Discern, Mosaic Chronicles Book One

Chapter Ten

Digging commenced bright and early the next morning, so early that the sun had barely risen and most everyone was still sleeping. But Coolidge and Howard's eager voices carried across the camp, waking Nicole and the other girls in her tent.

Not surprisingly, Judith Ann began complaining immediately. Sylvia didn't say anything—she merely glanced heavenward. Camille made a comment about hoping the day would lead to plenty of cool discoveries.

"Don't count on it," Judith Ann said. "Can't you guys feel the pulses?"

Sylvia glared at Judith Ann. "Stop trying to freak everyone out."

"They need to know that the possibility of danger exists."

"And Coolidge hasn't been shy about that." Sylvia grabbed her things and stormed out of the tent, probably heading to one of the port-a-potties.

Judith Ann fell silent, and Nicole changed to jeans and a tee and shoved her feet in a pair of socks and shoes. She might as well get out and see what everyone else was doing.

Coolidge and Howard were leaning on shovels near the well, conversing. Nicole scanned those present and saw Jason not far from the professors.

She joined him. "What's going on?"

"We're just waiting for the digging crew to arrive." He glanced at his watch. "They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Are they going to dig straight down the well?"

"No, they'll turn it into a ramp. We'll bring power and lights down too." He rubbed his hands together. "And then the fun begins!"

Nicole smiled. "Judith Ann is freaking out—she was talking about how the new people can't feel anything and so we don't know how much danger we're in."

Jason scoffed. "She's exaggerating. Nothing's going to happen."

"But what about the people who've gone missing?"

He nodded. "Good point. Well, Coolidge is taking all the necessary precautions. We'll let him worry about the possible dangers." He glanced over his shoulder at the backhoe that was just arriving. "If we listen to him, we should be fine."

A couple of hours later, a ramp had been dug through to a small cavern. Nicole watched the whole time, finding the removal of dirt fascinating. She kept herself at a safe distance, but couldn't help peeking down the hole every now and then. Once it had been declared ready for the expedition team, she stole below to get an early look.

From the corrosion on the sides of the cavern's rocky walls, it was apparent that water once ran through it. A tunnel bent off to the right, preventing her from seeing anything else, and she decided to wait for permission before exploring farther.

Her heartbeat quickened as she left, her breath shortening. She felt close to bursting with excitement. What sorts of things would they find? Would they learn right away the source of the pulses that had attracted other Aretes' attention? Or would it take months?

While inside the small cavern, Nicole had felt those pulses. They were faint at times, but grew stronger the closer she moved toward that tunnel. She couldn't wait to start exploring.

After lunch, Coolidge made sure everyone had spelunking equipment—ropes, harnesses, headlamps, gloves, knee and elbow pads, and emergency essentials. Nicole quickly donned the gear—she'd worn this sort of stuff plenty of times. It was fun to watch Judith Ann struggle with the harness, though, and especially fun to see the girl's disgust with how it was supposed to be worn. Nicole chuckled, pulling on her gloves.

She took a deep breath, feeling butterflies erupt in her stomach as she thought about what the group might end up finding. Maybe ruins with magical items—pottery and other things from Native American Aretes. What could possibly be cooler than that?