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"They do," I agree, catching his eye "We’re going to be all right" I say the words aloud to Vel, testing them, because in the aftermath of the war, Doc’s death, my trial, the separation from March, and the loss of Adele, that’s the first ti could ever be all right again

But the world e feels like the end of everything It never stops That’s harsh andis imht like fossils in ao dark and raw, full of shadows, leaving you with the memories

And the world moves on

"Yes," he says quietly in Ithtorian "As long as we have each other, Sirantha, I believe ill be"

I would follow him anywhere, I realize Once, I would’ve only said that about March, but Vel has earned ether in silence and sip his rough-and-ready soup It doesn’t taste like y and nutrients we need to survive

"Where do you want to go?" I ask "You’re still paying dues to the guild, right? I could help you take targets"

"I am done with that life" A flat answer, no explanations

But I suspect Vel sees his life in chapters When Adele sent hi to distract hi marks the end of that version of him Now he must become somebody new in order to bear the loss I understand that completely--and whatever I can do to help hione, I lie down on the , which is just a bit brighter than the dark here on Marakeq, Dace is waiting for us I expect a farewell feast, but instead she has so i me, anyway

"Hurry," she says "The others remain in their dreams If they knew, they would stop rabs his pack, and we follow her Zeeka pokes his head out, watching over her shoulder He’s already bigger and stronger than our Baby-Z ever becaht let hi hiainst his mother’s shoulder

"The secret place," she replies "The shadow place All echoes, no silence"

Which tellssoers would disapprove of, but I recognize Vel’s look He’s intrigued by forbidden knowledge, so I fall in without protest

Dace creeps through the village and past, in the opposite direction from the ship March and I never came this far on our first trip, so I don’t knohat’s out here It’s raining, of course, but I swear there are, like, four days on Marakeq when it isn’t This ht drizzle that damps my hair and makes it frizzy

We walk for several kilo over her shoulder periodically, tilting her head as if she can s in this swarow along the river, with s from the stalks She tears one and chews on it like it’s a savory treat The thing oozes a foul, orange sap, and she shares it with Zeeka Politely, she offers it to us as well I decline

And by midday, we reach the ruins

It looks like the rens I’ve seen before The ancients left all kinds of rubble strewn across the galaxy; we found much of it as our slow ships made their way frolea black rock scattered about the base of a staircase that descends down, down, down I can’t iine what she wants to show us Down there My pulse accelerates; I don’t like going underground at the best of tih to see this rit ht of the stone doesn’t bother me

"Follow," she orders

And there’s no question she ht before has been replaced with a soh the first steps are slippery with sli forbidden territory, and that the other Mareq would be really pissed off to find us here

So be it I go down into the dark

CHAPTER 24

Unlike the rest of Marakeq, the ruins are dry Halfway down the staircase, I can’t see low illuminates the path Dace doesn’t seem to have any trouble, however; she can apparently see in the dark There is no hesitation in her steps as she hurries deeper into the darkness

From so froht seal in here Whatever’s down here ress He stays right with our Mareq guide, and by the shine of his eyes, his ocular ca up the rear At this point, I wish I had a weapon, but they’re secured in Vel’s pack, as we didn’t want the Mareq to think ere a threat, a reasonable assumption if we showed up with shockstick and pistol in hand But I trust Vel, and if he thinks it’s necessary, he’ll toss me the means to defend myself

The tunnel widens as it slopes down, not a sharp angle, but a gradual one I’ down on ht around, accenting scratches on the walls Soe, but others were unrooves and find it’s worn smooth inside

"This is the way to the dark city," Dace tells us