Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
Billy Travis looked around the space the children normally occupied during trips to the creek and was not all happy by what he had found. More disturbing than the absence of his siblings and their friends was the silence that was left in the wake of their departure. The surface of the creek lay still with the lack of disruption other than the occasional ripple caused by some unseen creature skimming its edge. Other than the sounds that came with daylight, there was no other signs of human life other than himself and Lilith who was scouring the terrain a little further out, perhaps hoping to find the group engaged in play that did not involve the waterway before him.
Having the tutelage of the best tracker in the Territory who just happened to be his step father's best friend allowed Billy to determine rather quickly that the children had left some time ago and where ever their destination had been, they had gone together. Billy was not surprised about this either. As a youth, he could not imagine anything more exciting than going off on some adventure although when he was younger he did not seem to have so many friends as Mike and Kyle did now. He supposed that it was no one's fault really. The years after his father's death had left him in something of an emotional whirl and it was not until Chris Larabee had entered his life, did Billy chose to leave those demons behind. In truth, he knew he had never really recovered from the experience and there was something inside him that could not bring himself to confess just how difficult it was for him to fit in with everyone else after what had happened.
Of course it did not help that some of the townsfolk were not that eager to let their children near him because of his connection to the seven. Danger followed these men on almost a daily basis back then and by extension, those who were around them. Billy did not blame the seven because the lack of friends his own age had been eased by the protection of seven men to whom he was like the child they wanted for themselves or the innocence they had once possessed. When Audrey King came to town, things changed dramatically. Suddenly, he found himself not so alone and often in the company of a blond girl with an eye for things strange and mystical.
Billy had never had cause to look back.
Later on, when the other children came, he found himself with so much responsibility in keeping them all out of trouble that he hardly noticed the absence of friends his own age. It was a source of great pride to know that he had been present at some of the most pivotal moments in Mike's life, remembering the little boy that often followed him around, driving him insane with distraction the way Kyle was doing to Mike now. Those were things that had more weight to Billy than gold and he loved all of them, not just his own siblings.
Billy remembered teaching Sam how to tan the leather to make her sling, the way Vin had taught him. He remembered babysitting and reading the Three Musketeers to Mike and Elena Rose, the way Chris had read it to him when he came down with the measles. He recalled the night that Peter and Penny came into this world. How Julia had invited him into the room after the difficult birth and whispered in his ear that she would need him to love them as he had loved her, even though by then his infatuation had long since faded despite how dear she was to him still.
Caring for all of them had been his responsibility and when he finally left Four Corners and went onto the Academy, he had charged Mike with the same duty because Michael Larabee was his father's son and like all the Larabee, leadership came naturally. Now, as he looked around this empty place where there ought to be the sound of children playing and swimming, he realised that Mike had probably been snared by the same desire for adventure as any child in order to be convinced into embarking upon the trail of the Youngs' map.
The tracks left behind gave him a very good idea of where they went and how they had started the journey. Going home to get their horses would take too much time Billy deduced, and Cullens Ridge was not far to reach by foot. He had hoped that having Kyle, Jimmy and Nettie might have given the older children cause to abandon this quest but supposed that the lure of it would have been just as strong on the trio of youngster as it was upon their older siblings.
"I can't find them." Lilith announced as she emerged from the bushes from the immediate area she had been searching.
"They're gone." Billy rose to his feet after staring at the tracks in the dirt and all the other indicators to prove it in the terrain around him. "By the looks of the tracks, some time ago."
"God," she groaned out loud. "We have to do something. We have to find them."
"Yes we do and before Hank and Jesse find them." Billy added as he strode to his horse and beckoned her over because they did not have a lot of time if they hoped to catch up to the party before the Young gang got there first.
"You don't think they'd harm the kids?" Lilith stared at him for a moment, shuddering inwardly at the thought of any of them being in the hands of Hank Young. Hank was a killer even if there was no proof that could hold up in a law of court. The evidence of all the people he had chased off their land for the cattle rancher he worked for was enough to convince Lilith of that fact.
"I don't know," he answered honestly and it was this lack of knowledge that concerned him most. They knew almost nothing about Hank or Jesse Young except that one man was a killer and the other was rather determined to reclaim his property. Whether or not that determination meant that they would take their anger out on the children whom had taken their discarded property was uncertain and once again, Billy felt that old responsibility for all the children of the seven of which he was the oldest rear its head again. "I don't know how much of a head start the Youngs have on us but I'm guessing that they're closer to Mike and the others than we are because of this little detour."
"God yes," Lilith agreed and another disturbing thought emerged in her head. "Billy, Hank has a gang and he doesn't know that it is children who has their map. He may go in firing without even realising it until its too late."
"I know," Billy nodded, having already considered this possibility which was why he was making his way to his horse in order to make the journey to Cullens Ridge without haste. He considered what they ought to do as he strode towards it. Billy had lost all hope of containing the situation, the minute he arrived here and discovered that the kids had already embarked upon their quest. As much as Billy wanted to keep any of the children from explaining to their parents what they had been doing, he knew that the situation had evolved beyond that hope. As it was, it would be something of a minor miracle if Billy could reach them before Hank and Jesse did but if he failed, if those men got to his brothers and their friends first, then Billy would need help.
He would need the seven.
"You got a note book on you?" He glanced at Lilith once he reached the saddle of his horse.
"Of course," she looked at him strangely because he ought to know that she was never without the thing. A good journalist had to carry a pen and paper with her at all times. "Why?"
"I want you to write a note," he instructed.
"A note?" She asked, not comprehending to whom he would wish to scribe a message at this time, not when they had bigger concerns on their minds.
"Yes," he nodded. "I want you to write a note to Chris because if we don't reach Mike and the others in time, chances are they won't be getting home before supper. Chris will worry and then he'll come looking for them and the first place he'll look is right here."
