“We can explain things later,” Tanax said. “We need to get out of here now.”

“What’s happening?” Maya sat up, a little too quickly, and the world spun around her. Beq gave her a hand, and she got gently to her feet. When she saw, she felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. “Oh.”

The army of plaguespawn was coming apart. Whatever will had held them in place had died with the black spider, and in its wake had come madness even worse than what was normal for plaguespawn. The creatures were attacking at random, tearing mindlessly at one another with teeth and claws, the giants scything through dozens of their smaller brethren with enormous talons. The whole head of the valley was a boiling, vicious melee.

At the edge of the crowd, monsters were breaking away from the pack in all directions, including directly toward the rock face on which Maya and the others stood. None had yet found their way up the narrow path leading to the top, but it was only a matter of time.

“We have to get away,” Tanax said. “Back down the valley.” His voice was grim, and Maya could see why.

“We’ll never make it,” Maya said. “Not with that many of them behind us.”

“If we stay here, they’ll surround us,” Tanax shot back. “Better a small chance than none at all.”

“I’m not sure how far I can run,” Beq said matter-of-factly. She had a bandage tied around the wound in her leg, but blood was already soaking through. Only the rapid working of her throat betrayed her fear. “And someone has to carry Jaedia.”

“We’ll never make it,” Maya repeated.

“Do you have a better idea?” Tanax snapped.

“Under the mountain,” Jaedia had said. Maya looked at the flat cliff face, the spot where the rock was stained with plaguespawn blood, and suddenly understood. “Down there. There’s a way inside.”

“Inside?” Beq said. “Like into a ghoul tunnel?”

“Something like that,” Maya said.

“You have no way of knowing that,” Tanax said.

“Jaedia told me.” Maya picked up her haken. “She gave me a job to do, and I’m going to finish it.”

“You—” Tanax shook his head and glanced at Beq, who shrugged.

“You’re the one who wanted to join her expedition,” she said.

There was a long pause.

“All right,” Tanax said, looking down at the melee. “If we move quickly and don’t stop, we should be able to keep them off us. I’ll carry Jaedia.” He looked up at Maya. “What’s this job?”

“Saving the Order and the Republic,” Maya said.

“Oh,” Beq said. “Is that all?”

Chapter 25

Gyre

“Leviathan’s Womb?” Kit said. “What’s a Leviathan’s Womb?”

“You will understand when you see,” Naumoriel said, closing the canopy of his war-construct. “Come.”