The warden lowered his spear when the bell settled into its second pulse. He did not put the weapon down, but he held the point toward the floor.
“The outer path will open again in a few minutes,” he said. “You can return through it.”
Yan kept his hands visible. “And the command array?”
“You won’t reach it before the next turn.”
“I can wait.”
The warden looked at the blood on Yan’s sleeve. “You came through a bombardment and a folded gate. Waiting may not help you.”
“It gives me time to learn where I am.” Yan looked at the repeating grooves in the stone. “Is this the outer approach?”
“The approach changes. The wall doesn’t.”