"I see." Lilith understood and lauded him for his insight into his stepfather's pattern of behavior. Then again, despite the fact that Mike was Chris' natural child, the former gunslinger still considered Billy his oldest. "Billy do you think we'll get to them in time?" She asked as she retrieved the notebook in question from her pocket and immediately began penning the note that they would leave behind for Chris and the rest of the seven when they came looking for their children.
"No," Billy replied honestly. "I don't think so but we're sure as hell going make a good try." With that he glanced at the notepad and gestured for her to continue writing since this discussion could be conducted on route and he wanted to get going as soon as possible.
Lilith continued writing and she included all the relevant information before tearing the page out of the book and handing it to Billy. The Academy cadet immediately reached into his saddle and retrieved the knife he used to for whittling and pinned the note to the nearest tree he could see that was in clear line of sight of anyone who came here in search of his younger siblings and the friends. Hopefully, Chris would see this if his efforts to bring back Mike and Kyle home failed.
Billy suddenly looked at Lilith who was waiting for him to give her a boost up to his horse and wondered if he should not endeavor to go on this alone. The creek was walking distance back to town and she could make it there in no time. He did not want her placed in danger, especially if he had to face Hank or Jesse to in any type of confrontation.
"Lilith," Billy said carefully, aware of how volatile a subject this was going to be. "Maybe you ought to go back to town."
"Why?" She stared at him, not at all liking the idea of leaving him alone to face god only knew what.
"I don't want you hurt." He said quietly. Everything he felt about Lilith was different now. There was a time when he would want her at his side in any adventure but since he had discovered how much he loved her, thoughts about her life worried him and he had no wish to endanger her when it could be avoided. Billy knew that he was being irrational because she had more effective means of protecting herself than he could ever imagine but he could not help it, he loved her and on the eve of her becoming his wife, he wanted nothing to prevent that day from taking place.
"Billy Travis, I am not having this conversation with you." She stated firmly, not about to let him go all Chris on her. "I am coming with you and that's that."
"It could be dangerous." He pointed out, unsurprised by this reaction from her.
"Of course it's going to be dangerous!" She exclaimed. "When was there ever any doubt in your mind about that? There was not in my mind besides, you're going after Mike and the others, trying to beat two men maybe more to them. You're going to need me whether or not you like it."
Billy could not deny that but he still did not like it. "I love you Lilith," he found himself saying. "I just don't want to risk losing you for anything."
Her features softened and she placed her hand on his cheek as she gazed into his hazel colored eyes with a smile. "I'll be okay," she said with a smile. "And trust me, you may need me and my bag of tricks before the day is out."
Billy lowered his lips to hers and partook of a soft, lingering kiss as he allowed himself to be convinced that she was right. Inwardly, he knew that she could protect herself and probably him too if it was required. Her ability to casts spells was far more potent than she led him to believe, of this the young man had no doubt. Still, he did not fear the magic that surrounded her because it was one of the things that made her all the enchanting.
"I love you," Billy said with a smile, delighting in the speckles of her blue eyes. "Even if you are just like my mother." He retorted just before he lifted her onto the horse.
"That better be because I'm a terrific journalist like her!" She grumbled as she nestled herself in the saddle and waited for him to mount the animal.
Lying through his teeth, Billy looked at her with a grin and remarked. "Of course darling, that's what absolutely I meant."
Clearing the den of insects, the children found themselves on the other side of the cavern that was thankfully devoid of the swarm they had encountered upon first entering its dark formations. Mike in particular was doubly grateful because it meant they would encounter no further difficulties in convincing the girls in their party to continue. As Penny studied the map with Sam peering over her shoulder, Mike and Peter took a moment to examine the rest of the cavern as Adam and Tommy supervised the younger children as they took the time to rest while they could. The trek up the ridge had been arduous for the little one and even though it was something of a pain bringing them along, Mike found himself thinking that he was glad he had agreed to let them come. After all, this adventure would not seem complete if all of their number were not present.
The cavern was not like any cavern they had seen before. While the exterior had been a place of craggy edges and gravelly texture, the inside of the ridge was smooth, the walls felt more like polished stone rather than naturally occurring sediment. As they followed the small tunnel that led away from the cavern, deeper into the depths of the mountain, Mike ran his fingers along the sides and felt the even surface on his palms. Like the rest of the cavern's interior, the passage seemed just as peculiar. The space from one wall to the other could barely fit full-grown men and Peter and Mike could barely walk side by side without bumping into them.
"You know what this feels like?" Mike asked as they continued down the tunnel, which was narrow and dank, yet steep in its incline into the darkness. To make things simpler, they had snapped the branch that had been their torch into two in order to make another light to leave with Tommy and the others while they made this reconnaissance trek on their own. After much convincing toward Penny and as Peter grumbled to Mike later, much complaining, she had sacrificed yet another one of her linens to act as torch. Tommy was confident that once the flame had seeped into the wood, they would need no such accelerates and she would not be asked to sacrifice any more of her lace.
"What?" Peter asked as they neared what looked like the end of the passage. He was not really listening to Mike that closely because in the last few feet towards the bottom, he had picked up a distant sound growing louder as they approached the end.
"Like those pebbles we find at the creek," Mike remarked. "Those ones that got smoothed by the water."
At the mention of water, Peter stared sharply at Mike and exclaimed. "That's what it is!"
"What?" Mike looked at him quizzically as Peter closed in the last few paces of the journey towards the bottom of the tunnel.
"That." Peter said when the tunnel came to an end and the path they had been taking disappeared just as abruptly. Peter and Mike found themselves staring at a mouth of a larger cavern when the passage had emptied into and noticed through the dim light of the torch that its surface reflected back at them with the shimmering consistency of an underground lake. It stretched for as far as the light would allow it and the reflection of water covered its entire expanse.
