The Dragon's Descent (29 page)

Clover sat on the rock ledge, tears streaming down her face. Kane's head popped up from the water, along with Tack's. She momentarily stopped crying and looked up at Kane, who shook his head. Tack also motioned in the negative.

“If he had drowned, I would have found his body,” Kane told her.

That wasn't exactly reassuring. Clover closed her eyes, trying to hold back the sobs. They came anyway.

“I wish I never led us here,” Tack said, sadness in his eyes. “But I swear it's where I felt the stone.”

“Do you still feel it?” Kane asked.

Tack paused to consider. “I do . . . I DO! And it feels like it's getting closer!”

Clover's eyes shot wide with hope. “Vero? Do you think he . . .?”

With that, Vero's head broke through the surface. A massive wave of relief swept over Clover at the sight of her brother safe and sound. She broke out into a smile.

“Thank God you're not dead, Vero! But I'm gonna kill you! Where have you been?” Clover yelled.

Vero swam over to them and lifted himself out of the water. Kane and Tack headed to the rock ledge and also climbed up onto it.

“I was actually under the bottom,” Vero said.

“What do you mean?” Clover said.

Vero turned to Kane. “What we were thinking was the bottom of the pool, well, isn't. It's the topside of the ceiling for an underwater dome beneath it. I found the edge accidentally. There's a hole in the wall over on the other side that almost sucked me in. When I swam away from it, I got under the dome. There's a big air pocket where I could breathe.”

“What did you find?” Kane eagerly asked.

They all stared at Vero in anxious anticipation.

“Well?” Tack practically shouted.

Vero paused for dramatic effect. “The whole ceiling is full of blue sapphires,” he said. “It was amazing.”

Tack and Clover shouted for joy, unable to control their excitement.

“Really? You found it?” Kane asked impatiently.

Vero beamed, then reached into his pocket and pulled something out, which he held tightly in his fist. The others crowded around. Vero opened his hand, and a blue sapphire—what Clover sensed was the Book of Raziel—lay
there. Kane's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Tack smiled, proud he had led them to it. But Clover was puzzled.

“That's it?” she asked. “It's a nice gemstone, but it doesn't exactly look like a book.”

“Don't you see the writing in it?” Vero asked. “The dancing flames?”

“No,” Clover said.

“Me either,” Tack said, eyeing Kane curiously. “Maybe it's just an angel thing?”

Kane put his head closer to the stone. He squinted as he examined it closely. After a few seconds, he shook his head.

“I can't see it either,” Kane said. He looked to Vero. “It must be like with the golems. You were the only one who could see the writing on the parchments.”

“Golems?” Tack said. “What are those?”

“Long story,” Vero said.

“Now that you have it, what are you supposed to do with it?” Clover asked Vero.

“Return it to the garden of Eden.”

“I don't know if I can help you with finding that,” Tack said.

“Is it in the book?” Kane asked. “Can the book tell you?”

“No!” Vero snapped. He then caught himself after looking at everyone's surprised faces. “Maybe . . . I don't know . . .”

“What's wrong?” Clover asked.

“I'm afraid to read it. It's got some sort of power that scares me. My mission is to return it, not read it.”

“Okay,” Clover said softly, wishing her brother didn't have to face this internal struggle. “First, let's figure out how to get out of here,” she said, eyeballing the cavern. “I'm ready for some fresh air.”

“Me too,” Vero said as he closed his fist around the sapphire.

A soaking-wet Kane stepped toward Vero and took his arm. “Look, I hate to tell you this, but like Uriel said, now that you actually have the book, they're really going to come after you.”

“Who's coming after him?” Tack asked, panicked.

“Lucifer and all his minions,” Kane said, his eyes locked with Vero's.

Tack gulped.

“Let me carry it,” Kane said, holding an open hand to Vero. “They won't expect me to have it.”

Vero held Kane's gaze as he considered. Tack looked to Vero then to Kane, waiting.

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it,” Vero said. “But I couldn't put you in danger like that.”

Vero put the sapphire back into his pant pocket. A flicker of disappointment shot across Kane's face.

“Clover's right. We need to figure out how to get out of here,” Vero said.

“I hope you have a plan,” Clover said. “Because we can't get out the way we came in. And we've pretty much walked the whole way around the cavern—I haven't seen a way out.”

“I'm not sure yet,” Vero replied. Kane shook his head as well.

“I'm starting to get claustrophobic in here,” Clover said, her heart beat intensifying as her eyes darted around the dark chamber.

“Tell me about the hole in the cavern wall. The one that almost sucked you in,” Tack said to Vero with interest.

“It's over on the far wall over there, about eight feet below the surface,” Vero replied, with intrigue in his tone. “It's about five feet around. Why?”

“Because like I said before, these pools actually have flowing water through them. I'm thinking that hole might be where the underground river empties out of the mountain . . . Maybe it's the source of a river or stream. I need to look at it.”

“I'm going with you guys,” Kane announced with conviction.

“No. Stay with Clover. We're just going to swim over and check it out,” Vero said.

“You already said there are strong currents, which means you may need my help if you get sucked in,” Kane said forcefully.

“Forget that! I'm not staying here alone,” Clover said. “And I'm too cold to sit here like a big dope doing nothing.”

