“The human cannot breath the air above,” one of herpanions said flying closer to Nu-reeh.


    “It is more Like the men.”


    Nu-reeh grunted and kept herself at an altitude I stayed awake, but still freezing cold.


    We flew into mountains that would make the Himyas appear small. I saw deep valleys and streams


    tumbling down the rocky hills. It looked like ces I had seen in my dreams.


    She dipped into arge cave entrance andnded. It was darker and warmer inside. Since I was still


    shivering from the ride, I was d for the warmth.


    Torches, or at least their equivalent, Lit the hallway with a white smokeless me. In between the


    torches I could barely see. Nu-reeh seemed to have no difficulty navigating the route, though.


    Ang’s Library


    Nu-reeh carried me deeper and deeper through the caves. At some point we started to pass openings


    that led out of the mountain and sunlight would momentarily spill in. Outside I could see swarms of


    winged women flying about.


    She came to arge leather p drawn across a massive archway. She made a loud sound and it was


    opened by the men standing beside it. She boldly passed through never ncing at the men. I stayed


    huddled to her chest as she walked us briskly into a smaller area.


    The hallway behind the p reminded me of the motel. The torches were numerous here and the area


    was brightly Lit. Doorways with leather ps across them lined the hall. Men were all over here, but


    they scurried out of Nu-reeh’s way. I was an oddity and they stared at me, though.


    We went down the hallway and turned into a smaller hallway. The men got sparser in number. It


    seemed desertedpared to the area we’d just passed through.


    We came to a leather p and Nu-reeh stopped and stared at the five men outside of it.


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    “Mistress,” one man said bowing his head, “they will not eat and they have tried to take our Lives. We


    cannot get near them.”


    Nu-reeh made a sound of disgust and said some of the fouler words Fuji had taught me. She put me


    down and ordered the men to open the p.


    “Go in and fix this,” she ordered.


    “Your one purpose is the life inside of you. Save the Life of my men to give the child what it needs.”


    She knew, I thought shocked.


    I wasn’t an idiot, so I bowed my head to her and said, “Yes, Mistress,”


    … in the same polite tone the guard had used.


    As if to remind me what she was capable of, Nu-reeh drove the tip of the spear on her wing into the


    wall above me. I bowed my head as chunks of rock rained down around me and backed into the room.


    “I will not tolerate failure in this matter. Your weakness will not harm one of my species,” she hissed


    harshly.


    I stood trembling, facing the leather p for a moment before turning to see where I was. The area was


    dimly lit by a central fire pit. The me was like the torches though, smokeless.


    “Feed them this,” the voice behind me said and I spun around.


    One of the guards hade through the door and was handing me arge pot. My eyes shot down


    and I didn’t make a move. I was sure I was not supposed to look or speak to this man. He muttered


    something, sitting it beside the fire.


    “Feed it to them, they have to eat,” he ordered again pointing to a bowl and spoon lying beside the pot.