She stood motionless, but her eyes popped open and rolled in James's direction. "Nothing," she replied. "J-just the wind, like Lance said." Her eyes darted back to Maya.
Maya shrugged.
"Very well. Lance, take the lead," Dr. Parker said, placing his hand behind his neck and guided him down the path. "James, keep an eye on these two." He motioned from Maya to Chantal.
James nodded like a small child, as if he had lost confidence. He hung his head putting his hands in his pockets.
Lance led the way down the spiraling passage and out of view.
James began to pace.
A creepy feeling dredged up inside of Maya, as she didn’t know what could be ahead. The underworld had only been mentioned to her in legend. There were few facts given to her. The first was that Skeleton Man was the gatekeeper to the afterlife. The second was that the third world had been destroyed and the good people were forced to climb into the fourth world, where they lived now.
Chantal pulled matches and candles out of her backpack and lit them.
A gust of warm wind blew from outside the cave, as if to nudge them inside. They walked a few steps in as Chantal handed a candle to Maya. The flame from the match flickered while lighting it.
The cave smelled musty and there was a faint sound of rustling.
"Are there rats in here?" Maya asked, looking into the shadows.
The cascade of James's headlamp made ghostly shadows across her cousin's face.
"No, that’s the sound of the bats," Chantal replied, raising her own candle closer to the ceiling.
Little black bodies squirmed as they nestled together in clumps. A few swooped from one cluster to another.
"Oh, gross!" Maya said, recoiling towards Chantal. She remembered the one that was caught in her mom’s hair.
Chantal reached into her pocket and pulled out her room keys, jingling them together as she saw Dr. Parker do when they spied on him in the canyon.
The bats glided from their roost at the sound and swarmed out of the mouth of the cave behind them. Maya and James dove to the rocky floor to dodge them, sheltering their faces with their arms.
Chantal shrieked, dropped her candle, and toppled onto Maya.
Pain shot up Maya's back as Chantal's fingernails sunk into her flesh. Maya screeched and rolled away. Suddenly, they tumbled over a ledge they hadn't realized was there and dropped onto a lower one, breaking their fall.
The impact of the fall made Maya gasp for breath and she heard something that sounded like a dry branch cracking.
Chantal screamed.
Maya pushed herself up. "What's wrong?"
"I just- broke my leg!" she uttered through sobs.
James called over the edge from ten feet above. "I'll get my uncle."
Moments later, James was back with Dr. Parker and Lance.
"Bloody hell!" Dr. Parker said, as two headlamps shone down on them.
Her leg was red and bent in the wrong direction. It reminded Maya of a flexible plastic toy she once had that could bend its arms and legs in any direction.
"You can't go on like this," Maya said, holding Chantal in her lap. "We have to get you home."
"No! We've come too far to stop now,” she argued with fire in her eyes. “I'm not going back, broken leg or not! I won't stop until I find out what happened to Ahote." She lowered her voice to a whisper. " We are going to find the lake of healing waters, remember?"
32. A Prayer for Rain
Sunday, 3:47 a.m.
"You'd better be more careful where you step." Dr. Parker’s tone was cold, and his voice sounded hollow in the dark of the cave. He peered over the ledge, casting the bright ray from his headlamp over them.
For a moment, Maya worried he might leave them in the dank cavern. What if he thought it would be easier without Chantal’s dead weight? Her broken leg would slow them down, no doubt. Dr. Parker had one thing on his mind- discovering the City of Cibola. From the desperation he had shown them outside the door to the underworld it was clear he was ready to sacrifice anyone to get there. Then it dawned on her that he needed them to make it through the twisted tunnels. He had known this before they did. It was almost as if he and James had been expecting them to show up on this very night.
Dr. Parker lowered the rope. It slid through his left palm as he pulled with his right. “Maya, help the poor dear with her climbing gear." He let out an exasperated sigh and tossed the belt down.
Chantal held her crooked leg like a shattered valuable she couldn’t part with.
Maya helped to get the gear on and fastened the buckles. She pulled the rope to make sure it was secure, then realized Lance held the top of the rope while Dr. Parker stood watching as if he were waiting on him to do the job alone. He wouldn’t be able to pull both of them at the same time. Maya climbed the rope, unable to see her footing. Thankfully the rock was full of divots. She reached the top and Lance gave her a hand up.
Maya grabbed onto the rope behind Lance. "Ready, Chantal?"
"As ready as I'll ever be.” Her voice was so weak it was barely audible.
