Maggie and Sam stood at the bottom of the rocky staircase, and gazed up in wonder at the temple, which looked as though it sat among the clouds above them. It was a lot higher than they'd originally thought, and they had to block the sun out of their eyes as they looked up. Maggie smiled, as she prepared herself for the long climb ahead of her, and began bounding up the steps. "Hey, wait up!" Sam called out in surprise as he ran after her, but it wasn't long before he was able to catch up. The stairs, which started as a slow, steady climb, rapidly became taller and steeper, and Maggie soon found it difficult to even walk up the large, stone stairs without needing to hook her feet on the rocky grooves and pull herself up. When they were about a third of the way, Maggie's muscles were screaming for her to stop, and she knew she couldn't carry on without a break. She rolled onto her back and lay with her eyes closed, her skin gleaming with sweat as she waited for her muscles to stop burning quite so much. She heard Sam groaning as he climbed up behind her, which soon became a groan of relief when he saw her resting.
"Oh, thank God!" He gasped, and used the last of his strength to crawl painstakingly slowly, away from the edge. He sat against the face of the next rocky step, or ledge as they were swiftly becoming, and sighed in relief. "Ahhh... How about we just stay here a little while?"
"Mhmmm." Maggie sighed in agreement, retrieving her water for a well needed drink. They sat for a while, protected from the sun by the shade offered from the steps towering above them, and revelling in the view that lay before them. They could see for miles across the mountainous landscape, and Maggie noticed the town in which they were staying, looking like a model village as it sat miles below them. "It's a pretty amazing view, isn't it?" Maggie commented after a while. "Although it's been ages since I've had to climb anything like this."
"It's amazing. Where else have you been?" Sam replied with interest.
"I've climbed the Himalayas once," Maggie replied, "that was unbelievable, but way too cold for my liking. And I've been to Borneo, which was unreal. I was trying to find the Cintamani Stone, but the trail went cold, so Mick called me home."
"The what?"
"The Cintamani Stone. It's supposed to contain the key to being invincible." Maggie explained lazily.
"Huh. I wouldn't say no to that." Sam smirked, "It would definitely make getting to that temple easier."
Maggie croaked out a laugh. "Yeah, speaking of, we're not going to get anywhere if we stay sitting here. Come on, let's get going."
Groaning, Maggie and Sam both got to their feet, and continued their long, exhausting climb to the temple above them. After what felt like an age, they finally saw the top of the ancient temple towering above them, and the natural stairs began to level out again into a rocky path. Despite the fact that her legs were like jelly, and every cell in her body was aching, the anticipation kept Maggie moving forward, and they soon found themselves staring up at a great archway, looming over them. The vast stone wall, which encompassed the archway, stood at least three storeys high, and was adorned with perfectly cylindrical pillars and strange faces carved into the stone. Beyond that, the temple rose another two levels, which were both in equal measure to the first, and a large domed statue, carved in the shape of a strange looking animal dominated the very top. The entire temple was covered in moss, and weathered from thousands of years against the elements. It truly was a breathtaking sight.
"Whew, this is some joint," Sam whistled in appreciation. "Shall we take a look inside?"
"Hang on a sec," Maggie mumbled, "I'm almost done." Sam turned to see Maggie sketching away furiously in her notebook, and smiled.
"Don't rush yourself." he murmured as he wandered closer to the temple.
When Maggie was done, she tucked her notebook safely back into her pocket, and was almost giddy with excitement as she headed towards Sam. She spotted him by the temple, wearing an equally excited smile as he waited for her under the archway. She almost skipped over to him, and when she reached the grand entrance, she was met with... more stone stairs.
"Oh come on!" she yelled in complaint. "Are they being serious?! What is it with these ancient civilizations?! Haven't we climbed enough shitty stairs?!"
Sam burst out laughing in surprise at Maggie's mini tantrum. "Come on, we're so close!" he smiled, I'll race ya!" With that, he took off, running up the stairs and laughing loudly as Maggie darted after him. "Hey, glad you could make it!" Sam grinned when she caught up. Maggie shoved him in return but laughed; although she hated to admit it, she was actually enjoying his company on this trip. Maybe Sam Drake wasn't so bad, after all.
