Palaces of Light by James Axler Page A

simply worn along the face of the rock. The way was clear for a distance, then clusters of rock blocked the way, some so long established as to have shrubs and grasses growing from beneath them, stunted and spiky in the rad-blasted atmosphere, hidden from the sun by being on the wrong side of the canyon. That might, he hoped, help them, for the sun rose and fell facing down on the side of the canyon where the palaces had been built. The side on which he and the companions made their way was in perpetual shadow, and he felt that could only be of assistance.
    Beyond these sparse clusters, he could see that there was a cavern that fell back into the rock face. Its mouth was hidden in shadow from where he stood, which suggested that it might bore back some way into the rock, and provide them all with shelter. It would be perfect.
    Ryan slowed to a halt, hunkering down in the sparse shelter of a rock cluster that had brown-green grasses sprouting from the cracks. He gestured to the others so that they should pull up behind him, crowding together as much as possible.
    “Jak,” he murmured, “you reckon you could get to that cave without being spotted and scope it out?”
    The albino teen didn’t answer for a moment. Instead, he squinted at the path in front of him, and then across at the palaces on the far side of the canyon.
    “Mebbe,” he said eventually. “Hard, not impossible.”
    And before Ryan had a chance to reply, Jak had set off. Moving swiftly and keeping low to the ground, he ducked when cover presented itself, then paused at those stretches that were open. Dropping onto his belly when he was as sure as he could be that there were no prying eyes from the far side, and that any chance of being observed was accidental and arbitrary, he slithered like some unholy cross between a crab and an eel across the dusty floor, so sure with his arms and legs that he barely raised any dust.
    When he reached the mouth of the cavern, he disappeared from view before Ryan had a chance to really register that he had made the distance. He was gone for quite some time. Ryan said nothing while they waited. His tense silence was something that the others picked up on, and even the usually garrulous Doc maintained a tight-lipped silence.
    Ryan hadn’t realized that, in his anxiety, he had been holding his breath until he saw Jak’s small frame emerge into the light, his white hair and skin thrown into relief by the darkness around him. The stabbing in his lungs reminded him to breathe, and he exhaled, almost light-headed.
    Jak moved toward them as quickly as he had left. Keeping himself low and as concealed as was possible, he was back with them before Ryan had a chance to catch his breath.
    The grin on the albino teen’s face as he approached told Ryan all that he needed to know.
    “Goes way back into rocks,” Jak stated before anyone had the chance to ask. “Stand few yards in shadow covers you. Could sit all day and watch them, not seen.”
    Ryan’s face split into a triumphant grin. He turned to the others. “I think we’ve got just the cover we need. Now we’ve just got to get ourselves in it without being seen.”
    The only way to get to the cave was to take the same route as Jak. As none of them were as lithe or as small as the albino youth, it became apparent that they would have to take considerable care if they weren’t to be seen. A quick glance at the sun as it started to climb in the sky told them that they would have to move swiftly, in case those who lived in the shining palaces of stone along the opposite wall emerged to do morning chores. If they did, then the six people traveling the path directly across from them would be all too plainly visible.
    Jak took the lead, moving rapidly to the first available cover. From there, he was able to get a better recce of any activity on the far side of the canyon. There was some movement, but it was soon apparent that those who were up and around this early were too