I pulled off my boots, then my shirt, and finally the gun belt holding my revolver. What are you doing? Seiya asked. I'm going down there to look for the entrance. That's the idea.
Cade, that's dangerous. I looked towards the black water. This whole journey is dangerous, but we've come too far to turn around now. She grabbed my arm. Then then I'm going with you.
No, you stay here. If something happens to you, and if something happens to you, everything ends. Her grip tightened. If you don't come back, I'm coming after you. We stared at each other for several seconds.
I knew that look. There was no point arguing. All right, but stay near the shore until I call for you. Understand? I understand.
We walked to the edge of the lake. The water was so dark I couldn't see more than a few inches beneath the surface. Ready? Ready. I filled my lungs and dove.
The cold hit me like a knife. For a moment, my chest locked up, but I forced my arms and legs to keep moving. I swam deeper. The faint light from above disappeared little by little until darkness wrapped around me. I searched blindly along the stone.
My lungs began to burn. Then I saw it. An opening in the rock wall beneath the lake. A narrow gap, a passage leading into an underwater cave. I kicked toward it, squeezed through the opening, and followed the tunnel until suddenly my head broke through the surface.
I dragged in air, coughing and gasping. I was inside a hidden chamber beneath the lake, a secret cavern, and somehow pale daylight filtered down through a crack high above. "Saya!" I shouted. My voice thundered through the chamber. "Saya!
I found it!" A moment later, I heard a violent splash from the other side of the tunnel. Then Seiya surfaced beside me, coughing hard and fighting for breath. "You're crazy," I said. "I told you to wait. And I told you I'd follow if you didn't come back." I couldn't help smiling.
You're impossible. You're not exactly easy yourself. We swam to the edge of the chamber and pulled ourselves out of the water. The cave was breathtaking. Crystals covered the walls, flashing whenever the sunlight touched them.
High overhead, a narrow opening allowed several beams of light to cut through the darkness. And at the far end of the cavern stood a door, a massive stone door. Its entire surface was covered in carved symbols. "What is this place?" Seiya whispered. The entrance to the second trail.
We approached it slowly. The markings carved into the stone looked ancient. Some resembled old symbols from cultures farther south. Others were clearly Apache in design. Nako made this.
Seiya said, running her fingers across the carvings. I recognize his work. How do we open it? She studied the symbols. I need to see the map again.