"Oh hell." Mike let out a sigh at the discovery of this extremely formidable obstacle. More and more, he was becoming convinced that this was no gold mine and the explanation about the texture of the wall was rather obvious. He wondered how long this underground store of water had been hiding here. Considering how valuable commodity water was in the dry landscape of New Mexico, this was a veritable treasure trove and yet Mike refused to belief that this lake was what the map was meant to hide.
"I wonder how deep it is." Peter asked, leaning over the edge and slipping his fingers into the pool. The water felt fresh although there was just the hint of a metallic tang emanating from the cool air within the cavern.
"Hey be careful." Mike immediately reacted. "You have no idea what's in there."
Peter looked over his shoulder and retorted. "We're gonna have to find out if we're going in there. This treasure hunt on your is dead in the water otherwise."
Mike let out a sigh and knew that he was right. "Alright," he said begrudgingly. "But if anyone's going to find out how deep that is, its going to be me."
"Why you?" Peter asked, willing to test the waters for himself and not requiring Mike to spare him the task. He knew Mike tended to be protective of all of them, it was a responsibility driven into him by his father, Uncle Chris and then by his older brother Billy. Peter had to confess that he was glad that he was not Mike sometimes, it must have been hard to have everyone having such lofty expectations about you just because your father was Chris Larabee.
"Because," Mike said as he yanked off his boots and stripped down to the clothes he would have worn had they gone swimming at the creek as planned. "I'm taller than you for starters and if you drown, my father will kill me anyway. This saves time."
Mike had a way with putting things that seemed to cut through all the incidentals, Peter thought to himself. While it was not necessary when one was Ezra Standish's son and had a father who made a request to clean up his room sound like an oratory spoken in Congress, Peter was nonetheless grateful. "Be careful."
"You sound my like mom." Mike pointed out as he started slipped over the edge in order to let himself into the water.
Without saying another word, Peter pushed him over the edge.
Mike fell into the water face first and created something of a splash upon impact. Peter could only smirk as he saw the older boy stand up in the water, sputtering with annoyance as he whirled around and glared at Peter about to speak when the young inventor cut him off.
"That better?" Peter grinned.
Mike wiped the soaked hair out of his face and returned the younger boy's smirk with a dark look. "Yeah," Mike nodded and offered out his hand to Peter. "Help me up will ya? The ground slippery and I can't back over the edge."
"Sure." Peter responded and extended his hand. No sooner than their skin had made contact, Mike clenched his fist around Peter's wrist and pulled his arm back sharply, dragging the younger boy the rest of the way. Peter made almost as unceremonious a landing as Mike did and created just as impressive a splash as he disappeared momentarily under the black water.
"Now I feel better." He looked at Peter with that same smirk.
"I'm so glad," Peter said sarcastically.
After climbing out of the underground lake, Mike and Peter returned to the others and reported what they had discovered while at the same time, checking on the progress of Penny's translation of the map in her hand. Obviously the only path that led to the next phase of the journey meant they had to travel into the waterway but Mike would have felt better that they had confirmation of this before they embarked upon that particular route. From what he and Peter had seen, the cavern was vast and they could be wandering forever, if they were uncertain of what they were doing.
"Okay here it is," Penny announced to all her companions following her quick study of the map, in particular the section dealing with this secret waterway before them.
"What does it say?" Adam asked quickly.
She squinted as she tried to see in the dark and instinctively Tommy moved the torch closer so that she could read the words without difficulty. "Thanks," she offered him a grateful smile and faced the map again. "It says that once we reach the hidden vein where the lifeblood of the land flows, we must accept the challenge of the gate keeper. To face the trial we must think with more than our eyes, see with more than our minds."
"What does that mean?" Tommy asked quizzically, unable to wrap his mind around the enigmatic meaning of those words.
"The gate keeper?" Elena exclaimed. "That doesn't mean there's someone in here is there?" She asked apprehensively, unable to imagine what kind of creepy individual would be living here, guarding some moldy gate.
"Its probably just a saying." Adam spoke up, alleviating her concerns. "This map is so old if there was a real guy, he'd be dead by now."
"So we don't have to do it?" Tommy asked, finding that a little too easy. In truth, he would have like to have seen a moldy old gatekeeper, waiting throughout the ages for someone to answer his challenge. That would have been so neat.
"Maybe," Mike responded with a deep frown thinking the same thing as Tommy, that it was too easy. However, his nature was far too suspicious for him to let it go at that. While Tommy was disappointed at their ease over crossing this particular hurdle, Mike was more concerned that it was not all easy, that there might be something waiting for them in the darkness that was undisclosed. "We ought to be careful anyway."
"So that's got to be the hidden vein thing." Sam declared as she emerged from around the corner wearing the clothes she would have been swimming in if they had gone to the creek. In retrospect, it was rather fortunate that the day had turned out as it did from those beginnings because they were now prepared for this particular little escapade. "I mean water is like the life of land. No water, nothing grows."
"I guess," Penny shrugged, never really considering it that much. Water was just there. It was one of those things that children who lived the life she did with her parents never considered. Her mother and father were townsfolk while Sam's excursions with her father had given her a deep appreciation of the land.
"Alright then, let's get started," Mike spoke, eager to get going even though he was starting to have concerns that he did not wish to voice to anyone at this point, since he had dragged them all out here, about the safety of continuing on this quest. He wanted to go on an adventure but he did not want to get any of his friends hurt either.
"Mike, I can't swim so good." Annette suddenly confessed. The little girl had been anxious of this moment ever since they had come to this juncture in the journey and she did not want them to turn back because she did not know how to swim. This was her first trip to the creek and she had hoped to get better but if they had to go back because of her, she would just die from the shame.
"That is a problem," Mike remarked before Adam quickly spoke up.
"Its okay, I'll help her." Annette's brother replied, still mindful of what JD had told him during their 'man to man' talks at breakfast this morning.
