Jane's cell was made of living wood. It was a small circular space, just wide enough for her to sit against the wall with her legs straight. The floor was spongy and slightly damp when she pressed down on it. The walls where angled outwards, making a comfortable backrest. Light came in through several narrow gaps high above her head.

The villagers had seized her hours ago and brought her here, She'd been too shocked to resist at the time, besides that Hanna girl looked like she knew how to use a spear, and was willing to do her serious harm.

She rubbed the small scab on her throat. Her mind went back to that moment by the wood shed, when she was on the ground, Hanna's spear pressing into her flesh.

"I didn't do anything." she had said.

The druid harrumphed, "where have you been for the last few hours?"

"I was chasing a gnome who stole Mr Brewster's preserved cherries, there are passages under the village."

"Do you expect anyone to believe such tall tales child?" The druid said.

Samantha Skinner broke through the crescent of men. She looked as frantic as Jane felt. She stood there pointing a shaking finger at Jane. "what did you do to my mother you witch?"

Jane shook her head, "I was in the tunnels, under the village, I didn't go anywhere near the Skinner's I swear."

"Child, you show up with powers, you were seen arguing with Ursula Skinner, and now she lies in an enchanted sleep." The Druid said.

"How do we even know that, that's really John?" Sam said. "What if it's some monster pretending to be her, I mean him?"

There were grunts of agreement, Sure none of the villagers wanted to harm a local child, but Sam's words gave them an out.

"Hang her." somebody said. It was just a whisper, and yet Jane heard it, and by the looks of it so did everybody else.

"No." the druid said, slamming his staff on the ground. "There will be no lynching! This child will be placed in custody, then we will summon a magistrate."

The crowd surged forward. Jane was pulled to her feet, her satchel ripped from her shoulder and her hands bound behind her back. She wasn't sure who did what, nor did she care? Half the village men surrounded her, while the rest had weapons trained on her parents, who where standing tightly together. For a moment Jane met her mother's eyes,

"Be brave", her mother didn't actually voice the words but here lips moved. Jane nodded in reply then looked away, not wanting to see the tears. Gods, even her father was crying.

"I didn't. I didn't." She repeated the words like a mantra as she was shoved and prodded through the village and towards the grove. When they arrived druid Starskie pressed his hands against a large oak and the trunk split open. The villagers shoved her inside, and the wood closed up again.

That had been hours ago. The sun had set, only to be replaced with the moon. Moonlight turned Jane's cell blue. It reminded her of Grom's phantom Tavern. "I could do with some moon mead about now." she said.

The wall beside Jane groaned and parted, splitting downwards until it was wide enough to show George crouching on the dirt, his hand pressed to the trunk. his hair was a mess, and he was wearing ordinary homespun instead of his novice robes. "Hurry, I can't keep it open long," he hissed.

Jane scrambled to her feet and jumped through the gap, grabbing her clogs in passing. Once outside she filled her lungs with cool night air. It felt good after spending half a day in a tree. She slipped her feet into her clogs. "George what are you doing here."

"I'm getting you out, what do you think I'm doing, Come on!"

"My broom."

"It's still behind your dad's wood shop." The druid tried but he couldn't move it, even when he cast a teleportation spell at it, but I've got your satchel" George said.

Jane took the satchel and settled it over her shoulder, it seemed heavier. She could just picture it, Druid Starskie growing red in the face as he hurled his magic against her broom, with an audience of villagers no less. Take that old man, she thought. It made her smile as she followed George through the trees towards the Mill Road.

"Becca and your mum packed extra food, and all that gold you brought back from the dungeon." George said, still keeping his voice low."

At the edge of the grove she pulled George into a tight hug, squeezing her eyes shut so she wouldn't cry. "Oh gods, say bye to everyone for me, I'll. No it's better you don't know."

She released him and turned, breaking into a run without looking back. She'd thought about leaving, ever since she became a girl. Well to be honest she'd been thinking about leaving Lambford before that. It was what adventurers did, they left home to seek adventure. But not like this, not slinking off under a cloud without even saying goodbye.

She sensed the broom long before it was visible in the moonlight. it flew straight into her hand, far faster than it ever did when she cast the flying spell. She glared at it for a moment, then continued at a more even pace. The worst thing was that if she left town, now she'd fail another quest. failing two quests wasn't a good way to start an adventuring career.

The answers had to be in the tunnels. Who would build salt encrusted tunnels under Lambford, and more importantly why? Whatever had happened to Mrs Skinner had to be connected.

