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I frown as he returns to my side. “What are those for?”

“Sustenance.” He pulls a smaller one out and offers it to me. “We must collect them when we can. They come and go quickly.”

As he says this, what he left of the grouping sinks into the floor and vanishes.

When I take the stalagmites, their edges yield beneath my fingers. I turn a hard stare on him. “You first.”

“You think I would poison my only real chance of escaping this place?” He sighs when I continue to stare at him, and he breaks off a smaller piece of crystal for himself. “We should ration these. There is no telling when we will find more.”

He raises the crystal to his lips and takes a bite, the blue mineral crunching between his teeth like rock candy. A viscous, clear liquid oozes out, and he catches it on his tongue, not letting a single drop escape.

I wait a few heartbeats to see if he keels over before raising the crystal I hold to my lips. The hard surface scrapes my teeth, and I bite down with care. The surface resists for a moment, then gives way, flaking on my lips.

My mouth tingles, and when I swallow, it settles in my stomach like fizzy water. A rush of lightness spreads through my limbs, wiping away the exhaustion that had been creeping through my body, and my thirst and hunger vanish.

My eyebrows arch in surprise, and I take another bite. “It’s good.”

“It is,” Kelaros says slowly, studying me as he consumes more of his crystal. “A piece the size of your hand will stave off thirst and hunger for a day. Two if you are conservative.”

I eye the piece he gave me, liquid slowly oozing from where I bit into it. “Can I save the rest for later?”

“Yes.” He crouches and digs the open end of his crystal into the shifting floor.

It shimmers and reconnects with the surface. When Kelaros twists it to break it free again, the end is solid once more.

“Huh.” I kneel to do the same, then study the piece that remains.

It’s smaller than it was, and I realize why Kelaros was hesitant to break one open to prove they were safe. It’s better to eat the whole thing in one go than lose precious resources by sealing it half-eaten.

Curious, I break my piece in half, and it remains solid throughout. “Why doesn’t it start oozing?”

“It’s activated by the enzymes in saliva.” Kelaros tucks his piece back into his jacket sling. “Once we stop for the night, I will break these into smaller pieces to make them easier to carry and consume.”

“Good idea.” I grab the bottom of my skirt and tuck it into my belt to form a makeshift sling.

Kelaros’s nostrils flare at my newly exposed legs.

“Oh, grow up. I came here from your sithe. They expose far more skin.” I turn on my heel, giving in to the stone’s tugging. “Let’s get moving again.”

He gives a mocking bow. “After you.”

As we pass through a doorway, it begins to shrink. I quicken my pace, and Kelaros slips through before it snaps shut behind him.

Ahead, a vast hall spreads out before us, filled with staircases that twist in impossible directions. Some upside down, some spiraling off into nothing.

“Well,” I say with displeasure, “this must make you feel at home.”

His brow arches. “Of what do you speak?”

“If you don’t know, then you’ve been gone for more than a few weeks.” I focus on the stone. “This way.”

We cross, keeping to a path where the floor stays solid. Crystal chunks break off behind us, falling into the abyss with musical chimes that echo too long.

I turn back to Kelaros and find his attention fixed on me instead of on the dangers all around.

“What?” I snap.

He schools his emotions, hiding whatever he was thinking. “You say the Dark Spire resembles the room we just left?”