The wall line moved under Sera’s hand before the next carrier felt it.
She called the halt and planted her boots against the sound side. Eli stood beyond the receiving turn with his companion, close enough to see the water rising over a mark that had been dry when the first patients passed. He could not see the anchor itself from there. He could see Sera watching its contact and the carrier watching her face, waiting to learn whether they would be moving forward or backing into a passage that no longer offered another exit.
“Hold your spacing,” she said. “No one joins this section until I call.”
The injured scout lay between the carriers with his leg protected against the wall. His harness had been connected to the guide line to keep a stumble from becoming a fall into the deeper channel. Kellan checked the receiving point with another hunter, then remained clear of the turning space. He directed the hunter’s hands instead of putting his strained shoulder beneath another heavy pull.
Sera wore the worker’s map case against her side. Its clear cover was scratched and wet; the rolled sheet inside retained the uneven edges that had kept Juno from making a complete copy. The carry loop passed over Sera’s wrist while she worked the guide line. She had moved it there from her shoulder because a loose strap could catch on the wall during the low crossing.
