by Freda, Paula
"Can you make out what it is that's caught his interest?" Wil asked Audrey.
"No," she shook her head. The hint of doubt in her voice made him ask, "Any guesses?"
Again she shook her head. But the look in her eyes said something more; something she wasn't telling him.
They continued following Singhen, their headlamps their only light reflecting off the frozen walls formed by centuries old eruptions. Unlike other lava tubes Wil had read about, the terrain of this tunnel was level, not rugged, no large rocks formed by scarlet red magma cooled to shapes and color combinations that seemed unearthly. This tunnel appeared man-made.
When Singhen finally signaled a full stop, Wil's digital wristwatch displayed six o'clock in the evening. They had reached an opening. A large cave formed by multi-hued frozen magma.
"A blue ice cave," Singhen explained. "Millenniums ago, a waterfall fell victim to an earthquake and volcano eruption. The earth beneath the waterfall's basin opened. Searing red-hot melted rock boiled the clear blue cascading water. The boiling water dripped through, instantly cooled and froze mid-bubbling, forming the stalactites and strange rock formations you see above you."
Singhen moved further into the cave, stopped and pointed up. "Look," he ordered everyone.
Above them, a wide shaft rose for a mile up, giving a clear view of a darkening sky filled with twinkling pinpoints of stars.
"We'll camp here tonight." Singhen said. "And I promise you, this evening, a dazzling show."
Wil understood he meant that the Aurora Borealis would fill the sky above the aperture, its thousand shades of blues and greens, among the reds and purples, seep through and fill the cave with a marvelous display, a dazzling show as the colors reflected off the ice blue walls.
That night, zippered snugly in his sleeping bag, Wil dreamt of the colors. In his dream, he found the courage to place his arm around Audrey who sat beside him. She responded by snuggling into the crook of his arm. He lowered his head and she gazed into his eyes. She welcomed his kiss. As dreams will do, suddenly the setting changed, and they were in each other's arms, clothed only by the intense swirling colors, their emotions as intense and in control. What caught his gaze as she caressed his cheek tenderly, was the golden ring on the fourth finger of her left hand. It glowed like the sun itself. Unbidden, the words formed on his lips. "My soul mate, my wife, forever, through time and eternity."
He woke, his body drenched in perspiration, his heartbeat drumming wildly in his chest. He shook his head trying to clear it. Took deep breaths and freed himself of the sleeping bag.
CHAPTER TEN
The cave funneled into another tunnel, its uneven terrain strewn by boulders and ice incrustations. Wil noted the absence of runes on the walls. He remarked as much to Singhen, who replied, "No doubt, we will find more further in."
The deeper the group picked their way, the colder it grew, and the harder their lungs fought to breathe. When Audrey fainted, Wil caught her as she fell. He held her protectively.
Singhen turned and Wil saw honest concern furrow his brow.
"Oh my God, I didn't realize—" Singhen rasped, his own breath labored. He raised his arm for everyone to halt.
"Give her to me." Singhen tore her from Wil's arms. "We dare not go further. Take her pack!"
Under other circumstances, Wil would have fought Singhen. But male territorial instincts had no business in this situation. He was fighting to breathe as well. Singhen's body was bigger and stronger. He'd outlast them all in the present crisis. Audrey would understand. Wil did as he was told and followed with the others as they backtracked toward the glacier cave.
By the time they reached the blue cave, their breathing had steadied, and their bodies stabilized. Singhen gently placed Audrey on a patch of dry earth and called to the man carrying the first aid supplies. Audrey had woken once during the trek, too dazed to notice who carried her. She had abandoned herself to the strong arms and let sleep reclaim her. Now as she opened her eyes again to find Singhen bending over her solicitously, her shoulders inched back with alarm.
Singhen's features clouded with a sadness that touched her feelings, especially when she heard him whisper. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to frighten you. You've been unconscious." He turned and beckoned to Wil. "Take care of her." He stood up and moved away.
