A rough plan comes to mind, something I’ll be sure to thank my brother for later, since he was unknowingly two steps ahead of me by slipping me his phone—something I plan to use the moment this chase comes to an end.

“Run, run, run, as fast as you can!” Vanik’s singsong voice reaches me in the dark.

I see a light bobbing up ahead—light that he must have Spoken to illuminate their path. When I try to create my own, nothing comes of it; my voice might as well be mute. But I have their light as a guide, even if it’s too far away to keep me from stumbling over bumps and dips as I flee madly after them. It helps me remain on a straight line, if little else, saving me from running directly into a wall.

Their light disappears when they reach the cave-in and crawl through it, making my pursuit more challenging. I can’t risk slowing down, so I maintain my pace, trusting my memory from when Arryn led Cami and me this way yesterday morning. So much has happened since then that it feels like it was years ago.

Rushing onward, I come to a jarring stop when I misjudge the distance between me and the rocky debris blocking the path. My hands were stretched forward, just in case, but I still slam into it hard enough to scrape my palms and my face, which collide with the jutting boulders. I cry out as pain bursts above my left brow and across my cheek, sticky blood mingling with the tears that spring to my eyes.

I force myself to keep moving, to ignore the stars dotting my vision. The wounds are minor enough not to hinder my pursuit, so I drop to my knees, searching frantically in the dark for the sliding rock that covers the narrow tunnel, heedless of my stinging palms. I release a breath when I find the crawl space already open; neither Vanik nor Ward wasted time returning the rock to its place. I start to wriggle through the gap, worming my way on my stomach just as I did last time, using my hands and feet to propel me along the tight space.

I’m in and out in what must be record time, scrambling to my feet and sprinting down the passageway again. I think I’ve managed to catch up a little, the bobbing light from Vanik and Ward closer than it was on the other side of the cave-in.

For someone as old as Vanik, they’re certainly speeding along at a swift pace. Ward, I can understand. He’s young and fit. But Vanik is a middle-aged scientist, not an athlete. I can’t help wondering if he’s figured out some kind of Speaking trick to give himself more stamina.