Chapter Seven
Lisbeth stood with Rafe, Thomas, Benson, and the three guides outside the cave entrance.
Fadir frowned at the sky, shaking his head.
Lisbeth wondered if that meant they wouldn’t be able to enter.
Badr shrugged, and then they argued back and forth.
Finally, they seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.
She was the only one who didn’t speak Arabic, and it frustrated her.
Thomas turned to her and said, “Fadir thinks it may rain, but Badr doesn’t believe it will until later.
Fadir will travel with us, Badr will be further back in the cave system, and another guide will stay outside to alert us about any potential weather.
We all need to stay close to one another. ”
Lisbeth nodded, hoping that the weather would hold.
This path had to lead them to the tablets.
She followed Rafe, Thomas, and Fadir into the cave, carrying one of the lanterns.
They walked until they reached the cavity, containing the eight tunnels leading in opposite directions.
Thomas drew a circle over the tunnel that would lead out to the river and a triangle over the pathway that may potentially lead to the tablets.
She closed her eyes, silently pleading they would be found.
Lisbeth needed them to be there. As they walked, Thomas trailed the chalk along the wall.
A thrill coursed through her as they went deeper into the cave system.
There was something exhilarating about being back out in the world, searching for antiquities.
In truth, it didn’t even have to be the tablets.
Most excavation work was far more boring than those reading about it in London would imagine.
Days consisted of repetitive tasks that focused on caring for artifacts.
While searching for something new could be exciting, even that might become mundane to those who weren’t enthusiasts of the field.
It often took months or years to discover something from the past. They were lucky to have the map, or they might never have found the last two tablets containing the epic.
She smiled. Still, the search was rather exciting.
Liseth had forgotten how much she enjoyed this part of the antiquities field.
She was glad to participate but knew that if they didn’t find anything in the next two weeks, she would have to return home.
Her children, Alice and Jeremy, were her entire world, and after this little adventure, she couldn’t imagine leaving England for the foreseeable future.
The heaviness and sadness from her talk with Thomas the previous night still hung on her.
The conversation had been needed. She was glad that they’d reached some level of comfort with the past. Tell him, her guilty conscience whispered.
Lisbeth had revealed everything but one crucial detail.
Her chest tightened thinking about her omission.
She pushed the thought away. She would not dwell on the decisions she’d made so long ago.
It helped no one. She and Thomas had closure.
This tunnel appeared to be well-traveled, and she remembered Thomas saying yesterday that there would be another corridor they needed to traverse.
Benson glanced back at her, checking if she was still there.
She smiled at him. Her guard nodded, and Lisbeth decided silently that the man deserved a raise when they returned.
She didn’t imagine that this was what he expected when she’d explained she needed to travel to Syria.
They stopped, and Thomas handed Badr one of the lanterns.
He turned to Rafe. “Will you stay with him so we are all traveling in twos?”
His friend nodded, and the rest of the group continued on. A smile filled her face. The man everyone saw as the famous easygoing explorer was still very much Serious Thomas. She wondered how much exaggeration the author of the Thomas Easton serials used when writing them.
They walked for another half an hour, and then Thomas and Fadir stopped.
They were using measurements to determine their location.
The tunnel had widened. On both sides, there were rocks of varying sizes.
Fadir said something in Arabic, and then Thomas turned to Lisbeth and Benson, pointing at the wall of stones.
“Fadir believes the tunnel is behind here.
We are going to see if any of these rocks are movable.
If so, we can attempt to travel to the cavern where the tablets and other artifacts are located.
Fadir pulled a metal rod from a bag and pieced it together. Once done, he motioned for Thomas and Benson to join him. The first few rocks they attempted to pry out wouldn’t move. Sweat was pouring down the men. Lisbeth offered to help, but Thomas said, “Not yet.”
They all sat, sharing water. Lisbeth stared at the rocks. Some of them, over time, had become one. She hoped that the tunnel beyond the pieces of stone hadn’t caved in. “Can we use black powder?”
Fadir frowned, and Thomas shook his head. “These tunnels are sacred. While Al-Wā?a villagers are willing to assist us in obtaining the tablets, they won’t allow that.”
Lisbeth glanced at Fadir and nodded. “I’m sorry for the suggestion. I understand.”
Thomas translated for her, and the man smiled in return. She studied the rock formation on the wall and then asked Thomas, “Can I see your water pouch?”
He handed her the leather pouch that was still half full. She poured a little along the wall. Fadir nodded excitedly, knowing what she was doing. The water traveled along the areas of the rock formation, puddling on the ground.
Thomas leaned over her, and she did it again. This time, some of the water puddled on the floor, while some of it disappeared between two rocks. Liseth looked at them excitedly. “These are not permanently fused.”
Fadir placed the metal rod between the rocks and wiggled it.
The stone barely moved, but it did a little bit.
Benson and Thomas joined him, using their weight to push the rock aside.
The first couple of times they tried, it only moved an inch or two at most. Then they tried again, and the rock slid to the side.
It wasn’t a large space, but it was big enough to slide the lantern in.
Thomas leaned down and looked. “It is a tunnel.”
Fadir looked at the other rocks, but Lisbeth wasn’t optimistic that they could get them to move any more than they had. Thomas tried to wiggle his way into the opening but couldn’t. Excitement flared in Lisbeth because she thought she could fit. Thomas stood up and sighed, unhappy.
