Free The Seekers of Fire by Lynna Merrill Page B

relived her fight with the well. He was gentle with her, too, although his other hand seemed to clutch the light a little too hard, and his jaw was set and his eyes narrowed and steely. He was walking steadily despite his disheveled appearance, and Linden did her best to ignore the growing numbness in one of her own legs.
    There was no question of stopping or even slowing down now. They had wasted enough time already. The reality of their situation was finally dawning on both of them, after the initial shock and relief of finding each other alive had faded out.
    They were in what looked like open space, even though it was not outside. An underground open space, and Linden tried to not think of that. No humans but Master Sewerers and their workers—and, evidently, Commanders—ever went underground in Mierber. It was both dangerous and aberrant. The fact that such enormous and dark space could exist underground in the city was almost more than Linden could bear. It had no walls or a ceiling. All they could see was grayish stones of all shapes and sizes on the relatively flat ground beside the slope, and stones on the slope itself. Beyond that, even though Linden's vision was enhanced by the pillar's light, was only darkness. There was no way to determine how far up the slope extended, or how likely the stones were to dislocate and hamper them if they would try to climb.
    "The healers cannot possibly climb this." Linden frowned in the direction of the slope. "Not all of them, at least. Mistress Cadence is ninety years old and walks with a crutch."
    "They might never come here, it is far below their Passage—" Rianor looked at her. "Or, do they?" Again there was something in his eyes, like what had been there when her dad had first told them about the samodiva. It was not pleasant, and it made her cold.
    "I don't know. I told you. I know nothing about them. But you seem to do."
    He stepped closer to her, and his manner was abrupt, almost threatening. Then he sighed, reached out, and wrapped his coat around her over her cloak.
    "You are shivering too much, Linde," he snapped, "even though it is warm. Don't get too sick; I would rather not see, and especially not need, a Commander ever again in my life."

    * * *
    Linden was distressed, Rianor could tell. She said nothing, staring at the darkness, thin and pale underneath his coat, her fingers white from squeezing his handkerchief. He had been too harsh. After all, the damn father she seemed to love so much was a Commander, and Rianor had just effectively told her she would never see him again.
    He did not truly mean it. She was just a daughter, an ignorant child; Commanders and anything they had ever done or not done was not her fault. Her ignorance was a pity, in a way, for he had hoped to learn about Commanders from her, but Commanders were not the reason he had taken her. Rianor had not known who her father was when he had first seen her at the well. And he did not even blame Commanders too much any more.
    Rianor shook his head. This was wrong. His current actions were wrong. The hatred he was feeling right now was not his; it was the wild, thoughtless hatred of the thirteen-year-old he had once been. This place was getting to him, doing something to his mind. It should not. Could not. Rianor had long ago learned to deal with places like this.
    Linden blinked fast, but her eyes remained dry, and her voice was level when she crumpled the handkerchief in her hand and looked at him again.
    "I don't know Commanders or this Passage, Rianor. I don't know why I am seeing the light of the pillar and why you are not. I don't know the way out. But I know I am not staying trapped. Let us climb, shall we?"
    "Wait," Rianor replied softly, staring at the indistinguishable spot of darkness where she seemed to be locating the pillar. "Not yet. Sit here and try to rest that leg a little, and I will have a small chat with our friend."
    He handed her the light, drawing his dagger.
    "Can you see