One by one, people left. Sophie held up her home crystal.

Valerie hurried over and grabbed her free hand. "Do you mind? I have to train with Grady anyway."

Sophie nodded solemnly.

Holding the crystal to the light they both glittered away.
————
The Sun was high in the afternoon sky as they appeared in Havenfield's pastures. Almost immediately Grady appeared and gave Sophie a big hug.

When he had finished with her, he turned to Valerie and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Valerie basked in it. Tam's hug had been nice, but this was a real hug.

Without warning, Mr. Forkle appeared. He pulled Sophie aside and spoke to her privately.
Valerie could still hear bits and pieces of the conversation. He mentioned something about an abandoned base and being taken.

After a moment, Valerie put the pieces together and barged into the conversation. "You're not going without me."

"What?" Forkle tried to play it cool, but his eyes showed his surprise.

"You're not going to the base where the Neverseen took Sophie without me." She crossed her arms.

Sophie flinched. "How did you..."

"I'm a good listener." Valerie returned her gaze to Mr. Forkle. "You can't stop me from coming."

Forkle protested, but, by the end of it, everyone was coming. Fitz and Biana had come to check on Sophie and immediately signed up; Tam came because Lihn insisted; and Sophie decided to ask Dex if he wanted to come. He said yes.

When everyone arrived, Forkle rolled his eyes, muttering something starting with 'you kids,' as he held a blue leaping crystal to the light.

They all joined hands and the light carried them away.
————
Glittering onto the streets of Paris, the group appeared in the middle of a torrential downpour. They were soaked almost immediately. Forkle led them down the sidewalk to an alley.

Valerie heard Dex suck in a breath. He must have recognized it.

Forkle pulled aside a manhole cover to reveal a ladder leading down into the dark.

They each carefully made their way down the rusty metal ladder into a musty tunnel.

Lihn pulled the water from everyone's clothes, earning a 'wow' from Fitz.

"Where are we?" Tam's voice echoed out of the shadows.

"I believe the humans call it a catacomb." Forkle breathed on a crystal hanging around his neck and a soft blue light ignited inside.

Valerie stared at the Balefire intently. Why would Fintan pick that as her code name?

The string of questions forming in her mind shattered as Biana asked. "What's a catacomb?"

Forkle sighed. "A mass grave."

Fitz flinched away from the wall he'd been about to touch. "You mean there are dead bodies down here."

Forkle nodded. "Several thousand if I'm remembering right."

They all looked at their surroundings with disgust.

"Why so many?" Lihn's quiet voice sounded too loud in the dead silence.

"There was a time when people died too quickly for them to be buried individually." Forkle explained. "When that happened, they built one giant grave to hold all the bodies."

Biana shivered. "Eww."

"Yes." Forkle started down the tunnel with the others following close behind. No one spoke. It felt wrong.

Soon, they reached a dead end. After a bit of experimentation, Forkle found a portion of the stone that he could push through.

Tam noticed Sophie's worried expression. "It's okay. It's perfectly safe." He forced himself through the wall.

Valerie followed right behind him. It felt like pushing through mashed potatoes. When she broke free on the other side, she saw a ransacked hallway with no light.

Dex was right behind her and he stiffened, instinctively grabbing Valerie's hand for support when he saw it.

Valerie glanced over at his terrified face. They probably wouldn't stay very long.