Quest

Chapter 32

The passage spiraled downward as if a giant had twisted a corkscrew into the ground. Dane walked hunched over, one hand on the wall, the other on the cold stone above, until the ceiling was finally high enough that he could stand. Deeper into the darkness he went, with every step seeming to heap a greater weight upon him. Two thousand year-old passageways didn’t inspire confidence, but he reminded himself this place had stood for this long. Why shouldn’t it last a bit longer? He soon caught up with the others, and was pleased to see Matt had held on to his flashlight.

“You didn’t think to snag a few of those for the rest of us?” Dane joked.

“Nope. You were all guns and munchies, so that’s what I got for the rest of you. Besides, we were sort of in a hurry.” Matt let the light play around the sloping passage. The stonework was solid, with every block fitted together with precision.

Breathing easier now, Dane checked on Willis and Tam, both of whom insisted they were fine, though Willis was keeping one hand on the wall and moving slowly.

“What’s supposed to be down here?” Bones asked. “Jimmy Hoffa?”

“A subterranean river. We follow it, and it will take us to a canyon close to the lagoon where we left the boats. This way, we won’t have to fight our way through the Mot’jabbur.”

“Sweet!” Bones clapped him on the shoulder. “Looks like things are finally going our way. In fact,” he cocked his head to the side, “I think I hear the river up ahead.”

Dane listened intently, and could just make out the whisper of water running over rocks. “Great. Now, let’s take stock. What do we have in the way of weapons and provisions?”

“I have my flashlight!” Matt replied. “But you already knew that.”

Willis still had his Mossberg, but was running low on ammunition, and everyone except Tam still carried a side arm. If they did manage to avoid the Mot’jabbur, they should be okay. Food was in short supply. Everyone carried a pack with a few freeze dried meals and a canteen. They would try to supplement along the way back, but there was no reason they couldn’t make it back to what passed for civilization in these parts on what they had, though they’d all probably be a few pounds lighter when they arrived. The worst part would be listening to Bones complain, but it would hardly be the first time.

The passageway came to an abrupt end at a rock ledge that jutted out into the swift-moving water. Matt directed his light downstream. Stalactites dangled from the ceiling like sinister chandeliers, waiting to fall on unsuspecting travelers.

“So, do we swim it?” Tam pursed her lips, looking doubtfully at the dark water.

“We can take off our pants and make flotation devices out of them.” Bones sounded eager. “Ladies first!”

“You couldn’t handle it, sweetie,” Tam said. “Not in a million years.”

Something in the corner of his eye caught Dane’s attention. “Matt, turn your light this way.” Leaning against the wall, just a few feet upstream from where they stood, was a raft.

“A two thousand year-old raft from Carthage? No thank you,” Bones scoffed. “I say we put my ‘no pants’ idea to a vote. Who’s with me?”

Dane and Matt took a closer look and were surprised by what they found.

“This thing is new.” Matt rapped on the logs and tested the vines which bound it together. “I wonder who put it here and why?”

Dane knew in an instant. “It was Fawcett. He was the one who told me about this place.”

“How do you think he got it down here without them noticing?” This was the first thing Kaylin had said since leaving the temple.

“I got the impression he has someone, maybe a girlfriend, in the temple priesthood. I suppose she could have let him slip a few things down here at a time. It wouldn’t have taken much.”

“Look here, Maddock!” Matt knelt and looked behind the raft. “There’s a basket of food here: nuts, dried fruit and meat. There’s even a gourd for water. You don’t think…” He looked up at Dane.

“He was planning on leaving.” The full impact of what Fawcett had done for them hit him hard. Fawcett had been preparing for his escape, was possibly even planning on taking his priestess girlfriend with him, but he had given it up so they could get away.

“We’d better not let his sacrifice go for nothing, then.” Kaylin’s voice was husky with emotion, but her resolve was clear. “Let’s get out of this place.”

The raft could not bear everyone’s weight, so Dane and Bones handed their guns over to the others for safe-keeping, and swam behind, holding on to the back. The water was frigid and Dane immediately missed his diving suit.