Mike did not answer for a moment because Adam was not exactly tall himself and he would be just able to manage making the crossing himself without having to worry about his sister as well. Annette was a small child. In size, she was just a little taller than Sarah was. "I got an idea." He suggested and quickly stepped to the edge of the tunnel and slipped into the water. Turning around after he was immersed, he came to the edge of the path where the stone ledge met the water. "Nettie, climb onto my shoulders." He instructed.
"You want to carry me?" She looked at him.
"Yeah," Mike flashed her a little smile. "You ain't that heavy. Take your shoes off and come on."
Annette glanced at Adam, almost as if she needed his permission because in the absence of either of her parents he was the closest thing to a parental figure she knew. Besides, she had promised mom that she was going to be good.
"Go on Nettie." Adam nodded. "I'll take your stuff." Her brother offered Mike a grateful smile, knowing that Annette would be happier with this conclusion than his trying to keep her a float. If he were big enough himself to carry his sister, he would have but as it was he felt a great deal of affection at their leader for trying to accommodate his little sister.
"Mike are you sure about this?" Elena Rose inquired as she saw Nettie padding over to him. Her small feet making soft sounds against the stone as she moved towards the edge.
"Yeah I'm sure," Mike said confidently. "You're just a little too heavy for me to carry Elena, sorry." He threw her a mischievous grin to which she rolled her eyes in sarcasm.
"I wouldn't climb on your shoulders if you begged me Mike Larabee." Elena declared, her hands on her hips, in the typical fashion of all women of the Rosillos line, even if they did have the last name of Wilmington.
"Now you really sound like my parents," Sam teased, perfectly aware of what was going on between Mike and Elena Rose.
Sam could not say she was surprised. The two had been inseparable for as long as she could remember and while Sam's own friendship with Mike was close, she did not have the kind of feelings towards him that Elena Rose did. Although, for some unknown reason, Sam could always pick up what was on Mike's mind far more accurately then Elena Rose did, which somewhat surprised the tracker's daughter. As far as she was concerned, Mike was a good friend and she trusted him more than she trusted anyone in the group but their friendship was different to that which she shared with Penny.
Obviously, she did not giggle and be silly with Mike that she did with Penny but she did not moon over him like Elena Rose was now doing either. Sam could not explain it and it was strange because Mike seemed to have the same empathy with her. They were like family but not in any normal way which just confused her even more. It was this symbiotic awareness of his emotions that allowed her to understand what was happening between him and Elena Rose. It was not simply because the two of them were bickering like her parents just before she was sent out to feed the horses for a good hour while they stayed inside and 'discussed' things as mom would put it, but rather because Sam could read Mike easily.
"Very funny." Elena Rose gave her a look but even in the darkness, Sam could see the tinge of pink in her cheeks.
Mike seemed very at ease with things though and Sam guessed that interlude earlier on that day where he had helped Elena Rose get past those awful bugs must have been more involved than she realised.
"You okay up there?" Mike asked Annette once she was nestled around her shoulders and hanging on tight. There was just a hint of apprehension on her face but being with Mike seemed to help.
"Yes Mike." Annette said beaming at him.
Sam could not help but smile as she noticed the look of adoration that Annette was displaying for the boy and shook her head as she wondered how he seemed to effect all the women he was around except her.
Thank goodness.
"Kyle, you can come with me." Sam glanced at Mike's younger brother, who appeared just as nervous seeing that Mike was indisposed with helping Annette across the water. "Get your shoes off and we'll get going."
"Thanks Sam." He said gratefully and immediately dropped to the floor, where he started working on the laces of his shoes.
"Hey Peter," Mike continued to throw about instructions, as only a Larabee was capable. "Can you and Penny take the stuff of those who can't carry their own?"
"Sure," Peter nodded and immediately began gathering the bags left behind by Mike and now Sam because their hands were full helping the younger kids across the water. "Mike," he added after a moment. "We might put out one of the torches. We may need to make them last."
"Good idea," Mike agreed as he shifted Annette on his shoulders to a more comfortable position on his neck. She was not heavy but the awkward positioning had unbalanced him a little. "Tommy, you got the duty on the torches."
Jimmy looked up at his sister. "You're not going to let me drown are you?"
Elena Rose shook her head. "If I'm going to kill you Jimmy, I'll let you listen dad telling Uncle JD about all his old girlfriends, not leave you down here to drown. Now that is torture."
The cavern seemed to go forever as they continued deeper and deeper into the watery chamber, putting more distance between themselves and the ledge they had stepped off in order to make this leg of the journey. Mike could not help feel a little anxious upon whether or not this was a mistake. Although the walls flanking them in the distance could be seen through the illumination of the torch that Tommy held up above the water level, what lay ahead was so far away that not even the radiating light of the flames could penetrate it.
"How long have we been walking?" Penny asked, feeling hers arms get tired as she kept the extra load she was required to carry above the water levels.
"About half an hour." Mike estimated. "I think."
"Maybe there is no way out." Kyle declared, unable to keep the fear out of his voice as his arms remained wrapped around Sam's neck as she pulled him along, allowing the buoyancy of the water take care of keeping him afloat for the rest of the way.
"Of course there's a way out," Sam said reassuringly. "There's a map isn't there?"
"I know we had to walk some ways before we got to the gatekeeper and the challenge, whatever that is." Penny offered in case the fear being displayed by Kyle became endemic of all the younger ones.
"It's probably some kind of a test." Tommy suggested. "Something we have to pass if we want to keep going."
Mike tended to agree with Tommy's assessment and hoped whatever the challenge might be, it would not be too difficult. He did so want to know what was waiting at the end of this quest because he was fairly certain that it was not a gold mine. Not many had enigmatic clues like this one or was buried so far deep as this place was promising to be that the possibility of mining it would be next to impossible. Whatever Jesse had taken from that old Indian with whom he had bartered for that map was no mine and despite all his anxieties about how this trek might effect his companions, his curiosity was driving him to reach its end.
