Quest (Dane Maddock Adventures) (26 page)

“Too far to jump across,” Bones observed, walking right up to the edge and looking things over. “Bummer. That would simplify things.”

“This step is an odd one.” Kaylin knelt down in front of the tiles. “Walk safely across the moon.”

“None of them look like the moon to me,” Bones mused. “They aren’t even round.”

“I actually know something about this one from a religions course I took in college.” Kaylin bit her lip, like she always did when she was deepest in thought. “At least, I think I do. I’d hate to be wrong.”

“Your guess is better than anything else we have to go on,” Dane said. “What are you thinking?”

“The main deities of the Punics were the god Ba’al and the goddess Tanit. I remember her symbol because I thought it looked like an angel without wings.” She pointed to one of the tiles.

“It also looks like an ankh,” Tam added, “except for that strange thing at the top.”

“Exactly.” Kaylin’s voice grew stronger as she warmed to her subject. “That’s the moon clue, I think. Tanit is the moon goddess, and that symbol is a crescent moon!” She looked up at Dane with a hopeful expression. “What do you think?”

“Makes sense to me. Anyone else have a better idea, or another suggestion?” He looked around, but the others shook their heads.

“Alrighty then.” Tam rose to her feet with a sigh of resignation. “I hope you’re right.”

“Wait a minute. You’ve taken enough risks. It’s my turn.” Dane took of his pack and handed it to Bones.

“No way, Maddock.” Bones shoved the pack back into his arms. “We need you. I’ll do it.”

“We’re all needed, Bones. I’m going.”

“I’ll go,” Kaylin interrupted. “I’m sure if I just keep to the tiles, I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m the most expendable one here.”

“You are not,” Dane said.

“Excuse me.” Tam moved between them. “How about I just go, while you and your girlfriend argue?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Dane muttered.

“Really?” Tam raised her eyebrows. “She’s cute. You should go for it.”

“That’s what I keep telling him,” Bones chimed in. “But does he listen? Not a chance. He’s all about figuring women out instead of just chilling and having a good time.”

“You two both suck.” Dane looked at Bones. “Give Tam back her dazzle gun.”

“Are you sure?” Bones and Tam said at the same time.

“No, but let’s do it anyway.” Bones unslung the gun from his shoulder and handed it to Tam. “You’ve done everything we’ve asked, and you could have easily stolen Kaylin’s gun or her knife when she knelt down beside you just now.”

“You would have shot me.” Tam didn’t look or sound accusatory, but spoke in a matter-of-fact manner.

“Yep, and I still will if you try anything, but I believe Bones is right about you. You didn’t kill Andy, when it would have been easier to do so, and that says a lot. Besides, we’re coming up on the final step, and we don’t know what’s waiting for us. You need a way to defend yourself.”

“Thanks.” They shook hands and she looked at him with a solemn expression. “I want to finish this as much as you do, and I give you my word. I’m not against you.”

“We’ll see,” Dane said. “Now, I don’t care what anyone says. I’m taking the lead on this one.”

He focused on each tile, choosing those carved with the Tanit symbol. He could not let go of the thought that these tiles were probably more than two thousand years old. It would be just his luck to be the one under whom they finally broke. One step, then the next. Each stride was uncomfortably long—just enough to make it difficult to maintain his balance. The third tile shifted as he put his weight down, and he froze.

“Hurry up, Maddock!” Willis shouted. “Even the army boy could go faster than that.”

Dane kept his eyes on the tiles and saluted his friend with an upraised middle finger. When he finally stepped off the last tile, everyone cheered him with sarcastic applause.

Willis had been resting up, and he went across next. He had been weak and wobbly on his feet, but you couldn’t tell it from the confident manner with which he crossed the tiles, each foot firmly set in its proper place. Dane breathed a sigh of relief when Willis was finally across. The others followed in short order, with Bones last.

“Glad you could join us,” Dane joked as Bones made a mocking bow.

“I just scouted ahead,” Tam said from behind Dane. “It looks like the fifth step is just around that corner.”

Dane couldn’t help but smile. “We’re there!”

Kennedy stood and stared at the two paths— the lions on one side, the wolves on the other. This clue had him stumped, though he hated to admit it.

“What did the girl say, again?” Smithson asked. “Something about Rome?”

“Rome is forever glorious.”

“Well, that’s easy, then. The lions, the arena, gladiators. We go that way.” Smithson gestured to the tunnel guarded by the lions.

“Perhaps, but the wolf is associated with the founding of Rome. Also, the first clue was anti-Roman, saying their funeral pyres were perfume.”

“Maybe they’re burning the bodies of their enemies,” Wesley suggested.

Kennedy thought about it. He couldn’t wait too long. Maddock was out there somewhere, and so was Tam. The longer he stood here thinking, they were either gaining on him, or perhaps extending their lead if they had managed to get in ahead of him. Furthermore, indecisiveness instilled no confidence in those who followed you.

“Let’s go with the wolves,” he finally said. “But keep your eyes open and stay close to one another.”