Wil ministered to the woman he had grown to love more than life itself. "Audrey's smile was frail, but appreciative. As he helped her to sit up, against a boulder, she rested her head against his chest. His arms tightened affectionately about her.
"You need sustenance. I have some regular coffee left in my thermos.
"Thank you, Wil," she whispered. "Coffee would be welcome."
"Of course, right away."
Along with the thermos cup lid filled with the hot brew, he brought her some small coffee cakes that he had stashed in his backpack. As she sipped the hot brew, he tore off the cellophane wrapping on one cake. He offered her the sweet. "Here, this will help. Singhen's ordered camp to be set up and meals to be served. I hope he realizes the danger he's putting us all in, and lets us all head back to the surface."
"He means well," Audrey said. "Whatever he is searching for must be very important to him. I don't believe it's about the money."
He didn't argue with her. She had the gentlest heart he'd ever encountered. All the more, he thought, she needed protecting. "Can I get you anything from your backpack?"
"Yes," she said. "My Rosary Beads."
Wil gazed at her quizzically.
"I'd like to pray," she answered his unspoken question.
"Sure." Through casual conversation among his co-workers, he'd heard she was a practicing Catholic. He shared the same faith, but it had been a long time since he'd been to Church. He stood up and brought her backpack, and sat down beside her. "Where is it?" he inquired.
"In the little pocket on the side."
He found it and handed it to her. It was a lovely Rosary, blue crystal beads strung with silver chain and cross.
"Would you like to pray with me?" she asked.
He stammered, "I-I don't remember the words."
"That's all right. You don't have to say them. Just keep me company."
"Yes, sure." That's what he always wanted. To be near her as much as possible. To win her heart and her love."
She made the sign of the Cross and gazed at him askance. "You do remember that?"
"Yes, that I remember," he said, signing himself.
She rested against his side and he placed his arm about her shoulders. She spoke the prayers in a whisper, to the Lord and His Holy Mother, for herself, for Wil, and for the group's safe return.
When the prayers were done, Wil asked, "Do you think it'll work?"
"That's not the attitude I pray with. God gave us all free will. The outcome is not up to Him. The only thing I seek from Him is that He know we belong to Him."
Not at all the answer he expected. But this was Audrey speaking. He felt his soul cry out to her, and knew she was the one for him, in this life, and all others, eternally.
Audrey did not object when Wil set his sleeping bag a few feet from hers. But their exhausted sleep was soon disturbed by loud banging and shrill chipping. They woke to find Singhen overseeing his carriers breaking the ice over a portion of the frozen waterfall.
Wil hurried over to Singhen. "What are you doing?" he asked, stunned.
"We missed it completely," Singhen replied excitedly. "We passed it right by. The continuation of the tunnel we were originally exploring."
He shouldered Wil and drew him close to the folds of frozen water. "Look close, through the ice."
Audrey had risen and joined Wil and Singhen. "I see it," she said.
Wil peered closer, focusing intently, trying to discern what it was they were looking at. And then he saw it. Between the folds of frozen water that had once cascaded freely. He saw the tunnel and the continuation of the etchings, blurred by the ice that had misled the group into another bu
rrow, one with a dead end and no air.
Singhen's men, strong, mountaineers, used the portable tools they carried among their supplies, among them folding pickaxes. Within a few hours, they had broken through the ice and created an oval aperture wide enough to squeeze through. Satisfied, Singhen turned to Audrey. "Are you up to it?"
"Yes. Yes I am," she replied.
Wil wished she'd refused. But that wasn't her style. He took a deep breath. If he wanted to win her heart, he must prove his worth. She had an adventurer's soul, and he was slowly discovering, so did he.
After a quick breakfast of coffee, fruit juices and health bars, they filed behind Singhen through the aperture. Immediately they noticed the air was clean and plentiful. No thinning air as they advanced. Audrey whispered over her shoulder to Wil, "Do you feel it? The lightest of breezes. There is air venting into the tunnel."
