Then they were at the large, heavy double doors leading to the mines. The doors themselves had not only two locks but also a heavy metal beam barring them shut. Why would they need such preventative measures?
“Ranek?”
“Yes?”
“What’s in the tunnels?” she asked, suddenly very anxious for her little dragus pup. What horrifying creatures was he facing even now?
When he didn’t answer, she grabbed him by the arm. He was hiding something. “Those locks and the bar are meant to keep something out. What do you know about the creatures in the mines?”
“I know that they exist,” he said vaguely, clearly not telling her everything.
She fumed silently, but let him go. She’d learned to pick her fights, and the sooner he got out there, the sooner she’d know.
After unlocking both locks and lifting the bar, Ranek pulled on the door, and the heavy portal opened with a loud groan. The dust, which had been undisturbed for years, streamed down and made her cough.
Ranek only opened the door enough to slip through. “We must keep them unlocked so I can get back in.” He handed her his blaster. “Do you know how to use this?”
“Yes, we all had to learn to defend Reka 5 when the Dominion attacked.”
“Good. I don’t think anything will come, but if the door opens and anything comes in that isn’t me or Commander Chaos, shoot it. Do not shoot me.”
Maya hefted the weapon in her hands. “Don’t shoot you or Commander Chaos. Shoot everything else. Got it.”
She took a deep breath. She could do this.
“Wait!” she cried, as Ranek started to close the door. She lunged for him, going onto her tippy toes. She hauled him down, planting a kiss on his jaw, which was the only place she could reach. “Thank you. Come back in one piece.”
He didn’t say a word. Instead, he nuzzled the side of her face, inhaling deeply. Then he was gone, and she was staring at the back of the metal portal.
Ranek
The inside of the mining tunnels was damp and dark. But to Ranek’s surprise, the air wasn’t completely still; there was movement, as if air was being funneled up from somewhere deeper in the caverns, carrying with it the smell of decaying matter, earthy and organic. It wasn’t silent either, at least not to his ears. There were the sounds of tiny feet scurrying along the walls and the drip, drip, drip of water.
He let his eyes adjust. It was too dark in here to see, even for him, and the lantern cast long shadows down the tunnel. Long ago, during their evolution, the Talleans had been predators that hunted in the dim light of dawn and dusk. They had a tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina, that reflected light back to be used again, making use of whatever little lightthere was from the moons and stars in the sky. And while this normally gave him remarkable night vision, it still required some light to work, especially since his eyes had been damaged from being in the dark, close quarters of prison for too long. Down here in the tunnel, it was pitch black.
Well, perhaps not completely pitch black, because as his eyes adjusted, several rectangles lit up faintly along the walls, marking the vents into the station. He strode toward the nearest one. The vent had a heavy-duty cover, with a braided design that wouldn’t let anything larger than his fist into the station.
He grabbed the grate and shook it. This one was secure. He then moved to the next one.
Which was also intact and secure. But he didn’t even need to get close to the third one to realize what had happened. The grate on this one was broken, like something had wrenched it apart. Not Commander Chaos; he wasn’t strong enough. But it didn’t matter who or what had done it, because there on one of the sharp edges was a tuft of grayish-brown fur.
He didn’t even need to see the fur to know that the dragus pup had gone this way. Because his nose had already told him. The smell of the creature was strong here. And he held up the lantern to see that a puddle had soaked into the tunnel’s ground where the little creature had urinated.
Ranek grumbled a curse. He’d really been hoping they wouldn’t need to hunt for Commander Chaos in the mines. What he really wanted to do was to push the beds in the infirmary together, spread out all the blankets they could find, and spend the rest of the evening with Maya in his arms. But clearly, he wasn’t going to get what he wanted.
He dropped to the ground, put his face low, and inhaled. The dragus couldn’t have gone too far. And his scent was easy tocatch; it was unlike anything else here, and Ranek was certain he’d be able to locate him. The question was whether he would do it in time before the predators of this domain found and consumed the little creature.
As it was, the trail led to the right, down the tunnel and into the darkness. Clearly, the little pup had no problem seeing in the dark and had no fear of it either. Or was that because he was too young and sheltered, having been protected his entire short little life, leaving him less cautious?
Maya really cared about Commander Chaos, even though she knew she’d have to part with the pup one day. Ranek swore to himself that today would not be that day.
He returned to the entrance of the mining station and shoved open the door, which creaked on its hinges, to let him in. He found Maya perched on a chair, her hands on the blaster but not pointing it. The hopeful look on her face turned immediately to disappointment the moment she saw him.
“He’s in there, isn’t he?”
“Affirmative.” Ranek shut the door to the tunnel, putting down the thick metal bar, but not engaging the locks since they’d be going back in soon. “There are multiple signs that he’s been that way, and a trail leading farther into the tunnels.”
Maya’s face screwed up like she was trying to tame her reaction.