It didn't take long for them to reach the top, and when they did, they were greeted by a great, empty hall, stretching into near-darkness across several kilometers. Hundreds of pillars ran the entire length of the hall, supporting the massive structure above them, and in the very centre of the poorly lit room, Maggie made out what appeared to be a large stone altar, guarded by around twenty smaller pillars. Mesmerised, Maggie and Sam walked towards the middle, and as they got closer, Maggie noticed that the pillars surrounding the altar had distinct, menacing-looking faces carved into them.
"These must be their Gods." Maggie guessed, as she stopped to examine one of the faces closely.
"I'd say so," Sam replied, his fingers tracing the lines of another face carefully. He looked over to Maggie, who was copying him unintentionally, and he couldn't help his smile.
"Hey Sam, look," Maggie said as she moved her focus to the altar in the centre. "There's some more writing here."
Sam moved to stand by Maggie, who was now crouching next to the altar with a torch, highlighting the strange markings as she copied them into her notebook. "Huh," Sam said, retrieving his own torch, as well as the book of Polynesian symbols, and flicking through the pages, "I think it's talking about some kind of ritual, or religious ceremony. This symbol means "Fortress" and this one means "Light". Sam said, pointing to the symbols Maggie had just transcribed.
"Well, well, well!" An unfamiliar, male voice made Maggie and Sam jump up suddenly, dropping their torches and peering anxiously into the darkened room. "I'm impressed with your knowledge." As they tried to strain their eyes for a better view in the hazy light, the tall, unknown silhouette of a man was moving slowly towards them, his face hidden in the shadow. The figure stopped a few feet away from them, leaning against one of the pillars, and Maggie carefully inched closer to try and see who had interrupted them. Sam tried to grab her arm, but Maggie moved to avoid him, the hairs on her neck standing on edge in alert for any potential danger.
"Uh, Hi. I'm Maggie" Maggie greeted the stranger cautiously. "And you are?"
"Forgive me," The stranger smiled briefly as he moved towards Maggie, his hand extended. "I'm Hanale. I'm head of security here."
"Security?" Sam's eyes narrowed as he quizzed the interloper. "Why does a temple need security?"
"My elder brother is the benefactor of this temple. He assigned me to protect it from thieves and grave robbers." Hanale raised his eyebrow as he considered the pair before him. "Which leads me to my next question; Why are you two sneaking around in here?"
"I'm a journalist," Maggie lied hurriedly, casting a warning glare at Sam as she spoke. "I work for the National Geographic Magazine. This is my assistant, Samuel." Sam didn't smile as he moved to shake the man's hand gruffly, and they stood for what seemed like an age, grasping each other's arms and eyeing each other up with intimidating glares. Maggie huffed in impatience, and almost pushed Sam's arm away as she moved to stand in front of him, hoping to draw the stranger's attention back to her. "Say, as head of security, you must have loads of knowledge on this place!" Maggie gushed falsely, thinking on her feet for a way to get rid of this intrusion. "Would you mind terribly if I were to ask you some questions?" Maggie's heart was pounding, afraid that the man would see through her futile attempts of flattery.
Hanale, however, seemed completely oblivious. "Of course!" He beamed widely, "I can tell you anything you'd like to know."
"Oh, that's fantastic!" Maggie grinned widely, grateful that the poor light was able to hide the shock which was written all over her face. "Why don't we go outside, it'll be easier for me to take notes." Hanale nodded, and instantly offered his arm to Maggie, who accepted with a weak attempt of a flirtatious smile. Before they left, Maggie turned back to Sam. "Hey, why don't you finish up here, while Hanale helps me with my questions outside." Sam went to object, but Maggie flashed another warning in her eyes, and subtly nodded to the altar behind him. Knowing it wouldn't do him any good to argue, Sam nodded in defeat.
"Sure no problem." he replied, a bitter taste filling his mouth.
Maggie turned briskly, almost dragging her new escort as far away from Sam and the altar as possible. She absolutely did not trust this man, but his sudden eagerness to share information had Maggie curious, and as cautious as she was, if there was a chance she could obtain any sort of clue as to where the necklace may be, Maggie was willing to take risks. Hanale was already chatting away quite happily, explaining the history of the island (something Maggie already knew quite well) as though he had rehearsed it a thousand times. Maggie gushed her "ooh"s and "ahh"s at the right moments, clutching on Hanale's arm and noticing the light beginning to sweep over them, as they headed closer to the outside; She only hoped she looked anywhere near as excited and flirtatious on her face as she sounded.