“Okay,” Vero said. “But we all swim to the air pocket together, and then Tack and I will examine the hole.” Vero looked directly at Clover. “But you stay away from it. Got it? Those currents are strong . . . and Mom would kill me if anything ever happened to you.”

Clover nodded then picked up the backpacks and handed them out.

“All right, let's go,” Vero said.

With their headlamps on, everyone jumped into the water. Vero swam with Tack, Clover, and Kane following. As he tread water, he looked down at the bottom. A few feet out, he announced, “Here . . . The edge of the dome is right below me. Follow me straight down and under!” And with that, Vero swam down with the others following close behind.

Vero's head popped up inside the sapphire cavern. Moments later, the others also surfaced.

“This is it.” Vero nodded to the sheet of flat rock.

He climbed up onto the surface then helped everyone up as well. Their headlights lit up the sapphire ceiling. Clover tilted her head back, staring with her mouth agape at the sparkling gems. Equally fascinated with the sapphires, Tack ran his hand over a few of them.

“This is what we call the mother lode in dowsing.”

“You guys did it, Tack and Clover,” Vero said. “You got me here.”

“Yeah, we did, didn't we?” Tack said, proudly, and Clover smiled.

“That's a ton of money sitting up there,” Tack said. “Your mom packed our backpacks well, but she should have packed a pickaxe.”

“That thought occurred to me too,” Vero said, smiling.

“Guys, we need to get out of here,” Kane said with a sense of urgency.

“He's right. Tack, come on. Hold on to the edge of the dome,” Vero said as he sat back down on the edge of the rock platform.

“Okay. Let's go see that hole in the wall,” Tack said as he jumped into the cold water feetfirst. Vero held his breath and slipped into the water after him.

Vero grabbed Tack's shirt by the shoulder and swam him over to the edge of the domed ceiling. He then placed Tack's hands on the edge and held him there, as the current was already pretty strong. A few yards in front of them lay
the opening in the side of the wall. Vero watched Tack as he studied the opening and the currents around them. Vero was impressed by how long Tack could hold his breath.

Eventually, Tack looked over to Vero and gave him the thumbs up, letting him know it was time to go back to the air pocket. Tack and Vero emerged from the water simultaneously, both gasping for air. They swam to Clover and Kane, who were waiting.

“We can do this,” Tack said. “That hole definitely leads to the outside, and I don't think it's very far to the other side.”

“Sounds good,” Vero said at the news.

“But . . .” Tack added with some insecurity in his voice.

“But what?” asked Vero.

“Well, I'm ninety-nine percent sure we can swim through the tunnel and get outside. But I have no idea where we'll wind up. It could be a river, another pool, or even a waterfall.”

It was silent for a moment, as they all considered the possibilities.

“It's not a waterfall!” Clover shouted with excitement, shattering the silence. “I saw it in my dream! It's a stream. Vero, remember in the picture I drew? There was a stream that started right in the middle of the mountain. That's it . . . it has to be!”

Vero did remember the stream in her picture, but still wasn't so sure they should risk it.

“I say we go for it,” Clover said, exuding confidence. “I mean, did we know what was on the other side of the dry quicksand? And what other choice do we have? Die in here?”

The boys all looked at each other and nodded. There was no other way.

“Okay, guys,” Tack said. “Everyone breathe in and out a few times to get the biggest breath of air . . .”

They all started inhaling and exhaling, deeply and audibly. “Okay. Follow me, and everyone grab the feet of the guy in front of you,” Tack said as he jumped back in.

Vero, Kane, and Clover entered right behind him. They formed a chain, holding on to each other's ankles as Tack swam confidently toward the hole in the wall with Clover right behind him, Vero grabbing on behind her, and Kane bringing up the rear. They didn't have to swim for long, as the current quickly caught their body mass and pulled them straight to the wall. Vero was grateful Tack had his headlight on, so he could gage his speed as they were drawn inside the water tunnel.

The four of them zoomed through a water maze inside the mountain rock. Vero was thinking if they weren't in a life-threatening situation, this would be an awesome water-park ride. And just when he felt he couldn't hold his breath a moment longer, they shot out of the side of the mountain and into the fresh night air. A second later, they all splashed down into a large pool of water below.

“That was awesome! We're free!” Clover screamed as she stood up in the waist-deep water.

“Tack the Magnificent, at your service,” Tack said. Standing up, he struck a pose like a character in a Bernini fountain, and spit water out of his mouth.

Vero and Kane also stood. It was still night; the sun had not yet risen as they waded over to the edge of the pool. As they looked behind them, they saw the water shooting out
of the side of the mountain from where they had just come. They all watched in silence.

A low, guttural growl shattered the quiet. Clover dug her nails into Vero's arm.

“What was that?” she asked, her eyes wide as saucers.

Kane gave Vero a foreboding look. “Not a dog.”

Vero held Kane's gaze. He knew the growl wasn't an earthly one.

“Give Kane the stone, Vero,” Clover urged. “He's right. They won't suspect him. You and the book will be safer that way.”

“I don't know if that's true . . .” Tack shook his head at Vero.

Vero considered for a moment then pulled the blue sapphire from his pocket and held it out to Kane. “Maybe you
should
take it.”