"Very well," Kell declares with more confidence than he has in reality. He clears his throat, lest the guilt will leak through in the tone of his voice. "I could use help anyway."

All this is his fault. He brought them here with no plan, on sheer drive to do something, anything, other than sitting in the room with Rhy so deep asleep it almost looks like death. Shame and guilt burn like acid in his stomach. He's so used to the feeling that he forgot what it's like to experience crossing the barriers for the first time. Frightening. Disorienting. It's too late for a warning now.

"Do you remember which part of the castle this study was in?"

Because he doesn't. The only thing he remembers is that it was underground. There's a certain chill and staleness to the air that never actually leaves a room that's dug deep into the earth. No matter how thick its walls are. It was a detail odd enough to stick in his memory. The directions there? Not so much.