Sun-on-Lizard rolled the pebble around in his mouth, trying to stave off thirst with the cool, round stone. Two nights and two days had told him precious little about his quarry. He was quite proud of himself that he had avoided detection during that time. He kept his distance in the daytime, remaining just out of sight, and relying on his tracking skills to keep him on the proper path. Twice he feared he had lost them, but in each instance a small sign reassured him. He had sharp eyes, and could find a scuff on a dusty stone, or a pebble pressed into the sand by the soft tread of one trying not to leave a trail. He had to admit, the Dineh moved well, as did the dark fellow. From one that size, he would have counted on more than the occasional marking to indicate his passage.
It was full dark now, and he lay secreted within a rock fall surmounted by scrub brush. The rabbits were long gone, roasted over a banked and shielded fire the night before. He had eaten a bit of dried meat before creeping up on the others’ camp. A discontented stomach could make all his stealth for naught. Reclining on his left elbow, he peered out from his hiding place at the strange trio of men. Or at the strange duo, rather. The dark fellow was gone. Careful not to move too hastily, he scanned the area around his hiding place, but saw nothing.
He focused all his senses on the two men seated at the tiny fire. They had stripped off their serpentine vests, and now looked much less sinister in their native garb. The one on the left, a squat, muscular fellow with a scarred face and shaggy black hair was roasting lizard tail skewered on a long, sharpened stick. The other, equally short, but with a leaner build and a raptor-like face, sat with his knees against his chest, and his hands clasped together. They were speaking softly, but he could not make out the words. Of course, he spoke very little of their tongue.
A sound behind him caught his ear, and he whipped his head around, his hand going to his knife. The dark man stood behind him, a long knife at the ready. His smile shone in the darkness, and his eyes caught the starlight like dark pools. Sun-on-Lizard saw no threat in the man’s countenance, but he did not doubt that the fellow could and would kill him if he so chose. He had the high ground and the better weapon. If Sun-on-Lizard were in the clear, he might be able to throw his knife at the man and get away, but not lying here within a tangle of brush. He spat the pebble from his mouth.
“You track well,” he said to the big man, not that the fellow would speak his tongue. “You leave little sign with your passing, and I did not hear you coming up behind me.”
“I thank you for the compliment,” the man said in a rich voice, deep like the bottom of a canyon. “You are not without skill yourself. My name is Estevanico. Put away the knife and come sit by my fire.” He leaned down and proffered an ebony hand.
It took Sun-on-Lizard a moment to recover from the shock of the strange fellow speaking his language. “I suppose you would have already killed me if that was your intention,” he said, sheathing his knife and grasping the man’s hand in his.
Estevanico hoisted him to his feet as if he was a child. The big man regarded Sun-on-Lizard with big, brown eyes for a long, silent moment before answering. “That remains to be seen.”
Chapter 1
Jade tapped on the dive light strapped to her forehead. The beam flickered again, and then shone at full strength. Shoddy university equipment. Drifting back to the wall, careful not to disturb the fine layer of silt that coated the floor of the subterranean cavern, she again ran her fingers across the striations in the rock. They were definitely man-made. Much too regular to be natural, and this part of the wall appeared smooth and level underneath the coating of plant life and debris that had accumulated over a half-millennia. She scrubbed her gloved fingertips harder against the rock, instinctively turning her head away from the cloud of matter that engulfed her.
Turning again to inspect the spot she had cleared, she waited with heart-pounding anticipation for the sluggish, almost non-existent current to clear her line of sight. With painstaking slowness, the haze cleared away, and her eyes widened. It was a joint, where precisely-hewn stones fitted neatly together. She could see the vertical lines where the blocks met end-to end. She scrubbed away another patch, revealing more worked stone.
Raising her head, she let her eyes follow the beam of light as it climbed the wall. About six feet above her head, the regular pattern of the ancient stones gave way to a rough jumble of broken rock and tangled roots. It was a collapsed well, just as she had believed she would find. Remarkably, the web of thick roots created a ceiling of sorts, preserving this bottom section almost intact. She made a circuit around the base, inspecting the rocks. They appeared to be solid, with no apparent danger of further collapse. Nonetheless, she grew increasingly aware of the mass of stone directly above her. It had obviously been in place for hundreds of years, but the thought of loose stone filling the shaft of a well made her feel distinctly vulnerable.
She checked her dive watch and was disappointed to see that she had exhausted her allotted time. She had carefully planned her exploration so that she would have time to return, plus two minutes, giving her as much time as possible to seek out the well.
Reorienting herself toward the upstream channel, she kicked out and felt resistance, like something tugging at her from behind. Cautiously she again tried to swim forward, and again she felt something pull her back. She was an experienced diver, and knew that she needed to move slowly and remain calm. A sudden movement could tangle her further, or worse, tear a hose loose. She turned her head back and forth, seeking out the obstruction, but to no avail. Whatever she had snagged was directly behind her. Reaching back, she felt for the obstruction but found nothing. A moment’s irrational fear rose up inside of her, but she quelled it almost immediately. She had to approach this rationally.
Reaching behind her head she ran her hands along the surface of her breathing apparatus, and soon found the obstruction. A root was wedged between her twin tanks. What were the odds? She tried moving backward, then from side-to-side, but to no avail. She freed her dive knife and tried to saw at the obtrusion, but it proved ineffective against the gnarled root. Besides, it was nigh impossible to accomplish anything while working blindly behind her back. She would have to unstrap her tanks and free them from the obstruction. The thought frightened her a little, but she had practiced the maneuver as part of her training. She again looked at her watch, and realized she was now well past time to be done.
Her heart thundered and her pulse surged. Stay calm, Jade, she reminded herself. Panic led to unnecessarily heavy breathing, which led to faster oxygen consumption which led to… Stop it! None of it mattered right now. She would work the tank free, and then she would make up the lost time on the return swim. Yes, that would work.
Taking two calming breaths, she methodically unbuckled the straps holding her tanks, and slipped free. With a last breath of sweet air, she took her mouth from the mouthpiece. Holding her breath and keeping a firm grip on the tanks, she turned about in the tight space. A few deft tugs and it was free. Putting the gear back on was awkward in the dark, confined space, but she managed nicely, and was soon breathing the blessed air again. No time to pat herself on the back, though.
She set out at a rapid clip up the dark, narrow channel, swimming against the current, and what had seemed like a lethargic flow of water now seemed to be putting up serious resistance. Particles of silt and bits of vegetation flew past her face as she shot recklessly up the channel. She passed through a twisting section a little too carelessly and scraped her shoulder against the edge. She felt her neoprene suit tear, but under the present circumstances that was no great concern.