Chapter 37: Cracks
The boy gave the bells around his wrist another ring and listened as their keening voices bounced off the glass windows and down the halls and into the dark.
"We don’t have time to play, Zhan."
The boy, Zhan, glanced at his companion then shrugged. The man was crouched on the floor as he fiddled with the exposed wires protruding from the hole in the wall. There was a bright spark and the door in front of them stubbornly slid open.
The man rose and dusted off his gloved hands. He dropped his beautifully crafted eyes to check the watch on his wrist then looked up again.
"We have time. If you want to-" he began.
"I do," said Zhan and started to walk back down the path they’d come.
The man sighed and shook his head. "I’ll see you back on the surface," he called after the boy.
Zhan didn’t turn but waved a hand and disappeared into the dark.
--
Bran’s shoes and Misha’s claws echoed down the hallway. Security had already passed through to evacuate the staff but a quick word from Helen had stopped them from bundling both Bran and Misha off to the surface.
To be honest, the dragon was feeling rather uncertain about him and Bran taking on the responsibility to see what was going on all of a sudden, but Helen acted like this was the usual and Bran seemed to know what he was doing, so Misha kept his doubts to himself.