It was a habit that he'd carried since childhood. Whenever he found himself in a high place, Sean had to touch something solid that made him feel like he was grounded. His fear of heights had been a curse as long as he could remember. He'd tried doing any number of things to get rid of it: therapy, rock climbing, rappelling. None of it had worked. As long as he had a little room like he did on this path, he could still move. There were times, however, when he'd been nearly paralyzed with fear.
His mind drifted back to an episode high in the mountains near an old Buddhist monastery. A staircase cut into the stone—hundreds of feet above the ground—had nearly been his kryptonite. It took him an incredible amount of time to navigate, but in the end he'd done it.
For some people, that might have been enough to shake him of his fear. Not for Sean.
"You okay, buddy?" Tommy asked. There was a hint of ribbing in his voice, but he knew better than to give Sean too much of a hard time. He knew his friend loathed his phobia.
"Yeah," Sean said. "Better with every step closer to the bottom. You gonna be okay coming back up?"
"I guess asking for a donkey to ride back is out of the question."
The two shared a short laugh.
Reece proceeded at a rapid pace, leading the group through a series of turns until they reached the bottom where the path stretched out in two directions. A sparse river ran downhill to the left. He waited for Sean to bring up the rear since Tommy had long since passed him, hiking quickly down the canyon side, seemingly unafraid of the potential danger.
"Which way?" Adriana asked when they stopped at the foot of the trail.
Reece pointed to the right. "Waterfall is that way. Not far now. Probably another fifteen-minute walk."
He took a gulp of water from his bottle and then shoved it back in his rucksack. The others did the same and followed their guide as he navigated around the rocks and bushes.
The temperature in the canyon was much cooler than up above. The rays of the morning sun had yet to bake the basin's rocks completely. Plus the little river provided a cool flow of air just above the water as it ran along the path.
The group heard the waterfall before they saw it. The water crashing over rocks and splashing into a pool below gradually grew louder until they finally rounded a bend in the canyon. Then the canyon opened up into a wide U. Short trees grew sporadically along the water's edge leading to a pool about forty feet across. Big rocks jutted up out of the ground close to the standing water and reminded Sean and Tommy of a few places they'd gone swimming near the mountains of Tennessee.
"Kind of like the secret place back home," Sean said as the group's march stopped next to one of the big rocks.
"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing," Tommy said. "Shame we're in a hurry. Would be a nice place to go for a swim."
Reece took in a deep breath and sighed. He pointed at an area to the right where the path narrowed and continued up around the rocks until it disappeared behind the mist. "You can see the trail keeps going over to there."
"It's definitely shaped like a boomerang," Adriana said. She took in the scenery. "Quite the little getaway spot."
"Yeah. Nothing out here but nature and more nature. City people like to come out here to relax. On the weekends, this place will have quite a few visitors taking a dip."
Sean remained focused on the mission. "I'm going to take a look behind the falls," he said and started up the short hill path. "Hang back for a second."
The others watched as he made his way above the pool. He stopped where the trail narrowed and tested out his footing. Turning his body to face the rock, he secured his rucksack a little tighter against his back and then shimmied to the left, carefully moving a few inches at a time until he disappeared behind the falling water. He was only gone from view for a minute before he reappeared and started making his way back.
When he was back on the wider path, he turned his body and walked back to his companions. Before he reached the rocks where they stood, he shook his head.
"There's nothing back there."
23
Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory
Australia
"What do you mean there's nothing back there?" Tommy asked.
"Just what I said," Sean answered. "There's a little overhang back there, not much of a cave. Just a recession, really. But that's it."
Puzzled, Tommy took a step toward the hill path. "You're sure there's nothing? You weren't up there very long. Maybe there's a secret entrance or something."
Sean snorted a derisive laugh. "Trust me, you can go up there if you want, but you'll find the same thing I did."
"Take a look at these drawings over here," Adriana pointed at some rock art on the canyon wall still enveloped by shade. "Maybe there's a clue."
The others had been so focused on the waterfall, they'd not seen the drawings on the other side of the water.
"How did we miss that?"
"Maybe you were thinking about skinny dipping," Reece joked.
They migrated over to the water's edge to get a closer look. Several depictions of ancient people were painted into the stone. Outlines of white hands were smattered all over in seemingly random places on the scene. A boomerang hovered over the entire section of art.
"Boomerang," Sean said. "This has to be the right place."
They peered at the artwork—half in admiration, half in an attempt to unlock the code potentially hidden within.
"The riddle Mathews left mentioned the underworld. Notice how one of those people in the drawing is horizontal underneath a few wavy lines?"
"Oh yeah," Tommy said. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Looks like we're going to have to take that swim after all."
"Swim?" Reece asked. "You don't think there's something in there, do you? If there was, someone would have found it by now."
"You make a good point," Sean said, slipping his shirt over his head and unbuckling his belt. "But it can't hurt to check."
Tommy started undressing as well.
"Right in front of a sheila?" Reece said, still watching in disbelief.
"Don't be shy, Reece," Adriana said.
