Before she opened her eyes, Lara knew she was in the tunnels. The smell was subtly different underground with its pervasive odor of earth and disuse. Lara opened her eyes to bare slits and took a quick peek, afraid to see where she’d landed this time. She let loose a heartfelt sigh. Nothing looked remotely similar to what she had come across before. No battle. Not even an ult. She sighed again as some of her excitement dissipated. And no Chion. She was alone, again.

Trying to get her bearings, she looked around the corridor. A few yards from where she stood, a stone beam about a foot thick supported the reddish-colored clay ceiling. Glancing the other way, Lara realized she was at an intersection where four different corridors led away from the hallway where she stood. Taking one of the middle corridors, she limped into the new hallway. The pain in her feet increased until she was jerking her body in anticipation of each step, every step shooting her shoulders higher and higher.

Each successive intersection differed from the last. The construction of some tunnels had the appearance of having more traffic. Less debris cluttered the sides of the walkway while other passages were covered in thick layers of dirt and debris. She began choosing the more traveled paths in the hope she’d find a room with furniture.

She got the impression the tunnels were a set of highways leading from one place to another. Feeling lost, Lara wished Chion was there to explain it to her.

She wistfully called, Chion, where are you?

Lara stumbled and nearly fell when she heard his hesitant reply. My Lady?

Hearing his voice gave her deep pleasure, allowing her body and emotions to settle since entering the tunnel. Chion! I am lost. I have been wandering around for about an hour, but I still don’t recognize anything. Are you still in the area of the room where we met?

At first, she thought he wasn’t going to reply, but then she remembered there was a short time lapse before hearing him the first time. Thinking distance a factor, she timed his response with her watch. Fifteen seconds passed before his voice came through.

I am. My lady, you are a day’s walk from the room where we first encountered each other. However, I am closer to you than the room. You will have to tell me how you are able to change locations with such ease. There was a short silence, and then he continued, I will begin walking toward you. At every intersection, call to me and I will do the same.

She heard his determination to reach her, making her glad and worried at the same time. Lara trusted him but didn’t understand why. Rubbing her arms, she prayed she wasn’t being naïve by placing her trust in an intelligent, well-spoken animal. Remembering his behavior, she chuckled. Chion had more sophistication in one toe than many of the guys her age. Still grinning, she stood up and began walking in Chion’s direction.

Feeling like a ninety-year-old woman, she hobbled to the next intersection. She sank down to the rocky floor. It was time to face the truth. She could walk no farther. Scowling at her throbbing appendages, she focused on an image of Chion and called out. Okay, I have reached one of the intersections. I think I am closer to you than before. She sent another thought whispering through their link following the first. I think. She leaned back against a protruding rock and waited.

Full of confusion, he replied, Okay? I have no knowledge of this phrase though I understand its basic meaning. My Lady, you have gone in the opposite direction.

She grinned at his response. Chion always sounded so dignified even when confused.

Someday I’ll explain it to you. Unintentionally, she sent him a mental image of her laughing at him. And are you sure I went the wrong way? Either way, it doesn’t matter. I can’t walk any farther. The pain is almost unbearable, and I’m only making my feet worse. I think our best bet is for me to stay here and act like a human beacon.

Bending over, she grimaced as she unstrapped her sandals. Blood had soaked through the bandages again. At this rate, her feet were never going to heal.

Apprehension slithered across her skin. She anxiously peered down the three corridors of the intersection. Although the silence was no different from any other time she was underground, the air felt different, thicker. Something almost like pressure built at the base of her neck. Feeling a small dose of fear, she drew in her breath, listening for the slightest sound.

Chion’s deep voice pierced the silence, and she jumped in reaction, her breath whooshing out on a loud exhale. My Lady, please continue speaking to me so I know where to turn.

Although she continued scanning each of the corridors, she shook off enough of her unease to reply. Right. Sorry. I was trying to get comfortable, she said, her voice shaky.

At a sudden loss of words, she scrambled for something to discuss with a giant cat. She wasn’t the most talkative person in the world, and she hesitated sharing personal information with the creature. What would a paka consider an interesting conversational topic? She was silent for a moment. While she peered into the darker sections of the tunnels, she started describing her trip to Colorado.

Have you ever been to the mountains, Chion?

No. He sounded pleased.

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Her lips curled into a tense smile. The sense of unease slowly pervaded the hall. She leaned her head back against a smooth part of the rock and recalled a vivid picture in her mind of the mountains.

Once in the mountains, the first thing you notice is the smell. It is a clean, crisp scent that smells of the earth and living plants. Her own words brought an image from her memory. The next thing you notice is the scenery. Before you reach the mountains, you are in the hill country. You can see them on the horizon—the mountains, but it is only a dark line in your vision. When you finally reach the actual mountains, you see huge pine trees, which make the forest. From the road, you cannot see beyond a few yards in the wildest parts of the forest. It is too thick with the undergrowth growing in the wake of the larger pine trees. If you walk in the forest, especially in the fall, you walk over the deadfall. The leaves crunch beneath your feet. Night falls pretty fast; the mountains hide the sun when it sets. But the stars are beyond belief. I love stargazing at night. They are truly magnificent. Down in the lower altitudes, you can see more stars, but they do not have the brilliance they do when in the mountains on a clear, crisp night. Because of the enclosed areas of the mountains, with hills blocking out most of the sky, you feel closer to the stars.

