Radiation from the blast killed their sensors. Penetrating the immediate area would be impossible for a while. The computer continued to churn away, calculating how long he had to wait before he’d have actionable data again. We’ll never get the bodies of our people back. He thought.
“Sir?” A voice filled Kivda with a brief moment of hope. “Sir, I’m nearly to the temple with our wounded. I’ll need immediate—”
The roof of the tomb collapsed, the entire structure caving in on itself. This took the rocks above with it, turning the cliff into a larger ravine. The campsite of their quarry partially went down, their broken transmitter going over along with the shelters. Kivda watched the whole disaster unfold in total awe.
And now they’re all dead. The thought filled him with rage. Those soldiers had not been the absolute best of the bunch, but they had been with the ship for several cycles. Long enough to be trusted on important missions. To have lost them all to a couple Prytin saboteurs… thieves. Plunderers. This is unacceptable.
“We have to find those two,” Kivda said, “but we can’t do it alone.” He shook his head. “Take us back to the ship, Benth. Fast as you can.” I’ll be back, you two animals. You can’t go anywhere. And when I return, we’ll continue this hunt. You will beg me for death before the end and I swear, you will not receive any such mercy.
The vow stopped abruptly. Kivda closed his eyes in an effort to calm down. Emotion will not make this easier. Emotion will get more people killed. He dreaded the idea of telling Renz what happened. The general did not take setbacks well. Nevertheless, he’d have some questions about why the shuttle was on its way back.
“Renz,” Kivda cleared his throat. “We’re on our way back.”
“Where did you find them?” Renz asked. “Where were they hiding?”
Kivda let out a slow breath. That’s one way to look at it. He chewed his lip for a moment before replying. “I’m afraid I have some bad news, sir. I’ll tell you when I get there. We’ll see you very soon.” He turned off the comm. Any more interaction needed to happen in person. He had no intention of being yelled at on an open channel.
***
Kyle trailed behind Lysa as they made their way through a narrow passage leading up. They needed another twenty yards before he’d feel entirely comfortable that their pursuers couldn’t just aim inside and blast them. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy going. More like a serious hike up the side of a mountain.
Bits of rock jutted up from the ground making every step perilous. Once they reached the point where they couldn’t see the entrance anymore, the passage narrowed, shrinking. Kyle never had a problem with enclosed spaces before, not after some of the things he had to do while in the military, but that tunnel brought on a threat of panic.
Christ, if this gets too narrow… The thought brought on a moment of hyperventilation, a state he struggled with for a good five yards before mastering himself.
“You okay?” Kyle asked. He figured directing his attention to Lysa might make it easier to get through the next part of their adventure. “Like… are you worried?”
“Of course I am,” Lysa said. “And this is way too tight of a fight but it opens up a little.”
“You think this leads out?”
“Scans show a considerable temperature drop ahead. Three hundred yards more. It’ll get steep though. Be ready for some actual climbing.”
Excellent.
The whole place shook violently. Kyle’s ears began to ring before he even registered the sound of the explosion. He gritted his teeth, anticipating the moment when they’d be crushed to death in that small space. We’re about to be entombed in here. No one will ever find our bodies.
Dust fell around them, filling the air. Kyle coughed, struggling to keep his reaction subtle to avoid sucking more into his lungs. He pulled his shirt up over his face to act as a basic filter. Anything to help alleviate the hazard.
The ground continued to shake long after the initial shock of the explosion settled as if the land itself protested the event. Stone split around them, deep inside the walls. Pebbles fell behind followed by genuine rocks. Kyle glanced back, noting the entrance to their tunnel had been sealed.
“Keep moving!” Lysa shouted. Her voice broke as she coughed several times but she never stopped climbing. Her tenacity impressed him, especially with the world literally falling apart around them.
Their lights went out but still they climbed. Crawling through the darkness, moving along the jagged rocks while scraping their shoulders and legs on the sharper parts. The heat made the confined space utterly miserable. Combined with the darkness, the rumbling, the disgusting scent, Kyle had no idea why he wasn’t panicking.
Lysa stopped in front of him. He bumped into her leg. “What… what’s up?” He had a hard time speaking, barely managed to speak above a whisper.
“I’m a little stuck.”
Those four words finally pushed him over the line. If she couldn’t get through, then he’d be screwed. There was no way he could fit through something stopping her. Going back wasn’t an option. The walls closed in. He felt then clinging to him everywhere he moved. Unable to lift his head without bumping it made him scrabble forward, shoving at her.
“Hey!” Lysa shouted. “Stop! What’re you doing?”
Additional stones cracked. She cried out as something gave way. She squirmed through as bits of the volcanic rock making up
