Winter's Edge

Chapter 66 - The Mountain

Ian

IN time, we made our way out of Denver and found ourselves well into the mountains. I was at the monk's mercy. Where his finger pointed, I turned. With each turn, he would say, "The Light says to turn here."

At Idaho Springs, we took a left onto Highway 103 toward Echo Lake Park. Just past the lake, Brother Lawrence pointed to Mount Evan's Road a little too late, and I had to swing the car around to turn, squealing tires, struggling to keep them on the pavement.

According to a sign, this was the highest paved road in North America. It took us to a Visitor's Center where the monk pointed to the north and said, "Head down that path."

"What path?"

He pointed again. "Between those trees."

"That's not a path."

"But it is, brother. Go through it."

I shook my head. We'd be lucky if we didn't drag the bottom of the car off.

I pulled through the trees, barely managing to keep the car from scraping them. There was just enough room to move through the forest here. It really was a path but thoroughly covered with tall grass as if it hadn't been used for years.

Brother Lawrence began dismantling the refrigerator magnets.

"What are you doing?"

He just smiled, continuing his task. Before long, he had a long stack of magnets and a plastic bag with the rest of their remains.

We came to a dirt path going in two different directions.

"Go left," he said.

"Whatever you say." I pulled the car onto the path and traveled toward the mountainside.

The path ended in a small opening in the forest where we stopped and got out. Brother Lawrence stepped toward the mountain and looked up again the way he did when the Light was supposedly speaking to him. He nodded as if he'd received the information he needed.

I slid my hands down my face, groaning. "What are we doing here?"

He turned and smiled. "A little faith can move mountains, brother."

He stepped closer to the mountain with his stack of magnets. I couldn't see what he did with them, but suddenly, there was a click. Then another, accompanied by the sound of scraping metal. The mountain began to move. Not the entire mountain but a large section in front of us. It adjusted and rumbled. Then the rocks practically unfolded and slipped away into the mountainside, revealing a large passage.

"Excellent!" The monk's tone was even more excited than usual. "It moved."

I stood with a dumbfounded look on my face.

He headed back to the car. "Are you coming, brother?"

We climbed back into the car and entered the tunnel. This lasted all of about five seconds when our short little trip ended in a large room with dim lighting around its ceiling's edge.

We stepped out of the car...and did nothing like a couple of idiots.

"What now?" I said.

"The Light says to wait."

"For what?"

The monk shrugged.

I closed my eyes and sighed. A loud thud reverberated through the chamber. Behind us, the mountainside door resealed itself, trapping us. I cocked my head at the door and then the monk. "What have you gotten us into?"