Then they heard a noise.
It scared them so badly they almost backed off the edge of the cliff.
The wall of the cliff began to creak and groan.
And a door began to open.
It was circular, the exact same circle as drawn by the light of Venus. It swung open like a regular door. When it was through moving, they cautiously moved to the opening and peered into a blackness so deep it made the surrounding night seem bright. Inside a path definitely led down; the steps that sloped away from them into the center of the peak fell off at a steep angle. The beams of their two flashlights played over the stone steps for a short distance before being lost in the blackness.
“I think they go down a long way,” Adam said in a quiet voice.
“It looks like it,” Watch agreed.
“I wonder if Leah has been here already,” Bryce questioned.
“She could have been here and already be gone,” Watch said. “How do we know $$$$$hike here the minute we were all asl$$$$$
Bryce shook his head. “I don’t thin$$$$ is here, I think we’ll find her inside.”
“Are we going inside?” Cindy asked, concerned.
“We didn’t hike all the way here to admire the exterior door,” Sally said. Then she glanced at Watch and Adam. “But if you guys want me to stand guard outside here, I don’t mind.”
“Coward,” Cindy whispered.
“Who are you calling a coward?” Sally snapped.
“The two of us,” Cindy said. “I’d prefer to stay and stand guard with you.” She paused. “Who knows? The door might suddenly shut behind us.”
Watch nodded. “Cindy has a point. It might be foolish for us all to go inside.”
“And it might be dangerous for us to separate,” Adam countered. “I prefer we stay together.”
“Are you saying that because you don’t trust me?” Bryce asked.
“I never said anything about trust,” Adam replied, although the thought had crossed his mind.
“If we’re going in, let’s get going,” Watch said. “I want to see where these steps lead.”
Sally was excited. “Obviously they lead to the treasure.”
“Yeah,” Adam muttered. “But to what else?”
4
The descent was long and difficult. Because the angle was so steep, they were constantly afraid of slipping and falling. Also, the deeper they went, the damper the steps became. Soon the smooth surface of each step was covered with a thin layer of liquid that squished under the soles of their shoes.
Eventually, however, the steps leveled off and they came to a cavern with a large dark pool at its center. The walls of the cavern disappeared into the darkness. The pool lay to either side of them, dark liquid that showed no bottom when they shone their flashlights into it. Indeed, they couldn’t even see the edges of it with their lights. Sally leaned over and touched the liquid and put a handful up to her nose.
“It’s just water,” she said. “But it’s got a faint odor that I can’t place.”
Cindy took a step back. “I don’t think you should disturb it.”
“A pool of water can’t hurt us,” Sally said although she did step back.
“Unless an ancient pet sleeps beneath it,” Watch said ominously.
Adam glanced at him. “You don’t think it’s here?”
Watch glanced around. “If it does exist, it’s in here somewhere. The less we disturb the better.”
“I’m worried about Leah,” Bryce said with genuine concern. “I’d like to call out for her.”
“Don’t you dare,” Watch said strictly, his meaning clear. If the ancient pet was here, and asleep, there was no need to wake it up.
They went on, and soon it became clear that the cavern they had entered was vast. But the darkness was oppressive. Their voices, as they whispered, died in the air above and around them. It was as if a huge invisible presence hung over them. Yet they could see and hear nothing. The dampness on the ground remained.
For a moment, behind them in the distance, they thought they saw a flicker of light. It caused them all to stop.
“That could be a flashlight,” Adam gasped.
“Leah,” Watch agreed.
The light winked out as quickly as it had gone on.
“She may have circled around us,” Sally said. “She may already be on her way out with the treasure.”
“She might shut the door on us,” Cindy said.
“Leah won’t hurt us,” Bryce said.
“Leah has already lied to us,” Sally said.
“If she is on her way out,” Adam said, “let’s be happy she’s safe and let her go.”
“I agree,” Watch said. “We’ve come this far, so we might as well see what’s in this cavern.”
They hadn’t walked much farther when they became aware of something huge waiting in the darkness in front of them. The realization came slowly because at first their minds refused to accept what they were hearing. It sounded like the long, slow breathing of a creature as large a dozen houses.
They stopped in their tracks.
The deep breathing sounded like horror.
Whistling in and out of lungs that had to be as big as factory furnaces.
“What is that?” Sally whispered anxiously.
“It’s something large,” Adam whispered. “That’s for sure.”
“Probably large and ancient,” Watch said.
“The ancient pet?” Cindy gasped.
“It has to be,” Watch said.
“We have to go back,” Cindy said quickly.
“We don’t need any treasure this much,” Sally agreed.
“What do you think?” Watch asked Adam.
But before Adam could reply Bryce spoke.
“Whatever it is, it sounds as if it’s asleep,” he said. “We should be able to go around it.”
“But if we wake it,” Adam said, “it could kill us.”
“I’m willing to take that risk,” Bryce said.
“You don’t even know what you’re risking,” Adam snapped. “You don’t know what it is.”
