“But that doesn’t make sense!” complained Nikha. “It’s too cold for them in Kheritsyn, I learned that in classes! They shouldn’t be here.” That last part came out firmly, as if saying it out loud would make them disappear. It didn’t work.

“Nobody told them that, I guess.” She shot him a glare. “Look, you said this room shouldn’t be here either, right? Or me. Or any of the other things you told me about.”

“I know, but it’s just-ugh!” She threw her hands up in frustration. All of that stuff had been wrong, but it was wrong in such strange ways it was hard to even judge. Alligators in her basement, though? That was a mundane enough sort of weird to annoy her. As they moved forward Nikha scanned the surface of the water. Now that she knew what to look for, she spotted several more pairs of eyes peeking just above the surface.

“They aren’t usually aggressive,” said Kemp soothingly. “They shouldn’t bother you unless you bother them first.”

Nikha narrowed her eyes at him. “And how would you know?”

“There’re some in the swamps near Afansk,” he said with a placating gesture. “I ran into them a few times. Promise you I’m not part of any gator-related conspiracies. Definitely not.”

Nikha barked out a sudden laugh. “Y-you’d better not be, Mr. Ysantov. Alligators are not allowed in Eldergrave.”

“Oh, they aren’t? Um, then let me just tell you that should you receive any scaly callers later, I don’t know them.”

This time she had to stop, lest her laughter make her slip. “Quit it, I’m going to fall in!” When she recovered, she took her bayonet in hand and started chopping down a thick tree branch that hung across the path. “You’re quite funny, Kemp,” she said in between strikes.

“You think so?” He stood there rubbing the back of his neck, looking faintly embarrassed. “Sometimes I wonder if there’s a way to make a living telling jokes.”

“You could join a troupe of players, right?” Nikha’d seen them once or twice. They traveled round the country with carts full of props and costumes, mostly stopping at peasant villages but sometimes putting on a show for the local aristocrats as well.

Kemp crouched down, resting his legs. “I could. But it seems like a very hard life. Living out of a cart, not making money if your act’s bad…and I don’t think I want to leave home anyway.”

“I understand, I think.” Nikha finished off the bough and tossed it into the water. “I like where I live too. My father says I might have to go to a boarding school in the city soon, though. To become ‘cultured’ or something.”

“What does that mean?” asked Kemp as he followed behind her.

“Oh, it’s a bunch of stuff about which fork to use for which course, and how to say hello to people in a fancy way, and how to pick out your clothes, and-“ Nikha cut herself off. There was an alligator lying on the path several yards in front of them, shaded comfortably beneath thick foliage. The thing was huge, nearly fifteen feet long. Its head faced them and its stubby legs hung off the side of the causeway and into the water. Nikha locked eyes with it, but the beast didn’t react at all.

“You’re in the way,” she told it. It didn’t even twitch. Nikha frowned. “What should I do?” she asked over her shoulder.

“I…don’t know, actually,” said Kemp. “I’ve never had to make a gator move before.”

I suppose I can’t fault him for that, thought Nikha. She drew herself up to her full height and stabbed a haughty finger in the gator’s direction. “Get out of our way right now,” she commanded in her most imperious tone. It remained motionless.

“Um, Nikha…” said Kemp quietly from behind her.

“I know. I don’t know why I thought that would work.” Maybe I need to try a language it understands. She raised her arms above her head to look as big as possible and growled at it. “Rrrrr! Move! Arrrrr! Go away! Rrrr!”

The gator opened its snout and hissed. The sound surged a little, almost like a laugh.

“Kemp!” snarled Nikha as she snatcher up her gun. “I am going to shoot this lizard!”

“Wait! Wait!” Kemp came up behind her. “You might make the others angry if you do that.”

“But it’s taunting us, Kemp, don’t you see?” The alligator hissed again, as if to agree, as Nikha went on. “In fact, the other ones would probably eat it, not us. Aren’t they supposed to be cannibals?”

