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The sun rose early but by then they were deep into swamplands with a thick canopy of jungle which largely eliminated the light. The covering was so thick it almost felt like it was still nighttime. They glided silently down the waterways, turning slowly and awkwardly as Karim guided them through increasingly narrow openings.
Noah was up earlier than the others. Leaving everyone else sleeping he joined Aaron on deck. They sat companionably, until Aaron commented, “Just over halfway and no sign of Zeus’s spies yet. So far so good.”
“Great. I look forward to getting this over and done with.”
“You did a brave thing yesterday.”
“Or a stupid thing. I didn’t think — I just jumped in after her.”
“You saved her life.”
From the cabin, they could hear voices as others started to stir. But Aaron was leaning forward intently, staring into the jungle. It felt to Noah as if it was getting harder to see, the darkness closing in around them.
“What is it?” he asked, looking out too.
“Something’s wrong.” Aaron stared a moment longer into the jungle then leapt to his feet racing to the wheelhouse and pounding on the window. As Karim popped his head out, Aaron urged, “We need to go — full speed ahead! I think we’ve been discovered.”
Moments later a second, much louder set of engines started up, booming in the silence. The others stumbled out onto the deck, questioning looks on their faces, but Aaron raced towards them, waving frantically. “Get back inside! We’ve been discovered, we need to try and outrun them!”
His urgency sent them flying back into the cabin. Noah peered out the nearest window and asked, “What’s chasing us? I don’t see anything...”
The boat was picking up speed rapidly. Aaron pulled the doors shut, turning to face them, “We should be safe in here. But I want you out of sight. If they see you, they might start attacking.”
“Who are they?”
“Raptors, a type of bird you don’t have in your world. Zeus captured some and bred them. They obey him and communicate with him somehow. He uses them as spies. They’re vicious!”
They found places on the floor to hide under seats, towels or blankets, waiting tensely as the boat sped recklessly down the river picking up more and more momentum.
“Won’t the noise attract them?” Noah queried.
“They’ve already found us. We need to get as far as possible before we bail out or we’ll never make it to Chalcedonia in time.”
“Bail out?”
“We’ll have to head into the jungle now they’ve found us.”
They were silent, waiting, the tension building. Time passed slowly and uneventfully inside the cabin as the boat careened down the river collecting branches and other debris in its passage. Noah asked Aaron quietly, “Could you be wrong?”
“No, they’re near.” As if on cue, a huge, dark, flying shape burst through the undergrowth suddenly and crashed into the window. The pane cracked but held and as one they stared, stunned, at the evil-looking creature pulling back, balancing in the air and looking straight in at them.
It had leathery skin and a long, powerful-looking neck which turned rapidly from side to side as it studied them. Its wings were huge, its talons long and cruel and it had shiny round eyes which could obviously see them clearly despite the low light.
Aaron had been fumbling under the seat beside him and threw something to the two nearest, Noah and Madeleine. “Light them up, quickly,” he said, getting to his feet as he snapped the tube he was holding. Instantly a bright blue light filled the boat nearly blinding them. The raptor screeched and pulled back slightly. As Madeleine then Noah lit theirs too, it turned abruptly and flew rapidly away.
Aaron remained staring into what he could see of the sky for a few, long, silent minutes. Then he explained, “We have about an hour before anyone can get to us, but we’ll need to leave the boat within the half hour. Get your stuff ready. Eat something too because we’ll be moving fast once we get out of here.”
The wait was unnerving as they anticipated the arrival of another raptor. While they waited and tried to force food down, Katerina asked Alice what had happened after she went into the water and passed out.
“My brother saved you. He threw himself in after you and he and Aaron got you to the boat. You nearly died.”
Surprised Katerina studied Noah, sitting near the door, half turned away from them. “He did that?”
“He’s a good man, my brother. Not perfect, but good.”
Katerina had no idea how to respond to that. Instead she asked, “How are you doing? Are you coping about Jacob?”
“I’m okay actually. I have peace about it. I feel he’s alive. I hope that’s not just wishful thinking. I guess I just have to wait.”
“Until we do our part,” Katerina added, glancing back at Noah.
Another twenty minutes and Aaron decided, “That’s it. We can’t afford to wait any longer. It’s time to walk now.”
