around her, and the Darkways with their disturbing carvings were gone. A moment’s investigation revealed that she had not again disgraced herself, and her garments were clean. This pleased her immeasurably.
