by R L Delaney
Father Galvéz looked up. "W-Where am I?"
"You call it dreaming," the angel answered patiently, "but we really have taken you away, so we can communicate with you. But soon you'll wake up, and you must hurry. There's no time to lose, for the Evil One is gathering his forces."
"W-What would you have me do," Father Galvéz whispered as he looked up, still on his knees.
"You must tell Justin and Amy where the key of Cipher Flux can be found."
"B-But, I don't know where the key of Cipher Flux is hidden," Father Galvéz stammered.
The angel did not answer the Father's question. Instead he went on with his message, and said, "Tell Justin and Amy not to be afraid to give the key to the enemy. Harrison Ames will be all right, and so will the world. Again, tell them not to be afraid, but to rely on the Lord their God."
"But… where is the key of Cipher Flux," Father Galvéz asked.
"You already know," the angel replied. "You speak Latin. You do well to this listen to the young girl by your side."
"Y-You mean, A-Amy Stenson?"
But no more answer came as the image of the angel Quabriel slowly began to fade away and at the same time, Father Galvéz felt as if somebody was pulling on his spirit.
"Father Galvéz… Father Galvéz…" Amy's voice came from very far. "Wake up, Father, we need to back before it gets dark."
Father Galvéz didn't want to wake up. Where he was, it was so much better, so much more peaceful and pretty. The angel Quabriel had now completely vanished and the happy, bright light was gone too. The soft sound of the piano had now been replaced by an unpleasant rattling sound, but Father Galvéz couldn't quite place it. And it was so warm now. While it had been so balmy and cool, now it was stifling hot, almost suffocating.
"Wake up, Father." There was Amy's voice again. Persistent and demanding, and somebody was pulling his arm.
"Amy?"
He needed to wake up… he had a message to share. Finally, he opened his eyes again and stared in the smiling face of Amy. Above him he saw a rope that was dangling from the roof, driven by the wind, and was bouncing against the wooden wall of the stable. That had been the irritating sound he had heard.
"Wake up, Father… You've had quite a good nap," Amy said.
Father Galvéz coughed, as sand had gotten to his mouth. He stared with unbelieving eyes at the confusing sight before him. No longer did he see a beautiful tree, laden with fruit. Instead of flower-strewn fields he now saw rocks, sand, ruins and thistles.
He raked with his hand through his wavy white hair and smiled back at Amy. "You are right, Amy… I had quite a nap."
After Father Galvéz had awakened, he didn't want to speak for a long time, and just sat on the bench, leaning against the stable.
"A-Are you all right, Father?" Amy asked as she stared at the pensive face of Father Galvéz. "You are not getting sick, are you? We shouldn't get stuck in this awful place."
At last Father Galvéz looked up, and a peaceful, contented look rested on his aging face. "No, Amy," he answered slowly. "I was never better than I am now."
Amy raised her brows.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Father Galvéz asked when Justin joined them.
"Not really," Amy said while she curled her lips. "Somebody's been here, and there's a circle of burned candles inside the stable. To be honest…," she hesitated, "… it looks like some weird things are going on here. Dark, unpleasant things that cannot stand to see the light of day."
"And the key?" Father Galvéz added. "The key of Cipher Flux? You have any idea where it is?"
Amy shrugged. "No, Father, we don't."
"Hannibal ad portas," Father Galves said, and he peered at Amy while he narrowed his eyes.
"What did you say?" Amy asked.
Father Galves smiled. "You said that it was possible that Cipher Flux didn't just announce his death, when he was carving out those words on the stable wall, but that he was actually giving a clue about the hiding place of the key."
"I did," Amy replied as she squeezed her chin with her fingers. "But you didn't think that was true."
"What if I was wrong, and you were right?" Father Galvéz words were soft, and a little light twinkled in the old priest's eyes.
Amy tilted her head and stared at Father Galvéz with a questioning look. "And…?"
"Sit down, both of you," Father Galvéz ordered.
