Or maybe not only by salt. As Cohmac’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he recognized carvings in the walls that depicted a large, hooded serpent—not a Filithar, but enough like one that he had to turn his head away. It was as though Master Simmix’s portrait had been etched there centuries before to wait for them.

“The kidnappers will raid the wreckage soon,” Master Laret said. “I regret leaving Simmix’s body behind, but if they find him, they may believe that Simmix traveled alone. If so, that buys us time to find the kidnappers’ lair.”

Cohmac managed to say, “These carvings—Master Simmix said something about them, about serpents playing a large part in the local lore.” He’d been expected to read up on the area’s folklore on their journey there. Simmix had urged him to do so. Even though legend and myth were interests of Cohmac’s, he’d only skimmed through the reading. They had piloting to do. Fighting to anticipate. What were the chances folklore would come into any of that?

Or so he’d thought. At the moment, with the carved serpent staring down at him, Cohmac was not as sure.

Orla straightened. “The carvings feel important. Like—like the Force is trying to tell us something. Should we turn back?”

Master Laret inclined her head, acknowledging Orla’s words without agreeing to them. “To turn back and go elsewhere, we would need somewhere else to go. We have no such place. Our duty is to press forward.”

“But if—” Orla said, her voice breaking off as they all heard it. A strange sound from deeper within the caves, almost a rustling—no, too heavy for that—

She and Cohmac tensed. Master Laret, ahead of them, already had her lightsaber in hand and activated it just in time for its blue glow to reveal the enormous white snake, many meters long and more than a meter wide, slithering toward them with its fangs bared.

Chapter Seven

Affie hadn’t realized anything was amiss until she was smack in the middle of it.

“Duck!” Reath shouted.

She didn’t ask why, didn’t turn to look, just dropped to the walkway floor. A metal bar whizzed overhead, slamming into the wall with a reverberating bang. Covering her head, she scurried along until she could push herself behind a barrier of leaves. Maybe it had been a counter once, or a bar. Now, thickly tangled with vines, it had become a hedge. Either way, it would hide her from the looters.

Why hadn’t she waited longer to come back down? Too late for regrets.