Page 49

"It's nothing." He pulled away slightly. "We should get moving once the water recedes."

I touched his arm, more gently this time. "Let me at least check it."

He relented, allowing me to examine the wound. The impact had torn open part of his burn, exposing raw flesh beneath.

"Nothing, huh?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Compared to what might have happened." He nodded toward the raging torrent below us.

The flood continued for nearly an hour before beginning to subside. We huddled in silence, conserving energy, though I noticed Varek scanning our surroundings constantly, alert for danger despite his exhaustion.

When the water finally receded enough to reveal the ravine floor, we faced a new problem. The flood had completely transformed the landscape, washing away any semblance of a path.

"We'll have to find another way." I peered over the edge, calculating the safest route down.

"Wait." Varek pointed downstream. "Look."

Through the rain, I made out an unnatural regularity in the ravine wall about fifty yards ahead—an opening of some kind, possibly a maintenance tunnel for the ancient systems that ran throughout the region.

"Good eye." I squinted through the rain. "If it connects to the subsystems, it might lead us directly to the western compound."

"Or trap us in a dead end." His expression remained cautious.

"One problem at a time." I began picking my way along the narrow ledge, moving toward the opening.

The ledge narrowed as we approached the tunnel entrance, forcing us to press our backs against the wall and sidestep carefully. One wrong move meant a twenty-foot drop onto jagged rocks.

"Almost there," I called back to Varek.

A strange smell hit me as we neared the opening—sulfurous and acrid. My markings tingled in warning.

"Wait." I held up my hand. "Something's not right."

The tunnel entrance led to a wide, flat area dotted with small pools of bubbling mud. Steam rose from vents in the ground, carrying that same sulfurous odor.

"Geothermal vents." Varek stepped up beside me. "Dangerous."

"And our only option." I studied the field, trying to map a safe path. "The flood took out any chance of continuing along the ravine."

Varek nodded grimly. "How do we cross?"

I pulled out my damaged scanner, adjusting settings to detect heat signatures. The screen flickered, struggling to maintain power, but gave me a partial reading.

"The vents follow a pattern." I traced invisible lines in the air. "If we time it right, we can move between eruptions."

"And if your timing is off?"

"Then we get a steam bath hot enough to cook flesh from bone." I tucked the scanner away. "But my markings can sense the pressure buildup before each eruption. Between that and what's left of my scanner, we should be able to navigate through."

Varek studied my face, his expression unreadable. "Should."

"Got a better idea?" I challenged.

His mouth twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile. "Lead on, engineer."

I stepped cautiously onto the field, testing the ground with each step. The earth felt warm beneath my boots, vibrating subtly with underground activity. My markings responded to the energy, creating a map of sorts across my senses—showing me where pressure built and where it released.

"This way." I pointed to a path between two bubbling pools. "Quick, before the cycle changes."