“How does that work as a key?” asked Adam, still full of anger but also curious, “and how come you need me?”
“I didn’t expect your common mind to figure this out, no matter how easy it is,” Larix commented, smoothness in his voice. “You’ve learned that boring game they call Kurling, right?”
Adam nodded.
“You see, some of us and the odd Common have the ability to connect with rocks much deeper than others. Most connections are associated with a feeling of happiness but some are much stronger. Skilled individuals will see themselves falling into the middle of the stone. Someone as skilled as Elianora here can actually place things in that stone, like instructions. That’s why this is the Keystone – it should have instructions on how to get to my prize.”
“I should have just dropped it then,” said Adam.
Larix breathed as if he were frustrated, like explaining the movements of the solar system to a 4 year old. “That wouldn’t work, boy. If you put a message in a regular stone and it hits the ground, the message is lost - the same way that a Kurling rock loses connection when it touches the ground. An Impression Stone won’t ever lose the message and the connection remains until you connect with another stone.”
“Why do you need me then? Just take Elianora. She can lead you through them,” said Adam.
“The Heartstone will sense her and expend itself. Elianora assures me that it is buried deep enough that if it does explode it will be buried forever.”
Adam thought that was a pretty good reason.
“But how am I supposed to help? Just read the stone yourself.”
Larix’s smile faltered, and his accent became unrecognizable. “I can’t,” he stated simply with a clenched jaw, “and neither can anyone else in this wretched flatland…but Elianora thinks you may be able to read the Impression Stone.”
Adam remembered his connections in the Kurling game where he had seen himself falling to the center of each stone.
“Why would she think that?”
“Because your father was able to read them,” said Larix, his British accent returning.
Adam thought about his father for a moment. He remembered Karl saying that Edward made strong connections with the Kurling rocks, so Larix’s story sounded possible.
“So, then, let us make a deal. If you lead me to my prize, I will promise to leave this town without hurting anyone else - If not,” he looked down at Mary, sitting on the ground with blood streaming from her nose.
Adam understood fully what would happen. He also didn’t believe that Larix would keep his end of the bargain.
“My guards will have found your other two friends already, so you are out of options. Do we have a deal?”
Adam’s heart sank at the news of Mark and Jimmy.
“Deal,” he said.
Larix handed the Keystone back to Adam. “Get on with it.”
Adam cupped the stone in his hands and held it to his forehead. Being angry and scared, it took him a few moments to start a connection with the stone. When he did, his mind felt that the stone was deep. He travelled much further to the center than the other rocks he had connected with in the past.
At the center, it felt as if he was floating, but he had no body that he could see. He tried to wave his hands in front of his face, but nothing appeared. It was an odd feeling.
Something appeared in the distance, getting closer. It looked like a book. It floated closer and closer until it stopped in perfect view. The pages opened and revealed some pictures, giving instruction how to proceed. After playing once, it slammed shut and disappeared. The moment it disappeared, he snapped back to reality.
Adam was confused. The images he saw didn’t make sense, and drifted out of his mind. He tried to focus on any of them, but it felt like trying to grab a cloud. He had a strong feeling that the images would only come into focus once he was down the stairway.
“Are you ready to proceed?” asked Larix
“I…I…think so,” said Adam, unsure. Images were still coming and going in his mind. He placed the Keystone back in his pocket and headed toward the stairway.
Larix pointed to two of his men. “You and you, come with us.” He pointed to the other two men. “You two, guard our ‘friends’. If he comes out without me,” he pointed to Adam, “shoot him then shoot the others.”
The guards loaded the guns they held. Those guns weren’t filled with tranquilizer darts.
The other two guards made their way behind Adam, and Larix fell in line last.
At the entrance to the stairwell, one of the guards clicked on a flashlight and pointed it into the darkness. The light disappeared as if it were pointed into a bottomless pit where there was nothing to reflect it back.
“Your flashlights won’t work here,” said Adam, surprised that somehow he knew. “We need to feel the stairs with our feet and stop at the landing about a hundred steps down.”
He started down the stairs and disappeared into the darkness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Adam stepped slowly down the stairs. The first time he made that trip he hadn’t read the Impression Stone. The information was in his head, but it all seemed out of reach. All he knew was that he needed to stop at the landing before going any further.
His mind ran through images of everything that just happened, trying to find a way out and escaping from Larix. All of the scenarios ended up with Larix holding the Heartstone and everyone else locked in the tunnels with no food or water until…
Adam shook his head to wake from the daydream. How many steps was that? Last count was over fifty, but how many more to the landing?
Step after step, he dropped further into the earth, feeling the wall on his right side the entire way. It had led him to the landing the first time, so it was the safest thing to do again. Twenty three steps later, he reached his destination.
The instant both feet touched down, an image appeared in his mind. It was as though the lights had been turned on for a second giving him a view of the entire staircase ahead. Straight in front of him was a large hole where he earlier thought there were more stairs. If he had continued on his way the first time, he would have fallen into the hole, never to be seen again. The image sent a chill up his spine.
