I pushed my worms out farther, stretching them to their limits. The cold bit into their pale bodies as they wriggled through snow and ice, extending my awareness beyond what my eyes could see.

  "They're going a bit farther now," I told Sadie, who stood beside me on the stone platform. "Not much, but it's something."

  She nodded, her face tight with concentration. "How far?"

  "Maybe a quarter mile more than yesterday." The worms were changing, adapting to this place. I could feel them growing stronger, more resilient to the harsh conditions. But it still wasn't enough. "I can get a sense of movement, big shapes moving together, but I can't make out details."

  Zo sat nearby, her back against a rock, watching the sky. "Which direction?"

  I closed my eyes, focusing on the faint sensations coming from my scouts. "West. They're heading west."

  "Toward Horn's Rest," Sadie said. Her voice was flat, but I caught the worry in it.

  "Yeah." I pulled the worms back, feeling them return to me, bringing scraps of knowledge. "More big things. Moving together. That's all I know."

  "That's more than we knew before," Sadie said. She turned away, looking out across the frozen wasteland.

  I nodded, though she couldn't see it. My body ached from the constant cold and the strain of pushing my abilities. The worms were hungry too. We'd need to feed soon.

  "I don't think we can do much more today," I said, standing up. My joints cracked from being still too long. "We should rest while we can."

  Zo looked up at me, her eyes narrowed against the grey light. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

  "No," I admitted. "But I'm pretty sure trying to push on when we're all half-dead from exhaustion is a worse one."

  I sat back down on the cold stone, looking up at the colorless sky. The sun was a pale disk, giving light but little warmth. The tundra stretched out around us, a broken labyrinth of ice and stone.

  Zo sat nearby, her eyes distant, lost in thought. Her axe lay across her knees, her fingers absently tracing the runes etched into its head. She didn't speak, and I didn't try to make her.

  Sadie had moved to the edge of our small sanctuary. She sat cross-legged, her back straight, eyes closed. Meditating, maybe. Or just resting. It was hard to tell with her.

  "Do you think we'll make it back?" Sadie asked suddenly, breaking the stillness. She didn't open her eyes or turn around.

  I didn't answer right away. The question was bigger than it seemed. Back to what? Earth? The fortress?

  "Yes," I said finally.

  She turned then, looking at me with those cool, calculating eyes. "How can you be sure?"

  I wasn't. Not really. But something in her voice made me want to sound certain. "Because we've made it this far."

  Her eyebrow raised slightly. "That's your reasoning? We're not dead yet, so we'll keep not being dead?"

  "Pretty much." I shrugged. "Plus, we've got Zo."

  Zo looked up at the sound of her name. "What?"

  "I was just telling Sadie you're our secret weapon," I said. "Our ticket home."

  "Oh." Zo snorted. "No pressure or anything."

  "And I'm pretty hard to kill," I added. "Trust me, people have tried."

  "What about me?" Sadie asked. "Where do I fit in your survival plan?"

  I studied her for a moment. "You're the brains of the outfit."

  "So I'm a burden?" There was an edge to her voice.

  "No." I shook my head. "I figure between Zo being a one-woman army, me being too stubborn to die, and you coming up with logical outlooks on our situation, our odds are pretty good."

  Zo laughed, a short, sharp sound. "You're full of shit, Fish."

  "Always have been," I agreed. "It's part of my charm."

  "I don't think 'charm' is the word I'd use," Zo said. "More like 'delusional optimism in the face of certain doom.'"

  "Hey, it's worked out so far," I protested. "I mean, look at me. I started out as a dock worker, became a convicted murderer, got sent to a death sentence at the fortress, and now I'm a worm-infested fugitive stuck in dragon-land. Things are clearly looking up."

  Sadie laughed.

  The sound caught me by surprise. It was light and genuine, nothing like the controlled expressions I'd seen from her before. For a moment, she looked younger, the hardness in her face softening.

  I realized it was the first time I'd heard her laugh. Really laugh, not the polite social noise people make when they think they should.

  It hit me then how rare joy was in this place. In Rajkovia, in the fortress, even back on Earth. How long had it been since I'd heard someone laugh like that? Since before Rell died, probably.

