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  Yana chomped her apple. She chewed twice before spitting it on the ground. "Is bad. Is yuck. Don't like it. No, not at all."

  Frald rolled her own apple between her palms and laughed. "The girl is going to have an interesting time on the outside, isn't she? Quite a transition I imagine, if she's been down here her whole life."

  "She has." I took Yana's apple and set it on my knee. If she didn't want it, I'd happily eat it for her. "What's above ground here? Where are we?"

  "Scarlet Canyons. We'll come up near the Rose River." Frald crunched the apple. She waited until she swallowed before continuing. "Where were you before you ended up down here?"

  "I was in Greeble. Daelis and Shan were in Jadeshire. The Jarrah drugged us and we woke up in the caves. Have you ever heard of them? The Jarrah?"

  Frald shrugged. "Sorry, no. Doesn't sound familiar. You should talk to the elders about it once I get you to the clan. They'll talk to you since you're an orc-friend." She nodded toward Daelis. "And they might talk to to him because he's a Goldtree. Lots of Foxfire orcs have Goldtree blood."

  "Do you?" I asked.

  "Sure. Daerion Goldtree was my great-great-great grandfather, so your elf is my third cousin or something like that. Damn it, I forgot his name. What is it again so I don't make an ass of myself when he wakes up?"

  "Daelis. And our son is Shannon. Shan."

  Frald nodded and tossed her apple core to the side. "All right, then. I can remember that. Daelis and Shannon-Shan. Yana the cave girl. Rin Sylleth the orc-friend. Why don't you get some sleep while I finish fixing up the boys? You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

  "I'm not sure if I have," I said.

  I laid down with Yana and closed my eyes. Frald Foxfire's sudden appearance was surreal and I was having trouble convincing myself she was real. Perhaps I was as ill as the others and she was a hopeful hallucination. After all this time, we couldn't possibly be near the surface, could we?

  Frald was still there when I woke. She was still real. All of this is real and we are going to see the sky again soon.

  Day 40

  I dreamed the outside world was fire and ash and decay, a smoldering ruin overrun with Jarrah and wyverns. They had destroyed it while we struggled through the caves. The ground was charred black and the rivers flowed red with blood. The world belonged to the Jarrah. Humans and orcs were locked in cages to either devour each other or starve to death, Fae were slaughtered and hung together like garlands between bough-stripped redwoods, smaller races like halflings and dwarves were leashed and kept as pets, and elves were given the choice to either loyally serve the Jarrah or join the orcs and humans in the cages.

  I heard screams and drifted unseen toward a pedestal. My children were upon it, chained and tortured. "This is what happens to those who defy us," the Jarrah shouted and the elven crowd cowered. Blood ran down my legs and I birthed a black dragon with eyes like starlight. A Jarrah approached me and snatched the dragon away before I could hold it. The Jarrah removed his mask to reveal himself as Shan. His appearance on the torture pedestal had been a trick. Dream-Shan was a Jarrah and he was taking my baby away.

  I awoke with a start.

  There was no fire. The world was gray stone and chilled air, and my family was as safe as could be expected down here. The orc was still with us. What was her name again? Frald Foxfire. She sat to the side with Daelis and Shan. I couldn't discern their words over the echoes and humming sprite wings, but I assumed they were talking about either their shared ancestry or our misadventures in the deep.

  I breathed deeply in an attempt to calm my racing heart. This was reality. The cave, my family, the orc and sprites who will lead us to the surface. If we're under the Scarlet Canyons, we won't be home quite yet, but a week's journey on the outside is better than another week underneath.

  Daelis noticed me watching him. I slipped out from under Yana's arm and went to him. He had dark circles beneath his bloodshot eyes, but his face was less swollen than yesterday and he breathed easily. He embraced me and said, "We'll be ready to go once you and Yana are. Frald said it will take all day, especially since we'll be a little slow."

  Shan reached out and touched my shoulder. "Hi, Mom. You have no idea how alarming it was to wake up with a strange orc in my face. I nearly stuck my sword in her. We're good now. We even figured out that we're fourth cousins, how weird is that? Hey, Dad, show her your hand."

