She flinched and looked up, trying to keep her face concealed as much as possible. The man glowered at her. Did he recognize her? He didn’t look familiar, but perhaps he somehow remembered her from Venice or Menaggio. If so, it was going to be impossible to get her gun in time to defend herself.
The man nodded at Emily. “One at a time.”
Carmen let out a sigh of relief. “Sorry.”
After Emily disappeared into the cave, the man released Carmen’s arm. “Go.”
Carmen wasted no time in slipping into the tunnel. Emily was just ahead. She seemed to have slowed down in order to let Carmen catch up. While they weren’t going to communicate, the plan was for the entire team to stay within sight of one another.
A few minutes later, they emerged into a large cavern. The members of the order waved their flashlights across the space. The rocky walls glistened with moisture, probably from the snow seeping through somewhere above. Despite the natural beauty around her, Carmen kept moving. She thought about stealing a glance behind her, but she couldn’t take the risk. She’d just have to hope the others made it in safely.
The line passed into another tunnel. Emily had just gone in. Carmen entered behind her. It was darker here, and the path sloped sharply downward.
She took a deep breath then began her descent into the abyss.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Zane walked through the cavern, taking in the scene along with everyone else. The two figures he believed to be Carmen and Emily walked about twenty yards ahead. Although he hadn’t looked back, he assumed Keiko and Amanda were somewhere behind him. Earlier, he’d watched the situation at the entrance with a sense of dread and concern. When the guard grabbed Carmen’s arm, Zane had slid a hand under his robe and grasped his pistol. Fortunately, he never had to pull it out. The situation defused, the guard allowed her to enter.
Zane entered the second tunnel right behind Carmen. The descent was steeper here, with lamps hung at intervals to illuminate the path. If not for the light, he guessed it would be impossible to see more than a few inches, if that.
It wasn’t hard to see why a map was necessary to navigate the tunnels. The route down was crisscrossed by a maze of tunnels that seemed to diverge in a number of different directions. Not only that, but they all looked the same. Without some sort of tracking device, one could be lost in minutes.
Coming around a bend, Zane saw Carmen and Emily. A few seconds later, one of them dropped to a knee and adjusted her shoe, allowing Zane to catch up. As he drew alongside, she stood and walked next to him.
Carmen’s whispered voice came out of the hood. “Any visual confirmation Keiko and Amanda made it in?”
“They were behind me as we approached the entrance, so I’m assuming they’re still there.”
“Just wanted to make sure my little incident didn’t get us all separated.”
Zane turned slightly toward her. “We’ll confirm their position at the next stop.”
Carmen nodded as they continued in silence. A few minutes later, Zane noticed an armed guard in the middle of the path, directing everyone to take a right into an intersecting tunnel. Zane, Carmen, and Emily all lowered their heads as they passed. Surprisingly, the path was even steeper here. If it got much steeper, it would be hard to walk.
After putting some distance between themselves and the guard, Zane whispered, “I’m a bit concerned about oxygen levels.”
“I think we’ll be fine,” Carmen said. “I’m no expert on caving, but from what little I know, I don’t think it matters how far you are from the surface. I think the danger is getting into areas with high concentrations of carbon dioxide. Besides, I’m guessing they’ve been exploring this place for a while and would know if there were trouble spots.”
While she was probably right, Zane also knew the order had only received the remainder of the map the night before. That meant the next section of tunnel would encompass unexplored territory. Who knew what dangers might lurk there, including lethal quantities of CO2? In the end, they had no other choice but to continue. Their mission to recover Reid and Pratt meant staying with the group all the way down if necessary.
Zane still had no idea how he was going to get them back. Right now, the only thing he knew for sure is he wanted to avoid a confrontation at all costs. A team of armed guards surrounded the three hostages. Not only were Zane and Carmen outgunned, but any exchange of fire could result in the deaths of innocents, including the very people they were trying to save.
Carmen nudged Zane. Bright lights illuminated a section of tunnel just ahead. Two piles of boulders lined each side of the space. As they drew near, Zane also noted two compact excavators parked on the right, and his nostrils detected the scent of cut stone. Apparently, the order had only recently punched through.
“I’m thinking this may be where our piece of the map begins,” she whispered.
As if confirming her statement, there were no more hanging lamps past that point, forcing everyone to rely on their own sources of light. Zane pulled out his flashlight and clicked it on. He’d tried not to use it lest he accidentally illuminate his own face, but now he had no choice.
Emily moved closer. “Sorry, I don’t have a light.”
Zane was concerned they were communicating too much. Then again, the line of people had spread out as they descended through the caves.
“Look down,” Carmen said from his left.
Zane lowered his gaze. Up until this point, the cave floor had been a combination of dirt, rock, and debris. Now they were walking on cut stone tile mortared together like a cobblestone street.
“Odd that it started here,” Emily said.
“Maybe it’s been underfoot all along, and we just couldn’t see it. If you think about it, the upper parts of the cave have been exposed to the elements for who knows how long. That means water and wind could blow in tons of dirt and debris over time.” Zane waved his beam around the tile. “Conversely, this part has been sealed, preserving the original floor.”
Carmen nodded. “It may not look much different than it did several thousand years ago.”
Emily held a finger to her lips, indicating they should remain quiet.
The people ahead of them slowed as they approached a stone archway. To Zane, the stones looked the same as the ones they were walking on. After passing under the arch, they entered a short, tight passageway that soon opened into a cavernous space. The order gathered there. Some looked up, while others played their beams around in the dark. A few let out exclamations of awe.
As they continued forward, Zane realized something odd — the cavern seemed to have its own source of light.
Carmen seemed to have noticed the same thing. She pointed upward. “I can’t believe it… Look.”
Zane followed her gaze. A million points of light sprayed across the ceiling. Most were various shades of blue. Azure. Cobalt. Cerulean. It was like a swath of sapphire stars, and it reminded Zane of lying out in a field at night as a child, taking in the Milky Way. It was beyond breathtaking.
“What causes that?” Emily asked.
“It’s bioluminescence,” Carmen explained. “They’re millions of tiny organisms that give off light. My guess would be glowworms or bacteria. It’s also a sign oxygen is present here, perhaps coming down through vents and shafts.”
As more came in, the crowd continued to push forward, drawing Zane and the others along with them. There was a commotion at the front. Some cried out in excitement.
Carmen tugged on Zane’s elbow. “We need to get to the front.”
He followed her to the right. As they wove through the crowd, he realized they were walking on an elevated plateau some distance above the cavern floor. The further they went, the more he was able to truly appreciate the immensity of the space.