"And then what? They want to go back to the surface. Are you going to guide them up and stay there?"

Wenduag really wants to scornfully tell Lann that she's strong enough to make it back through the Maze alone. Unfortunately, she has spent the last three years telling him she isn't.

"Worried I'll get to be a crusader without you?"

"I'm worried you won't come back to the tribe, Wendu!"

"What would your tribe do, if we call them? Can we show them the light, and then go into the maze before them?"

"I already said I would guide you."

"I hope Chief Sull will agree that if the tribe's going, we should scout ahead. And use your help while we have it and there's still have a chance to rescue the kids." Since it looks like they won't wait for the tribes before taking Wenduag up on her offer. Not that they really have a reason to wait, if they think they can make it through the Maze.

"Then we show Sull the Light of Heaven, and then to clear a path through the Maze."

It's a plan, at least!

Lann and Wenduag lead them through more giant-vermin-infested tunnels until they emerge on the shore of a little subterranean lake.

A shaky bridge leads them to an island, dimly lit by torches just bright enough to overpower the omnipresent bioluminescence. And it is full of people, no two quite alike, all with the traits of different animals haphazardly mixed in; going about their daily lives, fishing, mending tools, children playing, and everyone stopping to stare at them as they pass.

Lann leads them up the knoll and to a seated man whose face is halfway blended with a rat's snout. He is probably old and clearly infirm, one eye white and rheumy, the meager hairs on his head hanging on in bare tufts.

"Chief Sull! We found the angel's sword! And demons have attacked Kenabres, causing the earthquake, which also opened a fissure into the far tunnels. These people fell down and want to go back up through the Maze."

"Uplandersh... The end timesh are upon ush, indeed..."

Chief Sull isn't one to jump to conclusions or to action, he has to be prodded into it.

"Gather the tribes! Anyone who can hold a weapon! We can still save the young ones, and this is our chance to clear out the Maze and reestablish contact with Kenabres! We've been waiting for the right moment, and now they need our help!"

"Ah, Lann... Alwaysh dreaming, and believing your own dreamsh. You trusht shtrangersh becaushe you want to believe, but you're too hashty. I'm the chief, I can't rishk the tribe on faith. Our kind don't have good thingsh happen. Show me the proof."

He raises Lariel's sword, and covers the village with light, a light of hope.

Shiiiine.

Everyone in the village stops what they were doing as hope hope hope is beamed straight into their hearts.

Some of the neathers hug themselves, or each other. Some start shaking, or praying, or both.

Chief Sull blinks away tears from his bad eye. "Sho it'sh true... the angel did not forshake ush. Back, back from the dead he came, to shave ush and our children."

"I'll shend a messenger to gather all the tribesh. It will take time, but they will all come, for the Light. Wait, Lann. Wait, uplandersh. Resht a while in our hutsh. Our home ish your home."

"If you lead everyone into the Maze without even scouting ahead, they will be massacred," Wenduag says coldly, "and I will have no part of it."

"She's right, Chief. And we can't wait until tomorrow to rescue the kids. The uplanders want to go now and I think Wenduag and I should go with them."

Chief Sull sighs. "If we must follow without sheeing the Light, we will follow. Go, Lann, Wenduag. Make ush proud. Remember we are the underground crushadersh."

"Anevia, how's your leg?" he asks.

"Still broken. Why, did you expect it to heal over a few hours?"

He was hoping a bit that it would, but he does know that the properties of his home aren't universal.

"We can stay for about an hour for me to figure out healing, or go to the Maze right now. Wenduag, do you expect it to make a difference for the kids?"

"I don't know how to guess that."

"We'll want healing ourselves when we go into the Maze, not just for Anevia. It's probably worth waiting for, but are you sure you'll have it in an hour?"

"I think so. I know how the spell works, I'll just need to adjust it to work here..."