Part 17 (1/2)
Don't fall in.”
As he rejoined West and the others, Wizard recited: ”In the highest room of the highest tower, In the lowest part of the lowest cave, There you will find me.
”From Confucius,” he said. ”Third book of eternal maxims. I never really understood it till now.”
Near their position, a redandblack castiron archway spanned the first steppingstone.
Carved into it was a message in ancient Chinese script: A journey of a thousand miles Begins with a single step.
So too this final challenge Begins, and ends, with a single step.
Wizard nodded. ”Appropriate. 'Every journey begins with a single step' is a quote attributed to both Laoziand Confucius. Historians are unsure which of them came up with it. So here, where their two paths join to become one, there is just one quote.”
”So what's the catch?” Scimitar asked.
West eyed the steppingstones, the tower, and the great cavern, the intent of it all becoming clear.
”It's a timeandspeed trap,” he said softly.
”Oh, G.o.d, you're right,” Wizard said.
Astro frowned. ”A what? What's a timeandspeed trap?”
”A big one,” Wizard said.
”That usually begins with a single step,” West added. ”Your first step sets off the trap.
Then you have to get in and out before the trap completes its sequence. You need accuracyand speed to get through it. I imagine that as soon as one of us steps on the first steppingstone, the sequence is set off.” He turned to Wizard. ”Max?”
Wizard thought for a moment. ”'In the highest room of the highest tower in the lowest part of the lowest cave.' I imagine it's up there, in the highest room of that tower. I think we need your skill and speed from here, Jack.”
”That's what I figured,” West said wryly.
He removed his heavy garments, until all he wore was his Ts.h.i.+rt, cargo pants, boots, and the lower half of his gas mask, leaving his eyes clear. His metal left arm glinted in the dull light. He put his fireman's helmet back on his head and gripped a climbing rope in one hand. He also kept his gun belt with its twin holsters on.
”He's going alone?” Scimitar asked, surprised, and perhaps a little suspiciously.
”For this test, the most important thing is speed,” Wizard said, ”and in places like this, there's no man in the world faster than Jack. From here, he must go alone. He's the only one who can.”
”Yeah, right,” West said. ”Stretch, if it looks like I'm in trouble, backup would be appreciated.”
”You got it, Huntsman.”
Then Jack turned to face the long line of steppingstones stretching out toward the colossal tower.
He took a deep breath.
Then he ran, out onto the first steppingstone.
THE RUN.
NO SOONER had his foot hit the first steppingstone than things began moving all around the immense cavern.
First, a line of stalact.i.tes in the ceiling of the cavern-each the size of a man-began dropping from their places, raining down on the steppingstones, inches behind the running figure of Jack West.
Jack bolted, arms and legs pumping, moving rapidly across the high stones, seven feet above the mercury lake asboom!boom!boom! the pointed missiles rained down behind him, some hitting the raised steppingstones, others splas.h.i.+ng into the lake around him.
But he outran the rain of sharpened stones.
The flurry of stalact.i.tes was also highly distracting, designed to force an error from the intruder, but Jack kept concentrating as he ran, holding his nerve for the two hundred yard dash.
He hit the stairs at the base of the tower at a sprint, clambered up them two at a time, came to a high arched doorway...just as a miniwaterfall of ambercolored acid came splas.h.i.+ng down across its threshold.
Jack dived under it, somersaulting into the tower a split second ahead of the skinsearing acid.
He turned to look behind him-and saw the long line of high stepping stones all slowly begin to lower into the lake!
”Oh that's just nasty...”
At their rate of descent, he reckoned he had about four minutes till they were completely submerged under the mercury lake, cutting off his only means of escape.
”Jack...!” Wizard called urgently.
”I see them!”
He looked upward and, by the light of his helmet flashlight, saw that the tower was completely hollow: a soaring cylindrical well shaft rising ominously into darkness above him, with ladderlike hand-and footholds cut into one side.
Breathing hard, he climbed the ladderholds, noticing some small mansized recesses along the way. Curiously, carved above each recess was the Chinese symbol for ”sanctuary.”
A groaning noise made him look up.
The distinctive grinding sound of rolling rock, then a faintwhistling...
Jack swung into the nearest recess just as-whoosh-a twoton boulder came plummeting down the hollow shaft, filling it completely from wall to wall, whipping by Jack in his tiny recess, missing his nose by inches.
Once it was past him, Jack resumed climbing, and on two more occasions he dived into other ”sanctuary” recesses just before more boulders rained past him, preceded only by the telltale groaning.
”Why do these guys have to be so protective of their treasures...” he muttered.
But then, after a minute of climbing, he came to the top of the tower, to the point where it merged with the ceiling of the supercavern, and found himself entering a s.p.a.ce just above the cavern's roof.
He rose up into a beautiful square chamber, not unlike the entry chamber back near the surface.
Intricately carved reliefs lined the walls: carvings of the Mystery of the Circles and the symbol that represented the Machine, and against one wall, above a low darkened alcove: an image of the Philosopher's Stone.
There were other carvings, including one of four throned kings sitting shoulder to shoulder and flanked by five standing warriors, but Jack ignored them.
He crossed to the alcove and beheld within it a small stone altar on which stood one of the most beautiful, most exquisite, most magnificent artifacts he had ever seen in his life.
The Philosopher's Stone.