The Time Travelers' Club -- Chapter 81: Into the Tomb

Deep inside a cave, a cloaked figure had finally found his treasure after years of searching.  He glanced down at the parchment of a hand-drawn map.  His lantern contained a bright white orb.

Holding the lantern over the map, he rechecked his location, knowing he had followed the passages just as shown.  Only one more turn and he would be in the great chamber.   Somewhere in the distance ahead, he could hear a water falling, splashing into a larger body of water.

Feeling his footing, he stepped cautiously on the wet rocks.  He could see the next turn ahead.  Quickening his pace, the figure stopped, leaning against the stone wall to keep his balance, and peered into the last passageway.  At the end of the dark corridor, he could see light.  The sound of the waterfall echoed louder.

Slowly, he crept down the passage.  He feared any traps that might be waiting, but he found none as he stepped in the great cavern.   Orbs burned in several pits, illuminating ancient carved pillars.  He could see two waterfalls into the center of the opposite wall. Between them stood two massive marble pillars side by side.  He walked to the edge of the pool and stood at the stone bridge that led to the other side.

Examining the scroll, he turned to his left where he saw a limestone wall with a grid of twelve shallow engravings on different squares forming a checkerboard.   Standing in front of the wall, he scanned the carvings, shining his lantern over each one.  Some reminded him of Egyptian hieroglyphs while others looked like ancient letters from the Roman and Greek languages.

The cloaked figure referred to the map, then the wall, then back to the map.  He began feeling his way along the stone wall until he found one particular engraving.  He pushed on the stone that looked like a figure eight with wings.

Somewhere on the other side of the wall, he could hear gears creaking and grinding. The stone panel sunk a few inches into the wall.  A gust of wind fluttered his cloak as it blustered through the cavern.  The pillars between the waterfalls began to separate, revealing a wooden door.

He ran over to the door to open it.  He turned and pulled the iron door latch. Its metal hinges creaked as he pulled the door open.  A musty and damp smell emerged.  He entered a dark passageway that led to a small chamber, where a bright white orb in a large silver bowl illuminated the entire space.

In the chamber, he surveyed several wooden boxes in stone crevices.  Some metal, some wooden.  Papyrus scrolls filled spaces between them.  Old leather-bound books lined other shelves.   Folded cloth and golden pieces of jewelry sat undisturbed.

The cloaked figure grabbed all of the papyrus scrolls and put them in pockets inside his cloak. 

Leaving the chamber, he stood in front of the facade and spoke the words of the incantation that would veil it.

"Velum hoc porta et ab omnibus qui quaeritis eam... Modo per heredes..."

The facade faded, taking on the appearance of the rest of the stone wall.

Gusty winds blew through the caves.  Their force moving through cracks and crevices sounded like moans and groans.   He spoke the transition incantation and disappeared.

The year was 1831.