Outside, Curnen automatically made a gesture with her left hand, the right remaining twined in Kash's. She should not, but she needed the familiarity of the entreaty to the night winds for guidance and protection that she'd known since she was barely more than a baby. She hummed a few bars of something she still could not quite recall, but knew was very important.

The hole was not gone, but the drop into it gradually became less steep so she could scrape her way out.