"Another cave, perhaps," Wil suggested.
"No. The scent is clean, clear, and not that cold."
She was right, Wil observed, taking in a deep swallow of air, taste buds analyzing.
He further observed that the ground they traversed remained level, neither rising toward the surface, nor descending deeper until the tunnel opened into an alcove and the world outside. A narrow path sculpted into the side of the dormant volcano, wove gently downward to the verdant valley below.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
By nightfall, they had reached the outskirts of the green valley. Unexpectedly, it had not been a treacherous descent. The group's primary fear was that they might misstep and fall over the side. In fact, one of the carriers lost his footing and cried out expecting to fall to his death. But instead of falling off the path, he was pushed in and landed unceremoniously on his rear end. His explanation that something bounced him back onto the path, met with disbelief. Only Singhen did not laugh. He took a pencil from his pocket and threw it outward. The pencil bounced back and landed at his feet.
"We can't fall off," he said. "It's evident the path is protected by an invisible force-field." He smiled knowingly. "We're not in Kansas, anymore," he quoted.
"What makes you say that?" Audrey asked. "Have you ever been here before?"
"No, never. Not physically. But I have followed the clues for years. Clues that eluded most of the experts. Like the tablet on the wall, early on. I've seen a drawing of it before while researching ancient Eurasian manuscripts.
In lieu of his original evasive answer, when they first saw the carving, she asked again, "Do you know what was written on it?"
"Not at first. But I hired an expert paleographer. It took him a while, and when he finally deciphered the symbols and translated their meanings, he hesitated to reveal his findings. He feared I'd think him a charlatan. I told him to speak his mind, no matter how far-fetched his findings sounded. He told me, although he warned me he would never admit to them. I will give you the simple layman's version. It was a page from the diary of an ordinary resident in a city in the northern most part of Pangaea, the supercontinent that began breaking apart around one hundred million years ago, eventually to form the land masses of our present day world."
"But that's impossible," Wil said. "Evolution places the existence of Homo sapiens on this earth to less than half that time."
"I know," Singhen said, with a knowing glint in his eyes. "And that is why finding the origin and location of the clues I have uncovered, are so important to me. Even when I prove my findings, today's scholars, just as they did in Darwin's time, will proclaim contradictions, laugh, and attribute my discoveries to creative fantasy. I don't care. I may never even publish them. It's enough that I and those in my circle, know. It's enough that my dear Audrey, and those in my employ, can tell their grandchildren in the form of a fable, what I have discovered."
He breathed deeply, his long-kept silence at last freed.
Audrey touched his arm in a conciliatory gesture. "I share your enthusiasm, and your curiosity. Do you think this valley holds further clues?"
Singhen smiled warmly. "Yes, dearest Audrey. I believe this hidden valley was once home to the writer of the tablet that my paleographer deciphered."
Wil read the excitement filling Audrey's gaze. I will follow you to the ends of the earth and beyond, came the thought unbidden, to his mind. So be it, he concluded, mouth clenching, and fists balling with determination.
CHAPTER TWELVE
At the foot of the volcano, the path widened into a dirt road. The group entered the valley, their spirits high and expectant. The further they traveled, the thicker the forest grew. Very soon, all they could see on either side of the road were birch trees and bushes with branches intertwining, allowing only slivers of sunlight to enter. Singhen remarked that between the forest, the snow-covered mountains and the frozen-over volcanoes, the area below and betwixt was practically invisible to anyone gazing down from above.
It was not a silent world, though. A variety of birds flew and nested in the treetops. The air vibrated with chirps and caws. Foremost in everyone's mind was the thought of predatory animals indigenous to this area. And about an hour into their trek, Wil sensed something following them. He mentioned this to Singhen, but the man remained tightlipped.
"Am I imagining it?" he asked Audrey, who walked beside him.
