I paired the symbols, closed my eyes, and sent a silent prayer up to every corner of the universe. With tense muscles, I pushed and nearly cried when the lid gave way.
Not wasting a breath, I snatched a cloth-wrapped item from inside. It was like someone struck me in the chest as I clutched the item in my fist, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I started up the steep path as the stone door descended above. The moisture in these walls and stones had been no accident of nature. It was just one more safeguard to keep the unwanted from getting a treasure that was not meant to leave these depths .
Gritting my teeth, I used one hand to scrabble at the wall on the left to pull myself up. My muscles burned as I drew in quick breaths, struggling, eyes locked on the shrinking gap.
As a foot slid out from under me, earning me a sharp crack on the knee, a cry left my lips. Ignoring the pain, I tapped into a reserve of strength deep within me, pushing my legs until they felt like they would snap from the pressure.
I wasn’t going to make it.
Chapter 3
The doorway was still several feet away; I’d never be quick enough. I yelled, the answering echoes like an army around me. I refused to die here. My discovery needed to be shared with the world.
With the last of my strength, I pitched myself forward toward the narrow gap ahead and hit the stone floor hard. As I pulled my body, scraping across the ground, a puff of dust clouded around me, and my lungs burned with each breath.
It was a miracle I hadn’t been crushed to death, but something was putting pressure on my foot.
My heart pounded at the loose bootlace trapped beneath the stone door. I retrieved my knife and cut through the lace, a panic still in my chest as I stood, as if my body hadn’t caught up with my mind that I’d escaped.
Uncurling my stiff fingers, I stared at the item in my hand. Slowly, I unwrapped the soft, threadbare fabric and beheld the slender key that had nearly cost me my life.
The artifact appeared to have been gold at some point but was darkened in spots with age. It was simple, not unlike any skeleton key used in locks and doors of ages past. A chain was threaded through the end and coiled beneath it .
Lifting the key from the aged cloth, I found the golden chain just long enough to be worn like a necklace. Curiosity got the better of me, as it always did, and I looped the chain over my head.
As the key lay onto my chest, the same strange sense of familiarity settled over me that had come when I’d fallen into this hidden place. My breath caught, and suddenly, my knees were shaking, limbs trembling before my muscles turned to water. The room spun around me, and my vision went dark even before I squeezed my eyes shut against the whirling walls.
Voices came, hundreds of them, thousands. A cacophony of whispers and screams rushed through my head. My hands pressed to my ears, trying to drown out the sound, but it was coming from inside. A cold breeze ran across my skin, and I shivered as icy fingers dragged me farther into the dark.
Somewhere in my shadowed mind, I found a wisp of clarity. I pulled myself closer to them, used them like an anchor to keep from drowning in the darkness. In and out. One beat. Two. Three. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes.
The walls were the same, as was the dusty stone floor beneath me. No whispers or screams echoed around me. No cold breeze brushed across my skin. There was only silence, myself, and the key around my neck.
I took it off, eyed it warily, then folded the cloth carefully back around it. Leaning my head back against rough stone, I drew in another steadying breath. I’d never wanted a big bottle of ice cold water as much as I did right then.
That had to be the problem. I was dehydrated. First, the trek through the hot and humid jungle, then making my way down into the ruin, and, finally, the difficulty getting back out with the key. All of it must have taken its toll of me. I had passed out from thirst and exertion. There was no other explanation. An urgency to return to the dig site drew me shakily to my feet.
I glanced around—I had one of two options. I could either try to go back the way I had come, though getting through the false floor with my unsteady muscles could prove difficult. Or I could go up the path on my left, the one that had sunlight glowing near the top like a welcoming beacon.
Tucking the key into a deep pocket of my pants, I headed toward the light.
The path was steep, though thankfully not as steep as the way to the key had been. I used the left-hand wall to steady myself as I made my way up. The stones on the wall grew warmer as I stepped farther into the light. Blue sky opened up ahead of me, and I quickened my pace. When I reached the top, I pulled myself out and blinked in confusion.
I got to my feet on the ground and stepped into a small circle. The ancient ruin still stood around me, but I didn’t recognize the area. I must have been on the opposite side.
A massive wall rose up sharply behind me, and another wall descended steeply down into the waiting arms of the tangled jungle, leaving me standing on a platform. Climbing up would be impossible and getting down would be dangerous.
“Seems I don’t really have a choice,” I muttered with a shrug. Perhaps when I reached the bottom, I could make my way around the base of the ruin back to where I started.
A sense of hesitancy held my foot as I went to place it on the edge. It was as if a line was tied to my ankle, not letting me move forward. I wanted to go on, to get away from this place and back to the dig site, but at the same time, I wanted to turn around and walk back into the ruin.
I clenched my hands, shook my head, and squatted down to start my descent. Dehydration and strain was definitely messing with my head.
I braced my feet in front of me as I scooted carefully down. If I started to gain momentum too quickly, there would be no stopping me.
I was nearly halfway down, the dappled shade of the canopy falling over me, when the hair rose on the back of my neck. Behind me, a deep, throaty roar echoed through the air. It was an urgent, angry sort of sound.
The jaguar .
With a glance back over my shoulder, I thought I could spot the creature climbing down from the top of the ruin.
Keeping my footing on the steep, ancient wall was difficult as I hurriedly slid my way toward the jungle floor. Sure, jaguars were territorial, but this was insane. The quicker I got back to the others, the better.
My feet finally hit the soft ground, and my gaze swung to the right, certain that was the way that would lead me back to my starting point. I could find my way to the dig site from there. But as I started to head that way, the growl of the jaguar carried from that direction.
I clenched my teeth and plunged into the undergrowth, the vines and water-slick plants trying to hold me back. If I got out of the large cat’s territory, it would quit pursuing me. Getting lost seemed a better option at the moment than winding up as jaguar food.
The angry roars of the jaguar soon faded, and I took a chance to halt, bracing my hands on my knees as I pulled in breaths. Sweat trickled down from my forehead and dripped off my jaw. I swallowed, the moisture trickling down the greenery from above reminding me just how thirsty I was.
Straightening my body and rotating slightly to the right, I attempted to find my bearings. As far as I knew, I had run a straight shot from the ruin. I angled my way farther toward the west. If I headed in that direction, I should cross the path I had made getting to the ruin in the first place. Hopefully. It was nearly impossible to tell, especially with the way my head still felt woozy.