The Stone Key (The Novel Adventures of Nimrod Vale Book 2)

by Natasha Brown

  He didn’t waste any time doing the same to the rock in right side of the doorway. When it slid up in place, hugging the frame, the smaller stone that had been braced below it fell to the ground, creating the last puzzle piece holding the framework in place. The once blockaded entry was now an opening large enough for them all to walk through.

  “That was so jelly.” Pepper stood beside me wide-eyed. “It was like magic.”

  I muttered to her, “It wasn’t magic, but science. The frame of the doorway is lodestone like Bardrick’s tool, so when he used it along the length of those stones, which have lead in them, he temporarily magnetized them. Like they say—opposite poles attract. That’s how they pulled into position against the magnet frame around the door. I’ve never seen magnets as powerful as these though.”

  Bardrick touched the stone doorway. “Is it different from your home?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I answered. “Your lodestone’s pretty powerful.”

  “Your grandfather was a genius!” Pepper responded with her hands on her hips.

  An embarrassed smirk slid across Bardrick’s lips. “A mad genius everyone was scared of.”

  “Looks pretty dark in there,” Kyrah said, gazing into the shadowy opening.

  “I’ve got something for that.”

  I slipped off my backpack to take out the antique lantern. The half melted candle inside still had a long wick, so I pulled out the matches from my pocket, opened the round glass door and lit it. The reflective panel behind the candle shined light out of the bulging front lens and into the darkened cave.

  I realized with disappointment, that the person carrying the light should probably go first. I considered handing it to Pepper, who wouldn’t have an issue with trailblazing ahead, but I didn’t want anyone to know just how freaked out I was. Famous last words.

  I tried to control my shaky breaths as I took a step through the doorway. The dim light from my lantern was enough to see by, but it wasn’t anything compared to a LED flashlight. My feet kept taking me forward as if I were on a ride I couldn’t get off. Natural formations in the rock left a passage through the stone that led downward into the earth. I couldn’t help but think about things that would live in a place like this.

  I whispered over my shoulder to Kyrah, who was following me, “There aren’t dragons here, are there?”

  She answered, “What are dragons? Are they dangerous?”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, they would be.”

  My free hand rested against the cool rock beside me as I climbed over a craggy formation. While the passage continued into the depths of the mountain, the air grew cool and moist. The pale yellow glow from my lantern turned a bluish tint. I couldn’t figure out what had caused the change until I walked through an opening that looked into a large cavern.

  Ahead of us a trail paralleled an underground river. Or maybe what was more accurately a meandering stream. The cut edges of stone, stained and worn by the passage of water, climbed five feet above its current level. A dome of rock rose high above the chamber, echoing the sounds of the trickling movement. Bioluminescent moss grew on the rocks, cavern walls and dripping ceiling, casting a magical aqua glow throughout the grotto.

  “Wow, it’s so pretty,” Pepper murmured from the pathway behind me.

  Kyrah and Bardrick laughed aloud. The sound of their voices danced off the walls of the caverns, echoing from every direction. “We found the source of the springs!”

  It was bright enough without need of the lantern, so I opened the glass door to blow out the candle, not wanting to waste it. A curl of smoke rose into my nostrils, and I waved it away.

  I stepped farther into the cavern, getting closer to the stream of water. Something unexpected moved through the swirling eddies. I stopped in my tracks, checking to see if I’d imagined it. Glowing teardrops darted through the slow current. Curiosity took over, and I squatted down to get a closer look. I blinked at the translucent fish swimming in the stream, their fan-shaped scales radiating a luminous range of blue light.

  Pepper and Kyrah joined me. When I looked at Pepper, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Her eyes continued to get larger the further we ventured into the grotto. Although, mine were probably just as wide as hers.

  Kyrah flicked a tiny rock into the moving water and watched the fish glide away. She said, “They eat the moss, which makes their scales glow. I used to stay up late just to watch them swim in the fountain in the town square, but they’ve all died since the water supply was cut off and the fountain dried up.”

