“We can’t hide from them,” Dane said. “When they find the chamber empty, they’ll give it a thorough search.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Sofia continued to pull him through the hall. Bones and Jade followed behind them, bemused expressions on their faces. “This place is laid out exactly like the Atlantean temples.”
“So?”
“So, that means there should be an air shaft leading out. That’s how I got away in Spain.” She released Dane’s arm and hurried ahead.
Dane glanced at Bones. “It’s worth a try.”
“It’s here!” Sofia called. “Come on!”
“Okay, everybody into the shaft,” Dane ordered. “Bones take the lead; I’ll bring up the rear.”
“No way. Why do you get the good view?” Bones winked. “Besides, I’m the biggest. If I get stuck along the way, everyone behind me is stuck too.”
“Fine.” Dane stuck his Maglite in his teeth and began to climb. He’d made it about ten meters when an explosion rocked the passageway. “I guess they blew the door.” He wondered if the others could even hear him. If their ears were ringing half as loudly as his, he doubted it. He looked back to make sure everyone still followed, and continued the climb.
The climb through the shaft went on with agonizing slowness. The stones were fitted together with such precision that he found it difficult to find handholds. Every muscle ached from crawling in a hunched position. It felt like boot camp all over again.
As the ringing in his ears abated, the voices of the Dominion’s men rose. Angry shouts and arguing reverberated through the shaft. I know how you feel, he thought. You came all this way for nothing. Listening to the men in the hall below, a sudden thought struck him.
“Everybody turn out your lights,” he said around his own Maglite, which he still held between his teeth.
“Why?” Sofia asked.
“In case they look into the shaft.” He paused enough to douse his light. “I don’t think Bones’ butt is big enough to block the light.”
“Hey, my butt is perfect. Just ask your old lady.”
“Your sister is my old lady,” Dane retorted.
“Oh, yeah.”
Even Jade laughed at this, though they quickly fell silent.
“Do you see anything yet?” Jade whispered. “Any light at the end of the tunnel?”
“Not yet, but we entered the labyrinth just before sunset. It will be dark outside.”
He couldn’t deny, he was worried that the shaft wasn’t a true air shaft that would lead outside. If a shaft this size were open at the other end, wouldn’t it have been discovered by now? Nothing to be done about it, he supposed. At worst, they’d hide in the shaft until they were certain the hall was empty, then try to sneak out the way they’d come in.
His fears were confirmed minutes later when his skull met a stone wall. He halted, and Jade crashed into him a moment later. He heard twin grunts as Sofia and Bones joined the pileup.
“Why have we stopped?” Jade whispered.
“End of the line.”
“There’s got to be a way out,” Sofia protested.
“I don’t know.” Dane ran his hand across the wall in front of him. It was smooth, just like the sides of the shaft. He felt for a seam, but the stone was seated tightly in the end of the shaft. “I think we’re out of luck.”
“Let me see.” Light blossomed in the darkness and Jade squeezed in beside him.
“Warn me when you’re going to do that.” Dane tried to blink away the spots in his eyes.
“Somebody had to find the doorknob. Look.”
He squinted against the too-bright light, and looked at the spot where she’d trained her beam.
“It’s a slot for a crystal. I must have missed it in the dark.”
“Duh. Now hurry up. I want a bath and a beer, and not in that order.”
“Can I join you?” Bones asked.
“Only for the beer.”
“Just like old times.” Dane pulled out the bag of crystals, found the one that fit, and set it in place. Silently, the shaft swung open. Cool breeze and the glow of artificial light bathed his face. He looked around at his surroundings and laughed.
“What’s funny?” Jade asked.
“You’ll see. Just be very careful climbing out. Bones, be sure to take the crystal and close the door behind you.” Carefully, he climbed out of the hole. When they all reached the ground, they stood, looking up, and laughing.
“I can’t believe that we just climbed out of the eye of the Sphinx.” Bones couldn’t tear his eyes away from the battered stone face of the ancient monument.
“Believe it,” Dane said. “Let’s get out of here. If we hurry, we should be able to get back to the car long before the Dominion gets out of the labyrinth.
They took off at a slow trot. Dane and Bones could have stood a faster pace, and probably Jade, who always kept fit, but he didn’t know if Sofia would be able to handle it.
As he ran, he punched up Tam’s number. She wasn’t going to like his report.
Chapter 40
“With us live from his church in Utah is Bishop Hadel of the Kingdom Church.” Patricia Blount, the news anchor, was an attractive blonde of middle years, but her pleasant smile belied her reputation as a hard-nosed interviewer. She didn’t quite manage to disguise her frown as she introduced Hadel. Though the Dominion was an organization unknown to most, Hadel was well-known, both for his altruism and his controversial opinions. “Bishop, it is my understanding that representatives from your church are already on the scene in Norfolk, providing aid to displace families.”
“We call them missionaries,” Hadel corrected. “And, yes, they are on the scene. When tragedy strikes, we reach out in loving compassion to our brothers and sisters in need.”
Hadel’s easy smile turned Tam’s stomach. She knew what a monster the man was, even if the world didn’t, and the fact that she couldn’t yet prove it made it all the worse.
“With thousands already confirmed dead, tens of thousands more having lost everything to the second freak tsunami to hit the United States in less than two weeks, how do you comfort people who might think to give up hope in your God?” Blount winced at her own brief lapse in professionalism.
“He’s everyone’s God, Patricia, whether they know it or not.” Hadel smiled like an indulgent grandfather. “And we provide reassurance through acts of mercy like those we are performing in Norfolk.”
“How did your missionaries happen to be on the scene so quickly?”
“We have sister and satellite churches throughout the nation who assist us in our work.” Hadel said with a touch of pride.
“What do you say to those who claim a merciful, loving God would not allow a tragedy like this to strike innocents?”
“I would say there are few innocents in this world. Norfolk, I am sad to say, is not immune to the infection that is rotting or nation from the inside out. Norfolk is rated as one of the hundred most dangerous cities in the United States, with crime rates well above the national average.”
“May I ask why, in the face of this tragedy, you took the time to study up on Norfolk’s crime statistics?” Blount bore down. “It seems like you’d have other priorities.”
Hadel remained unflappable. “I sought to understand the reason for this seemingly-senseless tragedy, and came to the inescapable conclusion that God’s judgment and righteous wrath are at play here. This is a city peopled with some of the lowest of the low…”