Another shower of stones, larger this time, fell from the ceiling just as she heard Njkall’s voice at the mouth of the cave.
“Polly? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” She had never been so relieved to hear anyone in her life, but Tess flinched, her eyes going wide with terror.
“Who is that?”
“That’s Njkall. He’s Hothian and he’s my friend.”
Tess recoiled so violently she struck her head against the stone wall.
“No.”
“Tess—”
“No!”
Tess shoved her away and wrapped both hands around the metal bar.
“Polly?” Njkall called again, and Tess’s head snapped towards the sound.
“No, no, no?—”
The other woman’s breath came faster, each one scraping out of her chest. She scrambled deeper into the crevice at the back of the cave.
“He’s staying outside,” she said quickly. “He won’t come in.”
A fist-sized piece of rock struck the floor between them, and they both jumped.
“Time to come out, little one.” Njkall’s voice had changed. Still controlled, but no longer relaxed.
She looked towards the passage, and then back at Tess.
“I can’t leave her,” she called.
“You can both come out.”
“I’m not going out there!” Tess shouted.
A deeper groan rolled through the rock around them, and Polly’s heart started hammering.
“Tess, listen to me. This cave isn’t safe,” she said quickly.
“Neither are they!”
A large chunk of stone broke loose from the ceiling and crashed to the floor. A cry escaped her lips as she automatically jerked backwards.
“Polly!”
Njkall must have heard the rock fall and heard her cry out because he appeared at the entrance to the branch. He stopped the instant he saw Tess, and for one suspended heartbeat, no one moved.
She could imagine how he looked to the frightened woman. His broad shoulders nearly filling the narrow passage. Fur and fangs and claws. A monster blocking the only way out.
Tess screamed and took two steps forward with the metal bar already rising over her head.
“No!” She stepped directly into Tess’s line of sight and threw up both hands. “Tess. Look at me.”
“Get out of the way!”
