Emilie & the Hollow World - By Martha Wells Page 0,62

crumbling down into the rush of water. “You were right, Emilie.” She tapped the hard gray-white surface under the dirt. “This place was built, ages ago.”

“The water is coming from the sea?” Emilie wondered. “If we fell off the boat in the water around the island, would we be sucked under into this waterfall?”

Rani gave her a dry look. “You have a very interesting imagination, but this water is fresh. Maybe it comes from underground.”

“Or the surface? My surface, I mean.” She imagined a subterranean river, wending its way down through the earth, until it was tapped by the ancient builders of the Sealands.

“At the moment anything is a possibility...” Rani sat up a little, saying with satisfaction, “Aha, there's our airship!”

Emilie craned her neck, trying to see. “Where?” Rani pointed. A drift of mist was shifting with the wind, and as it cleared, the gray bullet shape of an airship's balloon was visible above the trees. The shape and color was just different enough from Lord Ivers' balloon to make this one distinct. There might be some buildings near it, obscured by leaves and branches. It certainly wasn't a city, unless it was buried underground, which seemed very unlike the merpeople. She bet the nomads used this place as a temporary refuge, or meeting place. “This is why the Nomads were so suspicious of the airship, so afraid the Queen would use it. If this is their fortress, it would be a perfect way to attack it.”

“So perfect, I wonder why she let Lord Ivers go,” Rani said, with wry emphasis.

Emilie blinked, thinking it over. It was an excellent point. “You think it was a trick, that she stopped him somehow, after he left the city?”

“It's a possibility, though I'm not sure how she would do it. At least we haven't seen him around here yet.” Rani crawled back from the cliff edge, withdrawing into the stands of grass, and Emilie followed her.

They sat in the shelter of the brush, and Emilie said, “There has to be a way down there, beside airships. Maybe stairs under the waterfalls, or a ladder- Ooh, that's a good idea.”

Rani was holding Dr. Marlende's compass, rubbing her thumb over the smooth surface. “Yes, I hope it works the way we think it does.”

Meaning it would lead them to the way to find Dr. Marlende, not just point directly toward the airship. Emilie held her breath.

The arrow pointed not toward the canyon, but parallel to it, in the antidarkward direction. “Ha,” Rani muttered in satisfaction, pushing to her feet.

They followed the arrow through the spiny palm forest, having to stop frequently and rub spit on the stone again, then adjust their course. Emilie had been expecting to find something right away, but after about an hour of walking on the hard sandy ground, finding their way among the tall curving trunks and the clinging grass-bushes, the excitement started to pall.

They stopped briefly to eat the last of the fruit, and a little dried fish, and drink some water. As they started again, Rani admitted, “I hope this thing isn't confused, and is not just telling us to circumnavigate this island.”

Emilie hoped not, too. If it was, she didn't know what they were going to do next, except perhaps try to get past the merpeople to the Sovereign. Somehow.

But after another long time of walking, the compass suddenly pointed away from the canyon wall, back toward the beach. They exchanged a look, and Rani cautioned, “Don't get too excited. It could be telling us to go jump in the sea and stop bothering it.”

Emilie couldn't take that advice. Forgetting all about her sore feet, she hurried after Rani.

They had just passed a big mound of grass-bushes when the compass abruptly started to point back the other way. “It means in here!” Emilie plunged into the bushes, stopping just as abruptly when Rani grabbed her belt and hauled her back.

“Me first,” Rani said. “And remember, we're looking for a way down, so watch the ground and don't fall down any holes.”

“Oh, good point,” Emilie muttered, and went more carefully, testing the ground first with each step, the way Rani did.

A moment later Rani started to take a step, and jolted forward, flailing an arm for balance. Emilie grabbed her arm to steady her. Looking down, she saw Rani's foot had broken through a crust of dirt over a perfectly round hole. “I meant that to happen,” Rani said breathlessly, freed her foot, then crouched down to