There

a marshland

echoing distantly, and far off to one side, she saw a troop of—tourists?—walking along a more brightly lit trail. Was this their destination? The Maksu continued to whirl, and suddenly they were in another cave, one that felt colder, as though deeper underground. She stood on a rocky ledge, peering down into a huge, and strangely luminous, crevasse.
Ice gleamed down there, glowing from within.
"The caverns," said the norg, beside her.

* * *

Bandicut and the others had walked cautiously to the entrance of a long cavern that gleamed with stalagmites and stalactites of ice. There were tall, vertical columns and deep, horizontal fissures, buckled surfaces, and erupting crystals of ice. It was everywhere, glimmering with a diamondlike inner light; it flickered here and there with hues of astonishing colors. They stood staring in amazement, their wonder edged with trepidation. Was this really it? Had they gotten here ahead of the boojum?
Bandicut saw Ik's breath steaming in front of him. The Hraachee'an's dark eyes flickered with their own inner fire. It was impossible to tell what he was feeling. "Are we absolutely certain that this is the right place?" Bandicut asked.
"Who can say?" said Ik. "I was counting on the Maksu to identify the location and help us make contact. Failing that, I had hoped that the magellan-fish would stay. But we appear to be on our own."
"I am certain," said Li-Jared.
Bandicut grunted and tipped his head back. Sharp-tipped, icy stalactites glistened far overhead. He imagined how they might fall if they were shaken loose by a tremor. Best not to think about it, he thought sternly, lowering his gaze. The cavern before him was an intricate and convoluted space, with numerous slender, curved pillars and arching passageways, all gleaming translucently. There was a mazelike feel to the place, with pathways carved deep into the frozen, jumbled floor.
Behind them, a path led back toward what looked like a shaft of daylight. He didn't remember