At the far side of the ledge Jason followed Corinne into a crack in the wall. Bracing against the sides of the fissure, he had to chimney up for twenty feet before reaching where the tunnel continued.
Once the hellish cavern was behind them, they increased their pace again. Jason was relieved to find the air growing a bit fresher. “I can breathe a little,” he said.
“What a treat,” Corinne replied without turning.
“If the air had gotten any thicker, it would have become solid.”
That earned a chuckle.
Their path was trending up more than down now, and they had a little more space to maneuver. From up ahead they heard loud gurgling and sloshing. Jasher started to jog, and the others matched his pace. Drenched in greasy sweat, Jason panted shallowly. His head started to pound.
They reached an intersection where the corridor forked. The sound of heaving water noisily emanated from the left passage. Jasher headed right.
From behind, the sloshing increased to a blustery roar.
“Faster!” Del called.
Their pace increased to a sprint. The cave was growing narrow, so Jason jostled against the sides as he ran, scraping his shoulders. He pulled against the knobby walls where possible to keep his momentum. The muscles in his legs burned, and a sharp pain corkscrewed into his side. The watery roar behind him increased in ferocity. A moist, sweltering gale swept over him. He expected a searing tide to overcome him at any moment.
The tight cave broadened into a roomy cavern. Leg muscles protesting, Jason dashed across the cavern, a couple of paces behind Corinne. He followed her up a slope at the far side of the room and into another cramped tunnel. A jagged stone protuberance slashed the outside of his upper arm as he blundered against it. He hardly felt the pain. Behind him he heard water hissing and surging.
“Duck,” Corinne called back to him.
He relayed the message back to Aram and crouched low. Soon he was hurriedly crawling, his knees and elbows suffering because of his haste. His heart hammered rapidly. He felt like a participant in a nightmare marathon designed to drive claustrophobics insane.
“We might be clear,” Heg called from behind. “The cavern behind us had many offshoots. I think it absorbed the eruption.”
The way sloped more dramatically upward. The air kept feeling less suffocating. They no longer tried to crawl at a sprint, but they continued to hurry. After falling flat to wriggle through a low gap, they could stand again.
Steam vents and threatening gurgles became less frequent. The air cooled and freshened. Jason felt less edgy. The steepness tired his legs, but the evidence that they were on their way out of the subterranean maze boosted his spirits.
At last, drenched and panting, caked with grime, they emerged from an aperture near the bottom of a deep chasm. Vertical walls of rock loomed at either hand, leading to an unreachable strip of sky high above. Water flowed from wall to wall along the floor of the gorge, before slurping underground twenty feet below the gap they had exited.
“The river helps feed the caverns,” Farfalee noted. “This is the Narrow Way. We must proceed until we reach the falls.”
“Where’s the trail?” Nia asked.
“The river is the trail,” Jasher replied. “We walk upstream.”
Fortunately, the river was not raging. The current was steady, but it slowed where the gorge widened. At some points islands or ledges poked out of the water. Most of the time they slogged upriver with the water level somewhere between their knees and waists.
Unlike in the Scalding Caverns, this water was cool. Almost too cool, though not unbearable. Jasher tried to choose the easiest route, avoiding deep pools and leading them onto ledges and islands wherever possible. On one long island they paused to eat and refresh themselves.
Corinne looked skyward. “Stars are coming out. Why is Aram still small?”
“Could be that the deep gorge is creating a premature twilight,” Farfalee said.
“Aye,” Aram confirmed. “The way my condition works, standing in a shadowy canyon does not count as sundown. I won’t change until the sun drops below the horizon we would see from up top. I’ve developed a sense for it over the years. Feels like it will be another couple of hours yet.”
After the break they plodded onward. In some places they had to wade up to their chests or even swim a little. The gorge grew gloomier with every passing minute. Jason was glad for his seaweed.
While they forced their way forward against a waist-deep current, Jason noticed Corinne shivering. She hugged her elbows close, and her neck was pebbled with gooseflesh.
“Corinne is freezing,” Jason announced.
“I’ll be fine,” she replied hastily, unable to prevent her teeth from chattering. “The evening is warm.”
“Water saps heat faster than air,” Aram said. “I’m feeling it too.”
“We’ll pause to recover on the little island up ahead,” Farfalee said. She held up a hand. “Wait a moment. Stop and listen.” Everyone came to a halt.
“The falls,” Nia said.
Jason heard them too. “We’ve got to be close.”
Upon reaching the island, they could find no materials for a fire, but Jasher produced a dry blanket for Corinne to use after she had wrung out her clothes. Nia tirelessly rubbed Corinne’s arms, shoulders, back, and legs to help warm her.
Heg stood on the far side of the island beside Farfalee, gazing toward the unseen falls. “Do you suppose we’ll reach the falls tonight?” Heg asked.
“I expect so,” Farfalee said. “I think we should press on until we get there. The sooner we learn what the seer has to offer, the sooner Galloran can benefit from the information.”
“Aram, when will you grow?” Heg called.
“Not much longer.”
In a single quick movement Heg drew his dagger and stabbed Farfalee in the chest. Cupping his hand against the back of her neck, he caught her seed as it came free. As her body collapsed, Heg held the bloodstained dagger point to her amar.
“No!” Jasher cried, face contorting with shock and rage as he drew his sword.
Jason had been removing some dried meat from his pack. He remained in a crouch, petrified with astonishment.
“Everyone keep still!” Heg demanded. “It would be tragic to see such a long and illustrious life obliterated.”
Jasher restrained himself and gestured for the others to stand down. “What is the meaning of this?”
“We needed to have this conversation at some point before reaching the falls. Now seemed the opportune moment.”