CHAPTER SEVEN

Sydney raced through the forest shouting Nigel's name she was silently berating herself for not realising Harris had escaped there were only tow places he'd go after Nigel to continue his job or go back to the hut to find his brother, Sydney hoped he'd choose the latter. She'd told him to travel east but so far there was no sign of him and he wasn't answering her calls.

* * *

"Oh my!" Nigel stood and stared at the flower infested arch that rose up before him, in his haste he'd almost missed it but now looking at and standing before the sacred place he knew the stories were true, he knew he'd found the right place. He took out his glasses and put them on.

"Siobhan could you get the paper out of my bag?"

She nodded and did as he said, "You think this is the right place?" she asked a hint of doubt in her voice.

Nigel nodded, "I know it is" he studied the riddle again. "Where the trees are an arch…A few trees have been cut down from this area I'd imagine two of them grew in front of the stone arch…"

"After you" Siobhan stepped aside to let him pass.

"We should wait for Sydney and Jacobs they'd want to see this".

Siobhan shrugged and sat down leaning against the stone.

Nigel walked forward and knelt down examining the marks in the stone he took his camera out of his pack and started taking photographs. The sound of a gunshot startled him causing him to drop the camera, a bullet ricocheted off the arch chipping the stone.

"Going inside sounds like a good idea after all" he said as he pulled Siobhan to her feet then they ran into the darkness of the tunnel.

* * *

Sydney followed the sound of the gunshots until she came to the place where Nigel and Siobhan had stood minutes earlier she picked up the camera and looked around, there was no sign of the gunman.

Nigel rooted around inside his pack until he found a what he was looking for he flicked on the torch, he looked at the riddle again thoughtfully, "The door is in shadow…We've walked the whole length of this tunnel there is no door!"

"Maybe it was translated wrong" Siobhan suggested.

"Maybe…"

They heard the click of gun.

"It was translated fine you're reading it wrong".

"Harris wonderful to see you again long time no see…"

Harris pushed Nigel forward and grabbed Siobhan "Does this situation seem familiar Nigel?"

"Well I am getting an odd feeling of déjà vu".

Harris dangled something in front of Nigel "These will be better to see through".

Nigel put on the night vision goggles and began walking through the tunnel again he saw Sydney by the entrance she began walking towards him. He waved his arm trying to tell her about Harris.

"What's going on!" Harris demanded.

"Nothing just another spider".

Sydney nodded upon hearing Harris's voice now knowing what Nigel was signalling to. Harris moved beside Nigel when he saw him stop abruptly.

"I can see something through there" Nigel pointed in front of him "It's an opening in the wall…The door!" he hurried forward pulling off the goggles and throwing them to the floor, he walked through the opening and looked around.

The sun was beginning to rise making it easy to see outside the cave had brought them to a part of the forest that was impossible to get to unless you knew where the arch and 'door' was. Streams of sunlight shone on a pond that was frozen over despite the time of year. Willow trees grew around the pond and the grass was now overgrown.

"A pond is a shower…Well this must be the pond…" He saw Nigel creeping up behind Harris. "Can you see a shower anywhere Mr Harris?" Nigel asked politely distracting his captor.

Harris turned around as Sydney kicked him he fell back against the frozen pond the gun in his hand went off and Siobhan shouted out. Nigel paled considerably and ran to where his sister sat. Harris slipped on the ice as he tried to stand his arms flailed wildly as he tried to find something to grab onto. Sydney kicked him square in the stomach and he fell backwards in to a weeping willow banging his head on the icy trunk. Sydney joined Nigel.

"Is she alright?"

Nigel nodded in relief "The bullet caught her arm on a ricochet…That was too close" Concern was still evident in his voice.

Siobhan nudged him "Don't you have a relic to find?"

The two relic hunters stood in front of a cave that went under the pond water had frozen in mid flow as it sprinkled over the cave entrance in a shower.

"It must be through here", Sydney said as she looked through the cave.

Due to small holes in the soil the sun shone through making the cave look like it was littered with gold.

"Eyes must have the power…Power for what?" Nigel enquired.

Sydney thought for a moment, Nigel thought it best not to interrupt her "Harris gave you night vision goggles, right? Maybe you had to have special vision to see the door…You said yourself you couldn't see it before you put the goggles on…"

"And whoever translated this got it mixed up they put the instructions in the wrong order" Nigel finished getting exited he began to move forward. "The next part says the sun will shine like rocks of gold".

"It saying we have to walk through the cave" She stepped in front of Nigel and began walking through the shafts of light that shone through the roof. "In the place that shines so bright even in the darkest light".

"Its pretty dark in here Syd".

