Sera made Olan walk the first turn twice.
He did not appreciate it. His map case caught against the wall on the return, and he pulled it free with a sharp scrape.
“I know a junction when I see one.”
“You knew the wrong mark a minute ago.”
“That was your system.”
“Yes. So we make sure it works before you need it.”
He looked at the two chalk signs, then pointed to the open triangle that meant the return toward the receiving level. Sera asked him where the closed mark led. He named the damaged stair. Only then did she move forward.
She could feel the hunters behind her waiting. Eli was quiet; Bram kept looking over her shoulder at the passage ahead. None of that made the utility workers see in the dark. Sera moved her lamp low so the loose metal strip at the floor seam cast a shadow. She bent its end flat with Kellan’s tool and marked the place anyway. Someone retreating quickly could hook a heel on what had looked harmless during the approach.
