The runes only patterned the right wall. If I hugged that wall, I should easily be able to find my way back.
I made my way into the beckoning dark, the shadowed depths much cooler than the humid rainforest above. The air around me was stale but void of any sort of dampness one would expect to find in this sort of environment. An occasional crack of light broke through from the ground above. Hopefully it would hold. The last thing I needed was for the ceiling to collapse on me.
When something landed on my shoulder, I gasped and jumped to the side before collecting my wits. I brushed whatever it was off, glancing at the dusty floor as a very large spider scuttled off into the shadows.
A shiver ran through me, and I grimaced. It was atrocious that a spider could get so large.
After a deep breath, I continued following the line of symbols. I tried to work out what they said along the way, but it was no use. Despite the feeling of being so close to deciphering what the runes meant, I just couldn’t seem to access the words.
Even more disconcerting was the soft noise that reached me, almost like whispers, sighs of the ancient deceased breathing over me, though whether in warning or welcome, I couldn’t say.
I followed the symbols as they rounded a corner and then halted. Before me was a corridor much wider than the one I had been following. I started forward but then hesitated.
Something seemed off.
While the floors I had been stepping across had been crumbling with dust and disuse, these stones were smoother and placed in straight lines instead of a haphazard pattern.
Crouching down, I held my hand over the stones. Air brushed lightly across my palm from the cracks.
Air? From below?
“But that would mean…” I pushed on one of the stones and scooted back quickly as it broke apart, falling into darkness.
Leaning forward, I peered down. There was nothing there but blackness. Crossing my legs, I propped my chin on my hand. It was brilliant, really, that whoever built this place had somehow made a false floor. The desire to get across burned hotter in me as well, because why have a floor like this if there wasn’t something priceless to protect on the other side?
I stared at the far wall with the realization that I could die down here and no one would ever find me. Or worse, someone would come searching for me and fall victim to this place as well, another body to rot to bones in the tombs of the earth.
Still, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. No risk, no reward.
My fingers drummed on my cheek. How to get across? The ancients would have made some way to bridge the gap.
Studying the stones, I found more runes scratched into the surface of every one. None of them seemed similar.
Taking a chance, I leaned back, stretched out my leg, and tapped the false floor. I drew my foot back as several pieces of the floor gave way. A few remained, however, and I squinted at them.
At first, they appeared different, but the longer I studied them, the more I noticed a pattern. Each one had a pair of dots somewhere around the central symbol, as if they belonged in some sort of collection. Numbers, perhaps?
Standing, I took a deep breath, my hands squeezing onto the straps of my bag as if it would tether me to the ceiling, and stepped onto the first stone. When the small square of floor remained solid beneath me, I released a slow breath. I was able to make it three more stones before I had to pick out similar runes from the rest of the floor to step to.
But as I neared the end, my heel hit a piece of false floor behind me. It gave way, and I teetered back, throwing my arms out in an attempt to balance.
I let out a shaky laugh when I didn’t find myself falling to my death. Hopping to the welcome sight of regular, aged stone, I peered over my shoulder at the fallen floor I had traversed.
“That was probably stupid,” I muttered, but I couldn’t stop now. I’d come too far, and that strange feeling was still pulling at my bones, urging me forward.
I kept a sharp eye out for any more traps. Thankfully, I made it to a fork in my way without incident.
One path led upward, sunlight filtering from above. It was a lighter, and more welcoming, path. Meanwhile, the path on the left descended downward into repelling shadows.
I’d bet my trusty Chaucer that the ancient people who had crafted this place assumed trespassers would take the lighter path for fear of the dark. Then again, the way those people had held reverence for the sun, treasures may have been kept higher up, and I would find nothing down the left path but darkness, dust, and time-worn bones.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, mulling over the choice in my mind. When I opened them again, I was facing the dark path, as if my body had turned toward it of its own accord. The sensation in the pit of my stomach gave a sharp tug, and I gave in.
Very well, then. Dark and dangerous it is.
I dug a headlamp from my pack and fit it around my temples. There was no forgiving sun squeezing its way down there.
The path was steep and, unlike the way so far, glistened with moisture dripping down the walls. It made me thirsty, and as I licked my dry lips, I told myself I would never forget a canteen again.
As I crossed the slick stones beneath my feet, twice I had to brace myself on the cold wall beside me to keep from falling. Finally, I reached the bottom, where I entered a circular chamber with runes patterned across nearly every inch of the floor and walls. A cylindrical dais rose up from the center, and I walked carefully over to examine it: A pair of rings patterned with runes edged what appeared to be a lid. The same four-pointed star I had seen on the ruins above was stamped in the middle.
Pressing my hand to it, a tingle feathered across my palm. But when I pushed at the lid, it didn’t budge. I braced my hands on opposite edges and twisted until the outer ring moved.
I grinned. It’s a puzzle.
But my smile quickly faded when a grinding sound echoed through the chamber, as if the earth itself was groaning.
I pivoted, and as I looked back up the steep path, my eyes widened. The square of light from the doorway above seemed to be narrowing.