Adam spoke to the others behind him, “There’s a landing here, and beyond it is a large hole. You need to go to the left side. There are stairs on the left, about two feet wide. I don’t know how far down they go.”
He shuffled his way across the landing using the bottom step as a guide, feeling relieved the moment he touched the left wall. With great care, he shuffled ahead until his foot found the edge of the stairs, then started down another long staircase. He knew it would be long as well, but just how long wasn’t revealed to him at the landing.
Adam guessed that he would only be given instruction by the Impression Stone as it was needed. The glance he had been shown of the open pit had only been a flash, just enough for him to understand where the danger was. He hoped that in the future the instructions would get clearer.
“Are you all still with me,” Adam called back to the others, hoping at least one had silently fallen. He could still hear footsteps, much to his disappointment, and they were closer than he preferred.
The two guards gave an arrogant chuckle, silently stating they wouldn’t be that easy to lose. Larix said nothing.
On Adam went, step by step, further and further down. The air was stale and humid, and the deeper they stepped the colder it felt. The walls were almost slick with the hint of condensation forming as the temperature dropped. Adam wondered if the coating Elianora applied to his shoes helped with grip on the slippery stairs or if they would actually make it worse.
Adam’s foot jarred onto another landing, and an image of a Lumiens panel appeared in his mind. He reached to the left, sliding his hand in a smooth motion upward as it found the panel. The Lumiens glowed in reply.
Once the light was at its brightest, a warm yellow glow filled the
large cave, and Adam could hardly believe his eyes. The cave was at least the size of a football stadium. A few steps forward, the landing opened the entire width of the cave, but straight ahead it dropped off a sharp edge into a cavern.
Adam took careful steps to the edge and looked down. He saw the wall going down for a few feet, then disappearing into darkness like the stairs under the office. If he had a stone, he would have dropped it just to hear it hit the bottom – if there was a bottom.
He stepped back from the edge as the others came near.
“What now?” asked the guard with the slimmer build.
“I don’t know yet,” said Adam.
“Hurry it up,” said the thicker built guard, hitting Adam with the butt of his gun and laughing.
“Relax,” said Larix placing a hand on the guard’s shoulder.
Larix looked at Adam. “Walk around until you trigger more information.”
Adam rubbed his shoulder where the guard had hit him, then looked around. They were in the middle of the expanse, and the cave was wider than it was long. The cavern in front of them ran the length of the cave and was at least fifty feet across. There was another landing on the other side that looked identical to the one where they were standing and it had a doorway in the middle. Adam couldn’t see any way across from where he stood, so he walked to the right, looking around as he stepped. The others stayed where they were.
Adam reached the right side of the cave. The moment he touched the wall it triggered another image. It showed him bridges on the right and left side of the cave. The bridge on the right only went a short distance and dropped off into the cavern. The bridge on the left went over the entire span, but somewhere before halfway he saw a break in the bridge, marked on both sides by something on the wall. It also showed him the break was covered by something, but it didn’t show him what it was.
Adam looked where the bridge should be, near where he stood, but there wasn’t one. Confused, he turned and walked toward the opposite side of the cave.
“We need to get to the landing on the other side. There’s supposed to be a bridge across the cavern on that wall,” said Adam pointing, “But somewhere past halfway it looks like there is a break we’ll have to jump over. There’s some kind of marker near the break.”
He walked over to the other wall, and as soon as he touched it, the same information played in his mind again. Differing from the first one, he saw the break was closer than halfway over the cavern, but still could not tell what or where the marker was on the wall.
“Hang on, Adam,” said Larix, as Adam approached the edge of the cavern. “This good fellow is going to go first.”
Larix tapped one of the guards on the shoulder, and the guard stepped in front of Adam. It was the guard who hit Adam with his gun.
As far as Adam could see, there was no bridge, just a drop off to the bottomless pit below. The guard in front of him must have seen the same, because he wasn’t moving.
“It’s an illusion,” said Larix, “The bridge is painted to hide it from viewing in this direction. Take a few steps forward and look back. That will help you understand.”
The guard felt ahead with his foot. When he seemed satisfied that there was solid support, he stepped ahead with the other foot. Being cautious, he stepped a few more times, then turned around and laughed as he looked down.
“I can see the bridge. It’s only about two feet wide, so stay close to the wall,” he informed the others.
Adam watched as it looked like the guard was air walking across the cavern. It was an odd sight. The guard seemed to be getting more confident in his steps, moving a little faster while scanning the wall as he went.
The scanning triggered Adam’s memory of the direction markers in the tunnels. Those markers couldn’t be seen but had to be felt. Panic set in.
“Feel the w…” is all Adam could say before the guard disappeared, as if he were sitting in a dunk-tank at the fair and someone hit the target.
They heard him scream for a moment, then complete silence. Adam’s stomach churned. Even though the guard had just hit Adam, Adam didn’t think it was right to wish that fate on him.