His voice was filled with such authority that Justin and Amy crouched down immediately, not worrying about the sandy ground.
Father Galvéz cleared his throat, and began to tell them about his dream. While he was speaking he apparently relived some of the scenes again as at several moments his voice faltered, and when he tried to describe the angel Quabriel he even choked.
When he was done he pressed his lips together and grabbed Amy's hand. "That, my dear Amy, is why I believe you were right about your observation, although I still don't understand how it could lead us to the key."
Justin had become very still while Father Galvéz shared his dream, and Amy's posture had stiffened, as she tried to make sense of it all.
"And the angel told you that, if we found the key, we should just hand it over to those horrible Shadow Walkers?" Justin curled his lips and shook his head. "I want to rescue Uncle Harry more than anybody else, but to just give in to evil like that…? That just doesn't sound right."
Amy looked up at him. "Remember, Justin… It's not by our power, and not by our might that we win the victory. It has to be God, not us. Our job is just to obey."
Justin blushed. "Sorry, Amy. You are right… It's a lesson I will probably have to learn until the day I die."
"I don't think I got that dream for nothing," Father Galvéz continued. "We need to look at the words Cipher Flux wrote on the wall again."
Amy nodded, and closed her eyes so she could concentrate better.
After she sat there motionless for at least five minutes, Justin was getting a bit impatient, but finally she opened her eyes again. They shone with excitement.
She turned to Father Galvéz. "Listen, Father… I am now convinced that's what happened. Cipher Flux gave us a clue. He didn't mean he was Hannibal, but Hannibal is just a secret word for his key. If we are right, than his text means something like, 'The key is at the Portas.'" She eyed Father Galvéz with curious eyes. "But… I have no idea what 'Portas' could mean. Does that mean anything to you, Father?"
Father Galvéz thought for the longest time. Then, all of a sudden, he paled and stared wide-eyed at Amy. "It does mean something," he mumbled. "In the time of Cipher flux, just about a mile from here, there were some Mexican farmers living here. Of course, they hated the poisonous spring of Bitter Grog. One day they asked Cipher Flux to use his magic to clean the water, so they could irrigate the land. They paid him a good sum of money, but Cipher Flux's magic didn't work. The spring remained as poisonous as ever…" Father Galves narrowed his eyes, as he searched his memory.
"What happened then?" Justin leaned forward, and was almost pulling the words out of Father Galvéz' mouth.
The priest gave him a weak smile. "Patience, young man. I am an old man… my memory doesn't work as fast as yours." Then he lifted his finger and said, "Ah, I remember again. The farmers got angry and demanded their money back, but Cipher Flux loved money too much to do that. Historical reports claim that Cipher Flux lied to them and organized some sort of reconciliation party with the promise he would pay them back during the feast. For the feast he made beer, but he made it with the poisonous waters from the Bitter Grog creek. It killed all the farmers."
Amy flinched. "What horrible wickedness."
Father Galvéz nodded. "It sure was. But here's the thing… Because of the horrible act of wickedness that took place there, local farmers called that place from that very day the 'Puertas del infierno, or translated in good English, 'The Gates of Hell.' It's still called that till this very day."
"And?" Justin asked.
"Don't you get
it?" Amy turned her head and punched Justin's arm. "Gates… Puertas… and ultimately… Portas." Amy's face shone and she could hardly keep her voice from shouting. "That's it. I believe the inscription on his wall, Hannibal ad Portas, could very well mean that Hannibal, or the key, is hidden at the Portas, the gate. In other words we need to look for the key at that place called Puertas del Infierno."
Understanding shone on Justin's face. "You may be right, Amy. You just may be right." He turned to Father Galvéz and asked, "Is that place far from here?"
Father Galvéz shook his head. "Not at all. I have never been there, but we just have to follow the dry riverbed over there…" He pointed towards a rubble-strewn gully further down in the barren wastelands behind the stable. "It shouldn't be more than a mile or so."
