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E velyn blinked, waking slowly. Valen was gone from her side, and Kirat was no longer curled up on the bedroll across the now-dying fire. She sat up and looked around, finally spotting them standing heads together next to one of the taller braziers, examining Kirat’s map.

“Any luck?” she called out.

“I think so.” Kirat came back to where she was sitting. “Sorry, we didn’t want to wake you. You haven’t slept that well for days now.”

“I appreciate it. You said you know where we are… is there a safe way from here to the door you mentioned before?”

“I think so,” Kirat repeated. “I think I can get us to the central zone from here. From that point, there’s a pretty straight shot to that far door.

“How many zones between here and the central zone?” Evelyn accepted the bag of trail mix Valen handed her and shoved a handful unceremoniously into her mouth.

“Just one. Zone 42. It wraps around the central zone like a donut. Everyone passes through it to get there, so it’s pretty well mapped and considered safe.”

“What’s it like?” Valen asked, wary.

“How do you feel about Vikings?”

Evelyn shrugged. “Neutral teetering on positive?”

Once they’d packed up their makeshift camp and refilled their water bottles one more time, Kirat led them down one of the side tunnels. After about two thousand steps—Evelyn couldn’t stop counting now—they reached another rune. Kirat activated it with a swipe of her hand, and they stepped through the passageway onto a beach.

Evelyn shielded her eyes from the bright sun overhead, squinting in the overwhelming brightness. The beach stretched out as far as she could see in either direction. There was no sign of a dock or boats of any kind.

“What do we do now?” Valen asked.

“We wait. It shouldn’t be long. The routes run every half hour.” Kirat settled down onto the sand to wait.

The sails came into view first, large and square and white against the blue sky. Then three Viking longships were visible, narrow hulls cutting through the water with remarkable speed. They stopped about thirty feet from the shore. Kirat sprang to her feet.

“Hope you can swim!” She ran into the water as far as she could, then swam the remaining distance. A knotted length of thick rope was lowered for her to climb up the side of the ship.

“Ready?” Valen looked down at her.

Evelyn tightened her bag and the satchel containing the book against her body, double-checking that they were fastened securely. The enchantments would keep the contents dry, but they wouldn’t prevent items from getting knocked loose in the waves and floating away. “Ready.”

They ran into the water together, Evelyn switching to swimming sooner than Valen did. When they reached the rope, he boosted her up so that she only had to climb a short distance before helping hands pulled her aboard.

The Vikings themselves looked like something out of a history book. Their clothes were made of cloth, thick and durable. The men were mostly bearded, with hair of varying lengths and colors. The women wore their hair long and tied back from their faces. Some sported the intricate braiding styles common in popular culture, while others wore their hair more simply. They were all on the tall side and appeared strong with little visible difference between the men and women aside from the facial hair.

Evelyn thanked the two who had helped her aboard, but Kirat warned her, “They don’t speak. They’re just here to help us cross the zone. Think of it like riding a ferry.”

“Manned by Vikings.”

“Exactly.”

The inside of the ship was simply constructed, with sixteen oars on either side. Thirty-two Vikings sat on small wooden chests. As soon as Valen was aboard, they reversed their course and headed back across the water, rowing in unison without a sound.

“Why don’t they speak?” Evelyn walked down the middle of the ship.

“I don’t know. Because they don’t need to, I guess.”

“Are they real?”

“They are real in the sense that they exist,” Kirat said, echoing Javier’s answer to Evelyn’s earlier question.

“Are they constructs, like Javier?”

“No idea. I’ve never thought to ask.”

The longboat cut through the water with ease and in what felt like no time at all, they’d reached an identical beach on the opposite side of the ocean.

“Thank you for the ride,” Evelyn called out as she climbed down the rope. Just in case.

Valen helped her ease into the water, steadying her until she found her rhythm in the waves. Kirat beat them to the shore and was already activating the exit rune by the time they stepped dripping onto the sand. Evelyn turned back to wave but found that the ships were already nearly out of sight.

Stepping through the passageway into the central zone was like climbing through the wardrobe from Narnia and back into the real world. There were guards stationed just inside the entrance. They greeted Kirat warmly and waved Evelyn and Valen through with her. The guard station stood at very edge of a massive, multilevel cavern. Evelyn stopped to take it all in. Electric lights illuminated the space like a modern city. A massive spiral staircase occupied the center of the space with seven bridges branching out like tire spokes to connect to each floor. A huge elevator moved up and down within the spiral.

“The central zone is sort of like an open-source program. It’s sustained by a community of independent magic-wielders, none of whom claim ownership or make profit from this space. It is maintained for the good of all. It’s meant to be a safe haven for those who need it, but because those who seek safety are not always safe themselves, it does get a little rough sometimes. Watch your back like you would in any major city, and you’ll be fine.”

