The tunnel narrowed again as we moved forward, and I was about to complain about the lack of ventilation when the walls… moved.
At first, I thought it was another tremor. A normal collapse. Rocks shifting. Something explainable. But then the stone curved outward, slowly, like a chest expanding with a deep inhale.
Then it contracted again.
Once. Twice. A slow rhythmic pulse.
I stumbled backward and smacked right into Nathan’s chest. “Okay. Nope. The walls are inhaling. That is not allowed. I did not sign up for a living hallway.”
Nathan immediately stepped between me and the shifting stone, as if he could physically shield me from a breathing mountain. His arm came out instinctively, sweeping me behind him without even looking.
Leah edged toward the wall and touched the stone gently w
