“Get under here,” Jace ordered wearily.
With a low growl, Lepid did.
“Nothing else to do,” Jace said, except worry, and that was never productive.
Their body heat began to warm them, and the cover was unexpectedly efficient at keeping the warmth in. He was wondering what kind of material it was made of when sleep took him into dim and anxious dreamtime.
Glyssa shifted again on her stridebeast, refusing to be intimidated by this stretch of path through towering trees. Jace and Lepid weren’t the only ones who were sleeping, the FamFox Shunuk snored behind her and she was glad. Shunuk was not as fun to travel with as Lepid. The older FamFox—a spy on her as well as a guide— complained a lot.
Two-thirds of the way back to the camp, it rained and she used the stingiest of weathershields. A feeling deep in her bones told her to conserve her energy and Flair, that she’d need it later.
Finally, with better time than she’d expected, not quite midafternoon, the camp came into sight and the stridebeast loped toward it.
Jace had been thinking.
Lepid wiggled next to Jace and sighed.
“Yes.”
“Not yet. She’s worried.” Hell,
“That is very true.”
Her stomach tightened with nerves. Going down into the ship didn’t feel exactly right to her, either, though she thought she’d prefer it to being lost in the woods. She gave in.
Glyssa stood at the entrance down to the ship, the break that had occurred during landing, closer than she’d ever been before. The long rust-colored beam angled down a good three stories to the actual opening into the ship. The other levels were sheered blank walls whose thickness couldn’t be measured.
Thirty-eight
You go down first, alone,” the Holly woman said. “I have not been authorized to allow anyone else in there with you at this time.” Her expression was warrior-stern, but compassion lived in her eyes. Glyssa hadn’t expected that. She got the idea that the Holly woman and her compatriots would volunteer to help if they were allowed. Maybe they were curious, too, and Lady and Lord knew they might be more disciplined than the adventurers in the camp.
“Here’s an air mask.” Cornuta Holly handed it to Glyssa.
The woman had been helpful, greeting Glyssa as she’d reached the site, handing her off the stridebeast, accompanying Glyssa to her pavilion where she picked up a recordsphere and a datasphere that held the volume of Hoku’s journal that dealt with the ship.
Holly had even opened the safe in the Elecampanes’ tent and allowed Glyssa to take Jace’s HeartGift. The spellshielded envelope was about as long and as wide as both of Glyssa’s hands and seven centimeters deep. Flat enough that she could tuck it into the outer tunic she donned over her shirt.
Trago still hadn’t been found. The guards believed he was hiding in the forest, and couldn’t guess whether he would return to the encampment. He’d had help with his revenge against Jace, and no doubt had enough artifacts from
Several explosions hit the camp, roaring flames into the sky, concussing sound punched her ears. The guard assigned to the hole swore, didn’t move. The others—the Holly commander—ran for the main camp.
Mouth hanging open, Glyssa watched tents collapse, flattening so she could see past the gathering circle. She turned in the direction of her pavilion, gasped. It was gone.
And there the man was, skin tightly pulled over his skull, sweat gleaming on his face, spots under his armpits, along his shirt, desperate looking. He held something in his waving hand, raised his arm as if to throw. He was at the edge of the forest, long meters from her. Surely the projectile couldn’t reach her, even with Flair.
Without thought, Glyssa followed, feeling the odd metal under her shoes, heard the rapid thump of her steps. The descent took longer than she’d anticipated, rushing at an angle down three full stories, using Flair to balance herself as she ran down into the gloom. She tripped at the end of the beam and over rocks at the bottom.
