Page 86 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species

“Here?” Amelia frowned at the normal patch of grass, which seemed no different to her eyes than the rest of their surroundings. This was the supposed entrance? “How can you tell?”

“I heard the pebble fall inside the temple.”

“I didn’t hear a thing.” Her palms landed on her sides. “But I have a feeling Vlas Beduin might have.”

“Might have. That’s why I’m going down first. If I give you a signal, you follow. If not, you run back to the cars as fast as you can. The key for the one I was driving is in the jacket pocket. Get to the nearest village and call Constantine. Wait for me to contact you… eventually.”

God. She didn’t like the plan.

Zacharia crouched down and extended his legs, feeling for the ground with his boots.

“Wait, Zacharia! What will you do if that vampire is down there?”

“I’ll ask him why he’s holding our friends hostage and politely tell him to let them go.” The hybrid’s tone was as casual as if he were asking to cut in line at a supermarket.

Beads of sweat formed on Amelia’s forehead despite the chilly wind. “You think it will be that easy? They probably figured out we took the genetic material…”

“I don’t think so. If they had, they’d have kept us, too.” Zacharia faced her. “Wait for my signal.”

“What is the signal?” She shivered at the thought of being alone on the mountain at night.

“I don’t know exactly, but you’ll see a shift in the enchanted field – a change in colour or some blurriness. You’ll know, believe me.”

Amelia stepped forward. “And if I don’t?”

He vanished into the hole.

“Zacharia!” Amelia knelt by the spot where he’d been standing. Nothing happened for a moment, but then, for a split second, the moon seemed to shine a little brighter on that specific patch of grass. Was that the signal?

Even if it wasn’t, she wasn’t waiting. She sat down and triedthe grass with her feet, just as Zacharia had done. What if she couldn’t find the opening?

Then the heel of her boot vanished beneath the grass. She lifted her leg, and her heel reappeared as if from thin air. Relieved, she found her foot still intact.

The field flickered again.

Amelia sank both boots into the invisible hole with caution, followed by her entire legs. She flipped onto her stomach and pushed herself in, losing her footing and falling – right into Zacharia’s arms.

He lowered her down. “I thought you’d given up.”

“No. It was just strange…” She glanced around. They were at the beginning of the tunnel. The creepy rock formations loomed on either side, and the train tracks ran through the middle. “How did you signal me?”

“My phone’s flashlight,” he said, leading her deeper into the tunnel.

“From above, it was like you were playing with the moon…”

Zacharia gestured for her to be silent and pulled her behind a massive stalagmite. “The train’s coming. Don’t move.”

She held her breath, waiting for the wagons. When the train passed by, male voices mixed with the clatter of the rails. They were talking to each other, but Amelia didn’t comprehend the language.

After the train’s noises disappeared along the tunnel, Zacharia moved. “We have to go.”

“Do you understand the language?” Amelia whispered.

“Gadani.One of the supposed dead languages. I know a bit. The woman who raised me tried to teach us.”

“What were they saying?”

“They mentioned something happening soon. I don’t know what, but they were heading towards it.”