  Pepper rested her chin on her knee and sighed. “Zounds.”

  I stood up and gripped my backpack strap. “It’s obvious the flow’s reduced. I mean, look at the old water line along the channel. I don’t think it’s time to celebrate just yet.”

  “He’s right.” Bardrick had moved ahead and was waving to us. “C’mon, let’s keep moving. We need to go upstream to see if we can find the problem.”

  “Think that was caused by the earthquake?” Pepper asked.

  “Only one way to find out,” Bardrick answered.

  We followed after him, continuing along the rocky trail beside the subterranean stream. The walk turned into a hike as we moved slowly uphill. I might not have been able to see the horizon from deep inside the mountain, but my muscles knew which way was up. Without the sun or a watch, I didn’t know how much time had passed. Although, my stomach knew it was empty of food. It rumbled noisily as I followed in Kyrah’s footsteps. She stopped so suddenly that I almost walked right into her. Pepper wasn’t as lucky, bumping into my backpack.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed. “What’s the holdup?”

  I leaned to the side for a clear view around Kyrah and saw Bardrick stop at a pile of stones. He was scratching his forehead. “I think this used to be the trail upstream.”

  “Oh dear,” Kyrah muttered. “I suppose there’s too many of them to move out of the way?”

  All of us stared soundlessly at the unwelcome pile of rubble. Rocks and boulders were piled in a jumble, completely blocking our way along the passage. They rose high into the air, nearly twenty feet up.

  “We could just get into the stream and go around that way,” Bardrick said, gesturing to the channel of water moving below us.

  I heard the smile on Kyrah’s lips when she answered, “We could also climb over—then our gear won’t get wet. I have a rope.”

  Bardrick faced us and rubbed his jaw. “Everyone up for that?”

  My muscles ached from so much exercise, and I was convinced my stomach was going to cause another earthquake it was grumbling so much.

  “I need to stop and eat before I go anywhere,” I panted, with my hand at my side.

  “Sounds fair,” Bardrick answered with a shrug. He slipped off his pack and sat down on a rock that looked like a long, slanted bench.

  Pepper edged around me and sat on a stone that was more of a perch so that she could impatiently watch me eat. It was easy to imagine her thoughts as she scowled and ate the banana she’d pulled from her backpack. I knew she would eventually tell me to hurry up, and I generally tried to avoid being nagged at by Pepper, so I sat directly on the trail and inhaled my peanut butter and jelly sandwich as fast as I could.

  Because I was busy eating, I left the talking to Bardrick and Kyrah who’d clearly already eaten and were simply waiting for us. Kyrah went to sit beside Bardrick on the long rock and watched him gather small fist-sized stones on the ground at his feet. He began stacking them like a painter might apply paint to a canvas. His forehead wrinkled with concentration, and before long a tower rose above his knees.

  “Wow,” Kyrah breathed out. “It’s far more fun watching them get made than it is finding them. Are you the one who leaves these around the city?”

  She watched Bardrick with an expression of amazement. While I took a sip of water from my bottle, trying to clear peanut butter from the roof of my mouth, I watched him attempt to hide his smile. He gave a shy response. “Yeah.”
>
  “I love them!”

  “Not everybody does,” he said. “Most people kick them over, and if the guards catch me doing it, they threaten to fine me.”

  “I can’t believe stacking a few rocks is so offensive. Our city is built of stacked rocks!” Kyrah sat tall, her hands braced against her knees. “I wish Father listened to me about these things.”

  “I know what you mean,” Pepper said while she dropped her banana peel back in her bag.

  “Do you?” I asked, lowering my last bite of sandwich. The scowl she leveled my way made me realize my mistake. So, of course, I made it worse by continuing to talk. “I just mean, have you really tried talking with your parents? I always hear you say they don’t care about you, but do you ever tell them what you want?”

  “You don’t know anything about my life. You never ask—you don’t even care.” Pepper stood up, and I wished I hadn’t even opened my mouth.