“I can go,” Lisbeth declared.
Immediately, both Thomas and Benson said, “No.”
She frowned at both of them. “This tunnel to the cavern isn’t that long.
If it hasn’t been traversed, the tablets and whatever else is there may be undisturbed.
Remember that tomb we found in Tuscany, Thomas.
Besides the dust, it was as if everyone had just walked away.
Items were sitting in the open, unchanged by time. ”
“It could be caved in.”
“I think I should at least go look,” Lisbeth insisted.
“Your Grace, this isn’t wise,” Benson said, not happy about her idea at all.
Lisbeth bent down and wiggled through the opening. She was momentarily terrified as she’d blocked out all the light.
“Lisbeth,” Thomas hissed. “We travel in pairs.”
The light from the lantern filtered in, calming her. She took a deep breath. “Thomas, let me just see what is at the end. It will only be a few minutes. You can call me back if there is a problem.”
Fadir said something in Arabic, and Benson said, “She shouldn’t be in there.”
Rolling her eyes, she exasperatedly said, “But I already am. Don’t treat me like I’m fragile.”
Thomas slid on the ground and looked at her through the hole. “You are a duchess, which makes you so.”
Annoyance surged in her. “They could be at the end of the tunnel. The map showed the corridor I’m in connecting to the cavern. We could be minutes away from discovering the tablets and other important artifacts.”
Thomas scowled but slid the lantern her way. “Promise you will go to the end and return right away.”
“I promise.”
He grabbed her hand. “I mean it, Lisbeth.”
She nodded. “I will not linger.”
Lisbeth rose and stood, peering down the large tunnel. Excitement surged in her, and if she was being honest, fear as well.
*
Thomas, Benson, and Fadir sat in silence in the darkness.
It had been too long. Where the fuck was she?
He heard pacing and suspected it was Benson.
He imagined Lisbeth’s guard was furious.
The move to climb into the hole without asking had been so typical of the Lisbeth he knew when they were younger.
He suspected back in England, she didn’t make such rash decisions.
“Where is she?” Benson snapped.
Thomas slid down on his stomach. “Lisbeth!”
Fadir, in Arabic, said, “She has only been gone a short amount of time.”
“No, it has been too long,” Thomas insisted.
In the dark, Fadir squeezed his shoulder. “You are nervous.”
Thomas took a deep breath, knowing he was right. He rose to his feet and was startled to see the tunnel lighting up. Rafe and Badr walked towards them.
Fear clawed at him because there was only one reason they were down here. Rafe confirmed it when he said, “We have to go. The rain is here. We don’t have a lot of time, but we should be more than fine if we leave now.”
“Her Grace is in the fucking tunnel alone,” Benson snapped.
Damn it! Why did he let Lisbeth go? He dropped to his knees to yell into the hole again, but was greeted by her grinning face. She pushed two pieces of stone through the hole in a cloth. “I found them. You will never believe what else is in—”
“We have to go. It is raining,” Thomas said, relief flowing through him.
She pushed the lantern through next, and then he yanked her out. He grasped her shoulders. “Are you hurt?”
Lisbeth grinned, clueless to how much fear she’d caused him. “Did you hear me? I found the tablets and there are more objects to study.”
“We have to go now,” Rafe reiterated, starting to look nervous.
He grabbed Lisbeth, guiding her down the tunnel, but she pulled away. “We have to reseal the opening we created. There are priceless artifacts in the cavern. They are protected by the rocks that are preventing water from getting in.”
Rafe translated her words to the guides. The men nodded. Thomas, concerned for her, said, “We don’t have time. We were barely able to move the rock previously.”
“If we all help, we can,” Lisbeth insisted.
Thomas and Rafe looked at each other. They could now hear the sound of water. Lisbeth joined Fadir and Badr, along with Benson. Thomas said, “Fuck!”
Still, he and Rafe joined them. They slowly wedged the rock back over the opening. It slid back into place, settling as if it had never been moved. Lisbeth beamed at him. He handed the tablets to Rafe and the lantern to her. “Go.”
He raced behind her. A small amount of water was starting to weave its way down the corridor. They needed to reach the initial cavity with all the tunnels before it filled. If they made it, they could climb on the ledge and be safe. They hadn’t encountered rushing water yet, so that was good.
Thomas breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the cavern.
The water was ankle-deep, but there was no rushing water yet.
He pushed Lisbeth up the ledge, then Benson, and then Rafe.
The sound of water was getting louder. Lisbeth peered over with the lantern.
“Give Rafe your hand. It sounds like it is coming.”
He and Fadir hoisted up Badr. The roaring sound of water was now reverberating through the cave system.
They weren’t going to make it up the ledge.
Lisbeth saw the moment he and Badr stepped towards the opening that kicked out to the river.
He didn’t have time to reassure Lisbeth because, seconds later, the water swept him away.
Thomas held his breath, remembering to keep as straight as possible and not hold onto anything.
The water was moving so fast. In spots, it didn’t fill the whole tunnel, and he was able to get more air.
Still, the blackness terrified him. Fadir had said it would be sixty seconds; he closed his eyes and embraced that he had no control. He began to count to sixty.