Now that she was able to see him more clearly, Maggie studied Hanale's face intently. He was surprisingly young looking, Maggie thought, only around nineteen or twenty. No wonder he was so clueless to her false enthusiasm. He had a sweeping mess of brown hair, sticking up in all directions, and his amber eyes glowed against his tanned skin. As Maggie considered him, she smiled. While he was fairly tall and clearly worked out, he still looked quite skinny, like he'd not long been hitting the gym. Maggie was pretty sure she could take him if she needed to, although she hoped it wouldn't come to that. Hanale led them back to the top of the stairs and down; Maggie was sad to be leaving the temple so soon, especially after the trouble she'd taken to get there in the first place. Still, she hoped Sam would make sure to get as many clues as possible; it was going to be so much harder to find the necklace if he wasn't thorough enough.
As he guided them to sit atop the small wall which lay at the foot of the Temple, Hanale was still prattling away, having moved on from general Hawaiian history to the more local history. Maggie's ears began to prick, as she began to write meaningless notes, hoping to pick up on anything which may be of interest. "...So the volcano destroyed everything, and my Great-Great Grandfather was almost killed, but he was able to escape here. This temple has never been hit by the volcano, it's protected."
"Protected?" Maggie repeated with sudden interest, her pen frozen as her eyes locked on to her misinformed guide. "Protected by what?"
"By the necklace of Taonoui." Hanale smirked, mistaking the gleam in Maggie's eye for one of wonder and admiration. "It's made of pure starlight, and provides protection and prosperity to whoever has it."
"Wow, I'm impressed!" Maggie batted her eyelashes up at Hanale as she squeezed his arm, her knuckles brushing what felt like a hand gun as her hand tactfully slid down to clutch his elbow. "That is some legend! Do your family look after the necklace?"
"No," Hanale replied, his chest puffing with self-importance. "The necklace itself went missing centuries ago, but some of it's powers are supposed to be stored within the Fortress of the Light."
"The Fortress of the Light?" Maggie quizzed, remembering the symbols Sam had highlighted to her, and hoping her facade was still believable. "Where's the Fortress of the Light?"
"It's not where is the Fortress?" Hanale winked, "It's what is the Fortress."
"What do you mean?" Maggie asked, dumbfounded.
"The Fortress, is basically four stone cubes, each no bigger than a tennis ball." Hanale explained quietly, leaning in towards Maggie as though not to be overheard. "On their own, they're nothing really special. But according to my brother, when they're together, they're supposed to reveal the true power of Taonoui's necklace."
"What's the true power?" Maggie pressed, shifting closer still to Hanale, and flashing a dazzling grin at him. Hanale blushed and laughed awkwardly.
"Oh, no one knows." He grinned sheepishly. "The stones have been separated for hundreds of years, and one of them was supposedly destroyed. As the benefactor, my brother has got one of the four, we know there's another one being kept in Indonesia, and the last one is missing."
"Oh, how awful." Maggie groaned in internal despair. If one of the cubes had been destroyed, how was she ever supposed to find the necklace? "That's such a shame! I bet you'd love to discover the true power, you'd probably become famous!" She enthused, hoping her over familiarity was still being interpreted as flirting.
"No, no" Hanale laughed, shaking his head, "That was always Ioane's dream. He still believes there is hope to unlock the Fortress. Hey!" Hanale suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "Ioane, my brother, is holding a benefit tomorrow night at our place, why don't you come?"
"Oh no, I'm sure your brother wouldn't want Sam and I to intrude!" Maggie made sure to include Sam's invitation as she protested weakly. She knew that her only hope now was to try and get a look at this Fortress cube that Hanale's brother kept, to see if it presented her with any clues as to how to find the necklace. Maggie was struck by a moment's inspiration; She brushed her fingers along her cheek as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, peering up through her lashes at Hanale, who blushed and averted her gaze as he insisted on their attendance, and Maggie's bashful smile masked the triumph she felt threatening to burst out, as her plan succeeded much more quickly than she'd anticipated. "Besides, what would we wear? We don't exactly have any clothes for the occasion!"