“Kirat!” A small woman with bright blue eyes and deep smile wrinkles emerged from a nearby food stall and embraced Kirat. She kissed both her cheeks in turn, then stepped back to look at her, hands on her hips like a scolding mother. “You’ve been gone too long! You need to eat, come. Bring your friends. Come, come.” She ushered all three of them to a picnic table next to her stall and began showering them with dishes. They feasted on squares of flaky spanakopita, tender cubes of meat on skewers, and slices of sticky baklava, all washed down with bubbly pink soda that tasted like lemonade.

Being surrounded by all the smells and sounds of so many people was jarring after spending so long in the dark silence of the tunnels, but it was a relief, too. Music played somewhere in the distance, children laughed as they dashed between the stalls and tables, and a group of old men yelled at the television in the next stall. Valen squeezed her hand under the table, and she was once again grateful for his presence. Everything felt easier when he was with her.

“This,” Kirat said once she’d managed to the grab their host’s hand in passing. “Is Mama Maria, the best cook in all of the central zone and mama to all those who need one… and maybe even some that don’t.”

Maria swatted at Kirat’s hand. “Everyone needs a mama, child. Especially you.”

Kirat scowled playfully at the older woman, who swatted her again. When they’d eaten their fill, they hid cash under their plates to pay despite Maria’s protests and headed across the nearest bridge to the spiral staircase.

“We can take the elevator if you want to, but it’s usually very slow since it stops at every level,” Kirat said.

“Stairs are fine. What’s a little more walking at this point?”

“I can’t feel my legs anymore anyway,” Valen joked.

“I want to take you down to the fifth floor. It’s where the refugees and anyone else who doesn’t have a permanent residence here usually stay. We should be able to rent rooms for the night, shower, maybe even wash our clothes. It’ll depend on what’s available.”

The thought of a hot shower dominated Evelyn’s mind for the rest of their descent. Even a cold shower would be welcome at this point. Anything to feel clean, to wash the last few days from her hair, her skin, her mind. Now that the immediate danger had passed, Evelyn realized how tired she was. Days of sleeping on the hard tunnel floor had left her muscles stiff and sore. Yes, a shower and somewhere soft to sleep was what she needed. She could face everything else tomorrow.

They’d entered the central zone at level 37, and the climb down to level 5 took over half an hour. The crowds thinned as they descended until they were alone on the stairs for the last few spirals.

If Evelyn had thought level 37 was crowded with the food stalls, shops, and living areas all squished together, level 5 was something else entirely. It reminded her of a massive camp site—rows and rows of canvas tents extended as far as she could see, each one with its own little square of earth and a cooking pit. It all looked very uniform and clean. It was hard to believe anyone lived there.

Kirat stepped up to a guard station similar to the one they’d entered through.

“Hey, we need accommodations for three.”

“Kirat! Welcome back.” The dark-haired woman smiled, revealing deep dimples in both cheeks. “Three together or separate tents?”

Kirat glanced over at Evelyn before answering. “Three separate, but close together, if you’d got it.”

“Sure, sure.” The guard typed for a few moments, then handed Kirat three stone tablets about the size of a deck of playing cards. Each tablet had a series of numbers and letters on it, separated by a dash. A loop of bright yellow rope was tied through a hole at the top. “This is the best I could do. Not neighbors, exactly, but within shouting distance.”

“Thanks, Falima. Let’s catch up sometime soon, yeah?”

“You know where to find me!”

Kirat led them through the entrance and down one of the rows of tents. “Let’s find our beds first, then we can scope out the shower situation. It shouldn’t be a problem since they had enough tents that we don’t have to share.”

“Does it actually get full down here?” Evelyn asked, looking around at the seemingly endless rows of tents.

“Oh, all the time. You’d be surprised how many people wind up in the central zone.” She stopped in front of a tent. A small sign indicated it was tent FF-14. Kirat handed Valen the matching tablet. “This is you, big guy.”

“Where will you two be staying?” He looked reluctant to be separated.

“Our tents are a little further down. We can stick together if you want to, that way I can show you the bath house before we part ways for the night.”

“Sounds good.” Valen tucked the tablet into one of his pockets.

Sure enough, after another twenty tents, Kirat handed Evelyn the tablet with FF-34 written on it. “Here you go, And I’ll be just three tents down.” She pointed. “There.”

“I’m glad we’re close,” Evelyn said. Like Valen, she was loath to be too far from her companions in this strange place. Kirat was at ease and clearly amongst friends, but not so for Evelyn and Valen. “So about that shower?”

Kirat chuckled. “Next stop on our tour of the central zone is the level five bath house and community showers. Follow me.”

She continued down the line of tents until they reached a wide aisle marking a new section. Evelyn noted that the next tents started with FG. Kirat led them down the aisle to a larger square building with FD-FG written over the door.

