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“No.”
I slumped in his arms and sighed. “Me, either, but this is getting a bit much. How many troubles can one place have at one time?”
Ben pursed his lips as he stared ahead. “This does sound like that legend of the catastrophe that happened a thousand years ago. There were more than just floods then, though I had discounted the others as fairy tales.”
I sat up a little in his arms. “Like what?”
He shook his head. “Just rumors of large monsters crawling out of the desert and emerging from the sea. Tales that would scare children into not going out after dark against their parents’ wishes.”
I wrung a little bit of water out of my sleeve and snorted. “Staying inside sounds like a good idea when we get back.”
Ben smiled down at me. “I concur.”
He trudged along, never faltering in his step even as the feet turned to miles. The forest blocked much of our view so that I was surprised when the low hills loomed upon us. A few large boulders along either side of the river were the start of those hills. The course of the river itself changed from a relatively straight path to that of a winding serpent.
Ben set me down some ten yards short of the stones and inspected the area with his red glowing eyes. “You should stay here.”
I took one look at the water and winced. “Not if I can help it.”
Ben pursed his lips but nodded. “Then follow me.”
We crept low to the ground with me following behind him on my slightly shaky legs. The boulders grew more numerous and forced us a few feet into the river. They even created several arches over the water that cast deep shadows on the river. Those shadows were deepened by the many vines that hung from the stones and brushed against the surface of the river.
I pressed my hand against the stones to give me balance as I shivered in the cool water. The desert night air didn’t help matters.
We trudged along as quietly as we could manage before Ben froze. I nearly crashed into his back but caught myself and watched as his eyes flitted over the area. That’s when I heard it. A faint trio of female voices.
“I tell you, there is something amiss in the waters,” one of the young women insisted. “I saw a shadow in the second pool only this morning!”
The voice that responded was the one who had spoken to us earlier, Abla. “We must not trouble the king without knowing exactly what is the matter.”
“By then it might be too late!” the third protector protested.
“Would you present yourself before the king with only suspicions?” Abla countered. A silence fell among them before she sighed. “My friends, we have been tasked with protecting the ghasl and we will have failed in our task if we cannot discover and root out this impurity. When the sun comes we will venture to inspect every rock and blade of grass to see what may have defiled the ghasl. Before then, however, we must make our rounds.”
“Very well,” one replied.
“We will do as you say, Abla,” the other answered.
Their dresses ruffled in the quiet stillness as they separated to go about their duties. Ben waited for a few minutes before he ducked low and his bright eyes inspected the area around us. I did what I could with my weak vision, which proved to be more of a boon than I expected.
My eyes caught sight of a round shadow some two feet wide that was darker than all the others. The space was partially hidden beneath an outcropping of boulders on our left. I tugged on Ben’s sleeve and when he turned to me I pointed at the spot.
Ben nodded and moved forward with me following. We reached the location and he dipped his head so low his chest almost touched the water’s surface. He sloshed into the darkness and disappeared out of sight.
I stepped up to the entrance and placed my palm against the boulder above the darkness. My heart pounded in my chest as my ears strained to hear anything from the shadows.
I jumped when Ben’s hand shot out and grabbed mine. He gave me a tug and I reluctantly ducked down to stagger into the short space. The shadows were revealed to be hiding a low, narrow tunnel that wound its way over and under boulders in the direction of the hills.
I couldn’t see a thing in front of me as we crawled over the smooth stones and shallow streams of water that popped out of the rocks at random spots. The ceiling was so low that sometimes we had to crawl on our stomachs to get through. The stagnant air and tight quarters instilled panic in my mind which I was constantly forced to tamp down. Only the faint outline of Ben’s foot gave me comfort.
The path slowly ascended and I was eternally grateful when a faint light appeared some fifty yards off. The faint brilliance streamed in from a hole in the ceiling. Fresh air wafted over us as we neared the exit, though Ben stopped ten feet shy of the opening.
Ben turned his head around and pressed a finger to his lips before indicating I should remain there. He continued onward and stood beneath the opening before he peeked his head out. My pulse raced as I watched him slowly ease himself further out of the rocks until half of him had emerged. He inspected the area for many minutes before he ducked back down and beckoned to me.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
I crawledover the rocks and over to him. Ben climbed out and offered me a hand which I eagerly accepted. He pulled me out and I beheld a nest of boulders all around us. Vines covered much of the stones and trees blocked our view of the sky. It was a perfectly concealed hole.
