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The golden light chased the shadows back far enough that Gina could see—

Frowning, she dropped her hand and stepped forward.

Was that a wall?

CHAPTER 14

Matt secured the rope, then returned to the gaping maw in the earth. When he glanced into the hole, she was gone.

“Gina!” he shouted, alarm causing his voice to come out louder than he’d expected. He jumped as the sound echoed back from below.

“I’m not deaf,” she said. “Or at least I wasn’t.”

“Where are you?”

“Right here.” She leaned into the light. “I saw a wall.” She disappeared again.

“There’s gonna be walls or you’d be—” He broke off. Buried was not a good word to use right now. Actually, it probably wasn’t a good word to use with Gina, ever.

“Not dirt walls.” Her voice came from a little farther away. “Stone.” Matt got a chill. “And there are some marks.”

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, his mind jabbered.

Matt very calmly asked, “What kind of marks?”

“The kind you just showed me.”

“I’m coming down.”

He nearly grabbed the rope and rappelled over the edge before he remembered more light would probably be a good idea and if he was down there there’d be no one up here to help him with that.

Matt took several deep breaths, slowing his heart, centering his mind. When he did things too fast, he only wound up wasting time.

First, send the lantern down to Gina. Second, send him.

“Gina,” he said, thrilled when his voice came out calm, as if he were speaking to a student in class. “Can you grab this?”

He leaned down for the light, but when she didn’t return he straightened again, leaving it at the edge of the cavity.

“There’s what looks like a man,” she called. “He seems to be fighting the vicious dog-being you showed me before. You said that meant loyalty. So … he’s fighting his loyalty?”

Matt stood, rope in one hand, the other empty, fingers curling inward, making a fist as he tried to keep himself from jumping in. He wanted to see that wall, read those icons, but he could tell from Gina’s voice she was as fascinated by them as he’d always been. She wasn’t going to come back until she read them all—or at least tried. After what she’d gone through, she deserved that.

“Maybe he was fighting an enemy that fought like a vicious dog,” Teo suggested.

“Hmm.” She didn’t sound convinced. “The guy himself seems a little doglike.”

“Not everyone was van Gogh,” Teo repeated, and she laughed.

“Right. I suppose all your people have alligator teeth.”

Come to think of it, they did.

“Is one of the men bigger than the other?” Matt continued.

“Yes,” she said.

Matt got a tingle again. This had to be the tomb of the superwarrior. Then again—

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