Between the Veil and Crown

Kylin 31

It was both relieving and concerning to not encounter another ankheg.
Relieving for obvious reasons, but concerning as it could mean that the ankhegs were above ground, wreaking havoc.
The stale air coupled with the lack of light made it difficult to determine what time it was. What felt like hours may have only been a few minutes. Or perhaps an entire day passed.
Shaelren allowed for a short break where they had a quick meal. He conferred with the Rangers who had their compasses following those above ground to make sure that everyone was still where they were supposed to be. When meals were eaten, and compasses check, Shaelren pushed them forward.
They came across very few options in terms of directions. When they did, Shaelren studied each path carefully before picking the one that looked most recently visited. A couple of times, it ended in a small chamber. Only one of the chambers had any eggs, which were quickly burned- an unpleasant experience having been down in the tunnels for quite some time without any clue as to where the nearest exit was located.
The next chamber they came across, Shaelren declared that they would take a longer rest, allowing for group to sleep. Shifts were sorted out so a fraction would sleep at a time in order to avoid only one of the Rangers faced with the possibility of waking the rest while an ankheg bore down on them.

Kylin opted for the third shift, not ready to immediately go to sleep, and wanting time after he woke up. He settled himself at the end of the tunnel that led to the chamber. One of the dogs followed him and laid down on his legs, positioning itself in a way that made it impossible for Kylin to comfortably shift himself when the need arose. Sighing to himself, he accepted his lot and absentmindedly stroked the dog's head as he kept an ear out for anything approaching. The muddled whispering and moving about of the other Rangers soon were punctuated with doggy snores from the dog in his lap.

Around the time of the start of the second shift, he heard someone approaching. He waited until they had reached him before acknowledging their presence.

"Do you hear anything that would be indication we're close to something?" Shaelren asked him.

Kylin shook his head. He had been trying to keep an ear out for the sound of wind blowing across an entrance as they walked, but it was all quiet.

Shaelren made a noise of frustration. "If this continues on, we may have to turn back and leave the way we came. I'd prefer not to. I want to know where these blasted things have been or are going."

Kylin wasn't given a chance to answer. One of the other Rangers approached Shaelren with a concerned expression. Wordlessly, he showed Shaelren his compass.

Shaelren took it and studied it carefully. "Was it like this before? Are the others reacting the same way?"

The Ranger shook his head. "They were right above us only a couple of minutes ago. But even the others have their compasses pointing in different directions." He paused, then said, "Our guess was that something came upon them."

Shaelren didn't say anything, but continued to watch the compass, along with the owner of the compass. Neither of their gazes shifted from the compass, the two of them hardly even blinking. Kylin continued to pet the dog on his lap, but his strokes became more intense, his fingers pressing down harder the longer the silence persisted.

Shaelren's lips parted, letting in a small gasp. At the same time, one of the other Rangers back near the chamber leapt to her feet and hurried over, hand outstretched with her compass.

"Sir-!" she called out urgently.

"That way?" Shaelren asked, pointing in the direction of a wall.