Page 49 of Stealing Mercury
She nodded to herself. “You’re going to try to dig through.”
“It’s the only way.”
It was also incredibly dangerous. One of the slopes above could slide down on top of them. Especially with the rain. But he was right. What choice did they have? “Has it started raining yet?”
“Yes.” She was sure there was a lot that one word left out. What would rain be like for them if they’d never experienced it?
“I’m going to try a stimulant. Are there any medications that he’ll react badly to?”
The answer was slow in coming. “No, but be careful. He might be confused if he wakes.”
Samantha went back to Carn and dug through her pack for the med-kit.
She found a mild stimulant and applied it to the vein in his neck to try to get the fastest reaction. While she waited, she pulled out her water and set it in reaching distance, then backed up.
“Come on, Carn. Open those eyes for me.” She could try to drag him, but—
He came around, sputtering and coughing. She wanted to reach out and help him sit-up, but she didn’t dare. Not after the way he’d reacted to her touch in the past, and not after Mercury’s warning.
“Carn.” She hoped she sounded calm. “It’s Samantha. You fell, but you’re going to be okay. There’s water to your left.”
He was already trying to push up. He leaned toward her, seeming to respond to her voice. When he lifted his head, he studied her face then grabbed for the water. After a big swig, he cleared his throat. “Mercury? Lo?”
“They’re fine. They couldn’t get down here without bringing it down on top of you. Right now we need to get you around that corner.” She pointed. “The roof is more stable there and the sooner we move, the sooner they can finish digging through here. Okay?”
He nodded and untwisted his body. Small nicks and scrapes peppered his skin with bloody dots of color. Brushing dirt from his face and shoulders, he moved slowly but with purpose.
Samantha crawled toward the corner, leading the way with a glance over her shoulder. Carn panted with effort. Pain tightened his face into a ferocious mask. Crawling through the debris, filthy, and looking capable of chewing engine parts, he looked more animal than she’d ever seen any of the Arena Dogs, but beneath it all he was still Carn. A man plagued by worry and pain.
When the space over their heads opened up, he tried to stand, but failed.
Samantha edged closer. “Not much farther now. Will you let me help you?”
He nodded, and she helped him loop his arm over her shoulder. He couldn’t seem to put weight on one foot. Together they hobbled clear of the danger zone and beneath the domed stone ceiling where Samantha had come down.
“What is this place?” He stared at the bone littering the cavern floor.
“I’m not sure.” She urged him on. “Let’s get as far away as we can.”
They stopped where the stone floor began to slope up and she helped him prop against the cavern wall, then shouted up to Lo and Mercury.
She knew the moment they started to dig. The scrape and groan of shifting debris echoed off the stone walls. The noise of the storm outside kicked up. The muffled roar of the rain grew louder, punctuated by the whistle of the wind.
The temperature dropped.
She shivered.
“They’ll be all right.” Carn’s certainty sounded as solid as a sand-break in a sandstorm, and she wanted to shelter under its strength.
She met his gaze. “I know. I’m just cold.” But it wasn’t the cold making her pulse pound loud in her ears or drying her mouth beyond swallowing.
When they broke through, chances were high that the area would collapse further, bringing more sodden earth down on top of them. Mercury and Lo could be buried under more debris than she could shift.
“Thank you.” Carn put a hand on her shoulder.
Confused, she waited for his explanation.
He smiled, a small smile, but a smile none the less. He shook his head and the explanation never came. The rustling crash of dirt and debris collapsing drew their attention back to staring down the cavern to the bend where instead of seeing the two faces they hoped for, they watched as dirt and dust swirled in the air and a stream of water trickled around the rock. It widened into a small rivulet that hinted of the danger but disappeared into a crevice in the rock floor.