Mind clashing with instincts, I panicked. I needed to flee while I had the chance. I would be trapped in this place if I didn’t.
But if I left, I would be leaving behind the very thing I lived for.
“Damn it.” I wheeled around and studied the runes, trying to ignore the door descending slowly behind me.
None of the symbols were identical. I studied each one three times to make sure.
The longer I contemplated them, though, the more tiny details emerged. Some of the symbols, while not exactly matching, held certain curves or angles. But there were too many with these subtle similarities. They wouldn’t match up to the smaller, inner circle.
A quick glance over my shoulder showed the doorway was half the size it had been. Despite the chill in the air, sweat beaded on my forehead, and I swiped it away impatiently. Then, it clicked. I had been too caught up in searching for the similarities that I hadn’t realized the answer was in the differences. Placed throughout the runes were symbols that held none of the same angles, lines, or curves.
I twisted the outer circle, matching up symbols that held no relation. Even with this discovery, there could be any number of combinations, but I had to try. The grinding stone behind me told me I was rapidly running out of time.
I paired the symbols, closed my eyes, and sent a silent prayer up to every corner of the universe. With tense muscles, I pushed and nearly cried when the lid gave way.
Not wasting a breath, I snatched a cloth-wrapped item from inside. It was like someone struck me in the chest as I clutched the item in my fist, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I started up the steep path as the stone door descended above. The moisture in these walls and stones had been no accident of nature. It was just one more safeguard to keep the unwanted from getting a treasure that was not meant to leave these depths.
Gritting my teeth, I used one hand to scrabble at the wa
ll on the left to pull myself up. My muscles burned as I drew in quick breaths, struggling, eyes locked on the shrinking gap.
As a foot slid out from under me, earning me a sharp crack on the knee, a cry left my lips. Ignoring the pain, I tapped into a reserve of strength deep within me, pushing my legs until they felt like they would snap from the pressure.
I wasn’t going to make it.
Chapter 3
The doorway was still several feet away; I’d never be quick enough. I yelled, the answering echoes like an army around me. I refused to die here. My discovery needed to be shared with the world.
With the last of my strength, I pitched myself forward toward the narrow gap ahead and hit the stone floor hard. As I pulled my body, scraping across the ground, a puff of dust clouded around me, and my lungs burned with each breath.
It was a miracle I hadn’t been crushed to death, but something was putting pressure on my foot.
My heart pounded at the loose bootlace trapped beneath the stone door. I retrieved my knife and cut through the lace, a panic still in my chest as I stood, as if my body hadn’t caught up with my mind that I’d escaped.
Uncurling my stiff fingers, I stared at the item in my hand. Slowly, I unwrapped the soft, threadbare fabric and beheld the slender key that had nearly cost me my life.
The artifact appeared to have been gold at some point but was darkened in spots with age. It was simple, not unlike any skeleton key used in locks and doors of ages past. A chain was threaded through the end and coiled beneath it.
Lifting the key from the aged cloth, I found the golden chain just long enough to be worn like a necklace. Curiosity got the better of me, as it always did, and I looped the chain over my head.
As the key lay onto my chest, the same strange sense of familiarity settled over me that had come when I’d fallen into this hidden place. My breath caught, and suddenly, my knees were shaking, limbs trembling before my muscles turned to water. The room spun around me, and my vision went dark even before I squeezed my eyes shut against the whirling walls.
Voices came, hundreds of them, thousands. A cacophony of whispers and screams rushed through my head. My hands pressed to my ears, trying to drown out the sound, but it was coming from inside. A cold breeze ran across my skin, and I shivered as icy fingers dragged me farther into the dark.
Somewhere in my shadowed mind, I found a wisp of clarity. I pulled myself closer to them, used them like an anchor to keep from drowning in the darkness. In and out. One beat. Two. Three. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes.
The walls were the same, as was the dusty stone floor beneath me. No whispers or screams echoed around me. No cold breeze brushed across my skin. There was only silence, myself, and the key around my neck.
I took it off, eyed it warily, then folded the cloth carefully back around it. Leaning my head back against rough stone, I drew in another steadying breath. I’d never wanted a big bottle of ice cold water as much as I did right then.
That had to be the problem. I was dehydrated. First, the trek through the hot and humid jungle, then making my way down into the ruin, and, finally, the difficulty getting back out with the key. All of it must have taken its toll of me. I had passed out from thirst and exertion. There was no other explanation. An urgency to return to the dig site drew me shakily to my feet.
I glanced around—I had one of two options. I could either try to go back the way I had come, though getting through the false floor with my unsteady muscles could prove difficult. Or I could go up the path on my left, the one that had sunlight glowing near the top like a welcoming beacon.
Tucking the key into a deep pocket of my pants, I headed toward the light.
The path was steep, though thankfully not as steep as the way to the key had been. I used the left-hand wall to steady myself as I made my way up. The stones on the wall grew warmer as I stepped farther into the light. Blue sky opened up ahead of me, and I quickened my pace. When I reached the top, I pulled myself out and blinked in confusion.
I got to my feet on the ground and stepped into a small circle. The ancient ruin still stood around me, but I didn’t recognize the area. I must have been on the opposite side.