They anchored the boat as close to the shore as possible, several of them risking the big leap to the riverbank, the rest wading through the shallow, silty water. They walked single-file after Aaron into the jungle with Karim at the rear. Josiah followed close behind Katerina, murmuring to her that he would keep an eye on her after her ordeal.
The further in they went the darker it became. The ground was soft and spongy and smelt dank. It was very quiet but for the sound of their footsteps as they pushed through the jungle. No one spoke. Instead they trudged on, lost in their own thoughts.
To avoid thinking about Noah, Katerina focused on her family, particularly the appearance of her mother in the mirror at Karvan Inn. ‘You can’t come up against me,’ Sarah had said. What did that mean? Would going back pit her against her mother in some way?
Lost in thought, she stumbled and stubbed her toe hard. It hurt and she cried out spontaneously. Josiah caught her arm as up ahead, Aaron stopped to look back, worried. Embarrassed, she nodded at him. Josiah’s fingers slipped off her arm slowly like a caress as they moved on again.
Time passed slowly as they wove through the jungle. It was tiring clambering over and around so many obstacles, but no one complained. The idea that a raptor might find them again kept them pushing on as fast as they could, until eventually Josiah called to Aaron in a low voice, “When can we rest?”
Looking back at their tired faces Aaron smiled apologetically. “Now. Let’s take ten minutes.”
Relieved, they lowered their bags to the ground and found themselves patches of earth to sit on. Katerina deliberately positioned herself near Aaron. He gave her packages of food to distribute then asked with amusement as she resettled beside him, “Why do I get the feeling you want to talk about something?”
“I knew you were a smart man,” she grinned back. “I wanted to ask you...well, a few things actually. For a start, how much further are we walking?”
“I’d like to know that too,” Madeleine interjected. She was very pale. It occurred to Katerina that both Madeleine and Josiah were probably exhausted and barely coping with the walk after so long in a prison cell. She glanced towards Josiah and saw he was watching her. He gave her a quick smile when she caught his eyes.
“We’re nearly halfway. All going well we’ll be there by the afternoon.”
“And if things don’t go well?”
“We may have to take a small detour and go through Avarona Mountain instead of around it.”
“Wouldn’t that be faster?”
“No, the quickest route takes us straight along the side of the mountain. But if things get dangerous, we’ll need to go through it to stay safe from the raptors. They can’t go in there.”
“Will we be safe in there?”
“As long as we don’t get lost — it’s full of mazes,” Aaron admitted. “It’s very hard to navigate through.”
“But you can do it?”
“Karim can do it. He has an incredible talent for direction.” He waited a moment, but when everyone was silent, he prompted Katerina, “And your other questions?”
“How long will it take to get there, steal Zeus’s treasure and get him to us? How long till I might be going home?” she asked.
“In a hurry to leave?” Aaron teased, amusement back in his voice.
“To have a normal life again? Yes — and no,” she admitted, surprised at her own answer. “This is so dangerous, but exciting too. It will be strange to return to normal, everyday life.”
“Your life isn’t ever going to be normal and everyday again,” Aaron said more quietly, leaning towards her.
“What do you mean?”
“Facing your parents won’t be easy now you know more of the truth about them...Besides, you are different so your life will be different.”
“What do you mean I’m different?”
“You’re less uncertain of yourself, less impetuous...”
“And you haven’t even had your trip home yet,” Alice interjected.
“You’re certainly different,” Katerina observed.
“I’m glad. I was so nondescript before. I did whatever other people wanted me to do. Just like you said at the inn, I didn’t know myself at all. I certainly didn’t look after myself.”
Katerina turned back to Aaron, leaning closer to him. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you. Something happened to me at the Karvan Inn and I wanted to ask you what you thought...”
But abruptly Aaron put a finger to his lips to silence her. Again, he seemed to be hearing something no one else could. They all froze, fear falling upon them like a dark shroud. Slowly, Aaron rose to his feet, head angled to listen. Long breathless moments passed then he turned to face them, whispering, “They’re out there now. Circling, listening and looking for us. We won’t be able to go past the mountain now — there are too many exposed areas. We’ll have to go through it instead so we need to hurry. I figure we have maybe an hour to get to the mountain entrance before they find us, so let’s get moving...”
