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He listened to her for a few seconds. “Thanks, Lia. We will be there in a half hour. Get everything you can together on this area.I will text you the symbols we are looking for and fill you in when we arrive.” He hung up.
“Back to the bookstore?” I asked.
He nodded as we began to walk briskly back the way we had come. “I let the twins know we are leaving. I had hoped there would be some sign of where this cave was, but we need some direction. Lia is pulling every map, scroll, and book with info on this area. None of these are digitized, as you suspected.”
We quickly made our way back to the vehicle and were on the road in under twenty-five minutes.
I researched the icons on my phone as Daryn drove, but I wasn’t surprised I couldn’t find anything. Cipher was the wiz with digital searches and if he couldn’t locate it on the net, nobody could.
We pulled up to the bookstore and parked in front before I stepped onto the sidewalk. Daryn joined me and opened the door to the bookstore for me before we entered.
Lia was at the side table with various leather-bound books, scrolls, and ancient maps spread out over the top. She glanced up as we entered, and her blue eyes held the same warmth and love she always did when she saw us. Daryn had always considered her like a sister. “I have everything on that area on the table. I found a rock formation that might be the first symbol you sent me. It’s at the base of the mountain, but it’s a remote trail and fairly tough terrain.”
Daryn stopped at the table and moved several maps. Before grabbing a simple drawing of the area. “This looks promising. It has all three symbols, but two appear to be located inside the mountain.”
Lia glanced at the map. “I didn’t realize that. I assumed they were on the outside.”
We looked through the maps and books for a half hour before Kaine’s voice blared. “There has been another hybrid attack.”
CHAPTER 19
As Daryn and I drove down the secluded private driveway, the mountains loomed in the distance, their majestic peaks cloaked in a soft morning mist.
“Is it me, or are we close to the park entrance?”
“This is a privately-owned house, but its remote location and closeness to the mountain are suspect,” he said.
The gravel crunched beneath our tires, creating a soothing rhythm that matched the beat of our hearts. A narrow road wound its way through a dense forest, the towering trees creating a cathedral-like canopy overhead. The filtered sunlight danced through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the path ahead.
“Do you know who owns it?”
Daryn shifted on his seat, as he continued to drive. “Cipher says it’s owned by a shell company. He is trying to find a connection to someone in Spirit Falls.”
As we continued down the winding driveway, the scent of pine and earth permeated the car, filling our senses with the essence of the wilderness. The occasional chirping of birds and the soft hum of our engine broke the silence. It was a symphony of nature, but death awaited us at the end of this blissful path.
The dirt road seemed to stretch on forever, and the mountain drew nearer with each passing minute until the road opened up and a log cabin sat nestled in a small clearing.
“There was an attack here?”
The cabin stood like a sturdy sentinel amidst the towering trees, its weathered logs exuding a rustic charm that beckoned us to its embrace. An attack on such natural beauty seemed ludicrous. The logs were worn by the passage of time, each groove and knot relaying a story of the rugged terrain it had weathered. A spacious wooden porch wrapped around the front, adorned with a pair of rocking chairs that seemed to invite us to sit and soak in the tranquil surroundings.
The cabin’s windows, framed by timeworn wooden shutters, peered out into the pristine wilderness that stretched as far as the eye could see. The glass panes reflected the lush greenery and the clear blue sky, creating a picturesque tableau of nature’s wonders.
A stone chimney rose proudly from the cabin’s roof, a testament to the warmth and comfort that awaited us inside. Wisps of white smoke spiraled from the chimney, a promise of cozy fireside evenings in the days ahead.
As Daryn and I stepped out of the car, the scent of pine and wood smoke enveloped us, mingling with the earthy aroma of the forest. The solitude of this remote cabin in the wilderness filled the air with a sense of peace and tranquility that resonated with our souls.
“Yeah. Something inside made the breach map flicker. Cipher sent a drone over the area and caught sight of a hybrid. I assume they killed the owner, but we are first on scene.”
“I thought I felt something, but it was brief.”
We approached the cabin’s wooden door, its aged surface worn smooth by years of use. Daryn reached forthe old-fashioned iron handle and pushed the door open before a warm and inviting interior revealed itself.
The cozy moment was destroyed by the scent of copper in the air.
Daryn pulled his Sica. “Dead body.”
I nodded and pulled my own weapon as we moved deeper into the main room. “Where is it?”