Jane stopped, the Brewster's tavern stood just across the road from her. It was dark at this time of night, even with a caravan full of guards sleeping in the barn loft. She could sneak back in through the root cellar. Her confinement had given here ample time to eat and rest, and the shrinking spell wasn't particularly taxing.

She slipped her feet out of her clogs again, and gathered them in her left hand, then padded barefoot across the yard, hoping she wouldn't step into anything unpleasant. After all the caravan had at least a dozen horses.

"Hold it right there." A girl's voice hissed from behind her. "I don't know what you plan to do to these good people but I'm not letting you Witch."

It was Hanna, the copper haired barbarian girl. Jane turned to face her and adjusted her grip on the broom. They weren't alone, Paul was behind Hanna, moving silently despite the crutch under his arm. He gestured for Jane to keep talking.

"If I meant the Brewster's any harm, I'd have done it already. I didn't hurt Mrs Skinner, and I'm going to prove it."

"So who am I going to believe, a respected druid who has served this town for longer than anyone can remember, or a changeling who hasn't even been here a week?"

Jane kept her gaze locked with the other girl as Paul snuck up behind her. she didn't so much as twitch as he raised the crutch over his head and swung it towards her head. Hanna moved at the last possible moment, she ducked and twisted, bringing the shaft of her spear up to block Paul's strike. She whipped the blunt end forward shoving it into the boy's stomach. Paul offed as the air was knocked out of him and staggered back and lost his balance.

Jane jumped forward swinging her staff at the girl's knee, but Hanna was faster. She jumped the end of the staff and flipped backwards landing with her spear pointed at both of them.

Paul pulled himself up into a sitting position, his bandaged foot resting straight out in front of him. "Jane isn't going to hurt my family. I was there when she changed, and I can tell you she is still the same person she always was."

"But I saw her attack you yesterday." Hanna said,

"I may have deserved that. I saw an Ogre knock her senseless, I thought she was dead, and I ran." he said, his words rushing together and his eyes tearing up. "I'm sorry, Jane I really am, I should have made sure, but I was so scared, and I ran."

Jane stood at ease, allowing her staff to revert to broom shape. "So at which point did you rob me?"

"I didn't, it was fools gold, the coins we thought we found, they weren't real, they disappeared at sunset."

"So what happened to your foot?" Jane said

"You know how I said I could make that jump? Turns out I couldn't." He held his hands up about three inches apart. "Missed it by that much, by the time I looped down to it again, I was going mighty fast. Druid Starskie fixed it up, mostly. He said that letting it heal the rest of the way on its own would teach me a lesson."

"This is sweet and all, but I'm still arresting you." Hanna said.

Jane and Paul both glared at her.

"I'm telling the truth, and I can prove it. There are tunnels under Lambford, and something evil lives down there."

"So why come here?"

"There's a way in, in the root cellar."

"You don't think my Dad's got anything to do with this?" Paul said as he struggled back to his feet and hopped over to his crutch.

"No way, did you know he's a quest giver?"

Paul nodded as they fell into step heading towards the cellar door, completely ignoring Hanna and her spear. "So how did someone hide a secret door in the root cellar?"

"It's more of a mouse hole really, I used magic, the spell wore out before I got out."

"I'm coming with you." Hanna said.

Jane turned, her hands on her hips, and glared at the taller girl. "And why exactly would I take you with me?"

"Because I'll beat the stuffing out of you and hand you over to the druid if you don't, besides if there really is something down there your going to need backup. Hop-along isn't going to cut it." Hanna said, she dropped the point of her spear, until it was pointed towards the ground and held out her right hand. "Truce?"

Jane took the offered hand. Hanna had pretty hands, narrow with long fingers and neatly trimmed nails without even a hint of dirt beneath them. but her palm was rough and calloused. No matter how pretty the girl looked she was still a highland warrior. "Truce, I'm going to have to cast a spell at you."

"You're not seriously bringing her with us are you?" Paul said.

"No, I'm bringing her with me. Hanna is right, I can't take you into a dungeon with your hopping, what if we have to fight, or run?"

Jane rummaged in her satchel and found another vial of her healing salve, "here rub this in, it should have you healed up the rest of the way by morning."

Paul grunted, but took the vial, slipping it into his belt pouch. He glared at Hanna, "fine, but if anything happens to Jane, I'm coming for you, barbarian."

Hanna shrugged at that and fell in behind Jane as she descended into the cellar. Jane stopped on the stairs and fitted the tiara over her hair. "don't you dare laugh, I know it looks silly, but this thing is useful."

