Artemis Invaded by Jane Lindskold Page B

other than fish that hadn’t swum fast enough to get away when the water drained.
    Once or twice, the huntress thought she saw human figures outlined in the mud and wondered. The lore contained tales of the armor the attackers had worn. That would survive even after the corpses within had rotted away. She decided not to mention what she had seen until she was sure. Time enough to come back and take a better look later. Griffin was easily distracted and certainly old suits of armor—presumably broken or they would not be down in the muck—offered neither threat nor help.
    The path ended where the gravel beach curved up from beneath, showing the artificial barrier that had assured the shore staying in place all these centuries.
    â€œIt’s like a big swimming pool,” Griffin said, “complete with drains. I wonder where all the water went?”
    â€œThere’s probably a holding basin,” Terrell said. “I’m guessing that overflow ultimately ends up in Maiden’s Tear, but the seegnur would not have wanted the water to dump directly in there without some sort of intermediate stop. Otherwise the lake waters would become turbulent and muddy without reason. That would be as good as announcing that there was a hidden source of water that had just emptied out.”
    â€œGood point,” Griffin said. “I never realized just how thorough a factotum’s education must be.”
    â€œWe are educated to think of contingencies,” Terrell replied. “All the better to be of service. Now, seegnur, shall we see if that door is open?”
    It wasn’t but, with Adara’s ability to see in the dark, it did not take them long to locate a panel that, when moved aside, revealed a keyhole shaped to hold the topaz key.
    â€œI’m positive this panel wasn’t here before,” Griffin said as he inserted the glittering pendant into its place. “I looked right at this spot.”
    â€œYou did,” Adara assured him. “We all did. However, until the other three keys were readied, this was meant to remain invisible. This is different from the other escape hatches we have seen. Those were clearly meant to supply a backup in case the technology failed. This seems to have been meant to keep people out unless they knew exactly what to do.”
    â€œThis complex,” Griffin agreed, “seems different. The technology is of an entirely different order. I’ve seen nothing like these crystalline keys, nor were the surfaces coated to resist water—not even on Mender’s Isle where that would have been useful.”
    Terrell frowned. “So if this setup wasn’t meant to provide an escape route, what was it for?”
    Adara pressed her finger into the middle of the sparkling spiral. “There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”
    The doors slid apart with hardly a sound. A line of pale blue light glowed to life, illuminating the outline of a corridor otherwise in shadow.
    It was one thing to hear about such miracles, but another thing entirely to see them happening. Adara stepped back inadvertently, then worried that the men would think her a coward. However, Terrell looked as startled as she felt and Griffin not much better.
    â€œI guess this light confirms that something is undoing the damage done by the nanobots,” Griffin said. “We’ve suspected it, what with the metal spider and Artemis’s speaking to you but, when nothing in the Sanctum or on Mender’s Isle worked…”
    Terrell nodded. “Different location, maybe? As the crow flies, Maiden’s Tear is actually closer to where you crashed.”
    â€œPossibly … Perhaps this area didn’t take as much damage.”
    Adara waved them to silence. The blue light wasn’t very strong, but it penetrated more deeply than candlelight. Within it, shapes were taking form …
    â€œGriffin, Terrell,” she said.