Lewis looked straight down, rubbing some of the pain out from the back of his neck before looking up again. “Whenever you are ready, I’ll try to guide you back to a spot that will hopefully line you up with the ledge. Then all you have to do is push off the ceiling, ride the swing across, and work your magic when you reach the ledge at the other apex.” He paused then added sarcastically, “I would do it myself but I’m at the wrong end of the rope.”
Pierre got a firm grip on the ceiling before replying to Lewis, “You get the next turn.” With that, he started working backwards, away from Sigurd and the ledge that the Dragon Slayer seemed to be guarding.
Lewis hoped he never had the opportunity for a next turn, knowing there was no way he could actually pull off any part of what Pierre was doing. “It looks like you’re almost there. Maybe a couple of feet to your… right.” It took a second to figure out directions for an upside-down man who was dangling over your head. Lewis eyeballed the distance from Pierre to the cam, and from the cam to the ledge: the distances looked the same, and the three points were lined up. Lewis tried to sound as confident as possible as he said, “That looks like the spot — I’m ready when you are.” This time he added, “And, by the way, there is nobody else in the world qualified for a turn in your shoes, my friend.”
Pierre took a deep breath before releasing his grip and pushing himself away from the ceiling. Since he was dangling, there was no wall to run along this time and the climber had simply become a human wrecking ball soaring through the air, picking up tremendous speed as he dropped nearly 50 feet. He could feel the G-forces build as he swung through the bottom of the curved path. There was so much force that the first cam was ripped from the hole overhead — immediately followed by the second. Somehow, the last cam held as Pierre arced upward towards the first glowing rune, approaching from behind the curve of the ledge, which blocked his view of the target. His speed slowed as he climbed closer and closer. It looked as if gravity might win out, but just as his upward momentum stopped, Pierre stretched his right hand out, catching the lip of the ledge.
The others gazed up from below as Pierre hung from the ceiling by one hand. Nobody dared speak as the French climber slowly shifted his weight, pulling himself up enough to grab a little higher with his left hand. Once he had a hold with both hands, he quickly powered himself up and over the ledge. Lewis led an eruption of cheers from below.
As soon as the pandemonium calmed down, Stonewood yelled up, “What do you see? Is the treasure up there?”
There was no response.
“Are you okay up there?” Lewis bellowed.
Silence was all that followed until, finally, they could hear the scraping of boots on rock. “Pierre has conquered the cave!” echoed the Frenchman’s proud response. “There is more cave up here. No treasure and no exit, but there are two huge passageways that each seem to go a long ways.” His breathing sounded labored when he added, “And there’s enough wind up here to fly a huge kite.”
Lewis turned to a distraught Stonewood. “We may still find the treasure, and I have a feeling we’re on the right path to at least getting out of here.”
Lewis unclipped his end of the rope, allowing Pierre to pull it up; freeing it from the various cams he had set on the climb. Pierre then tied off his end, dropping the rest back down to provide a static line for the others to climb. Craig and Lewis showed everyone how to use the specialized ascenders Pierre had brought. The angled teeth on the ascenders would slide up a rope in one direction, but grip it tightly in the other; essentially providing the same functionality as Lewis’s Prusik knots but in a more robust and user-friendly format.
After finishing with the instructions, Craig headed up first to assist the others at the top. Lewis and Gonzalez waited until everyone else was up, then began sending up the gear, simply securing it to the rope and letting the others reel in the load. Finally Gonzalez, and then Lewis, ascended to the new section of cave.
The ledge appeared to be a sunken chunk of the ceiling that had fallen perhaps two feet, leaving a slim opening for the team to crawl through. Miller spent some time examining the drawing of Sigurd and found that the rest of his body, which was riding some sort of dragon, was drawn above the lip. The artist had apparently lain on his back to draw the rune on the ceiling, part of which extended over the edge, becoming visible from below.
Meanwhile, Pierre suffered through multiple rounds of hugs and high-fives; almost everyone was jubilant to be moving forward and optimistic about their chances. Yet again, Stonewood was the exception. His focus had returned to the treasure and the treasure alone.
“How far did you search?” Stonewood barked at Pierre while pointing down the tunnel representing the only exit from their current perch.
Pierre was surprised by Stonewood’s intensity, visibly flinching with the suddenness of the change in mood. He quickly looked to the others before answering. “I only went to where the tunnel splits right there.” He pointed ahead 40 feet to a fork in the path. “I looked each way; both passages continued as far as I could see.”
Stonewood’s focus was renewed. He was shaking as he nearly shouted his orders. “Quinn, you take Samantha and Scott. You guys check the left tunnel. Craig and I will lead the others down the right passage.”
Lewis almost chuckled at the idea of Stonewood leading anybody anywhere. Splitting up did not seem like a very prudent decision but he knew that questioning the businessman’s authority again would only infuriate him. Instead, Lewis calmly looked towards where the paths separated and said, “I think your idea of a quick recon down each path is a good one. Do you think we should meet back here in ten minutes?”
The play worked. Although Stonewood clearly intended on a much longer excursion, he seemed proud of himself for what he thought of as a win over Lewis. A small smirk snuck across his face as he looked Lewis in the eye and responded. “Yes, we’ll meet back here in ten minutes so I can decide what to do next.”
Stonewood told Gonzalez to grab her dive gear. She was about to protest when she caught an exchange of sideways glances from both Craig and Lewis. Lewis whispered as he bent to help her, “Just humor him. On the off-chance anybody finds any water, we’d meet back up before an actual dive.” Gonzalez nodded, quickly throwing together a minimal dive kit.
Lewis grabbed a similar setup before turning to Stonewood, remarking, “Another good idea. I’ll bring some stuff too in case there’s water this way.” Lewis swung the tank onto his back, making it much easier to pack. He turned back to Gonzalez, saying, “You be careful. We’ll see you in a few minutes.” He exchanged a silent thumbs-up with both Miller and Samantha before turning down the left tunnel, quietly singing, “Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, It’s off to work we go…” as the trio marched off into the darkness, using only Miller’s light for illumination.
The professor’s light still had plenty of power, illuminating well ahead as Lewis’s group followed their passageway. They found the going pretty easy thanks to the constant ten-foot diameter of the lava tube, allowing a good pace as the path gently sloped upward while meandering left and right in a strange snakelike pattern. The tunnel continued in this manner for the full six minutes Lewis felt they should spend on the way in.
“It’s time to turn back and report to the boss man,” Lewis said, coming to a halt. The moment the words left his mouth, Lewis was met by the sound of a massive rockslide behind them. Instinctively spinning towards the noise, all three explorers turned just in time to be met be a rush of dust-filled air.
Lewis pulled his shirt over his nose, trying to limit his intake of the suspended particles. “Is everyone okay?” he asked as he coughed into his shirt.