“We could shine our lights on it,” Cindy said.
Simultaneously the rest of them said, “No!”
Sally added, “Do any of you notice how hot it has gotten since we first heard it?”
“ ‘But beware the ancient pet,’ ” Watch quoted. “ ‘The fire that burns yet.’ ” He added, “Do you guys see a faint red glow coming from the direction of it?”
Adam squinted. “There is something there. A fire perhaps.”
Cindy fretted. “We can’t just stand here talking. Let’s either go around it or go back. I’m for going back.”
“I will not go back,” Bryce said flatly.
“You realize that you are forcing us to go with you,” Watch said.
“How?” Bryce demanded.
“We can’t leave you alone,” Watch said.
“I don’t mind,” Cindy said.
“Look,” Adam said. “Let’s sneak up and see how much room we have to move around it. For all we know this creature takes up all of the cavern in front of us. Even you, Bryce, wouldn’t try to walk over it.”
They headed to the left of the thing in front of them. To their relief the cavern was wide enough to let them pass, and soon the creature was slumbering behind them, still off to their right. But the sound of it receding behind them was not all that comforting.
“We’ll have to go past it again,” Cindy said.
“Perhaps,” Watch said. “It’s this creature that guards the treasure. Remember the next to the last line. ‘She who remembers old debts.’ ”
“If that’s true,” Adam said, “and if we find the treasure, we might not want to touch it.”
“We’re never going to find anything in all this darkness,” Sally said.
“Except maybe our deaths,” Cindy added quietly.
Sally was wrong. Not long after passing the sleeping beast, the cavern narrowed and
they entered a space that was no bigger than a school gymnasium. As they panned their flashlights around, they jumped, listening to their own hearts pound in wonder and amazement.
The room was filled with treasure.
Gold coins and bars, piled in hills that reached to the black ceiling, surrounded them. And jewels in every color of the rainbow glistened in the sea of yellow. There were even pearls, strung on exquisite chains and wrapped around tiny but precious statues of jade. Truly, they had found the riches of the ages.
Yet all the wealth seemed to be gathered as a mere ornament to glorify a couple of foot-tall crystals that stood in the center of the room on a pedestal made of silver. They were narrow, rising up to sharp tips. As they drew near, they saw that special grooves had been carved in the silver stand to support the crystals.
Yet there were four grooves, and only two crystals.
Watch spoke softly in the darkness.
“ ‘Therein lie the jewels that speak in dreams,’ ” he said. “ ‘The crystals that whisper words that are more than they seem.’ ”
“And two of them are missing,” Sally added.
“Leah wouldn’t have taken them,” Bryce said quickly.
“No?” Adam said. “Two of them have obviously been removed. And you did say you hardly knew her.”
“The code seemed to indicate that the crystals were the most valuable things here,” Watch said.
“Then why didn’t she take all of them?” Bryce asked.
“It would be hard enough for her to hike with even two of them on her,” Watch said. “I think she took as many as she could carry.”
Cindy gestured to the other treasure. “But there are so many gems here, so much gold—why fool with the crystals? I mean, we don’t even know what they can do.”
“But I’m betting Leah does,” Adam said. “Her father told her more than we know.” He paused, “Is that possible, Bryce?”
Bryce was at a loss. “She didn’t tell me anything.”
“Then why do you keep defending her?” Sally asked.
“She’s my cousin!” Bryce snapped. “Family. Wouldn’t you defend your family?”
“I would,” Watch said softly, even though his family was spread all over the country.
“We’re not trying to pick on you,” Adam told Bryce. “We’re just trying to figure out what to do next.”
“I say we take these two crystals,” Sally said. “And stuff our pockets with as many diamonds and emeralds and rubies as we can carry.”
“But what about the monster out there?” Cindy asked.
Sally made a face. “He’s probably been in here for thousands of years. What’s he going to spend all this wealth on?”
“No,” Adam said. “We know nothing about this creature, except that the treasure probably belongs to him.”
“I think it’s a her,” Watch corrected.
“It doesn’t matter,” Adam continued. “If we take any of this stuff, it will be stealing.”
“You cannot steal from a beast,” Sally complained. “They have no constitutional rights.”
“Couldn’t we just take a few emeralds?” Cindy asked Adam, apparently having a sudden change of heart. “I’ve always loved emeralds, and there are so many of them.”
“I can’t tell any of you what to do,” Adam said. “But I feel it’s wrong. If there hadn’t been a sleeping beast, I might have felt different. But now I feel like we are breaking and entering.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Watch said, stepping closer to the crystals. He peered at them for a moment before frowning. “This is odd.”
“What?” Bryce asked.
“These appear to be nothing more than quartz,” Watch said. “The least valuable thing in this room. Yet they’re placed here on a pedestal, and the code implied they are magical.”
“We haven’t had good luck in the past with magical devices,” Cindy warned.
“We could take just one,” Sally said as she reached forward to pick one up.
“Don’t!” Watch snapped, trying to stop her.
He was too late.
Sally already held the crystal in her hands.
