Kate woke to an urgent tug on her arm. She stared at the stone ceiling in disbelief; it felt impossible that she would find herself still in the alcove and not wrapped up in bed. The red girl looked down at at her wide-eyed, wearing an expression of concern. “Come. Come,” she said. “The rings are heating.”
True enough, the concentric metal rings beneath her were warm to the touch. “They will be red hot in a moment,” said Yewet. “That would burn even me. We must retreat to the Mating Hall until the heat subsides. Kate–it is rare for the Father to force us out of hiding like this.”
Kate felt cold terror run from her throat to somewhere in her belly as they stumbled out of the gap and into the vastness of the hall. “Is it because of me?”