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  Teyha looked into Ekinar’s surprised face. “Well, shall we continue?”

  He nodded, bemused. “Of course. They are depending on us.”

  She hoisted her pack once again. “Damned straight.”

  He clapped Nosku on the shoulder, and they resumed their walk.

  Teyha took point once again and extended her senses into the dark. A few predators took a close look at them but decided better of attacking.

  The hike took on a numb, exhausted mindlessness for her, but if there were lost teens, she wasn’t going to let her body pull her down.

  She kept her thoughts focussed on the children, and when they finally stumbled out of the last rock canyon, it was with no small relief that she was able to say, “We have entered the Valley of Shadows. The temple is to the left.”

  The huge valley was dotted with stalagmites, which gave it the daytime appearance of having thousands of shadows throughout.

  “Do you see them?” Ekinar was at her shoulder.

  “No, but their shuttle is right over there. Do you want to start there?” She pointed, but Nosku was already stumbling his way across the valley floor. “I will take that as a yes.”

  She followed while she widened her personal sensory net. Three heartbeats were muffled but alive. There was only one problem. They weren’t in the temple. They were in the prison.

  Chapter Three

  “Ekinar, what was the description of the temple again?”

  They were inside the shuttle, and Nosku was looking for any traces of his nephew.

  “The fissure in a cavern wall, a place only the Shadow Folk can enter. Why?” Ekinar was watching Nosku’s attempt to start the shuttle, so he could check the records.

  “This ship is dead. Unless you chop it into pieces and haul it out manually, this isn’t going anywhere.” Teyha was barely able to stay upright. Using her talent for an extended time was more exhausting than hiking in the dark.

  “There has to be some trace of them here.” Nosku’s voice broke.

  “There is. They are exactly where you said they would be. In the fissure, in the cliff, in a place only the Shadow Folk can go.” Teyha sighed, “But based on my early translations, it isn’t the temple, it is the prison.”

  Nosku froze. “The pit?”

  “Not so much a pit as a crevice with a warning around the door. Your folk were not here the last time I came, so I had to guess at the meaning.”

  Ekinar put his hand on Nosku’s arm to calm him. “Where is it?”

  “Come with me.”

  She left the shuttle and made her way carefully to the doorway in the cliff face. In the dark, the glyphs were surprisingly clear to her. They were bright and seemed to glow from within.

  “Where are you looking, Teyha?”

  It was the first time that Ekinar had called her by name, and she had to throttle down the pleased surge of emotion that occurred when he wrapped his lips around her syllables.

  “The glyphs around the doorway. Don’t you see them?” She pointed, and when he still frowned and squinted in the direction she was pointing, she took his hand and pressed it to the stone.

  Nosku grabbed her shoulder. “Where are they?”

  “They are in the cave. Three heartbeats, all stable.” Teyha compared the beats to the men in front of her. “Maybe the heartbeats are a little fast.”

  Nosku pushed past her and into the cave.

  “No, don’t go in there.” She spoke to his back, and when he passed the threshold that lined the chasm, he was trapped. “Damn it.”

  “I can’t see him. Where is he?” Ekinar was frowning. His hands were still on the wall, tracing the carvings one by one.

  “He is in the Prison of Shadows if these glyphs are any indication. Can you read them?”

  He jerked toward the opening. “We have to get them out.”

  “We will, but we need to know what we are going into. I can’t read the glyphs properly until it is light out, so we either get you to translate by touch or you blunder into the cave and get stuck like the others.” Teyha leaned against the wall and gave into the urge to use it for support.

  “You do not look well.”

  “I don’t usually use my talent for stretches that are this long.”

  He took her arm and helped her sit. “Relax. If you need light, we will wait for light.”

  She nodded and got out some water. Sighing as she sipped and let the rehydration sooth her body. “Well, Nosku has rations and water, so the kids should be fine for a night.”

  “You are right. How is it that you can see us as we are?”

