Chapter 58
Duncan pressed his palms to either side of the alcove in the wall. He then ran his fingers around the edges where a door should be. Even this close, he could not discern any outline. It had vanished amid all the chisel marks.
When he had rushed down here with his flashlight a moment ago, he had caught sight of a stone slab rising, accompanied by a low grinding of rock. By the time he reached it, the opening had sealed tight, as if it were never there.
He suppressed a moan and leaned back to shout. “Sharyn! Archie! Laurent!”
He doubted his voice would reach through the thick slab of dolomitic rock. Still, he leaned his ear to the array of cracks surrounding the alcove, hoping his call had carried through somehow. He strained for any response.
Nothing . . .
He backed a step, noting the book was gone, too, likely taken by the others.
Without it, there would be no way to reopen the door.
He swallowed hard, his head pounding, fiercer than the heartbeat in his throat.
He felt ill and knew it wasn’t just due to his panic.
The toxin in the air was slowly poisoning him.
Now, with the outer bunker door blocked by snow, it would only grow more dangerous inside here. Even worse, the trio who had vanished below were sealed in even tighter and heading toward the source of the poison.
Duncan wrung his hands, something he hadn’t done since he was a boy. He almost lost his grip on the flashlight.
What can I do?
He took a step back, then another, knowing the answer. To help the others, he could do only one thing: Buy them time. Enough of a window so they could figure a way out.
Recognizing this, he twisted around and rushed away from the fissured wall. He hit the stairs and headed up. As he did, he felt the spirit of his grandfather looking down upon him, helping Duncan accept his duty from here.
To defend this castle with my life.