Part 22 (1/2)

”Do you still mean to go through with this?” he asks.

”I have to,” he stresses. ”This is more important than I can say.”

”Alright, what do you want us to do?” he asks.

”Fifer, you and Yern make your way down to the water lever,” he explains. ”Take the last eye ring and a sledge hammer. As close to the top of the water as you can, pound in the eye ring then return here.”

”You got it,” he says as they get the equipment and head down the stairs. Jiron hands Fifer his glowing orb for light before they go. They watch as the orb makes its way down into the darkness. Soon, the sound of them pounding the eye ring into the stone wall can be heard. Shortly after the sound stops, they return back up to the others.

”All done,” Fifer tells them as he hands the orb back to Jiron.

”Thanks,” he says. ”Now, to get the boat down there.” He thinks for a bit before continuing. ”We'll lower the boat gently until it rests upon the water. Then well put the rope tied to the stern through the eye ring. The rest of you will have to remain on the stairs holding it while Jiron and I get in.”

”Once we're in, slowly let out the slack in the rope until we're within the tunnel and I give you a signal to hold it still. At that point, I will be placing the box within its hiding spot.”

”What's the signal?” Uther asks.

”I'll make one of my orbs appear,” he explains. ”When the orb disappears, that'll be the signal to let the rope go. After that, you make your way back out. Make sure you allow the secret door to close, no sense announcing to anyone coming in there that it's there.”

”Alright,” Illan says. ”How long will it take you to make it back to The Ranch?”

Shrugging, he says, ”I can't even begin to guess on that. But if we're not back in a couple weeks, start worrying.”

Illan just nods.

”Everyone ready?” he asks.

When everyone nods their head, he has Jiron move to the bottom of the stairs to aid the boat in reaching the water safely.

Once they get his holler saying he's ready, they start lowering the boat over the edge. It seems like they're lowering it forever before tension in the rope slackens and they hear Jiron holler up that it's on the water.

”Secure it to the eye ring while we come down!” he hollers down to him.

”Okay!” they hear back in a second. ”Come on down.”

They make their way down to where Jiron stands on the step just above the water, the boat resting on the surface near him. The rope attached to the front of the boat is secured to the eye ring.

Giving Jiron the rope tied to the back, he waits while Jiron switches the rope securing the boat to the eye ring. When he's finished, the boat is now pointing in the correct direction.

Handing his pack which contains the box to Jiron, he has him put it into the bottom of the boat. Jiron is about ready to get in when he tells him to wait until the others are in position and gripping the rope.

”You ready?” he asks them.

”Go ahead,” Illan shouts down to him from where he's anchoring the rope.

Nodding to Jiron, he waits while he gets into the boat, then climbs in after him. He indicates the two oars secured to the bottom of the boat and tells Jiron to take one. ”Use it to keep us from the walls as best you can.”

Jiron removes one and indicates he's ready. To the ones on the stairs, he hollers, ”Okay!”

Slowly, the boat begins to move out into the rus.h.i.+ng torrent on its way to the outflow. The light from Jiron's...o...b..begins to illuminate the entrance to the outflow. ”Man, we're not going to fit in there!” he cries out to James. The opening looks even smaller than it did before. Water crashes on both sides of the opening sending fountains of spray up into the air, soaking them in ice cold water before they even get close.

When they're within several feet, they discover that they will in fact be able to make it through, though the ceiling of the tunnel will be but inches from the top of the boat. They'll have to practically lie down in the bottom of the boat to keep from hitting their heads.

As the bow of the boat begins to enter the tunnel, James looks back to those on the stairs holding the rope. The light from Illan's torch illuminates him and Uther who stands just below him from where it lies on the step above. Foot by foot, the tunnel swallows them until the light from Illan's torch can no longer be seen.

”Hold on!” Illan cries out to them as they continue letting out slack for James and Jiron to move even further into the tunnel. He looks behind him and sees there's only about another ten feet before they run out of rope. Still, James' signal has not appeared.

Uther's hands have begun to bleed from where the rope is cutting into them, but still he holds on. ”Can't hold on much longer!” he cries up to Illan.

”Yes you can!” he hollers back. Suddenly, an orb appears before them.

”That's it!” Illan cries out. ”Hold it steady while he does what he needs to.”

Keeping the rope still is much harder on their muscles than controlling it as the slack had been let loose. They hold it there for five minutes before Fifer yells up to Illan. ”The eye ring! It's sliding loose!”

”How long?” yells Illan back to him.

”Seconds!”

”When it goes, let loose or you'll lose your arms!” he yells to the others.

”What about James and Jiron?” cries Uther.

”There fate will be in the hands of the G.o.ds!” he hollers back.

Suddenly, the orb disappears just as the eye ring lets loose. They let go of the rope and watch as it gets sucked into the tunnel. ”Good luck James,” Illan says quietly to himself before they begin climbing back up the stairs.

Chapter Fifteen.

As they inch their way along the tunnel, the boat continuously sc.r.a.pes the sides and ceiling of the tunnel. Water periodically sloshes into the boat from where it hits the sides, and the bottom has already filled with two inches of water. When Jiron mentions it to James, he tells him the added water isn't that bad, that it will enable them to ride lower in the water and hopefully not sc.r.a.pe so much.

It seems they've been a long time within the tunnel before James finds what he's looking for. Suddenly, the light from the orb reveals a gap in the ceiling above them. When the gap reaches the middle of the boat, James releases the magic and the orb appears back with the others, signaling them to hold fast.

The boat abruptly stops its forward progress and James takes the orb as he inspects the cavity in the rock above. It's about two foot in diameter and several more feet deep. The light from the orb shows it is just a vertical opening with no place to set the box and crystals.

He feels Jiron tap him as he shouts to be heard over the sound of the rus.h.i.+ng water, ”You better hurry, not sure how long they'll be able to hold us here!” Lying on his back, he has one of the oars pressed to the side of the tunnel in an attempt to hold them steady.

”I know,” he hollers back. Picturing in his mind what he wants to do, he lets the magic flow as chips of rock begin to fall from one side of the top of the cavity, three feet above the rus.h.i.+ng water. A hole begins to form as more and more of the rock is broken away. It takes a couple minutes to clear a spot large enough and level enough for the box.

”Hand me the box,” he hollers to Jiron who takes it out of the pack and gives it to him. Setting the box within the just cleared opening, he checks a final time to make sure all is as it should be with the spells and the crystals. When everything checks out fine, he takes the warning crystal and the defensive one out of his pouch and sets them next to the box within the cavity. He activates their spells and then removes two small spikes and a small hammer from his pouch. Then taking the pack, he wedges it into the cavity next to the box, effectively blocking the opening.

Using his small hammer, he pounds one spike through the pack into the bottom of the opening, and another through the pack into the top of the opening, thereby preventing anything from inadvertently falling out.

”Ready?” he asks Jiron as he comes out of the cavity and lies back into the bottom of the boat.