Wesley took the lead, his eagerness tempered only by Kennedy’s order to remain close together. He stalked between the wolf carvings, their bared fangs seeming to portend doom. He had taken only six steps when the floor gave way beneath him. Wesley cried out in surprise as he plunged downward. Kennedy dove forward and grabbed his collar a split-second before Smithson and Brown grabbed Wesley by the arms. A good thing, too, else Wesley’s weight would have dragged Kennedy down as well. They hauled the shaken man out of the pit. 

“I guess it was the lion,” Kennedy said, massaging his shoulder and staring down into the dark hole which had no visible bottom. Now he
really
wanted to kill Tamara Broderick and Dane Maddock.

Dane rounded the corner to find that the passageway ended at a wall carved with a landscape. To the left was a lake, at the center a field, and a wooded ridgeline to the right. An iron ring set in a round plug hung below each image. On the floor in front of each, a seam outlined a six foot square, perhaps a pair of trap doors. A similar outline in the ceiling above each indicated something else potentially dangerous. He had visions of the floor dropping out from underneath him, or a giant block turning him into strawberry jam. He’d better interpret the last clue correctly.

“Here lies victory.” He stared at the image until the edges blurred, and the water seemed to ripple. There wasn’t any battle going on in the carving. What could it mean?

“If it was me, I’d take the high ground,” Bones said. “Of course, they’re probably looking for something a little more ‘out there’ than simple strategy.”

“I think you’ve hit it on the head.” Dane smiled as the pieces came together. “Before the Romans destroyed them, Carthage’s two greatest military victories were at Cannae and at Lake Trasimene. At Trasimene, they trapped the Roman forces between a ridge line and the lake, and slaughtered them. Some tried to escape by way of the lake and were also cut down. At Cannae, they pinned them against a river, and the slaughter was even worse. The Punic forces gradually gave way until the Romans were stretched out all along the river, and then the cavalry came down from the high ground, encircled, and slaughtered them. Rome’s force was so large, and their defeat so complete, that they say many of the soldiers were just waiting to be killed when the forces of Carthage finally cut through the outer ranks to get to them. They even found Roman soldiers who had grown tired of waiting for the inevitable and had buried their heads in the dirt and suffocated themselves.

“That’s crazy, dude.” Bones shook his head. “So no safety on the low ground or in the water.”

“Here goes nothing.” Dane stepped onto the square in front of the mountains and took hold of the cold, iron ring. He took a deep breath, turned and winked at Kaylin, and pulled.

The plug slowly gave way and, when it was extended about six inches, it stopped with a loud clunk. The floor began to vibrate and Dane tensed, but nothing dropped out from beneath him, nor did anything come crashing down. Instead, the block on which he was standing sank slowly down into the floor. Sheer, dark stone slipped past, and a new passageway rose up before him. He smelled fresh air, saw a glimmer of light, and he knew they had made it.

When the remainder of the group had reached the bottom, they all stared in silence toward the end of the tunnel, which was partially obscured by hanging vines and low-growing flora. The question seemed to hang in the air. What would they find on the other side?

Dane stepped through the curtain of vines and into the late afternoon sun, then stopped in stunned amazement. Below him stretched a valley teeming with life. A stream ran down the center, wending its way between cultivated gardens on one side and orchards on the other. Giant kapok trees were scattered here and there among the fields. He could see people tending to the crops, but none of this was what shocked him. At the far end of the valley, beyond the orchards and cultivated fields, the jungle grew wild in a thick, dark, tangle, and rising up behind it stood a pyramid. Its dark, weathered stone speaking of age and mystery. Trees and plants had rooted in various places on its surface as the jungle struggled to claim it. What was a pyramid doing in this part of the world?

“Mayan?” Tam asked, staring at it in confusion. “But it couldn’t be. This is the wrong place for it.”

“Right.” Dane continued to stare at the pyramid. It bore some resemblance to Mayan architecture, but something wasn’t quite right about it. Something about the angles gave it a different feel than the Mayan pyramids he had seen. “It almost looks like it has some Incan influence, or something, doesn’t it?”

“The influence was Egyptian, actually.”

Dane was surprised to see a man staring up at them from down the path that descended into the valley. He had wavy brown hair, dark eyes, and a large, curved nose. His skin was deeply tanned, making his teeth seem even whiter when he smiled. He carried a small bow, but he did not have an arrow nocked.

Good thing for him,
Dane thought. He was not sufficiently armed to cause them any trouble.

“I am Mago and I welcome you to Kephises.” He bowed. “Please put down your weapons. You have my word that we mean you no harm.”

“I only see one of you,” Matt scoffed.

“That, I think, is the point.” Mago’s smile widened.

“There’s at least two guys hiding in the brush over that way,” Bones said, inclining his head to the right. “They’ve got arrows trained on us. I’m guessing there are a few more I haven’t spotted.”

“You would be correct,” Mago said. “Your weapons, I’m sure, are formidable, but you would be killed.”

Dane had to go with his gut. They were in an exposed position, and this man truly did not seem to want to hurt them. Could he blame these people for wanting to protect themselves from intruders in their realm? Besides, what choice did they have? Sure, they could fight, but at least some of their number would be killed, and probably for nothing. They had come this far to find out the truth behind Fawcett’s final expedition, and hopefully to find Thomas, and that was what they were going to do.