  Before Mikkel showed his true face. Before everything went to shit.

  "What do you miss most?" Sadie asked, her laughter fading but a ghost of a smile still on her lips. "About Earth, I mean."

  I thought about it. What did I miss? The apartment? My job at the docks? The life I'd had?

  "Nothing, really," I said finally.

  Sadie's eyebrows rose. "Nothing?"

  I shrugged. "I didn't have much of a home to begin with. My dad was..." I trailed off, not wanting to get into it. "Let's just say Earth wasn't exactly paradise for me."

  "But what about your family?" she pressed. "Friends? Didn't you have anyone?"

  "I had my sister." The words came out harder than I intended. "Rell. She's dead now. My dad killed her. That's why I was in prison."

  "Oh." Sadie looked away. "I-I'm… sorry."

  "Don't be. It wasn't your fault." I picked at a loose thread on my sleeve. "What about you? What do you miss?"

  "My family," she said without hesitation. "My parents, mostly. They must think I'm dead by now." Her voice grew tight. "They're probably right."

  I didn't know what to say to that. I couldn't relate to missing parents, not when mine had been monsters in different ways.

  "Do you think that's normal?" she asked quietly. "To care that much?"

  "About your family?" I shrugged. "I’m not sure..."

  Silence fell between us again, it was heavier this time. I hadn't meant to kill the conversation, but there it was. Dead on the ground between us.

  We ate the last of the dried drake meat that night, chewing the tough strips in silence. We took turns watching. The night passed without incident, just the cold stars and the endless tundra.

  Morning came, the grey light creeping across the tundra. The mist that had clung to the ground during the night began to dissipate, revealing the broken labyrinth of ice and stone that stretched before us.

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  "We should make as much ground as we can before the Long Dark." Zo said, standing and stretching.

  I nodded, pushing myself to my feet. My muscles protested, stiff from the cold and from sleeping on stone. The worms writhed under my skin, hungry.

  "It's going to be worse from here," Zo said as we gathered our meager supplies. "There will probably be more beasts. Bigger ones."

  "You think we'll run into the ones I sensed?" I asked.

  "Maybe." Zo checked her axe, running a finger along its edge. "We won't have the luxury of setting ambushes like we did with the drakes."

  "What's the plan, then?" Sadie asked.

  "Stay alert. Move fast. Kill anything that sees us before it can call others." Zo slung her axe across her back. "If we get overwhelmed, we retreat to the narrower passages. They'll have to come at us one at a time there."

  She looked at me. "If we get separated, you keep Sadie safe. Get her to Horn's Rest however you can."

  I nodded. "And we meet back at that stone shelter we passed yesterday if things go bad?"

  "Yes." Zo's face was grim. "But let's try to avoid that."

  We set out, moving cautiously through the frozen maze. I sent worms ahead to scout, but the labyrinth was chaotic, twisting back on itself, full of dead ends and sudden drops.

  "Left here," I said, following the faint impressions from my scouts. "There's a path that leads... no, wait. It's a dead end."

  We turned right instead, only to find another wall of ice blocking our way.

  "This is getting us nowhere," Sadie muttered after an hour of backtracking and false starts.

  My head was starting to pound from the strain of maintaining the scout worms over such distance and through so many twisting paths. The cold wasn't helping either, seeping into my bones despite the worms' attempts to regulate my temperature.

  "Fish," Mabel's voice sounded in my mind. "You need to pull back some of the scouts. You're spreading yourself too thin."

  I listened to her recalling half of the worms, feeling a small measure of relief as they returned to my body.

  "We need to find higher ground," Zo said. "Get our bearings."

  We climbed a ridge of ice, the surface slick and treacherous. From the top, we could see the maze extending in all directions, a chaotic jumble of ice and stone.

  "There," Sadie pointed. "That looks like a path that might lead through."

  We were about to descend when I felt a sudden alarm from my remaining scout worms. "Wait."

  "What is it?" Zo asked, her hand moving to her axe.

  I concentrated, trying to make sense of the confused impressions. "Something's coming. Behind us. A lot of somethings."