"Then, let's go," Justin said as he stood back up. "We only have a few more hours of daylight, so we have to hurry."
Amy pressed her lips together in a slight grimace as she glanced at Father Galvéz. "Can you make it there, Father?"
The old priest looked up and gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry about me, Amy. The dream I just saw… so beautiful. My bodily strength may be waning, but I never felt so good in my life. I've seen the glory land, so I am not too worried to follow an old, dried out river bed. I will fear no evil, even though I walk through the Gates of Hell."
The first part of the journey appeared to be fairly easy. They struggled along the banks of the riverbed without too many difficulties, but just when Justin had thought looking for the Puertas del Infierno was nothing more than a walk in the park, things changed. The banks on the side became rather steep and sharp, jagged rocks made passing through rather difficult, and even dangerous. They had to climb down and follow from within the dry riverbed.
Justin was the first to climb down, and he soon stood in the riverbed, surrounded by boulders, both big and small, which would force them to either climb over them or move around them. That would slow them down considerably.
What was worse was the fact that Justin, almost as soon as he set foot in the gully, saw two snakes slithering away. One had been the size of the string of his shoes, and the other one had been bigger than any serpent he'd ever seen in the wild. They had to be very cautious.
"Are you all right?" Amy called out.
"It seems like we are in for a rough ride, after all." Justin replied from within the river bed.
Amy turned to Father Galvéz and pressed her lips together. "Father, you may have seen the Gates of Heaven, but let's not push your luck. This is no place for you."
Father Galvéz nodded. "You are right, Amy. I'll go back to the truck and wait there for you and Justin. I'll be praying for you." He bent forward and took Amy in a gentle bear hug, and after he had waved and shouted out a blessing to Justin, he turned around and walked off.
When he had disappeared behind a boulder, Amy descended into the gully as well and joined up with Justin.
"It's just you and me now, Justin," she said. She looked around and swallowed hard. "What a dismal, gloomy place this is." Then she whispered a small prayer for help and protection and cautiously began to climb over the nearest boulder.
The further they went, the higher the canyon walls became, and soon towered over them like massive blocks of granite and stone. Sentries they were, that seemed to be guarding the wicked secrets of the netherworld. The sun could no longer reach into the canyon, and as a result the canyon was now plunged into cool shades of gray.
As Justin and Amy slowly advanced, their original joy at having possibly discovered the hiding place of the key of Cipher Flux, had gone out the door. Justin secretly wished he was back home again in the warmth of his own house and with Balthazar resting on the edge of his bed. But he was not, and there was no turning back now.
At last, the riverbed made a turn to the right.
Amy sighed, and Justin pressed his lips together as they stared at yet another big block of stone that was obstructing their way.
Amy looked at him and spoke the words that he himself had been thinking.
"How are we even going to know what the Puertas del Infierno looks like? Everything looks the same here. Dark, sinister and gloomy."
Justin shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. We walk by faith remember?"
Amy scowled, but then, after they had climbed the next rock, and had followed the riverbed a few more yards, their question was answered.
The riverbed stopped. It had led to a circular area, the size of Justin's living room, and that turned out to be the bottom of a steep ravine of at least 40 feet deep. The granite walls showed several deep cracks, and there was even a somber looking cave with an entrance just wide enough to crawl through.
"This is it," Amy whispered. "We have arrived at the Puertas del Infierno."
Chapter Eight
Now they had found what appeared to be the ominous Puertas del Infierno, it was time for the next step. But what would that step be?
Amy sat down on a small boulder, and after she had scanned the area, she mumbled, "I hope we don't have to go into that cave over there.”
Justin followed her stare and agreed. The cave Amy had pointed out looked anything but inviting. A large thistle bush was growing right near the entrance, and several bleached out animal bones lay before the entrance.
Justin sat down on the boulder next to Amy. "Maybe we should pray," he suggested. "I am clueless. Let's see if the Elixir can give us guidance, as we really need the help of the King of Heaven."
