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Lorie O Clare
puddle on the table. When she met Syndi s gaze, she licked her lips and looked to be
taking a leap of trust.
 There is a leader among us, Ran Mose. He leads the East Passage. Again she
spoke slowly.  He successfully closed off his passage from us earlier today, and
damaged the other two passages. The tunnel you entered our world from appears to be
okay.
Relief swarmed through Syndi but she kept her expression blank, watching Fern as
she struggled for some reason with what she would say next.
Her hesitation grew old.  Time is passing. Tor won t survive on the surface. None
of you would. Let me go, and I ll find your leader for you.
 There is information you need to know first. Ben spoke up, and then put his hand
over Fern s, patting it reassuringly when she gave him a sharp look.  There are others
of us on the surface. Ran Mose has an agenda that we aren t fully aware of, but we
know enough to know there is danger. We want you prepared before we send you back
to your home.
 I gathered that, she said, nodding, but nonetheless scooted her chair back. The
sound reverberated through the room.  What all of you are forgetting is the surface is
my home. I can move easily in the city, or in my village. Tor cannot. If you re sending
me up there, let s get moving.
She stood and moved to the door. The others hurried after her and Fern fell in line
alongside her when they left the room, guiding her toward another door.
 We have a small transmitter that we can put on you. That way you can stay in
touch with us, and we can stay in touch with you. Fern hurried over to a small desk in
what appeared to be a supply room of sorts, with shelves lining the cave walls.
Syndi glanced at the variety of equipment setting on the shelves.  You don t trust
me.
Fern quit moving with her hand in midair, holding the small transmitter that
looked something like a wristband.
Her expression softened.  You re right. But my options are limited, aren t they?
 Yes. They are. At least the woman was honest. Syndi looked down at the device
in Fern s hand.  How does this work?
Fern reached for Syndi s wrist, explaining while she put it on her.  This button
allows you to contact us.
There was no way she would wear this thing and it not be detected. She didn t
voice her thoughts though. Let the woman have her say-so she could get out of there.
 Peg has agreed to go with you, Fern added.
 What? Syndi shook her head.  She won t survive out there. The more time you
spend talking to me here, the longer it will take for me to find Tor. I ll move a lot faster
on my own.
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Dead World
 You re right. The more time we take down here, the longer it will take on the
surface. And Peg is fully briefed. A plot to find and destroy one of your people on the
surface is underway right now. Peg has all the details and will advise you while you
two search for Tor. Fern wouldn t be swayed from her decision.
With a sigh, Syndi nodded, and then followed Fern back to the large cave where
Peg waited.
Whatever information Peg had to share with her, she didn t enlighten her during
their drive in the tran-bus. Peg would be nervous though. It didn t surprise Syndi at all.
She d been terrified the first time she d discovered this world. And she could exist
down here. Peg would have a hell of a time on the surface.
As would Tor. They d told her he d been up there for several hours. When he d
pulled her out of her tent the previous night, his skin had still been damp. He d hurried
from the pond, found her, and had hurried back. This time, he d been up there a lot
longer. Her stomach twisted in knots. She didn t want to guess what condition he d be
in.
There was little conversation when they parked the tran-bus, and then walked
alongside each other toward the pond. Debris floated in the pond that hadn t been there
before. Several guards stood alongside the water, which Syndi swore looked like it
swelled over its banks. Maybe it had been a good idea that Peg accompanied her. The
guards simply nodded, as if already briefed on their mission.
Syndi leapt into the water first, not waiting for instruction. From this point forward,
she would be in charge. Kicking toward the bottom of the pool, Peg remained alongside
her, making no effort to move ahead.
But when they surfaced on the other side, Peg reacted exactly how Syndi had
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