"It must means natural light like near the entrance…Nigel are you feeling alright?" she enquired as she saw her unusually quiet TA look towards the entrance for the five time in a matter of minutes.

He nodded, "I'm just anxious to leave here…It's the first time she's travelled out of England to visit me and she gets kidnapped and shot, and its my fault!"

Sydney stopped and faced him a reassuring look on her face "It isn't your fault! She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time".

"And if it happens again?"

Sydney didn't answer. Nigel didn't push the question.

"In the legends it said the people of Senalar could change into a bird, a panther and a dolphin…The animals will gather here" Sydney recited part of the last line.

"What does a creature of the air, land and water have in common?" Nigel looked around as if the cave would shout out the answer, "Well they were all controlled by man so, a village?" Nigel suggested.

"But not Senalar because Ryanatu was banished from there so the home he made for his family must be down here somewhere…That's where the book will be!"

They walked faster down the long tunnel that adjoined the cave it seemed to get darker the deeper they travelled making it harder to see where they were going, before they knew it they were at a dead end.

"That's impossible!" Sydney shouted out in frustration.

Nigel tapped her on the arm, "Look at the stone".

She shone her torch onto the cave walls, on the left there was a carving of a mighty bird its wings outstretched, on the right was a dolphin diving out of water and in front of them was a panther hunting. She pointed in front of her, "There's a chest" she took out her knife and the lock shattered as she pressed the weapon against it.

The lid swung back and the both waited in anticipation.

There was nothing, "Maybe the it wasn't real after all" Nigel said shrugging his shoulders.

"Only a family member may touch the chest" Jacobs' voice echoed throughout the tunnel, he walked out of the darkness and reached inside the chest.

"Where's Adam?" Nigel asked looking around nervously.

"He's a little tied up" Harris quipped.

A rumbling sound started above them and they stepped back, a blinding light shot through the roof of the cave and dazzled them. It slowly grew dimmer until it they could see again.

Due to the earlier darkness they hadn't noticed a small alcove in the rock covered over with dirt and leaves, the light now lit up the alcove where something bound in cloth was wedged inside, Jacobs stepped forward and reached out he uncovered the book. It was leather bound with a bueatiful mixed bird engraved on the front. "It is the sacred book of Ryanatu".

"You're families history", Sydney said with a smile "You've got a lot of history to catch up on Mr Jacobs".

"Now you're people and Adams' will know the truth" Nigel added.

Jacobs just smiled. His people had known the truth all along.

* * *

Three days later Sydney returned to Trinity where things would return to normal, for a little while at least, she'd teach, mark papers and wait for the next person to call who needed a relic to be found.

Karen greeted her as she walked through the door "Hi! How did it go…Did you find the book?"

"Yes and yes the book is going to stay with Jacobs, it should be kept in the family" She looked around for her TA "Isn't Nigel in yet?"

"Yeah he came in earlier then left again almost straight away".

Sydney looked puzzled upon hearing that she shrugged off the strange feeling she had and headed into her office. There was an envelope propped up against the phone on her desk she hurriedly opened it and looked at the typed letter inside.

Karen watched her from in the other desk, "Is something wrong?"

"Nigel…He's handed in his letter of resignation…"

Karen got up from he own desk and walked over to where Sydney stood, "Why would he do that? Did something happen in New Zealand?"

Sydney shook her head in bewilderment "Wait he felt guilty over his sisters kidnapping --"

"But that wasn't his fault!" Karen interrupted abruptly.

"Would you excuse me" Sydney said as she reached for the phone.

"Yeah sure" Karen said sombrely, she closed her door quietly on the way out.

Sydney dialled Nigel's mobile number but the phone he always carried with him was shut off, she proceeded to phone his home number it was picked up after the fifth dial.

"Hello Syd" Nigel answered.

She was suddenly lost for words.

"Sydney?"

"…Yeah…Nigel…You can't leave!" she blurted out.

"I'm not permanently"

She felt a huge weight lifted off her chest.

"Just until Siobhan's finished studying at Trinity", he added.

"That's four years! Why didn't you tell me this in person?"

"I didn't want to give you the chance to change my mind".

"Nigel" she said gently "If you thought I could persuade you to stay then you don't really want to leave".

He smiled at that though she couldn't see him "You can always make me change my mind…You'll replace me --"

"You're irreplaceable".

He felt a swell of pride upon hearing that "I just can't not yet…Goodbye Sydney"

"Not goodbye just see you later".

"See you later then" he said trying to sound cheerful as he hung up the phone.

Sydney suddenly didn't feel like another relic hunt after all.

The End

So tell me thought.