“Why were the shadows on the reservation drawn to you, Elsbeth?” Alex asks her, intent on her answer.
She is stunned as she stares at him, “How did you know? Did your father tell you that?” she asks quietly. Nothing should surprise her at this point, but she finds it hard to believe he would have told his son about demons.
“I’ve always seen them, the Shadows. Some are good and some evil. Dad has been teaching me how to handle that.”
Elsbeth feels tired as she looks at the young man before her. Not sure what to say, she tells him the truth, “I was taken by a very evil one, Alex. I couldn’t get away. The days felt like years, the moments like centuries,” drifting off she shakes herself and continues saying “After my rescue they seem to be able to find me no matter where I am, unless I have a shield.” Smiling at him, “Your father is a natural shield and you must be also, or they would be attacking us now.”
The sound of crunching gravel points to Hunter’s return. He enters the small cavern where they wait and says, “I found it. Let’s go.”
Helping Elsbeth to her feet, Alex watches her walk to his father and says, “You are safe with us, Beth.” She follows Hunter into the second tunnel on the right. It is supported down its length by columns of wood. Careful not to bump the wood, they come to a stop and Hunter points up.
“That’s where we need to go.” Shaking a map out of his backpack, he rechecks his position. Directing their lights, they illuminate the shaft above. It is dug at an angle and disappears above.
“How are we supposed to do that?” Elsbeth asks incredulously.
“We climb.” Hunter says calmly. “I will go up with Alex and we will pull you up.”
Alex says, “I’ve got this!” He climbs the shaft quickly, slipping as he ascends. After a moment, he yells back, “Give me some light, Dad.” Hunter directs the battery powered spotlight; illuminating the tunnel.
“It’s damp and slippery, so be careful. Make sure your footing is good. I will tie us together just in case,” Hunter says slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her body to his.
Her fear is forgotten quickly as she looks up at his smiling face and he says, “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it, Elsbeth.” He leans his face sideways while jerking the rope tightly around her body “Ropes can be very useful.”
The sound of her laughter fills the tunnel and she responds, “You are an animal, Hunter. Boost me up, let’s get this over with,” she says turning around. Elsbeth waits for him to enter the shaft above.
Hunter slips and slides his way up looking for Alex, relieved to see him securing a safety harness to a large rock. “Okay, let’s go,” he calls down and reaches for Elsbeth’s hand to pull her up. Grasping her right arm, he pulls and she pushes, climbing up into the cut out. After a few minutes, they reach a horizontal area in the shaft.
While Elsbeth catches her breath, Alex crawls ahead and calls back, “There’s a small tunnel here, Dad, but I can’t fit inside.”
As Hunter looks into the tunnel, he notices that it is about three feet tall. With another look, he can see it is long and narrow, and seems to open up to a larger room. As Hunter starts to backup, he is surprised to feel Elsbeth crawl up behind him.
“I can fit,” she says quietly looking over his shoulder.
“No, we can find another vein further up,” Hunter starts to say, but Elsbeth stops him.
“I feel them, Hunter. They are inside, let me go,” she insists.
“I am still tied to you. If I get into trouble you can pull me out,” she tells him as she checks the knots of the rope holding her. Moving past him, she feels a sense of urgency she can’t explain. “I have to go now!” she says sliding past Hunter and Alex. Before he can stop her, she switches on her helmet light and squirms inside the opening.
Elsbeth crawls inside the muddy tunnel, creeping along on her hands and knees, almost twelve feet before slowing. A breeze brushes against her face. She stops for a moment, and sees the opening to the other chamber.
“Why have you stopped? Are you okay?” Hunter calls to her.
“I’m good. I see the opening. Give me a minute.” As she carefully crawls to the end of the cut out, Elsbeth realizes the ground beneath her ends in a cliff. She inches to the edge, and is relieved to feel it open above her head. With a glance, she realizes it is a small cavern. At the edge, she looks down, and sees a two foot drop to what looks like a floor. It is covered in dust, mud and layers of rocks. Elsbeth decides to test it. She rotates around feet first and pushes with one boot to see if it is secure. Finding it can hold her weight: she climbs out and stands up slowly. She adds extra light by turning on her flashlight and her breath catches. She is surrounded by bloodstones.
“Hunter, I found them! It is so beautiful!” she yells back to him. The cavern walls are a deep forest green with red swirls imbedded in them. Entranced by the sparkling beauty of the stones, she does not feel the floor weakening until it gives away. With a blood curdling scream, she falls.
Her scream and the sudden uncoiling of the rope at his feet cause Hunter to panic, “Elsbeth!!” he yells bracing for her weight. Tied to her he prays the rope holds. Alex grabs his father’s waist helping to brace him for the impact. Hunter calculates quickly. The rope is only sixteen feet long. She climbed roughly twelve feet, so she will free fall a few feet unless the ground stops her first.