They began to wince as they pulled. She was heavier than Maya expected. The rope had sharp bristles. Lance grunted as it slid back through their hands and Chantal screamed.
“Are you ok?” Lance lurched to the edge.
She whimpered.
Dr. Parker leaned against the wall beside James as they waited for him to do the work.
“Please help us,” Lance begged.
James moved toward them, but Dr. Parker put his arm in front to block him. “This will make you a man. It’s like your right of passage.” He smirked as if proud of himself.
James looked between them, as if conflicted.
They began lifting again, and Maya heard the echo of Chantal pulling air into her lungs through her teeth. She cringed at the sound. "You ok?"
"I'll make it," came her reply from down below.
Lance looked back into Maya’s eyes. He had a pained expression as if he could feel his sister’s agony.
“We’ll be ok,” Maya breathed in his ear. “Stay strong for her.”
He swallowed and nodded, then turned back to watch as the rope grated a hole into the overhang.
Dr. Parker strode to the edge and bent over for a look. Maya wished she could kick him over the side but decided with that wouldn’t be wise with Chantal’s unstable condition.
"You're lucky that ledge was there," Dr. Parker said, darkly.
Chantal reached the top as they strained with a final jerk. She tried to claw at the rock floor to get herself over. Lance got her under the arms while Maya struggled with her knees, teetering on the lip of the edge. She felt dizzy as the weight of Chantal’s legs pulled her toward the dark hole. She turned to look at Dr. Parker and reached for him as she felt herself going over. He raised his eyebrows at her with the corners of his mouth turning up in amusement and made no move to grab her.
She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as her weight shifted from the floor over the side- and then there was a firm grasp around her arm.
She looked back to see James holding her in the balance. His arm extended and he stood on his toes as if he had charged toward her. His headlamp was bright and made only the front of his body visible. His lips were parted, and his eyes were glossy. He pulled Maya upright. Chantal gasped as her leg was pulled over the rock. James came to her aide, scooping her into his arms and backing away from the ledge. Lance smoothed her hair while Maya rubbed her arm.
"Let me take a look at that leg." Dr. Parker frowned as he came closer to examine it. "Broken indeed. This is going to hurt." He took a hold of her ankle and yanked as Chantal let out short screeches.
Maya stiffened and watched as her shin went inline, then let out a breath she had been holding.
Chantal craned her neck to look at it with lips parted.
"Now let's get moving,” Dr. Parker said. “Lance?" He jerked his head toward the path.
Lance nodded and headed down the unknown passage.
Chantal held onto James's neck. Neither of them said a word, they stared at each other with long faces. Maya didn’t know how to feel about James. He was a double agent, but Chantal seemed to be in good hands for the moment. Maya turned to follow Dr. Parker and Lance.
"Psst," James said.
Maya turned to him. "I have some pills in my backpack, the first zipper."
Maya nodded blindly, unzipped the back pocket, and felt around until she grasped a pill bottle and handed it to Chantal.
"Take two," James said.
"What are they?" Chantal asked, narrowing her eyes at them.
Maya tried to read the bottle, but the label wasn’t facing out.
"Never mind,” he coerced, “they'll help with the pain."
Chantal opened the childproof lid and tossed them into her mouth without question.
Maya put a hand to her lips, not knowing if she should trust James.
"Here, I have an idea." He put Chantal down on the rocky floor and laid the backpack beside her. He pulled off his shirt over his headlamp and shook it out. He pulled a knife from his pocket and cut the material into strips. Kneeling, he pulled a selfie stick from his bag. "This will work," he mumbled. He placed it behind her leg. Chantal met eyes with him. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes a clear blue like blown glass in the beam of light. He tied the rags around Chantal’s shin. She stiffened with each tug.
His eyes never left hers as he secured it, and his expression was stone cold. It was as if he’d been through something traumatizing and was numb to feeling anything. "This will have to do until we can get you to a hospital,” he said. “I'll have to carry you piggyback." He put the backpack on Chantal and hunched down, turning his back to her. She grabbed onto his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist as he curled his hands under her thighs to secure her. "Let's go, Maya,” he said coldly. He set off down the passage.
Maya didn’t feel like following but would be left in the pool of darkness if she didn’t. Now that Chantal had hurt herself, they couldn't make a run for it which made her feel overwhelmingly helpless. Her gut wrenched at their plight, but she forced herself to move on. She had to watch out for her cousins. Somehow, they had to get to the lake of healing waters, or they had no chance of escape.