He turned around to find her in a sports bra and underwear. For a second, he was caught off guard and spun around to avert his eyes.
"What's the matter?" Sean asked. "Her underwear covers more than some bikinis I've seen."
"Fair point." Reece cleared his throat and glanced at Tommy. "Boxers, huh? I always figured you for a briefs kind of guy."
"Not sure how to take that. You coming with us or not?"
Reece sighed. "All right, fine." He began taking off his shirt as the other three dove in.
Tommy surfaced and screeched like a little schoolgirl.
"Cold?" Reece asked.
Tommy nodded. "Yeah, but it feels good. Come on in."
Reece looked around at the gear bags lying on the ground by the rocks. "You know, I think I'm going to hang up here and keep an eye on the stuff. Go ahead and check it out. Let me know what you find."
"Suit yourself," Sean said as he dog paddled in place.
A second later, he twisted around and dove under the water.
He kicked his legs hard and used an underwater breaststroke to swim closer to the churning water of the falls. White bubbles foamed violently for a solid fifteen feet around the base of the falls, making visibility impossible at the epicenter. Sean swam over to the left of churn and examined the underwater rock. After fifteen seconds of looking, he resurfaced and took a breath.
He ran a hand over his face and looked back at Reece still standing on the rock. The big Aussie put his hands out as if to ask if Sean had seen anything. His lips were moving, but Sean couldn't hear him over the constant sound of water crashing into water. He shook his head, and a second later, Tommy and Adriana popped up next to him.
"You guys see anything?" Sean shouted above the sound.
Their heads both tossed left and right.
"No," Tommy said. "The water coming off the top makes it impossible to see anything straight ahead."
"Should we check the other side?" Adriana asked.
"Yeah, just in case. But I've got a feeling whatever it is we're looking for is gonna be behind that mess." Sean jerked his thumb at the white foaming water.
He and the others swam around the churning liquid, and once they were on the other side, dove down again. Thirty seconds of analyzing the rock on the right produced the same results.
Sean pointed to the surface, and the three shot back up again for more air.
Reece put his hands out again, hoping they'd had better luck. Sean shook his head again. Reece was saying something once more, but they couldn't hear him.
"Only one more option," Sean said.
"I don't know, man. That's an awful lot of power right there." Tommy stared into the bubbling mayhem. "Seems a little dangerous."
"Don't worry, buddy. I know what I'm doing."
Before Tommy could protest further, Sean kicked a couple of times and paddled over to the rock face. He grabbed a slippery edge and shifted his hands to the left, moving a few inches at a time.
Tommy and Adriana watched as he neared the point where the water pounded the rock and the pool below.
"You think he knows what he's doing?" Tommy asked, tilting his head to the side.
"No, but you know him better than I do."
Sean's left hand disappeared into the falling water. His head and body followed next. A second later, his right hand was gone as well.
Under the falls, Sean found a momentary respite from the falling water that seemed to come down in a crescent shape. It wasn't much, maybe ten inches at most, but it gave him a second to evaluate the situation.
If there was some sort of hidden underwater cave in the rock, it had to be directly below his feet. He wondered how strong the water pressure was and if he could escape it if he fell backward into the whitewash. Then another thought occurred to him. How do I get out if there is a cave down there?
Only one way to find out.
He lowered his body several inches, gripping the wet ledges like a rock climber descending a mountain face. When his chin touched the water, he took ten short breaths and then a long, deep one.
Sean let go of the rock and dropped fully into the water.
The low, constant sound of the churning water filled his ears. He narrowed his eyes, hoping that would help him see, though it did little to aid his vision. Everything was a roiling white mess. He kept his hands against the rock to use as a guide, feeling his way along as he continued to go deeper into the pool.
He stopped abruptly. His left thumb was the first to feel it. Then fingers on both hands grasped it. He ran his hands along the underside of something that felt like a natural arch carved into the rock.
Sean lowered himself a little more and poked his head into the hole, still gently pushing his finger tips along the ceiling. He felt his shoulder hit something hard and jagged. The opening was only about two-and-a-half feet high and maybe three feet wide, possibly a tad less. He was pretty much going on feel alone at this point.
His lungs started tightening, and Sean knew it was time to go back up for air. Holding his breath for long periods of time had never been one of his better skills. He could go for maybe eighty seconds if he really pushed it, and that was if he wasn't moving much.
He pulled himself up the rock face and broke the surface of the water amid the deluge coming off the falls. He pressed his body against the rocks to keep the force of the falling water from pushing him back out into the pool.
After a couple of quick gasps, he lowered back into the water, this time hurrying to the cavity he'd discovered. When he felt his toes hit the bottom edge of the hole, he flipped his head down and pushed through the opening. He couldn't see much, though it was easier to see in the little tunnel than it was out in the pool. Ahead was nothing but dark, still liquid. He felt his back scrape against the roof. It stung for a moment and made him feel claustrophobic. Visibility grew fainter as he swam from the light, deeper into the underwater cave. Thirty seconds in, he knew he was going to have to turn back soon if he didn't find another opening.
