Page 23 of A World Enough

Camber took a breath. Since she had agreed to help Brogan, against her better judgement, Camber had been going from task to task. But taking this unknown wolf into the depth of Abnobian territory, behind the line, was giving her pause for thought. All Brogan would have to do was step out into the open, and the Drazani guards would have the Map Keeper.

Camber felt she was a good judge of character, but her enemies had tried to do similar things before.

“Before we do this, I’m placing trust in you. If you have any ideas of handing me over to the Abnobians, just tell me now, and get it over with.”

“Down,” Brogan said. Then she pointed. “In the bushes there.”

“Why?” Camber asked.

Brogan shoved her over to the bushes, then pushed her down so they were both covered. She placed her finger to her lips, and then to her ears.

It took a minute, but a group of Drazani guard came marching past. Once they were gone, Camber opened her mouth to talk, but Brogan put her finger to her lips again while she was listening.

“Okay, it’s safe.”

Camber walked out of the bushes and said, “I’m grateful for your super wolf hearing.”

“Yeah, well, you can trust me. I’m a tracker on my world. Doing that job, your senses are always alert.”

“Let’s get going, then.”

Camber felt guilty for keeping Brogan cuffed. But her brain told her Just be careful.

She led them back to the patch of wall they’d been at. “Now it’s your turn to trust me.”

Brogan didn’t know what to expect, so she was shocked when Camber walked through the wall.

She followed and showed that trust and was faced by a big black door. Camber had already gotten a tool from her satchel to open the door. There was a click, and the door slid open.

“This is a quiet corridor. People only use it to get to power cells, for lights, heat, that kind of thing,” Camber said.

“Sounds like you’ve been here before,” Brogan said.

There was a short silence before Camber said, “Something like that. Follow me.”

Brogan followed down a corridor hewn from the rocky mining base. As she walked further in, she was hit with a chemical scent. She knew it was much stronger to her, given her wolf sense of smell. She coughed. “What is that?”

Camber turned back. “What?”

Brogan held her forearm across her nose. “The smell, it’s chemical and overwhelming.”

“It’ll be coming from the mines.”

Brogan began to cough more, and her eyes streamed.

“Take my hand.”

Brogan allowed herself to be led, and Camber took her through a door and into a storage cupboard.

The door sealed the room off enough that Brogan breathed easier. She bent down and rested her forearms on her thighs. It wasn’t easy with the cuffs on.

Camber rubbed her back. “Take deep breaths. I should have thought before bringing a wolf in here.”

Brogan shivered at the touch of Camber’s hand. She felt warmth from her touch spread into her chest, and her breathing calmed.

“I’m okay. What is that stuff?”

“Ternite. There are only a few planets that have the mineral that we know of. When it’s lasered from the rock, it creates the fumes that you struggled with. We’re quite far away from the actual mines. They are deep into the rock. I knew this space was okay for me, but I forgot you and your sense of smell.”