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Tianara felt the colour rise in her face again when he took her hand for a brief moment. She turned her head a little bit to hide her blush from him - it was rather embarrassing, how often she seemed to get shy around him. There was no reason for it; it just was.

Sternly, she dismissed her thoughts. She had to focus on finding her path. Without thinking, she walked forward until there was a split in the path. There was a small downward tug to her mouth - not quite a frown - as she examined the entrances of the two pathways.

"It's the one on the right," she said at last. "We go right, but it's not as safe as the one on the left. I might be able to find another way if we go left. What do you think?"

It was more than that the left route was 'safer', though - if it had only been a slight difference, Tianara would have taken the right road without a second thought. It was the fact that her danger sense was shrieking like a siren in her head that made her hesitate.

She wanted Joshua to make his own decision about whether or not to follow her, but she was likely going to take the right road, dangerous or not. It would be a lot faster.

Tianara gave a mute nod, and turned into the right path without another word. It wasn't necessary. To try and talk him into going left or going back would take time they didn't really have - and though it shamed her to admit it, she didn't want to face whatever it was alone.

She could feel the ground beginning to drop away from underneath her. This path went down, but she was sure that it would lead back up after a short way, and from there to the storeroom they had used earlier.

If they got that far, anyway.

Every step seemed to stress her out a little bit more, but she kept moving with silent stubbornness, not even looking back. This was the faster path, and Joshua was right. Better they find the problem than some child that had escaped its mother's watchful eyes.

She didn't glance back to see if Joshua was still following. It was imperative to keep her eyes forward.

Just as they reached the deepest part of the pathway, and the slope back up was beginning to become more pronounced, Tianara looked up sharply at a rumble of rock.

Without saying a word, she spun around and grabbed Joshua's hand, pulling him back against the far wall and sheltering in the slight protection a small indent afforded them as rocks began tumbling down.

Rising to her tiptoes to speak into his ear - the rumbles were so loud that she had to in order to be heard without screaming - she said in his ear, "Rock gnomes. They don't want us in here. They don't like it." She stood between him and the rockfall, but didn't look too worried. "They'll accept me faster than you," she explained quietly. Then she turned and faced the rockfall, her eyes steady on the darkness near the roof of the tunnel.

"Hello?" she called. Then she added the sound that Joshua might recognize as the polite, formal hello in merfolk tongue, never taking her eyes off the tunnel roof.

"They don't," Tianara whispered back, her voice extraordinarily soft. "I mean, they can't speak it. But they know what it sounds like - rock gnomes live close to the pools under the caverns in some places. They won't dismiss me as just another human tourist if I use the merfolk tongue. Hopefully--"

And the rumbling slowed a little. If Joshua looked up at the right time, he might spot a number of tiny shadows that looked like little heads peeking over the edge of one of the large boulders.

Tianara, sensing her advantage, called, "Please come out. I would speak with you. I mean no harm." She added several more words in the bubbly merfolk tongue - words that were just a translation of what she had just said, but which would sound very impressive to anyone who didn't actually understand the language.

There was a little susurration that seemed to sweep through the hall - a whisper of seemingly hundreds of tiny voices all speaking at once. As Tianara waited, the little shadows seemed to confer among themselves. After a few minutes, a small shadow detached itself from the others and came into the dull light.

The rock gnome was exceptionally ugly, looking like a small, grey, misshapen dwarf. It looked Joshua over out of cold eyes that were entirely black and seemingly covered with rock dust - it didn't appear that the creature had eyelids. When it spoke, its voice was raw and raspy, sounding like he was speaking through a mouthful of rocks - some of which it was swallowing, if its occasional pauses were any indication.

"Ocean child," it grated, "you have no place among the rocks with a human. The treaty is fragile enough."

"I understand," Tianara replied. "But there is a...situation. The humans are attacking, and the ocean children need space among your tunnels. Will you grant us an area?"

If they said no, Tianara didn't know what she would do. She watched the hideous little creature with a seemingly calm face, but the nerves were just below the surface.

Tianara looked worriedly at Joshua, briefly. Then she returned her gaze to the rock gnome, looking calm once more.

The gnome turned its dusty eyes to Joshua for a second as well. Then it looked back to Tianara. "What concern of ours is the plight of your kind?" it asked.

It was giving her a chance, Tianara thought. She had one chance to sell it to them. From her limited knowledge of rock gnomes, she knew that they respected absolute honesty without overdramatization. She had to be clear, be strong, and be quick - it was asking her for a summary, not a speech.

"Because it is the lesser of two threats," she said firmly, making her voice steady when it threatened to waver. "If the merfolk are wiped out - the attacks on the ocean children are just the beginning - how long will it be until the humans turn their eyes here? They'll want to purge everything. We want to find a way to coexist. Please help us."

They looked at each other in silence for a very long time. Then it rasped, "A moment, child." And then it turned away and vanished among the shadows again.

Tianara took a slow breath. She could not afford to panic until after it was decided, one way or another.

Tianara eased into his hold, turning her head until her cheek rested against his shoulder. "I hope so," she breathed, taking comfort in his presence. "I really do." What if they said no? God, what if they said no? Would there be anywhere else they could hide?

She was more glad than she would admit of having someone to lean on right now, even though she would have to stand on her own when the rock gnome came back with his kin's answer.

They waited in silence for a bit. Tianara remained quiet, staring at where the tiny shadows held a whispered conference. Why didn't we know that there were rock gnomes here? she wondered miserably. Why did no one tell us? Part of the treaty is that we know where the remaining families are - at least I thought it was. Why didn't Sorry or the others say something?

Maybe they hadn't known. The treaty had not been spoken of or looked at in many centuries. It was possible.

But not likely.

Why hadn't anyone said anything?