Suddenly, he began to hear a sound in the distance, not unlike the ones that Peter had heard when they first discovered this underground lake. Except where Peter had heard the gentle sloshing of water against stone, what Mike was straining to identify seemed more rapidly paced. He began to see the reflection of the waters ahead of him and noted the ripples that were coming not from their direction but elsewhere up the darkened cavern.
"I hear something," Sam wadded next to him, hanging on to Kyle as she found herself next to Mike, having noticed the same ripples in the water, not to mention the distant sound the others had yet to notice.
"It's up ahead." Mike nodded and gaze into the darkness.
"What is it Mike?" Kyle asked in a hushed voice, his eyes darting into the blackness before them and the apprehension of being forced to enter the maw of that unknown was apparent by the fear in his face. Perched on top of Mike's shoulders, Annette's features showed the same fear.
"I can make it out yet," Mike answered and offered his younger brother a little squeeze on the shoulder to assure Kyle that he would not be far away and that nothing was going to happen to him.
"I think its water," Sam suggested. "But running fast."
Mike listened again and saw that she was right. It was running water coming from up ahead and instinctively, he looked to the others upon making that discovery. Running water could mean anything, from the strengthening of the non-existent current in the waters they were wading in, to a something more definitive like the source of all this water in the form of an estuary or a channel from a flow deep in the ground. Whatever it was, Mike was not about to let anyone of them go in blind.
"Hold up." Mike called out to the others.
"What's up?" Peter made his way next to Mike since he was not hampered in movement with having to help anyone else stay afloat.
"There's something up ahead." Mike replied. "I'm going to check it out."
"I'll do it," Peter offered. "I only have your stuff to carry."
"Its pretty dark in there Peter," Sam declared, impressed that he was being so fearless and willing to traverse that unknown all by himself.
"She's right," Mike agreed, reluctant to let Peter go in by himself. "Sam, give me Kyle's hand. Can you go in with him?"
Sam seemed to like that idea better than Peter entering that place all by himself. Like Mike, she felt a certain responsibility for the others and Peter thought inventive and smart was not the most capable person in an outdoor situation. Of course, he was terribly willing to try different things which always impressed her and seemed to have a way of looking at things that was always unexpected. She wondered if he saw everything as something to be broken down and understood as she saw everything as a mystery to be discovered and then explored to the fullest. In that way, they were more alike than any of the other children in the group.
Sam waded over to Kyle and deposited the young boy into his brother's care for the time being before she started towards Peter who was waiting for her in expectation. As she met his gaze upon her approach, she noted that he quickly averted his eyes and Sam found herself wondering what that was all about. "You ready?" She asked him.
"Yeah," he nodded swallowing, almost as if he were nervous or something.
Once again, Sam wondered what was the matter with him before shrugging her shoulders and deciding that he was a boy, who could make sense out of them? "Mike, we could use the light." She turned to the oldest of them, deciding that she would unwrap the enigma of Peter's behavior later
"Okay," Mike was agreeable to that and understanding why she was asking. "Tommy, hand the torch to Sam would you? We're not going anywhere so I think we'll be safe without it and there's always the spare."
"Maybe I ought to go with them." Tommy suggested as he moved from the rear of the group, splashing water as he came towards Mike.
"No, I need you here." Mike replied automatically as he handed the torch to Sam, immediately lighting the path before them. "You're the only one other than Penny with free hands. If something goes wrong...."
"If something goes wrong?" Elena Rose asked pointedly. "What do you mean go wrong Michael?"
"If I said." Mike said exasperated. "I meant if!" Sometimes, she could be so infuriating that he could just hit her or kiss her, which ever came first, he found himself thinking with a little smile.
"That's it," Peter groaned. "If you two get at it again, I'm going."
"Me too." Sam remarked, throwing Mike a smile that told him that she was wise to the interplay between himself and Elena Rose.
"Just get going!" Mike grumbled.
It did not take them long after the duo had left their companions to find the source of all that rushing noise. It stood before them as a formidable obstacle and immediately put paid to the whole notion of whether or not this quest was worth overcoming. The cascade before them met its end at the top of the cavern, rushing water escaping into the lake from a narrow slit in the rock. As Peter and Sam neared it. They could see the force of the water creating a torrent of white foam as it plunged into the pool directly beneath. The roar of it was so loud that if filled the cavern and considering the distance they had to cross for it to evolve from the distant rumbling they had heard earlier, it was rather daunting imagining they would have to cross that barrier.
"We can't do it." Sam said watching the crushing weight of that water slamming to the ground from that narrow fissure so high up beyond their reach. "There's no way to climb up that wall!"
Peter could not disagree with her; the walls that led to the passageway were smoothed by erosion from the water. The slick, the moisture that was glistening under the light of their torch revealed an even surface without hand holds or any kind of protrusion that might make it possible to scale it. He did not even have to touch the sides of it to know that the walls of the cavern were almost entirely composed of granite, so trying to make handholds was just as impossible.
"I can't believe there isn't a way up there!" Sam continued to rage. She had become just as caught up in reaching the end of this quest as Mike had been and to see it come to end so quickly was not only disappointing but infuriating as well. "I mean why make a stupid map and talk about a gate if there isn't a way through! It doesn't make sense."
However Peter was not listening. He was not listening because he was studying that fissure through the rock where the water was frothing out and he realised something as he examined it closely. There were not natural formations. There was just too much precision in the angular lines for it to be a creation of nature. He had studied enough books on building and construction to know that this cascade was not at all what it seemed.
"It doesn't," he suddenly declared, meeting her gaze. "They wouldn't make a map to the mine if there was no way to get to it. This is the gate."
"This is a gate?" She looked at him skeptically. "How can it be a gate? It's just a waterfall!"
"Maybe and maybe not." Peter replied and handed her the things he had to carry for the others. "Here hold onto these a minute."
