The beam stopped wavering. The red glow spread from the point of contact in an expanding circle, turning solid rock soft and workable. Blair's face locked into pure concentration, droplets of sweat forming across her forehead despite the burns ravaging her left side. Her jaw could have been carved from iron.
The centipede smashed through something below us. Stone gave way with a sound like a building collapsing, and the entire crevasse shook. The walls ground together, rock scraping against rock in a chorus that sounded like the world breaking itself in half. Dust and debris rained down on us from above.
My ribs screamed. The rope bit into my shoulders. Blair's weight pulled at the harness with renewed force as whatever the centipede had destroyed sent fresh vibrations up the wall.
"Any day now would be fantastic."
"Shut up."