"Don't worry about that!" Hanale objected, waving his hand dismissively as he pulled out a card from his wallet. "Go into town, and pick out anything you like. If you show this at the register, they'll be able to help you." He handed the card to Maggie, blushing deep crimson when her fingers trailed his as she accepted graciously. His eagerness to impress her made it all too easy to fool him, Maggie considered, feeling a twinge of guilt before burying it deeply inside her mind.
"Thank you, Hanale." Maggie smiled sincerely, grinning up at him as he offered her his hand. He pulled her gently to her feet, reluctantly relaxing his hold on her as his eyes flickered to Sam, emerging from the shadows of the temple behind them.
"You're welcome," Hanale murmured gently as he squeezed Maggie's hand softly. "I'll send a car for you at 7:30 tomorrow evening. Hey, maybe we could even have a dance tomorrow? You know, if you wanted to?" He asked hopefully.
"Of course" Maggie nudged him gently as she smiled. "Make sure you come find me." She winked. Hanale grinned widely, his elation written all over his face. Even though she felt guilty for stringing him along, Maggie's smile was honest; Hanale wasn't such a bad guy, after all.
Sam marched towards them, his hands stuffed in his pockets and lips pressed into a thin line, as he eyed her intimate exchange with Hanale and felt an unexpected pang of jealousy. As he got closer, Sam noticed the youthfulness in Hanale's features and smirked; he was just a kid, he had no chance. Sam smiled to himself, and stood ever so slightly taller as he finally approached them. "Okay, I'm done. You ready?" He asked, a slightly sour edge to his voice.
"You bet," Maggie breathed, throwing a curious look at Sam as she threaded her arm through Hanale's once more. "Hanale, here, has very kindly offered to drop us back at the jeep."
Sam couldn't help his glower as he watched Maggie and Hanale walk ahead of him, laughing and chatting away animatedly, as they were led back towards the temple. He didn't understand why, but the way Maggie clung onto Hanale's arm and every word really made Sam's blood boil. "She can't seriously like this guy, can she?" He thought to himself bitterly.
"Hey, shouldn't we be heading, I don't know. In the other direction?" He called to them sarcastically.
"Don't worry, my friend," Hanale dismissed Sam's concerns lazily, as he continued to strive for Maggie's undivided attention. "I've got a much quicker route back." Hanale led Maggie and the grumbling Sam to the far side of the temple, where giant boulders had began to appear in clusters. When they had walked about halfway down, and were truly surrounded by enormous rocks, Hanale stopped and smiled secretively at Maggie. "We're here."
Confused, Maggie inspected their rocky surroundings, and was amazed to see a wire hanging above them on a track, affixed to an expertly hidden pole, which in turn ran down to a moderately sized platform, nestled amongst the boulders. Maggie's mouth dropped open as she gazed up in amazement; behind her, Sam glowered. "What is this Hanale?" she grinned.
"You'll see in a minute." Hanale smiled, as he pulled a walkie talkie out of his pocket, and gave instructions to whoever was listening on the other end. Sure enough, a moment later, the wire began to squeak and move slowly, and soon after, Maggie noticed a small metal cargo lift, just big enough to hold the three of them, heading upwards to greet them. "Don't worry," Hanale laughed, sensing Maggie's hesitation at the sight of the rackety looking machinery. "It's tougher than it looks. It takes a while to get going, but once it does, it can be pretty fun." He winked bravely, and Maggie giggled.
Hanale entered the cargo lift and offered his hand to Maggie, who accepted and stepped in cautiously after him. Sam swiftly followed, shutting the door with a loud clang, making Maggie cry out in surprise. "Sam, careful!" she scolded him with a glare, as the entire lift rocked with the sudden movement.
"Sorry." he sulked, pulling a cigarette to his lips and lighting it. Maggie sighed with impatience and turned her back to him, calling Hanale's attention to look at the sights that befell them as the lift slowly began to carry them back down the rocky slope. It took a few minutes for the trio to descend, and when they finally reached level ground, they left the cargo lift to discover they had entered some sort of pop-up security base. A tall, barbed wire fence encircled two static base units, and there was a small hive of activity as Maggie counted around thirty brawny looking men hurrying about, carrying out various orders, and all wearing the same dark military style uniforms, as Hanale guided Maggie and Sam towards one of the vehicles that was sat waiting patiently.
