A Narrow Escape Plan

Aurora groped around until she could find the source of the fresh air. A small hole inside the base of the crevice allowed the tantalizing breeze. The Empress got out of the crevice and lay on her side to get a better look. Unlike whatever the gnomes used to light their dwellings, this hole had no such brightness. The pitch black meant that she could not see how far back the hole went, but the fresh air on her face was unmistakable.

She pushed her fingers into the hole and pulled at the rocks to widen it. Sediment from the wall broke off into her hands, and she shoveled it out into the cavern. The hole was now bigger than it had been but not nearly large enough. She pulled out her knife from her cloak and dug furiously until the hole was almost wide enough for her body.

For once she was glad to be on the smaller side. Her mother had been called statuesque, and Aurora inherited her lean build but not her height. The near ninety degree angle between the wall of the crevi