  Two fingers on Daelis's left hand twitched. They were still for a moment, then twitched again. He exhaled deeply and said, "That's good, right? I'm not doing it intentionally, but they're still moving. I have a vague burning sensation running from my neck down the length of my arm. It's faint and I'm wondering if I might be imagining it."

  "No, I think you're feeling it," I said. I gently ran my fingers from his wrist to his fingertips. The two fingers fluttered in response. "Even if you only regain partial use of your arm, it's better than no use at all, right?"

  "I'm still alive. Anything further is a gift," Daelis said. He smiled at Frald, who was busy returning herb pouches to her backpack. "I'll never doubt the efficacy of orcs or their medicine again."

  Frald offered him a wink. "I'll continue to doubt the sincerity of elves. Except perhaps you, Daelis. You're okay." She fastened the buckles on her backpack and stretched her arms over her head. "Rin, you ought to wake your girl and give her a bite to eat. Your elf boys are ready to go. No more cave sickness for them today. I want to get moving. Can't take the eeriness of this place any longer and I want to be home for supper."

  Home... does such a place exist anymore? Is there a sky above the rock? Soon. We'll know soon.

  In the meantime, I'm about to hand off the dwarftstone lantern and the entirety of my toolkit to the iron sprites. They earned it and I don't want the Jarrah to know when the darkness surrounding the shrouded seeing stone shifts to daylight.

  Day 40, part 2

  We've run into a slight complication. Well, not slight. They're rather bulky and it will take some effort to move them. Especially since Shan and Daelis are physically useless at the moment and both of them are protesting me lifting anything heavy. Frald added to their objections once she found out about what she's now calling my "cave baby." Oh well. I suppose I'll sit here and write everything out while she clears away the bodies. Have fun, Frald.

  The path upward was steep enough that Shan and Daelis had difficulty managing it. Daelis, especially. He stumbled several times and would've landed on his face if I hadn't been there to catch him. His instinct to throw out both arms to break his fall wasn't going to help him.

  After the first stumble, Frald offered him her walking stick. He didn't take it until the third or fourth stumble, when he nearly slid backward down a slope that had taken him what felt like thirty minutes to climb. Please wait until we're home to resume your stubbornness, my dear. Don't fall to your death when we're almost there.

  We followed the sprites and Frald for hours. The tunnel walls were clay in some places. Clay! When's the last time I saw clay? Not since I've been down here. I was tempted to press my fingers into it, but I didn't have time for that.

  We reached a level area on the path and stopped to rest and eat. We were soon interrupted by a series of echoing growls.

  "Rin..." Yana's eyes grew wide. She grabbed my arm and tried to pull me upward. "I smell them. I hear them. Coming. They're coming."

  "What is it?" Frald asked. Her hand ventured to the hatchet holstered on her belt.

  "Varaku," Yana whispered. She pointed a shaking finger beyond Frald, in the direction we had been traveling toward. "That way. They find us again."

  I drew my sword. "Damn it. Yana, sweetie, go to Daelis." I stepped next to Frald. "They're about your height. Four arms, big mouths, nasty things so don't let them close. I'm not sure where their hearts are, so go for the throats."

  Shan was at my side with his sword held ready. I tried to elbow him back toward Daelis. "No, Shan. You're in no condition to fight."

 
"For this I am. I'm not going to stand aside and watch you fight for us when I can do something," Shan said.

  Six luminescent eyes appeared in the tunnel. Three pairs, one pair on top of the other. A Varaku duo led a massive, chained, wide-mouthed beast. Needle-sharp teeth gnashed as the beast caught sight of us.

  "Faralo abomination!" Yana shrieked. "Oh, no, no, no!"

  Six meters away. Where did I need to slice this thing? It had no neck, only a bean-shaped body with a face at one end and a spiked tail at the other. Six ostrich-like feet stomped the ground beneath a mass of ropy, lavender-colored hair.. Between the eyes... I needed to cleave it between the eyes.

  I gripped my sword hilt with both hands and raised it above my head. The chomping jaws were close enough to throw spittle into my face.