  Teyha chuckled. “I see a version of you. My talent is primarily a version of echolocation. I can feel heartbeats and sense shifts in topography. It does no good in the city, but thanks to my parents, I got plenty of practice out in the canyons and abandoned settlements.”

  “You have been to other cities?”

  She chuckled. “Until the Nine locked into position above us, a few of us were still busy learning everything we could about Gaia. Once the Tokkel attacked, we all concentrated on recovering from those first devastating days. It is amazing that so few deaths could make such a huge impact.”

  Teyha knew she was rambling, but she was just so tired. She used her pack as a cushion and relaxed against it, breathing evenly until she was able to slip into a light sleep.

  * * * *

  Ekinar sensed her shift into sleep. He couldn’t feel any of his folk around him, and if he hadn’t known about the barrier she had mentioned, he would have followed Nosku into the chasm.

  The small Gaian was a curious creature, but she was making every effort to allow him his privacy. It was something that he appreciated, but once he had touched her, he knew something she didn’t. Teyha was going to be his.

  Ekinar Rossing had searched for a suitable female for ten years. In a few hours, this woman had not only seen through the mask that he and the rest of his folk wore, but she had been unmoved by it.

  It was a slight prick to his ego that she had not fallen under the spell of his physical perfection, but since she was on the clock, he supposed that he could put his ego aside and simply enjoy her nearness.

  There were formalities to go through. He needed to give her a piece of his shadow to sync her body to his and let him know her moods, but that would wait. He didn’t want to chance the dark energy disrupting what he had just read.

  And so, when they have displeased their folk, the Shadows shall be pressed into the cavern until such time as their sentence has been accrued. Once that time has gone, they will only leave with the touch of the light and drawn through the barrier that marked their imprisonment.

  It was formally worded, but Ekinar was hopeful that Teyha qualified as the light and that she could bring the children and Nosku back through.

  * * * *

  Teyha woke with a jolt as light started to caress her. She sat up, groaned and looked to Ekinar.

  He was seated in the same position she had just been in, and he stirred when she dropped her pack and stood up.

  “Nature calls. I will be right back.” Teyha moved and stretched her stiff limbs as she located a suitably hidden outcropping.

  After she was suited back up, she returned to the chasm, staring at the now-visible glyphs while she washed her hands in some of her drinking water before grabbing a ration pack out of her bag.

  “What did you learn from the archway?” Teyha munched quietly.

  Ekinar stretched, and she watched his shadows flex and twist around him. He was back to being hidden, and she couldn’t stifle a sigh. He was so pretty when her senses were on high alert.

  “You may be able to bring them out. It says that the touch of the light will bring them out. You are definitely not shadow, so you might qualify.”

  She grimaced. “If I can’t get out, there is a flare gun in my pack. Just after dusk tonight, fire the blue flare. Help will come and to hell with the kids’ job future, we will get them out alive.”


  “I hope it does not come to that. Try and see if you can get in and out.” Ekinar’s tone was encouraging.

  Teyha looked into the darkness of the prison and sighed. “Fine. Don’t forget. Blue flare, straight up.”

  “Blue flare, straight up. Good luck.”

  He touched her arm, and she felt part of his shadow touch her cheek. When she looked at him, it was gone, but there was no doubt that something had just happened.

  Teyha breathed in deep, striding forward. For better or worse, she was walking right into the mouth of hell.

  Chapter Four

  The texture of the air changed, growing thick and heavy. Teyha exhaled and inhaled again sharply. The air was fine. The sensation was on her skin, clawing at her senses.

  As suddenly as it started, it stopped, and she stumbled into an antechamber.

  Four pale faces stared at her. Nosku seemed uncomfortable. “Why are you here?”

  “The translation indicates that I may be able to take you out of here, one by one. Who is first?”

  The young men frowned at her, and it was easy to see which one was Nosku’s nephew. The young woman looked exhausted, so Teyha extended her hand. “What is your name?”

