|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cyrus stood guard in front of the opening to give Kyna as much time as possible. When it was obvious that the Dark Man and his companion were about to regain their sight, he slipped through the hole. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Stop him!" the Hungan screamed. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Even with his night vision, the cavern was a place of perpetual twilight. It was a gigantic bell-shaped dome, hollow down the middle and full of dark niches and restless wind. Cyrus discovered that he was standing at the top of a narrow catwalk that hugged the cavern walls as it meandered back and forth down into the very bowels of the mountain. The bottomif the cave had a bottomwas so far below that even Cyrus couldn't see it. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
He took off down the pathstill much faster on three legs than twoleaving a trail of blood that even a blind man could follow. When he reached the first hairpin switchback about fifty feet down, he leaned against the wall and threw up. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On the way down, he passed dozens of dark niches. Each of the cool crevices had called to him to crawl into its warm darkness and rest. He threw up againa viscous mixture of blood, cheese and bilebut he felt a little better. His shoulder was starting to crust over but it still felt like it had been worked over with a blowtorch. As much as he wanted to lie down, Kyna's scent was on everything and that helped keep him moving. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After about a mile he came to a level area in the midst of another switchback and found the first signs that Kyna was in |
|
|
|
|
|