The Sam Reilly Collection Volume 3

by Christopher Cartwright

  “There’s no time! He’s out there…” Brody choked up. The memory of Malcom’s last wail of terror formed a lump in his throat that he couldn’t clear. He stared helplessly at Jenn, willing her to see his desperation.

  She searched his face, and her own changed. “All right. Ben took the others to town. Can we wait for them to get back?”

  Brody shook his head in defeat. He wouldn’t take Jenn into that awful place, and he couldn’t do it alone. Malcom was doomed, if not already dead. Jenn took the gesture to mean they couldn’t wait.

  “All right. Give your horse some water and get that gear off him. You can groom him later. I’ll saddle my horse and find another for you, and we’ll go see about Malcom. You can tell me on the way why you think Skinwalkers have him.”

  Her calm demeanor and sensible plan got through to Brody. At least enough to break through his mental fog. He nodded and walked toward his horse. A few minutes later, Jenn rode out on her mare, leading a stallion for Brody.

  Brody recognized the stallion as belonging to Ben Whitecloud, his boss and owner of the ranch. It was a presumption, but he assumed Jenn would know whether it was okay to take the boss’s horse. He threw his saddle over the fresh blanket the stallion was wearing and cinched it up, then vaulted into it and nudged the horse into a canter. He’d ridden his at a gallop, but it wouldn’t do to injure or wear out the boss’s favorite animal. If Malcom wasn’t dead already, he probably wouldn’t be in another hour, either.

  On the way to the edge of the mesa, he filled Jenn in on the events of the day.

  “You really found an old cliff dwelling?” she asked in wonder. “How is it possible it’s never been discovered before?”

  “The area’s pretty remote,” Brody answered. “And it’s hidden halfway down a canyon wall, around a bend from the narrowest part. I don’t know what’s on the other side, but from this side you wouldn’t be able to see it at all.”

  “And this wind blew from all the way out here into the kiva?” she asked.

  “That’s what it seemed like at the time,” he answered. “But thinking about it on the way back, it was more like the air was being sucked into that sipapu, like Malcom.” He shuddered. “One minute he was inside the kiva, and the next he was flying around it and whoosh! In he went. I thought he was dead, but then he screamed. I’ll never forget that scream in my life.”

  “Brody,” Jenn began gently. “Maybe that was just a noise the earth made. Maybe it wasn’t Malcom.”

  “It was Malcom. That’s why I think Skinwalkers have him. I don’t know anything else that could scare him that bad.”

  Jenn was silent for a while. At last she spoke, again sounding like she was trying to avoid upsetting him. “Brody, if you were being sucked into a hole in the earth, wouldn’t you be scared badly?”

  “I would if Skinwalkers were causing it,” he replied stubbornly. “Listen, Jenn. You shouldn’t go with me. I’ll go alone, and if I don’t come back, you can ride for help. I can’t risk them getting you, too.”

  “Little brother, I’m touched by your concern. But there is something you don’t know about me,” she confessed. “Our grandmother is a powerful shaman. She taught me to banish Skinwalkers, along with the rest of her craft. I shouldn’t tell you this, but I am a medicine woman myself. I am not afraid of them.”

  Awed, Brody looked at his sister with renewed respect. No wonder she had never married. He felt a little safer in her presence. Maybe he would survive this day.

  Brody took a deep breath as for the second time in two days he prepared to face his worst fears—heights and Skinwalkers. He hardly dared even think the name of the latter. It was bad luck to mention them, and he’d already said the name too many times on this day. But being with his older sister made him feel safe, as odd as that was. He was a grown man, after all, not a kid. But even though she was only six years older, she had always protected him and treated him like a favorite.

  “We climbed down right about here,” he said, watching closely for prints to show him the exact spot where he had led Malcom over the edge. “But the cliff houses are over there.” He pointed up-canyon and across.

  Jenn followed the line of his gaze. “It looks like the canyon widens before that.”

  “From the bottom, it makes a turn, and the ruins are around the bend.”

  “Let’s go ahead and climb down the route you took. It might be easier to find the ruins again following your prints.”

