Excerpt:

"Look, it's been great helping you and all, but if you want to keep going with me, we have to go now," Choru insisted. He looked anxiously toward the trees. More water was falling, hitting Deuce as he stood watching the trees. It was coming down harder.

More lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled. "Lead the way," Deuce replied.

Choru nodded, then took off running. Deuce followed only seconds later. The rain was beginning to soak through his clothing, sluicing dirt off of Deuce's skin, making it look like he was bleeding mud. There was no one catching the rain, no one taking it to thirsty miners below them, working under the earth with all they could.

But, Deuce reminded himself, picking up his pace to better catch Choru, at least some are free now. He tried not to think about the ones who had inevitably gotten lost, or the ones who had died or been injured in the riots following th eoverseer's death.

They ran through a forest, and Deuce had to work to pay enough attention to Choru to keep up, because in all the reminiscing about the blue, blue sky, Deuce didn't hear miners missing the lack of green. There was a lot of green.

"If we move fast enough," Choru called between breaths, "the rain should cover our tracks."

Deuce nodded, not caring that Choru couldn't see the motion. It was a perfect opportunity. There would be plenty of time to revel in the greenery and the flash-and-growl of the waether later. For now, there was rain water matting his hair and making his shoes squelch as they filled, and who-knew-how-far to go before they got to wherever it was Choru was leading them.