  “Hiska. Hiska Kandor. This is my brother, Ritgar.”

  Teyha smiled at the manners that were in evidence in this young woman. “I am Teyha Wynn. Pleased to meet you.”

  Nosku cleared his throat. “This is my nephew, Darku Sheval.”

  Teyha nodded toward the young man. “Pleased to meet you as well. Now, someone is going to have to go first, and I would rather it be one of the folk who have been here for a while.”

  Hiska stepped forward. “I will try. It was painful to attempt it the first few times, so I am really hoping this works.”

  Teyha smiled. “You and me both. Boys, I will be back as soon as I can if this works and sooner if it doesn’t.”

  She held out her hand, and Hiska took it. The teen was taller than Teyha already and her skin was cooler than it should be.

  They walked back to the barrier, and Teyha tightened her grip as she stepped into the column of air that seemed to stop the Shadow Folk. Hiska slowed but forged forward, and in fifteen seconds, they were out in the open with Ekinar waiting for them.

  “You did it!”

  Teyha laughed as she bent forward, resting her hands on her knees. “I did one, now for the other three. This is not going to be fun.”

  He was at her side with his hand on her shoulder.

  Hiska was sobbing softly, her shadowed face tilted to the sun. Now that she was in daylight, her shadows were wrapped around her once again.

  Teyha drank some water, took in a few mouthfuls of rations and turned back to the chasm. “Okay, calm controlled. I can do this.”

  She forged into the prison once again and smiled brightly as she caught her breath. “Hiska is safe. Who is next?”

  Ritgar took her hand and went to join his sister. He whispered as they paused before crossing the barrier. “Thank you for doing this. Thank you for finding us.”

  “Thank me when we make it out to the other side.” She breathed deeply, watched him do the same and charged through the barrier without looking back.

  She stumbled and fell when they made it out the other side.

  Ritgar went forward and embraced Hiska. The siblings sat together, whispering their relief.

  Teyha knelt and struggled for her body to calm down. Her pulse was racing, her vision was blurry and her knees were weak.

  “Take a rest. You can’t do this twice more and stay conscious.” Ekinar was at her side, stroking tendrils of hair from her face.

  “I will have to do it once and make it count then.” Teyha nodded. She drank more water and turned to plunge back into the barrier for the final time.

  Nosku and Darku were waiting nervously.

  She gasped, coughed and straightened. “I don’t have the strength to do this twice more today, so if I am going to pass out, I would rather it be in daylight with everyone safe.”

  Nosku scowled. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you are each going to take one of my hands and cling to my arm if you have to, but I am getting you both out of here right now.” She tried to make it look like she knew what she was doing, but she really had no clue.

  She moved to the edge of the barrier and extended her arms. Darku took her left, Nosku her right and each grabbed a bicep. As one, they moved forward, and it took thirty seconds to walk ten feet, but on the other side, sweet air greeted them.

  Teyha fell into Ekinar’s arms, and he lifted her, seating her next to her pack.

  Spots were flickering in her vision, and they grew closer and closer together until the shadow casing Ekinar was the last thing she saw.

  * * * *

  “What is wrong with her?” Nosku’s strident demand grated on Ekinar’s nerves.

  “She used up her energy hauling you through the barrier. Her power wrapped around you and burned off as you passed through the gateway. You owe her your life.”

  Nosku frowned. “This was her duty.”

  Ekinar rounded on him, lashing out at the other male with his shadows and lifting Nosku off the ground. “Her duty? She is a historian. This is her hobby, what she does for fun and personal education.”

  Darku put his hand on his uncle’s arm. “We owe her our lives. You would not have found us without her. No electronics work here. We dropped out of the sky and nothing we could do would stop our descent. It was Hiska’s piloting that got us in alive.”

  Ritgar stood up with his arm around his sister. “It seems that women have saved us at all critical points in this adventure. Can we be going now?”

  Ekinar shook his head. “No. We can’t find our way back without her. Let her rest.”