Amy agreed. "Very good, Justin. That's one of the best things you have said today." She grabbed Justin's hand, and after both of them closed their eyes they poured out their heart to God.
It felt good to pray.
It seemed to generate a sense of security, although Justin did not receive any particular word of wisdom and he saw no vision. At last, he opened his eyes again, and almost expected to see an angel with fiery eyes and mighty wings that would point with a flaming sword to the exact spot where the key of Cipher Flux was hidden. But there was no angel. Instead the place had only grown drearier, as the sun had now disappeared behind gathering clouds, and it began to drizzle.
"Nothing," he said to Amy while he wrinkled his nose. "I still have no idea."
Amy shrugged her shoulders. "We prayed, and now we need to look around to see if we can find a clue. Who knows, maybe we will get an idea, or maybe something will happen so we can go and collect the answer."
Justin blinked. "What do you mean?"
Amy chuckled. "God knows best what to do. What did you expect… an angel with a flaming sword, pointing to the key or something?"
"Eh… not really…" Justin's ears turned red.
Amy got up and pulled Justin up too.
At that moment a small bird flew over the canyon. It circled over their heads a few times and then landed on a boulder some ten feet away. It was a most curious bird. Brown, with a rich gray breast and intricately scaled under parts and a pretty head plume.
"Chi-ca-goo," the bird said, as he tilted his head a bit to the side and rolled his little black eyes around while staring at Justin and Amy. "Chi-ca-goo… Chi-ca-goo."
"It's a Californian Quail," Amy whispered without taking her eyes off the bird.
"You know birds?" Justin whispered back, but Amy did not answer and kept staring at the quail. The feathery friend hopped around a bit on the boulder, and then jumped onto the ground and disappeared out of sight.
"What do you think?" Amy said, hardly able to suppress the excitement in her voice. "You think that bird is trying to tell us something?
"Chi-ca-goo," it came again, this time from behind the boulder.
Cautiously, so as to not scare the bird, Amy stepped in the direction where the quail had disappeared behind the rock. Justin followed.
But when they came near the boulder, there was nothing special to see.
The boulder, just about the size of several sacks of grain that were piled up on top of each other, was resting against the wall
of the canyon. Still, there were no signs or indications that could possibly lead to the hidden key.
"Where did the bird go?" Justin asked as he narrowed his eyes. "I didn't see him fly off… He must still be around somewhere."
"He's on the other side of the boulder," Amy mumbled, as she knelt down and studied the hard ground around the boulder. "There is a small passageway here that he must have crawled through."
She had just finished speaking when they heard the happy chatter of the quail again. This time it came from behind.
"Chi-ca-goo."
The bird stared at them unafraid and was now sitting on top of a much smaller rock that was half buried in the ground and leaned against the big boulder. The big boulder was almost sandwiched in between the smaller rock and the canyon wall.
"What are you trying to tell us, little bird?" Amy whispered as she glanced with fascination at the quail.
Amy stuck out her hand in a friendly gesture and took a small step in the direction of the bird.
"Chi-ca-goo," the bird said one more time, and then, before the startled eyes of Justin and Amy, he jumped off the small rock and soared back into the sky. There, he circled one more time high above their heads, twittered another greeting, and then flew off into the clouds.
"You scared him away," Justin mumbled as the bird disappeared over the edge of the canyon.
"I don't know," Amy replied. "Call me crazy, but I think that bird was sent by God to tell us where the key of Cipher Flux is hidden."
Justin turned to look at Amy. "How is that? To me, that isn't all that clear."
But Amy wasn't about to be discouraged by Justin's doubts. Instead she looked up and said, "Help me, Justin."
"With what?"
Amy pointed to the smaller rock that the quail had been sitting on last. "Help me dig." Her voice trembled as she started to dig around the smaller rock and began to scoop the dirt and sand away that kept the rock in place.