The sky did not stay gray for long. It drew together like a fist, red veins glowing on and off within it, as if someone were breathing beneath the cloud cover. Rhea walked ahead with her head down, eyes fixed on the handheld scanner. Alaric kept pace beside Lina, one hand on the carrying strap of his weapon, the other free, as if he had learned that comfort needed to be drawn as quickly as metal.
"Two more kilometers to the shaft," Rhea murmured. "If Malrik is really redirecting the North Vein, this is our only chance to get underneath."
"And if not?" asked Alaric.
"Then it'll be brief."
Lina said nothing. Inside her lay a fine ringing, a tone on the threshold of hearing. The Heart Code had curled up like an animal after the attempt at the Basin and now lurked vigilantly. She could feel it without it burning. A feeling that both calmed and disturbed her. Power that didn't hurt was seductive.