"I don't see..." Paul began, only to stop short when Jane made the sunstone glow, bright enough to chase the midnight shadows away. "oh.":

"Come on." Jane said leading the way to the back. "OK I'll shrink you first, then I'll shrink myself."

Hanna swallowed, "Do we have to go in this way?"

"It's this or the creek, and I don't fancy trying to find an underwater doorway in the dark." Jane said. She grabbed Hanna's hand again and said the word "GIB!"

The barbarian shrank to mouse sized. For a moment she curled up in pain then straightened, brandishing her tiny spear at the pair of them.

"You know, we could put her in a Jar now." Paul said, smiling down at Hanna.

"No Paul. You best head out now, or you'll be left here in the dark, and make sure you close the door."

"Fine, good luck I guess." he said.

Jane waited until he had hopped to the stairs and made his way out of the cellar before saying the word again. "GIB"

the twisting sensation was just as unpleasant as Jane remembered. Within a moment she was also mouse sized, she smiled at Hanna, who was still taller than her, and lead the way around the bottom shelf and into the gnome tunnel. "There are a couple of gnomes down here, they dug this part of the tunnel."

before long they emerged into the salt encrusted tunnels. Jane released the spell both on Hanna and on herself. Hanna looked up and down the tunnels, surprise written on her face. "What in the world."

"Told you so." Jane said, "wait till you see what's powering the fountain."

Jane lead the way towards domed room under the green. Hanna followed silently, her face grim. When they arrived, Jane went straight to where the gnomes door had been and started rummaging in her pack.

"What are you doing?"

"The gnomes live here, whatever made these tunnels destroyed their grotto." Jane said as she pulled out a hunk of cheese and dried beef. "I said I'd help them when I could."

she placed the food against the wall and knocked with her fingernail, hopefully the little girl and her brother would hear the noise and come to investigate.

Jane pointed at the tunnel she had used to escape yesterday. "I already tried that way, it's a dead end, so let's see what's down tunnel number three."

This tunnel descended sharply, so much so that wide steps had been shaped into the salt floor. Jane cast sideways glances at her watcher as they went. Hanna was still in her light leather tunic. It really didn't look thick enough to stop a blade. she held her spear loosely, in one hand so that it wouldn't bump on the walls or ceiling, her movements seeming dance like as they hurried down the passage.

"So why were you up so late?" Jane said, "I mean as far as you knew I was stuck inside a tree."

"My quest didn't clear." Hanna said, "The Druid hired me to capture the Witch of Lambford."

"And as long as the quest doesn't clear you don't get any experience points for it. I've got a quest too, and it has something to do with these tunnels."

The floor levelled off again. Jane figured they must have passed under Rills creek, and where now heading along the hubward road. Up ahead the tunnel turned sharply to the right.

"How come you don't wear armour?" Jane whispered as they approached the turn.

Hanna shrugged, "I'm quick, so did you see anything else down here, other than gnomes?"

The tunnel expanded around them broadening into a colonnade some fifteen feet wide. Columns lines both walls, spaced about four feet apart and a foot thick. Each one of them carved with images of fish and other sea creatures. in places the salt was dyed to make the images more vivid.

Jane and Hanna separated. Jane hugged the left wall while Hanna hugged the right. Between them they had eyes on every part of the colonnade they were exploring.

It was so different to adventuring with Paul. Hanna seemed to be taking this seriously. When she found a small chamber on her side, she caught Jane's attention with a click of her tongue. They crouched at the doorway, then advanced, again dividing the room, and watching each other as they searched the floor and walls.

Marks on the floor hinted that something heavy had been stored here in the past but the room was empty now, and the smooth salt walls gave no hint of anything else.

They continued down the colonnade. Moments later Hanna stopped. "Jane, the floor just shifted under my foot."

Jane approached, making her tiara glow brighter and dimmer by turns. She squatted down, to change the angle of the light, and then she saw it. A hairline crack marked out a square of floor and Hanna's boot was right in the middle of it. "There's definitely something there."

"Great," Hanna whispered, not even moving her mouth. "There are spikes in my pack, can you reach them?"

The pack hung low on Hanna's back, it was a simple leather sack with arm loops sewn onto one side and a drawstring holding the top close. Jane held her breath as she pulled the knot free and worked the leather open.

The spikes where easy enough to find, half a dozen of them, along with a small hammer. "Now what?"

"See if you can Jam the mechanism," Hanna said, "Jam a spike in, then, give me some space."