"Why?" She questioned even though she took the objects without question.
Peter started towards the waterfall since that was a good enough answer. "I got an idea. I don't think that this waterfall is natural. See where the water's coming out," he pointed to the fissure above the cascade.
Sam glanced upwards, it looked like rock to her but then remembering what her father had taught her about looking beyond the surface, seeing more in something than it was. He was right. There was something about the cut of the rock that did not seem like something that she would see formed by wind, heat or rain but rather something that had been carved. "Its man made?" She looked at Peter wanting his confirmation about the conclusion she had reached herself.
"I'm sure of it." He nodded. "I think that this whole thing here was built by somebody." Peter started to reach the churning waters as he closed in on the waterfall and Sam suddenly felt a wave of fear watching him continuing onward alone.
"Peter!" She called out.
"What?" He looked over his shoulder.
"Maybe you shouldn't be doing this by yourself." She looked at him, trying to hide the concern for his safety. When they had been at the cave earlier, Peter had said that she was brave but at this moment, Sam thought she was the bravest boy she knew. Not just by his willingness to volunteer for this expeditionary scouting assignment for Mike but also he was willing to test himself against that rather formidable looking pool ahead with nothing but a theory.
As he met her gaze at her expression of concern, Sam suddenly realised that he was afraid but he was doing it because he would not ask her to and because it was required. Sam was struck by how like her father he was in that respect and felt something for Peter that was vague and undefined at that moment. "I'll be okay Sam," he assured her.
"Alright," Sam responded uncertainly. "Just be careful where you step, just because it hasn't been deep so far don't mean that it won't get that way."
He nodded in understanding and took care to heed her words as he proceeded forward, making each step gingerly as the momentum of the churning waters increased and he could no longer see anything but the white forth before him and the towering cascade only metres away. Peter glanced back occasionally to see if Sam was alright although in all sensibility, she was probably more alright than he was and more capable of taking care of herself as well if she was not. She was staring after him, with more concern in her eyes than Peter had ever seen and made the young boy smile to himself for some reason.
Peter treaded carefully and thought the churning water made his approach to the cascade a little harder, the lake did not get any deeper and he was able to make his way right to the point where the waterfall meant the pool below it. The impact of water against water sprinkled the parts of his skin not already soaking with wet as he neared it. For a moment, he was lost in the beauty of the waterfall, admiring not only its awesome might but also the simplistic motion of its downward descent. He allowed the power of it to strengthen him and eradicate some of the apprehension he was feeling.
Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward and almost felt himself forced to his knees at the fury of the water rushing down on him. The power of it was such that Peter had to force himself to stand up before he was able to go any further. However, he did not encounter the obstruction they thought might be waiting behind the cascade. As Peter close his eyes and outstretched his hands while pushing himself deeper into the path of the waterfall, the less likely it became that the wall in question was going to materialise. Finally, he forced himself all the way through and found that the cascade had come to an end but in front of him was not wall but instead the opening to another cavern. As Peter stared, he saw the shoreline not too far away that led to dry land and beyond it a wider cavern that led into another. The walls of the cavern glimmered with the reflection of the pool and for a moment, Peter felt tempted to go explore the region instead of turning back. However, he knew the others
would worry if he did not make an appearance soon and thus forced that thought out of his head and turned back again.
If there was any exploration to be done, they were going to do it together.
No one was happier than Mike when they were finally on dry land again. Once Peter and Sam had come back to tell the others of what they had found, the group soon resumed their journey, passing through the cascade that at first led them to believe that they were faced with an obstacle, rather than an opening. Even though they were all soaked to the bone in order to pass through the cascade, it was a sacrifice each of them was happy to make. The torch, which had been put out because of the crossing, had to be lit once again and Penny found herself complaining again as one of her dry linens that had managed to remain dry inside the leather satchel had to be sacrificed for the purpose.
Light flooded into their new environment as the lace handkerchief started to burn and Mike kept in mind that the piece of linen they had ignited was the last Penny had in store that was not sodden or already used to light the torch already. He hoped that during the progress of their journey, they would discover something that could be used for the purpose or else it was going to be a quest made in darkness. He looked around the cavern and knew that they were very far underground and the possibility of sunlight reaching them would be remote.
Running his fingers through his hair as Tommy once again took up the role as light bearer, Mike led the way as they moved through the new chamber. Like all the others, the walls were smooth and Mike would not have been surprised if this was once underwater as well for it seemed even out by the erosion of water through the years. There were lichens growing on the walls and the ground beneath them was almost like fine sand, not at all gravely as a cave should have been. However, by now they had learnt nothing about this place was ordinary.
"I wonder what this place was." Sam mused as her eyes surveyed the terrain they were travelling.
"It must be old." Adam declared. "I ain't never heard pa talk about a mine being here."
"I don't think it's a mine we're looking for." Mike remarked. "We think it's a mine because that's what Hank and Jesse said but I think they didn't know for sure. Jesse got the map from this old Indian who told them that it was a mine, maybe just to sell it. It could be for a whole other place."
"So how do we know its treasure?" Tommy inquired. "It could be for something else all together." The younger boy pointed out.
The notion clearly disturbed him but Mike put to rest his fears quickly. "No one hides something this well unless it's valuable. Whatever is at the end of this map, I'm sure its worth finding."
"You realise that we're not going to get home before supper." Penny suddenly mentioned and brought everyone's attention to her.
"Hey that's right!" Peter exclaimed as he stared at Mike. "If Penny and I don't show for supper, ma and pa are going to worry."
"I know," Mike nodded sombrely, realising that some time ago but being uncertain how he was going to break it to the rest of his companions. His father to say the least would not be impressed but Mike reasoned with himself that if they reached the end of the journey and found something extraordinary, then his father would be less likely to banish him to his room for the rest of his youth. "That's why we got to find whatever's at the end." He responded, not only to answer Peter's question but to allay the fears of the others as well, who were no doubt considering the implications of Penny's statement.