His internal clock hit forty seconds, and still he pushed forward. He swallowed hard to help fight off the natural urge to breathe. At the fifty-second mark, he'd all but passed the point of no return. Every survival instinct in him said to go back. Sean pressed on.
One minute.
He felt his lungs begin to squeeze again. Go back, he thought.
Sean knew it was too late for that. This tunnel went somewhere. It had to.
He felt along the ceiling with his right hand, pulling himself faster with his left along the bottom. Seventy seconds in, his right hand pushed ahead. This time, however, it didn't brush against rock. It punched through the dark liquid and up.
A shaft.
Fueled by a desperate hope, he pulled himself into the new opening and pushed his feet off the bottom as hard as he could. He'd either burst through the surface and into a cavern, or he'd hit his head and die from blunt force trauma.
Either option was better than drowning.
His lungs ached as he shot upward. He winced, fighting back the urge to inhale. Then he suddenly felt the familiar touch of air on his face. He opened his mouth wide and let the air in, in huge gasps. He panted for nearly a minute as he hovered in the water, treading with his arms and legs. When he finally caught his breath, Sean spun around in the darkness, letting his eyes adjust.
He couldn't see anything. The room was pitch black. The realization that he needed some kind of light set in. He'd have to go through the underwater tunnel again. Fortunately, he knew exactly how to do it. The first run was exploratory. Coming back a second time, he could go much faster.
The only thing he could see was the faint glimmer of daylight poking through the tunnel below. Really it was more like slightly brighter darkness. It was enough to guide him back, though.
Adriana and Tommy exchanged a worried glance. Reece was shouting something to them but was still too far away for them to hear.
"You think he's okay?" Tommy asked.
"I'm guessing if he wasn't, we'd see his body floating in the pool right about now."
Her answer sounded callous. Tommy knew what she meant, though. Adriana cared about Sean as much as anyone, if not more. She didn't want anything to happen to him. If she believed he was okay, Tommy should, too.
That being said, he still stole a look over his shoulder to see if anything was floating in the water.
Sean's head popped up right behind him, nearly scaring him up onto the rocks.
"Ah!" Tommy shouted and grabbed the next ledge up.
Sean shook his head to get rid of any excess water and then rubbed his face and eyes.
"Did you find it?" Adriana asked.
Sean nodded. "I think so. But it's a dangerous little swim. You have to go in through an underwater tunnel. Figure we can do it in about a minute. Maybe fifty seconds. You can hold your breath that long, right?"
"Easily," she said. Adriana had developed that skill over years and years of practice, beginning when she was a child.
"Tommy, what about you?"
"Eh," Tommy said, hesitating. "Not sure that's a good idea. First off, tight spaces. Secondly, underwater tight spaces. Third, I probably can't hold my breath for thirty seconds."
"Okay, that's a no for him." He turned back to Adriana. "Looks like it's just you and me, babe."
Tommy rolled his eyes. "You guys are starting to make me sick."
24
Watarrka National Park
After Sean and the others swam back over to Reece, he explained what he'd discovered in the underwater tunnel.
"Sounds like you're going to need light," Reece said.
"Yeah, you can't see anything down there. Pitch black. I've got some dry bags I can use. And I think the flashlight in my gear bag is waterproof up to a hundred feet. So it should be fine
."
"For a second there I thought you were going to ask me to go down there with you," Reece said, relief filling his voice.
Sean chuckled. "Would be a tight fit for you, big 'un. Besides, no need to have too many cooks in the kitchen."
"We'll hang back and keep watch in case more of those goons come our way," Tommy said. He pointed at a position behind some rocks on the other side of the little river. "We should be able to see anyone coming down the trail from over there. Plus the rocks and trees will give us some cover."
"Good idea, mate."
Sean slipped his phone into the dry bag along with his pistol. He noticed the look Reece gave him at the latter. "Not necessary, but I really love this gun."
"Can't say I blame you."
Sean tied the dry bag to a rope to loop around his ankle and then looked over at Adriana. "Ready?"
"Let's do it."
They jumped back in the water and started paddling over to the falls.
Reece turned his head and raised an eyebrow. "When's the wedding?"
Tommy snorted. "With those two? Maybe eighty years from now."
When Sean reached the rocks, he tightened the loop around his ankle to make sure he didn't lose the dry bag.
"So here's the deal," he said when he finished with the little rope. "You go under the falls, and then in the center there's a place where the water doesn't really hit you. From there, you drop straight down. It's probably close to eight feet under when you'll find the cave opening. Once you're in, pull yourself as hard as you can until you reach the shaft. Wait twenty seconds before you come down. That way I'll be able to shine my light down the shaft for you so you'll see it easier."
"Sounds good," she said. Then she pulled close and pressed her lips against his.
While pleasantly surprised, he still had to ask. "What was that for?"
"Do I need a reason?"
"No."
"Good. We'll say it's for luck, you know, for the benefit of our audience." She ticked her head to the left at the two guys still standing on the rocks.
The Sean Wyatt Series Box Set 4 Page 17
