And that is why, since then, neither she nor any of her siblings has returned to destroy it.”
Ian thought about Theo’s logic, and it did make a great deal of sense to him. “She’s right, you know,” he said to Carl, who still looked a bit doubtful. “If I were Magus or Caphiera, the first thing I’d do is destroy that portal if I could. It’s at the heart of all of Laodamia’s prophecies so far and it seems to be the gateway to finding the rest of the Oracles. Magus has to know that, so the fact that he hasn’t attempted to reduce it to rubble says that it must be protected somehow.”
“Along with the keep,” Theo said, and Ian watched her lean forward and place a gentle hand on Carl’s wrist, moving the torch along the walls and revealing half a dozen more standing stones set at even spaces into both sides of the tunnel wall, beginning about ten meters back. All the stones were arched and marked with the same angular lettering, indicating they were set there on purpose. Ian marveled at the engineering required to set such large and heavy stones deep into an underground tunnel. He was surprised that none of them had noticed the stones until they’d come across the one blocking their exit.
“Yeah, well, a lot of good that protection is doing us now,” Carl grumbled as Theo let go of his arm and he turned back to the cave-in. He then ducked low and shone historch under the belly of the stone slab, pulling out a few smaller rocks so that he could get a better look. “It’s blocked all the way to the other side,” he announced.
Ian squatted down next to Carl and peered into the shadows. Under the slant of the slab he could see nothing but small rocks and debris. “We’ll have to clear it out,” he said. He didn’t know how far back the cave-in went, but the exit behind them at the cavern looked far more challenging to clear.
“What about that fork we passed?” Jaaved suggested while Ian and Carl looked glumly at the mess in front of them.
The boys turned to Jaaved. “Yeah,” Carl said, his face brightening. “We could try heading back that way and see if it leads to a way out!”
“Whichever way we decide, we’ll need to be sure of it,” cautioned Theo. “I don’t expect your torch to last more than an hour or so, Carl.”
Ian looked nervously at Carl’s torch, and the light did seem a bit dimmer. Then he had an idea and he pulled the sundial from his trouser pocket, grateful that it hadn’t been lost in the powerful storm. Placing it in his palm with the twelve o’clock marker pointing toward his fingers, he lowered it into the torch beam and asked, “Sundial, which way is the quickest out of here?”
Immediately, a shadow formed across the dial’s surface, pointing to the six o’clock position. “Good heavens!” Theo exclaimed when she realized what had just happened. “Ian! You’ve discovered how to work it!”
Ian smiled proudly. “Carl and I came across the answerright before we spotted the cyclone. That’s how we knew about the secret passage leading down here, in fact. The dial works very much like a compass. You just need to ask it where something is, and a shadow will form, pointing in the direction of whatever you’re trying to find.”
“Well, let’s not spend our time talking about it here,” Jaaved warned. “We should wait to do that when we’re aboveground and use what torchlight we have left now.”
Ian nodded and waved his friends back down the tunnel. “Very well. We’ll go where it’s telling us.”
It turned out that Jaaved’s suggestion to take the fork was right after all. The sundial’s shadow changed once they reached it, indicating that they should follow the new direction, and to their immense relief, they soon discovered they were in an alternate tunnel, which led to another—much shorter—iron ladder. Ian stood at the base of it and stared up at what looked like a trapdoor. “I wonder where we are?” he mused just as Carl’s
Ian thought about Theo’s logic, and it did make a great deal of sense to him. “She’s right, you know,” he said to Carl, who still looked a bit doubtful. “If I were Magus or Caphiera, the first thing I’d do is destroy that portal if I could. It’s at the heart of all of Laodamia’s prophecies so far and it seems to be the gateway to finding the rest of the Oracles. Magus has to know that, so the fact that he hasn’t attempted to reduce it to rubble says that it must be protected somehow.”
“Along with the keep,” Theo said, and Ian watched her lean forward and place a gentle hand on Carl’s wrist, moving the torch along the walls and revealing half a dozen more standing stones set at even spaces into both sides of the tunnel wall, beginning about ten meters back. All the stones were arched and marked with the same angular lettering, indicating they were set there on purpose. Ian marveled at the engineering required to set such large and heavy stones deep into an underground tunnel. He was surprised that none of them had noticed the stones until they’d come across the one blocking their exit.
“Yeah, well, a lot of good that protection is doing us now,” Carl grumbled as Theo let go of his arm and he turned back to the cave-in. He then ducked low and shone historch under the belly of the stone slab, pulling out a few smaller rocks so that he could get a better look. “It’s blocked all the way to the other side,” he announced.
Ian squatted down next to Carl and peered into the shadows. Under the slant of the slab he could see nothing but small rocks and debris. “We’ll have to clear it out,” he said. He didn’t know how far back the cave-in went, but the exit behind them at the cavern looked far more challenging to clear.
“What about that fork we passed?” Jaaved suggested while Ian and Carl looked glumly at the mess in front of them.
The boys turned to Jaaved. “Yeah,” Carl said, his face brightening. “We could try heading back that way and see if it leads to a way out!”
“Whichever way we decide, we’ll need to be sure of it,” cautioned Theo. “I don’t expect your torch to last more than an hour or so, Carl.”
Ian looked nervously at Carl’s torch, and the light did seem a bit dimmer. Then he had an idea and he pulled the sundial from his trouser pocket, grateful that it hadn’t been lost in the powerful storm. Placing it in his palm with the twelve o’clock marker pointing toward his fingers, he lowered it into the torch beam and asked, “Sundial, which way is the quickest out of here?”
Immediately, a shadow formed across the dial’s surface, pointing to the six o’clock position. “Good heavens!” Theo exclaimed when she realized what had just happened. “Ian! You’ve discovered how to work it!”
Ian smiled proudly. “Carl and I came across the answerright before we spotted the cyclone. That’s how we knew about the secret passage leading down here, in fact. The dial works very much like a compass. You just need to ask it where something is, and a shadow will form, pointing in the direction of whatever you’re trying to find.”
“Well, let’s not spend our time talking about it here,” Jaaved warned. “We should wait to do that when we’re aboveground and use what torchlight we have left now.”
Ian nodded and waved his friends back down the tunnel. “Very well. We’ll go where it’s telling us.”
It turned out that Jaaved’s suggestion to take the fork was right after all. The sundial’s shadow changed once they reached it, indicating that they should follow the new direction, and to their immense relief, they soon discovered they were in an alternate tunnel, which led to another—much shorter—iron ladder. Ian stood at the base of it and stared up at what looked like a trapdoor. “I wonder where we are?” he mused just as Carl’s
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