Part 32 (1/2)

”What do we do?” London asked.

”Go forward.”

”But we don't know how far this goes, or if there's any air.”

He wished he could tell her to turn back, but that choice wasn't available. ”Stay with the fish. Athena said it would be all right.”

There wasn't time to discuss it further. The fish, and its glow, headed away from them. They each took a final inhalation-maybe their last-before swimming in pursuit.

The cave stretched and twisted forward, its jagged walls lit only by the light radiating from the fish. Visibility was limited to a few feet. Everything else was utterly black. The water cooled as the cavern wound deeper into solid rock. He felt as though he were swimming into the underworld, shadows thick on every side, nowhere to surface.

Bennett swam as quickly as he could, but always careful to stay with London. She wasn't far behind, her strength having grown over the weeks, and though the closeness of the cavern walls seemed to intimidate her a little, she never hesitated moving forward.

Soon, his lungs burned. He felt the roof of the cavern for even the smallest pocket of air. Nothing. London struggled. He fought, but it was undeniable. They could hold their breath no longer.

His mouth opened. Seawater flooded his mouth and down his throat. He choked, gagged, and then- Breathed.

Incredible. Unbelievable. But true. He felt the water in him, even in his lungs, but breathed easy as if standing on the sh.o.r.e rather than swimming deep below the surface of the sea.

The same for London. Dawning awareness and amazement filled her face as she, too, discovered she could breathe underwater.

They shared smiles of commingled wonder and excitement. He never believed he could play the role of merman, and yet, here he was, and London, as well, both swimming, both breathing. And they had Athena's magic to thank for it.

But not for long. The glow of the fish dimmed as the creature swam ahead. They would have to keep pace, otherwise they'd both drown. And even if they stayed with the fish, Athena said the spell had a short duration. It might not last long enough to see them find air.

Onward they pressed. The cavern narrowed so that they could no longer swim side by side. His arms began to tire. Would they never see the end of this d.a.m.ned cave?

Then the cavern abruptly widened. An overhead surface appeared, its flat expanse a blessed relief. The glow from the fish illuminated what looked like a small rise.

Bennett broke the surface, London immediately after. He found the bottom of the cavern and stood. Before either he or London could look around, they both bent over, retching up salt.w.a.ter, until their bodies were empty.

”All right?” he gasped when he could speak.

”Don't feel good good, exactly,” she choked, ”but I'll get by.”

He rubbed her back as she coughed up a bit more water. She soon straightened and glanced around, the s.p.a.ce weakly illuminated by the fish swimming in the waters of the grotto.

”What is this place?” she asked, voice hushed and raw.

”The Black Temple.”

The light from the fish winked out, thrusting them into complete darkness.

London froze. She heard Bennett rustling through his pack, then small metallic chiming. After what felt like hours of blindness, he activated one of Catullus Graves's illuminating devices. Bennett took her hand, and together they waded out of the water. Both dressed quickly in the chill of the cavern. He strapped on his revolver while she wrung out her hair. Each of them brandished the illuminating devices to a.s.sess their surroundings, moving slowly deeper into the cave.

”Stay close,” Bennett cautioned. His voice echoed hollowly in the arches of the cavern. ”Nothing the ancients love more than b.o.o.by traps.”

She nodded, glancing around apprehensively.

In the greenish glow, the large cavern was numinous, chthonian, dissolving into shadows. London half-believed she and Bennett had swam to the very entrance of Hades. A temple had been carved directly from the cave's black rocks-a mixture of cla.s.sical Greek columns and older, rawer shapes suggesting creatures emerging from the inky stone.

None of this unsettled her as much as the palpable power charging the air. Even though they were deep within the heart of the island, the atmosphere of the cavern danced with energy. It infused her body, the filaments of her mind, until she thought she might fly apart. Or grow to the size of a giant and conquer the globe. No wonder men killed for such magic. Untempered, the power could engulf and overwhelm, seduce the unwary.

”It's here,” she said. ”The Source.” She shuddered.

”Makes my teeth feel like Roman candles.”

She stopped walking. ”Bennett-”

”I see it.”

A pool, twenty feet across, had been carved from the rock. Set in regular intervals all around the pool's rim were eight bronze handles, wide enough to need two hands. What arrested London and Bennett's attention was not the work of man, but rather the object propped up on a mound in the center of the pool.

”The Eye of the Colossus,” London breathed.

The Eye took the light of the illuminating devices, absorbing it, to cast the light out again with a potent radiance. Nearly two feet from corner to corner, almond-shaped, the Eye stared at them, unblinking, penetrative, as if seeing London and Bennett with the cutting wisdom of eternity. She felt herself diminish into almost nothing before its unyielding stare.

This was the object that men would kill to possess, men like her father and the Heirs. Empires could be forged and destroyed by harnessing its power. The knowledge sent icy fire flaring through her.

”Do you ever get used to this?” London asked, waving her hand toward the Eye.

”If I did, then I'd know I was dead.”

After walking around the perimeter of the pool, she saw that the Eye was flat, hammered bronze with a slight curve, and leather straps and a bronze handle attached to its back.

”Someone could wield it like a s.h.i.+eld,” Bennett murmured.

London edged to the lip of the pool, holding her illumination aloft. What she saw cheered her. Perhaps this would not be so difficult, after all. ”The water isn't deep. We could wade in and grab the Eye.” She moved to do just that.

He darted forward and hauled her back, his grip an iron band on her arm.

”Remember,” he said, voice tight, ”the ancients are always crafty b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.”

Taking up a loose pebble, he dropped it into the pool. London jumped back with a gasp. The water roiled furiously around the pebble, a seething cauldron. Had she stepped into the pool, her flesh would have been scalded, falling away from her bones as she watched.

”It didn't look like it was boiling hot,” she said weakly.

”The water's gone past that point.” A thin smile cracked his somber face. ”Too bad Catullus isn't here. He'd soil himself for a chance to study the phenomenon.”

”Maybe it would be better if Graves was was here.” London, still skittish from her close call, stared balefully across the pool to the unreachable Source. ”He could figure out a way to get to the Eye.” here.” London, still skittish from her close call, stared balefully across the pool to the unreachable Source. ”He could figure out a way to get to the Eye.”

”The ancients already took care of that.” He bent to examine one of the bronze handles at the perimeter of the pool. ”These are water gates. Each handle is attached to a metal plate sunk into the ground.” He pointed to the pool, where, London now saw, round holes were set into its walls. ”Drains. Each gate is connected to a pipe, so that, when pulled up, the pool will drain. Clever b.u.g.g.e.rs.”

It stood to reason that the drained water would have to come out somewhere. She glanced around the cavern, searching for an outlet. Best to be well out of the way, or else have super-heated water come pouring out on an unsuspecting victim. After searching the ground, she chanced to look up, and tugged on Bennett's sleeve.

At her wordless demand, he followed her gaze, and swore softly. ”Clever and and cruel.” cruel.”