"Fear. Of us, or . . . " Suddenly, the cavern’s open floor seemed far too exposed and vulnerable for Obi-Wan’s taste. "Let’s keep moving, shall we? "

Jesson nodded agreement and led the way across the wide-open space between the ladder and their destination, a cavern wall some hundreds of meters distant. The ground beneath their feet was spongy, more like farm loam than rocky cave soil.

"This way, " Jesson said, and when they had crossed the cavern, he leaned against the wall, gasping for air.

As they took a breather, Obi-Wan looked back the way they had come. The vast statues were so shrouded in darkness that he could barely make them out. What a sight this chamber must be with full illumination! The one statue that had led them down into the chamber was largest of all, its outline fading into shadow. Was this an image of some great leader or warrior, perhaps the last, great queen who had swallowed her pride to bring her people into the Republic’s arms . . . ?

Jesson paused, taking a sip from a small flask of water. He shook his head, and drops of water flicked from the tuft of fur at his thorax.

"Are you all right? " Obi-Wan asked.

"No, " Jesson replied. He paused, then added, "Thank you for saving me. " He said it grudgingly, as if the words hurt his mouth.

"We are companions, " Obi-Wan replied simply. "Which way, now? "

"Well . . . the other entrance, the one that became sealed after a failed attempt, would be through these tunnels. " He pushed himself away from the wall, and they walked along the cavern’s far edge. Obi-Wan’s feet sank into the flaky soil with each step, a not entirely pleasant sensation. The soil grew harder, and suddenly they were on a meter-wide strip of rock climbing along the wall.

Obi-Wan was happy to be away from the soft cave floor. Something about it disturbed him.

What exactly had happened here? His puzzle-solving mind worried at the problem from varied directions as the ground beneath them began to tilt up into a steeper incline.

They climbed along the ascending path for several minutes, finally reaching a tumble of rocks that buried the footpath. There was no way around it. Obi-Wan peered over the side: they were now so far above the ground that his glow rod’s beam simply dissolved into darkness. Jesson poked and prodded at the rocks with the spear. "My brother must have tripped a deadfall here, " he said. A miniature avalanche, designed to protect the secret path. Jesson’s brother had followed a faulty map, or perhaps just made a mistake. Obi-Wan and the X’Ting scrambled up over the rocks and gazed down the other side. Jesson pointed up along the path. "That’s where the other door is. From here, everything looks all right.

"

"I hope so, " Obi-Wan said soberly. "I don’t relish the idea of going back up through the statue. "