by Sean Salazar
As he climbed, Al encountered rubble and chunks of stone scattered about that increased with each step. He carefully stepped over and around the debris, eyeing sections of the walls and steps that apparently took a direct hit from something. Multiple holes in the walls and steps were everywhere. This time he stopped and took a few seconds to analyze one of the holes. He ran his fingers around the edge, noting that whatever did this damage took about four inches out of the rock.
Now he was baffled.
Outside the castle, he could rationalize cannons or something that can shoot directly at the walls causing all the damage. However, what in the world could have been lugged up all these steps to do this? He immediately ruled out rifles and swords, and ruled in possible shoulder-fired missiles. That was the only explanation he could come up with.
Moving up the steps, he soon found himself at the top. He was now in a small, circular room with a pointed ceiling that he immediately likened to a lighthouse. Looking directly to his right, he gave a sigh of relief. Someone had done the work for him by blowing a hole in the wall. He peered out and a gush of cool air hit him. In front of the hole was a suspended walkway. He aimed his light down and saw nothing but blackness. He grabbed a piece of wall from the ground and dropped it. He waited but no impact sound came back to him.
“Well, that answers that question,” he said, aiming his light around. There was a four-foot gap between the hole and walkway with a very long drop between. Oddly enough, there were no signs that the walkway was supported on anything. He could not see anything at all; no pillars, cave wall, nothing. It seemed to be floating all alone in the darkness. That unnerved him because before he attempted to jump over to it, he really needed to make sure it would hold and not go crashing down. He looked all over and still nothing. He then checked for any signs of damage and didn’t see any. There was only one way to find out, and he sure as hell did not want to go back down into the heat, so he grabbed his backpack and tossed it over.
It landed solidly.
Then he grabbed his gun and jumped.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Vance aimed his light down the shaft. “So you’re saying the platform dropped out from under him?”
“Exactly that,” Major Reeves replied, tying the rope to the phoenix statue’s legs. He was being assisted by one of his SAS men. “He stepped onto it, it shuddered, and down it went.”
“God damn,” Vance said, “and why is it so damn hot in here?”
“Whatever it is, the source seems to coming from down there.”
Vance turned around and put on his gloves, “I do not want to go down there; I’m too fat for this shit.” He then eyed the gold satellite dish and phoenix statue. “So Al thinks that you English ladies found a hidden signal inside that statue, or the gold dishes? Have you told Ed yet?”
“Yes, I have informed Commander Collins of the signal. Satellite Command will assist in verifying it.”
“Well, okay,” Vance said, “I guess you Brits know what you’re doing.”
A SAS soldier handed a rope to Vance and he tossed it down the shaft. He then tightened on his backpack, gloves, slung his weapon over his shoulder, grabbed the rope, and clipped it to his belt. “Well, sweetheart, let’s get on with it. Al is probably well-cooked by now.” He then smiled at the British major, and began repelling down the shaft.
Major Reeves followed behind.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Al jumped across the gap onto the stone walkway and when his feet hit he froze. He waited for any rumbling, rocking, or any signs the walkway was going to give. Nothing. It felt solid.
He aimed his light around and except for the castle and cave wall that were adjacent to the walkway, he saw nothing but blackness. In one direction was the elevator and in the other, the source of the breeze. A sense of awe filled him at the wonder that was before him. He was becoming more confused and had no idea what to do. He only knew he was higher and cooler than where he started, although he did notice the stickiness in his eyelids increased from dehydration and the breeze.
He began walking and with each step tested the stone walkway. He got onto his belly and tried to see what was below. He stretched his light out as far as he could but his arm was not long enough so he stood back up. He put his backpack on and just accepted that he was just going to have to have faith that the walkway would hold.
He felt the breeze coming opposite the direction of the elevator. He contemplated what to do for a moment and decided that he would investigate where the breeze was coming from and then go back. He checked and the temperature was a cool 751 degrees. He blinked his eyes and the numbers realigned to a blurry 157. His eyes were beginning to fail, meaning that he would need relief right now.
Cautiously, he began stepping, extra-sensitive to any signs the walkway would give. After a few steps, it felt as solid as solid gets so he took a few more steps until he passed the side of the castle. He aimed his light up for the first time and saw that the top of the castle touched the top of the cave. He followed the castle wall down with the light and saw something odd. From his perspective, it protruded directly through the cave floor about thirty feet below him. He could also see a small gap between the cave and the castle. That must be why I didn’t hear the rock hit bottom; it must have gone right through the gap, he thought. That also meant that he had to be on some type of second floor of the cave, and the castle simply was build through it. Or, he wondered, was the cave formed around the castle? Either way, that explained the sudden drop in temperature, which helped.
Al continued walking, and as he did, on the left the cave wall merged closer and closer to the walkway, but the other side was pure black emptiness. After another twenty yards, the cave wall virtually touched the walkway and he could almost touch it. After a few more paces, the intensity of the breeze increased and he heard a rustling sound in the distance. He stopped and listened. It sounded like water...he continued listening. It was definitely water—fast-moving water.
