When they arrived at the front, Zane was able to take in more of their surroundings. At their feet was a broad set of steps that descended into darkness. As he moved his gaze out, he saw the vague outline of shapes rising from the cavern floor. As his eyes continued to adjust, the shapes took form.
His eyes widened in awe.
There, spreading out before them, was an underground city.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Carmen stood in reverent silence. She remembered Roger Lawson speaking of an underground city but hadn’t truly expected it to be here. She’d believed it — like Atlantis — was a legend that had been passed down through the centuries, devoid of any real truth. Adding to the majesty was the sheer size of the place. This was no tiny village, a smattering of crumbling buildings. This was a city in every sense of the word, stretching for hundreds of yards, if not miles. Columned temples, spires, streets, and houses. A massive tangle of stone construction.
“Most of the architecture looks like Ancient Rome,” a familiar voice said.
Carmen and Zane turned to find Amanda and Keiko behind them.
“You found us,” Carmen whispered back.
“Keiko had you marked the entire time.”
The members of the order pushed forward now. A few of them gasped with excitement while others seemed overwhelmed at the sight, dropping to their knees and lifting their hands in spiritual ecstasy.
“You think Rome built this?” Zane asked Amanda.
She continued to stare at the buildings. “The more I study it, the more there seems to be a mix of styles. It’s almost like many different cultures came to live here.”
“Or perhaps a group incorporated differing architectural styles,” Emily said.
“That’s actually possible,” Amanda admitted. “The Watchers of the Bible — the fallen angels of Genesis six — were said to have passed along a number of things, including technology. Why not architecture?”
Carmen held a finger to her lips then pointed toward the front. Viktor held up his hands to silence his flock.
“My friends, welcome to Bashan!” Claps erupted for a moment. “I know you’re all excited, but we have work to do. As I’m sure you’re aware, we all seek the entrance to all that is good.” He swept his hand in an arc. “You can now be our feet and our eyes. This will be your opportunity to make history, to usher in a new age in which all the powers of old are brought crashing down.”
As the people cheered again, Carmen surveyed those assembled at the front. Eventually, her eyes settled on the three captives. Their heads were still covered with canvas bags. She nudged Zane. He looked in that direction then nodded slowly.
“Strange that there are three,” Carmen mused.
“Maybe we should try to create a diversion right now, while we’re near the exit,” Amanda suggested. “Fire a few shots, and this crowd would go crazy.”
“I guess you haven’t looked behind us,” Zane noted. “There are a half dozen guards at the exit. If shots are fired, they’ll immediately smell a rat and block anyone from leaving. We need to wait until they find this gate to the underworld. That’s the distraction that will give us our chance. I’d also prefer to be in the city when we make our move because we’ll have a maze of buildings to escape through or hide in.”
“Please spread to all corners of the city. Roger has told me the gate may be located within a temple. If you find it, use your radios to contact the leadership team. And if you hear this, then report immediately.” Viktor lowered the bullhorn. “Now, let us begin our search!”
The crowd, filled with energy and excitement, moved down the stairs. Carmen and the others moved with them. The steps seemed to go on forever. It reminded Carmen of the ones running up the sides of Mayan temples. Once at the bottom, they found themselves at one end of a plaza that extended for an entire block. Most of the space in the plaza was taken up by a long, decorative pool. It currently held no water but was filled with an array of giant statues, some twenty feet tall. At the center stood a multi-tiered fountain.
Carmen studied the buildings. They seemed much larger at ground level, many several stories high. Interestingly, the entire place seemed clean, devoid of any debris or remains. Carmen frowned. It was almost as if the people had gathered their things and left. If that was true, what made them leave so quickly?
“Which way?” Amanda asked as they walked down the right side of the pool.
“Unfortunately, I left my map back in the car,” Zane said. “We’ll have to play it by ear.”
Carmen looked left, across the pool. Viktor walked with a group of men clothed in red robes. They seemed to be some sort of inner council. Just behind them, she saw Roger and Camilla Lawson as well as Kimberly Blake. The redhead’s eyes roamed back and forth, always alert for danger. If only she knew who was walking a few yards away.
The captives and their contingent of guards brought up the rear. Zane was right. It would be foolish to attack now. There was still time to find a more suitable place and more suitable circumstances.
After crossing the plaza, the group arrived at a street. Zane moved to the right “This way.”
“I thought you didn’t have your map,” Amanda said.
“Yeah, well… it looks prettier this way.”
They had only walked a few yards when Carmen was filled with the sensation they were being watched. She stopped and turned back toward the plaza. People were passing the pool. For a brief instant, she thought she saw someone on the far side looking in their direction, but the crowd soon swallowed them up. She continued to stare for a moment but never saw the face again.
She turned and hurried after the others. The buildings seemed dark and deserted, and yet she felt as though something — or someone— lurked there, hidden in the shadows.
Waiting, watching.
Camilla Lawson walked slowly through the plaza, taking in the magnificence of the city. Goose bumps swept over her arms as she imagined the thousands of relics that must be hidden amongst all the stone. It might be the largest cache of treasure in the history of humankind, and soon, it would all belong to her and Roger.
She cast her light toward a temple on the left. She envisioned a scene from millennia past. Robed men and women walked in and out through the columned portico on their way to perform sacred rituals. But who were they? Who were the people who’d lived here in ages past? Roger believed it might have been an extinct race, the mysterious ones the world religions called the Watchers. Perhaps aliens descended here, passing along their technology to primitive man. That might explain some of the strange architecture.
Despite the excitement of the moment, Camilla couldn’t shake the sense of unease at leaving the Americans at the other site. Instead of killing them, Roger had chosen to play games, something he did all too often. His ego drove him to make everything a show.
Camilla pushed aside the thoughts. In the end, there was little chance the Americans would escape, and worrying about it wouldn’t make matters any better.
As they came to the end of the plaza, Camilla looked across the pool. A few members of the order were walking there. She was about to bounce her eyes away when a strange movement kept them there. One of the robed members had a distinct gait. Camilla slowed and examined the person more closely. Where had she seen that walk before? It was stiff and awkward, almost robotic.
She fought to recover the memory. An image flashed in her mind — someone else she’d seen walking earlier in the evening.
She stopped. Her chest tightened as she realized who it was she’d seen before — the Japanese woman who’d accompanied the Americans. Her walk was so odd Camilla thought she must have been in an accident at some point.