[KQ] Hush

A M A L I A

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They are able to retrace their steps without further incident, though as they near the original fork Amalia slows, half debating a hasty retreat. She pushes on - the girl is practical, not cowardly, and the thought of abandoning the others fills her with a steel shame. Besides, the haunting cry of earlier still circles her mind, tantalizing and promising of something, though whether greatness or grief it is still too soon to say. The lantern light flickers but does not falter as they pursue the wayward Ascended, their shadows stretching behind them like a tether to the outside world.

The light grows murky and inconsistent as they reach the water, and Amalia draws to a stop. "Is this-?" the girl begins to ask, turning toward Desmond before movement catches her eye. At the edge of her lantern light Archebold treads through the murk, apparently under onslaught from all sides. "We need to help him!" Amalia gasps, quickly reaching down to untie her boots. With Deepfrost approaching it wouldn't do to ruin her only pair of shoes, and the bare soles of her feet should give her better traction on damp stone and whatever else lurks beneath. The girl is often barefoot: the soles of her feet are calloused and hard, though that will do little to defend against sharp stone or broken glass. "Hold the lantern," she says to Desmond, handing him the precious light, "I'll- I'll go first." She swallows, hard.

Reluctance picks at her nerves, pins and needles creeping down her skin - this is a bad idea, this is a bad idea - but the girl takes a cautious step, her bare feet sinking into the dark water. As she enters the water she murmurs a repeated prayer, using the staff to feel ahead in the dark. "Vi, protect my life today... Vi, protect my life today..." Her low voice echoes in the damp chamber.

It is not the only sound. The gargoyles hear her coming and turn their attention from Archebold, their stone eyes hungry as they glare the girl down. Amalia gasps, raising the staff into a protective position. "Protect the light!" she cries to Desmond, struggling to set her feet in fighting stance, raising her staff in both hands and swinging it forward in a defensive arc, hoping to connect wood on ancient stone.