"It had better be good," Tommy sighed, deciding he could not get into any more trouble than he had when he had almost destroyed his father's lab. Besides, if he turned back now, he still could not be guaranteed of reaching home in time anyway and the truth was, Tommy had no desire to abandon his friends. When the time came for him to account for himself and his actions, the young boy was not going to be afraid of making that admission.
"Hopefully enough for me to have a trust fund." Penny said with a smile. "So I can go to acting college and be a great actress like....."
"Lily Langtree." Elena Rose, Adam, Sam and Peter said in unison having heard this a thousand times before.
"Very funny." Penny gave the quartet a sarcastic look. "At least I have goals." She raised her chin in typical Penelope Standish haughtiness. "What do you want to be?"
"An inventor." Peter declared which was of no surprise to any one.
"Chemist." Tommy added his voice, which was once again of no great revelation.
"A writer." Adam said proudly.
"A princess!" Nettie giggled.
"Columbus." Sam looked at her best friend defiantly because Penny had thought she would not have an answer.
"A soldier like Billy and grandpa." Kyle exclaimed, becoming just as caught up in the momentum as the rest of his companions.
"I'm going to run the Tavern, like my mom." Elena Rose smiled, having always admired Inez's ability to do the job that was not customary for women of this day and age.
"I want to be sheriff!" Jimmy laughed.
Everyone looked at Mike when he did not answer. After a moment, the oldest of them let out a sigh and responded. "After today? Alive for my next birthday."
The door was enormous.
At least it appeared that way to a group of children. It towered over them, a construct of smooth, polished stone almost obsidian like in its consistency. They could see their reflection in it and for a few seconds after its discovery, could not imagine ever seeing anything like it in the entire span of their short lives. However, when the initial shock of its appearance had faded, Mike Larabee found that they were confronted with a larger issue. The door had no visible means by which they could open it. No handle, no lever, just a keyhole surrounded by five slight indentations.
"We can't get through." Mike said after he, Tommy and Peter tried pushing it open.
"There's gotta to be something in here then," Sam stated, refusing to believe that this was a dead end rather like a test of some kind, just as the waterfall had been a test. "Let's look around." She urged.
"Good idea," Mike agreed, liking the way Sam always cut through the details and focussed on the larger picture.
Although the torch was offering them some light, its radiance was only enough to allow them to see what was ahead and behind them. As a method of illumination, it left much to be desired and made it difficult to see anything until they was almost on top of it. Tommy began skirting the walls of the space they were presently occupying in order to get a better estimation of its size. The room itself into which they had entered before being confronted by that formidable piece of masonry, was as mysterious as the door they found themselves gawking at a few seconds ago. The huge cavern had tapered into this enclosure of space and thanks to the dull illumination of the torch, they were able to learn something of the room.
They found that it was filled with keys.
Hanging from the odd looking hooks in the wall, they came in every description. Heavy brass keys that resembled the contemporary designs of the day, to more bizarre shapes that were almost squarish in shape. They came in wood and iron, in glass and other materials that none of the children, even Tommy could describe. One or two had fallen to the ground and not been replaced which meant they were obviously not the keys that they were searching for.
"This must be the way through." Peter remarked, fingering one of the keys that hung off the large hook. It was shaped in what could only be described as a pentagram and did not at all match the lock that was on the door.
"But there's so many Mike." Kyle exclaimed, tugging at his brother's sleeve. "How are we supposed to know which one?"
"I don't know Kyle," Mike met his younger siblings gaze. "But we'll figure it out."
Suddenly, a scream tore through the air and pulled away all their attention from the collection hanging on the wall.
"Oh my god!" Elena cried out as she wrapped her arms around Nettie and picked up the little girl who had run to her because Elena Rose was the closest substitute to her mother she could find. In seconds, everyone was staring at what it was that had frightened Annette with such efficiency.
"I think we found the gatekeeper." Penny declared as she stared at the collection of dried bones and withered skin that had once been a man. She did not find the corpse abhorrent because it was hard to picture what was lying before them as being once alive or human for that matter.
"Look at his bones." Tommy pointed out as he neared the body for a closer look. "It's all broken."
It was not just broken, Mike discovered as he came along side of Tommy who had bent over to examine the body more carefully. They were shattered. Splinters and jagged edges pierced through skin in its destruction and Mike could not even imagine the death that would have caused it. The corpse's skull was almost pulverised flat and Mike shuddered wondering the agony this poor soul must have endured to acquire injuries like this.
"What happened to him?" Sam asked with a hushed voice as she took up position next to Mike as they continued to examine the body.
"I don't know," Mike shook his head and began noticing other things to. What appeared to be the remains of a lamp lay not to far from the body, as well as other belongings. Although the wooden handle was crushed mercilessly, the steel portion of what might have been a spade remained intact, simply flattened out. "I don't think he was the gate keeper though."
"I think it's this key." Peter spoke up, more interested in getting through the door than he was by the dead body in the room with them. Elena Rose had taken the younger ones to the far side of the room, having been relinquished of Annette when her brother held her in his embrace. Both Kyle and Jimmy clung to the young woman who had told them sternly to stay away from the body, having no wish for either of them to have that memory in their heads.
"Are you sure?" Mike looked over his shoulder, suddenly wishing to get out of this room as soon as possible. Something about the corpse before him other than the fact of its existence, made him anxious.
"It's the only one that might fit." Peter pointed out because the pentagram shaped key had the five points that were on the wall even though he was unable to fathom what was meant to enter the lock since the centre of the key appeared smooth.
"Okay," Mike nodded. "Try it."
Peter immediately reached for the key and lifted it off its hook when suddenly something creaked loudly and it took the would be inventor a few seconds to realise that it had been caused by the hook when he had taken the weight of the key. The protrusion of metal heaved upwards and shifted position slightly.
