Led by Sssuri, he threaded a tangled patch among outcrops,
once-squeezing through a gap which scraped the flesh on his arms as he
wriggled. Then the sky was blotted out, the last winking star
disappeared, and he realized that he must have entered a cave of
sorts, or was at least under an overhang.
The merman did not pause but padded on, tugging Dalgard along, the
scout's boots scraping on the rough footing. The colonist was
conscious now that they were on an incline, heading down into the
heart of the island. They came to a stretch where Sssuri set his hands
on holds, patiently shoved his feet into hollowed places, finding for
him the ladder steps he could not see, which took him through a
sweating, fearful journey of yards to another level, another sloping,
downward way.
Here at long last was a fraction of light, not the violet glimmer
which had illuminated the underground ways of those Others, but a
ghostly radiance which he recognized as the lamps of the
mermen--living creatures from the sea depths imprisoned in laboriously
fashioned globes of crystal and kept in the caves for the light they
yielded.
Pages:
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180