Neverwylde (The Rim of the World Book 3) (16 page)

            During one of her lucid moments, she tried to reach the hand weapon she’d seen the D’har use. Unfortunately, it was holstered on his right side. She was being carried over his left shoulder, unable to reach it.

            It wasn’t until they exited the tunnel and emerged into the gigantic cavern which housed the lakes that Plat dumped her onto the ground, jarring her awake. Sandow was immediately by her side, checking her for any visible signs of illness or injury. Kelen gave him one slow shake of her head to let him know she was all right for the present.

            Both Seneecians scanned the lakes. It was obvious they were on the lookout for the creatures who dwelled within the large bodies of water. The falls seemed unusually loud. The rushing waters threw so much moisture into the air, the cavern was dense with fog. What sunshine penetrated down here, when it hit the D’har’s white fur, the wet beads glittered like diamonds. Within minutes, both she and Sandow were soaked to the skin.

            The Seneecians spoke to each other in their own language, deliberately excluding the Terrans from knowing their plans. But Kelen got the impression they were deciding to take the risk and keep going. She assumed they were heading for the baths, although she knew she could be wrong. The escapees had had plenty of time and opportunity to do a bit of exploring on their own. No telling what other hiding places they’d encountered.

            The D’har abruptly turned to her. “You will walk the rest of the way.”

            “But I—”

            “The physician will assist you.” He abruptly turned to begin descending the muddy slope.

            “Come on, Kel. You can make it,” Sandow reassured her, draping one of her arms over his shoulder as he drew his own arm around her waist.

            She started to tell him she could probably make it on her own but decided against it and allowed herself to lean heavily on the doctor. By the time they reached the doorway leading to the baths, she was glad she had. She was hit by a wave of dizziness, followed by nausea, before they entered the corridor. It was her body’s way of reminding her she wasn’t completely over the clickers’ attack.

            They passed the doorway she knew led to the large bath where Isup had kidnapped her. An ironic smile lifted her lips, which Sandow noticed.

            “What?” he whispered.

            “Déjà vu all over again.”

            “Huh?”

            “You and me, the baths, kidnapping. Ring a bell?”

            She was answered with a chuckle.

            They passed the doorway where she and the rest had camped during their brief stay, and continued down the short corridor, until they reached the dead end. Here, there was one final door. The D’har pushed it open, then moved aside.

            “Go in.”

            It was another chamber, somewhat bigger than the one where she and the others had taken refuge. Like the other cave, there was a depression in the floor where a fire burned steadily, throwing out welcoming heat and light. Kelen lifted her arm from Sandow’s neck and held out her hands to it, when she caught movement on the other side of the flames. It was the physician who spoke first.

            “Massapa!”

            The Seneecian didn’t respond. He lay near the fire, either unconscious or dead. Standing over him with a pistol aimed at the figure was Dayall.

            “Tend to him.”

            Sandow gave the D’har a dirty look but didn’t argue. Kelen dropped to the ground as the physician hurried over to check the stilled Seneecian. After a cursory examination, he narrowed his eyes at the ex-commander.

            “How many times did you shoot him?” he demanded.

            Dayall shrugged. “Two. Three. He refused to obey my commands.”

            “Will he recover?” the D’har asked.

            Before answering, Sandow checked the Seneecian more closely. “I can’t tell,” he finally admitted. “I see at least four burn marks where you must have shot him at point-blank range. Why didn’t you just go ahead and kill him?” he hotly demanded.

            “Because I need him.”

            “By crippling him?”

            “You know Massapa no longer recognizes you as his D’har,” Kelen reminded the Seneecian.

            Plat appeared unfazed. “It does not matter. He will make adequate fodder when the need arises.”

            “Fodder?” Kelen gasped and stared incredulously at the man. She glanced over at the door where Isup remained on guard. “You plan to use him as bait?!”

            “This is a dangerous planet,” Isup stated.

