The stairs down to the lower dungeons were old and narrow, carved from cold grey stone that had never once felt the sun. Derek went first, one hand hovering near Nana's elbow, ready to catch her if she so much as wobbled.
"Nana, are you sure about this?" he asked for what felt like the hundredth time. "You don't have to see him. I can handle it alone."
Nana kept walking. "Derek Wolfe, if you ask me that one more time, I will give you a very heavy knock. Maybe that way it would get into your skull."
Derek nodded, though doubt still lingered in his mind.
"I'm old, my boy, not made of glass." She paused on the landing to catch her breath, one hand pressed to the wall. "Though I'll admit these stairs are trying their best to finish me off before I get there."
The deeper they went, the worse the air became, thick and sour, with the stench of damp stone, old blood, and rot. The two gammas stationed at the bottom snapped to attention the moment they saw who was coming.