Jane did so, picking the corner nearest the column and working the spike into the gap between the pressure plate and the floor. Once it was well seated, she tapped it several times with the hammer. She retreated to the side chamber and peered past the doorframe to where Hanna was standing. "I'm clear."

With agonizing slowness Hanna shifted her weight off the pressure plate and stepped back, turned and ran. Moments later something clicked, and three thick spikes shot out of the wall, threw the space she had been standing. the ends of the spikes sank into the rock salt column, splitting it from floor to ceiling.

"Well, I guess we stick to the centre of the passage." Jane said.

Hanna wiped the sweat from her brow and looked back at the spot. "That and we keep checking for traps. There is bound to be more traps."

Their progress was much slower after that, they moved down the colonnade foot by foot, testing the floor before them with the end of their weapons. They found five more traps and three more storage rooms. The traps were scattered at random between the sides and the center of the colonnade, the storerooms were empty though all showed signs of recent use.

Finally they came to the end of the colonnade. By Jane's reckoning they had walked at least half a mile past the creek. A narrow doorway let them into another short tunnel perpendicular to the one they had just left. Beyond that was another room maybe thirty feet to a side. Two salt statues stood against the far wall, on either side of a massive double door. Magic filled the statues making them glow to Jane's sight.

"They look like guards," Hanna said, "you don't suppose."

The statues moved in unison marching across the space towards them.

"I do suppose." Jane said, then she focused her mind dropping into a casting state> The shift was getting easier with practice. she pointed her hand at one of the salt statues "ZAP!"

Lightening cracked from her fingers, arcing across the room to strike one of the salt golems. With a deafening crack it splitting it into several chunks.

Jane didn't just hear the sound, she felt it pass through her. All about them the salt walls fractured and melted. liquid salt flowed over the pieces of the golem she had destroyed, fusing them back together not into one golem but two.

Beside her Hanna looked woozy. she was shaking her head as if to clear her hearing and almost staggered into the other golems grasp.

Jane struck out with her staff. It was like hitting wet sand. the end of the staff dug into the surface, but when she moved back, it sealed up again.

The golem remained silent as it lumbered towards her, reaching out with hands as large as beer kegs. It battered her staff aside and seized her. Cold, wet salt seeped through her dress, chilling her skin.

Just like that the fight was over. One Golem held Jane out in front of it, the second had seized Hanna, and the third followed behind as they proceeded through the room and into the far corridor.

Hanna was shaking her head, as if to dislodge something, and here eyes looked glassy.

"Are you OK?" Jane yelled

"What?" Hanna yelled back. "I can't hear a damn thing over the ringing."

"Quiet." Someone said, it was a man's voice.

Mr Skinner stood before them. A fastidious dresser, Mr Skinner was never seen without a pressed linen shirt, and a leather vest so glossy that it shone in the sunlight. Now he was bare chested, revealing skin covered in complex tattoos that glowed with magic.

Jane sucked in a breath, Mr Skinner was the last person she'd expected to see, he hadn't even taken part in her arrest. For a moment their gazes locked. His eyes looked sad. His jaw worked, as if he was about to say something, then the tattoos flared. He closed his mouth with a snap and his eyebrows lowered. His posture shifting from stopped to upright. "There is no point in screaming. No sound will escape these tunnels."

Jane blinked. that was the most she had ever heard Mr Skinner say. Normally he would only nod and answer questions with a terse yes or no.

"Why are you doing this?" Jane said

"Orders." The man said, his face expressionless. He turned and lead the way further down the tunnel. moments later they entered another dome shaped chamber. here a pool had been cut deep into rock and filled with water.

At first the water was still as a mirror, then it rippled. A bony fin pierced the surface and then the creature emerged.

It was vaguely human in that it had a head, arms and torso but that was where the similarities ended. Covered in silver scales, from the crest like fin on its head to the long muscular tail. It balanced above the water's surface, its tail coiling through the water beneath it.

Large glowing eyes regarded them. The creature smiled revealing two rows of narrow dagger-like teeth. "Ah, fresh meat, what a pity I'm on a diet."

The scales melted as the creature advanced. It shifted from silver to flesh tones as they shrank. Hair erupted on the scalp and the tail split into two legs.

Samantha Skinner stepped out of the pool. She seemed unconcerned at her nudity as she stood at the waters edge. Her eyes still glowed, and the skin between her breasts was an angry red surrounding several fresh tattoos. She gave them a wide smile. For a moment her mouth was still filled with dagger-like teeth. She glared at Jane. "This is a surprise, you where supposed to be in a tree awaiting trial and execution."