The tunnel seemed to be limitless as it narrowed the further in we went; we had to travel single-file for the last few minutes just before the right wall dropped off to a dark, danker cavern. Torches lined the middle of the ceiling, their light cascading off thick cobwebs coating the area. The walls were coated by rows of menacing, eroded statues. The path at this point was made of mere rocks and rickety bridges.
"Let me ask you you guys this; did Francis Drake find that lost city he was looking for?" questioned Elena as we traversed the cave.
"Don't think so, it seems like he only came this far, then returned home," Nate replied.
"...and concealed everything about this little detour?"
"That's right," Nate nodded.
"Have you guys ever stopped to ask why?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, this whole place seems like… a warning to me," Elena glance at me as she finished, like it was an unspoken concern for my safety. Ever since our time in Nepal, Elena's been on Nate about bringing me into dangerous situations.
The group toured the cave in tense silence. I could hear water droplets echoing throughout the cave. We were approaching a golden gateway illuminated by a warm glow. Nate reached for a nearby torch as we entered. We came across an ornate brazier placed in the center of a dark room. On top of it was a machine similar to those seen in steampunk art. Nate slid the torch into the basin and it blazed to life and initiated the machine stored above. We watched as the gears clicked into place and a bright light seeped through a variety of holes covering its top. Our eyes panned to the ceiling where we found an imitation of the night sky.
"As above…" Nate began.
"... so below," I finished as I dropped my head to find a carved map of the Rub' al Khali desert.
"Sully, this is some kind of celestial map," Nate announced.
"The Arabs used to travel the desert with the stars at night, so I'd say you're right," said Sully with a nod of approval.
"Do you think you can memorize this Sully?" asked Dad.
"Sure, but shouldn't we write it down?" Sully suggested.
"I think that would be a bad idea; don't forget what happened with the last time we wrote something down," said Nate.
I solemnly recalled my mistakes in Syria as I craned my neck to memorize the coordinates using the skills Sully had learned during his time in the Navy.
"I have it memorized too, Dad. Just in case," I winked.
"That's my girl," Nate smiled as he ruffled my hair.
"Guys, check this out," called Elena. I twisted my head to find a morbid carving of contorted, agonized faces.
"Whoever made this has a strange taste in art," I cringed.
"I wouldn't want this hanging up at my place," Elena joked.
Suddenly, a familiar sound of squeaking erupted from behind the carving. Spiders like the ones we encountered in Paris began spilling from the carvings' eyes and filled the chamber instantly.
"Stay within the light!" Nate shouted as he took a protective stance in front of Elena and I. Sully reached for his gun and began firing at the creatures; the explosive sound shook the cave and caused my ears to ring. I reached for Nate's wrist as the spiders drew closer and our only source of light began to fade.
"Dad, the torch!" I shrieked.
"We need to get outta here!" he shouted.
We sprinted toward the exit, the scurrying legs of the spiders behind us sounding like rushing
water as they pursued us. As we ran, I could see the door closing, the sliver of light coming from the outside shrinking at an alarming rate.
"I'll get through that door and open it from the other side!" yelled Elena. She rushed forward and slid under the door just before it sealed shut. We could go no further before Elena managed to release us from the dark prison; Sully and Nate battled the spiders and I tried prying open the door, however it wouldn't budge. Nate's torch went out and the spiders began advancing.
"Shit! Lily, we could use your help here!" called out Nate.
"You got it!"
I placed my hands together as if holding a ball. Focusing on the area between them, a sphere of flame began to grow. The glowing blue light managed to chase off the smaller spiders, but the larger ones continued approaching, which Sully was able to blast with the last few shots of his gun.
"I'm out!" he called.
I thrust the ball forward. It shot through the cavern, blazing the walls as it traveled passed. When it hit the wall of the other side of the cavern, it exploded into a blinding blue light, vaporizing everything on that side. The room went silent.
After moments of quiet broken only by the sound of our exhausted breathing, the door began cranking down. We clambered into the central chamber, thirsty for light. Once we returned to safety the gate started closing once more.
As the door slammed shut, I collapsed to my knee to regain my strength.
"I hate those damn things," Sully grunted.
"Me too. I thought we left them back in Paris," I whined.
"You've seen those things before? You were planning on telling me, right?" Elena gasped.
"It just… never came up in conversation," I said.
