Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 GGRRROOCCCCK… Ian's knees buckled. The rock outcropping shook the ground, sending a spew of grayish dust that quickly billowed around them. Shielding his eyes, he spotted Amy standing by the figurine, which was now moving toward her. She was in shock, her backpack on the ground by her feet. "Get back!" he shouted. Ian pulled Amy away and threw her to the ground, landing on top of her. Gravel showered over his back, embedding into his hair and landing on the ground like a burst of applause. His second thought was that the shirt would be ruined. And this was the shock of it— that his first thought had not been about the shirt. Or the

coin. Or himself. It had been about her. But that was not part of the plan. She existed for a purpose. She was a tactic, a stepping stone. She was… "Lovely," he said. Amy was staring up at him, petrified, her eyelashes flecked with dust. Ian took her hand, which was knotted into a fist. "Y-y-you don't have to do that," she whispered. "Do what?" Ian asked. "Be sarcastic. Say things like 'lovely.' You saved my life. Th-thank you." "My duty," he replied. He lowered his head and allowed his lips to brush hers. Just a bit. The air was slowly clearing, and the noise had stopped. Ian sat up, letting go of Amy's hand. The carving now jutted diagonally outward a few inches from the rock. Where it had been was now a rectangular opening. A rotten, acrid smell blasted from within. Alistair was the first to stand, dusting off his

carefully pressed hiking pants. "Hideyoshi's hiding place…" he said in awe. Dan and Natalie were right beside him, coughing and shaking off the dust. Dan recoiled as he tried to peek inside. "Dang, someone forgot to flush." Alistair had found Amy's backpack and was pulling out two battery-operated collapsible Coleman lanterns. Ian helped Amy to her feet. "Do you have the coin?" he asked gently. "We may need it later, to close up the entrance." "Po-pock—" Amy tapped her pocket. "I put it in there when the thing s-started to open…." Alistair handed her a lantern. "You and I will lead, Amy." As she walked on shaky legs into the cavern, Natalie glared at Ian. He winked at her and walked inside. Oh, she of little faith.

Focus. All Amy could feel was her lips. The bluish fluorescent lantern light danced off the crags of a domed cavern, the ammonia smell of animal droppings invaded her nostrils. They were in a cave that most likely hadn't been seen by a human being in half an eon, and her shoes were squishing into a carpet of something she'd rather not see. And all she could feel was the tingle in her lips. Everything was happening at once. The coin, the hiding place, the… The what? What exactly had just happened? Ian was walking beside her quietly. She was supposed to hate him. She had hated him. But for the life of her, she could no longer remember why. Despite the surroundings, she felt alert, alive, and unbelievably happy. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For what?" Ian asked. "For giving me that coin back in the alleyway in Tokyo," she said. "If you hadn't done that, this whole thing might not have happened."

Ian nodded. "It was one of the Kabra family's most cherished possessions. There were rumors it was the key to a Tomas clue, but my parents didn't believe it. I had to steal it from them." He shuddered. "I will not like to face my father once he's found out." Amy reached into her pocket and handed him the coin. "I— I couldn't," Ian said. "I promised." "We don't need it anymore," Amy said. "Thank you." Ian took the coin and put it in his pocket. But his eyes were focused upward. "Amy? Do you see something moving up there?" Amy swung her lantern upward, into a shadow that flitted and danced— and then broke away in a shrieking cloud. "DUCK!" Dan cried out as a liquid mass of flying bats chittered overhead. They screamed and flapped, their wingtips flicking Amy's hair like rain as she cowered. Then, like smoke through a chimney flue, they exited through the narrow entrance. "Are you all right?" Ian asked.

Amy nodded. "I hate bats." She sat up, swinging her lantern around, allowing the arc to include his face. Just to see it. And that was when Dan yelled again. "Amy, shine that thing over here!" It was the coolest thing he had ever seen. Cooler than the lifetime supply of Wii games he'd almost won in his sixth-grade raffle. Now Alistair and Amy were both racing over, their lanterns illuminating a mammoth pile of objects stacked floor to ceiling. At the top, where the bats had been, a grove of stalactites hung down. They surrounded the pile like an upsidedown picket fence holding it in place. They were swords— a tower of them, arranged neatly in a crisscross pattern. The hilts jutted out, some fancy and jeweled, others dented and dull. They looked like hands, reaching out as if daring someone to pull, which would probably upset the pile like a falling house of cards.