“I don’t know about that, but do you really want to risk it? Though that does give me an idea…let me get something out of your pack.” Nikha felt him open the bag up as she stayed aimed at the gator.

“Okay, here. Toss some of that in the water.” Kemp passed her a big piece of jerky.

“But this is our food!” Nikha complained. Even so, she waved it around to catch the beast’s eye, then threw it into the scummy water. Miracle of miracles, the alligator shoved into to the pool with nary a splash and swam for the meat. Nikha and Kemp quickly passed through its resting spot before it could return.

“Good plan,” said Nikha as she shoved aside some purplish hanging vines. “It probably would have tasted bad anyway,” she added jokingly.

“Actually, it’s a lot like chicken but a little chewier,” Kemp said. She turned back to give him an incredulous stare.

“You hunt those things?”

“Well, I don’t. But they do in the towns south of us, and I’ve tried the meat once or twice.” He eyed her for a moment. “Are you a hunter, Nikha?”

“Of course I am! I’ve only ever gotten deer, though. Once I had a shot at a bull moose, but I missed.” She shook her head, still frustrated about it. “That was when I started practicing more. That jerky’s from a doe I took at seven hundred yards.”

Kemp laughed as they went around a broad curve in the path. The reeds came right up to the edge here. “That’s a good one! Reminds me of when my uncle told us he caught a fish the size of his boat, but it snapped his line-“

“I’m serious!” Nihka insisted, fists clenched despite herself. “Seven hundred yards, give or take a few. It was resting, and I hit it just behind the shoulder.”

“O-oh. Alright, it does seem like you know how to use that thing. I believe you, but…how? Guns aren’t even as good as a bow at distance, I hear.”

“Hmph!” Nikha crossed her arms and tilted up her chin. “We’ve got nicer guns than that around here. My papa served with a man who shot a Cymdwish officer off his horse at twelve hundred yards with a rifle just like mine. You need a sight like this”-she flipped up the ladder sight screwed to her rifle’s grip-“that’s tall and has a fine scale on it. You work out your adjustments for each distance, and then it’s just a matter of the right settings and a steady hand. A little practice and you’d be almost as good as me, I think.”

“I guess I’ll take your word for it,” Kemp said faintly.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Have you shot a gun before, Kemp?”

“Well, actually, I haven’t-“

“You poor thing! We’ll have to find you one then. Don’t worry, I’ll be a good teacher-ugh!” Nikha started spitting and sputtering.

Kemp rushed to close the distance between them. “You alright? What happened?”

“Pwah! Spiderweb in my mouth! I suppose that means I’m talking too much.”

“No, keep talking. Take them all down for me.”

Nikha tried to glower at him but just ended up giggling. “I don’t know, maybe it’s time you had a turn up front.”

She ended up remaining in the lead. The conversation died down as they meandered along the treacherous brick. The alligators were in abundance, lazing about on roots or drifting with only eyes exposed. Between the curving path and the thick greenery, they had no idea how close they were to the exit. As dangerous as the situation was, though, it had a sort of tranquility to it as well. The gentle green light, the smell of plants, the quietly burbling water…After everything else, Nikha almost found it relaxing- that is, until they reached the final section of the path.

The exit was across about fifty feet of open water, an arched doorway in the cistern’s wall. A few gators lounged about in the expanse, drifting slowly. The problem was that the causeway ended just a few feet from where they stood. In its place was a series of crumbly brick pilings with long wooden boards placed haphazardly across them. They were just as rotten-looking as the environment would suggest. “We have to cross that?” said Kemp, tone dubious.

Nikha stared hard at the gap, but could think of no alternatives. “It looks like it.”

“I’ll go first,” he replied immediately. “To make sure it won’t collapse.”

“No, I will,” Nikha said patiently. “We probably weigh about the same, but I won’t be able to swim too well with all this stuff on me.” She shook her pack and rifle. “You’re stronger, so I need you to pull me out if I fall.”