Elena's hardened expression warned me she had no times for poor excuses.
"Alright guys, let's get going," Nate encouraged, breaking the awkward exchange.
"You're not seriously still chasing this thing?" questioned Elena.
"Uh… yeah," Nate replied, seemingly confused at Elena's rejection of the notion.
"Why are you two so obsessed with finding it? What are you trying to prove?"
I recalled the night Chloe asked Nate the exact same question. I started to wonder if this would be a common occurrence.
Nate stood staring at Elena, speechless.
"If this place convinced Drake, why isn't it enough for you? You've outsmarted her!"
"I don't like quitting while I'm ahead," said Nate harshly as he stomped away.
A knot in my stomach tightened as he turned his back on us.
"Dad, she's right. Why don't we slow down and talk about this?" I suggested.
"We don't have time to stand around talking. If we're gonna beat Marlowe, we've gotta keep going," Nate reminded me.
"We never have time," I mumbled as I hurried away.
Elena's interrogation lingered as we left the cistern. The everyday excitement easily distracted me from what's important: our family. I'd never considered the possibility of what most consider a normal life, despite the emptiness I felt after every adventure.
Nate walked silently beside me as we entered through the first chamber we arrived in. There were times I caught Nate staring at me as if he had something to say, but he never initiated a conversation.
We finally returned to the well we entered through.
"So how are we supposed to get back up there?" Elena wondered as she analyzed the decrepit
well above us.
Suddenly a small gray cylinder dropped through and began leaking a thick gas.
"Everyone get behind something!" shouted Nate. A soupy fog erupted from it, filling the room. Heavily armed men dressed in black armor descended into the room on thick ropes and began shooting at anything that moved. We returned fire but the fog made hitting anything besides the wall difficult.
"We don't have time for this…" I uttered under my breath.
"Stay behind something!" I shouted to my companions.
Imagining the collapsing chateau, I summoned a flame shield around myself and began walking to the middle of the room. The soldiers began firing at me, however the bullets vaporized before getting near me, just like before.
"Expand!" I commanded the shield. It exploded outwards, disintegrating every foe not hiding behind cover. The walls became scorched and the dust on the floor flew to the walls, hardening in the pattern of my flames. As the attack dissipated, I heard the rest of my party dispatching the enemies who survived.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Sully said as he emerged from behind a pillar. "Sure is handy, though," he smiled.
A small ladder suddenly emerged from the well shaft.
"Huh. I guess my attack broke the lock?" I said nonchalantly. "Let's head back."
We climbed out of the well. Just before we left the building, Elena stopped us.
"We should probably leave our guns here. I don't think the guards would appreciate three armed tourists walking around the city."
"I'll miss you," I whispered to my pistol as I tossed it into the well along with Nate and Sully's shotguns. We exited the building and made our way back through the city.
As we ascended a stone stairway, Nate winced and I glanced back to find him removing a needle from his neck. My eyes narrowed with worry as he began to fidget in place.
"Dad… is everything alright?" I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"D-don't touch me!" he demanded.
After flinching back from his sudden outburst, I carefully took the needle from Nate and revealed it to Sully and Elena.
"Sully, they got him this time…" I announced shakenly.
Sully took the dart from my hands and began examining it.
"Goddammit, how do they keep doing this without us seeing?" he scathed.
I scanned the rooftops for a sniper but was unable to spot one.
Nate studied my face as if it were completely foreign to him. I could see him struggling to fight the effects of the drug.
"Run…" he whispered, his hands burying his face.
"But Dad…" I said as I reached out once more.
"Run!" he insisted, hitting my hand away. Before I could say anything, he sprinted away.
"Aw, hell. We gotta catch him before he gets himself hurt. Come on!" insisted Sully as he began chasing Nate.
We sprinted through the city streets, buildings and shops blurring passed us. We barely managed to keep Nate within eyeshot. Suddenly, I felt a prick on the back of my neck. My legs started to feel like jelly, and the world around me began to swim. I focused on spreading my energy through my entire body and started to feel normal. Another dart stung my neck, followed by several more. Pulling them out, I analyzed them; they were a different color from that of the others. I looked up and saw a man walking around the corner of an alley.
It was Talbot.
"Nighty-night," he said with a smirk. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. The butt of a rifle smacked the back of my head and the world went dark.