She laughed at their concern. “It’s not like this is a weapon.”
But it must have been something important.
Behind them they heard the sleeping beast begin to stir.
5
Arhythmic change in the breathing of the beast was the only difference. It was no longer slow and deep but rough and—it actually sounded—grumpy. From this they assumed it was waking up, but of course they still couldn’t see it to be sure. Sally put down the crystal and wiped her hands on her pants.
“I was just looking at it,” she said quickly.
Watch hastened to the entryway of the treasure room and peered into the blackness. Adam came up at his side.
“What’s happening?” Adam whispered.
“I don’t know,” Watch replied. “But I think it’s more than a coincidence that the beast stirred the moment Sally touched the crystal. I agree with you now, Adam. I think we’d be crazy to try to take any of this treasure.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t mind if we just took a handful of diamonds,” Sally said behind them.
Adam walked back to the others. He pointed a finger at Sally. “Don’t even think about it. In fact, Cindy, Bryce—keep an eye on Sally’s hungry hands.”
Sally was insulted. “I wouldn’t do anything behind your backs.”
Watch rejoined them. “We’re just trying to be sure.” He paused. In the distance, it sounded as if the beast were once again falling asleep. Watch continued, “Now might be the time to get out of here.”
Cindy kept looking at the gems. “It’s so sad to leave all this behind.”
Sally put her hands on her hips. “Who should be watching who? I saw Cindy slip an emerald in her pocket.”
“That’s a lie!” Cindy snapped. Then she paused and opened her right fist. “I was just looking at the stone. I wasn’t going to take it. I never put it in my pocket.”
“Then put it back where you found it and let’s get out of here,” Adam said.
Bryce paused beside the crystals. “I would really like to know what these are capable of doing.”
Sally took his arm and led him toward the entrance with the rest of the gang. “Maybe in another lifetime you can find out,” she said.
They reentered the huge cavern, and at first everything seemed OK. The huge invisible beast was clearly asleep once more, so they hurried back the way they had come, first finding the dark pool. Perhaps, in the black, they would have gotten lost had it not been for the vigilance of Watch, who had kept track of their route on a compass on one of his watches.
“I’m glad someone was thinking,” Adam said, complimenting his friend for his quick thinking. “I would hate to be trapped in here forever.”
“We still have to see if the door is open,” Sally said.
“Leah wouldn’t shut it on us,” Bryce said again.
“But does she know we’re in here?” Adam worried aloud. “She could shut it without knowing about us.”
“Or maybe the door just shuts by itself when the sun comes up,” Watch warned.
They started up the long steps. Going up was definitely harder than going down. Soon they were huffing and puffing. Adam was sweating so badly that he finished his water bottle before they were even halfway up. The slippery stone steps continued to be a problem. They had to use extra effort to keep from sliding backward and tumbling down.
Yet after half an hour of climbing they caught sight of a glow up ahead. They knew it was the door open to the daytime sky. Watch had to tell them what they had only suspected.
“We’ve been underground for three hours,” he said.
“That’s incredible,” Cindy answered. “It didn’t feel half that long.”
“Traveling underground can have that effect on the mind,” Watch said. “Miners say that all the time. Time gets distorted in the bra
in. The opposite effect can also happen. Underground, an hour can seem like a whole day.”
The light drew them forward, and they climbed with renewed vigor. Indeed, they congratulated themselves that they had found the treasure, faced the ancient beast, and escaped without any permanent harm. They had finally had an adventure that was harmless.
But then the door up ahead began to close.
At this point Watch and Cindy were trailing behind the others. The scratches Cindy had received the previous day had begun to bother her. As a result she was moving slowly, and Watch had dropped back to make sure she was OK. When the door above them began to shut, Watch and Cindy were at least one minute behind the others. Adam realized in an instant that Sally and Bryce and he might be able to make it out, but his other friends were in danger of getting trapped. He whirled around and shouted down to them.
“It’s closing! Hurry!”
Watch and Cindy found renewed vigor.
They began to run up the steps—two and three at a time.
“Don’t wait for us!” Watch yelled. “Get out!”
Adam was indecisive, but Sally and Bryce were running toward the door as if their lives depended on reaching it.
“I don’t want to leave you!” Adam called down.
“Get to the door!” Watch yelled up. “Hold it open for us!”
Adam realized his friend was right. He couldn’t help them by waiting on the steps for them to catch up. He had to get to the door and brace it somehow to keep it from closing. He called down one last time before turning and racing after Sally and Bryce.
“Don’t stop for anything!” Adam said.
As Adam pounded toward the door, he saw that it was moving slowly, as if responding to some internal trigger. It was only because the door was taking time closing that any of them had a chance of getting out.
Adam saw Sally and Bryce disappear through the opening to the outside. Then he saw them gripping the edge of the door in an effort to prevent it from closing. But it was stronger than their flesh and blood muscles.
“We can’t hold it!” Sally screamed. “Adam!”
“Brace it with a stone!” Adam yelled.