“Dude, I am never going to be able to have kids after this,” Bones said. “Matt, we’re trading places in a few!”

“Can’t. Somebody has to hold this flashlight.”

Dane laughed. “Bones, you don’t want to have kids anyway.”

“I don’t know. Heck, I might already have kids scattered all over the world. Who can say? Lots of little Bones running around.”

“Stirrups,” Tam said absently.

“Say what?” Bones looked at her like she was crazy.

“The stirrup is the smallest bone in the human body. You know, ‘lots of little Bones…’”

Bones grimaced. “Science hurts my head. Of course, I’m not feeling any other pain thanks to this ice water. I might not feel anything ever again.”

“Do us all a favor,” Dane said, “and stick your mouth in the water until it’s numb.”

Everyone, including Kaylin, laughed, and they relaxed as the current swept them along. They shared some of the food Matt had found, and as the distance between them and Kephises increased, their spirits rose in turn. Soon, they were laughing as they ducked low-hanging stalactites and the miles swept away behind them.

It was difficult to track the passage of time, but Dane knew they were making much better time floating down this river than they had hiking through the jungle. He assumed they had to be getting close to their destination.

“Um, Maddock,” Matt called. “Do you see what I see?”

Dane peered up over the raft and saw a faint glow in the distance.

“We must be getting close to the end. Cool!” It would be a relief to get out of this cold water and onto dry ground.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about!” Matt’s voice rose as he called out. “Look in front of us!”

At first, Dane saw nothing but low-hanging stalactites shrouded in gray mist. Then he realized that the sound of the river had been growing progressively louder for some time now. He raised up a little higher to get a better look.

“Aw, hell!” Willis exclaimed. “Waterfall!”

Thirty feet ahead and closing fast, the river poured out over a rock shelf and tumbled into a void. There was no way they could all leap from the raft to the rock shelf — the water was moving too fast.

Dane and Bones grabbed hold of the vines that knotted the raft together and began kicking furiously, trying in vain to swim against the current and arrest the raft’s momentum. Tam and Willis both began paddling backward on the same side, almost upending the craft.

“It’s not going to work!” Dane looked all around, but the walls were worn smooth by the passage of water and time. There was nowhere to get a handhold. And then he looked up. “Grab a stalactite!”

Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy, but then understanding dawned on Willis’s face. He reached up and grabbed hold of the closest one.

It broke off in his hand.

“Damn!” Willis tossed the stalactite aside and reached for another, but by this time, Matt had stood and wrapped his arms around the biggest stalactite he could reach. The raft pivoted under his feet and Dane and Bones were spun about so that they were now downstream of the craft, their feet precariously close to the edge of the fall.

“It’s going out from under me!” Matt shouted, still hanging on. By this time, Willis had gained his feet and found two handholds. He stood, arms spread apart, holding on for dear life.

“You look like Samson!” Bones shouted. How he could still make his wisecracks at a time like this was beyond Dane.

“Let’s hope for a better outcome than that story.” Tam grunted, struggling to find a handhold of her own without tipping the raft.

“Bones, can you at least be serious when we’re feet from going over a waterfall?” Dane was working his way to the corner of the raft, which would put him close to the rock shelf, but still not close enough to reach. “Okay,” he called to the others on the raft. “We need to start working the raft over to one side. Willis, can you reach a little to your left and grab that next one?” Willis nodded and shifted his grip. The raft wobbled as he reached out, but didn’t tip. One at a time, each person on the raft took hold of a new stalactite and, on Dane’s command, pulled. The raft inched closer to the side.

“Again!” Dane shouted. He was holding on, still kicking for all he was worth, but he could feel the water inching him closer to the edge. The moments seemed to melt into hours as they hauled the raft ever closer to the edge.

Finally, the raft struck the side and Dane scrambled out onto the ledge. He hauled Bones up, and the two of them helped Kaylin and Tam to safety. Now only Matt and Willis remained.

“You first!” Matt shouted.

