“No! You can’t, you can’t!” Taliane cried, and Issar gave her a gentle smile.
“Of course not. Your safety is paramount.”
Varga heard Joan give a soft sigh and she smiled at the other male. Did she not realize that he was every bit as concerned with her safety? He scowled at Issar, who appeared completely unconcerned by his irritation.
“Perhaps you could stop posturing and we could get moving,” he growled.
“Varga.” Joan frowned up at him, but he ignored her disapproving look and tucked her under his arm as he started back down the corridor.
The supply room was as quiet and deserted as everywhere else had been. Rummel found coveralls for all of the females, although Varga didn’t think that the clothing would fool anyone into believing that his curvy female was a male. But it was better than nothing.
“Where do we go from here?” he asked Rummel. “You said you knew a back way?”
“It’s the oldest part of the mine. It’s played out now so no one should be there.” The other male cast a doubtful glance at Varga and Issar. “But the equipment they used to dig it out was less sophisticated than the current equipment. The tunnels are smaller, and it’s going to be a tight fit for you two.”
Varga suppressed a shudder. He hated being confined, especially underground. The only thing that had made the cave-in easier to take was the amount of room remaining in the tunnel and the cell. But it had to be done. “Where do the tunnels come out?”
“Between the smelter and the ore lift.” Rummel frowned and scratched his chin. “But the entrance to the new mine is close. The odds are good that we will encounter someone at that point.”
He spared a fleeting thought for his blaster, but Nepala needed it more than he did. Instead, he glanced at Issar, who gave him a fierce grin in return. The other male might be annoying, but he would be a worthy companion in battle.
“Then we will eliminate them,” he said firmly. “Lead the way.”
As soon as they entered the first of the old tunnels, Varga knew that he was going to hate every minute of this journey. The heat increased dramatically as the walls closed in around them. Even raised in the fires of Sorvid, he found it uncomfortably hot. Joan’s face was flushed, her skin glistening.
The roof of the tunnel brushed against his head, and he shuddered. He hated this, hated the reminder of what it was like to be buried beneath the surface. When he was small, small enough that his armor had not yet begun to form, he had been trapped in a cave-in. It had seemed like days before they managed to reach him. His father had scolded and hugged him; his mother had cried and hugged him. They were both gone now, lost in another cave-in.
He didn’t realize how much the memory was affecting him until Joan slipped her hand in his and he could barely feel her soft little fingers.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
“Nothing.” He pushed the memories away and forced his skin to soften so that he could feel her skin against his.
She didn’t look as if she believed him, but she didn’t ask any more questions and she let her hand remain in his.
He could hear the others panting, their steps beginning to slow. Only Issar seemed undisturbed. Rummel remained at Polly’s side but to Varga’s surprise, she didn’t cry or complain. Her fists clenched at her sides, but she moved forward with determined steps. Saka, on the other hand, complained bitterly at first, but the heat wilted her down and she eventually lapsed into silence. Issar assisted Taliane, his arm around her waist despite the narrowness of the tunnel as he half-carried her. Joan’s hand remained tucked in his, but he could tell she was tiring, weariness in every line of her body. He would have carried her, but there just wasn’t room in the narrow passageway.
“There should be a water station up ahead,” Rummel said, his voice hoarse, and Varga realized he wasn’t quite as unaffected as he seemed to be.
The next interval seemed to drag interminably, the knowledge that relief awaited them making each step that much more painful, but at last they rounded the corner and saw water trickling down the wall and into a small basin.
Saka gave a harsh cry and rushed over to the basin, lapping frantically at the liquid. He would have pushed her aside, but Joan shook her head. To his frustration, she waited until each of the other females had taken a drink before she took her turn.
She frowned as she lifted her head. “I thought it was water but it doesn’t taste like water.”
Fuck. He hadn’t considered the possibility that the substance might not be tolerable for humans. He took a cautious sip, then sighed with relief.
“It’s water. It tastes different because of the minerals in the cave walls.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t taste bad. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
Issar settled down against the wall and pulled Taliane onto his lap. “We should rest while we have the opportunity,” he said.
Varga suspected that the Asing didn’t need rest any more than he did, but the others in their small group were obviously exhausted. He urged Joan to sit, then pulled Rummel aside.
“How much further?”
“About twice this distance.” The small male frowned. “But the next water station isn’t until close to the end. I wish we had some way to carry it with us.”
The need to be on their way was a constant warning in