They picked up the pace then, motivated by Aaron’s urgency. So much so that within forty minutes they had reached an opening in the jungle which ended in a wall of stone at the base of the mountain. The jungle had hidden the rock face from them. Aaron led them right up to it then handed out little cylinders that twisted open to release a small, bright beam of light. He led them along the side of the stone face to the left. Abruptly they reached a small opening half hidden by purple creepers and slipped inside.
It was much colder and quite dark inside the mountain even with their lights on. The corridors were wide enough for them to walk two abreast and Aaron let them talk quietly now. Karim led the way this time, with Josiah and Alice behind him, followed by Madeleine and Noah, then Katerina and Aaron. She told the priest about the vision of her mother as they walked but he had little to offer her, saying only, “Yes, you may find yourself up against Sarah. She’s a clever woman your mother. I think she’ll know something has happened to you.”
“Is she dangerous?” Katerina asked, eyes fixed ahead, needing but not really wanting to know the answer.
“Yes, she is actually. More so than your father. His focus is more data analysis and investigation. But Sarah, she’s trained in field operations, interrogation, sharp-shooting...”
“My mother?” Katerina interrupted, incredulously.
“She’s one of the best in her field actually.”
“Explains a lot,” Noah muttered in front of them.
“What do you mean?” Katerina demanded, ready to take offence.
“The way you can use a gun, jumping off that roof, your fearlessness...like mother like daughter I guess.”
“Is she the bad guy?” Katerina focused on Aaron again, unable to hide the fear in her voice. “I mean, will I be facing her because she’s the bad guy?”
“We don’t know. We haven’t been able to get clear on her involvement or what she’s after by investigating us here.”
“Maybe she’s just doing her job?” Katerina suggested hopefully.
“Maybe. But she’s involved in some dangerous things with some very dangerous people whether it’s her job or not.”
Up ahead Karim had come to a halt and they all stopped. “What is it?” Aaron called up to him.
“The tunnels have changed. I’m not certain which way to take now.”
“The compass?”
“Something’s interfering with it; it’s not shifting off due north.”
“Well you’d better decide quickly because I hear something coming,” Aaron called back urgently.
“Alright, one moment,” Karim said, then was quiet.
They all waited nervously for him. But in the silence the sound Aaron had already heard became audible to the rest of them and Aaron called warningly, “Karim...”
“This way,” he led them to the right.
They moved much faster now, but even so the noise grew in volume. It sounded like heavy wings sweeping through the air and brushing against walls. “What is it?” Katerina asked Aaron.
“I don’t know, but we need to hurry. Start running Karim!”
Ahead, Karim took off at a fast run. They all followed suit, yet the sound continued to increase, whatever was behind them catching up fast. They ran for several minutes until Madeleine was white and looked ready to collapse. “I can’t go on,” she gasped, but the sound was so loud now no one heard her.
Aaron was fumbling in his bag as they ran, managing to pull a light rod from it. He cracked it in half and bright blue light flooded the cavern abruptly, half blinding them so they all stumbled into each other. What they saw made them gasp in horror and Madeleine screamed. Near the ceiling, so thick they couldn’t see where one ended and another began, were hundreds of flying creatures. They looked like bats but bigger than any they had ever seen before, with dark green, slimy wings and blood-red eyes. Hundreds and hundreds of them.
The group were immobile, staring up in horror. Aaron hissed, “Get going, while my light lasts,” and they started running again, fear driving them on.
Katerina risked looking back as they sprinted through the passages and saw the bats were following en masse, staying just at the edge of the light. She was so engrossed she didn’t notice Karim coming to an abrupt halt ahead. He grabbed her before she could run past him, helping her catch her balance. Silently she stared with him at the void ahead.
The tunnel had come to an end and dropped away before them. It had widened dramatically and to their right was joined by another tunnel, out of which was pouring a torrent of water that tumbled over the edge and away into the darkness. “Can we go back?” someone asked in panic.
“Those bats will kill us,” Aaron was pulling a second light from his bag and cracked it. As the new light beamed brightly, he threw the old one out into the darkness of the tunnel beyond. It fell some distance and they watched it skim the surface of the river, racing through the tunnel until it burned out and disappeared.
“Can we use the other tunnel?” Josiah pointed at the one full of water.