Larix sighed, “Stupid Common,” he muttered to himself. “And that is why I asked him to go first,” Larix said to Adam.
He turned to the remaining guard. “Your turn, my friend,” he said, as though he were letting the guard onto a carnival ride rather than sending him into danger.
“Feel the wall,” said Adam. “You won’t see the marker; you’ll have to feel it.”
The guard nodded and stepped forward as though he were a hunter in the woods stalking his prey. His hands began searching the wall at the second step, and he made sure to feel every inch.
“I feel something,” the guard called back after making it near the point where they had last seen the other, “It feels like a checkmark.”
“Stay there,” said Larix. He ushered Adam toward the unseen bridge. “After you,” he said; his voice full of kindness.
The more Adam was around Larix, the more he understood how dangerous Larix was. Just his voice began to send chills up and down Adam’s back.
Adam stepped ahead with great caution. Even though he had seen two others do so already, it was hard for his mind to believe there was a bridge supporting him. If only there was some dirt or sand he could throw on the bridge to stop the illusion, he thought, but he had nothing. After a few steps he looked back and immediately the illusion stopped, being made for anyone moving forward, not backward. Every few steps he would turn and look back, just to get a mental break.
“It is quite impressive, and disturbing,” said Larix as Adam looked back. Larix was quite a few steps behind.
Adam turned forward and kept moving without saying anything in return. After a few more steps, he made it to the point where the other guard had stopped.
“Right here,” the guard showed Adam, and Adam put his hand on the spot.
More instruction popped into his mind. It showed a trapdoor immediately in front of them. A view of the bridge from the side showed a figure starting from a point behind them and running over the trapdoor, which was now shown to be too large to jump.
Adam snapped back to reality again. “We need to back up and run over the trapdoor. It’s too big to jump and it’s on a timer that starts as soon as it senses a footstep. If you don’t run fast enough, it’ll open before you make it across. If you make it across, it won’t open at all. The timer resets itself automatically.”
The guard looked at Adam then to Larix.
“Yes, you can go first,” said Larix.
I don’t think that’s what he was thinking, thought Adam.
Larix backed up a few steps to make room as Adam and the guard retreated down the bridge.
“Get on with it,” said Larix as the guard paused for a bit too long.
The guard took in a few deep breaths then sprinted forward, slowing down a little as the arc of the bridge started going downwards, but he didn’t stop until he made it to the landing on the other side.
“Your turn,” Larix said to Adam. “I’ll be right behind you, so you better run fast.”
The thought was no comfort to Adam. He did the same as the guard before him and took a couple of deep breaths, then broke into a sprint. Adrenaline fuelled him as he felt the angle of the bridge change. He slowed slightly, but it felt as though Larix was breathing in his ear and that made him speed up again. He nearly tripped on the last few strides and fell into the stomach of the guard on the other side.
“Sorry,” said Adam.
“No problem,” the guard replied in a gruff voice.
“Well now, that was fun,” exclaimed Larix, laughing as though he really did have fun.
Not by a long shot, thought Adam, his heart still racing and his body full of the adrenaline of fear.
“On to the next adventure,” said Larix in a cheery voice.
Adam wished Larix had gone over the bridge first.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
How am I going to get out of this without dying or getting everyone else killed, thought Adam. He hoped there weren’t any more traps ahead, but knew that it was a false hope. The best he could wish for was that whatever was ahead would take Larix and not himself.
Adam looked around, and in the middle of the landing was a doorway. Even though he was certain they needed to go through it, he needed to see if there were more information trigger points so he didn’t miss something important, possibly fatal. He started at the wall near the bridge they had just come over, and felt his way along, following the wall until he was near the doorway, stopping when he found another trigger. It showed nothing more than a figure walking into the doorway.
Back to reality, Adam continued along the wall to the right of the doorway, triggering the same information he had seen on the other side. When it finished, he continued walking, feeling the wall until he made it to the edge of the cliff on the far end of the landing. Nothing triggered, so he walked back to the doorway.
Adam waved for the other two to follow and stepped in. He found a Lumiens panel inside and started them glowing, only to reveal a long narrow hallway. The hallway was only wide enough for one person at a time and the height would be trouble for the guard. He was over 6 feet tall and the hallway wasn’t.
They walked along the hallway, Adam first and Larix last. The guard in the middle grumbled, as he walked hunched over the entire way. At the end of the corridor, the floor dropped into a long set of stairs, but the ceiling stayed at the same height, meeting a wall far ahead. The room widened and there had to be a hundred more stairs to the bottom, in Adam’s opinion.
As they descended the stairs, Adam saw a doorway at the bottom. The wall from the doorway went straight up and met the ceiling that had continued out from the top of the stairs. It must have taken years to build this place, he thought, remembering the area they had just passed through and seeing the current area that was so clearly man-made.
Town Secrets (The Book of Adam 1) Page 22