“It is fascinating,” said Hava, “seeing as the world’s richest known zilfium deposits belong to Bitterblue. Do you understand what she’s sitting on, Giddon? The value of her mountains, economically and politically—militarily—if this is what she could do with them?”

The rubble at this end seemed to be mostly rocks and wood. No metal eggs. Giddon adjusted his improvised gloves, bent his knees, and grabbed the ladder. When he tried to lift it, it shifted, ever so slightly.

“Giddon,” said Hava. “If you can’t get me out of here, promise me you’ll take these notebooks. I think they contain the plans to make the eggs.”

“Hava, love,” he said. “Get ready to move your foot. It’s going to hurt, and I might not be able to lift this thing completely clear.”

Hava looked across at him for one long moment. When a tear ran down her face, she let him see it. “Okay,” she said. “I’m ready.”

With all the strength in his body—with his legs, his back, his shoulders screaming, with his hands tearing and a roar bursting out of his throat, Giddon lifted the end of the ladder.

Shrieking from the pain, Hava pulled her foot through the tiny aperture he created.

When he saw that she was free, Giddon dropped the ladder, then bent over, coughing. Stones and dirt were falling from above, pinging onto the floor of the cave like a hailstorm.

“You okay?” he managed to say.

“Yeah. You?” Her voice was rough.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah.”

“Giddon?” she said as he made his way back to her.

“Yeah?”

She was crying, really crying, which Hava hardly ever did. But the eyes she turned up to him were glowing, with a kind of joy that seemed out of place. “You did good,” she said, and Giddon understood that she hadn’t been expecting to survive this.

Stiff, aching, he pulled his shirt and coat back on, then dropped to one knee beside her. “Did you think I was going to leave you down here, brat?” he said, lifting her into his arms.

—

It was harder to send Hava up on the sheet rope than it had been with Katu, because she was in so much pain. He strapped her into the halter, then braced himself in the opening as he had during Katu’s ascent. Every time her injured ankle jarred against the rocks, he felt it in his own body. Giddon was feeling everything in his own body. He couldn’t remember ever having been so tired, sore, bruised, and cold.