“A little farther,” Grag says from somewhere in the back. And in what feels like forever, Zora rounds on a brick building and we come to a circular door in the ground. I slide it aside and we hurry inside. We descend a narrow ladder, followed by a staircase that goes deeper underground. I conjure a fireball to light the way and with my free hand help each person down. I’m careful with my footing because between my throbbing feet and the ache from carrying that girl so far, twisting the wrong way feels like my insides are being wrung out like a sponge. Julius eases past me, carrying Taavi’s mother in his arms.

“We should have a few on watch overnight.” Zora stands in the doorway, favoring one leg. “I can take first if you want.”

“You’ve done so much, Zora. Rest, please. Julius and I will take first watch.”

She tries to come down a step but winces. I rope her arm over my shoulder, and we take one step at a time.

“Bri,” I say, my voice echoing down the stairwell, but when I look up she’s already beside me.

“I have a paste I can rub into the wound to help it heal faster,” she says as I hand Zora off to her.

Zora nods, swallowing each wince as the two disappear down the steps. I ease the door closed up above with a grunt.

“Yo’lis,” I say, and fire dances on my fingers. Not exactly a flashlight, but it works well enough for me to see each step better. I reach the bottom and find an expanse of dirt floor with a broken glass ceiling above. Cool air whistles through the ceiling towering above.

Two Macazi hover over a bed of rocks, a spark glinting between them as they try to make a fire. Others bandage one another, make pallets on the floor, and pass around the water canister. Everyone’s covered in soot and scratches.

“Mosh, your brother, where is he?” Joshi asks someone wrapping his own leg.

“Over there, grabbing some water.”

“Good to hear it,” Joshi says, jotting something down. “Use a little salt on that, and the blond girl with the red glasses has something she can put on that to help, I think.”

The man waves his hand, and I spot Bri nodding in his direction as she heads my way.

“I’ll need some time before we get going in the morning to make some more of this, she says, with a glass jar in hand. “I’m running low.”

“These tunnels might connect to the larger Web. We may not have to go up to the ground again. I’ll see.”

“That would be good,” she says before weaving back through the masses, passing out pills, vials, and dollops of her minty potion.