Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Nadirah and Phoenix had their first argument as they waited for the dark of night to mask their planned excursion into the ruin.
“You’ll stay here while I go check out the structure,” Phoenix declared as he readied his pack.
“I don’t think so.” Nadirah shook her head.
“Barring any biting insects or reptiles, you should be safe. I detected no large predator scents, and before I shifted, I marked the area around to warn off any that might even think of passing through.” The urine of a tiger would act as a deterrent for many creatures.
It probably explained why she’d not seen any small jungle creatures nearby.
“I’m not afraid of being by myself in the woods.” Not entirely true. She did feel out of her element. The real reason she wanted to go with him? “I want to see the ruin.”
“It will be dangerous.”
“I’m aware, but then again, so is me staying behind. What if you don’t return? I’m not sure I could find my way back out.”
A grimace twisted his features. “Guess it would be cocky for me to claim I won’t be caught. After all, we have to cross the camp to get inside.”
“Won’t everyone be sleeping?”
“Most likely, but there’s a possibility there will be a guard on duty. Not to mention, some people wake at the slightest sound, or someone could get up to take a piss.”
“What’s the worse they’ll do if they catch us?” she asked with crossed arms and an arched brow.
“I don’t know. However, I will remind you they have guns.”
“Most likely for animal danger. They are not going to shoot two curious tourists.” At least she hoped they wouldn’t.
His lips flattened into a thin line. “I don’t want you getting in trouble.”
“Too late for that,” her dry reply.
For some reason, that quirked his lips. “Guess so. You really want to come?”
She nodded. “All my life I’ve heard about the harimau. Now I’ve finally met one, and from the sounds of it, that ruin might have some clues about them, how they lived, where they might have gone.”
“Or there might be nothing at all.”
“True, but what if there is? If there’s writing, you’ll need me to translate. Besides, two sets of eyes and brains are better than one.”
He uttered a long-suffering sigh. “I don’t like this.”
“It will be fine. We’re not breaking into a bank or military installation.
It’s an abandoned structure in the jungle, and we are simply two nosy people trying to take a peek.
” She pitched her voice higher and batted her lashes in her most innocent look.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I begged my boyfriend to do something unique for our anniversary. ”
He snorted. “How am I supposed to say no when you look so cute?”
A grin burst from her at the compliment. “So, it’s settled then.”
“As if I had a choice,” Phoenix muttered. “But you will do exactly as I say.”
“Yes, sir,” she quipped.
“Since we need to be stealthy, I recommend you only step where I do.”
Nadirah tried to. She really did, but with the dark of night so deep, she could only barely perceive Phoenix ahead of her. After the third crackle of something under her foot, he paused abruptly, and she slammed into his back.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“We need to be quieter.”
Not we, she posed the problem. “I’m trying to walk where you are, but I can’t see anything.”
“I keep forgetting how my eyesight has changed.”
“Is the occasional twig snapping or leaf rustling really that bad? Won’t they assume it’s a forest animal?”
“They might, and they also might shoot if they think it’s some kind of jungle predator.”
A good point. “Guess you were right. I should have stayed behind.” She couldn’t help but sound dejected. She’d been rather excited about seeing the inside of the ancient ruin, a place the public didn’t yet have access to.
“Too late now. I have an idea.” Without warning, he scooped her into his arms, almost drawing a squeak of surprise.
“You can’t carry me all the way there,” she whispered.
“It’s not far, and this way, if there’s noise, it will be my fault. Now shhh. We’re going to be within human earshot shortly. No coughing, sneezing, or farting.”
As if she’d let loose any gas while being held by one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen.
A man of strength, he toted her with ease, and Nadirah couldn’t help but enjoy the closeness.
Even fantasized a bit, wondering what it would be like to have someone like him in her life as a companion and lover.
Phoenix was unlike other men she knew. Courageous with a touch of ruthlessness.
Adventurous and curious, with an unwillingness to give up.
He also had a very kind and caring side.
Just look how he’d nursed her when injured.
She also couldn’t forget his drool-worthy physique.
Pity he was out of her league. She knew better than to dream he’d find someone simple like her irresistible.
