The Book of Bones

Chapter 46

The tiny passageway beneath Spider Grandmother’s head was sharply angled — not quite a vertical drop, but hardly an easy descent. Bones led the way, taking full advantage of the hand and footholds carved into the stone. The surface was cool and slick; several times he lost his grip and skidded a few feet before arresting his fall.

Padilla came next, the logic being that, if he fell, he wouldn’t take out the rest of the crew like so many bowling pins. Jessie, aside from Bones the most athletic, followed, then Amanda and Krueger. The bookish man at least had a bit of experience with this sort of thing, having once joined Bones and Maddock on a brief foray into Egypt.

After a laborious climb down, they finally reached level ground. The passageway, straight and narrow, led to a familiar sight; familiar, at least to Bones.

“It’s another door, like the one at Halcón Rock.”

A gleaming, silver door barred their way. Like the one he’d seen previously, it bore no markings and had no visible, hinges, locks, or knobs. This door, however, had something the other did not — a square pad set in the wall to the left.

“It’s beautiful,” Krueger breathed. “Flawless.” He took a step back and grinned. “Who wants to be the one to touch the pad?”

“You can do the honors if you like,” Bones said. Privately, he wondered if the door would open for them.

Krueger stepped forward and pressed his palm to the pad. Nothing happened.

“Damn,” Padilla cursed.

Krueger pressed harder, the veins in his forearms bulging with the effort. The pad began to glow. A wide, thin beam of green light shone forth and ran up and down Krueger’s body. Then the light spread to take them all in.

“I don’t like this,” Amanda said as the light enveloped her.

After several seconds, it stopped. And then, with barely a whisper, the door slid to the side.

“Holy crap,” Bones said. “It actually opened.”

“You first, big guy. This is your rodeo.”

He felt Amanda’s hands on the small of his back, nudging him forward, but he was already moving. Wondering what lay on the other side, he stepped through the doorway.

He’d expected to find something remarkable on the other side, but there was nothing to see save a continuation of the passageway. He continued on, the others falling into step behind him.

“I wonder why it opened for us,” Padilla said. “If it was meant to keep people out…”

“We don’t know what it was meant for,” Bones said. “Gilmour said the trouble between humans and these aliens, or Ant People, or whatever they are, is fairly recent, but this entrance hasn’t been used since the Puebloans created that shrine.

“Centuries upon centuries ago,” Krueger said. “Maybe millennia.”

“That’s what I’m thinking. Hopefully, whoever is down here had a good relationship with the natives.”

“Good thing we’ve got the native leading the way,” Amanda said.

Bones rounded a corner, and his sarcastic reply died on his lips. He froze.

“What is it?” Jessie whispered.

“Everybody stand right where you are,” he said, “and slowly put your hands above your heads.”