  "Get the Varaku!" I shouted as I lunged forward. I hacked my blade down on the top of the beast's head, right between the highest pair of eyes. Clang! The maneuver failed. The beast's skull was too hard to penetrate. My strength was enough to stun it, however. It staggered and knocked over one of the Varaku, whose head was promptly removed by the sword of Shan. Frald easily dispatched the second Varaku.

  "Three more coming from behind," Shan said. "Dunno how they'll get around. This thing is taking up most of the tunnel."

  The beast's hairy body shuddered and its teeth resumed gnashing. If I couldn't cleave its head, I'd stab out its eyes. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. The blind beast screamed in frustration and pain. Taking advantage of the wide-open mouth, I plunged my blade into its throat and swished it from side to side. Blood bubbled through the beast's teeth and pooled around my feet.

  I had to clamber on top of the beast's body to slay the remaining three Varaku, who were attempting to climb over it to get to us. One, two, three, easy. But, now there was the small problem of multiple large bodies blocking the narrow passageway.

  "Wow, Mom, nice! Three ugly whatsits and a big old the-hell-with-that. Didn't need me after all, did you?" Shan cleaned his blade and returned it to its sheath. He staggered until he found a wall to brace himself against. "Okay, I'm feeling it now. I think I need to sit down."

  "What are these things?" Frald spat on the nearest Varaku.

  "They're the cannibal bastards that keep Yana's people as mine slaves." I kicked the beast to be sure it was dead, then checked for life signs in the Varaku who still had heads before putting away my sword.

  "Patrol party," Yana said. She shied against Daelis, tears running down her ashen face. "They is patrol guard. Always in five group with Faralo abomination. Sniffs out things to eat. Sometimes people to eat."

  "Well, they're dead now," Frald said. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Ugly little assholes, aren't they? Well, let's get them out of the way so we can get out of this disgusting pit."

  Another day, another nightmare. Life may transition into something boring without them. I'm looking forward to that.

  Day 40, part 3

  There were still hours of climbing left after we removed the Varaku dam. Hours of chasing the red glow of iron sprites around bends and through forks in the path, hours of clay and mushrooms and slithering little cave creatures. Daelis and Shan were exhausted, but they refused to stop. Neither of them wanted to be a reason for spending another night in the underground.

  Frald and I alternated carrying Yana once she became too tired to walk. She was too excited to sleep, but her little legs couldn't keep up with us any longer.

  After a muddied eternity, Frald opened a hinged wooden door and we found ourselves in an old mine. Rusted tools and rotting wooden supports littered the path. Frald locked and bolted the door, then led us up a series of carved stone stairs.

  "Iron mine," she said. She rubbed red dust between her fingertips. "We don't use it anymore. The old miners said they dug too deep and found monsters. I didn't believe them until today. Best to keep those bloody bastards in the deep where they belong."

  A chill escaped my spine and flew down my arms. "Frald, I have some concerns about you taking us to your clan. Perhaps we should part when we reach the surface, in case those monsters are following us. Or worse, the Jarrah. They may have other ways to watch us besides the dwarfstone."

  "Pfft. The Foxfire Clan isn't about to let some toothy bastards and costumed assholes into the village. You're safe with us, probably safer than you'd be in Jadeshire. Orcs take care of their own, and being an orc-friend makes you one of us."

  "Are you certain? It could be dangerous to have us around."

  Frald paused on a landing so Daelis and Shan could catch up. "Listen. I know you want to go find your Jarrah and do to them what the mercenary Rin Sylleth does best, but you're staying with us for a day or two first. I'm not giving you a choice. Closest human settlement between here and Jadeshire is Coldtower, and that's a half-day into the Redcairns. Besides, I need to keep treating your elf boys, and you all look like you could use a couple good baths and hot meals."

  "Can't argue with that," I said. I transferred Yana back to Frald so I could reach for Daelis's hand. He was struggling and breathless. Shan was doing slightly better, but only because he didn't have injuries to deal with. No longer dying didn't mean they were fully recovered. "Dae, do you need a break?"

  "No," he gasped. He squeezed my hand so tightly that my knuckles popped.