"Woah, this security is bigger than I expected." Maggie's brow furrowed as she observed the activity unfolding around them, wondering why somebody would want this much security for an ancient temple. She sneaked a look over to Hanale, who seemed oblivious to Maggie's quiet observations, and wondered if this was all because of his older brother. Maggie didn't have a clue what she was expecting to find at this benefit tomorrow, but she knew they would have to remain cautious if they were to avoid any trouble.
Hanale steered them out of the makeshift base, through the large metal fencing which had been erected around the site, and began to drive west down the slopes, in the opposite direction to where Maggie and Sam had left the jeep. "Uh, Hanale?" Maggie called, looking at him in confusion. "Our jeep is back the other way, we need to cross the gap and go back east."
"I know, don't worry." Hanale reassured her. "We've got to go this way to get across the gap, and then I'll take you back up to get your jeep."
"But how are you gonna get across in this?" Maggie asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "We were told there was no way to cross by car, and the best place to cross was where the gap was narrower."
"Yes it is." Hanale replied. "But my brother wanted to ensure we would be able to get to the temple easily, without people getting in the way. There's a crossing just ahead that we use." Sure enough, as Hanale steered them expertly across the uneven ground, two massive steel structures appeared, one stood on either side of the gaping hole in the earth, and were connected by great lengths of cables, hanging worryingly high over the massive pit. Suspended from the thick cables was a massive cage, similar to the cargo lift they'd used to get down from the temple, but much, much bigger. As they drove nearer, Hanale flashed the lights of his truck, and the large wall nearest to them began to rise slowly, granting them access to the large holding platform. The cables groaned slightly as they adjusted to the extra weight underneath them, and Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat as she tried to remain calm. She wasn't particularly bothered by heights, but was more concerned with being trapped in a falling truck, if the cables were to give in to the weight, with no means of escape. Behind her, Sam seemed to share her concerns.
"You sure this thing is safe?" He looked at Hanale distrustingly.
"You're safe, I promise." Hanale replied, his eyes meeting Sam's with indifference as he looked up in the rear view mirror. They pulled into position, and once the gate was secured behind them, a large whirring and sudden jolt confirmed that they were beginning to move. The lift went slowly, the great platform rocking ever so slightly in the breeze, as it carried them across. Maggie's heart was in her mouth the entire time, her eyes transfixed on the solid ground which approached them, at an agonizingly slow pace. She felt Sam's gaze on her from the backseat, but she dared not look at him, for fear that the view could change at any moment.
Once safely on the other side, another cage wall began to rise in front of them, and Maggie felt the knot in her stomach begin to ease a little as she felt the solid ground beneath them as Hanale exited the car lift. They headed back east, to where Maggie and Sam had left the jeep, and arrived in no time, as Hanale expertly navigated them over the treacherous terrain. "I'm surprised you were able to make it up this far by car," Hanale commented as they spotted the hired vehicle waiting for them ahead, "Most people don't even bother trying to."
"What can I say?" Sam smirked from the back seat. "This isn't the first time I've gone off roading."
As soon as Hanale pulled up next to their jeep, Sam was out of the car with the bags, throwing them into the back of their own jeep. He leapt into position and started the ignition, revving the engine loudly as he waited with impatience. Maggie scowled briefly at Sam, before turning to Hanale with a friendly smile. "Thank you, Hanale. You've been a massive help today."
"My pleasure," Hanale replied softly, his smile not quite meeting his eyes as he watched Maggie climb out of the passenger side, and head towards the other car, where Sam was waiting. "I'm looking forward to our dance tomorrow night!" He called out of the window.
"Me too, I'll see you tomorrow!" Maggie beamed, turning to wave at Hanale as she climbed in next to Sam.
They waited as Hanale turned around in his truck and drove off, back towards his brother's car lift, before heading back down the volcano themselves, towards their motel. Sam was silent as he steered them away, his eyes fixed on the land ahead. Maggie studied him carefully for a moment, curious about Sam's sudden change in behaviour when he rejoined her and Hanale. Her curiosity swiftly turned to annoyance, when she realised Sam was yet to even mention what he'd found out in the temple. "So?" Maggie raised her eyebrow as she waited impatiently. "What did you find out?"