“Mmh…” She watched Kemp’s face tense up as he thought. “Okay. Your way makes more sense. We should cross each section one at a time, though. Wait at the pillars.”

“Sounds good.” Nikha took in a deep breath and huffed it out. “Ready?” Kemp nodded.

She started out along the first plank, slowly at first. It bowed and jiggled alarmingly beneath her boots, barely wide enough for both her feet. The surface was mossy and slick. After a few faltering steps, she decided to get it over with and walked at almost a normal speed. At the midpoint, the board bowed so steeply its underside kissed the surface of the water. Nikha eyed the gators, who seemed quite unperturbed, and kept going.

When she made it, even the poor footing of the brick pylon felt solid. “Your turn, Kemp. Will you be alright?”

“Y-yes. I will.” Kemp began to make his way across. Other than an alarming moment when his second step almost sent him slipping into the water, he did just fine. The piling was very crowded with both of them there at once, so Nikha went ahead and crossed the next board. It was noisier than the first, creaking and groaning like an old man forced out of bed, but it held. Kemp followed her, and the third board went much the same.

There were only two left-one long one, and a shorter shot to the exit. They took a few moments to catch their breath; despite how slow the movement was, it was quite stressful. “Good?” Nikha asked.

“Good. Let’s get out of here.”

Nikha knew something was wrong as soon as she reached the center point and heard a splintering noise. Rather then freeze or look down, she increased her pace, with the noise getting louder the whole time. Relief filled her when she got to the last piling-but Kemp still had to get across.

“This one’s in really bad shape,” she called across to him. “Be careful.”

“I’ll do my best. You get ready to shoot some gators, though.” He smiled weakly, but it wasn’t a joke.

Kemp moved slow and careful for the thirst third of the crossing. Nikha spent the whole time glancing between him and a couple of alligators that were getting too close to the plank for her liking. She was watching the gators when a loud crack split the air. When she snapped her gaze over, Kemp was already running on the board.

It was too late. A whole section had splintered away on the plank’s underside, and as his sprint carried him over the midpoint the whole thing fell into the water, taking a yelping Kemp with it. Before he was even fully immersed, Nikha put a round through the skull of the closest gator. She didn’t even check the kill before reloading. She knew she’d hit it. The front sight settled over the head of the second gator, which was already swimming at Kemp- who himself was frantically thrashing towards her. Exhale, squeeze, another kill. She reloaded as fast as she ever had, feeling like a machine, a machine purpose-built to fire her rifle and keep it charged. She could have prevented Kemp being hurt before, no matter what he said. She would not let it happen again.

Nikha had to shoot two more gators before Kemp reached the piling. She hauled him up, straining with both hands, and immediately began looking him over. “Kemp! Are you hurt? Did you get-“

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” He gave her a reassuring smile. “That was some terrific shooting! Thanks for the help.”

“Um, they were pretty close anyway,” she muttered, feeling a little embarrassed. “Save your compliments for when we’ve got an open field. I’m sorry you fell in. We’ll have to change your bandages when there’s a chance.”

He grimaced at that. “If you say so. And it’s not a big deal. I’ve been wet before.”

“I’m glad. Now, I don’t want to rush you, but-“

“Let’s get this over with. Please.”

Compared to the other ones, the final short plank almost felt solid. They reached the little slate jetty by the exit without further incident. Nikha turned around and gave a final look to the strange underground marsh. Gators were converging on the site of the broken plank to dispose of their slain cousins in their own way. She turned away and followed Kemp into the tunnel.

They walked only a short way before reaching a door. There were no distinguishing features to the tunnel beyond a bronze plaque in the wall, too corroded to read. The door at the corridor’s end was made of dark wooden planks, heavily reinforced by nailed strips of iron. Kemp and Nikha glanced at each other, then she turned the archaic latch and went through.

She stopped a step or two in. Kemp followed and immediately jumped. “Whoa! Is this-“

“A catacomb,” she finished.