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that the hex was becoming. It wasn't much, but it was too regular and too
consistent to be either natural or an optical illusion.
Still forty or fifty miles from them, it was nonetheless visible. The
equator!
The position of the sun told them that they had been heading more or less true
northwest, which meant that as of now, they were less than a week away from
the Avenue. Mavra had given up trying to explain or describe the Avenue to
Julian in scratch writing. Apparently she would just have to go there and see
it for herself. The only thing Julian got was that it was sunken, like a very
broad culvert, flat on the bottom, smooth on all sides, and that it led to
one of the doors into the Well.
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That meant no cover and low ground at a point when forces could be all along
both sides shooting down at them. All kinds of technology would work there,
but it wouldn't matter. When they were exposed on the floor of the thing,
Julian knew that rocks could get them, never mind bullets.
Nor, Mavra informed her, could one just enter the Well even if one made it to
the doorway.
"Automated. Opens only at old shift change," she told Julian. "Midnight." "Can
anybody enter it at midnight?"
"No. Only authorized. You come in with me. I am authorized."
"How long does the door stay open?"
"About fifteen minutes unless I close it first."
Julian sighed. "So we have fifteen minutes to get down there, run a gauntlet,
and somehow get inside without them killing or capturing us. It's impossible!"
"See layout, defenders first. Then we'll see. I think I may have a way." "You
want to give me an idea of how you're going to do it?"
"Wait. When I know it is possible, then I tell you."
Julian shook her head, wondering if any of this was worth what she'd gone
through the past couple of weeks. If it was anything like it was described, it
was absolutely insane to even attempt to enter. Even if Mavra Chang were who
and what she claimed, it made no difference. Until she was inside, she was
just a big, heavy helpless bird who couldn't outrun a child. This whole
business had to have driven her insane; that was the only explanation for why
she even could think that she might get in there.
Mavra understood Julian's attitude, but she could feel the Well, feel the
contact with its power and even some of its knowledge at this point. The Well
knew where she was, knew that she was close.
And the Well had gone to a great deal of trouble to get her here. With Nathan
out of it in some southern hospital and Mavra this close, it wasn't going to
let her get away now, of that she was certain.
The Avenue
CAMPOS AND THE COLONEL HAD TRIED EVERY MEANS THAT they could think of to find
some sign of the missing trio in Leba, even bringing in expert trackers from
other hexes that the colonel knew about, but to no avail.
The Lebans themselves had seemed singularly unimpressed by their problem and
had declared themselves neutral and uninterested in the affairs of other
creatures. Not even Campos or the colonel could think of anything to offer
them that might tempt them into cooperation.
There were times when some of the animals brought in seemed to pick up a
scent, but it always led to a dead end, with the creatures going around in
confused circles. At one point the colonel swore that if he didn't know
better, he'd swear that someone was pulling a drag over the "foxes'
" trail, confusing the scent and leading them away, but he couldn't imagine
why anyone would do that or how he could without betraying himself. He
finally decided that the land was just not conducive to finding the
fugitives' trail.
Score one for the prey, they both were forced to admit. On the other hand, the
endgame was what counted.
The colonel had hoped, though, to avoid the endgame simply because he was none
too secure about showing up in his old role. Kurdon had certainly put out the
word on his betrayal at the complex;
it was unlikely that he'd have real authority even if his friends in Zone
were able to keep the law off him with some cover story.
More than that, they would have to deal with armed soldiers whose loyalty was
to their own hex
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