“Naw, man. I’m closest to the edge. You’d never make it over.”

“But you’ve got the hurt leg.”

“Just go, and make it fast. And when you get off this thing, get the hell out of my way.” Willis took a deep breath and tightened his grip. Veins bulged in his neck and cords of muscle on his powerful arms rippled in the half-light under a sheen of sweat and mist as he held the raft in place against the powerful current.

Matt took two steps, leaped, and rolled as he landed, clearing the way for Willis, from under whom the raft was already moving.

Willis let go, bent his legs, getting his balance, and, as the raft came even with the rock shelf, jumped. The wobbly foundation of the moving raft, plus his injured leg, betrayed him, and his leap fell short. He hit the water inches short of the ledge and was swept downstream.

Dane leaped and caught Willis’s wrist. His wet skin was hard to hold on to, but Dane maintained his grip as the heavier man pulled him down toward the edge of the waterfall. Dane tried to dig in with his feet in order to arrest his slide, but he found no purchase on the smooth stone.

Then he felt strong hands grasp him by the legs, holding him fast. Matt stepped over him and hauled Willis up out of the water.

“You don’t have to do everything by yourself, Maddock.” Bones stood and helped Dane up.

“Like I’d be anywhere without you guys.” He took a moment to assess their situation. No one was hurt. They had lost his and Bones’s backpacks, the basket of food, and Willis’s Mossberg.

“There goes our raft.” Kaylin pointed down to where the river flowed across the subterranean chamber in which they stood, dropping out of sight at the other end, continuing its descent to places unknown. Pieces of the shattered raft bobbed in the churning water, carried away by the current.

“That’s okay. We don’t need it anymore.” Dane pointed to a spot on the far side of the chamber, where a shaft of light shone through the mist. “We’ve found the way out.”

The climb down was an easy one, save for Willis, but he managed. They picked their way across the stone, buoyed by the promise of daylight and warmth.

Bones crinkled his nose. “You smell that?” He sniffed and frowned. “It’s like a pole cat or something.”

He was right. There was an unpleasant odor in the air, faint, but definitely that of an animal. “Could be anything. All sorts of creatures in the Amazon.”

“Can’t be any worse than what we’ve already bumped into.” Bones grinned. “It’s not a zombie native smell, so I’m game for whatever we find.”

The morning sun was a blessed relief to Dane’s waterlogged body, and he soaked in its warmth with a smile on his face. As Fawcett had described, they were in a high-walled box canyon. Kapok trees towered above a forest of palm, Brazil nut, and other trees he couldn’t identify. All around, he heard the calls of bird as they welcomed the break of day.

“Now this is nice.” Kaylin managed a weak grin. All they had been through was taking its toll on her, even more so than anyone except Willis, who, despite his brave exterior, looked like he was about to drop. A blue macaw landed in a nearby tree and turned its head to look at them in curiosity.

“How about we find a place to rest for a few hours?” Dane suggested. No one looked at Willis, but they all knew why he made the suggestion.

“Naw, I’m good. We all got some sleep on the raft.”

Dane knew it was pointless to argue, so they set off. The going was excruciatingly slow as they hacked their way through the tangled undergrowth. If any non-flying creature lived here, it would have to be one that either slithered on the ground or swung through the trees.

“My kingdom for a machete,” Matt grumbled as he hacked away with his knife. “Why didn’t I grab them when I broke into Mago’s quarters?”

“Hush!” Tam waved a hand at Matt. “What’s that sound?”

A high pitched sound, somewhere between a squeak and a chirp, rang out above the sounds of the jungle. “It’s over there. Take my pack.” She slipped off her pack, shoved it into Willis’s arms, dropped to the ground, and crawled into the underbrush.

“Seriously?” Bones shook his head. “Just crawl around down there with the creepy critters. We’ll wait for you.”

Tam returned a minute later clutching something small, white, and fluffy to her chest. “It’s a baby harpy eagle. It was nuzzled up against its dead mother. Must have tried to fly to her and fell.”

