Free Alien Worlds by Roxanne Smolen Page A

eerily.
    “Feel that?” he said. “The rock is vibrating.”
    She pressed her hand against the wall and felt a tremble. “It’s rhythmic. Like it’s breathing.”
    “Maybe we should go back down.”
    “To where?”
    He shrugged and continued to climb. The path grew slick. Moisture streaked Impani’s mask. The growing vibrations rumbled in her chest and made her fear they were climbing toward a sleeping giant.
    When they reached the top of the cliff, they were enveloped in steam and the roar of geysers.
    “We’re on the rim of a volcano,” Trace shouted. “I bet the island was formed by an underwater vent.”
    “What now?”
    “Are there any caves?”
    “Plenty.” She showed him her resonator.
    He frowned at the screen. “Let’s go here. The entrance is obscured by a geyser. It might be safer.”
    “Wait. You want to climb into a volcano?”
    “We need to rest.” Without a backward glance, he picked his way through gushing water.
    A ball of fear constricted her throat. She peered into the volcano’s black maw. Fingers of mist laced the depths. Something fluttered. Bats. Dozens of them.
    If they can do it, I can.
    She followed her partner over the rocky surface. Geysers rose and fell. The taint of sulfur seeped through her mask. “Stop. We’re right above it.”
    He knelt. “Distance?”
    “Fifteen meters straight down. I can’t make that climb.”
    “Sure you can. I’ll sink a bolt anchor here, and we’ll use your rope to rappel down. All right?”
    She sighed. “All right.”
    Apprehension clenched her stomach as she watched him secure the bolt.
    “You go first,” he said. “Yell when you get there.”
    She took a flashlight from her belt and clipped it to her wrist. Then she knotted the rope around her waist.
    “See you in a minute,” he said.
    She nodded numbly and lowered over the edge. The wall was like black glass. She kicked off and moved down several meters. The geyser struck like a battering ram. Breath left her in a painful oof . She clung to the moss rope as water shunted her to the side. Out of control, she dropped another meter.
    The water receded and left her spinning. She struggled to gain her bearings. Her shoulder slammed the crater wall. She closed her eyes.
    “Almost there,” she whispered then continued down.
    She’d planned to shine her light into the cave before entering in case it was the lair of some beast. But the geyser roared again. Water threw her into the cavern. She landed awkwardly on one hip, her light bouncing over the rock. Several bats fluttered around her head. Up close, they looked like striped kittens with wings. When the cave mouth cleared of water, they flapped outside.
    Impani untied the rope. She tugged it twice and called, “I’m down.” The rope reeled in.
    With her light aimed before her, she explored the cave. It was small and irregular, perhaps seven meters at its widest point. In places, the ceiling barely cleared her head. As she walked, she heard a steady drip of water. But then the geyser roared again, and she lost the sound.
    Without warning, Trace burst through the steaming curtain and sailed feet first into the cave. He landed as neatly as a gymnast. Impani scowled. Her hip still stung from her fall.
    He said, “Here’s your rope back. Are we alone in here?”
    “It appears so.” She accepted the coiled rope and draped it over her shoulder. “I was investigating the sound of water.” She trained her lamp into the depths of the cave. The geyser ebbed, and she could again hear the musical drip.
    The ceiling slanted downward, forcing her to crouch as she followed the sound. At the farthest reaches of the cave, she found a meter-wide basin worn into the floor. It brimmed with liquid.
    Her mouth went even drier at the sight. Fumbling through her supplies, she took out her kit and tested the water. “It’s good,” she said in a husky whisper. “We can drink this.”
    Trace dropped to his knees. He slid his mask to the top of his