Page 31

The texture of the air changed, growing thick and heavy. Teyha exhaled and inhaled again sharply. The air was fine. The sensation was on her skin, clawing at her senses.

As suddenly as it started, it stopped, and she stumbled into an antechamber.

Four pale faces stared at her. Nosku seemed uncomfortable. “Why are you here?”

“The translation indicates that I may be able to take you out of here, one by one. Who is first?”

The young men frowned at her, and it was easy to see which one was Nosku’s nephew. The young woman looked exhausted, so Teyha extended her hand. “What is your name?”

“Hiska. Hiska Kandor. This is my brother, Ritgar.”

Teyha smiled at the manners that were in evidence in this young woman. “I am Teyha Wynn. Pleased to meet you.”

Nosku cleared his throat. “This is my nephew, Darku Sheval.”

Teyha nodded toward the young man. “Pleased to meet you as well. Now, someone is going to have to go first, and I would rather it be one of the folk who have been here for a while.”

Hiska stepped forward. “I will try. It was painful to attempt it the first few times, so I am really hoping this works.”

Teyha smiled. “You and me both. Boys, I will be back as soon as I can if this works and sooner if it doesn’t.”

She held out her hand, and Hiska took it. The teen was taller than Teyha already and her skin was cooler than it should be.

They walked back to the barrier, and Teyha tightened her grip as she stepped into the column of air that seemed to stop the Shadow Folk. Hiska slowed but forged forward, and in fifteen seconds, they were out in the open with Ekinar waiting for them.

“You did it!”

Teyha laughed as she bent forward, resting her hands on her knees. “I did one, now for the other three. This is not going to be fun.”

He was at her side with his hand on her shoulder.

Hiska was sobbing softly, her shadowed face tilted to the sun. Now that she was in daylight, her shadows were wrapped around her once again.

Teyha drank some water, took in a few mouthfuls of rations and turned back to the chasm. “Okay, calm controlled. I can do this.”

She forged into the prison once again and smiled brightly as she caught her breath. “Hiska is safe. Who is next?”

Ritgar took her hand and went to join his sister. He whispered as they paused before crossing the barrier. “Thank you for doing this. Thank you for finding us.”

“Thank me when we make it out to the other side.”

She breathed deeply, watched him do the same and charged through the barrier without looking back.

She stumbled and fell when they made it out the other side.

Ritgar went forward and embraced Hiska. The siblings sat together, whispering their relief.

Teyha knelt and struggled for her body to calm down. Her pulse was racing, her vision was blurry and her knees were weak.

“Take a rest. You can’t do this twice more and stay conscious.”

Ekinar was at her side, stroking tendrils of hair from her face.

“I will have to do it once and make it count then.”

Teyha nodded. She drank more water and turned to plunge back into the barrier for the final time.

Nosku and Darku were waiting nervously.

She gasped, coughed and straightened. “I don’t have the strength to do this twice more today, so if I am going to pass out, I would rather it be in daylight with everyone safe.”

Nosku scowled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you are each going to take one of my hands and cling to my arm if you have to, but I am getting you both out of here right now.”

She tried to make it look like she knew what she was doing, but she really had no clue.

She moved to the edge of the barrier and extended her arms. Darku took her left, Nosku her right and each grabbed a bicep. As one, they moved forward, and it took thirty seconds to walk ten feet, but on the other side, sweet air greeted them.

Teyha fell into Ekinar’s arms, and he lifted her, seating her next to her pack.

Spots were flickering in her vision, and they grew closer and closer together until the shadow casing Ekinar was the last thing she saw.

“What is wrong with her?”

Nosku’s strident demand grated on Ekinar’s nerves.

“She used up her energy hauling you through the barrier. Her power wrapped around you and burned off as you passed through the gateway. You owe her your life.”

Nosku frowned. “This was her duty.”

Ekinar rounded on him, lashing out at the other male with his shadows and lifting Nosku off the ground. “Her duty? She is a historian. This is her hobby, what she does for fun and personal education.”

Darku put his hand on his uncle’s arm. “We owe her our lives. You would not have found us without her. No electronics work here. We dropped out of the sky and nothing we could do would stop our descent. It was Hiska’s piloting that got us in alive.”

Ritgar stood up with his arm around his sister. “It seems that women have saved us at all critical points in this adventure. Can we be going now?”

Ekinar shook his head. “No. We can’t find our way back without her. Let her rest.”

As if his words were prophetic, Teyha heaved in a deep breath and struggled upright. His heart lurched as her bloodshot eyes focussed on him. She smiled weakly. “I am okay, but I have one question, does anyone here actually want to see the Temple of Shadows?”

The expressions on their faces were enough to lift Teyha’s spirit. “If someone can carry my pack, I can take you there now. It isn’t far.”

Ekinar helped her to her feet and slung her pack over one shoulder, surprised at its weight. “You carried this all this way?”

“Well, it was heavier when I started. There are a lot of emergency kits in there as well as the flares.”

She tottered but stabilized when Ekinar offered her his arm.

Holding to his arm, she smiled at the amassed Shadow Folk, “Well, do you want to see the temple?”

Nosku cleared his throat. “If we are able to, please. We appreciate your assistance in this matter.”

Teyha blinked. “Um, my pleasure. It is always good to share knowledge when one can. Who knows, you are probably the only folk of the Nine who have been to this area since your ancestors left.”

Ritgar and Hiska took on an anticipatory posture. Hiska asked quietly. “Can we go? Please?”

Teyha laughed, “If you want to head for that third pillar, turn north, go around the rocky outcropping and then see if you can find your temple. It’s wiley.”

The teens and Nosku took off.

Teyha smiled up at Ekinar and walked slowly with him.

“You did an excellent thing getting them all out.”

“I know. I just wish I wasn’t so tired. I have a lecture in two days.”

She smiled. “I will need to get some sleep before then, and I don’t know when I will fit it in.”

They walked slowly toward the outcropping that Teyha had identified, and as they reached the first turn, shouts of astonishment echoed along the rocks.

“I believe they have found it.”

She chuckled as the excited chatter reached them.

Ekinar held her steady as they rounded the curves of the path, and when he saw the Temple of Shadows, he let out the same amazed sound as the others.