  As if his words were prophetic, Teyha heaved in a deep breath and struggled upright. His heart lurched as her bloodshot eyes focussed on him. She smiled weakly. “I am okay, but I have one question, does anyone here actually want to see the Temple of Shadows?”

  The expressions on their faces were enough to lift Teyha’s spirit. “If someone can carry my pack, I can take you there now. It isn’t far.”

  Ekinar helped her to her feet and slung her pack over one shoulder, surprised at its weight. “You carried this all this way?”

  “Well, it was heavier when I started. There are a lot of emergency kits in there as well as the flares.” She tottered but stabilized when Ekinar offered her his arm.

  Holding to his arm, she smiled at the amassed Shadow Folk, “Well, do you want to see the temple?”

  Nosku cleared his throat. “If we are able to, please. We appreciate your assistance in this matter.”

  Teyha blinked. “Um, my pleasure. It is always good to share knowledge when one can. Who knows, you are probably the only folk of the Nine who have been to this area since your ancestors left.”

  Ritgar and Hiska took on an anticipatory posture. Hiska asked quietly. “Can we go? Please?”

  Teyha laughed, “If you want to head for that third pillar, turn north, go around the rocky outcropping and then see if you can find your temple. It’s wiley.”

  The teens and Nosku took off.

  Teyha smiled up at Ekinar and walked slowly with him.

  “You did an excellent thing getting them all out.”

  “I know. I just wish I wasn’t so tired. I have a lecture in two days.” She smiled. “I will need to get some sleep before then, and I don’t know when I will fit it in.”

  They walked slowly toward the outcropping that Teyha had identified, and as they reached the first turn, shouts of astonishment echoed along the rocks.

  “I believe they have found it.” She chuckled as the excited chatter reached them.

  Ekinar held her steady as they rounded the curves of the path, and when he saw the Temple of Shadows, he let out the same amazed sound as the others.

  Chapter Five

  A pyramid of buff stone with a polarized cap sat in the cen
tre of the valley floor. It was beautiful, and Teyha smiled the same way she had when her parents had been at her side.

  Ahead of them, Nosku and the teens were running toward the temple entrance. Teyha smiled at Ekinar, “If you want to run down there, I can manage on my own. I will get there eventually.”

  “It has lasted thousands of years. It will manage to survive for the ten minutes it will take to walk there.”

  “Very practical.” She was relieved. Her body was not up to supporting itself. “Once we get there, if you want to run around and be all Shadow Folky, I will understand. Just park me in a corner and let me flip out my bedroll, and you can cease to babysit me.”

  He turned the dark flickering shadows surrounding his face. “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “I wouldn’t mind sleeping here under full sun.”

  He chuckled. “Fair enough. I will wake you at sundown.”

  She gave him a thumbs up but wasn’t sure if it translated. “It means everything is good.”

  He nodded. “I have taken the Gaian euphemism classes. They also included some colourful language that I will need help with one day.”

  Teyha laughed, “Call Daphne. She is an expert on language not fit for mixed company, though she rarely uses it herself.”

  “I thought I might come to one of your lectures and meet you after for tea or dinner.” His words—though casual—dropped heavily between them.

  She blinked. “I don’t know what kind of company I would be. My brain tends to be locked onto the ancient sites on Gaia and the diaries of the first colonists.”

  “It sounds fascinating. I was interested in the history of Underhill before I entered the service and ended up as the Council Representative for the Shadow Folk.” He continued to walk at her pace, but the ball was now in her court.

  Teyha bit her lip. “Sure. Dinner would be nice, I mean, whenever you get back down here.”

  She paused, not sure if she was overstepping her bounds. “I have come up with a reasonable excuse for why the teens ended up on the surface. Something close to the truth, but it does lay a bit of blame on Nosku. Nothing major, just a little bit of negligence on the part of an uncle. I will need to find out how they knew to come here though, in order to make the story more plausible.”