  It didn’t matter to Brody. Any route down the cliff face was going to be heart-stopping. But he supposed the one that was already familiar was as good as any. After a few more minutes of searching, he picked up the trail and followed his own prints to the edge.

  “It’s not too bad,” he said, trying to sound confident. He’d probably failed, but he felt a little better about himself. Jenn was right behind him. He felt better about her being the one to follow him down, too. Malcom was okay, but Jenn knew how to negotiate the brittle sandstone and was less likely to fall and plunge both of them to their deaths.

  The time of day had changed the light by the time they reached the bottom, and some of the route was deep in shadow. For the first time, Brody realized they’d better move fast or risk having to rough-camp in the canyon. He wouldn’t risk the climb in the dark. However, a night in a canyon with Skinwalkers about wouldn’t be his favorite option, either. He picked up the pace as he traced their way along the canyon bottom to the turn where the cliff dwelling would reveal itself.

  Jenn’s gasp of delight told him they’d found it. He was too engrossed in reading the tracks he and Malcom had left earlier to see the village when it first came into view.

  “Remember, Jenn. It’s dangerous,” he cautioned. “We don’t know what caused that wind that snatched Malcom, or if or when it might start again.”

  “I’ll be careful,” she responded. “But this is extraordinary! Just think, my brother. We may be the first humans to see it in 700 years!”

  “That’s what worries me,” he said darkly.

  “Let me deal with any spirits,” she answered. “How do we get up there?”

  Brody retraced his steps, leading her up until she saw the foot and hand holds, and ran lightly past him to reach the edge of the dwellings.

  “Just look at this! I can’t imagine living here and not worrying about children falling over the edge.” As she spoke, Jenn leaned dangerously toward the open edge of the site.

  Brody knew it was neither as steep nor as precarious as it looked. The edge, like any outcrop of sandstone, was rounded and had enough texture to provide good footing even on the downhill surface. Even so, Brody put his hand out in involuntary caution. “That’s close enough.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said, noticing his discomfort. “I’m good right here, and I won’t go any farther.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Jenn took in the entire view of the canyon. Her eyes swept along the trickle of water at its base, all the way to the end until they reached the turn, moving up to the site of the ancient village. There, her eyes remained locked in admiration for the lost village of her ancestors.

  The opening was like a broad, shallow cave—a hollowed-out oval in the sandstone only a few yards deep, but some 40 feet high and perhaps 150 feet wide. In the deepest part of the cave, a complex structure of 3 or 4 stories had been constructed of sandstone rubble stacked with enough skill that little or no mortar was needed. In a few places, a coating of sand-based mud had been dabbed on, either to smooth the surface, or perhaps for decoration. Most of it had fallen away, leaving a patchwork of rough and smooth walls. Openings for looking out or perhaps for defense pierced the walls seemingly at random. Near the top of each structure, ancient beams made of pinyon pine stuck out from the sides.

  “Are you all right?” Brody asked.

  Jenn smiled and nodded. It was the first time she realized she’d been holding her breath. “I’m just taken in by the vision, that’s all.”

  “I know. It’s cr
azy to think this place has been hidden for so long.” He looked at her, his brown eyes studying her for reassurance. “Still don’t think the Skinwalkers have taken Malcom?”

  “No,” she said, with a confidence she no longer quite felt.

  She returned her focus on the village. Her first impression was that it was one large structure, but she knew it would have been constructed over a period of years, as the population grew. The irregular height of the stories betrayed the ad-hoc nature of the construction. Some exterior ladders still stood against the walls, and no doubt more would be found inside. Of course, she couldn’t trust their integrity after so many centuries. Made of Pinyon branches lashed together with yucca fibers, they could crumble at the slightest touch. Or not, depending on how well this hollow had protected them from the weather. She wasn’t going to attempt to find out. But how had Brody and Malcom found the kiva? And why in Heaven’s name had Malcom climbed in?

  Jenn asked, “How did you even find this place?”