Being flat-out thirsty, dehydrated, and nearly delusional, Al picked up his pace like a bloodhound. He had to find the water if that is what it was and continually shot his light off each side of the walkway back and forth, looking for it. God, I wonder if my mind might be playing tricks on me, like a mirage tormenting someone struggling through a desert. With each step he became more and more aware that his knees were going to give out on him soon. The cartilage was becoming dried out from his long stair hike and lack of water. Each step was becoming more and more difficult. His feet were slapping the ground and he sensed that he was beginning to lean forward. After a few more paces, sharp pains shot from both hip joints. He was rapidly approaching his limits.
A few more steps, and he collapsed.
Al’s body was now forcing him to take a break or die. With his cheek pressed against the stone, all he could think about was water. He knew he was in trouble when he’d stopped sweating a few minutes earlier but he had to push on. The sound of rushing water stabbed at him; it sounded so close.
He rallied his remaining strength to get on his knees and crawl. His eyes were now dried and frozen shut. All he could do was feel his way along. As his knees scraped the walkway, he now felt his spine seizing up and his head began to hurt—but on he pushed. Right hand, left knee, left hand, right knee in a slow, marching cadence. Then, as he lifted his right hand, moved it forward, and brought it down, there was suddenly nothing there and his face slammed hard into the stone again—this time breaking his nose.
All he could do was lie there. Something was now different but what was it? He turned his face to the side, relieving the pressure and pain from his nose and he pushed his left arm forward. He felt around and nothing was there; he had reached the end of the walkway. He pulled his other hand back, retrieved his light and aimed it ahead. With the other hand, he wiped the rapidly drying blood from his broken nose and smeared it onto his eyelids. He rubbed the blood in, moistening it. After a few seconds, he pried his eyelid open, the blood sting
ing, but at least now he could see.
Lifting his head, he confirmed the walkway had in fact ended. He aimed the light to the left and noticed the cave wall was now gone but what he now saw was another stone structure. He could hear the water so clearly now. He pushed his limp body to the edge of the walkway and reached his arm out. There it was!
At ground level, several feet below him, a man-made tunnel and water channel appeared. Since jumping off the walkway was not an option, he had to climb down or simply fall off. He pulled his limp body over to the side and threw his legs off, gripped the edge, and with all his remaining strength lowered himself, and let go.
His mind awoke, not measuring the pain he expected. Broken bones would be the tradeoff for the opportunity to reach water. He pried his eyes open again and rolled over. Pain shot all over him, but he was alive. He pulled himself in the direction of the water.
He crawled to the edge of the channel, threw his arm over the edge, and—stretching as far as he could— thrust the tips of his fingers forward to reach the fast-flowing cold water. He pulled, licked his fingers, and splashed them back in. He repeated this over and over until his dry tongue was moist. He continued licking his fingers until he began to regain some strength. Then he pulled his dried, sweat-encrusted shirt off and threw it over the edge, getting it soaked. He pulled it back up and wrung it out over his face, washing the blood out of his eyes. Repeating this procedure over and over, Al passed out from sheer exhaustion.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Vance landed first. “Shit, that was a long drop!”
Reeves landed next to him, unclipped his rope, and spoke into his lip microphone. “We hit bottom, will be out of communication range shortly.”
“You think?” Vance snapped, unclipping the rope. He pulled his light out and glanced around. He stepped off the platform and immediately realized that he was in a giant black abyss.
Major Reeves came up next to him, pointed his light at fresh tracks and said, “Tracks right there.”
Vance eyed the tracks, noticing they headed off directly ahead towards a dim orange glow. As he moved his light around, he saw the tracks return part way, and then appear to head off to the left. He immediately saw the arrow. “Looks like he changed his mind.”
Reeves stepped off the platform and briefly followed the arrow. “Apparently he did,” he said, turning around.
Vance followed and held the light high to see if the tracks changed direction, but they didn’t. “We need to find him soon because in this heat, he will not last long.”
Reeves said, “Let’s go.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
Al awoke, rolled over, and slowly sat up. He took a deep breath to determine how he felt. His head felt better and with his flashlight confirmed that no bones were protruding from his legs, which was a good start. He then slowly got onto his knees and stood up.
Hips, legs, and feet check. Everything seemed to work. He glanced back at the walkway and took note of the pile of rocks he landed on. The walkway was roughly ten feet above it so he definitely had painful bruises to look forward to.
As his conscious mind returned, he looked around and realized that he was standing on the edge of a water channel that exited through a tunnel inside the cave wall. The water rapidly flowed past him and continued off into the distance beyond the reach of his light. He figured that the flowing water had to be coming from Jackson Lake, but then decided against it due to the sheer amount of water and speed at which it was moving. It would drain the entire lake in just a few days. He thought briefly about the underwater rock he had seen with the laser beams aimed at it. Water was definitely draining into the gap underneath it. Maybe it was another entrance into this river system. Oh well, he thought, let Ed figure it out.