  "And there are a few more ahead of us," I added, as new information came from the scouts. "Blocking the path Sadie found."

  "Can we go around?" Zo asked.

  I shook my head. "I don't think so. Not without being seen. And the ones behind us are getting closer."

  Zo looked between the approaching threat and the two beasts ahead, weighing our options. "How many are behind us?"

  "At least a dozen. Maybe more."

  "And the few ahead? What are they?"

  I focused on the scout worms nearest to the creatures. "Big. four-legged. With thick hides. I can't get a clear picture."

  Zo nodded, her decision made. "We take the two ahead. It's our best chance."

  I looked at her. "You sure?"

  "No," she admitted. "But I'd rather face two than a dozen."

  "What's the plan?" Sadie asked.

  "Same as before," Zo said. "I draw their attention. Fischer, you hit them from behind. Sadie, you provide cover and look for weaknesses."

  "Will that work on these?" I asked.

  "We'll find out," Zo said grimly. "But we're running out of options."

  We moved quickly, descending the ridge and approaching the narrow passage where the two beasts waited. They hadn't noticed us yet, but it was only a matter of time.

  "I don't like this," I muttered to Mabel. "It feels like we're walking into a trap."

  "Do you have a better idea?" she replied. "Because those things behind us are getting closer."

  I didn't have a better idea. So we stuck to the plan.

  Zo moved ahead, slipping between ice formations until she was in position.

  I circled keeping low, using the terrain for cover. The worms spread through the snow ahead of me, warning of obstacles and unstable ice.

  When we were all in position, Zo stepped out into the open, her axe held loosely in her hand.

  The beasts noticed her immediately. They were massive, each the size of a small truck, with thick, leathery hides and curved horns protruding from their skulls. Their eyes were small and mean, set deep in their armored heads.

  They turned toward Zo, pawing at the ground, their breath steaming in the cold air.

  Zo raised her axe, a clear challenge.

  The first beast charged.

  It was faster than it looked, crossing the distance to Zo in seconds. She spun to the side swinging her axe in a crescent, it bit into its hide, but not deeply. The beast bellowed in pain and rage.

  The second one was moving now too, circling to come at Zo from behind.

  I sprinted forward, the worm-sword forming in my hand. I needed to reach the second beast before it reached Zo.

  Sadie fired a beam of light, striking the first beast in the face. It roared, momentarily blinded, giving Zo a chance to put some distance between them.

  I reached the second beast just as it was about to charge Zo. It sensed me at the last moment, starting to turn, but I was already striking.

  The worm-sword slashed across its hind leg, cutting deep. The beast roared and kicked out, catching me in the chest. The blow sent me flying backward, crashing into a wall of ice.

  Pain exploded through my body.

  I felt my sternum crack, the worms immediately moving to stabilize the damage.

  The beast turned fully toward me now, enraged. It lowered its head, aiming those curved horns at my wounded chest.

  "Move!" Mabel screamed.

  I rolled to the side just as the beast charged, its horns shattering the ice where I had been. It skidded, trying to turn, but its wounded leg gave out, and it crashed to the ground.

  I didn't waste the opening. I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain in my chest, and drove the worm-sword into the beast's eye.

  It thrashed once, a horrible shriek tearing from its throat, then it collapsed to the ground.

  I turned to see Zo still fighting the first beast. She had managed to wound it several times, but it was tough, its hide resistant to her axe. Sadie was firing beams of light at its eyes, keeping it disoriented, but it was learning, turning away from the flashes.

  "We need to finish this quickly," Mabel warned. "The mob is closing in."

  I ran toward Zo and the beast, my ribs screaming with each step. The worms were working to repair the damage, but they needed time.

  Zo saw me coming. She moved to the left, drawing the beast's attention, then dodged right as it charged. The move put its back toward me.

  I struck at the back of its neck, the worm-sword plunging deep into the base of its skull, severing its spine.

  The beast collapsed, its legs giving out beneath it.

  "Behind you!" Sadie shouted.

  I turned to see movement at the far end of the passage. The group that had been following us had arrived.

