According to dormitory lore, the machines did not enter the old stadium. "Merge with the entering crowd. But beware, when you try to return to Tarclaver, the machines lie in wait." "beware. beware." The words echoed in her mind.

The road curved sharply; in front of her loomed a concrete structure. The lower level was obscured by a dense row of eucalyptus trees. In the woods below, she heard sounds, as if the bushes through which she had just passed were being trampled in a rush of clanking heavy machinery.