Al re-filled his canteen and began following the channel. After a short distance, he reached another tunnel through another cave wall. The sides of the tunnel were so close to the edge of the channel that if he wanted to continue, he would have to jump in. He leaned over and aimed the light inside and noticed an opening a short distance ahead.
There was a slight rim, maybe two or three inches on the top edge of the channel, that gave him an idea. He could use his rock-climbing skills, climb in the water, and scale along using the edge as a grip. If it worked, he could make it to the other side and climb out. The flip side of that idea: It would most likely be a one-way trip. If he happened to slip, he’d be swept away with little chance of getting out. He glanced down at the rushing water and put his flashlight in his mouth. Before he talked himself out of it, he carefully twisted and lowered himself in. He adjusted his grip to the rapid-flowing current as it pulled on him and his pack. The drag was intense on his fingers but he was able to hold tight. If nothing else, the cold water felt amazingly good. Once in, he established his rhythm and began moving sideways several inches at a time.
Little by little, he made his way along, being careful not to slip or drop his flashlight. Before he knew it, he reached the other side and with one good yank, pulled himself out. He and his backpack were now soaking wet and he sat there for a minute to rest while looking around. Directly behind him was a stone wall, and on the other side, the same thing. He turned the flashlight ahead and something glittered back at him, so he quickly stood up. He took a few steps towards the source and was surprised to see a metallic bridge crossing the water channel. Or, more accurately, a metal girder type with a slight arch to it. It was modern-looking and definitely not something that would compare to that old castle back there. He took this as a good sign.
Al stepped onto it, shook a bit—testing it—and then walked to the center. Glancing down at the water, which was black as oil, he realized that this was the third or fourth water channel he had found. Up to this point Ed had not figured out what the water channels were for, or at least hadn’t said anything. Come to think of it, nothing they had found made any sense...yet.
From the center of the bridge he aimed his light around, illuminating both sides of the channel, and noticed some objects about thirty feet from the side he had just come from. He stepped back off the bridge and noticed something else odd. The wall looked burnt. He stepped up to it and ran his hand along the stone; a fine, black soot covered his palm.
He smelled it and it was almost odorless with just a faint burnt smell. He wiped his hand on his pants and did more exploring.
Lying at the base of the wall were several blackened objects scattered about. Contrasted with the black walls, they looked like shadows. As he got closer, Al noticed smeared footsteps on the ground. He focused his light directly at the ground observing several trails going in different directions. Many of them appeared to be barefoot, tracking through the black powdery soot. The tracks led to and from the area where the items were. As he approached, the first thing he noticed were several piles of coiled rope. One rope appeared attached to a spike crudely hammered into the wall with the other half leading off the edge into the water. It was moving slightly as the water pulled at it. He stepped over and pulled it in. He continued pulling until the end came out. It felt hard and slippery and once he inspected it saw why. It was black and burned. He tossed the rope down and glanced around. It was obvious by the black walls and burned rope that this place had been on fire once. He thought back at the bizarre destruction of the stone castle walls and now this old fire scene. He aimed his light ahead and wondered what could have caused this all the way down here?
He stood over the coils of burned rope and began separating each of them. No matter what situation he found himself in over the years, rope always came in handy. As he did, he saw something that appeared wrapped in cloth, also burned black. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a large binder or book wrapped in the remains of a flag. He pulled the edges up and unfolded the tattered book. Yes, the cloth was definitely a flag but the markings were burned beyond recognition. He then carefully fingered the leather cover and the interior pages, except for the singed outside edges, were in good shape. He p
ried them apart and saw penciled handwritten notes in German. He could not read German so he quickly turned the pages. As he did, he noticed several envelopes between the pages that had the typical German World War Two black eagle stamp on them. He lifted one up and analyzed it. “The German military was here?” He lowered it and glanced around, “Why would the Germans be here?”
He tossed the envelope, continued flipping the pages and paused at a rough hand-drawn map. It covered the entire left- and right-hand pages of the book. The map looked detailed and labeled in sections, but he did not recognize it. He closed the book, laid it aside, and stood up. He was more interested in what lay ahead and began walking in the direction of the flowing water. He followed the footprints for a moment and suddenly stopped. “Damn,” he said out loud. “Did I just turn away from a perfectly good map?”
He turned around on his toes in a skidding fashion and went back to it. He dropped to one knee, flipped the book open, and reviewed the hand-drawn map again. It struck him immediately what it might be. How could he be so stupid? “This is a map of this river,” he muttered. He traced with his finger the lines in pencil that he determined represented the river. He stopped at a spot that he recognized as the tunnel he swam through. He followed it back to the next tunnel he also recognized where he got his water. Next to the tunnel, on the left, was a drawing that had to be the castle. “So these German explorers found it,” he said, “so what else is down here?” As he traced back through several spots that looked like tunnels, he picked up where it stopped on the next page and ended at an X.