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"Natalie!" He looked for her, but saw nothing The ground around where she had been lying was an open wound, sand and rock pouring into it He dove after her

Landing in a roll, he spotted her crouched in an odd cavern that seemed to bloom beneath the desert floor The earth around theh the sand and rock rained down, the cave appeared stable In the blink of an eye, he bent over her and wrapped his ar debris until the earth stilled She trembled underneath him, and he could smell the blood that stained her skin fro when the earth finally stoppedfrom around her body to clear the sand and hair fro for any threat, but no energy reached hiash where they had fallen had caved in and was covered by tueway that led into the unknown Was it a mine shaft? An old tunnel?

Baojia could hear her heart beating furiously, so he lifted her in his ar that led farther down It was pitch-black, but he sensed a faered under the earth Tulio This passage, whatever it was, , and he could s metallihatever c scent of her blood He followed Tulio’s scent farther into the black, but could feel nothing and no one else They were utterly alone beneath the earth

Eventually, he could feel the air grow fresher and the sound of his steps echoed as he entered a wider part of the passageway Froht the distinct s out until he could feel a niche in the wall A stack of candles lay there, next to a box of matches With steady hands, he lit one and looked around the roo but the wo only a few feet away

He lit another, then another, placing them at intervals around a roo place Or es such as this one Burrows carved from the earth to make for easy escape or shelter

Whatever it was, it was safe

The floor was dusty, but wool rugs were scattered over it, and a soft pallet sat in one corner Wordlessly, Baojia picked up Natalie and laid her on it, carefully surveying her for wounds as his tension shifted froer

"Where are we?" Her voice was scratchy and hoarse "Is there anyone else down here?"

"No"

He ran careful hands over her legs first, checking her ankles for twists or breaks He bent and rotated the joints, carefully watching for signs of pain There was a cut in her right calf but it wasn’t deep He quickly ripped the lower part of her jeans away and bent down, piercing his tongue to clean and heal the wound before he checked her knees

"Baojia--"

"Be quiet," he muttered as he continued his examination Her arms were next He perforht appeared to be slightly swollen, but not broken or seriously sprained Another cut marked her left forearm He ripped away the sleeve of her shirt and healed that wound as well

"Are you going to talk to me?"

He still didn’t speak, just pushed her back on the pallet to gently run hands over her torso and ribs Though there were more scrapes, particularly on her lower back and left shoulder fron of internal injuries or broken bones He could hear her start to sniff

"Will you say so? Please?"