“We heard you. Are you hurt?” No answer. Ethan didn’t wait for permission. He turned the handle. The door swung inward easily, releasing a breath of cool, stale air—and the stronger scent of something unmistakably alcoholic. They stepped inside, calling out again. Only silence answered them. Nora glanced at him, unease flickering across her face.
“That doesn’t make sense,” she murmured. “We definitely heard someone.” The space beyond the door wasn’t what either of them expected. For the first few steps, it looked almost… ordinary. The passage opened into a narrow room carved directly from the mountain, its walls smoothed by hand rather than erosion.