Page 92 of Ship of Smoke and Steel

He won’t be surprised to find me gone, I think. I certainly wouldn’t, if our positions were reversed. We are, as he said, only using each other. He just doesn’t fully understand how.

19

I have almost convinced myself Meroe isn’t glaring at me while my back is turned.

We descend, level by level, into the depths of the Stern. This is where we came to fight the shaggies, a maze of corridors, stairways, and rusty holes, instead of the bridges and pillars of the Center. I know where we’re going, but not exactly how to get there, so we search, argue, and occasionally backtrack. Eventually, though, we always manage to find a way to go down another level.

As Meroe predicted, both Berun and Aifin were willing to join us. Berun seems even more nervous than usual, clutching a round metal shield and with a sword at his belt. Aifin is surprisingly calm, having claimed a pair of short swords for his own. He has his slate and chalk, and we worked out a few simple gestures for emergencies.

Berun walks beside me as we descend yet another flight of stairs, holding up a lantern to light the way. It’s getting darker the farther down we go, the weight of Soliton’s metal blocking the morning light filtering in. As the lantern bounces, our shadows spin wildly around us, flicking long and sinister along the walls.

“You’re certain you know where to find the dredwurm?” Berun says, for the tenth time. I’m not sure whether he wants me to say yes or no.

“I have an idea, at least. It may have moved on.”

“If we’d brought Thora and Jack—”

“You’re almost as strong as Thora now,” I tell him. It’s not quite true, but I hope it’s close enough. “We can handle this.”

“But…” He subsides, slinking back to walk beside Meroe.

I find myself preferring Aifin’s company. At least he’s quiet.

In truth, the farther down we go, the more I wonder if I’ve made a mistake. Crabs are relatively scarce—plenty of packs have come this way in recent days—but the passageways are steadily more overgrown by mushrooms, thick shelf-like varieties on the walls and puffballs that crackle underfoot and hang from the ceiling. I can smell them, a dry, spicy scent, and when the lantern light hits them they reveal brilliantly colored flesh, blue and green and crimson. It’s like walking into another world, an alien, lightless place.

Somewhere in here is the dredwurm. A nightmare. I’ve killed nightmares before, of course, but …

I catch Meroe’s eye, and she nods to me, encouraging. I think of the Scholar’s map, and Hagan’s cryptic warning.

The Scholar might be wrong. But I can’t take the chance. Tori’s life depends on it.

I just wish Meroe didn’t insist on putting herself in danger, too.

Aifin stops, holds up a hand. I halt, too, looking at him curiously. Berun and Meroe come up from behind.

“What—” Berun says.

“Shhh,” I tell him.

“I thought he couldn’t hear,” he says, looking at Aifin.

“I can,” I say, irritable. “And I’d like to try.”

Aifin tugs at my sleeve, then points down at the deck. He crouches, putting his hand flat against the metal, and I do the same.

Then I feel it. A vibration, the deck shaking against my palm. It makes my teeth buzz in sympathy.

“It’s here,” I say. “We’re close.”

Berun swears, quietly. Aifin stands up, catches my eye, and points to the direction where the vibration felt strongest. I nod agreement.

We walk down the corridor, through the narrow clear space between the encrustations of mushrooms. A little bit farther on, it ends in a T-junction. The mushroom puffballs on the wall are swaying visibly with the grinding vibration.

“Stay here,” I tell Meroe. “I’ll take this side, Aifin will take the other, and we’ll see if we can spot it.” I gesture to Aifin, who quickly gets the idea.

Berun clutches his shield a little closer. “What if it turns up here?”

“Try to slow it down, then run for it. We won’t be far.”