He cautiously rose from his crouch and joined her, frowning at the direction of her nod. Did this place have no end of nasty surprises? What he wouldn't give for something straightforward at the moment, deep stalkers pretending to be stalagmites. Anything but this oddly sterile and yet somehow deeply unnerving hunt through the Hold.

Holding up a finger, he hugged the wall and turned his blade with the flat against it. He slid it down between the drywall and the vent cover to pry softly. It stayed firmly in place. "I have half a mind to say we should leave it," he whispered, "except it could find some other way out and catch us unaware. You want to do this?"