“‘Beneath lies truth,’” he translates slowly. “‘Enter at peril of knowledge. What is seen cannot be unseen.’”
A hush falls over our group as we absorb these ominous words.
“Dramatic fellow, wasn’t he?” Connor remarks, breaking the tension.
“There’s more,” Richard continues. “‘Three turns right to family, two left to honor, five right to truth.’”
“A combination,” Kane says immediately. “For a lock inside, maybe?”
Jake runs his hands along the edge of the metal plate. “There’s a handle here, under the dirt. Help me clear it.”
Together, we brush away the frozen soil until a large iron ring is revealed. Jake grips it and pulls, muscles straining. For a moment, nothing happens. Then, with a groan of protesting metal, the trapdoor lifts.
Stale, cold air wafts up from the darkness below. A narrow set of stairs descends into the earth, disappearing into shadows.
“Who wants to go first?” Jake asks, looking around at our group.
A shiver runs through me as I look at the dark opening. The stairs disappear into shadows, promising answers but also unknown dangers. Scout whines softly beside me, pressing against my leg as if sensing my unease.
“I’ll go,” Caleb says, stepping forward. His voice is calm, but I notice the tension in his shoulders, the way his hand hovers near his waistband where his gun sits.
“Not alone,” I add quickly. Our eyes meet, and something passes between us—trust, maybe, or something deeper I’m not ready to name. “I’m coming too.”
Richard moves forward as well. “I should be there. I’ve been memorising everything about this my whole life.”
Jake looks hesitant, glancing between the three of us and the dark opening. “We should all go. Safety in numbers.”
“Someone should stay with Nora,” Ella points out, placing a protective hand on the girl’s shoulder despite her immediate protests.
“I can go too! I found it first!” Nora insists, but Jake shakes his head firmly.
“Not this time, kiddo,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“I’ll stay with her,” Ella volunteers, though I can see the disappointment in her eyes.
Kane produces several flashlights from his pack and distributes them among us. “Everyone, stay close,” he instructs. “We don’t know what’s down there or how stable it is after all these years.”
Caleb takes the lead, his flashlight beam cutting through the darkness as he carefully descends the first few steps. I follow directly behind him, with Scout pressing close to my side. Richard comes next, then Jake, Kane, Kori, Mia, and Connor, bringing up the rear.
The stairs creak ominously beneath our weight, but they hold surprisingly well. The air grows colder as we descend, carrying a musty smell of earth. After about fifteen steps, we reach the bottom, our flashlight beams revealing a small chamber carved from the earth, its walls reinforced with timber beams that have somehow withstood the test of time.
“Look at this,” Caleb murmurs, his light playing over the far wall.
A large metal door dominates the space, its surface covered in the same symbols as the trapdoor above. In the center sits an elaborate combination lock, clearly custom-made for this purpose.
“‘Three turns right to family, two left to honor, five right to truth,’” Richard repeats, stepping closer to examine the lock. “We need dates from Wolf’s life that correspond to these.”
I pull out the cipher book again and flip through its pages. “Here—family might refer to his wife’s birthday. March 18, 1872.”
“So three right to 318,” Kane says, watching as Richard carefully turns the dial.
“Now two left to honor,” I continue, scanning my notes. “Honor could be... the day he received recognition from the miners’ guild? December 10, 1869.”
“Two left to 1210,” Richard murmurs, adjusting the dial.
“And five right to truth,” I say, frowning. “That’s less clear.”
“May 17, 1878,” Richard supplies immediately. When we all turn to look at him, he explains, “The day the mine collapsed. The day the company’s crimes became clear to him. The day of truth.”
