THE GOLDEN ROSE

Chapter 12 - Forced To His Knees

Caves near Zacatecas, New Spain - 1770

Eduardo pulled his pony up and turned in his saddle.

"This is as far as I go," he said. He pointed up the hill. "The entrance is in there, take a torch, but be aware there is not a lot of air in there, so it may go out."

"How do you know about it if you are all too scared, or are forbidden to go there?" Clara asked. She was Mexican, she believed in spirits, so she was a little nervous, but Sebastaio had not a qualm.

Eduardo shrugged, his favourite kind of answer. She knew from experience that was all they would get from him on the subject.

"When you return, simply follow the same way we came, when you get to the road to Mexico City you will know."

"You won't be guiding us back?" Sebastaio asked. Eduardo shook his head and turned the pony, then looked back over his shoulder.

"Good luck with your quest, you both seem like good people."

And then he was gone.

She followed Sebastaio up to where Eduardo had indicated the entrance lay. It was small and they had to climb in on their hands and knees, and then he lit the torch he had constructed and brought with him. They were in some kind of antechamber, a small narrow vestibule, and they followed it some distance before Sebastaio turned to her with a sigh.

"This is too dangerous, we can't see more than a step ahead and we could fall into an abyss or come across wild animals."

"Surely the conquistador would have felt the same way? May I?"

He passed her the torch as requested and she searched the walls in the area they were currently in, searching for a clue.

"Oh look!" she said. There was a narrow passageway that headed off on a tangent from the one they were in. She started to walk along it and he raced after her. The passageway was narrow and she was glad she was dressed as a boy because her skirts would not have fitted through here. Sebastaio could barely fit in himself, having to bend his head, his broad shoulders scraping the edges.

"Look!" she said with excitement. There were marks up high on the wall and she held the torch so he could read them.

"It is Portuguese," he said. "Those who seek the rose with a pure heart will find love and fulfilment when she is returned home." Clara looked at him with a huge grin. That was why they were here, to fetch the rose and take her home. They continued and although the passage didn't narrow, it did get lower and Sebastaio was struggling. In the end he was forced to his knees.

"Clara, stop," he pleased. "I cannot go further."

She looked at him in consternation. "Are you alright?"

He smiled. "Just too tall and too broad I'm afraid, but I can see a light, it's not far if you want to go."

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed. "But you will be in the dark!"

"I'll be fine, I can see you," he said. And so she continued on, and it wasn't too many steps before she came out into a round chamber with a soaring ceiling.

"If you can crawl through, you can stand up here!" she called and a moment later she saw him shuffle in on hands and knees. He stood and looked around in awe. The chamber was beautiful, the torch bouncing off the crystals in the rock making it look like a night sky twinkling with stars. He took her hand and held the torch in the other as they looked around. This was the end of the passage, there were no more passageways breaking off from here.