[This post is from Marin’s point of view.]
My gaze flicked up as Neve scrambled down the ladder, then turned to help ease Cariocecus down into the tunnel. I scrambled to my feet to help her, leaving Phelan where he was, leaning against the wall with one hand pressed against his temple. Neve’s face was white even before she caught sight of Phelan and I realized with a start when I moved to help her that Cariocecus was awake. He stared at me for a moment as Neve and I eased him down to a bedroll on the floor.
“They’re here,” he murmured to me. “They brought her with them.”
“Thesan? I already know. I had to fight her for Phelan once already today.” I saw Neve wince out of the corner of my eye, but there wasn’t another way to explain it. I glanced toward her, then toward the ladder. Angie was climbing down quickly and I could see Tala above with a twin in each arm. I pushed to my feet.
“Olympium’s here,” he mumbled, then closed his eyes.
Phelan took a sharp breath, his hand dropping away from his temple. He was a new shade of pale when I glanced back toward him before I held my arms up toward Tala to take one of the twins from her.
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that Olympium is a bad thing,” I said as Tala handed Gwen down to me. Angie tugged on my shirt and I passed the infant over to her, then extended my arms up to Tala to take Kurt.
“It is,” Tala said from above as she handed her son down to me. “Bad enough that I’m coming down there and if you weren’t so damn close to term, you’d be coming with me, too.” She took a deep breath. “Take care of them.”
The hatch above clicked shut. I blinked, then turned toward Neve and Phelan, their faces illuminated by the light of the lamp Neve was lighting. I spoke carefully, quietly.
“What the hell is going on?”
