When I opened my eyes, I wasn't sure where I was. It seemed like years had passed since I'd been carried through the desert on a rough stretcher. Wracked with fever, my only memories of that tense trip were glimpses of predatory birds circling overhead, and the sun setting behind a large, ominous structure somewhere in the distance. I shuddered.

An anxious whine brought me out of the uncomfortable reverie a split second before a wet, sloppy kiss covered the side of my face. Ah, the one constant in my life.

"Hey, boy." I smiled and Dog took that as tacit permission to happily snuffle my ear. At least some things never changed.

"You're awake, " a woman said. "Good."

I tried to sit up and winced. Every muscle in my body felt tight with disuse and I wondered how long I'd been lying on this bier. The woven mat underneath me did very little to cushion the stone. Not that I was complaining, mind you.

I turned my head toward the voice and saw the strangely painted woman from the desert again.

"My name is Kalin and you are in the city of Aurora. I have much to tell you."

Aurora... So despite everything that had happened, we'd finally gotten here.

I rolled onto one side and gripped the edge of the mat to help maneuver myself onto one elbow. There, that was better. Looking around, I spied another occupied bier across the room.

"Walter. How is he?"

A woman in intricately embroidered robes leaned over Walter with outstretched hands, her eyes closed in concentration while her lips moved silently. The rise and fall of his chest assured me that he was at least breathing.

"He is fortunate to be alive, but we have seen his condition before. We may be able to help him."

"Is there another of my friends here? I thought I saw... in the desert..."

As if summoned, Ben took that moment to appear in the open doorway. "A devilishly handsome soldier by the name of Ben Finn?" He winked playfully.

Crossing the room with a few long strides, Ben climbed up onto the bier and crouched on one knee next to me. His voice softened. "Not dead yet, my friend." He watched his fingertips trace the edge of my jaw gingerly. When he looked up, his eyes held a question. I wanted to answer it, but this was not the time or place for such a discussion.

I was almost relieved when Kalin broke the silence. "Please. Come with me."

Without thinking, I looked over at Walter's prone form again. It was horrible to see such a strong, capable man lying there so helpless. What if he didn't make it? I couldn't bear the thought.

Ben must have seen it on my face. "Don't worry. He's a tough old nut – he'll pull through." I gave him a thankful smile as he hopped off the bier and helped me stand up. Hand in hand, we followed Kalin out of the room.

/

"It's so good to see you." Ben squeezed my hand. "When I was fished out of the local port and Walter and you weren't there... I thought it was all over." He glanced sideways at me and grinned. "Then I realized I was being an arse and worked my charms to get a search party out for you."

Ahead of us, Kalin had stopped next to a rune-covered, diamond-shaped doorway.

"Not that Kalin here needed much persuading," he teased.

She frowned slightly in response. "We are accustomed to misfortune," she explained, turning to me. "Now it is time you saw our city."

From deep within the walls came the sounds of ancient machinery and stone grinding on stone. The slab blocking the doorway rolled into a recess, revealing a long hallway lined with candles. In the faint, flickering light, I could barely see the ceiling tapering to a point far above.

Kalin gestured for me to go ahead.

Reluctantly releasing Ben's hand, I started down the hallway. When I stepped through the entrance several minutes later, I found myself standing at the head of a wide stairway leading down into the city.

Beneath unnaturally dark clouds, tall stone buildings scraped the sky like bones of something long dead. Here and there, lit torches did little to illuminate empty streets. I could see no other sign of inhabitants. A solitary hawk soared overhead, its harsh cry echoing across the valley.

Something terrible had happened here. The Crawler... The Crawler had happened here...

I was so unnerved that I didn't notice the others had caught up with me until Ben whispered in my ear.

"Welcome to Aurora, the city of nightmares."