  I didn’t know where she got the idea that I didn’t care. That was plain stupid. Now, I might not have said it, like ever, but I showed her by hanging out with her. In guy speak that was loud and clear. I ate the last piece of my sandwich before saying, “I’m sorry, I don’t always hear good things about parents—but it’s easy to complain when you have them. You’re lucky you have one to complain about.”

  “Not so sure about that,” Pepper muttered. She put on her backpack and faced the cave-in. “Let’s get going, we didn’t come here for a spa day.”

  Bardrick and Kyrah exchanged an uncomfortable look, then stood up to join her. I rose slowly. This was just perfect. Now for the rest of the day, she’d probably be angry and give me the silent treatment. Strangely, I was more afraid of a quiet Pepper than a loud one.

  She was already trying to find handholds on the rock, unsuccessfully too. I heard her swear under her breath. If she was having issues getting up, then I was in trouble. Choosing between climbing over a cave-in or wading upstream was an easy decision. I scratched my head and said, “Don’t want to spoil your day, but I don’t know if I can climb that.”

  Kyrah rubbed her hands together with her head tilted back, staring at the rocky pile. She looked at me, and I tried to sell my unhappiness at the thought of climbing a high rocky wall with one look. She wandered to the edge of the channel and glanced down. “Fine, I could tie the rope off and climb down to see if there’s an easy way around the cave-in.”

  “Are you sure you should do that, Duchess?” Bardrick asked.

  I spotted the same warning signs I’d seen before my talk with Pepper and wished I could have signaled Bardrick, but it was too late. Kyrah’s chest puffed up, and she struck her pointer finger into his chest. Her voice came out in a hiss. “Just because I’m the duke’s daughter, doesn’t make me a silly ‘lady’ who can’t do anything useful! And don’t call me duchess—my name’s Kyrah!”

  “Okay,” was all Bardrick was able to say in response. He watched her take out a length of rope from her backpack and loop it around a large boulder before tying it off. She didn’t give him another look as she faced us and repelled backward off the ledge like a professional climber. He shot me a frightened look, so I shrugged back. Some gestures say it all.

  A minute later they heard a splash, and Kyrah’s voice called out, “Looks like there’s an easy way back up to the walkway from here. The water isn’t very deep. Okay, one at a time, climb down.”

  Pepper reached out and wordlessly grabbed hold of the rope. She lowered herself down the ten-foot drop using her feet to push herself away from the rocks.

  I braced my hands on my knees, watching her descend into the slow-moving water. It was further than I’d want to jump down, so I was glad Kyrah had brought the rope. When it went slack, Bardrick waved at me to go next. I worried that I’d look like a fish flopping on the line. Before I could smile and insist he went, he said, “You should go. I have climbing experience—I can help if you need it.”

  I really hoped I wouldn’t need his help. I mean, the guy had nearly killed me already, dropping a tool so near my head. I had to climb down eventually, so it might as well be now. If Pepper’s drawing of the waterfall at the end of Grandpa’s book gave me any luck, maybe it would help me out once or twice. Who was I kidding? Just as long as I didn’t fall to my death, I’d be happy.

  I adjusted my backpack before grabbing the rope. My fingers tightened around it, and I faced my back to the channel before giving a test pull. I took a deep breath, leaned back and let my body tilt away from the ground. My foot reached down for a foothold. When my shoe landed against the stone wall of the carved-out channel, I pushed with my legs while I lowered myself backward with the rope. I made it to the bottom of the drop in no time at all. My feet splashed into the moving water. The cold liquid reached up my calves.

  I heard Bardrick’s voice above me. I glanced up and saw him moving quickly down the rope. He landed beside us and whispered to Kyrah, “You’re the most determined girl I know. I never meant you couldn’t climb down—”

  His foot must have become tangled in the rope, because moments later, he was on his back at Kyrah’s feet, splashing wildly in the water. The sound of Kyrah’s laughter bounced off the walls. Standing beside Pepper, I took in our surroundings. Ahead of us the water curved out of view through the deep grooves carved in the rock. Just a little further upstream, a series of rocky ledges rose out of the current and up to what I assumed was the footpath we’d detoured from.

