Back when he was Captain of the Lord’s Watch.
Back when therewasa Lord’s Watch.
Despite the warm air that rushed over her skin, goosebumps rose on Jenna’s arms. She hated to imagine the slaughter that occurred as Mir-Ferrin troops and their battle-droids stormed Mir-Brennan Tower, but she forced herself to dwell on it now.
It helped to remind herself what was at risk.
Not just her life, or the lives of those she loved, but the future of her clan.
Would her family ever get back what it had lost?
The ravine gradually deepened, and Malik angled his hopper up one side. It was best not to travel along the floor of the steep-sided valley, for these places were home to chelrogs.
And as they headed east, Jenna caught a glimpse of one of the chasm lizards.A chelrog was crawling up the opposite side of the ravine, its claws digging into rough sandstone. Spines bristling, its huge bulk rippled with muscle and fat, the beast’s expanse of silver scales glinted in the dawn light.
Jenna stared at its great maw and the row of dark eyes that gleamed like wet pebbles. The lizard’s jaws were powerful enough to crush bone like chalk. As the two hoppers rocketed by, the chelrog turned its large head, observing them with a heavy-lidded, hungry stare.
It took them just under an hour to reach the gorge. They saw no one on the way, for Malik had, indeed, taken them on a roundabout route, ensuring they wouldn’t cross paths with Mir-Ferrin patrols.
By the time they entered the narrow-sided valley, the sun was rising into the sky, turning it from a deep red to a dark rose. The heat had risen too, and soon sweat trickled down Jenna’s back, making her tank top stick to it. Even the air that rushed by them was no longer cooling.
A sheer wall reared up at the end of the gorge—red sandstone studded with protruding growths of spiky succulents and cacti. Malik and Vic drew up their hoppers. Dust billowed out from under the sleek craft as they lowered to the valley floor.
Jenna dismounted, her boots scuffing on the dusty ground. She glanced around, half-expecting to see a chelrog lumbering toward her, for this was exactly the sort of place the chasm lizards dwelled. Fortunately though, the gorge was deserted, for the time being at least.
Malik and Vic were heaving the rucksacks they’d brought strapped to the back of the hoppers onto their backs. Meanwhile, Jenna turned from them and walked up to the sandstone wall, her gaze moving along its pitted surface.
Both her father and Cathal had told her what to look for—a few times over the years, just in case this day should ever come. At the time, she’d humored them, never believing it ever would.
But it had—and here she was.
And there it was, an oval-shaped hollow, with a long fissure at the top. The space was just big enough for her to insert her hand, which she did—stretching her fingertips in.
Her breath caught when she touched cold steel.
She pressed hard and the metal shifted beneath her fingertips.
For a few seconds, there was nothing, and then a rumble from deep within the wall began. Exhaling sharply, Jenna withdrew her hand.
A grinding noise started then, and the wall rolled sideways, revealing a small bay within.
A row of neatly parked hoppers sat inside, ready for a quick getaway. A small utility-droid sat in an alcove, kept here to service the hoppers. Its amber lights flickered as they entered. A circular passageway led into the cliff.
Malik and Vic walked past Jenna into the bay, with Obsidian close at their heels. The battle-droid took long, loping strides, its blood-red gaze sweeping the space, on the alert for any danger.
“Come on,” Malik said, catching her eye. “We have to move fast now … Cathal’s only got until noon.”
Jenna nodded, although she didn’t need reminding of her brother’s impending execution.
She followed the two men intoThe Passage, their heavy boots clanging on metal, while Obsidian brought up the rear, its wide, rubber-soled feet thudding behind her.
Unspeaking, the party of four marched forward, their footfalls ringing in the circular tunnel. Dim panel lighting illuminated the pewter-colored metal panels surrounding them. It was a featureless, depressing space—but then it had been built as an escape route, not as lodgings.
Time drew out—although none of them spoke—and eventually, the far end of the tunnel appeared. A heavy metal lever protruded from the wall.
Moving toward the lever, Jenna reached for it.
“Wait.” Malik’s hand caught her arm. “We need to ready ourselves before we set foot out there.”
