a superficial resemblance to the big tree frogs from the suspended forest. So the tunnels that lead upward probably do go all the way out, he thought. Several pushed forward to block the main tunnel, the creatures in the back jostling each other for a look at the Raksura.
“What do they want?” Chime whispered nervously.
He had spoken in Kedaic, which everyone except River had been speaking for Esom’s benefit. It was a surprise when the creature in the lead rasped in the same language, “These tunnels belong to the Thluth. What do you want here?”
“We need to get past,” Moon said, his voice tight with tension. “That’s all.”
“You use our tunnels?” The leader’s mouth split in a wide, fanged grin. It had the largest, sharpest teeth Moon had ever seen in something groundling-sized, well-suited for gnawing through leviathan hide. It nodded toward Esom, who stood frozen behind Chime. “We let you—if you give us something to eat. One of them will do.”
Moon heard Chime’s and River’s spines rattle in reflex, and Stone made a derisive hiss. The skin under Moon’s claws started to itch. He said, “That better be a joke.” He had had a bad day, and this was about all he could take.
The leader surged forward aggressively and grinned, its hot, foul breath washing over him. It said, “No joke. Give us food.”
Moon slashed it across the throat, his claws sliding between the armor plates to sink into the thin line of vulnerable white skin. Hot blood splashed on his scales as the creature gurgled and staggered back. The other Thluth caught it as it sunk to the ground. Moon said, “You want any more, or is that going to be enough for you?”
The other Thluth drew away, watching him warily, and some prudently scrambled back down the side passage. Moon stayed where he was, flexing his claws, as Stone prodded Chime and Esom past. River eased by after them. Moon followed, watching as the Thluth dragged their leader’s body away.
They continued up the tunnel. After a moment, Esom said shakily, “Thank you for not feeding me to them. I appreciate—”
“Later,” Stone told him, and flicked a look back at Moon. “Don’t talk right now.”
They didn’t pass any other intersecting passages. The tunnel itself began to get smaller, rougher, and they had to duck under the stalactites. Moon set his jaw, and suppressed the urge to go back and kill a few more Thluth. They had demanded tribute for passage to a dead end.
But as the tunnel narrowed to a point where Moon thought they would have to turn around, they came to a large hole chewed out of the wall.
Stone stopped in the entrance and tasted the air as he held up the light, though all Moon could smell was rotting leviathan.
“This could be something,” Stone muttered, and stepped through the opening.
Moon followed with the others, and climbed through into a round chamber. It stretched upward, far beyond their light, the ceiling lost in darkness. A round column in the center plunged down into the leviathan’s flesh.
Moon paced impatiently around the chamber to make certain it was a dead end. He didn’t know why the Thluth had chewed this space out, but there was nothing here for them. “This isn’t it. We need to keep moving.”
“No, we’re in the right place,” Esom said. He had stepped to the edge of the center shaft to examine the column. “I don’t think this is the source, but arcane emanations are echoing through it.” He glanced at them. “I meant the source of the magical power—”
Teeth gritted, Chime said, “They understood you.”
“—must be in contact with it,” Esom finished stubbornly.
Stone tilted his head, staring hard at the column. “He’s right. That’s metal under there.”
“What?” Moon came back to his side and squinted to see. He had thought it was just another part of the leviathan’s flesh. Looking more closely, he saw verdigrised metal glinting between calcified lumps and dried ooze.
Chime went to the wall of the chamber and ran his hand over the surface. “I don’t see any teeth marks. I don’t think the parasites made this chamber. Maybe the groundlings cut it out so they could put that thing here.”
Moon turned back to the column. Maybe they had found something after all. “So this is anchoring part of the city to the leviathan?”
“Maybe,” Esom said, “But it must be in contact with something magical—”
“Up there somewhere?” River demanded, looking up into the space above them.