Page 17 of Hunter's Moon

“By the dark,” he muttered, crouching to peer into the gap. “It looks like some kind of tunnel.”

I joined him, unease prickling my skin as I gazed into the inky blackness. The opening was barely large enough for a person to squeeze through, rough-hewn stone disappearing into shadows.

“Where does it lead to?” I asked, fear and curiosity churning in my gut.

Tharion’s brow furrowed, his pointed ears twitching slightly. “If I had to guess, it’s part of the old drilling network from when Larakis was first carved out of Thac’s surface. These tunnels probably honeycomb the entire lower levels.”

The idea of venturing into those dark, unknown passages terrified me. But the sound of heavy footsteps in the corridor outside made the decision for us.

“We can’t stay here,” Tharion said. “This might be our only chance to get out.” He checked our weapons, then swore. “The battery packs for both are empty.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. “What about light? We can’t just stumble around in the dark.”

Tharion’s eyes swept the room, landing on a stack of battered storage crates. “Quick, help me search these. There might be something we can use.”

We tore through the boxes, desperation lending speed to our movements. My fingers closed around something cylindrical and I let out a triumphant gasp.

“Found something!” I held up an old-fashioned chemical light stick.

Tharion grinned, revealing those sharp canines that sent an unexpected thrill through me. “Good work. Grab as many as you can find.”

I stuffed a handful of the light sticks into my pockets, acutely aware of the voices growing louder outside. Tharion was already at the opening, his powerful frame coiled with tension.

“I’ll take the lead. You stay close behind.”

I hesitated, fear threatening to root me to the spot. “What about your ship? Can’t we try to make it back to the spaceport?”

Tharion shook his head, his expression grim. “No way to get there now. We’ll have to find another way to a different level first. Come on, I’ll clear the way.”

Dammit. There really wasn’t any other option.

I activated one of the light sticks and squeezed into the narrow opening. The rough stone scraped against my skin as I crawled forward, the weak green glow of the chemical light barely penetrating the oppressive darkness.

The tunnel stretched on forever, twisting and turning unpredictably. My arms and knees ached from the awkward crawling, and I could feel panic clawing at the edges of my mind.

“Keep going,” Tharion’s voice came from ahead of me, low and reassuring. “You’re doing great.”

After what felt like an eternity, the tunnel began to widen. I emerged into a larger cavern, gratefully stretching my cramped limbs.

I held up the light stick, revealing rough stone walls carved with strange, angular symbols.

“What is this place?” I breathed, my voice echoing slightly in the cavernous space.

Tharion ran his fingers over the markings, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Old mining symbols, I think. This must have been one of the original excavation sites.”

A distant rumble made us both freeze, the sound reverberating through the stone beneath our feet. My heart leapt into my throat as I imagined all manner of horrors lurking in the darkness.

“What was that?” I whispered, instinctively moving closer to Tharion.

He shook his head, his muscled frame tense and alert. “Not sure. Could be machinery, could be something else entirely. We should keep moving.”

I nodded, trying to ignore the icy tendrils of fear creeping up my spine. As we went deeper into the cavern, my skin crawled.

Were we being watched?

The silence stretched between us, broken only by the sound of our footsteps and the occasional distant rumble.

“So,” I said, desperate to break the oppressive quiet, “how does a Vinduthi end up as a bounty hunter anyway?”

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