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By Root 1414 0

“Yes,” Anakin said excitedly. “If they just flattened the temple with one of these damuteks, the caverns underneath might still be there. Didn’t you say the damuteks drive down roots, or something—for water and minerals?”

Rapuung swore. “Of course,” he said. “If there are indeed caverns of size below, and if the gods are with us—but of course they are. I am Vua Rapuung.”

He said this last as if repeating a mantra, and Anakin felt renewed apprehension, remembering Uunu’s opinion of Rapuung. If there had indeed been an official attempt on his life, he might have gone from being a solenoid short of a transformer to a fused mess of circuits.

But did it matter? Mad or not, Rapuung was the closest thing to an ally Anakin had. Right now, he would take what he could get.

Rapuung kept talking, almost to himself it seemed. “They will think we have run into the jungle again. She will search for us there, never in the very roots of her stronghold. Never below her very feet. But we will need gnullith breathers.”

“You can get those, right?” Anakin asked.

“I can get them. But this is a risk,” Rapuung warned him. “If we are noticed entering the roots, we will be sealed there to die very long, very ignoble deaths.”

“More ignoble than dying a Shamed One?” Anakin shot back. “Besides, it never occurred to me you were worried by risk.”

He couldn’t see Rapuung’s face, but he could imagine the glare there.

“A good thing you never thought that,” Rapuung replied. “A very good thing. As I said. Wait here.”

And he was gone, leaving only his putrid scent and the shadow of his anger. Anakin was once again alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“Adept Nen Yim?”

Nen Yim searched the darkened laboratory grotto for the sound of her name and found it coming from a young male with the forehead marks of Domain Qel—one of the smaller minor shaper domains. He lacked a shaper’s hands, which placed him below her in rank.

“You have my name, Initiate,” she said, letting a bit of irritation show. “And my attention.” Her head throbbed and occasionally spiked with the pain of the Vaa-tumor thriving in it, but she embraced the growing discomfort. It would not interfere with her work, or this conversation.

The male’s headdress was knotted in respect, but something about his face remained annoyingly bold, if not challenging.

“My name is Tsun,” he said. “I have been assigned by Master Mezhan Kwaad to aid you today in our glorious work.”

Nen Yim braided tendrils in skepticism. “The master said nothing of assistants,” she noted. “She was to meet me here herself.”

Again, Tsun trod the outskirts of perniciousness in the studied ease of his answer. “Mezhan Kwaad sent me, Adept, to explain that she will meditate today rather than labor. Her Vaa-tumor is to be removed next cycle, and she wishes these last periods to contemplate her pain.”

“I see. Your message is delivered then. But how am I to recognize her authority in it?”

Tsun’s eyes flashed with a certain mischievous light. “I must say,” he purred, “I am honored. I have much wished to meet you, Adept Nen Yim.”

That had a strange effect. She felt a slight warmth creep up her neck. Was this another side effect of her Vaa-tumor? She commanded her headdress to remain quiescent. “Oh?” she replied.

“Yes. I was once a companion to a friend of yours. Yakun.”

This time she had to clench her tendrils to keep her emotions hidden. This was suddenly a very dangerous and painful nestling of history and words to be a part of.

“Yakun?” she said, as if just remembering that there was such a name. “He was a Domain Kwaad initiate in Baanu Kor?”

Tsun nodded. “Yes. He introduced me to you once, when you tended the mernip breeding pools together.”

“That was before his heresy,” Nen Yim said.

“Yes,” Tsun agreed. “Before they took him.”

“We shall not speak of him, then, shall we?” Nen Yim replied. “For he is a heretic and not to be spoken of. I will forgive this mention of him. Once.”

Tsun genuflected. “I knew him well, Adept Nen Yim, in the days after your reassignment. He spoke of you often. He often wished to hear from you,