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"That was--"

The woone Whoever she is--whatever she is--she has disappeared

"What in the world was that?"

The creature grunts

I glare at it, like this is all its fault I’ the woman was here for me She wanted to seethat’s been going on, I’m at the end of s into the creature When it’s gone back to the abyss, I retrieveand continue on o sideways in ht

CHAPTER 17

GRETCHEN

The worst thing about the abyss is the dark The s the ho darkness is worse It’s like a massive, endless cavern carved froets sucked into the nearest surface If not for the eerie green glow of the lights--for lack of a better word--hanging from above, the entire place would be in pitch darkness

This is exactly hoould picture Hades, only I iine the underworld with more fire and sulfur

The rocky surfaces are shiny--slass--and they look wet to the touch They’re bone dry

Everything here is dry except for the black river that cuts through the center of the cavern I haven’t gotten desperate enough to drink froet out of here soon, I’ll have no choice My h the portal, I had an expectation of what I’d find on the other side The several seconds I spent flying through the swirling tunnel gave me the chance to form a mental picture--and to ask , but it was a pointless question by then I picturedout into a sea ofNick to tiny little pieces and eager to do the saet a part of me so they could claim their bounty and earn their freedom

I didn’t expect to be dumped into an eht I landed, yanked ht that never ca I’ve been here--hours, days, longer?--because there is no sun to h and I can’t get it to power up I’ve never worn a watch in my life, but noish I did