Cambridge hadn’t wanted to climb up the pyramid. 

She had whined and worried around Delano’s heels, nipping at his fetlocks, cutting tight circles around him, but he couldn’t see why — the long, high path of stone was steep, but navigable.  She’d leapt up way worse with him without complaining — faster than he could, even. 

“C’mon, girl, what’s the matter?” 

But she’d followed him in the end, after he leapt up the first half dozen rocks, coming skittering in his wake with a panting tongue and a bright, accusatory stare. 

Now, ascending the plateau partway up, Delano paused. 

Something shivered.

The dungeon—? No.  The pyramid. 

Something high overhead turned and shifted with a stone sound, the grating of tectonic plates.  The mossy boulders rotated on craggy precipices, shedding pebbles, shaking loose the dust of ages.  From the shadowy crevices between them, a face emerged — unblinking granite eyes, heavy stone mouth, the mimicry of a hooked nose. 

It was smiling. 

“LITTLE COURSER.”

Its voice, too, was a stone one — the abyssal noise of earth. 

“WHERE IS YOUR KNIGHT?” 

Cambridge was barking — had been barking, maybe?  Delano only heard her now that everything had stilled and quieted again.  She hugged close to his forelegs, baring her fangs, snarling up at the vast, benevolent face. 

“Cambridge,” Delano said.  “Cambridge — it’s okay, girl.”  

She quieted except the low, ominous rumble of a growl.  

Delano had cowered low to avoid being rattled loose in the earthquake movement; now, he unfolded his long, spindly legs and righted himself fully, puffing out his narrow chest beneath the stone giant. 

“I haven’t got a night,” he said bravely, and added preemptively, “But I got a birthday.  Frel found me in a puddle.” 

“AH,” the stone sighed.  It seemed amused — kindly paternal, vastly older than Delano’s parents, whom he considered ancient.  Its words came slowly, in ponderous beats.  “AH.  I FORGET THE PASSAGE OF TIME…HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED.” 

Cambridge’s growl teetered towards outright snarling again.

“We’d better go,” Delano said.  He didn’t think Cambridge biting the rock would hurt it — but in the Buried Kingdom, who knew?  And, anyway, it wasn’t making any sense to him.  “It was nice to meet you.  We’ll just um — back the way we came.”

“FAREWELL, LITTLE COURSER.” 

“Bye!”

The stone began to shift again, the face grinding back into the dip of crevice and shadow.  Delano leapt for the pathway before the rattling grew too strong, heading downward, and Cambridge turned tail and ran after him. 

She beat him to the bottom again — and by then, everything had grown very still and very quiet again. 

Behind them, the pyramid had shifted to a new shape.