She shook her head. "No, I sense it, too. Possibly arctic foxes? But what really bothers me, is the road we're traversing. It shows every sign of maintenance. If Singhen is correct about this valley remaining unseen for hundreds of thousands of years, this road should have long ago been swallowed up by vegetation and the forest itself."
"You don't believe we are alone. That this valley is inhabited."
"Is, or at least was recently."
"Perhaps there's another entrance," Wil suggested. "One known to local folks, but not popularized."
"Yes, that's also a possibility. We'll find out soon enough, if we come to a village or a farm."
That night they made camp. Everyone speculated. Singhen listened to all the comments, but surprisingly this time offered none of his own.
"What's he waiting for?" Wil asked Audrey.
She didn't reply, but her brow furrowed.
In the morning, they set off again. And finally, they came to it. Singhen's smiled broadly. "I knew it!" he exclaimed, his arms opening as if to embrace the city encircled by a wall that at first sight appeared hewed from flawless white marble. Similarly, upon closer inspection, the tall doors that appeared cast from iron, were not. No one could put names to the minerals or resources that had been used. But, again, Singhen expressed no surprise.
"There should be a wicket on one of the two doors," Singhen said, and began to feel with his fingers along the sides of the doors."
Audrey remarked, "They appear seamless. I don't even see a lock."
"Ah, here," Singhen said, tapping gently. The small door opened.
"How did you know?" Audrey asked.
"Clues," Singhen said. "Clues I've been following for years. I've seen a tapestry of these doors, depicted in a very old text."
"It might help us understand your agenda if you shared some of these clues with us ahead of time."
"I can't, dearest Audrey." He saw her expression crease with puzzlement. "I can't," he repeated. "Because I'm not sure if my conjectures are merely my imagination at work. Not until I can prove them."
He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, for a bit longer. I believe we are on the cusp of a discovery that, though it may never be accepted, will stimulate debates between scholars to no end."
It was difficult to deny the sincerity in his gaze. "All right," Audrey relented. "Lead on."
One by one, they followed Singhen through the wicket.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The instant she stepped through, Audrey's stomach tightened. She felt light-headed and queasy. Wil caught her as she swayed.
"What is it?" he asked with concern.
"I don't know. I-I felt ... you know that feeling when you miss a step and hopef
ully there is a handrail for you to grab to avoid falling."
Wil held her closer. "Grab on to me," he told her tenderly.
She welcomed his tenderness, and rested in his arms. The light-headedness passed and clarity returned. She straightened and reclaimed her balance, to find herself and the others in a columned portico. The colonnade gave way to the city. Everyone gazed awe-struck. Floral gardens filled the ample spaces between Cathedral-shaped buildings that blended with multi-tiered circular edifices, each different, as if each claimed its own individuality. And like the wall surrounding the city and the colonnade, all were constructed from that same resource that resembled marble and stone, but was not.
Singhen broke the astonished silence. "Ah, now we'll learn the answers. I hope they understand our language."
He led and did not stop until he came to the glassed entrance of the nearest circular building. The doors opened inward the moment he approached.
Wil remarked, "There's nothing ancient here. We've simply reached another populated city. We need to find someone in charge." He glanced around. It struck him odd that the entire circular ground floor was empty. He glanced up at the tiers above — each one enclosed by a decorative balustrade. Even odder was that there were no stairways, each tier a perfect uninterrupted circle. He scanned the walls. No elevators. He felt light-headed and focused on Audrey and the others. His mind reasoned that perhaps the stairway to each floor was located inside the rooms, themselves.
"Nothing here makes sense," Audrey echoed his exact thoughts. "The decor, the ambience, the construction ... It's like ... not meant for Homo sapiens."
Even Singhen, for once, appeared stumped. "Let's investigate the other buildings," he said, his determination unimpeded.
They entered each building, but except for the varied sizes and shapes, all lacked means of physical transport.