Jake had to squat to be eye level with the boy. “What’s the bad place?”
“We call it the Blood Mountain. It’s on the far side of our city. There’s a small opening that leads to a tiny ledge. The ledge looks down over the plain, but there’s no path. Just jagged rocks that rise up like blades of the fiercest warriors. When a person is exiled, they are sent to the ledge and not let back in. The strong ones think they can make it down the treacherous cliff, but soon find out they are not just fighting the rocks. Birds of prey quickly find them too weak to defend themselves. The winged ones have figured out that a few quick strikes will eventually make the people fall. The birds are patient and continue the strikes. After that, when they know there will be no more fight, the birds feast and spill the blood of the man over the hillside.”
Jake tried to process what the boy was saying. “How do I get to the ledge?”
“It’s no use. Even if you got there, Ka’nah has it guarded from the inside. That big man you saw in the vault has a twin brother who guards the door that leads to the ledge.”
Jake had no way of winning that fight. He put Levi on hold for a minute. “How about Dair? Does anyone know him?”
The boy who had been talking to Jake looked back at the group of boys. He pointed to a tall boy standing near the back of the huddle. “He’s Dair’s brother!”
Jake smiled and introduced himself. “Hey. I met your brother yesterday. He was showing me around when Ka’nah’s men showed up and took him away.”
“Yes, Dair was trying to get back home to check on our sister. She was being bothered by some people in the city. He didn’t return when he said he would, so he was tracked down and brought back here.”
“Where is he now?” Jake hoped the kid wasn’t going to say Blood Mountain.
“Under the vault.”
“Under the vault?”
The tall boy stepped forward, pushing the smaller boy aside. “Here, let me show you.” He went into Jake’s room and stepped up to the window. Jake followed. The boy pointed down toward the dying garden.
Jake looked but wasn’t sure what the kid was pointing to.
“The two trees. Look to the right of them, on the ground. Do you see it?”
Jake looked in the spot he thought the kid was talking about but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “No. What am I looking for?”
“That line of green. See it?”
Jake adjusted his line of sight. “Yes.”
“It’s the only part they keep watered. It marks a hidden entrance to the vault.”
“Dair is under there?” Jake asked.
“No. He’s under the vault. The vault serves two purposes. The one that you probably saw on the way in here is the part where treasure is stored. The other vault, below that one, is where people are kept for punishment. But, if you want to get him out, your only shot is going down that way.”
Jake had no idea what was going on. Things here in this otherworld kept getting crazier and crazier.
“And, if you want to try to get him out, I’d go during the meeting. It’s going to start soon. When you see the main courtyard fill with people, that’s when you should go.”
“Have you tried to get your brother out?”
“No, because if I get caught, Ka’nah will take our whole family and throw us out on the ledge.”
Jake had one last question. “What makes you think I can get him out?”
“I don’t think you can get him out. But I’d rather you try and fail than not try at all.” The boy walked away from the window and left Jake’s room.
Jake looked back out the window. He stared at the swath of green that marked the secret entrance to the vault where Dair was being held. There wasn’t a choice. He knew he had some connection to Dair and had to do whatever it took to rescue him. Lord, I don’t know what’s going on, but You do. I don’t understand why I’m experiencing this place. Please help me!
A horn sounded, deep and rumbling across the compound. It made Jake think of the time he was in Texas visiting his grandparents in Fort Worth. They took him to the zoo, and when they were just inside the main entrance Jake heard the same kind of deep rumbling. His grandfather said it was the male lion roaring. It was a sound that could be heard for miles.
The horn blasted again, and the boys who had been crowded around started leaving. Glancing out the window, Jake saw groups of boys walking out of the dorm and heading across the garden. Farther away, the main courtyard began filling up with kids.
Now was his time to move.
He joined the throng and went down the stairs to the ground floor. But instead of following them toward the front of the compound, Jake split off and headed to the garden where the two trees stood.
“Hey!”