  “We were following the wind,” Brody answered. “I’m not sure I remember where the kiva was. I was trying to talk Malcom out of climbing in, but he thought he might find gold or silver.”

  “Are you serious? Didn’t you tell him the Ancient Ones were not interested in gold and silver?”

  “He wouldn’t have listened, and anyway, it happened so fast!”

  She stood up and searched for a way down. “Well, the wind isn’t blowing now. Let’s go find the kiva and investigate what happened to Malcom. I will appease the spirits so we’ll be safe. I’ll feel better once we’re out of the canyon before nightfall.”

  “Me too.”

  In truth, Jenn only half-believed the old tales, and didn’t put much faith in her own power as a medicine woman. She’d trained with Grandmother to make the old woman happy. There had been a few incidents that gave Jenn the idea Grandmother had some spiritual and extra-normal gifts, but she’d never felt anything crazy herself. She wasn’t going to tell Brody that, though, and shake his faith.

  “The kiva is over there,” she said, pointing.

  “How do you know that’s it?” Brody asked. “There are a few circular buildings here.”

  “Most are for grain storage. See? They are smaller, and there are doors at the bottom to let the grain out. The kiva is big, in a central location, and see, there is the ladder you must have climbed. I can’t believe it held your weight.”

  As she spoke, Jenn had walked toward the kiva, and was eying the ladder dubiously. It was no more recent than the others she’d seen. Likely 700 years old or more, it seemed impossible for the ladder to have survived at all, much less in a condition to hold the weight of a grown man. Before she could caution him to be careful, Brody scrambled up it, much the same way as he must have done earlier that day. If nothing else, it proved the ladder was still sound. She didn’t hear so much as a creak from the ancient wood.

  “Come down, Brody. I will go first.”

  “No,” he said. “You are a woman, and should not look into the kiva, or enter it. Stay here, and I will go in and see if I can find Malcom, or his body.”

  Jenn nodded submissively. Sometimes she didn’t understand the ways of the menfolk in her family. Mostly, they embraced the modern world, though the older men were ill-equipped to prosper in it. And then something like this happened, and even the younger generation retreated into superstition and standing on the old ceremonial ways. With her head down, Brody wouldn’t see her indulgent smile. Men were like children sometimes.

  Brody climbed over the wall and presumably down a ladder that was inside, as she lost sight of him. “Brody, keep talking, so I’ll know you’re all right,” she called. “Otherwise, I’m coming in after you.”

  “I’m okay,” he called back, his voice echoing hollowly from the interior of the kiva. “This is weird. I’ve never seen a sipapu like this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Usually, they are very small holes, not even large enough to put my arm into. And they are in the middle of the kiva. This one is at the side, and large enough to stand and walk into.”

  “Brother, are you certain you don’t want me to come in and banish Skinwalkers?” she called out.

  “Do not mention them. I think they are gone, but I don’t want them to come back. I will call you if I need help. I am going to walk into it to see how far it goes and if I can see Malcom. You may not be able to hear me from there. You may climb the ladder, but do not look inside the kiva.”

  Jenn chuckled under her breath. She would comply with his wishes, or pretend to. She’d seen the inside of kivas before, and there was nothing special about them. A round structure built partially underground. Some had benches around the edges, and most had firepits. The sipapu was usually, like Brody said, a small symbol of the world’s navel where her people emerged from their life underground, according to the tales. This one would be no different, except for the unusually large sipapu.

  Climbing to the top of the ladder, Jenn called out to Brody. “Do you see anything?” He didn’t answer. “Brody? Brother!”

  Just as she was about to climb in, his voice drifted from inside. “I don’t see Malcom. But you won’t believe what I do see. I’m coming out.”

  Jenn retreated to ground level and waited for Brody to come out and tell her what he’d discovered. In a moment, his head appeared over the wall and he was climbing down.

  “We’re not the first,” he stated.

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’re not the first to have seen this place in 700 years. In fact, I’d say someone’s been here in the last month.” He produced a fearsome-looking modern weapon. She wasn’t sure what to call it, but it looked like the automatic weapons she’d seen in movies.