Carrying Chantal didn't slow James down. Maya tried to keep up, stumbling over dips in the floor and almost falling into them.
"This cave is spectacular," Dr. Parker's voice echoed out of the black abyss.
James's headlamp was the only light she could see, and it only streamed about ten feet in front of them. They rounded a corner and walked a ways around the ledge on the inside wall of the cave. Further down, the path was curved and narrowed. Dr. Parker's headlamp shone onto Lance's back. Dr. Parker ducked under a stalagmite then turned his head toward Maya, shining the bright light in her eyes. She flinched, holding her hand out to block the glare, and continued toward them. Dr. Parker waited for the trio to catch up.
As she approached them she neared the purple stalagmite. It reminded her of crystalized sugar candy, but the center was a lighter color. She reached out to touch the bumpy exterior as she passed under it.
"Don't!" Dr. Parker bared his teeth and pointed at her.
Maya’s heart jumped and she jerked her hand away.
"Oils on human skin stop the growth of the crystals," Dr. Parker said in a scathing tone. He put his face in hers. His eyes seemed to sear into her. "I don't want any stalagmites broken. When this opens as a tourist site, I want everything intact."
Maya swallowed and nodded.
"Do you hear that?" Chantal asked.
"Hear what?" Dr. Parker asked. He put an emphasis on the ‘t’.
"The sound of rushing waters up ahead." She rested her head on James’s shoulder.
Everyone was silent as their eyes diverted upward. Lance continued walking, followed by everyone else, and then the faint sound reached her ears. "I hear it," Maya said, trying not to give away her excitement. This could be our chance to get away…
"Me too," Lance said, his eyes widening.
"Amazing how sensitive your ears are, Chantal," Dr. Parker said, raising an eyebrow. "James, don't you think it's remarkable?"
James paused, the way that someone does when they're being cautious of what they say. He frowned. "Yes." It was like a guilty admission to knowing about them being shaman. James spirit was broken by his uncle. Maya could see it. She didn’t know what had happened between them, but there was something big.
The path wound downward, still open to the left, with a rocky wall on the right that led them to the bottom of a hollowed cavern. Now that they had reached the bottom, they could see there was a stream that flowed beside them. The lights didn't shine far enough to see where the stream began or ended, but they could see it was flowing in the same direction as the path they were traveling.
"What is this?" Dr. Parker said, looking at the wall in the cavern where pictographs had been painted. They were simple drawings. Some were of people while others were symbols. "Lance?"
Lance looked at them but didn't answer. Maya wasn't sure at first if he was being defiant or if he was trying to decipher what it meant. Either way, Dr. Parker was losing his patience. "Get on with it!" he shouted.
There was distress in Lance's eyes, but he turned toward Dr. Parker, his face longer than it usually was.
"Well?" Dr. Parker held his chin up.
Lance ignored him. Maya tried to squeeze her way around James, but there wasn't enough room to get by on the narrow path without pushing him and Chantal into the stream. Dr. Parker thrust his fist at Lance's face, knocking him to the floor.
"Stop!" Maya yelled, craning her neck around James and Chantal with the big backpack on.
Chantal gasped. "Leave him alone." She began to weep, sounding exhausted. The medication was likely setting in.
James turned to Maya. From the way his eyes had popped open, he looked wild. He whispered, "Just do what he wants you to do. Tell Lance to do as he says or there's no telling what will happen." James words struck a chord with Maya.
"Lance," Maya said, "just tell him what he wants to know."
Lance stood up without saying a word. He glared at Dr. Parker but he put his hand over the pictograph and closed his eyes, moving the palm of his hand from left to right. He opened his eyes and hung his head. "Turn back before it is too late. The Kachinas will come. Then there is a pictorial representation of Skeleton Man."
A chill ran down Maya’s spine at the thought of the Kachinas and their darkened underworld. She looked around into the blackness wondering what might be lurking there.
Dr. Parker raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms. "These Kachinas you speak of, they're to be feared?"
"Some are," Lance said. "The mud head Kachinas are trickster gods. Some of them kidnap children if they wander too far. Others are good. They help you with things like good harvest, or they bring rain—lots of it. It's what we become when we die and pass on to the underworld."
"Huh!" Dr. Parker jerked his head back as if the concept had completely enlightened him. "I didn't know that. Did you, James?"
James shook his head but didn't smile. He just looked at a loss, like he was doing everything he could to hold himself together.
Secrets of the Anasazi Page 29