by Gloria Gage
Then Chris noticed something odd. “Look out there, where the river seems to divide and go in two directions. Could that be a beaver dam?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Josh said. “But it does look strange. Maybe some branches have caught on a pile of rocks.”
We moved on but suddenly I stopped, feeling a glimmer of hope, “Hey, from the back side, those rocks do look sort of like a pyramid. See?” I pointed to the same place that Chris had noticed a moment ago. “Do you think that could be it?” I studied the rock formation far out in the middle of the river. Then I looked all around the grotto. “It looks closer to a pyramid than any of these stalagmites. Here, Chris, hold onto the map, and I’ll check it out.”
With that, I slipped off my shoes and the headlamp, stepped out of the harness, and waded out into the water. “Brrr! It’s freezing!”
“That should help you swim faster,” Josh remarked, laughing as my skin began to turn a purplish blue in the water. Then he turned to Chris and whispered, “Let’s keep our arc lamps trained on Logan so he can see where he’s going.”
I swam toward the center of the stream, and stubbed my toe on the rocks well before reaching the pyramid. I could feel the angle of the river bottom rising toward the peak that stretched about three feet above the surface. It was definitely the right shape, but how would I ever find a small key if it was underwater, and with so little light. I climbed up the rocks, then paused when the water was about waist high and began to make my way around the edge, searching with my hands, since I could see nothing in the black water surrounding me.
Then my arm hit something, and I jumped. And suddenly, my feet were yanked right out from under me and I sat down hard scrapping the skin from my hip and elbow on the rough surface of the rocks. I didn’t have time to worry about a little scrape right then, because I was too busy yelling like a little girl and fighting to free myself from whatever terrifying behemoth had grabbed my legs and was surely about to sink his sharp teeth into me.
Chapter Thirty
Struggling against my unseen opponent, I soon discovered that the deadly creature threatening me was merely an old and very slimy rope. On further inspection, I found it was attached to an iron ring buried solidly in the rock.
Josh and Chris heard me yell and were both growing frantic on shore. Josh was just about to dive in and come to my aid, when I called out to them. “I’m okay!” I shouted. “It’s just a rope that got tangled around my leg.” Embarrassed, but curious, I decided to see what was attached to the other end of my ‘monster’ rope. It pulled easily for about eight feet, and tied at the end, I found a small box. It was covered with moss, so it must have been in the water for a long time.
Since I could find nothing else that could possibly be a key, I used my pocketknife and was finally able to work the box free of the rope which was knotted tightly around it. I swam back to shore holding the little box tightly in one hand.
“Did you find the key?” Chris asked anxiously.
“I’m not sure. This box was tied to the rope and fastened to the rocks.” Shivering now, I used my knife again to pry the box open, but found it was filled with nothing but tiny seashells. “Geesh! It’s nothing!” I said in disgust. “Hardly worth freezing my tail off!”
I shoved the box at Chris, mumbling under my breath as I rubbed my arms and legs to jumpstart my circulation again. She stood there, holding the box and stirring through the shells with one finger.
“There are some very pretty pink ones and a few tiny black ones… Wait, what’s this?” she said. “There’s something else buried in the shells.” She caught the edge and slowly pulled out a tiny and very rusty key.
“Well, well. I guess it was worth it after all,” Josh said, grinning.
“Thank goodness,” I exclaimed through my chattering teeth. I quickly climbed back into my rope harness, shoes, and headlamp. “Let’s get out of here and find some warmer air!” I was still quite blue and shivering all over.
With the box of shells tucked away in Chris’s pocket, and Key Number Four safely added to the chain around my neck, we moved ahead searching now for a way out of the cave. At the bottom of the waterfall, we found that the river narrowed and cut its way into a narrow tunnel through the rocks ahead. We had to wade through until the tunnel opened up into another smaller grotto. From there, the water flowed through a mere crack in the rocks and disappeared into the darkness beyond.
