Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

W hen Janet reached for him, Sabrost forced himself deeper into the narrow crevice, ignoring the rock scraping painfully at his sides. He managed to make it past the opening, but the effort threw him off balance. She started to slip away and he didn't have the leverage to stop her fall. He knew that he was about to follow her, but he refused to let go of her hand.

Wherever she went, he would follow, even if it was to his death.

The ground disappeared out from under them, but rather than falling into empty space, they hit a steeply angled rocky surface. He managed to pull her close enough that his body could provide some protection, but he heard her muffled cries as they tumbled down a long rocky tube.

Darkness surrounded them as they plummeted downwards for what seemed like an eternity. He sent up a silent prayer to Tetlana, praying not for himself but that Janet would be spared a lingering death. The thought that he might lose her so soon after finding her made his chest ache, but he refused to give up hope.

The bottom of the tube rushed up to meet them without warning. One minute they were falling. The next they were sprawled in an ungainly heap. Fortunately, they landed in deep sand, softening the impact.

"Janet! Where hurt?" Unable to see, he ran his hands frantically over her body searching for injuries.

The kestava cloth had provided some protection, although he found several places where her delicate skin had been grazed. At least none of her limbs were broken. Thank the Goddess.

"I'm fine." Her voice sounded shaky, but her small hand patted his chest in the familiar gesture. "What about you?"

"Fine," he quickly assured her. He had multiple bruises and he could feel the blood trickling from some of the deeper cuts, but he would live.

"Where are we?" she whispered.

"I don't know."

He sat up, lifting her with him, as he tried to determine where they had landed. Sight was useless in the thick darkness, but he did his best to extend his other senses. He tasted the air, surprisingly fresh considering how far underground they must be. A small breeze brushed past his face, and he felt a sudden surge of optimism. If the air was moving, perhaps there was a way to the surface.

He listened intently, trying to determine the direction of the air, and heard a distant rushing noise. Could it be the sound of water?

He tasted the air again and thought he could detect the faintest trace of moisture. His hopes rose again. An underground stream would be likely to surface at some point. If they could find it and follow it, it might be their way out of the darkness.

"Water," he said slowly. "Find water."

"You think there's water here, under the rock? Like that stream you found?"

"Yes, valitta."

He listened to the distant sound, trying to determine its direction. Despite the darkness, he didn't feel as if they were in a confined space. He gave a low warbling cry, listening for the way it echoed back to him. It had been a long time since he had made use of that particular skill, but he believed that his assumption was correct and they were in a large open space.

A squawk sounded above them in the darkness, followed by the rush of wings. He saw the glow of two yellow eyes, and his body tensed, preparing for battle. Then he recognized the scent of their avian companion, just as Janet called out its name.

"Tinkerbell! How did you get down here?"

The small glow of the bird's eyes enabled him to follow it as it settled down on Janet's shoulder.

"Do you think he's all right?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes." The fact that the bird had followed Janet down here increased his optimism that they would find a way out – although wings would certainly have been helpful.

"Find water," he said again as he stood and helped Janet to her feet.

"I don't see how you can find anything in this darkness."

But despite her pessimistic words, she slipped her hand in his. He pulled her against his side, putting his arm around her to shield her in case the edge of the space was closer than he thought. Extending his other hand in front of him, he led them away from their landing spot.

Janet didn't understand how Sabrost could find his way through the utter blackness, but he moved with surprising confidence, occasionally making an odd, low pitched noise. The surrounding darkness terrified her, so she concentrated on the warmth of his arm around her and the slight weight of Tinkerbell, once again perched on her shoulder. Thank God she wasn't alone.

After they had walked for several minutes, she heard the rushing sound of water – a lot of water. That must have been what Sabrost had heard previously. His senses were obviously much better than hers.

"Can you see in the dark?" she asked hopefully.

"No. Little light."

After turning that over in her mind, she decided he meant that he had to have at least a little bit of light to see. She remembered that he had carried her through the darkness in the hills, but there had been starlight to guide him.

The noise of water continued to increase, beginning to sound like a river. Sabrost came to a halt.

"Water in front. Following."

He was suggesting they follow the stream? It sounded like a good idea to her. She squeezed his hand, and they began walking again, keeping the sound of the water to their left.

They walked along the river for what seemed like an eternity. The rushing of the water and the weight of the sand dragging at her feet never changed, although the lingering aches from the fall grew more painful. The air was heavy with moisture, unpleasantly cool on her skin. Only the comfort of Sabrost's presence and the warmth of his hand in hers kept her moving.

The change occurred so subtly that she didn't immediately realize what she was seeing. She had been staring into the darkness for so long that at first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She finally decided that there really was a faint lessening of the darkness in front of them.

"It isn't my imagination, is it? It's getting brighter?"

"Light," Sabrost agreed.

Hope made her heart beat faster. "Do you think it's the way out?"

There was a perceptible pause before he responded. "No. Wrong light."

"As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing." Even if it wasn't daylight indicating the way out, she was happy for anything other than this total blackness.

The light continued to grow until Sabrost finally led her around a curve in the rock, and she gasped in surprise. A vast cavern stretched out in front of them, illuminated by a soft, pinkish glow that seemed to come from the walls themselves. They had emerged on a raised ledge, and she could see the entire space spread out in front of them.

The river they had been following flowed along one side, turbulent and fast-moving, while stalactites in a thousand shades of rose and gold hung from the ceiling. Equally elaborate formations of stalagmites rose from the floor between a network of stone slabs. There was something oddly familiar about the shape of them.

"What is this place?" she whispered, barely loud enough to be heard above the rushing water.

"I don't know. Old old."

She knew what he meant. There was an indefinable sense of age that hung over the space, as if it hadn't been inhabited in a very long time. Inhabited…

The straight lines of the rock formations took on a new meaning. "Do you think someone lived here?"

Sabrost had been surveying the area just as intently, and now he nodded.

"Yes."

"I wonder who it was. And what happened to them." She regarded the space thoughtfully, trying to imagine who might have lived here once, then shrugged it off. The inhabitants were long gone, and they had more immediate concerns. "Do you see a way out?"

"No. Not yet."

She sighed, but she was tired and sore and this was as good a place as any to take a break. There was an eerie beauty to the huge space, and at least they had light.

Tinkerbell was still perched on her shoulder, but now he trilled happily and took off, winging his way across the cavern. As she followed his flight, she noticed wisps of mist drifting up along the far wall and saw the shimmering reflection of water. For the first time she noticed that the air was warm as well as damp – which meant a source of heat.

"Do you think those might be hot springs over there?" she asked hopefully.

"Perhaps."

"Can we go see? It would be awfully nice to have a chance to take a bath."

He gave her an odd look, then nodded. As he turned to find a way down from their ledge, she cried out in horror. His back was covered with cuts and bruises. Several of his spines were broken and torn.

"What is wrong?" He whirled back around at her cry.

"You're hurt. From trying to protect me."

Her eyes filled with tears, and he gently wiped one away.

"Protect. Always." Then he shrugged, a curiously human gesture. "Not bad hurt."

She didn't entirely believe him, but there was very little she could do. Hopefully, she would at least be able to clean his wounds.

"Then let's go check out those springs."