Page 41 of Forty Deaths Till Us Part
Cass and I inspected the walls with Manu as Constantine and Rene shuffled through the sandy floor. It was over an hour before Constantine went over the same area three times. “There is an unusual rock under the sand.”
Cass frowned. “It’s a cave. They likely placed the sand here themselves to have a softer training area.”
Rene shook his head. “The hunters preached toughness. They would not haul sand into a cave to create a softer training area.”
Constantine went to his knees as Rene did the same. They scooped handfuls of sand from the floor to reveal a smooth,circular rock. It had several symbols etched on the top and appeared to be sealed well. “Is this it?”
Manu leaned over the chiseled rock face. “I think so. We can’t be sure unless we are able to open it. Are you strong enough to break the seal on...”
Constantine grabbed one side of the rock that appeared to act as a lid. There was a crunching sound as he pulled the circular top off and tossed it to the corner of the room as if it were a granite disc.
Cass grunted. “Show off.”
Constantine ignored her and peered into the chiseled rock tube. “It appears to be a well. They must have connected with an underground spring. This was their water source. They covered it with sand to hide it.”
Cass glanced around. “A water source in the middle of a training room. They cast their weapons here. This is a forge... or it was.”
Rene stood. “You are right. This room was full of weapons when I... decommissioned this place.”
I swallowed hard. “What happened to the monster hunters?”
Rene turned to me. “I killed the men and delivered the women and children to a local baron I trusted. The women were happy about the change in lifestyle, as they were not allowed to leave the cave. The older male children were less impressed with the changes.”
Manu dipped his hand in the water. “Damn, that is cold. I would make bets the page is at the bottom. Hopefully they sealed it properly. I would hate to go down there for nothing.”
Cass began to remove her weapons belt. “You aren’t going down there. I don’t need to breathe, and the cold is irrelevant. Besides, the rest of you won’t fit.”
She was right. Her lithe frame was an asset in this case, and she wouldn’t have a difficult time swimming to the bottom andreversing backward. I was glad she offered, because I shuddered at the thought of a black tube.
Constantine stood beside her as she removed her shirt. The black bra beneath was simple cotton, as was her underwear when she removed her boots and pants. “Your undergarments will not hinder you.”
Cass rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t planning on giving you a show.”
“Perhaps another time,” Con said without emotion.
“You wish,” Cass said as she swung her legs into the well. “I was going to swim down, but I think it would be easier to weight myself and fall to the bottom. Then I can release the stone and swim back up.”
“That is a sound plan,” Rene said as he grabbed a loose rock from the wall and handed it to Cass.
She clutched it to her chest and popped into the well as a splash of water erupted above her.
My heart squeezed as the surface of the water smoothed over and not a single bubble breached the surface. While my mind understood she didn’t need to breathe, and the deeper she went down, the less likely she was to send ripples to the surface. My body clenched beneath my clothes and my anxiety spiked.
A ripple wavered over the top of the well seconds before Cass crested the surface. Her hand exited the water as Constantine reached for her and hauled her from the well. The metal cylinder was thick and rusty, but she handed it to Manu, before wiping the water from her eyes. Constantine stood so close to her the water rolled down his leather clothing and pooled on the sand at his feet.
Manu tried not to stare at Cassara’s sleek, sexy form, but no man was immune to her lure with slicked-back hair and pale skin. But he glanced away when he found Constantine glaring at him. His eyes reverted to the metal rod. “How do weopen it? If there were any symbols on it, they have long since disintegrated.”
Con held out his hand. “May I see it?”
Manu passed him the rod, and Constantine took a small vial from his belt. He poured it over the rusty pipe and bubbles erupted around the rim.
“What is that?” I asked.
Cass motioned to the bubbling pipe. “That compound is used to etch metal. It should erode the rust and debris. Then we can see if there are any markings.”
When the majority of the bubbling stopped, Constantine dipped the pipe in the water and retracted it. There were bits of shiny area exposed beneath the rust now, but a thin line was revealed at one end of the metal rod. I pointed to it. “That must be the opening. How do we break the seal?”
Constantine clutched the pipe and squeezed, the metal beneath the cap making a wrenching noise before he gripped the cap with his other hand and pulled it off.