A massive wall rose up sharply behind me, and another wall descended steeply down into the waiting arms of the tangled jungle, leaving me standing on a platform. Climbing up would be impossible and getting down would be dangerous.
“Seems I don’t really have a choice,” I muttered with a shrug. Perhaps when I reached the bottom, I could make my way around the base of the ruin back to where I started.
A sense of hesitancy held my foot as I went to place it on the edge. It was as if a line was tied to my ankle, not letting me move forward. I wanted to go on, to get away from this place and back to the dig site, but at the same time, I wanted to turn around and walk back into the ruin.
I clenched my hands, shook my head, and squatted down to start my descent. Dehydration and strain was definitely messing with my head.
I braced my feet in front of me as I scooted carefully down. If I started to gain momentum too quickly, there would be no stopping me.
I was nearly halfway down, the dappled shade of the canopy falling over me, when the hair rose on the back of my neck. Behind me, a deep, throaty roar echoed through the air. It was an urgent, angry sort of sound.
The jaguar.
With a glance back over my shoulder, I thought I could spot the creature climbing down from the top of the ruin.
Keeping my footing on the steep, ancient wall was difficult as I hurriedly slid my way toward the jungle floor. Sure, jaguars were territorial, but this was insane. The quicker I got back to the others, the better.
My feet finally hit the soft ground, and my gaze swung to the right, certain that was the way that would lead me back to my starting point. I could find my way to the dig site from there. But as I started to head that way, the growl of the jaguar carried from that direction.
I clenched my teeth and plunged into the undergrowth, the vines and water-slick plants trying to hold me back. If I got out of the large cat’s territory, it would quit pursuing me. Getting lost seemed a better option at the moment than winding up as jaguar food.
The angry roars of the jaguar soon faded, and I took a chance to halt, bracing my hands on my knees as I pulled in breaths. Sweat trickled down from my forehead and dripped off my jaw. I swallowed, the moisture trickling down the greenery from above reminding me just how thirsty I was.
Straightening my body and rotating slightly to the right, I attempted to find my bearings. As far as I knew, I had run a straight shot from the ruin. I angled my way farther toward the west. If I headed in that direction, I should cross the path I had made getting to the ruin in the first place. Hopefully. It was nearly impossible to tell, especially with the way my head still felt woozy.
Voices reached me on the cusp of my decision. I squinted, looking behind me. These were no voices in my head. These were voices calling out through the rainforest, and they seemed to be coming from the ruins.
It was completely possible, I supposed, that I had been followed, either by my own team or another. It was difficult from this distance to make out any words from the voices, but I assumed they were hollering for me.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and called out, “Hello?” I started to head back toward the ruin, then hesitated. The last thing I wanted to do was to run into the jaguar again. “I’m out here!”
The voices fell silent, and I furrowed my brow.
I called out again, and this time, the voices came from the opposite direction. Whirling around, I listened. These voices had more substance, and I could almost make out the words. But whose voices had been calling out behind me?
Echoes, perhaps?
Things echoed strangely in the rainforest.
I shifted my pack, my shoulder aching from its weight, and headed quickly in the direction of the voices. The green-tinted light that managed to reach the undergrowth from above wa
s turning dimmer and the day was growing late. Getting stranded in the rainforest at night was definitely not on the list of things I wanted to do.
The volume of the voices increased, and a breath of relief whispered up my throat as I caught wider patches of sunlight in the distance. The dig site. I opened my mouth to holler again, but my words lodged in my throat.
Not one, but two jaguars pushed through the dense undergrowth. I recognized the one on the right as the one who had tried to attack me atop the ruin, if only by his unusually large size. The other one was much smaller.
My hand wrapped around my knife handle as I pulled it out. I barely had time to blink as the larger jaguar lunged forward, ears back and jaw wide. He swiped at me with a sharply clawed paw and, as I stumbled back, my arm swung out.
A painful noise came from the animal as he lurched to the side, holding his paw off the ground. Blood dripped to the leaves below him. The other hurried forward, and my grip tightened on the knife handle. A gunshot cracked through the air like the snap of a whip. Then a second. The smaller jaguar fell at the third shot, body twitching pitifully before growing still.
My eyes shifted to the larger jaguar. He hadn’t moved, and his golden stare fixated on me. It was just an animal, but I could have sworn he was trying to tell me something with that steady gaze.
Words and people started to tumble through the trees, and the jaguar finally broke away, dashing into the jungle as gunshots followed him.
“Olivia, are you all right?”
I blinked, tearing my stare from the retreating jaguar. I managed to jerk a nod, then I caught sight of Sarah’s canteen at her hip. In two strides, I was in front of her, snatching the small canister of water. My eyes closed as I swallowed large gulps of the lukewarm liquid.
“Damn, Perez, what happened to you?”
After wiping water from my lips, I gave Sarah back her canteen and glanced around at the others. Kelby was there, along with the guides, rifles in their hands, and Dave Williams. He was staring at me with his arms crossed, curiosity more than concern on his face.
The Cursed Key Page 2