The air was thick with exhaustion as Meyla, Teryn, and Mason descended into the dim, musty chamber. Dust hung in the air, clinging to their coats as the weight of their journey pressed down on them. Their hooves clacked against the uneven stone floor, the sound echoing off the walls like the whispers of a forgotten time. The three horses had been traveling for days—across windswept plains, through dense forests, and now into the belly of a labyrinthine ruin. The weariness weighed heavily on them, especially Meyla, whose patience had long since worn thin. Mason had been poking fun at Meyla the whole time.

Now, standing before an imposing wall of smooth stone, their path seemed completely blocked. Not a crack or crevice hinted at a way forward. Meyla’s eyes darkened with frustration, her breath coming in sharp snorts. “This is what we’ve come to? A dead end?” She shot a glare at Mason, who was staring straight ahead at the wall, confusion in his gaze..

“I told you this was a waste of time,” Meyla snapped, her tail flicking sharply as she turned toward him. “But no, we had to follow your brilliant idea, didn’t we?”

Mason stopped, his eyes meeting hers with a steely gaze. His ears flattened against his head as he squared off with her. “Maybe if you stopped whining for five seconds, you’d actually be useful.”

“Useful? At least I don’t charge ahead without thinking!” Meyla retorted, taking a step forward.

Before the argument could escalate, Teryn intervened, his calm voice cutting through the tension. “Enough,” he said, his blue eyes scanning the chamber. “Fighting won’t solve anything. Look at the floor. The engravings—there’s a reason they’re here.”

Meyla snorted but grudgingly began inspecting the artwork beneath their hooves. The floor was adorned with elaborate carvings, depicting long-forgotten battles and symbols that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. Teryn’s gaze lingered on a particular set of engravings—ancient warriors standing in a circle, hooves planted on marked tiles. She nudged one with her hoof.

“Step on this one,” Teryn instructed, tapping the tile. Meyla, still grumbling under her breath, followed the direction and pressed her hoof down. The second it made contact, a deep rumble reverberated through the chamber, like the sound of an ancient beast awakening. The ground vibrated beneath them, shaking dust loose from the ceiling.

The seamless wall shifted, groaning as the ancient mechanism ground to life. Mason, despite their earlier argument, allowed himself a small smirk. “Looks like someone’s brilliant idea worked after all,” he quipped.

The rumbling from the wall stopped abruptly, leaving Meyla, Teryn, and Mason standing in front of the partially shifted stone. The door had only cracked open a few inches before grinding to a halt. Meyla flicked her tail, a mix of frustration and weariness clouding her expression.

“Well, that was great. Now what?” Meyla huffed, glaring at Mason. “Your brilliant idea didn’t exactly open the door all the way.”

Mason’s ears pinned back, but instead of biting back, he turned toward the floor, his brow furrowing in concentration. “Something’s missing,” he muttered, stepping carefully across the engraved tiles, his blue eyes scanning each one.

Teryn, his own eyes narrowing in thought, stepped forward to join him. “The mechanism moved, but we didn’t trigger the whole thing.”

[To be continued?]