She had portrayed more about herself to Chion than she realized. Her obvious love of nature and the awe in her voice traveled along their mental link. For a moment, the picture she described was almost tangible—a shaky, blurry image just out of his reach. He shared his surprise and pleasure at the description.

She rolled her head to loosen up the muscles in her neck. At night, it isn’t really fully dark except when there is no moon out. At night is when all the animals come out.

She felt another wave of unease and she reeled in reaction. Suddenly cold, she shifted into a half crouch while searching the entryway of each of the corridors around her.

With her focus wholly on the three openings, she almost missed his question. Lara, what is it you fear?

Her fear had transferred to him, and for the first time, his voice was wrapped in steel, demanding an answer. Her words holding a note of alarm, she said, It’s probably nothing, but I feel something coming. I can’t hear or see anything though.

At his abrupt command, she jumped to her feet, thankful she had put her sandals back on and ran back in the direction to what she saw as safety. The encroaching feeling of terror dampened every thought and emotion, leaving no room for the cutting pain in the soles of her feet or the fresh blood soaking the bandages. All too soon, she became winded and was forced to slow down to catch her breath. Her heart beat a quick staccato, deafening her to any other sound. But it was unnecessary. She could feel the heavy, pregnant silence—a precursor of something dangerous.

It sent her into flight mode, and she pushed her body into a jog. Panting, she called out, What is it? What’s coming?

When he answered, her terror solidified. The Rakir hunt you. I will try to reach you in time, but you must keep moving toward me.

The word meant nothing to her, but Chion’s alarm was genuine. With his worry riding her, she quickened her pace to a run, but the pain began to take its toll. In a matter of seconds, the weight of the air became oppressive, pressing down on her from all sides.

Chion, tell me what a rakir is.

She still couldn’t see anything except the empty hallways. For the first time since she felt unease, she attempted stealth, placing more weight on the balls of her feet. No longer able to suck in air, she stopped, leaning her weight against the stone wall. She tried to quiet her breathing even as her lungs bellowed in and out, craving air.

His response came even quicker than before. He was closer, running to her aid. Rakir hunt in packs numbering anywhere from three to ten. They are extremely intelligent, agile, and efficient hunters. Do not stop for anything. Keep running.

I’m trying.

Breathing in a huge gulp of air, she pushed herself away from the wall and lengthened her stride. Her legs burned with exertion. She pressed her left hand against the stitch in her side, her lungs stinging with the need for air.

Then she heard it. A faint clicking sound. The clicking sounded like it came from more than one animal. Taking a quick look over her left shoulder, she tried to make out the rakir.

Oh my God, they’re here. I can hear them. Chion, I can hear them. They’re going to catch me.

Hearing what hunted her unleashed a short burst of energy, and she careened from the tunnel into a broad area of space. It was the size of a large theatre stage. A dead end. Oh, God.

I’m trapped. There’s no way out.

When she hit the center of the room, she slid to a halt even as she twisted her head to catch sight of her options. There were five closed doors along the edge of the large room. The clicks, sounding much like claws scraping the ground, closed in. Hisses filled the air of the tunnel she’d just exited.

More scared than she’d ever been in her life, Lara made a mad scramble to the other side of the room. The first door was unlocked but wouldn’t budge under her frantic pulls. Instead of trying to pry open the door, she sprang to the next door situated two yards away. She slammed her weight into the door. It crashed into the wall with a loud screech of rusty hinges. She dashed in only to find to her frantic dismay a small table with a few discarded cups covered with cobwebs and dust. Skimming the walls, she found nothing she could use as a weapon—any kind of weapon. With her heart in her throat, she spared a quick glance through the door to the other side of the large space. The rakir hadn’t made it into the room, but they would soon. The clicking was becoming louder and more deafening, echoing in the tunnels as they approached. She had no choice. She had to try the next room. Fear riding her, she rushed to the next room. She grabbed the handle before she could skid past the door. She yanked it halfway open and poked her head in.

“No!” she yelled in frustration and panic.

It was empty.

That was when she heard them behind her. As if she was a puppet, her head swiveled to see the first creature stalking into the room. The rakir were things out of a nightmare—one with dinosaurs. With growing horror, she realized they were lizards about the size of small hunting dogs. Black camouflage stripes covered its back and tapered down all four legs.

When the first rakir located her, it looked at her with round, pale yellow eyes. The skin folded over the eyes with every blink. It stopped and clicked, and then she understood. The clicking was not their claws scraping along the floor but their mode of communication. As they clicked to each other, Lara took advantage and leapt toward the room with the rickety table. She screamed as they slunk toward her. She grabbed and pushed the door shut as they reached the middle of the small cavern, her hands scrambling for the lock.

She groaned from the unfairness of it all.

There wasn’t one—not a single lock.

Shaking with adrenaline, she leaned her weight against the door and locked her legs for better leverage. “I need a plan. I need a freaking plan.”

Panic evident, she updated the paka. They found me. I’m trapped in a side room.