"What was that?" Elena demanded because they had all heard it.
"I don't know...." Peter started to say when the entrance by which they had entered this odd room suddenly produced a door that dropped over the opening and sealed them inside with a loud bang.
"What did you do?" Mike forgot all about the body and hurried over to Peter, as Tommy and Sam hurried to the door while the younger children squealed in fright and clung harder to their older siblings.
"Nothing!" Peter stammered. "I took the key off just like I told you I was going to do and I think the hook moved."
"Look," Penny said placing the hooks under deeper scrutiny, which Peter had failed to do in his eagerness to open the door. "They all go into the wall. They look like switches I think."
Mike leaned in for a closer look and declared. "She's right," he agreed. "It goes into the wall."
"Mike we can't get out!" Sam exclaimed. "The door won't even budge when we try to push it."
"Let's see if the key works," Mike said trying to calm them all down. He disliked being locked in this place just as much as his companions but there was no reason to panic yet. "Unlock the door, Peter." He instructed.
Peter nodded and went to the huge ebony coloured door and pressed the pentagram shaped key into place. He tried to fit it in as best he could but it soon became apparent that the key in his hand was not meant to unlock this particular door. A groan of disappointment rippled through them as they saw his lack of progress and Peter turned back to the others, unprepared to give up just yet.
"We got to try another key." Peter responded automatically, desperate to help since it was his actions that had allowed them all to be trapped in this room, deep beneath the earth with no way out and no one who knew where they were to come searching. "It's the only way!" He implored.
"Mike we have to do something!" Elena cried out staring at him. He realised that she was not fearful for herself but for Kyle and Jimmy who were clinging to her trying not to be afraid. Just as Adam was now holding Annette.
Still uncertain on whether or not this was the proper course of action to take and hounded by his concerns for his friends, because the chamber looked air tight and very soon, they would not be able to breathe. They would die. The idea of death at his age was like some terrible monster in the dark and its power to propel him to make a decision was swift.
"Okay," he nodded. "Try it."
Peter turned back to the collection of keys and immediately searched the variety present to find another that might fit the odd lock to their only way out of this room. He felt his heart pounding within his chest as he tried to find the correct one, hoping that the selection of an incorrect one would not compound his mistake. Finally, he rested his choice upon a key shaped not too differently from the one he had attempted to use before. Logic dictated that it had to be roughly the same shape if the odd design of the lock was any indicator of how its key should appear to be.
The minute Peter lifted up the key from its hook, that same creaking nose followed and this time it was followed by what sounded like sliding rock against rock. It was followed by the sound of water pouring onto the ground.
"Mike!" Sam pointed to the opening in the wall that had appeared when Peter had lifted the key. Water and lots of it was pouring into the room and having no where to drain, began filling up the narrow space that they were presently occupying.
Squeals of fright came from all the younger children with even Penny letting out a fearful cry as the water rushed around their ankles and continued its ascent upward.
"I'll try again!" Peter said frantically, turning to the wall and grabbing a key before Mike could stop him.
"No Peter don't!" Mike shouted but it was an effort in vain.
They could not hear the activation of the mechanism this time because the sound of rushing water filling up the room was loud enough to mask the creak that was produced by it. However, that it had been activated, there was no doubt. Above their heads, the ceiling was slowly starting to lower and the question of how the corpse on the ground had met its end was more or less answered.
"Peter!" Mike turned a fierce glare on his friend. "Touch absolutely nothing!"
"We're going to die!" Penny started to exclaim and glared at her brother. "I always knew you were going to get me killed!"
"I'm sorry!" Peter sputtered in horror, unable to imagine what to say as he saw the walls continuing to lower, not to mention the double hand of jeopardy they had been dealt with the water that was filling up the room. He was starting to wonder which was a more merciful way to die. Drowning or being crushed to death and was quick to discover that he really could not make the distinction.
"What are we going to do?" Sam was not panicking yet but she was getting close. He could see the fear in her eyes that she was trying to keep under control because she did not want to frighten the others when the situation they were currently in was doing more than enough towards that end already.
"I don't know." Mike shook his head and turned to the lock understanding that unless one picked the right key, they would not survive the trap the others would set in motion. The puzzle before him was one he could not understand because there were so many of keys that there could not possibly be any way for someone to pick exactly the right one. The map had given no clues as to which one they ought to pick. How were they supposed to spot the difference between one key from another? It was impossible.
To face the trial we must think with more than our eyes, see with more than our minds.
Was it more than just words, was that the clue? Mike ignored the frightened cries of his friends around him as they began beating against the door they had entered to force it open while the little ones started whimpering in fright. Mike paid little attention to all of these, looking to the door that would offer them salvation if only they could unravel the enigma around it. The water had reached their waist by now and although the torch was still breathing, it was also consuming valuable oxygen they would soon need themselves. However, none of this effected Michael Larabee as he approached the lock.
Think with more than our eyes.
The phrase kept repeating itself in his head as his mind started racing. All those keys with their hidden traps, why? Anyone who walked into this place it was the most obvious way of opening the door. They saw it with their eyes and thus they acted. An illusion, a misconception that because there were keys that must be the way to open the door. Evidence of vision replacing the evidence of the mind. Ignore what his eyes were telling, ignore the keys and the lock and what do you have?
Five indentations, resembling patterns in the rock with no other purpose than to bring ornate attention to the keyhole.
Could it be that simple? Was it actually that easy?
Mike stepped up to it and placed his fingers into the grooves and pushed.
A loud groan was heard and the entire platform of stone upon which the grooves and keyhole had sat suddenly sunk deeper into the door and what sounded like a click was heard. The door slid open abruptly and the sudden escape of water forced all of them towards the new opening, like driftwood on the edge of huge swell.
They spilled out of the room and found themselves plunging into darkness.