Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 494
"...Is the queen. We’re not!"
"Mediation, can you bring us somewhere near the
queen’s summer palace?"
"Mediation does not know this place."
"The other human you speak to. A woman, surely you
remember her?"
"The Contact. Yes. We know her location. Mediation
will bring you to a place near there."
"Safely?" said Tamsin. She was still staring down the
pit.
"Yes."
Jordan hesitated. He didn’t want to leave yet. "You
stopped talking to the que--the contact. Why?"
"Thalience learned of our liaison, and interfered. Now
you must hurry. Thalience is attacking."
Jordan heard a distant sound like thunder. Then the
ground shook beneath them. Drifts of salt began to fall from
the invisible ceiling.
He had dozens of questions he wanted to ask―about this
‘second language’ he supposedly spoke, about why he was so
important to Mediation. The thunder sounded louder.
"Here." Jordan made Tamsin wrap herself around him.
"Hold tight." He took another look down the pit himself; that
was a mistake.
“Will I be able to speak to you again?” he asked
Mediation.
“We will contact you when it is possible. For now, we
will provide you access to the Library.”
He nodded, and took a deep breath. "Here we go."
They stepped into the pit.
It was like being assaulted by demons that were kept