Yes, he’d sported an erection when he caught her ogling, but that didn’t mean anything.
Guys could get hard if the wind blew just right.
Her attraction to him would never go anywhere, but at least she’d have the memory of this adventure.
The man truly moved like a ghost, not once causing any leaves to flutter.
Not a single crackle or crunch with every step he took.
He moved with purpose and didn’t pause until they reached the edge of a clearing, which even she could see as a few solar-powered lights set on the outside perimeter illuminated the area.
His lips brushed her ear, and he spoke almost too faintly for her to understand. “Doesn’t seem like they posted a guard, but we should be super quiet anyway.”
The instructions sent her heart racing. They really were going to sneak into a forbidden place. How exciting.
With a careful tread, he weaved among the canvas tents, all of them dark, one emitting loud and distinctive snores.
They made it across the clearing to the monolith on the other side, the rocky surface projecting from the ground still covered in lichen and choked with vines.
Had it not been for the doorway torn through the canopy of green, it would have seemed like a hillock.
A single solar light staked into the ground by the entrance did little for the ominous dark maw that suddenly brought trepidation.
What would they find inside? Anything? Or had it already been completely stripped, making their trip for naught?
Before those thoughts even had a chance to bloom, she wondered if it would be dangerous.
An old place like this might be crumbling and hazardous.
What if the roof caved in? What about snakes and other biting things that liked dark places?
Before Nadirah could change her mind, Phoenix, who still held her, stepped into the mouth of the unknown. A shiver went through her. They really were doing this.
He took a few more paces before setting Nadirah on her feet but kept hold of her hand.
He didn’t speak, and neither did she, afraid even a whisper might be amplified, waking those outside—or any restless spirits within.
She usually didn’t believe in ghosts, but in a place like this, old and steeped in history, it wasn’t hard to imagine they lurked, waiting to haunt the living.
The dark pressed on Nadirah as Phoenix led them slowly forward, a blanket that cloaked heavily and left her blind. A good thing he could somewhat see, because she couldn’t. For all she knew, they stood on a precipice.
After a mile—that was actually about a dozen paces—he paused and let go of her hand to rummage in his bag.
While she sensed him close, could even hear him as he pulled something free, she hated not being able to see or touch him.
Feared something would snatch her or that she’d lose him in this lightless place.
Click. A faint beam erupted from the penlight he’d brought as part of their supplies.
“We should be far enough inside that no one will notice,” he murmured.
He pointed the beam around, showing off the fitted stones to the left and right of the archway, still solid appearing, despite its age.
As he aimed the penlight upward, she couldn’t see the peak of the ceiling overhead.
It went too high for the light to penetrate.
In good news, the floor didn’t look to have any bat scat.
She might have had difficulty holding in a scream if one came swooping.
The far end of the chamber extended too far to be caught by the light, the room larger than she would have expected. Larger than the house she shared with Nenek.
Phoenix kept pivoting the light, illuminating the floor, and she noticed they stood only a few feet from some steps that intersected at ninety-degree corners and diminished in length as they descended, kind of like an inverted pyramid.
“Can you see what’s at the bottom?” she asked when he crouched to aim the beam of light deeper. She could see nothing, but maybe he could.
“Just a floor.”
“Maybe there’s something on the walls.”
They walked the perimeter of the space, illuminating the stone, looking for carvings, anything. The recessed niches held nothing but dust and cobwebs.
The ruin had been cleared out, something they’d suspected, but still demoralizing.
“Guess we came for nothing.” She couldn’t help a pang of disappointment.
“Maybe. Before we leave, I want to check the floor at the bottom of the steps.”
As he descended, she followed, asking, “I thought you didn’t see anything.”
“I didn’t, but for some reason, the scent of those who’ve been exploring is strongest there.”
She had to wonder why the interest in the patch of floor at the bottom of the concentric steps. Interlocked stone, cleaner than the rest, the grooves around a section right in the middle more pronounced as if someone had cleaned out the dirt.
Once more, Phoenix crouched, his fingers tracing the distinct ridges. “I think this is a hatch of some kind.”