Page 94 of Return of the Nine

Nik tilted her head in acknowledgement and kept walking toward the heart of the tracking pattern. “Why do you want to find your city?”

Cavos chuckled and drew even with her. “Wouldn’t you?”

The laughter that came out of her did it with a rush. “I suppose I would.”

The scent of water rushed at them when they turned a corner. The suddenness caught Nik by surprise. She turned back and walked through the restriction and then returned to her party. “That is rather neat.”

With the turn of the corner, the light was gone. “Does anyone mind if I use a light source? We have a way to go.”

Morro and Tidae shrugged in the dimness, and since Cavos and Trusk were ahead, she had to assume they didn’t mind.

She removed her lamp from her pack and fired it up. The path they were on was no longer rough rock. The walls were smooth and the floor under their feet was tiled. “Wow.”

Morro and Tidae looked around nervously. Morro said, “We don’t like being confined like this.”

“Do you have a preferred method for being confined?”

She could swear that Morro blushed. “Never mind.”

Nik put her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We can feel fresh air on both sides, and this is a fairly clear path with no side tunnels. We can get out. I can always find a way out.”

He cocked his head and looked at the hand on his shoulder, reaching up to touch her but missing her when she pulled her hand away. “How do you find it?”

“I hunted it. I hunt what I need. When I need to locate a specific thing, I can locate it without hesitation. Right now, I need to hunt Cavos and Trusk. Those bastards have gone on without us.”

He laughed, Tidae looked relieved, and together, they moved forward.

Chapter Four

Cavos and Trusk had turned everything on before the rest of their party arrived. Cavos wanted to show the home of the Stone Folk to an advantage, and Trusk just wanted the light and water.

When Niika came out of the cavern entrance with Morro far too close to her, Cavos realised that he might have made a tactical error in regards to the female he wanted.

He walked toward her, watching the stilted pace she was walking with. Concern filled him, and he reached out to take her hand, helping her down the final four stairs.

The contact electrified him, just as it had the first time she touched him. “Welcome to the city of Trasidil, the home of the Stone Folk.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, but he could see the fatigue in her features.

Morro was looking at him, and challenge was flaring in his eyes. Cavos would deal with that later.

“Come this way. We started the water pumps and the potable water should be ready by now. If we can get the rest of the systems working, you should be able to take a hot bath before we eat.”

She smiled wryly. “Who is in charge here?”

“I am. This is my home city, and the object of my studies for the last twenty years. I know every inch of this city in theory, and I look forward to proving the product of my imaginations.”

Niika was exhausted. The moment that she found what she was hunting for, her mind drained her body of all energy. It was not a great effect when hunting living prey, but it usually was finewhen looking for plants and medicinals.

Cavos was full of energy. He seemed more substantial here underground, as if this was what he needed to come into his own.

Nik moved carefully. Her supports were cutting into her back as they did when she moved too quickly. They were designed to pull and keep the subject contained, so she had worked hard to develop a gait that wouldn’t trigger it. Hiking through tunnels had caused a tension in her thighs and that tension was now hobbling her.

“A hot bath sounds wonderful. Where can I procure such a rare creation?”

He straightened and kissed the back of her hand. “I shall make it my first priority.”

She blushed at how silly it made her sound. “Don’t. We need to find a place to stay the night, first.”

---