“No, too much water to move against,” Karim shook his head decisively. He turned to look carefully at the drop again.
Madeleine, picking up on his intent, shook her head fearfully, “No! There’s no way! We have no way of knowing what’s down there, we could drown...no!”
“I don’t think there’s any other option,” Karim said. “Aaron, have you got the floaters?”
Aaron was already pulling some small plastic bags from his large back pack. He handed the light to Noah and stood back to clear some space. The bats moved towards him as if with one mind, but Aaron ignored them. He pulled the cord on one of the small bags in his hand and it immediately blew up with a sound like a mini explosion into a small plastic seat, with light-weight straps dangling from it. He passed it quickly to Josiah who was closest and instructed, “Karim, get them strapped in. We don’t have enough for one each. Put them in twos.” He was already pulling the cord on the next one.
Karim positioned the first seat near the edge of the drop, gesturing for Madeleine and Noah to get on it while he strapped it to them. The girl was clearly terrified and Katerina would have felt sorry for her if she wasn’t so very scared herself. She would have felt safer with Noah than Josiah, but Karim strapped Josiah in beside her. The seats were really only designed for one and the closeness was unnerving. But at least she would be going over the edge with someone!
Karim strapped Alice in with Aaron next, then hastily got himself into the final seat.
“Right,” Aaron called over the rushing water. “These are gravity-weighted so they won’t tip but they do spin a bit. Karim will go first then Noah and Madeleine, Kat and Josiah and we’ll come last. Go now before my light runs out.”
“God be with us,” Karim muttered then levered himself over the edge and into the drop.
Noah tried to go next but Madeleine grabbed his arm, panic on her face. “I can’t do this! I can’t swim that well.”
“We have no choice. We’ll be okay, I’ll look after you.”
“Go Noah!” Aaron called. “Hurry!”
“We have to go,” Noah urged.
Madeleine nodded reluctantly and shut her eyes as he got them over the drop, into the torrent and away.
It was Katerina and Josiah’s turn next. “Okay?” he asked, gripping her fingers. She could not speak; could only nod. Then they were over the edge too.
The drop took their breath away. Katerina felt her legs peddling frantically in mid-air trying to find a hold but there was nothing but wide-open space. It was dark and she feared hitting a tunnel wall but what they actually hit abruptly was water; icy cold, rapidly moving water. The chair tilted and spun sharply but it didn’t sink and it didn’t tip. Then they were moving at enormous speed down the waterway.
The only sound was the rushing of the water beneath them. It was pitch black and cold. They clung together, pulling their limbs close to avoid being struck by something. With no visual reference point, time became meaningless. Josiah let out a cry abruptly and Katerina yelled, “What is it?”
“We’re not dead! And it’s kind of a rush!” he screamed back over the deafening water.
It felt forever before a glimmer of light appeared up ahead. It grew larger and larger until it formed the shape of an opening and then they were rushing through it, catching air, splashing down dramatically into a large lake. The drop took Katerina’s breath away but the seat stayed upright. Her racing heart slowly eased.
Up ahead Karim, Noah and Madeleine were hand paddling to reach the edge of the lake. Katerina and Josiah followed suit, slowly, mentally and physically exhausted from the intensity of the ride.
It was promising to be a beautiful hot sunny day. The lake was rimmed with trees that reminded Katerina of Australian gum-trees. There was no one else in sight. Once Aaron and Alice joined them they all collapsed exhausted around the lake edge, relieved to be alive.
Katerina lay on her back and closed her eyes, the warmth of the sun slowly drying her. She was so tired she started drifting off. When Madeleine’s voice broke through her haze she kept her eyes shut, dreamily listening. “Thank you, I couldn’t have done that without you Noah,” the girl was saying softly. “You’re my hero.”
Definitely flirting. All Noah said was, “You’re welcome,” and then a shadow blocking the sun told her he had come to stand over her.
“Kat, are you alright? You’ve had a hard time of it,” he crouched down beside her.
She opened one eye to reply wearily, “I’ve been better. But I’m still here — still alive.”
“Five minutes,” Aaron interrupted. “Then we need to head for Chalcedonia. We’ve had a stroke of luck ending up much closer than I could have hoped. It should only be a few hours’ walk at the most.”
