“Fancy meeting you guys here.”
Eamon snorted before laying a censorious glance on Buck. “I thought you had the western quadrant.”
Buck grinned and shrugged. “We finished our sweep and thought we’d help another group with theirs before we headed back to the rendezvous point.”
“I’m sure.” Eamon expression was wry. He was well acquainted with Buck’s curiosity. “I should have known you wouldn’t have been able to resist exploring further.”
“How’d you get stuck with this guy?” Shea asked in greeting as Clark and Fiona approached.
“Punishment.” Fiona’s voice was dry.
Buck pressed a hand to his chest in mock hurt. He turned and looked at Shea. “You want some company? We’d be happy to tag along.”
“Speak for yourself,” the tall man at Buck’s side said, looking around with suspicion. “It feels like these buildings are biding their time—waiting to consume us. My grandmother used to warn me about places like this.”
“Stuff it, Johnny,” Buck snapped back. “Put on your big boy breeches and act like a Trateri instead of a mealy-mouthed Lowlander.”
Shea gave Buck a meaningful frown at that insult.
“Hey, you’re not a Lowlander. You can’t take offense to those insults anymore,” Buck said, pointing a finger at her.
Shea sighed. “I don’t have an objection with your presence.” She looked at Fallon after her answer. He might feel otherwise.
He lifted an eyebrow and folded his arms, making it clear this was her party. It was up to her.
“It’ll be like old times,” Shea told Buck.
He grinned back at her, “Hopefully not entirely. I doubt the Warlord wants to see you swinging off any buildings.”
Fallon’s response was swift. “Yes, this Warlord would prefer your feet to remain firmly on the ground for the foreseeable future.”
Shea shook her head with a wry smile. She didn’t say anything, but it was a sentiment she shared. She’d had enough sailing through the air to last for a lifetime. There were only so many times a person could freefall before their luck ran out and there wasn’t something to catch them.
“Before I forget, you didn’t happen to notice anything while you were looking for us?” she asked.
Buck cocked his head as he frowned in thought. After a moment, he shook his head. “No, nothing of note. How ‘bout you guys?”
Fiona spoke, “Nothing but empty buildings and silent streets. Not even the hint of the inhabitants who used to live here.”
Shea figured as much. Whatever, or whoever was out there, was doing a good job of disguising their presence.
Shea took the lead, letting the others fall in behind her.
“What do you think happened here?” Johnny asked.
“Whatever it was must have been pretty bad,” Fiona answered. “Most of these buildings look like they’re pretty intact even after however many years. The inhabitants wouldn’t have abandoned them without reason.”
“You mean besides the fact that they’re in a cavern?” Clark asked.
“I don’t know. A cavern doesn’t seem so bad,” Buck said. “You’re protected from most nasties and since no one knows you’re down here, it’d be hard to invade.”
“I don’t think I could give up the stars and the sun,” one of Fallon’s Anateri volunteered.
Shea agreed. Humans weren’t meant to survive in total darkness and isolation. There had been plenty of stories through the years of people going mad when living in either. Perhaps that was what had happened here. Perhaps the inhabitants did try to live down here and had gone crazy and killed each other. Stranger things had happened during that time period.
There was a creek, a sound at odds with the quiet of before. Shea halted and looked up. Fallon, attuned to Shea’s every move, stopped and glanced at her. The rest of the group continued forward a few steps before noticing Shea’s preoccupation.
Her instincts clamored at her—stronger than before. Something was wrong. There was another sound, like that of stone fracturing. The wall for a building, one that had partially crumbled under the last cave in, shifted. Not much, but it was enough.
