Page 57 of Return of the Nine

“Why are you arming yourself?” Ekinar was close to her, and she found she didn’t mind.

“There are quite a few deadly beasts here in the area. Most are nocturnal, so our journey is taking us through their hunting grounds. Better safe than stupid.”

She put her pack back on and continued to sip on her water as she began to move again. They would follow her. She was their only chance.

Her senses were fully attuned to the night around her. A slow, rhythmic thudding was horribly familiar. Teyha whispered, “Get to the canyon walls and hold tight. We don’t have time to get out of here.”

Ekinar was moving as she ordered, but he asked, “What is it?”

“Stampede of Risshin deer followed by a Caplan.” She settled her back against the wall, and when Nosku stumbled to join them, she raised her bow and waited.

It took two minutes for the stampede to become audible to the others, and a minute after that, the deer rushed past them with the Caplan right behind them.

It was silly, but the initial settlers named animals on Gaia after themselves. The large feline known as a Caplan had six legs, teeth over a hand span long and a wicked temper.

The animal paused as it scented them, shaking its head in confusion. Teyha took aim, but she didn’t want to strike the Caplan if it wasn’t necessary.

Ekinar put his hand on her arm, and she watched him extend his other arm, snapping at the Caplan with the shadow that normally covered his body.

The Caplan whipped around in confusion, and Ekinar struck it again. Within fifteen seconds, the Caplan continued to chase the deer through the canyon, leaving the hikers alone.

“Nice trick.” Teyha released the tension on her bow.

“You didn’t want to kill it, and it didn’t need to die. It just had to be reminded of its food source.”

She chuckled. “Thank you. I thought those shadows had to be useful, though you do have striking features beyond it.”

Nosku gasped. “Ekinar, you showed her?”

She looked over at his face, and based on the Earth histories she had read, his face wore the stamp of the privileged classes. “He didn’t show me anything, and get that sneer off your face. It isn’t pretty.”

Nosku looked ill.

“If you are going to puke, do it over there.” She pointed across the way.

Teyha looked into Ekinar’s surprised face. “Well, shall we continue?”

He nodded, bemused. “Of course. They are depending on us.”

She hoisted her pack once again. “Damned straight.”

He clapped Nosku on the shoulder, and they resumed their walk.

Teyha took point once again and extended her senses into the dark. A few predators took a close look at them but decided better of attacking.

The hike took on a numb, exhausted mindlessness for her, but if there were lost teens, she wasn’t going to let her body pull her down.

She kept her thoughts focussed on the children, and when they finally stumbled out of the last rock canyon, it was with no small relief that she was able to say, “We have entered the Valley of Shadows. The temple is to the left.”

The huge valley was dotted with stalagmites, which gave it the daytime appearance of having thousands of shadows throughout.

“Do you see them?” Ekinar was at her shoulder.

“No, but their shuttle is right over there. Do you want to start there?” She pointed, but Nosku was already stumbling his way across the valley floor. “I will take that as a yes.”

She followed while she widened her personal sensory net. Three heartbeats were muffled but alive. There was only one problem. They weren’t in the temple. They were in the prison.

Chapter Three

---