Page 25 of Aria's Ascension

Adrenaline surged through her, sending her heart pounding and heightening her senses, but a wave of calm came on its heels, steadying her. As dangerous as this was, she felt comforted by the familiarity. This world had thrown her a hell of a lot of curveballs, butthisshe knew how to handle.Thiswas what she was good at.

The door hissed open smoothly, revealing an ever-widening chasm of pitch blackness. The impenetrable shadows from the room beyond and the cold, white light spilling out of the elevator met about two feet past the door, creating a wall.

Aria tensed, waiting for the sonic booms of the alien guns, shouts of alarm, guards rushing in, something, but it was still and silent, as if the darkness had substance and smothered any noise.

Leaning forward quickly, she peered out but couldn’t pierce the gloom.

Guess the turtle-faced bastard didn’t bother upgrading my night vision. Prick.

Glancing at her men, she pointed two fingers at her eyes, then at the opening, and made a questioning face, wordlessly asking if either of them could see.

Kix shook his head then motioned to his chest quizzically, sending her a mental projection that was half feeling, half thought, asking if she wanted him to illuminate. She immediately rejected that idea. If he lit up like a glow stick, that would only tell anyone waiting outside exactly where he was hiding and where to aim.

Tirox, standing on her side, closest to the door, leaned forward just long enough to scan the room then nodded down at her and mouthed, “Clear.”

She gave him a quick smile, pleased that he’d picked up on her terminology, and returned his nod.

Side-stepping in front of him, she dropped down into a crouch and pressed her shoulder to the opening, gun up and sweeping the space in front of her, ignoring his soft growl of protest. When nothing jumped out of the darkness, she stood and stepped out on silent feet, her men following on either side.

The sound of soft taps came from behind as soon as they passed the doorway. Turning back for just a moment, she reached out, handing Skaa her sword and one of her throwing stars. The woman took them with a stoic nod and pressed the last key to activate the elevator.

The bubble of light they stood in narrowed as the doors slid closed on the woman’s scowling, worried face. Within seconds they were thrown into total darkness.

Some of the tension left her shoulders, now that her friend was on her way to safety, even as new worry replaced it.

She didn’t know what time of day it was on this planet, but even if it was the middle of the night, she didn’t think it should be pitch black down here, and there damn sure shouldn’t be a suspicious lack of guards.

Aria kept her gun up as she and her men began cautiously moving forward, sweeping it back and forth even though she couldn’t see farther than a foot in front of her.

“Tell me what you see,” she prompted on a breath of sound.

“Passageway leading into an open space. I cannot see beyond, but it smells like… home. Like earth and stone,” Tirox replied just as quietly.

Aria frowned. That was unexpected. She assumed this level would have the same slightly metallic scent as the labs above. Maybe they hadn’t bothered to develop it, seeing as it served as a prison, and left it somewhat natural.

“Your beads saying anything?”

“They are wary but silent.”

She could feel the moment they left the hall a few minutes later. Even without her sight, she could sense the openness of the room around them.

Tirox began without prompting, “It is a cave. This section is like the labs above. Smooth walls and floor. Doors. Ahead, it is a vast cavern. Thirtyrhiskifrom side to side. ‘Body length, roughly equal to six feet.’ I believe I can see tunnel openings nearby, but I cannot see an end to the cave.”

So, at least two hundred feet across and who the hell knows how deep.

“Do you see anything that could be cells? Small rooms holding prisoners?”

“No. But, I smell beings ahead. Faint, far away. Not guards.”

That news took her aback. She’d expected Zhrovni to keep his most dangerous gladiators locked up in neatly organized, very secure cells close to the elevator for his convenience. Were they free to roam the cavern Tirox saw ahead?

Before she could speculate on what that might mean and figure out how the hell she was going to find the dragon in such an immense maze, she heard Tirox’s beads rattle softly a split second before her own sent her a zing of warning.

Like a well-oiled machine, she and her men immediately spun to press their backs to one another.

Tirox didn’t get a chance to tell them where to aim. Light flooded the space, blinding her and sending her heart into her throat.

Blinking hard, she squinted past the spots dancing in her eyes and saw Godzilla guards streaming out of a door set in the wall they’d passed.

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