The climb was interminable. De'Ville could hear the faint creaks coming from Grime's exoskeleton as he toiled behind the Mandos, and his labored breathing. Every exhale was no doubt a curse aimed at her.

"Hold," she said, swinging her right foot out to catch the staples that ran opposite the set she was climbing, and resting her back against the shaft. "Five minutes, and don't fall."

Suspended in the tube, five Mandos and one apprentice beneath her, Lilaena looked upwards. They were almost there - the ventilation entrance to the lab was not far above. But when they got there they would need to be ready. A canteen of water was passed up to her from Jeng, and she drank sparingly before handing it back down.