“Carmen! No!”
Zane. He’d spoken just in time. She lowered her gun.
“Did you find anything?” he asked.
The boy. She turned, but he was gone. She pivoted in every direction, but the room was empty. Either he’d climbed out the window, or he’d passed through the gap in the wall.
“Carmen, what’s going on?”
She faced him. “Did anyone pass you on the stairs?”
“Of course not.” His eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Someone was up here. A… a child.” She held Zane’s gaze. “You sure you didn’t see anyone?”
“A child?” His frown conveyed a tinge of disbelief. “I didn’t pass anyone on the stairs, and I didn’t see anyone here except you. What did he look like?”
Carmen didn’t answer. She’d worry about convincing him later. To be honest, she still wasn’t sure what she’d seen. She met his gaze. “How did you know I was here?”
He took a step toward her and held out her robe. She smiled. She might as well have left a sign out front.
“Put it on. We need to get out of here.”
Carmen took it from him and slipped it over her head. “Something happen?”
“We found something you need to look at.”
“What is it?”
Zane started toward the stairs. “We’re not sure yet, but we think it’s something big. I’ll fill you in on the way.”
Camilla Lawson hovered at the window, her eyes fixed on the building across the street. The two should be coming out at any moment. As usual, her instincts had been correct. After noticing the one with the strange gait, she’d followed at a distance, eventually managing to approach from the rear. Familiar voices reached her ears. Now it was impossible to deny it. They were here. All of them. Once she came to grips with the truth, her shock transitioned to anger. She’d warned Roger that leaving them in the pit was a mistake, and it was now obvious she’d been right. Some way, somehow, they’d found a way out.
Eventually, the olive-skinned woman — the one who’d used the name Mariella — had broken off from the others and ventured down a side street. Curious as to why, Camilla had followed her, watching as the woman took off her robe and entered the building Camilla was looking at right now. Not wanting to be seen when the woman came back out, Camilla had slipped into the building across the street. A short time later, she saw someone else coming down the street. She couldn’t see his face, but based on his height, she guessed it was the longhaired man. After picking up the other one’s robe, he’d pulled out a pistol and disappeared inside.
There was movement across the street, pulling Camilla back to the present. The two were leaving now. What were they doing? She thought of calling a team in to kill them then realized it might be helpful to watch a while longer. Something was going on, but she couldn’t figure out what.
Besides, there would be plenty of time to kill them later.
CHAPTER FORTY
“You came looking for me because you found a chasm?” Carmen asked as they walked. “I’m guessing there are dozens down here.”
“It’s not just a chasm. It’s located inside some sort of temple and has a low wall built around it, which seems to indicate it has some significance.”
“That does sound strange.”
The two continued on in silence.
Carmen had decided against sharing any details about the boy, at least for now. It was obvious Zane thought it was some sort of hallucination. She did tell him about the rats since they were something they might encounter at some point going forward. Fortunately, Zane had heard something going down through the walls when he arrived at the building, confirming her story.
A columned temple rose at the end of the street. Massive stairs ran up on all sides, giving it a look similar to the Parthenon, a place Carmen had visited many times.
“I wasn’t expecting anything this big,” she said as they mounted the steps.
“You’re only seeing one end. It runs back around a hundred fifty or two hundred yards.”
They climbed the stairs and passed under the columned portico. Inside, Carmen saw the glow of flashlights a short distance away. Amanda and Emily were bent over a circular stone wall that resembled a well.
Amanda lifted her head as they approached. “We can feel a draft.”
Carmen joined them and directed her flashlight into the void, but the beam was swallowed by darkness. If there was a bottom, they certainly couldn’t see it from the surface. As she hovered over the gap, her face was caressed by a slight waft of air. Surprisingly, it was warm.
Carmen patted the wall as she straightened. “Odd that they didn’t cover it. I wonder if it’s a well of some kind.”
“That’s one thing we did figure out.” Emily aimed her beam deeper into the temple. About ten yards away was a stone block with streaks of red stains.
“An altar?” Carmen asked.
Amanda nodded. “It looks like sacrifices made at the altar would be brought over here and dropped into the chasm.”
“For what purpose?”
“To worship some being or beings in the underworld.”
Footfalls approached. Carmen saw a flashlight beam coming toward them from further back in the temple. Soon a silhouette appeared. Keiko. And she carried a large stone block under one arm. Carmen frowned at the sight.
Amanda saw Carmen’s confusion. “We’re going to conduct a test.”
“A test?” Carmen lifted an eyebrow.
Keiko set the block on the wall. “I’m going to drop this into the hole and see how long it takes to hit bottom. I will then make all the calculations necessary to determine the depth.”
“Okay.” Carmen had to admit it would be interesting to find out exactly how deep it was.
Keiko lifted the block with both hands and extended it over the chasm. Despite seeing such displays many times, Carmen still marveled at the humanoid’s strength. The block weighed at least a hundred pounds, and yet she was able to hold it like a pillow.
After keeping it in place for a few seconds, Keiko let the block go. Immediately, it swished out of sight. Carmen leaned over the edge and cupped a hand to her ear. She waited but never heard anything. Finally, she straightened and looked at the others. They all shook their heads.
Keiko remained still for another minute before finally straightening. She looked at Zane. “I registered no sound, sir.”
“You didn’t pick up anything?”
“Nothing, which is strange because my auditory sensors are able to pick up sound waves from up to a mile away.”
“A mile?” Emily asked skeptically.
“Any significant sound, yes.”
“It doesn’t seem possible,” Carmen whispered.
Zane looked at Keiko. “What if the stone hit water?”
“I would’ve heard that.”
Amanda seemed focused on something else. “Where did you get the stone?”
Keiko turned and pointed. “From a structure on the far end of the temple.”
“What kind of structure?”
“A monument perhaps? I’m not sure.”
“I’d like to see that,” Amanda said. “Can you take me there?”
“Let’s all have a look,” Zane said.
As they moved through the temple, Zane fell in beside Carmen. “I wanted to apologize.”
“For?”
“For my cynicism earlier. I know you saw something back in the building. You don’t lie, and you weren’t hallucinating.” He hesitated for a moment then continued. “Even though Keiko said the oxygen levels are fine down here, I’m just not sure they are. I’ve felt a little dizzy a couple of times, and I guess I translated my issues to you.”