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“WHY BOTHER with the fine?” I asked. “Doesn’t that just give the illusion of choice?”
Valcas let go of my shoulders. I reflexively located his hand so we could continue our exploration of the tunnel.
“The TSTA also has to stay funded,” he said.
“Don’t they get enough money from wealthy people who use their licensed travel equipment?”
“I’m sure they do, but it makes economic sense. With so many worlds full of wealth and repeat offenders, why not let travelers pay their fines and break the rules until they can’t pay anymore, and then let them ultimately chose jail or a mission. It’s a win-win situation for the TSTA.”
I sighed, drained from the conversation and constant flow of what-ifs. I wasn’t big into politics or bureaucracy, but I had opinions of what I felt was fair and unfair. And in my opinion, using travel talents for good was fair. Forcing travelers to do so without providing a real choice was not.
“Thanks for explaining all of this,” I said. “I can’t say I like it, but knowing about it helps.”
Valcas and I kept quiet for a few moments. We walked. The only sounds around us were our footsteps and their echoes along the tunnel. Gradually, the ground began to slope upward. As we continued through the tunnel, the walls on either side of us grew wider, until our fingertips barely touched.
The air felt warmer with each step. I reached behind me to wipe the sweat beads dripping down the back of my neck. That’s when I began to notice a soft glow of yellow-orange light coming from the other side of the tunnel.
My heartbeat quickened. “More Fire Falls?” I wondered aloud.
“I don’t know. We haven’t seen any wood to start or keep a fire going, so I’d be surprised if it was something other than some portion of the Fire Falls.”
I sniffed the air. “I don’t smell anything burning.”
Valcas clasped my hand. “It’s probably nothing, but we might as well check it out.”
“Like I’d turn back now,” I said.
Usually, such a response from me would make Valcas—past or present—chuckle, but if he chuckled I didn’t hear it. The end of the tunnel suddenly released a flood of high-pitched musical twinkling, filling the air with the plucky twang and tangy spice of exotic, faraway lands. As the notes chased and bended toward each other, I felt myself wanting to dance.
Valcas’ body went rigid beside me, but he didn’t stop us from walking. My heart raced. Our feet kept going, drawn in by the music and the light.
“There’s someone up there,” I said.
“Yes. It would seem so.” His voice was tight, almost harsh.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. If he was worried, then why did we keep going? Why didn’t we stop?
When we were roughly ten feet away from the end of the tunnel, I noticed how the light bent in from the right.
The music swelled louder. Notes swirled around my head as the light grew brighter.
Valcas stopped. “Wait here,” he said. “I need to check this out.”
“But it’s just music and light. Why should I be afraid of that?”
“Please?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Fine, but if you don’t come back in a couple of minutes, I’m coming in.”
“Fine,” he said.
I shook my head as Valcas walked away, his footsteps tapping in time with the music. Once he was out of sight, I took a few steps forward, then a few more.
Suddenly, the music stopped.
For a fraction of a second, there was complete silence.
A loud clack that sounded like wood hitting rock interrupted the silence. The sound, repeating itself, softened as it echoed in the tunnel.
I held my breath, listening. Moments of silence ticked by. I crept closer, hoping to hear something—cheerful banter, sounds of distress, more music...
A sickening thud sounded through the tunnel.
Someone yelped, “Oof!”
That was enough to get me running. With long strides, I reached the bend and made the sharp turn to the right. It took me almost a full minute to process what I saw there.
A pile of yellow-orange tubes sat in the middle of a small cave. They gave off heat and light, but they were flameless, like glow sticks. A petite stringed instrument, with graceful lines and ornate etchings, lay nearby. I blinked. One of the etchings may have been a recent crack.
Valcas stood on the other side of the light sticks, rubbing the knuckles of his right hand.
Next to him was a doubled-over body, groaning. I drew closer, noticing that the person was male and of slight build. His head hung low as he clutched his stomach. Long, dark curls grazed the ground—curls that looked just like mine.
I covered my mouth with my hands.
The head of the doubled-over person snapped up. A male with an aquiline nose and sharp chin looked at me. Blue-green eyes, the color of which would rival the Earth’s most beautiful swimming pools, widened and blinked.
“What have you done, Valcas?” I whispered.
“I told you,” he said. “I keep my promises.”