"You sure you wanna know?" he retorted sarcastically,"Or are you too busy focusing on your date?"
Maggie rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Sam. Don't be so pathetic." She argued, crossing her arms in anger as she glared at Sam. "Do you really think I am thinking of anything other than getting this necklace?! I have just secured the both of us an invitation to a benefit tomorrow night, where we can find one of the stones of the "Fortress of the Light" which contains the key to unlocking the true power of Taonoui's necklace! I've also found out the location of one of the other stones, thanks to my new friend Hanale, which narrows the number of unknown stones to two, if you must know."
Sam opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it after a moment as he considered Maggie's words. His eyebrows scrunched together as he frowned, unable to conjure a suitable response, and was left looking like a fish and he struggled to find words. A moment of realisation seemed to strike, and Sam turned to face Maggie with the same astonished look he'd worn the first time they'd met. "Wait, so you were just using him?" He asked, glancing at her in uncertainty. Maggie just scoffed, and threw him a look which implied "Duh, moron" and Sam couldn't help but laugh. He didn't even know why he felt such relief; maybe it was because he was expected to have her eating out the palm of his hand by now, but her constant resistance towards him made it feel like even more of a challenge, and Hanale posed a further threat to that challenge. "Oh." was all that Sam could utter.
Maggie rolled her eyes, and shook her head in annoyance. Despite her slight change of opinion towards him earlier, Maggie still found Sam to be immature, and she wasn't completely sure that he wasn't a hindrance to her on this trip. "So, what did you find on the altar?" she demanded, huffing in frustration.
"Oh, I think it's some kind of instructions, or ritual." He explained, resuming his usual relaxed persona as his face broke into a lopsided grin. "It talked about your Fortress of Light, and mentioned something about the necklace of Taonoui being bathed in starlight. I've got a rubbing of the markings, so we can go over it if we need to. There was no mention of any other stones though, I don't think."
"No, it probably wouldn't." Maggie replied thoughtfully as she routed through her backpack for her notebook. "I imagine the altars were purely designed to hold and protect the stones, not to reveal where they were all located. I think we're going to need to see the actual stones to find that out."
"Okay," Sam's voice was serious as agreed, his gaze focused ahead as he followed the sloping path. "What about this Hanale's brother, huh? Going by what we've seen of him so far, I don't think he's only interested in protecting this temple and it's history, do you? The guy could be a total nut case, are you prepared for that?" he raised an eyebrow as he threw a quizzical look at Maggie.
Maggie scowled; of course the same thought had entered her mind, but Maggie had dismissed it, determined not to be dissuaded by the idea of competition. "Of course I'm prepared." Maggie huffed, "In any case, we have no choice. This may be the only opportunity we're going to get. We need to make sure we can at least get a good look at the stone, and the chance to study it, if nothing else. I don't have a clue what kind of guy Hanale's brother is, but I'd say we stand a much better chance if we're on friendly terms, wouldn't you?"
Sam pressed his lips together as he nodded grimly. "I guess you're right." he muttered. "But just so you know, seeing as we're going in so blindly, I'm taking something to protect myself with. Is that cool?" Maggie was shocked at his blatant admission, so much so that she could only nod quietly in response. She had suspected that he knew how to use a gun, as could she, but she so rarely considered using them, that it was a surprise that such a request would be his first in the task ahead. Sam smirked as his eyes glanced over Maggie's shocked expression, and a new question jumped to his lips. "Hey, why did you say you were a journalist? Why not tell him you work for a Museum?"
"Oh, sometimes people can be funny if they know what I actually do for a living." Maggie explained. "People can get pretty pissy if they think you're trying to take something that belongs to them."
"I get that." Sam chuckled, "But where did you get the idea of a journalist for the National Geographic?"
"Oh, I got that from a girl I went to college with, Elena Fisher. She was studying history and journalism, so we had a few classes together." Maggie explained. "She often said she wanted to write about some of the hidden treasures of the world, so it seemed like a plausible excuse."
"Huh, no kidding." Sam grinned at Maggie, who blushed as his eyes considered her with a mischievous gleam. "You're full of surprises, you know that? I think this might just work."