Hiding in a shallow crevice at the opening of Fingal’s Cave, Tinean watched unobserved as Sam recited the incantation, the entrance become visible, and the Club entered into the dark of the passageway.
After Tinean sent up a flare, Dr. Herkeimer followed
by his gang made their way to the cave.
Tinean pointed to the opening in the back. "They went in there."
Doctor Herkeimer stood in a fixed gaze. Standing at the cave's entrance, he whispered
under his breath. “This is my
destiny. I will make it right. I will be the better one. You will not win.”
“Let’s get on with this,” Dreda moved past the Doctor,
scaling along the wall to the entrance.
“It’s very dark and it looks slippery. I can hear voices from somewhere
in there. This must go deep under the
island.”
Rubbing his hand against a wet cold stone column, Vincent
was astonished by the natural architecture of the cave. “What beauty.
Such a phenomenon of nature. To possess
the power she has to create such a shrine in stone. To create a natural cathedral for the world to
admire. Look at that vaulted ceiling.”
Fan grinned at Vincent’s ability to admire the world,
even in the midst of danger. He hoped that
he would survive what was about to come.
Fan knew that the Time Travelers wouldn’t just hand over the boy or
books without a fight. His allegiance
to Dr. Herkeimer was no long a concern.
He had only infiltrated the group in order to limit their success and
gain access to the boy without jeopardizing his nearly broken relationship with
the Asian Time Travlers chapter. They
had no idea of Fan's work, but soon would, if he survived.
“Why don’t you shut up,” said Bruno gruffly to
Vincent. “We’re not here to admire the
scenery.” Vincent closed his mouth like
a child who had just been strongly chastised.
Making his way over to the entrance of the hidden
passage, Dr. Herkeimer stepped through the opening in the stone wall. He could barely make out voices from
somewhere deep in the cave. Outside, the
storm had arrived. The icy waters rushed in with force. Rain started to turn to snow and the wind
began to blow harder.
“We must get in quickly,” said Dreda. “This storm
isn’t going to be pleasant.”
Tinean agreed as he held fast to the stones. “And the rocks are getting slippery.” Just as the last words left his mouth, Tinean
slid, skidding into the waters. He
plunged below the water's surface and then bobbed back up like a fishing
floater. Gasping and grabbing for
anything to hold onto, a wave swept him to the back of the cave. Tinean clutched a nearby rock, hoisted
himself up and fell forward into the hidden cave's entrance.
The rest, led by the Doctor, raced to beat the surges
of water. Bruno brought up the rear as they
entered the passageway. Inside they
stood silent listening for echoes of voices.
Tinean was leaning against the wall, soaked, shivering, and
dripping. No one asked if he was
alright. And nobody really cared.
Dr. Herkeimer’s orb was a bright green and provided
just enough light to see a few feet ahead.
“We will need to be careful not to be heard or seen. I’m not sure what to expect.” Dr. Herkeimer began creeping along, watching
his steps, with his orb in front of him.
Further into the passageway, Dreda could hear Dr.
Herkeimer whispering to himself. "I
will succeed. I will succeed. I will not give up." He kept moving at a steady pace, with Dreda
right behind him. The rest lagged after
her.
From somewhere below, they heard someone shout
something they couldn't understand.
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