…
“Canyon!”
Canyon startled, then almost tripped.
What?he said grumpily.
I thought you fell in a fucking hole or something. Why didn’t you answer me?
I dunno. Dozing a little maybe.
That’s it, we’re stopping to camp.
The note said don’t sleep.
We haven’t slept more than three hours a night in weeks. We’re going to have to sleep. You first. I’ll keep watch.
Yeah, yeah, ok. Let’s find a spot.
They turned on their flashlights and continued through the forest, looking for an area with natural protection, a safe place to camp.
Why is it taking us so long to get to the north wall?Canyon asked.
I haven’t figured that out yet. Wulf says there’s a 34% chance White is doing it with magic.
That's not a high chance.
Wulf says he’s not confident with magic and his numbers won't be accurate.
Shit, I missed that conversation?
Yup.
Canyon thought for a few minutes, then asked,Wulf, if it’s not Abigail White turning us in circles, then why is this taking so long?
Wulf didn't answer right away, but Canyon didn’t feel like prompting him again. Timber also was quiet for once in his life. After several moments, Wulf’s screen flared with a list of possibilities.
:6% chance we are mistaken as to the size of the hole—
:12% chance we are hallucinating the distance or the time taken—
:18% chance my sensors are interfered with
:48% chance ‘magic’ is involved in some way that I can’t detect or understand—
Wulf thinks magic is a dirty word,Timber said.
The sound of gentle wind through the trees put them all on high alert. Wulf turned off his screen, and Canyon and Timber turned off their flashlights and spread out, ready for anything. When the noise didn’t recur, they continued walking. Soon, they found a rock outcropping that looked perfect for camp.
“Here,” Timber said, shining his light all around.
Canyon couldn’t argue. He was exhausted. He walked around the area a couple of times, then stripped his clothes off and hung them over tree branches. He shifted into a wolf, turned around twice, lay down, and was asleep at once.
55—Still Lost in the Hole
Canyon strolled along a meadow path in his dream, andthe femalewas there with him. He couldn’t see her, only hear her. She had run across the grass to a grove of trees and was talking to someone, which was strange, because they were the only two people in the meadow. He picked up his pace, meaning to catch up with her, but the meadow dissolved and he found himself in another dream.
He and Timber were in a cave, and they were fighting a big-ass bug. Shouts and curses and inhuman hisses echoed all around. Timber was a wolf, riding on the bug’s back, biting it. Canyon was a man. He had a stick in his hand, and he tried to hit the bug, but he missed. He swung again, as hard as he could, and he missed again.
