spell, twisting it and folding it in on itself until it covered the glowing rock. ‘Who shall pass, pass not with guile. Who shall try, shall only fail…’ Purple strands of energy jumped out, hitting her palm andzapping like a lightning strike. She jerked her hand back and rubbed her fingers. The smell of burnt flesh filled the corridor. Amarillo reared; his iron-shod hooves clipped the edge of the rock wall and sparks flew. ‘Easy, lad.’ She soothed the stallion. ‘You don’t want to bring the roof down on us.’
The portal swirled, streams of light dancing in spiral patterns.
Will the corridors run true, Mistress? Without one of the blood? The Lemur raven settled on the back of Amarillo’s saddle.
‘One of the blood!’ She spat the words.
Will they? he persisted.
‘We’re about to find out, Woca. We’ll either land where I intend, or…’
Or?
‘We’re lost in the corridors forever.’
T ENSAR —T IME : C IRCULAR
CHAPTER 4
R osette inched her way forward, peering into the dark. She kept her breath soft, her steps guarded, unsure of the footing. Her fingers groped along the wall, chunks of rock breaking loose, crumbling in her hands. She coughed in the dust. This place was new—she felt certain she’d never been here before, but still she had a strange feeling of déjà vu.
‘Drayco? Can you see anything?’ she whispered, resting her hand on the temple cat’s back.
I see everything. Drayco’s voice reverberated in her mind, warm and deep, a soothing balm in the dry atmosphere of the cave.
She patted his head. ‘Like what, for instance? Can you describe it to me?’ She couldn’t see her fingertips when she held them in front of her face.
It’s a wide tunnel, Maudi. A cave. Wider than the sewers under Half Moon Bay, and the smells are broader here too. There are not as many metallic tones, though there is at least as much decomposition. There’s daylight ahead, bats behind. Watchfulness ahead, sleepiness behind.
‘Thanks.’ She strained into the blackness. ‘More light ahead? More than what?’
More than here. See?
‘Can’t see. That’s the point. Where’s Jarrod?’
Drayco pressed his shoulder against her side. I don’t know.
‘I thought you could see and smell everything! He was just in front of us.’
He was just in front of us in the portal, true. But this is not the portal and he’s not anywhere in front of us now.
Dust wafted across her face, the feel of it gritty on her lips. ‘He has to be.’
Really, Maudi? Is that true? He has to be?
‘Doesn’t he?’
Rosette cupped her hands to her mouth and called out. ‘J-a-r-r-o-d!’ Her voice echoed through the cave, waves rippling in all directions. Before the sound died away, pebbles started trickling down the walls. Jarrod didn’t answer, but the mountain rumbled and groaned. Rosette clamped her hand over her mouth, holding her breath. ‘Oh no.’ She sank her fingers into Drayco’s fur, clutching him tight.
I wouldn’t be yelling at this point, Maudi. Drayco’s tail brushed past her as he snapped it back and forth.
The mountain’s edgy.
‘What do you mean, edgy ?’
I mean unstable, volatile … edgy. Like a keg of dynamite near a campfire.
‘Got it,’ she whispered. ‘But Jarrod was here only a second ago.’ She continued forward, taking baby steps. ‘Where could he be?’
Drayco didn’t answer. He gave her hand a nip and quickened his pace. I want to get out of here.
‘Me too.’ She stumbled after him towards the light.
The call to this world had been urgent. Rosette had felt it instantly. They’d been at Timbali Temple, searching the library for ancient records, looking for a map or a list that identified all the portals to the many-worlds. They knew of a few—those of the Richter line being intrinsically drawn to them—but Jarrod thought there were more scattered throughout Gaela. They needed to be identified. Rosette had suggested they search the archives of the oldest
The portal swirled, streams of light dancing in spiral patterns.
Will the corridors run true, Mistress? Without one of the blood? The Lemur raven settled on the back of Amarillo’s saddle.
‘One of the blood!’ She spat the words.
Will they? he persisted.
‘We’re about to find out, Woca. We’ll either land where I intend, or…’
Or?
‘We’re lost in the corridors forever.’
T ENSAR —T IME : C IRCULAR
CHAPTER 4
R osette inched her way forward, peering into the dark. She kept her breath soft, her steps guarded, unsure of the footing. Her fingers groped along the wall, chunks of rock breaking loose, crumbling in her hands. She coughed in the dust. This place was new—she felt certain she’d never been here before, but still she had a strange feeling of déjà vu.
‘Drayco? Can you see anything?’ she whispered, resting her hand on the temple cat’s back.
I see everything. Drayco’s voice reverberated in her mind, warm and deep, a soothing balm in the dry atmosphere of the cave.
She patted his head. ‘Like what, for instance? Can you describe it to me?’ She couldn’t see her fingertips when she held them in front of her face.
It’s a wide tunnel, Maudi. A cave. Wider than the sewers under Half Moon Bay, and the smells are broader here too. There are not as many metallic tones, though there is at least as much decomposition. There’s daylight ahead, bats behind. Watchfulness ahead, sleepiness behind.
‘Thanks.’ She strained into the blackness. ‘More light ahead? More than what?’
More than here. See?
‘Can’t see. That’s the point. Where’s Jarrod?’
Drayco pressed his shoulder against her side. I don’t know.
‘I thought you could see and smell everything! He was just in front of us.’
He was just in front of us in the portal, true. But this is not the portal and he’s not anywhere in front of us now.
Dust wafted across her face, the feel of it gritty on her lips. ‘He has to be.’
Really, Maudi? Is that true? He has to be?
‘Doesn’t he?’
Rosette cupped her hands to her mouth and called out. ‘J-a-r-r-o-d!’ Her voice echoed through the cave, waves rippling in all directions. Before the sound died away, pebbles started trickling down the walls. Jarrod didn’t answer, but the mountain rumbled and groaned. Rosette clamped her hand over her mouth, holding her breath. ‘Oh no.’ She sank her fingers into Drayco’s fur, clutching him tight.
I wouldn’t be yelling at this point, Maudi. Drayco’s tail brushed past her as he snapped it back and forth.
The mountain’s edgy.
‘What do you mean, edgy ?’
I mean unstable, volatile … edgy. Like a keg of dynamite near a campfire.
‘Got it,’ she whispered. ‘But Jarrod was here only a second ago.’ She continued forward, taking baby steps. ‘Where could he be?’
Drayco didn’t answer. He gave her hand a nip and quickened his pace. I want to get out of here.
‘Me too.’ She stumbled after him towards the light.
The call to this world had been urgent. Rosette had felt it instantly. They’d been at Timbali Temple, searching the library for ancient records, looking for a map or a list that identified all the portals to the many-worlds. They knew of a few—those of the Richter line being intrinsically drawn to them—but Jarrod thought there were more scattered throughout Gaela. They needed to be identified. Rosette had suggested they search the archives of the oldest
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