“They’ve built these every few sections. You can technically use any bath house you want—nobody is going to check your tent registration or anything—but I usually use whichever one is closest to my tent.”

The inside of the building reminded Evelyn of the showers at the public pool when she was a girl, minus the overwhelming scent of chlorine. There were rows of toilet stalls and sinks on one side and a series of showers on the other. Evelyn peeked inside one of the showers. Clean white tiles glistened brightly. There was a small wooden bench against the back of the stall. Fluffy white towels and bottles of various cleansers sat neatly on top. A waxed canvas curtain provided a semblance of privacy. There were three heavy-duty hooks near the curtain to keep bags and clothes out of the way.

Evelyn flinched as a group of noisy teenagers screeched with laughter on their way out of the building. She wondered how long it would take her to feel re-acclimated to being around people again. It had only been a few days lost in the darkness with Kirat. Her mind needed to catch up to reality already.

“See you on the other side!” Kirat disappeared into one of the showers, and Evelyn heard the shower start.

A glance at Valen told her he was following her lead, so Evelyn moved down a few stalls. She felt safer being further from the door.

“I’ll be right here,” Valen said, pointing at the shower next to the one she’d chosen. “Yell if you need anything.”

Evelyn hung her bags on two of the hooks, followed by her clothes. She set her boots on the floor underneath. The water pressure was perfection, which she supposed was to be expected from a magically maintained shower system. She washed her hair twice and scrubbed her body with a soapy washcloth until it glowed pink. She raked conditioner through her hair, trying to untangle her twisted waves with her fingers. Steam filled the shower stall and her mind wandered. She imagined Valen’s strong hands gripping her hips, pushing her up against the wall. His mouth crushed against hers in a forceful kiss that stole her breath and sent heat pooling low in her belly. His hand slid down to pull her knee up so she could wrap one leg around his waist. She felt his body press against her, and she tilted her head back with a moan. Yes.

A soft sound ripped her from the fantasy and drew her attention to the canvas shower curtain shielding her from the rest of the bath house. It sounded like someone was walking quietly on purpose, sneaking around. Her heart pounded in her chest. The book. She checked to be sure her belongings were all where she’d left them, and after a moment’s thought, she took the satchel containing the book and stashed it on the wooden bench with the towels, just to be safe. Everything else she had on her could be replaced, but losing the book after everything they’d just gone through was unfathomable.

“You okay in there?”

Evelyn jumped at the sound of Valen’s voice just outside. “Yeah, almost done. Um,” she stepped closer to the curtain so that she could lower her voice and still be heard, “could you stand guard until I’m finished? I’m still a little jumpy.”

“I’ll be right here. Take your time.”

Evelyn finished rinsing her hair, then finger-combed a few drops of rose oil through it before gently scrunching her loose curls with the towel until it was still quite wet but had stopped dripping. She dressed quickly, breathing a sigh of relief once the satchel was safely strung across her body once more, then stepped out of the stall.

Valen stood guard, as promised. “Feeling human again?”

“Something like that.” Evelyn looked up at him and felt her cheeks flush as her mind flashed back to her shower fantasy. Hopefully he would blame the hot shower. “Did you see anyone else out here when you finished showering?”

“No, why?”

“It was probably nothing—but I thought I heard someone sneaking around out here.”

“I didn’t see anyone.”

Evelyn nodded. “It was probably my imagination. Like I said, still jumpy.”

“Ready?” Kirat’s hair hung in dripping ringlets around her shoulders, darkening the fabric of her shirt.

They made their way back to their tents. Evelyn kept looking around, still unsure of what she’d heard in the showers. The last time she’d dismissed something as purely in her head, she’d gotten dragged twenty feet down a dark tunnel. It could be her nerves, but it could also be something very real.

“We can meet up in the morning for breakfast and make a plan for next steps,” Kirat said. “I’ll need to secure a new map, and I have a contact up on level seventeen who might have used the door we’re looking for. I’ll plan to go see him tomorrow, see what he can tell us.”

Evelyn hugged her briefly. “Thank you.”

Kirat looked at Valen. “You think you can find your way back to your tent okay?”

“I’m good.”

“Okay. So this area is pretty safe, but I would still recommend warding your tent and keeping all your possessions inside with you while you sleep. No need to tempt the wild youths running around.”

Maybe that was what she’d heard—one of the teenagers snooping, curious about the newcomers.

They said their goodnights and parted ways. Evelyn ducked inside her tent. It was a good size, roughly eight by eight, with a fluffy mattress and an assortment of pillows. The thick canvas blocked out the lights from outside, but a small electric lantern provided enough light to function comfortably. Evelyn quickly warded the tent, adding a few words for extra security, then snuggled into the mattress. She tucked the satchel behind her back with the strap still secured around her torso. Whatever she’d heard in the shower still spooked her. Besides, there was no such thing as overkill, not with the magical equivalent of a nuclear bomb tucked in her bag.