Aurora's excitement for the second tunnel lasted exactly until she explored it.
After the breathtaking discovery of the enormous inner chambers, she had begun imagining that perhaps the mountain had hidden another secret behind every passage. With a torch held high, she followed Asher through the second tunnel, her eyes moving eagerly across the stone walls as she searched for another opening, another chamber, perhaps even another natural spring.
Instead, the passage gradually narrowed until the walls finally met in an unremarkable dead end.
Aurora stood before the solid rock for several seconds, staring at it in disbelief. "That's it?" she finally asked.
Asher looked at the wall, then at her as he spoke, "It appears so."
Aurora poked the stone with the end of her torch. "No hidden room? No underground river? No treasure?"
Asher's lips twitched. "I suppose the mountain decided you already found enough."
