In the shadow of the giant rock walls stretched the Pass of Silence - a place about which legends circulated throughout the valley. It was here, under the cover of the mist and between whispers of the wind, that sixteen-year-old Lena and her best friend Igor began their completely unplanned expedition. In their backpacks, apart from a torch and a few sandwiches, was a map found in Lena's grandfather's old trunk - a map that didn't match any modern geography textbooks. As they crossed a bridge over a murmuring stream, they felt a strange chill, quite different from that of a mountain morning. Lena clutched the map in her hands: its paper seemed to pulsate with warmth, as if it had suddenly become alive. Igor giggled nervously - 'Maybe it's an enchanted map, eh?' But Lena remained silent, for she had long felt that it was no coincidence that on her fourteenth birthday the map suddenly fell out of its trunk. After an hour's walk, they reached a place marked on the map by a silvery symbol: it resembled a dragon with outstretched wings. Here the air was heavier and the silence seemed unnatural. In the middle of the clearing, among dried leaves and twisted roots, was a stone on which was carved the same symbol as on the map. Igor leaned over to touch the sign, but Lena pulled him by the sleeve. For a second they were both sure that something had moved behind their backs. A shadow emerged from the thicket, and with it a whiff of the smell of the old library and wet rocks passed silently. Lena held her breath, Igor trembled. Then the stone trembled beneath their feet and the ground parted, revealing a spiral staircase leading into unknown darkness. They exchanged quick glances. The map in Lena's hands began to glow with a soft blue light. The staircase was waiting. Should they go down? As soon as they took the first step, a quiet, unintelligible whisper came from behind them....