“We can’t possibly get through there,” Josh said. “I’m afraid it’s a dead end.”
“But I see light coming from up there!” Chris pointed.
“That must be the other exit. Do you think we can climb up there?” I asked.
“If we can use our ropes,” Josh advised. “It looks like someone has already secured rings in the rocks, so it should be a cinch.” Once again, Josh demonstrated how to fasten our clips onto the rings. He went first and encouraged us behind him. As we climbed, we felt a harsh wind began to blow, growing stronger by the minute.
About half way up the rock face, we felt as if a wind tunnel was pushing us upward. And then, the rings ended suddenly, and there was nothing but sheer rock and no way to reach the top. Josh looked back at us, yelling to be heard over the roar of the wind. “Guys, there are no more rings, nothing but a flat surface above us. We’re not equipped for this. I don’t think we can climb any higher. I’m sorry!”
“It’s not your fault,” I assured him.
“This wind is getting much worse,” Chris shouted, and just as the words left her mouth, a huge gust hit Josh and yanked him away from the wall. He yelled out, as the wind formed a funnel, like a small tornado around him. The force held him suspended in the air bouncing wildly in the wind just a few feet below the cave opening. All at once, the ring holding me against the wall pulled loose from the rock, and I too was caught up and yanked away into a maelstrom of swirling wind. Now both Josh and I were trapped in the midst of a small volcanic wind that tossed us about like puppets, and pulled forcefully on Chris at the other end of the ropes.
Josh tried to yell back to Chris, who was the only one still clinging tightly to her hold on the rocks, but the wind washed away all sound. Chris was frantic! She was afraid to let go on her end of the rope, the only part still attached to the last remaining ring in the wall—and the only thing holding us all together. Then she looked up and realized that we were being crushed as we were propelled back and forth like ragdolls against the sharp sides of the tunnel.
Chapter Thirty-One
Chris had to do something quickly before we were slammed and shattered into pieces against the rocks. The only thing she could do was to release her ring too, and pray that the wind would lift us all to the top, and not just drop us all crashing to the rocks below.
Above her, Josh and I were yelling, but our words were washed away in the wind. We were both held helplessly just below the cave opening, but still unable to reach it. Fighting to see in the vicious wind, Chris struggled to unfasten her clip from the ring—knowing that the wind would yank her away as well. But she found it almost impossible to twist the clip as the wind buffeted her about, throwing her hair in her face and scraping her legs roughly against the rock wall. The instant she managed to release her rope, she was yanked so viciously it took all the air from her lungs and she felt herself begin to black out.
Now that the ropes were completely free from the wall, with no rings to secure them, the wind tunnel lifted all three of us like rockets into space, tossing us through the cave opening and high into the air above. Then just as suddenly, we were deposited rudely back to earth in a heap. We lay stunned for a moment, unable to believe we were breathing fresh air again. A brief inspection showed that we were all bruised and bleeding, but no one appeared seriously damaged. Little by little, we managed to move and look about, unsure just where we had landed, but very thankful to be out of the cave and into the welcome sunshine!
“Whew! I don’t think I’ll be ‘caving’ again for a long time,” Josh said.<
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As we began to gather our strength and tend to our wounds, we heard Amy’s small voice calling out, “Thank goodness you’re okay. I was praying you would be safe.” She paused a second, then continued, “But, guys, I really hate to push you, but it’s getting late. You have to move on as fast as you can or you’ll never make it.”
Chris groaned as she tried to move her sore legs and suddenly remembered the leaves she had stuffed in her pocket earlier, after they had crossed the bridge and met the talking hawk and the smiling tree. She was surprised to find they were still there, though a bit crushed, and wondered if their healing abilities might still be effective. She shared them with Josh and me, and we all rubbed them against the scrapes and bruises on our arms and legs. We were delighted to find they definitely did ease the pain and stiffness. “Amazing,” she said. Josh and I agreed and offered our silent gratitude to the creatures we had met in the forest.