            “I agree, but that doesn’t allow you to use another human being as your shield!” Sandow yelled.

            The D’har took a threatening step toward the physician. The Seneecian’s face was flushed with anger. “This mutinous
flig
lost all right to his humanity when he chose to no longer follow my edicts!”

            The two men glared at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills. Kelen shuddered, which caught Sandow’s attention.

            “Move closer to the fire, Kelen. You don’t need to catch a chill.”

            “I’d feel a lot better if I could soak in those warm springs,” she half-jested with a smile.

            Sandow addressed the D’har. “I don’t suppose you’d allow her that privilege.”

            The Seneecian sniffed, and a look of disgust lifted one corner of his mouth.

            The physician pressed the issue. “Listen, we understand why we’re here. We’re going to be your leverage or revenge against Kyber and the others who turned against you. But if Kelen gets chilled, she could die. She’s already recovering from a clicker attack. Do you want to risk losing this woman, whom you know is Kyber’s mate?”

            The D’har pondered the question, then took another sniff. “She emits an unpleasant odor. Will the bath remedy that?”

            “It’s probably her leg you’re smelling. The wounds and her bandage need to be cleansed.”

            Plat motioned to Isup. “Take the female to the baths to be cleaned.”

            Sandow reached for her to help her stand. Without warning, the D’har stepped toward them, giving the doctor a hard shove. Sandow tripped and fell hard onto his left side.

            “You can tend to her when she returns,” Plat stated. He waved his hand again at Isup, who pointed his weapon at her.

            Kelen gave Sandow a weak smile. “I won’t be long.”

            “Don’t scrub the wounds. Just rinse them. I’ll be here when you return.” He gave her a smile in return.

            Getting shakily to her feet, Kelen gritted her teeth as pain lanced up her leg. Sucking in a deep breath, she slowly limped to the door. Isup checked the corridor before allowing her out of the chamber, then followed her to the first chamber where she knew the large bathing pool was located.

Chapter 25

Destination

            The tunnel wove left and right, sometimes curving to the point where Kyber wondered about the purpose of the route. It was barely wide enough for two of them to walk side by side, but, he reminded himself, the original inhabitants were half their size. He and the others should be grateful the ceiling was high enough to enable them to walk upright.

He tried to spot the place where Kelen and Fullgrath had found him, but in the darkness it was impossible to tell. They used their tube lights intermittently to verify everyone was present, and to spot check areas where they thought they heard movement.

            Twice they had to pause to listen to sounds that might have been made by dangerous creatures. Once the noises faded away, they continued to follow the serpentine corridor. Gradually, the roaring of the fighting monsters in the garden dissipated, replaced by the shuffle of their footsteps on the rock-strewn, dirt floor. Their breathing echoed at times. Otherwise, the walls dampened all noise, leaving them moving through the tunnel in eerie silence.

            Kyber wondered what they would find when they reached the end. There was definitely fresh air flowing through the passageway, but they couldn’t find a specific vent, nor an interconnecting corridor. When it appeared that they might be going in a convoluted circle, to end up back in the machinery room, the floor slanted downward a few degrees. It didn’t make a hard dip, but it was noticeable. When they stopped at one point to take a brief rest, Jules brought it to their attention.

            “We’re on a six percent grade. Given how many steps we’ve taken, we’ve walked just short of two kilometers.”

            “Do you have any idea where we might be, in respect to the machinery room?” Kyber asked the young man.

            Jules shrugged. “We’ve made so many twists and turns, I can’t tell you. But I think we’re underneath the nonagon.”

            “How can you tell?” Gaveer inquired.

            “I can’t explain it. It’s a feeling I get,” the navigator admitted.

            Cooter clapped Jules on the shoulder. “I trust your sense of direction above anyone else’s. So, any idea where this pipeline is heading?”

            This time Jules shook his head. “Not really.”

            A scuffling sound behind them set them on edge.

