Part 39 (1/2)

They alone remained in their original condition. And therefore the Piece they contained also remained in its original resting place in its original resting place.

But what West also realised as he climbed the ziggurat was that Imhotep III had shown respect respect for the Wonder he was defending: sure, he had surrounded it with b.o.o.by traps, but out of deference to its original architect, he hadn't laid any traps on the Wonder itself. for the Wonder he was defending: sure, he had surrounded it with b.o.o.by traps, but out of deference to its original architect, he hadn't laid any traps on the Wonder itself.

Gunfire continued to ring out from the two Israeli rear-guards stationed on the Giant Stairway, still holding off the American force.

West and his group arrived at the peak of the ziggurat, and found themselves standing seven feet below the jagged point of the stalact.i.te.

It was truly mind-bending to stand beneath such an enormous natural formation. It was just too big, too immense immense to comprehend. It was like standing underneath an ocean liner hanging from its stern, its bow pointed right at your nose. to comprehend. It was like standing underneath an ocean liner hanging from its stern, its bow pointed right at your nose.

Directly above them, a tight circular shaft bored up into the tip of the stalact.i.te, driving up into its core.

But there was also a notable feature below them.

The peak of the ziggurat was flat and square-about five by five metres-but taking up nearly all of its floor s.p.a.ce was a wide square hole that disappeared down down into the ziggurat, into inky darkness. into the ziggurat, into inky darkness.

Ladder handholds ran down into this square well-like shaft, and, of course, the square shaft was perfectly aligned with the round one in the stalact.i.te directly above it.

Zaeed bent to read an inscription on the rim of the ziggurat's square well-shaft.

'It is the Priests' Entrance,' he said to West. They both glanced at Avenger.

The Israeli commander did not seem to recognise the term-or its importance-and by some unspoken agreement neither Zaeed nor West felt the need to enlighten him.

West, Pooh Bear and Stretch unloaded their caving equipment from their packs and started constructing a large tripod-like ladder over the square shaft.

Within minutes, they had an A-shaped ladder standing astride the square shaft and reaching up to the tip of the stalact.i.te above it.

'Move,' Avenger nudged West forward.

West climbed the ladder, and disappeared up into the bore-hole carved into the great stalact.i.te.

This tight vertical shaft had ladder-like handholds, too, making progress quite easy.

But it wasn't for the claustrophobic. Glistening wetness trickled down its close, tight walls.

Guided by the flashlight on his fireman's helmet, West climbed cautiously upwards until he emerged in a flat man-sized tunnel that led out to the exterior of the stalact.i.te.

There he stepped out onto the path that spiralled up the outside of the Gardens.

By the light of his previously fired flares, he beheld the supercavern from above. The view was breathtaking. He saw the ziggurat far below him, its steps fanning outward, with the quicksand lake all around it, and-in the middle of the lake-the Well of the Winged Lion, with its star-like series of paths radiating out from it.

Interestingly, he saw that the Well had a twin on the other other side of the ziggurat-complete with an identical semi-submerged path. side of the ziggurat-complete with an identical semi-submerged path.

He recalled Imhotep III's words: the Gardens had been constructed as a mirror image, where both entrance and exit were alike constructed as a mirror image, where both entrance and exit were alike.

There must be another exit out that way, he thought. And now that he thought about it, he realised that Avenger and the Israelis knew of this exit: that was how they intended to leave all along, without being caught by the Americans that was how they intended to leave all along, without being caught by the Americans.

So Avenger wasn't entirely ignorant about this place- 'Come on, Captain,' Avenger said, arriving at West's side, rousing him from his thoughts. The rest of his team came up behind him, guiding Lily and Pooh Bear with them. 'You're not done yet.'

West led the group up the path that spiralled around the stalact.i.te.

Everything was moist, all the overgrown foliage was like that found in a rainforest: plants and mosses that needed moisture rather than sunlight to live.

At times the going was difficult, since some of the bushes had grown out and over the path and hung off the edge, out over the drop.

Although it pained him to do it, West hacked through the fabled plants with a machete, to carve the way.

Higher and higher they went, into the upper reaches of the supercavern.

The great quicksand lake and the ziggurat fell further and further away from them. The drop down to the lake was now a clear 400 feet, dizzyingly high.

At one point along the path, they came across a surprising splash of colour: a beautiful cl.u.s.ter of roses. White roses.

'How can they survive here without sunlight?' Pooh Bear asked.

West was thinking the same thing, when he saw the answer: a series of tiny bore-holes cut into the rocky ceiling of the cavern. They were barely a few inches wide, but they seemed to emit light light-natural light. The little bore-holes must have reached all the way to the surface of the mountain.

West noticed that the roses would catch daylight from some of the holes for a few moments every day-enough to keep them alive and regenerating.

'The Persian White Desert Rose,' he breathed. 'Extinct. Till now.'

'Come on,' Avenger shoved him on, oblivious to the monumental discovery. 'I'll put some of them on your grave.'

They pressed on.

On a couple of occasions the path delved into into the stalact.i.te- crossing through its core. Whenever it did this, the path met and crossed the claustrophobic vertical bore shaft that West had climbed into at the bottom. The shaft, it seemed, bored all the way up through the great stalact.i.te. On these occasions, the group would just jump across the narrow shaft. the stalact.i.te- crossing through its core. Whenever it did this, the path met and crossed the claustrophobic vertical bore shaft that West had climbed into at the bottom. The shaft, it seemed, bored all the way up through the great stalact.i.te. On these occasions, the group would just jump across the narrow shaft.

The Catwalk and the Most Holy Shrine

At length, they came to the point where the stalact.i.te met the ceiling of the supercavern.

Here, a rotten wooden catwalk stretched out from the stalact.i.te across the upper surface of the great cave.

The ancient catwalk threaded itself through several U-shaped beams that hung from the ceiling, and it stretched for about fifty metres before it stopped just short of a very large recess in the ceiling.

Handrungs continued from there, heading out across the ceiling and up into the dark recess. To hang from the handrungs meant dangling by your hands high above the quicksand lake 500 feet below.

'This is it,' West said. 'This is where all roads end.'

'Then go,' Avenger said. 'You may even take the Arab with you-although I shall keep the girl with me as insurance.'

West and Pooh Bear ventured out across the ancient catwalk, high above the supercavern.