“I’ve never heard of it.” Bones leaned down for a closer look.

“It’s the largest eagle in the world, and they’re nearly extinct in some parts of the world. Deforestation is wiping them out.” A grim expression fell across her face. “Something else wiped out this one’s mother. She was nearly torn in half.”

“Wonder what did that to her?” Dane was suddenly wondering if there was something to the mapinguari legend after all. “Say, have any of you ever heard of the mapinguari?”

“Hell yeah!” Bones fist pumped. “It’s like Bigfoot meets the giant sloth.”

“How do you know about it?” Tam asked as she took her pack from Willis and set about making a comfortable place for the baby eagle to rest. Apparently they now had a mascot. “You don’t seem the scholarly type.”

“Bones only studies things that are, umm…” Kaylin began.

“Controversial,” Bones finished.

“Bullcrap is more like it,” Willis said.

“Hey, somebody’s got to know about Bigfoot and Nessie and all that good stuff. That somebody is me.”

Tam finished making a nest for the bird inside her backpack, and put it on backward, like a baby carrier. Bones took the lead as they resumed their trek, happily carrying on about the mapinguari.

“There are all kinds of stories about it. The far-fetched ones say it has caiman skin, backward feet, and a mouth in its belly.”

“The ‘far-fetched’ stories?” Kaylin smirked.

“We just discovered a two thousand year-old Punic city in the middle of the Amazon. Do you really want to take a tone with me?”

“Fair enough,” Kaylin said. “Go on. We’re all ears.’

“Anyway, it seems most likely that it’s a descendant of Mylodon, an ancient, ground-dwelling sloth. It was ten feet tall.” Bones slashed at a low-hanging limb and dodged as it sprang back at his face. “Supposedly, the mapinguari is a carnivore, and it can move in total silence through the thickest vegetation. Then again, some people think it’s not a ground sloth, and can swing through the trees, as long as the limbs are strong enough to hold it.”

“What else?” Dane found himself searching the upper reaches of the kapok trees, keeping an eye out for the legendary beast.

“It’s hard to kill because of its thick skull, and sturdy bones. And it’s got a tough hide and this coarse, matted fur that arrows bounce off of if you don’t hit it just right. It hates the scent of a human, and people get dizzy when they look at it, but that’s probably because of its strong odor…” His words trailed away and he stopped and turned to face Dane. “Just out of curiosity, why do you ask?”

“Oh, it’s no big deal, really. According to Fawcett, this canyon is where it, or they, supposedly live, and it’s supposed to be death to pass through here.”

Five seconds of stunned silence hung in the air as everyone stopped and stared at him.

“Why are you just now telling us this?” Matt sounded uncannily like Dane’s father, back when Dane was a child and had neglected to mention something important, usually a failing grade or a paper that needed signing.

“What would have been the point? We didn’t have any other choices. Besides, it’s probably just a legend, anyway.”

“And if someone asked you if the chupacabra was real?” Bones arched an eyebrow.

“Fine! I get the point. Let’s just get the hell out of this canyon.” He brushed past Bones, who, unlike the others who were still staring at him in disbelief, was looking crestfallen.

“What’s wrong with you?” Dane frowned.

“We came all the way to the home of the mapinguari, and I don’t have a camera.”

Kennedy knelt in the shadow of a kapok tree, chewing on a Brazil nut and letting the humid air bathe his frozen body. It had been child’s play to use his clothing as a flotation device as he rode the river, but the frigid water had nearly been the death of him. He’d scarcely been able to pull himself out of the water before what would have been a certain fall to his death over the waterfall. His body temperature had fallen, too, and he found himself feeling sluggish and confused as he made his way out of the underground cavern.

He would be all right, though. He’d been through worse in the service. Already, his senses were sharpening. He’d immediately spotted tracks left by Maddock and his party, and followed them to where they had cut a trail through the undergrowth.

He grinned. Nice of them to clear him a path. It would take him minutes to cover distances that had taken them hours to hack their way through. Best of all, he doubted they had any idea he was on their trail.