  “I might be able to climb that,” I said, pointing to it.

  Pepper turned away, pretending not to hear me, so I walked to the rocky steps that led out of the stream. My shoes slid over slippery rocks, and I was glad I wouldn’t have to continue walking through the underground brook.

  Eager to get out of the stream, I reached up and began to climb from the channel. Water sloshed out of my shoes with each step. My hands reached for the next ledge, and I continued up the face of the wall until I rolled onto the dusty walkway. The caved in pile of rocks looked just as high from this side. I was glad we’d gone around instead of over.

  I lifted myself up and peered along the trail. Only another ten feet away, a ribbon of stone rose up, blocking the streaming water and glowing moss from view. The passage continued into a dark closed-in tunnel.

  Voices got closer, and I turned around. Pepper joined me on the walkway, water pooling up beneath her shoes. I saw movement below her in the channel.

  “Will you pull out the lantern?” I asked Pepper, turning around before she could roll her eyes or do something else that showed how unhappy she was with me.

  I heard the clip, then felt my backpack jostle around. When I turned back around, she thrust the round metal shape into my chest. I coughed. “Thanks.”

  She took a step away, giving room for Kyrah and Bardrick, who joined us on the path. They looked into the tunnel and shared a concerned frown.

  I pulled the matches from my pocket, relived they hadn’t gotten wet. As I relit the candle in the lantern, I asked our new friends, “Tell me now if there’s bloodthirsty monsters who live in dark caves.”

  Floating in the Dark

  The soft beam cast from the lantern illuminated the rocky trail. Gray stone wrapped around us as we walked into the tunnel. Instead of the sound of trickling water, all I could hear was my own shaky breaths and footfalls.

  The passage moved upward with many twists and turns. Going back now would be stupid considering all the effort we went through to get this far, but every bit of me wanted to see daylight again. Closed-in spaces had never made me panicky before. Then again, I’d never gone exploring under the earth’s surface. I tried to remember that I was doing this for information about my grandpa. So I wouldn’t feel so alone.

  Humid air filled my lungs with every breath. The earthy smells grew dank as I climbed over a stalagmite and through a rocky doorway. A flat area opened up when I stepped out. I held up the lantern to get a better view. It wasn’t a powerful source of light, so I grew concerned when I couldn’t see a p
ath ahead of us except for more darkness.

  “Where’s the trail?” Pepper asked, her voice echoing a distance away.

  I got the sense we were in a large cavern even though I couldn’t make out the ceiling or distant walls. A spot of light opposite us, no closer than a hundred feet away, wasn’t enough to see by. It was shaped like another doorway, although there wasn’t a clear path across the apparent gap in the stone floor.

  “I don’t know,” I answered. “Maybe we took a wrong turn. Or maybe we should have kept going upstream instead of cutting back to the walkway.”

  Kyrah and Bardrick looked over the ledge into darkness. I didn’t want to get too close to the edge because it made me dizzy, so I tilted the lantern so they could see better. I hoped I was missing something obvious. Like a bridge across that was just hiding from view.

  “I think I see rocks below,” Kyrah said with a frown.

  I asked hopefully, “Oh yeah?”

  “Waaaay below,” she answered, shaking her head.

  “Okay.” I turned around to go back the way we’d come, but Bardrick clapped his hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

  “Wait,” he said. “Look at that.”

  Bardrick pointed behind me. I glanced around at a thick rope that was strung above our heads. It appeared to be tightly anchored in the same direction as the lit doorway at the opposite end of the dark chamber. An unsettled feeling came over me, and I knew immediately that our similarities for clumsiness ended there. Bardrick was far more adventurous than me.

  “Let’s look in the journal—”

  He pulled off his backpack and found the leather-bound book. His fingers flipped through the pages quickly while I pinched my eyes shut, hoping he wouldn’t find anything. A hand touched mine, directing the lantern light toward the pages. My lids opened for me to see Pepper scowling as if she knew what I was thinking.