Child of Artemis

Chapter 12

They followed the dove into the shadow of the invisible something. The dove swooped low and turned once to see if they were following.

It flew steadily for a few minutes. Then the bird angled upwards and made a u-turn straight downwards over the side of the wall, where it landed on a stone pillar and cocked its head at them.

Taylor pulled out her handgun again, and wrapped the line around part of the wall and dropped down. Aurora slid down after her, follwoed by Avalon. Finally Ivan unwound the line and flew down.

They went up to the pillar. It was covered in Greek writing. The dove spread its wings and flew upwards. The pillar read, Turn around. The rest of the writing was a random jumble of letters. Spinning around, Avalon saw an arch-shaped doorway.

Taylor walked in first. "Don't see anything," she said. "Well, it's pitch black in here, so I wouldn't see anything anyway." Aurora entered with Ivan. Avalon went in last. The darkness engulfed her as soon as she stepped inside.

Blackness was all Avalon saw for a minute. Then her eyes adjusted to the dark after another minute. Then glaring white lights came to life, blinding her, then fading to a dim yellow glow.

They were in an earthen room. Boxes were grouped along the walls, with random objects spilling out of them and cluttering the room in an unorganized way.

"There's nothing here!" Ivan said, leaning agianst the wall. Suddenly, he fell through and the earth closed around him.

Aurora pulled out her sword and whacked the wall with the flat of her blade. The wall did not yield. Taylor leaned against it like Ivan had, and she too disappeared. Avalon put her back on it, and she sank into the wall.

It felt like she was sinking into syrup for a moment. Then she came free, stumbled, and fell. Ivan and Taylor caught her. "What is this place?" she asked.

"I don't know!" Taylor answered. Boxes littered the walls, spilling out a barrage of seemingly random objects. String tumbled out of one. Thick pieces of wood filled another. Yet another had bottles of glue.

The floor ended suddenly, replaced by a gaping black chasm. Ivan leaped up and flew across. "What about us?!" Aurora yelled. He flew back.

"Let's build us a bridge," Taylor said. "We got string. And boards." She went back and got the string and wood. Taking a ball of string, she unraveled a couple balls and tied them together, making 2 long lines. She wrapped the ends of each piece of wood with the string.

When she was done, she had made a thin bridge out of the string and boards, held together by the glue. "Okay, Ivan. Fly across with on end and hold the bridge while the rest of us cross." Taylor directed. Ivan stood and crossed the gap in the floor and laid the end of the bridge on the floor and held it there with his foot.

Taylor held down the other end. When Aurora didn't move, Avalon stepped onto the narrow bridge, fearing it it would break, or a knot would become undone, and that she would fall into the chasm. Put one foot in front of the other, she told herself.

She crossed it without problem. From the other side, Aurora gulped and prodded the bridge with her foot. She walked slowly across.

"I'll hold it while you go hold the other side when Taylor walks across," told Ivan. He flew across and held his side of the bridge down while Taylor jogged across. He then flew back across. Taylor rolled up the bridge and put it in her pack. 

Torches flared to life and lit up the previously pitch black earthen hall. All Avalon could see were dirt walls. But as soon as she took a step forwards, the hall shortened and they didn't have to walk far.