share if you want it.”
“Does that mean I’ll get to drive it?”
“Land sakes, no. And the proper term is pilot.”
Cedar snorted. “So, I’ll own a part of it, but I won’t have any actual rights to use it?”
“You can ride in it, sleep in it, and chase off any pirates that try to board it.”
“Are you sure you’re not confusing the duties of owners with the duties of hired hands?”
“We’ll figure out the details once we’re ready to get it in the air. Sometime after we get out of this cave.” Kali pointed at the exit.
“Just give me five minutes to see if I can find where the rest of the bodies are hiding.”
Kali grumbled but didn’t object when he headed back to the rubble pile. Indeed, she followed him and held up her lantern for him. He thought of asking her to wait outside—if he did find those bodies, they might be in a gorier condition than the bones—but maybe she would have an idea as to where a secret chamber might be.
“What’s this?” Kali murmured from a few feet behind him.
She was kneeling on the ground, running a finger along the rock.
“Find something?” he asked, taking a step in her direction.
“A crack.”
Something gave beneath his foot, and his heel descended an inch.
Kali stood. “It occurs to me that—”
The ground tilted so sharply, Cedar was flung against the rubble wall. The angle grew steeper, and he dropped to the cave floor, scrabbling with his hands, trying to find a grip. The smooth stone offered nothing. It tilted to vertical and he plunged into darkness, air whistling past his ears.
He landed on his feet, but the fall had been too far and too fast, and he wasn’t prepared for the jolt. Pain shot up his legs, even as his heels slipped out from beneath him, and he tumbled to his butt. Only his backpack helped break the landing. His lantern had escaped his hands on the way down, and it struck the ground a few feet away and went out. He still had his rifle, but he couldn’t see a damned thing. Maybe it was just as well. He had found the source of the stench, of the urine and sweat and rotting meat. His hand squished in something cold and damp when he pushed himself to his feet.
“Kali?” he called, peering upward, hoping she hadn’t fallen in as well. But the light was gone up there.
A groan of pain answered him, and his shoulders slumped. She had fallen into the pit too.
He took a step in her direction—something squished beneath his boot.
“Kali?”
She wasn’t the one to respond. The faint sound that reached his ears was familiar, though he hadn’t expected to hear it up here in the Yukon. He had last heard it when he passed through the New Mexico Territory three years ago—the buzz of a rattlesnake.
More buzzes started up—so many that it almost sounded like there were angry bees in the walls.
“Not a positive development,” Cedar muttered.
Even though he wanted to check on Kali, he had a feeling he needed a light, and he needed it fast. He found the lantern, but the flame had gone out. Something slithered past his leg. His instincts were to pound at it with his rifle, but that would only irritate a critter. Besides, he couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face; there might be twenty of the infernal snakes down here. The last thing he wanted was to make them angry. More angry.
The rattles were picking up in intensity. Something plopped to the ground near him—it sounded like the snakes had been holed up in the walls and were coming out to feed.
Cedar started to yank off his backpack, intending to grab his flint again, but a memory popped into his head. Instead of digging for the flint, he grabbed the bottle of kerosene for the lanterns. He ripped off the lid and spattered the liquid on the ground around him. He groped his way to Kali, dumping more kerosene on the way. He found her and pulled her to her feet—the groan that escaped her lips reassured him; she might have taken a hard fall, but she was alive. He
“Does that mean I’ll get to drive it?”
“Land sakes, no. And the proper term is pilot.”
Cedar snorted. “So, I’ll own a part of it, but I won’t have any actual rights to use it?”
“You can ride in it, sleep in it, and chase off any pirates that try to board it.”
“Are you sure you’re not confusing the duties of owners with the duties of hired hands?”
“We’ll figure out the details once we’re ready to get it in the air. Sometime after we get out of this cave.” Kali pointed at the exit.
“Just give me five minutes to see if I can find where the rest of the bodies are hiding.”
Kali grumbled but didn’t object when he headed back to the rubble pile. Indeed, she followed him and held up her lantern for him. He thought of asking her to wait outside—if he did find those bodies, they might be in a gorier condition than the bones—but maybe she would have an idea as to where a secret chamber might be.
“What’s this?” Kali murmured from a few feet behind him.
She was kneeling on the ground, running a finger along the rock.
“Find something?” he asked, taking a step in her direction.
“A crack.”
Something gave beneath his foot, and his heel descended an inch.
Kali stood. “It occurs to me that—”
The ground tilted so sharply, Cedar was flung against the rubble wall. The angle grew steeper, and he dropped to the cave floor, scrabbling with his hands, trying to find a grip. The smooth stone offered nothing. It tilted to vertical and he plunged into darkness, air whistling past his ears.
He landed on his feet, but the fall had been too far and too fast, and he wasn’t prepared for the jolt. Pain shot up his legs, even as his heels slipped out from beneath him, and he tumbled to his butt. Only his backpack helped break the landing. His lantern had escaped his hands on the way down, and it struck the ground a few feet away and went out. He still had his rifle, but he couldn’t see a damned thing. Maybe it was just as well. He had found the source of the stench, of the urine and sweat and rotting meat. His hand squished in something cold and damp when he pushed himself to his feet.
“Kali?” he called, peering upward, hoping she hadn’t fallen in as well. But the light was gone up there.
A groan of pain answered him, and his shoulders slumped. She had fallen into the pit too.
He took a step in her direction—something squished beneath his boot.
“Kali?”
She wasn’t the one to respond. The faint sound that reached his ears was familiar, though he hadn’t expected to hear it up here in the Yukon. He had last heard it when he passed through the New Mexico Territory three years ago—the buzz of a rattlesnake.
More buzzes started up—so many that it almost sounded like there were angry bees in the walls.
“Not a positive development,” Cedar muttered.
Even though he wanted to check on Kali, he had a feeling he needed a light, and he needed it fast. He found the lantern, but the flame had gone out. Something slithered past his leg. His instincts were to pound at it with his rifle, but that would only irritate a critter. Besides, he couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face; there might be twenty of the infernal snakes down here. The last thing he wanted was to make them angry. More angry.
The rattles were picking up in intensity. Something plopped to the ground near him—it sounded like the snakes had been holed up in the walls and were coming out to feed.
Cedar started to yank off his backpack, intending to grab his flint again, but a memory popped into his head. Instead of digging for the flint, he grabbed the bottle of kerosene for the lanterns. He ripped off the lid and spattered the liquid on the ground around him. He groped his way to Kali, dumping more kerosene on the way. He found her and pulled her to her feet—the groan that escaped her lips reassured him; she might have taken a hard fall, but she was alive. He
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