38The FailsafeTazia took the last few feet of the tunnel on her butt. She lost her footing, flailed for a handhold, failed to find one, and instead slid backward. She ended the slide staring up into the endless blackness of the cave, the only lights the ones in her vision after banging the back of her head.
She lay for a moment, breathing deeply, and sending a silent prayer to whoever was listening—at this point she didn’t care whether angel or devil—that the damage was minor. She eased herself up into a sitting position, and looked around, squinting against the thumping at the back of her head.
The bottom of the cave lay even lower than the level upon which she lay. She’d settled about halfway down the ramp-like pathway that circled the side of the cave before it opened out into a vast