Off again, we walked a short way up the hillside and through some sparse trees before we spotted the path again. “Look! There it is.”
At the top of the next hill, we could clearly see a huge castle that appeared to be built entirely of a shiny metal, with long dormer windows and tall spires like sentinels guarding approaches from all sides. “Wow! So this is where the ‘Alien Adams Family’ lives,” Josh joked.
“Sure looks like it,” Chris agreed.
I could feel the tension building as we drew closer to the forbidding structure that we knew must be the Rats’ hideout. Chris paused, looking concerned. “We’re still missing the last two keys, Logan. Have you checked to see where they are on the map?”
“Yes. Right after our ‘escape’ from the cave I looked and the fifth key showed up. It’s somewhere near the entrance to the castle. The final one must be inside somewhere…you know, maybe you guys should stay here and let me go on alone. If these crooks don’t keep their end of the bargain, then you two could still go for help.”
“Not a chance, game boy!” Josh told me firmly. “We’ve come all this way. You can’t ditch us now.”
I felt a rush of warmth spread over me. “I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you guys for doing this. I could never have come this far without you—you too, Amy!”
“Now don’t get all mushy on us,” Josh said, slapping me on the back. “Besides, it’s been a real blast! We’ve had more adventure in one day than we’ve had…well, ever!”
Chris smiled and nodded in agreement, but I wondered if behind her smile she wasn’t regretting her decision to come along on this dangerous journey.
“Okay, but I think we need a plan,” I continued. “What time is it? Amy, are you still with us?”
“I’m right here,” Amy’s voice floated down from her picture above us. “It’s ten minutes after two. But, Logan, are you sure you want to go in there? It looks so creepy!”
“We’ve made it this far, Amy. We can do it. Remember—four o’clock on the dot. You press the button to bring us back, okay? But if we can rescue Marty any sooner, or if we get into a real jam, it might help to have a code word to tell you to get us out immediately.”
Amy’s voice crackled through the window, “Good idea. What shall we use for a code?”
“How about ‘Tabs’?”
“Isn’t that the game Marty was talking about?” Chris asked.
“Yes, it is,” I answered. “I think I’ve figured out what he was talking about. And I think it might just help get us out of here. Right, Amy?” I winked up at her smiling face above us, reminding her of the plan we had discussed secretly earlier.
“Got it!” Amy agreed, “And try to make sure you’re all close together, so I can press Alt 6 to bring you back.”
“Thanks, Amy!” I smiled up at her blurry picture in the air. “We’re counting on you!”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Josh had stopped for a second on the path and was gazing at the grass. “There’s some kind of marker over here,” he pointed toward the top of a granite sign. He leaned over and brushed the weeds back to read it. "It says, ‘Private Property of STAR Research Foundation—No Trespassing’."
“It’s them, isn’t it?” Chris asked in a hushed voice.
Just at that moment, we heard a noise and looked around. Where the road curved ahead, a gang of men appeared. There must have been at least eight or ten. I was too startled to count. I recognized a couple of them, Mr. ‘Trouble’ from the scooter shop, and the man with the car who had almost given us our last ride as we tried to cross the river.
Chris gasped. She didn’t even need to check the mirror for us to know that the Faceless Ones had come together to stop us for real.
“What do we do?” Chris asked, clearly frightened.
“Amy? Press our power buttons—and fast!” I said quietly. Then glancing at my friends, I came up with a quick plan. “Our only chance is to work together. Josh, why don’t you see how many you can freeze? Then, while Chris takes out one or two, I’ll go ‘incognito’ and attack from the rear where they won’t be expecting it. I see a heavy branch on the ground over there I can use as a weapon. Let’s pray our powers hold out, and maybe we’ll have a chance.”