  “What the hell?” she exclaimed, startled.

  “Drug smugglers, at a guess,” Brody answered. “And I think we’d better get out of here before they come back.”

  “Wait. What else did you see? Was Malcom inside?”

  “No sign of Malcom. Bales of marijuana, by the smell. And crates of something else. White powder. Heroin, or cocaine. Meth maybe? I don’t know what that looks like. And guns like this. A lot of them.”

  “You’re right! Let’s get out of here!”

  It was time to go anyway. Her eyes had adjusted slowly, so she only now realized how dark it was getting. The sun must be all the way down. They’d need to hurry to get to the top of the mesa before full dark.

  The next question would be to whom to report all this to, and what to do about Malcom.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Veyron studied the Humvee.

  His dark brown eyes flashed intelligence, and his grin beamed with boyish interest, as his eyes swept across the military vehicle. It stood six feet high, seven feet wide and fifteen feet long. According to the manual in his hand, the chassis was a steel frame with boxed rails and five cross-members constructed from high-grade alloy steel. The body was made of lightweight aluminum. It was still painted in the same off-green color that was ubiquitous in the U.S. Army.

  Sam watched as Veyron and Tom clambered under the chassis to inspect the drivetrain.

  Next to him, Michael Gallagher placed a hand on the side of the truck and began to talk like a used car salesman. “The Humvee is fitted with double A-arm independent suspension front and rear, coil springs and hydraulic double-acting shock absorbers for high off-road mobility. This system provides 16 inches of ground clearance in normal load conditions. It has a track of 72 inches. The vehicle offers 40% of side slope, 60% of climb gradient and 60 inches of water fording capacities, making it an outstanding off-road vehicle.”

  “Are you trying to sell me your truck?” Sam smiled. “Because you know I just need to borrow it, right?”

  “No, no. I’m just trying to let you and your engineer friend make an informed decision on whether or not this old girl can make it to the bottom of the sinkhole.”

  “What do you think?” Sam asked.

 
It was Gallagher’s turn to smile. “If you could walk down the slope, then this here vehicle can drive you down it.”

  “Do you want to drive it down for me?”

  “No sir. No, I do not.”

  “Okay.” Sam watched as Veyron, followed by Tom, slid out from under the vehicle. His eyes turned to Gallagher. “I suppose in that case, I’d better wait and see what my engineer believes.”

  Veyron turned to Gallagher. “What sort of payload does she carry?”

  “She’s one of General Motors’s expanded capacity vehicles, designed to carry higher payloads with the same performance levels as other Humvees. It weighs 2.5 tons and has a payload capacity of roughly 5,100 pounds. It’s powered by a turbocharged 6.5l V8 turbo diesel engine.”

  Veyron nodded. “So, if they can find the crew of the boring machine, it will still be able to climb out of the sinkhole while carrying the additional bodies?”

  Gallagher nodded, and Sam noted that Veyron left out whether those bodies would be dead or alive.

  “Well what do you guys think?” Sam asked, “Can it be coaxed to drive down the internal obsidian slope of the sinkhole?”

  Tom’s eyes were wide, like a kid at a monster truck exhibition. “In this? We’d eat that sinkhole up.”

  He turned to Veyron. “What do you think?”

  “I’ve measured the gradient of the sinkhole. It’s thirty-two degrees at its steepest, following the course the boring machine took on its way down. According to the Humvee’s specs, it should be able to manage it with ease.” Veyron smiled. “Of course, I’d stay wide from the right-hand side of the slope, where the gradient nudges pretty close to fifty degrees. The Humvee might just be able to handle it. More likely than not though, one of the wheels will lock up and you’ll end up doing cartwheels down the sinkhole.”

  “Keep to the left, and we’ll be fine?” Sam met Veyron’s eye.

  Veyron nodded. “Course, I’m glad it’s you taking this thing down there and not me.”

  Tom grinned. “Come on, Sam. She’s a beautiful vehicle. Think of it like taking your dad’s Rolls Royce Wraith out for a country drive.”