Jake reached the trees and ignored the voice. He saw the green mark.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Jake decided a show of confidence was in order. “I’m trying to help a friend.” He didn’t look back.
“Who are you?”
“My name’s Jake. Come here and help me get this cover off.”
The one asking all the questions gave Jake a once-over and must have decided he was legit. The guy left Jake alone and kept walking.
Jake ran his hand along the green grass beneath the two trees. He found a metal handle attached to a wooden lid. He lifted it up and felt a wave of stale air rush up against his face. It smelled like garbage that had sat in his garage way past the pickup date. Although it was dark, Jake could make out a set of rungs that had been fastened to the wall and led to a black nowhere.
Jake lowered himself into the hole and started down the makeshift ladder.
More darkness waited. It called to him like a lighthouse guiding the sailor home.
As Jake went down, cold air swirled around his body. After about fifty rungs, his feet touched down on solid ground. He couldn’t see much except for a small ring around him from the light above that made it this far down the shaft.
In the distance, a small sliver of light cut a white line across the subterranean passage in the black that surrounded him. Still, no one had followed him. Jake stretched out his arms and began shuffling forward toward the light.
Twenty steps didn’t bring the slash of light any closer. Jake was confused. Maybe being down in the earth made his mind play tricks on him.
Ten more steps forward.
Ten more.
Light exploded all around, forcing Jake to shut his eyes. He tried opening them again, but all he could see were odd shapes moving around in circles. He shut his eyes a second time. He couldn’t see, but he heard something in front of him.
When Jake opened his eyes, a form appeared. The form turned into the outline of a person, who smashed into Jake, knocking him down.
“Jake?”
The voice came in familiar tones. Jake tried shaking the dizzy feeling that came from being plowed into.
“Jake. It’s me. Dair!”
Dair?
“Can you hear me?”
Yes. I can hear you.
“Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
Jake realized he hadn’t said anything out loud. “Dair.”
“Yes, Jake. It’s me, Dair.”
“Thank goodness. What now?”
“There’s something going on at the ledge. Somebody tried to help Levi. The guard from the vault left to help the guard at the ledge. I used his absence to take off, and here I am.”
Jake thought about the man out on the streets with the scar across his face. The one he’d taken the money from. “I need your help. I need to go up into the vault.”
“No. We have to hurry and go that way.” Dair pointed to the ladder.
Jake quickly explained his plan to Dair.
“Okay, but we must hurry. Come on!”
Jake followed Dair through the underground tunnel until they reached another ladder. Dair went up through the opening in the floor and waved Jake after him. The money storage room was void of the monster guard. Jake scanned the shelves and saw his two bags. He grabbed them and hurried after Dair, who was standing in a different doorway than Jake had come in earlier.
“Come on. This leads to the roof.”
Jake continued after Dair, following him up a narrow flight of stairs that opened up on a landing looking down on the main courtyard. He could see the giant guard lumbering back to the vault.
“Let’s go!” Dair’s voice was filled with hope. He jumped from the landing to an adjacent rooftop, one that was closer to the compound’s main entrance. Jake did the same and was grateful he didn’t break his legs in the process.
“You okay?”
“Yes, Dair. Where are we going?” Jake hoped that it would be somewhere away from this crazy place.
“There’s another set of stairs that leads out to the front entrance.”
Jake held tight to the money bags as he ran and jumped across the roofs of Jericho behind Dair. As he ran, he glanced down at the plain far below. He thought about the fact that this whole massive fortress of a city was going to be a pile of rubble in a few days.
“Jake!” Dair yelled. “Look out!”
Jake looked around but didn’t know what Dair was talking about. He saw the other boy jump and then disappear below the roofline.
When Jake reached the place where Dair had disappeared, he saw the reason the other boy yelled. There was a massive chasm between the roofs. Jake slammed on the brakes and stopped right before going over the edge. Dair had made the jump and waited for him on the other side.
“Stop!”
Jake turned around and froze.
The monster guard from the vault was coming for him.