            “Let’s keep going,” Fullgrath muttered. Everyone agreed and moved on.

            The route continued sloping deeper into the planet. The second time they halted for a brief break, Gaveer voiced what Kyber had been thinking for the past half hour.

            “I do not believe Massapa came this way.”

            “Neither do I, but we cannot be sure.”

            “If he didn’t come this way, how did he leave the machinery room?” Fullgrath questioned. “Jules, are you certain the light blinks on that pylon when the elevator’s been activated?”

            The navigator swayed from side to side for a couple of seconds. “That’s what I thought. At least, that’s what I’ve observed. I did see the light blink for the garden when we transported there. Damn it! I wish I hadn’t left my tablet behind.”

            “Maybe the light blinked because the power source fluctuated,” Cooter suggested.

            “Maybe.”

            Kyber turned around, pressing his hand to his hip. He needed rest. More than that, he needed to see Kelen again, if only to reassure himself she was still alive.

            “Hey, Kyber?”

            He glanced over at Fullgrath. The big man sniffed and wiped his nose with the remains of his shirt sleeve.

            “How far are we going to follow this labyrinth?”

            “Until we reach the other side.”

            “You really think this thing has an ending point?”

            “It has to,” Jules interjected. “The air’s flowing from that direction.”

            Gaveer stepped forward. “He is correct. The wind is in our face. The further we walk, the stronger it gets. The fresher it smells. Have you noticed?”

            They all took a deep breath. Kyber cocked his head to take a second, deeper breath.

            “I smell water.”

            “Water?” Cooter adjusted the rifle’s strap over his shoulder. “The lakes?”

            “Only one way to find out,” Fullgrath remarked and took off.

            As they continued forward, the scent of water became more pronounced, until they entered a small, circular cavern with a vaulted roof. It appeared to be man-made, with a ring of steps carved in the rock in the floor, and another depression in the center.

            Kyber limped around the outer wall, noting there wasn’t one doorway leading out of the cavern. There were three, including the one they’d emerged from.

            Cooter stepped down to the center pit. “Someone built a fire here, and not too long ago.”

            Kyber straightened. “I know where we are. This is the cavern where Isup brought Kelen when he kidnapped her from the baths.”

            “That means we took the circuitous route to the lakes.” The security officer waved the rifle’s barrel at one of the tunnel entrances. “So which one of these leads to the baths?”

            Kyber studied each of the openings. “I do not remember.”

            “Didn’t you fight Isup here?” Fullgrath asked.

            Kyber started to nod, when he remembered. “Jules, toss me your tube light.”

            The man underhanded the tool to him. Catching it, Kyber shined it on the floor and wall of the first tunnel entrance. Not finding what he sought, he moved to the next tunnel.

            “What are you looking for?” Jules inquired.

            “Blood,” Tojun responded. “Fur. The aftermath of a battle.”

            He discovered it in the third entrance. Specks of dried blood on the tunnel wall less than a meter above the floor. Although Kyber knew there should be blood on the ground, the dirt was dry and spotless.
As if something small came along and devoured it.

“Here. This way.”

            Cooter hurried to take point, with the others right behind him. Knowing the baths weren’t too much further, they picked up their pace, until Kyber brought them to a halt at a juncture.

            “I remember this,” Fullgrath noted. “You took this tunnel, and Dox and I took the other one.”

            “Yes.”

            The scent of water was more noticeable on the steady breeze. Kyber knew the reason he hadn’t noticed it before was because the last time he was here, he had been moving away from the baths. At that time, his senses were accustomed to it because the smell of water permeated everything.

            They continued to advance toward the baths, when another sound caught their attention. They all instantly froze at the realization of what they were hearing.

            Someone was talking.

            Gaveer moved up next to Kyber. “That is Isup.”

            “Isup? Your AWOL crewman? Are you sure?” Jules whispered.

            Another voice spoke. At the sound of it, Kyber’s blood froze in his veins.