She followed his gaze but instead focused on the crates of candles (and the boxes of matchsticks atop them), then the stacks of furs and textiles. “I’ll light some candles so you can douse the lantern, then prepare us a place to sleep.”
IX | Between Two Worlds
By the time the lanterns of the search boats began moving past in the inky dark, they were as ready as they could be: Shekalane having prepared for them a thick bed of furs amidst the mushrooms and Dravidian having fortified and booby-trapped the cave mouth with all manner of spiked weaponry. They watched by candlelight as the questing boats sent up flares, which shot toward the stalactites and exploded like fireworks ... before trailing down, white-hot and sputtering.
Dravidian said, “They are free to move about in a way they nev
