Gwen smiled at Finn as the girl put the pieces together.
"Rejoin roots of old... Family tree roots. The Rhone are, in part, descendant from King Itherian's son Rhonian. They were probably even named after him. Does that mean they need to come back to the origins of the family tree and live in Klain amongst the other sons' descendents?"
"What constitutes 'rejoining'?" Kristoff cut in, his love of a good puzzle finally overcoming his shock and fear at Gwen's entrance.
The Fae tilted her head at the man as he continued thinking out loud. Finn watched her face instead of Kristoff's, even though it was him speaking.
"To join could just mean live together, or it could be joining in friendship, in song, in dance, in holy matrimony..." His list went on but Finn interrupted as she saw a small reaction on Gwen's face. It seemed the Fae had been practicing not reacting with facial expressions, but it wasn't quite good enough yet.
"That's it, isn't it Gwen? Marriage? Someone from Rhonian's bloodline has to marry someone from King Itherian's main family tree? That will break the curse?" Finn's mind spun. Surely with all the years that had passed and the number of sons he'd had, King Itherian had a multitude of descendants within Klain. Perhaps most people could trace their lineage to him in some way.
Gwen did not answer but her face was too readable for Finn to have any doubts.
"Is the royal line of Rhone intact? Descended directly from Rhonian?" She pressed the Fae.
"That, I do not know for certain. We were not able to watch in the Darkness all the time. There are limits to our knowledge." The Fae seemed apologetic, but also a little relieved that she could not give anything else away.
"All right. Thank you, Gwen. Kristoff, how do we get out of here?" She turned on the man.
Catching on to the fact that they had found what they were looking for, Kristoff nodded. "This way. We can call the others on our way back."
"Wait. Is the city gate closed now that the evacuees are all inside?" Finn remembered that they were all scheduled to finish arriving last night.
"I don't know." Kristoff answered.
Gwen looked nervous and Finn turned back to her.
"If I need to get outside the city, are you able to help?" She wasn't sure exactly what the rules were about how the Fae could and could not help. She'd finished a delivery, but maybe further action would not be allowed. Gwen shook her head no, and Finn sighed. "Well, then can you at least let Jimmy smuggle me out? He was very keen on following your instructions not to involve himself before."
The Fae thought about it for a moment, then brightened, "I'll let him know to be available."
"Promise him a lifetime supply of butter tarts!" Finn called as the Fae disappeared.
"What was that?" Joe finally found his voice now that Gwen was gone.
The earth rumbled again around them, louder and harder than before. Everyone braced themselves until it ceased.
"Fae. There's no time to explain more. Please, let's hurry! I don't know what that was earlier or just now, but it can't have been good."
They walked quickly through the winding labyrinth of hallways that had brought them in. When they came to a juncture, Kristoff sent Joe to hurriedly retrieve the other team. Whatever had happened on the surface, it would be better for all of them to be there than to leave the others searching for an answer that may have already been found.
Riley and the others shortly joined them, looking confused but compliant with the request that they return to the city. Finn wondered if Joe's explanation had been lacking in detail or clarity.
"Let's go," Kristoff said, and the group moved toward the exit. Finn decided she would be happy to never have to enter a tunnel again. Being underground did not suit her temperament in the slightest.
The map was hard to see by the lamplight, but Kristoff seemed confident as he strode forward into the darkness. As they turned yet another corner, he came to an abrupt halt. A wall of rocks blocked the path.
"A cave-in?" Riley asked in a calm voice. How could he be that calm?
"Looks like it. That was the quickest way out, but there are others." Kristoff assured, lowering the map so that the lamplight could illuminate it better. He squinted at the lines for a few moments while Finn suppressed the urge to hyperventilate.
Everything was all right. They could still get out. There was no need to panic. Why hadn't she asked Gwen to just take her to the surface?
"Slow breaths, Finn." Riley whispered, suddenly next to her. "We both have people to get back to. I won't let us be trapped down here."
The thought pulled her slightly from her panic. "What did Ashley say?"
"Well, we haven't made any solid plans yet, but it's clear that the feelings aren't one-sided," Riley grinned.
"I see," Finn replied. The distraction was working. Her breathing was evening out and she returned a small smile.
"All right, I think we go back to the last juncture and take the next three lefts. That will hopefully put us back in the same path on the other side of the cave in." Kristoff announced.
"Hopefully?" Finn squeaked.
"Well, it's difficult to judge the extent of the cave-in. Don't worry, there are enough tunnels that we have backup options if that does not work." He spoke kindly, which was appreciated in the tense circumstance. Finn wasn't the only person struggling with intense feelings of being trapped underground.
"What are we waiting for?" Asked Joe, setting off in pursuit of the goal Kristoff had set.
He didn't quite run, but he was clearly very eager to be free of the earth's embrace. The others matched his pace, taking each turn with the underlying fear that around the corner could be another pile of rocks blocking their way to freedom.
As they made their third left, that fear became reality. The place where their current path linked back in with the one they had been on was sealed like a tomb.
Finn shivered as her mind formed that imagery.
"All right, let's assume that entire branch of tunnel is unusable and plot another course to the surface." Kristoff remained the calmest of the bunch, maybe because he had the map and was plotting the routes. An element of control over a situation could do wonders for one's serenity of mind.
"That's logical," Riley agreed, clearly on edge. This time he too leaned over the map, trying his best to concentrate on possible ways out. "Might I propose that we only use one or two lamps at a time from this point? If we are to be wandering a potentially extended amount of time, we will want to conserve the oil."
The others stared at him, at first unwilling to entertain the possibility that they could be down in the tunnels long enough to begin running out of the oil. Each had enough fuel to last an entire working shift and then some. They were about halfway through the day, by best estimates... which could mean no one would even think they were late for another six hours.
Longer, if whatever happened on the surface required everyone's attention.
They could not depend on rescue, and the amount of time it would take to leave could not be estimated. Reluctantly, the quiet man of Finn's team put out his lamp. One by one, the others followed until just Kristoff's and hers remained lit.
Her hands shook as she clung to it, unwilling to let the light too far away from her. Already the increased darkness was making it hard to breath again.
"I'll take the lead," Kristoff said. "Second light should bring up the rear so people can see their feet best." With that, he set off. The men filed after him, and Riley hung back to walk next to Finn as she carried the second lamp in a vice-like grip.
"Breathe slowly. In. Out. Everything is fine. There are many ways out, and it's only a matter of time before we find one that's open." He spoke softly for her ears.
She tried to obey, but found it difficult.
"Oh, I get it. You can't run directly at this danger, so it's finally intimidating, right?" He teased. "That's fine. We'll find you something down here you can charge at like a madwoman."
Her grip finally loosened a bit on the lamp a bit and he was satisfied, even though she had no retort for him. They walked in silence for several minutes.
Since all she had to do was follow the man in front of her, she decided distraction might be the best route. She shifted the sack from Gwen, planning to head back home first thing and add it to the herbs she already had there. Then, a barrier around the city was in order. Eventually, breathing evenly, she found an equilibrium in the semi-darkness. Everything was going to be all right.
They rounded another corner and stopped. Rocks blocked the path again.