Chris and Josh nodded in assent, but neither of them looked very confident that we could succeed, even with our ‘special’ abilities. We had little time to consider, as the men were moving toward us now with wicked determination. They were all huge men, much bigger than us. Even as we watched, the evil looks on their faces began to fade, so that their features melted into nothingness. Somehow that made their threat even more terrifying. Now that we couldn’t see their eyes, we couldn’t tell what their first move would be.
Once Amy pushed the keys, I could sense myself fading away. I think two of the men noticed because they stopped rather suddenly. I guess they would have looked surprised at my disappearance, if they had had a face to show surprise—or any emotion for that matter. I glanced over at my friends again. I watched Chris as her muscles appeared to swell larger and stronger before my eyes. But her face still looked so frightened that for a moment, I was afraid she would turn and run. Then she glanced my way, tried a weak smile, and raised her chin with determination and courage. I knew she was ready for battle.
Josh had already stepped forward, frost spewing from his lips. Even as he blew with all his might at the first two advancing leaders, I dashed around behind and grabbed the heavy limb I had spotted and lifted it to be sure it was sturdy enough. It felt good in my hand. The war had begun and even though we were unevenly matched, we intended to win. And we all knew that right was on our side.
Josh quickly managed to turn his first opponent into an icicle. However, while he was busy blowing, the second of the freaks got behind him, grabbed his arm, and twisted it. Josh yelped in pain, unable to free himself. For the moment, his newfound power was useless against an opponent he couldn’t reach.
Meanwhile, Chris was doing a little better. While she surprised her first foe with a hard right jab, the second and third were better prepared, and both grabbed her at once, pinning her arms behind her. But this maneuver only made her angry and she, somehow, drew on an even greater super human strength as she yanked both men forward at once, knocking their heads together and tossing them both into an unconscious heap.
I moved as quickly as I could to help Josh, striking his attacker on the head with the limb. Josh nodded his gratitude then turned to blow on another creep who was raising both arms to grab him. He instantly became a standing ice statue with arms outstretched in mid-motion.
As Chris punched her next enemy, I came down hard on his head from behind with the limb, and together we took him out. Our last and eighth attacker caught only a partial icy blast to his left side from Josh. He screamed in shock and turned away to run for his life, limping as fast as one frozen foot would allow and holding an icy and useless left arm tightly against his chest.
As the three of us stood gasping for breath, we heard the sound of applause from the window floating above us. Back in the tree
house, Amy was squealing in delight and clapping her hands loudly. “Yeah!” she shouted. “You guys were amazing!”
“Thanks! A little teamwork sure helped,” Josh mumbled at last, rubbing his sore arms and winking at me.
All three of us felt suddenly exhausted. “I guess special powers can take a lot out of you,” Chris admitted.
“Yeah,” I groaned in agreement. “But we better get a move on before those guys wake up.”
“Or thaw out!” Amy added still giggling.
Chapter Thirty-Three
We made our way up the next hill, moving a little slower than usual, Josh still rubbing his arms, and Chris limping along. We stopped at the top to gaze at our final goal, the Rats’ Castle, and Marty’s prison.
“Okay, guys,” Josh said. “Let’s get Marty out of there!”
Josh and I started out at a little faster pace. Chris sighed deeply and followed us down the path that led to the castle. She had a bad feeling about this. And she knew from experience that her intuition was usually right on target.
Beyond the crest of that final hill, the land leveled out and became a plateau around the fortress. We halted in surprise at the sound of hoof beats coming toward us. A beautiful girl with flowing black hair approached, riding on a huge white horse. Her dress was silver, delicately embroidered with flowers on the bodice. Her eyes were as blue as the sky, and her smile made me completely lose my ability to speak for a moment. “Hello!” she said. “Are you on your way to the castle?”
Chris answered for us, nodding to let us know she had checked the mirror and we could trust this girl. “Yes we are. Do you know anything about the Rats’ Gang?”
“I can tell you they are extremely dangerous. You must be very careful. You have done very well on your quest thus far, but there are yet more tests of courage you must pass in order to help Marty. I pray you’ll succeed.”
