“Oh,” Lulu said, swallowing a bite. “I’ve seen this.”
We all looked at Lulu.
“You have?” Connor asked.
“Sure. I was doing some research on the way up, figuring out where I wanted to paint. I was considering the waterfalls because there are photos online of the trails, and they looked cool. There are a few videos, too, and I actually watched the video for this one. It looks like snake city. Sorry,” she added at my involuntary whimper.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” I lied.
“She won’t even eat udon,” Lulu said, pity coloring her voice.
I looked at Connor. “This is private property, right? The waterfalls and surrounding area.”
“It is,” he said. “But I seriously doubt they asked for permission. And we’re going to bypass that for the time being. Apologies later instead of asking first.”
“If we find them there,” I asked, “how do we get them out again?”
“Unconscious?” Theo offered. “Worked well for Beyo.”
Connor smiled. “That would be my preference. Easier to move. And if Beyo’s any indication, they won’t be very heavy.” His voice was grim but determined.
“You want me here or there?” Alexei asked.
“You’d better stay here,” Connor said. “Just in case they show up before we do.” And then he nodded surreptitiously toward Lulu, got Alexei’s answering nod.
Since I appreciated the gesture, the fact that Alexei would keep a protective eye on her, I didn’t argue with the method.
“You think you could guide us?” I asked Lulu.
“I’m not going on a monster hunt.”
“No,” I said, “you aren’t. But you know this place and apparently the virtual tour. You can guide us.” I held up my screen. “Electronically. Assuming you found your screen?”
“I found it. And I’m not willing to go into further detail. You’ll let me know if there are any painting-worthy spots?”
“Absolutely.”
“You want to tell Cash before or after you go out there?” Alexei asked.
Connor sat back, linked his hands behind his head. “I don’t know. Frankly, we’re probably likely to get the same result either way.”
“Denial,” I suggested.
“Yeah,” Connor said. “But I have to think our chances of success are better if we come back with Zane and the others in hand.”
“Then let’s get to it,” I said.
* * *
* * *
We drove the same road we’d taken the night of the initiation, parked along the road near the trail. Ours was the only vehicle, and I hadn’t thought to ask Beyo how they’d gotten this far into the woods. It had to be at least ten miles between the resort and the waterfalls; had they run all that way?
We took the trail, passing the waterfalls and the spot where Loren had been found, and traveled deeper into the woods. After five more minutes of walking, the trail dwindled, disappeared.
“To the right,” Lulu said, voice ringing through our screen-linked earpieces. “There’s a pass up ahead, and we go through that, then over the boulders. That’s a bit of a scramble.”
“On that,” I said, and we veered toward the right. The terrain was relatively flat here, the ground soft and loamy, with silver birch towering above us.
“There are some really great rock formations on the other side of the waterfall, up the bluff a little. All right,” she said after a moment. “You’re getting close. It’s about twenty or thirty yards around that bend. Just hug the rock, and you’ll see it.”
“I’m going to take the lead,” Connor said. “Elisa behind me,” he whispered. “Sword out. Then Theo.”
“The cheese stands alone,” Theo said, and I gave that the sad trombone sound it deserved.
We slipped through the woods, keeping the bluff to our right, until we could hear the soft ping of water against rock.
Connor held up a hand, and we waited in silence, ears perked, listening.
There was no sound, no movement, no magic, or at least not recently.
“They’re gone,” I said quietly.
“But we stay careful and alert,” he said, and moved forward . . . and stared at the gaping maw in the earth.
“Cavern,” I asked, “or hellmouth? You be the judge.”
“Hellmouth,” Lulu and Theo said simultaneously.
The cavern was a low, long gap in the face of the bluff, the stone red around the edges. The sound of water grew louder, a few insistent drips, as did the echoes of water on rock.
“Let’s go in,” Connor said, then turned to Theo. “Can you stay out here and talk to Lulu?”
“I was just going to suggest I stay here,” Theo said. “I’m not crazy about cramped spaces.”
“Good,” Connor said. “Keep an eye on the perimeter. If you see them, fire one in the air. We probably won’t be able to use comms with all that stone.”
“Done,” Theo said.
“And be careful!” Lulu said. “Especially with snakes.”
“Bringing it up isn’t making it better,” I told her. But we made our way in.
Stone arced above us, the ceiling just high enough to stand in. The ground was carpeted in pebbles and looked dry. The water was somewhere in the distance, in the shadows ahead.
I followed Connor across the space, feeling my way over uneven rocks. The cave was probably forty feet across, then narrowed to a damp hallway of seeping, mineral-streaked rock that was cold and a little slimy to the touch. And would be a very unfortunate bottleneck if we found the shifters at the other end of the tunnel and had to get out again.
The ceiling dipped, grew lower, so we had to crouch to move through. I wasn’t claustrophobic, but the sensation of moving through and under solid rock caused cold sweat to slip down my spine.
I was alternating my gaze between my feet and Connor’s back, and still nearly tripped when we crossed a threshold into another room.
“Damn,” Connor said, standing straight again. “Look at this.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant the space or what was in it. Because both were extraordinary.
We’d entered a chamber cut into rock, the ceiling forty feet above us. The room was roughly circular, cut by wind or water or the movement of the earth into what seemed now like a geological cathedral. White stalactites dripped down from the ceiling and glittered in the beam of our flashlight. The walls were brown and ocher stone. They’d been marked by wind and rain, as well. But also by humans.