I stared down the chamber where it curved around a corner farther down. Then again, I may never have another opportunity like this one, and I was never one to shy away from a challenge.
The runes only patterned the right wall. If I hugged that wall, I should easily be able to find my way back.
I made my way into the beckoning dark, the shadowed depths much cooler than the humid rainforest above. The air around me was stale but void of any sort of dampness one would expect to find in this sort of environment. An occasional crack of light broke through from the ground above. Hopefully it would hold. The last thing I needed was for the ceiling to collapse on me.
When something landed on my shoulder, I gasped and jumped to the side before collecting my wits. I brushed whatever it was off, glancing at the dusty floor as a very large spider scuttled off into the shadows.
A shiver ran through me, and I grimaced. It was atrocious that a spider could get so large.
After a deep breath, I continued following the line of symbols. I tried to work out what they said along the way, but it was no use. Despite the feeling of being so close to deciphering what the runes meant, I just couldn’t seem to access the words.
Even more disconcerting was the soft noise that reached me, almost like whispers, sighs of the ancient deceased breathing over me, though whether in warning or welcome, I couldn’t say.
I followed the symbols as they rounded a corner and then halted. Before me was a corridor much wider than the one I had been following. I started forward but then hesitated.
Something seemed off.
While the floors I had been stepping across had been crumbling with dust and disuse, these stones were smoother and placed in straight lines instead of a haphazard pattern.
Crouching down, I held my hand over the stones. Air brushed lightly across my palm from the cracks.
Air? From below?
“But that would mean…” I pushed on one of the stones and scooted back quickly as it broke apart, falling into darkness.
Leaning forward, I peered down. There was nothing there but blackness. Crossing my legs, I propped my chin on my hand. It was brilliant, really, that whoever built this place had somehow made a false floor. The desire to get across burned hotter in me as well, because why have a floor like this if there wasn’t something priceless to protect on the other side?
I stared at the far wall with the realization that I could die down here and no one would ever find me. Or worse, someone would come searching for me and fall victim to this place as well, another body to rot to bones in the tombs of the earth.
Still, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. No risk, no reward.
My fingers drummed on my cheek. How to get across? The ancients would have made some way to bridge the gap .
Studying the stones, I found more runes scratched into the surface of every one. None of them seemed similar.
Taking a chance, I leaned back, stretched out my leg, and tapped the false floor. I drew my foot back as several pieces of the floor gave way. A few remained, however, and I squinted at them.
At first, they appeared different, but the longer I studied them, the more I noticed a pattern. Each one had a pair of dots somewhere around the central symbol, as if they belonged in some sort of collection. Numbers, perhaps?
Standing, I took a deep breath, my hands squeezing onto the straps of my bag as if it would tether me to the ceiling, and stepped onto the first stone. When the small square of floor remained solid beneath me, I released a slow breath. I was able to make it three more stones before I had to pick out similar runes from the rest of the floor to step to.
But as I neared the end, my heel hit a piece of false floor behind me. It gave way, and I teetered back, throwing my arms out in an attempt to balance.
I let out a shaky laugh when I didn’t find myself falling to my death. Hopping to the welcome sight of regular, aged stone, I peered over my shoulder at the fallen floor I had traversed.
“That was probably stupid,” I muttered, but I couldn’t stop now. I’d come too far, and that strange feeling was still pulling at my bones, urging me forward.
I kept a sharp eye out for any more traps. Thankfully, I made it to a fork in my way without incident.
One path led upward, sunlight filtering from above. It was a lighter, and more welcoming, path. Meanwhile, the path on the left descended downward into repelling shadows.
I’d bet my trusty Chaucer that the ancient people who had crafted this place assumed trespassers would take the lighter path for fear of the dark. Then again, the way those people had held reverence for the sun, treasures may have been kept higher up, and I would find nothing down the left path but darkness, dust, and time-worn bones.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, mulling over the choice in my mind. When I opened them again, I was facing the dark path, as if my body had turned toward it of its own accord. The sensation in the pit of my stomach gave a sharp tug, and I gave in.
Very well, then. Dark and dangerous it is .
I dug a headlamp from my pack and fit it around my temples. There was no forgiving sun squeezing its way down there.
The path was steep and, unlike the way so far, glistened with moisture dripping down the walls. It made me thirsty, and as I licked my dry lips, I told myself I would never forget a canteen again.
As I crossed the slick stones beneath my feet, twice I had to brace myself on the cold wall beside me to keep from falling. Finally, I reached the bottom, where I entered a circular chamber with runes patterned across nearly every inch of the floor and walls. A cylindrical dais rose up from the center, and I walked carefully over to examine it: A pair of rings patterned with runes edged what appeared to be a lid. The same four-pointed star I had seen on the ruins above was stamped in the middle.
Pressing my hand to it, a tingle feathered across my palm. But when I pushed at the lid, it didn’t budge. I braced my hands on opposite edges and twisted until the outer ring moved.
I grinned. It’s a puzzle.
But my smile quickly faded when a grinding sound echoed through the chamber, as if the earth itself was groaning.
I pivoted, and as I looked back up the steep path, my eyes widened. The square of light from the doorway above seemed to be narrowing.
Mind clashing with instincts, I panicked. I needed to flee while I had the chance. I would be trapped in this place if I didn’t.
But if I left, I would be leaving behind the very thing I lived for.
“Damn it.” I wheeled around and studied the runes, trying to ignore the door descending slowly behind me.
None of the symbols were identical. I studied each one three times to make sure.
The longer I contemplated them, though, the more tiny details emerged. Some of the symbols, while not exactly matching, held certain curves or angles. But there were too many with these subtle similarities. They wouldn’t match up to the smaller, inner circle.
A quick glance over my shoulder showed the doorway was half the size it had been. Despite the chill in the air, sweat beaded on my forehead, and I swiped it away impatiently. Then, it clicked. I had been too caught up in searching for the similarities that I hadn’t realized the answer was in the differences. Placed throughout the runes were symbols that held none of the same angles, lines, or curves.
I twisted the outer circle, matching up symbols that held no relation. Even with this discovery, there could be any number of combinations, but I had to try. The grinding stone behind me told me I was rapidly running out of time.