Chapter Twelve
Slugs and Gold
They arrived in the ravine country, and Huldar’s attention was immediately gripped by the sight of the rugged cliffs. Within the deep canyons over which they stood guard, rapidly growing forest reached for narrow slots of sky. Here, hot springs and geothermal vents supported a mist-shrouded ecology more advanced in its seasonal development than other regions where the thaw still proceeded at a more leisurely pace.
At his feet, bright yellow worms lurked like a child’s forgotten ribbons beside a soggy pond. When a bubble-headed tadpole crept to the surface in search of air, one of the worms slid forward and wrapped it in a death-grip.
He looked up as a flock of iridescent creatures fluttered through the canopy. They landed with a spatter and a thud on a sta