  Frald sniffed and shifted Yana's weight on her hip. She nodded toward a dusty door. "No point in fighting him on that. We're there."

  The iron sprites zipped down the stairs and out of sight.

  "Really?" Shan asked.

  "Sure. Open the door and see for yourself," Frald said.

  I set down the oil lantern and used both hands to pull open the heavy door. Moonlight slapped me in the face. I staggered backward into the shadows. I'd forgotten how bright the moon was, even the slip of a crescent moon that hung like a scythe above the canyons.

  Two steps and we were out of the mine.

  A warm wind kissed my cheeks and ruffled my hair about my face. When did my hair get so long? My eyes adjusted to the moonlight and the stars came into view. Oh, how I've missed the stars. And the wind. And was that fire I saw, across a narrow plain covered in creosote bushes and mesquite? I could smell the char, and the flora, and the dirt. Desert lizards scurried between yucca leaves and a tiny owl hooted from its perch on the top of a cactus.

  "Stars, Rin! Look, stars!" Yana pointed at the sky and giggled with glee. "Stars! Stars are real!”

  Frald set Yana down and stretched her arms above her head. "Aw, damn it. Must be near midnight. Hopefully there is some hot food left in the pot for us. If not, we'll forage something from the pantries." She tilted her head at us and smiled. "Didn't doubt your honesty, but the awe on your faces tells me without a doubt that your story is true. Let's get you fed and find you a nice, dark room to sleep in. I think you all are going to have eye problems once the sun comes up."

  Frald walked ahead of us toward the firelight. Shan held Yana's hand and followed her.

  "I'm afraid if I fall asleep I'll wake up underground," Daelis whispered.

  I carefully embraced him and kissed his dusty lips. "This is real. We're on the surface. Not home yet, but out. Sky above and dirt underfoot. We survived, all of us. We won."

  He brushed a stray tendril of hair from my eyes. "I don't think we've won yet. I don't think this is over. They're going to find out soon that we're still alive, and I don't know what happens then. They might still decide to kill us or throw us back in the darkness. I can't go back down there, Rin."

  "You won't. You're coming home with me. I won't let the Jarrah take anyone else." I kissed him again before resting my forehead against his. I couldn't tell him. I couldn't admit that I already had a good idea about who the Jarrah were and why they took us. "Let's just... let's just go to the clan and revel in our freedom. We can figure out how to remain safe in a day or two, once we're fed and clean and properly rested. Orcs like their beds soft and comfortable, so I think we're in for the best slee
p of our lives tonight."

  Daelis turned so he could watch the others walk between the creosotes. "I suppose we ought to catch up. I'm afraid of what comes next. I wasn't expecting the fear to intensify if we escaped, but it's already raging."

  "Likewise," I said. I took his hand and led him away from the mine entrance and into the fresh, sweet air of the desert night.

  Day 40, part 4

  I considered burning, hiding, or otherwise destroying this journal once we escaped, but I no longer think that's a good idea. It could be used as evidence against the Jarrah, especially if they decide to claim us again. And I believe they will. Our story won't be over until we've exposed them, so I'll keep logging events until that happens.

  We're in the Sungate infirmary. Sungate—that's the name of Frald's village. It's a quaint grouping of sandstone and adobe buildings built along a wide river. The village was asleep when we arrived, so Frald took us first to the communal kitchens. A pot of stew was still warm on the embers of the fire pit, so we all ate more than we should have before she took us to the infirmary. She said tomorrow we can stay in a better place, but for tonight she wants to make sure we're near the other shamans and healers. Frald's too tired to deal with us any more tonight, so she'll be back in the morning.

  As usual, I'm the last one to go to sleep. It's difficult to acknowledge my fatigue when I'm still trying to convince myself this is real. I keep sneaking off to the window to look outside. There is only one in this room, and a heavy drapery covers it. That's why Frald put us here. After so long underground, daylight will blind us.

  How long underground? I don't know yet. I'll find out tomorrow. It was summer when I was taken from Greeble, but there is snow on the upper reaches of the canyon now. It's reflective in the moonlight. Beautiful. Everything is beautiful. Colors, scents, sounds, everything.