He spoke to her in a low voice, reminding her to breathe slowly and focus on one movement at a time.
“One step,” he told her. “Then another.”
She looked at the passage.
“What if the stones move?”
“We’ll stop if we hear anything.”
“What if we can’t find the opening?”
“We have guides.”
“What if I can’t do it?”
Imran held out his hand.
“You’ve already done harder things.”
It took repeated reassurance before she agreed to leave the chamber.
As they moved through the narrow passage, Layan kept one hand against the wall.
Occasionally, she stopped and listened.
The rescuers could hear distant dripping water and the scrape of boots against stone.
Layan seemed to hear something else.
Every unfamiliar noise made her turn.
At one particularly narrow section, she froze completely.
Her breathing became rapid.
“I can’t.”
The medic accompanying her crouched nearby.
“You’re doing well. We can stop here.”