  They were humanoid, but not human. Tall, with grey skin. Their faces were flat, noseless, with wide mouths full of sharp yellow teeth.

  "Run," Zo said, grabbing my arm.

  We ran, Sadie joining us as we fled deeper into the labyrinth. The creatures followed, their long legs eating up the distance.

  "Left!" I shouted, following the guidance of my scout worms. "There's a narrow passage they'll have to squeeze through!"

  We turned left, then right, then left again, the ice maze a blur around us. The creatures fell behind as we reached the narrow gap, forced to go through one at a time.

  It bought us precious seconds, but not enough. They were still coming.

  "There!" Sadie pointed to a dark opening in the ice wall ahead. "Is that a cave?"

  I sent a worm forward to check. "Yes! And it goes deep!"

  We ran for the cave, the creatures closing in behind us. As we reached the entrance, I turned, forming a worm-shield on my arm.

  "Go!" I shouted to Zo and Sadie. "I'll hold them off!"

  Zo hesitated for just a moment, then nodded, pulling Sadie into the cave.

  The first creature reached me, its clawed hand swiping at my head. I caught the blow on my shield, the impact jarring my arm to the shoulder.

  I countered with the worm-sword, slicing across its chest. Black blood sprayed across the snow.

  Another creature lunged at me. I ducked under its attack and drove my sword up through its jaw.

  A third caught me across the back with its claws, tearing through my clothes and into my flesh. Pain flared, hot and sharp.

  "Fischer!" Zo called from the cave. "Come on!"

  I kicked the nearest creature back, then turned and ran into the cave. Zo and Sadie were already moving deeper into the darkness.

  The creatures followed us into the cave, their forms hunched in the low ceiling. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, reflecting what little light filtered in from the entrance.

  "This way!" Zo called, her voice echoing off the ice walls.

  We pushed deeper, the cave growing darker. I sent worms ahead to guide us, feeling our way through the blackness.

  Behind us, the creatures snarled, the sounds bouncing off the walls, making it impossible to tell how many were following or how close they were.

  The passage narrowed, then widened again into a large chamber. Faint light filtered down from cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the space in an icy blue glow.

  "We can't keep running," Zo said, her breath coming in white puffs. "We need to make a stand."

  I nodded, my back burning where the creature's claws had caught me. The worms were working on the wound, but it was deep.

  "How many do you think there are?" Sadie asked.

  "Too many," I said. "But maybe we can collapse the passage. Trap them on the other side."

  Zo looked at the narrow entrance to the chamber, considering. "It might work. How do we bring it down?"

  I looked at the ice walls, the ceiling. "The structure's already weak. See those cracks? If we hit it in the right place..."

  "I can do it," Sadie said. She raised her hands, light gathering between them. "Just tell me where."

  I sent worms to examine the passage, looking for the weakest points. "There," I said, pointing to a spot where several cracks converged. "And there. Hit those, and the whole thing should come down."

  Sadie nodded, focusing her power. The light between her hands intensified, becoming a tight, concentrated beam.

  The creatures were almost at the passage now, their glowing eyes visible in the darkness.

  "Now!" I shouted.

  Sadie fired the beam at the first weak point, then quickly shifted to the second. The ice cracked, then shattered.

  With a rumbling groan, the passage collapsed, tons of ice crashing down, sealing the entrance.

  The chamber shook with the impact, more cracks spreading across the ceiling.

  "We need to find another way out," Zo said, looking up at the spreading fractures. "This whole place could come down."

  I sent worms searching, probing the walls for openings. "There," I said, pointing to a dark crevice on the far side of the chamber. "It leads deeper, but I can't tell where it goes."

  "It's our only option," Zo said.

  We moved toward the crevice, the ice continuing to groan and crack above us. As we reached it, a large chunk of the ceiling gave way, crashing to the floor behind us.

  "Go!" I pushed Sadie into the crevice, Zo following close behind.

  The passage was tight, forcing us to move single file. I went last, my back scraping against the ice walls, reopening the wound the creature had given me.

  The sounds of collapsing ice faded behind us as we pushed deeper into the unknown darkness.