Temple: A New Journey Begins
Please see the disclaimer on the Synopsis page.
Note: Strong Language
Darkness swallowed the three men as they fell. Debris rained down as they hit the ground hard. A cloud of dust rose causing the men to choke and cough. The torch lay extinguished on the ground somewhere in the darkness.
*Cough, cough*
"Any one injured?" someone asked. It sounded like Sam.
*Cough, cough*
"I am unharmed," Caine answered somewhere in the dark.
"I'm okay, just shaken up a bit, and . . . *cough, cough* . . . covered with a lot of dust," Vance replied.
"Where are we?" Sam coughed out his question.
"We are under the temple," Caine stated.
"Obviously," Vance chided sarcastically. *Cough, cough* "Were you aware there was a cave here?"
"No," Caine stated. "My father and grandfather never mentioned there was a cave under the temple."
"Where's my flashlight?" Vance scrounged around the fallen debris in the darkness until his hands came across its cylindrical body. He picked it up and turned it on. "Thank goodness for mag lights."
All three men looked around. "This is more than just a natural cave." Sam marveled at the walls shimmering and sparkling in the light of the flashlight as it moved across the wall's surface. "These walls have been chiseled out." He moved closer to one of the walls, examining the exposed ore. "What is this stuff?"
Caine moved closer and also inspected the shiny material. "I do not know."
"I know what it is," Vance stated, his voice growing serious and hard. "I should have realized it years ago. I always wondered where my grandfather and father suddenly got all their money, but they didn't trust me."
"Vance, you knew about this?" Sam questioned.
"I knew some of it, but I didn't want to believe it. I had no proof. Now it looks like I've got all the proof that I need."
"I do not understand. What is this?"
Vance picked up a piece of ore the size of his fist. "Gentlemen, you are looking at the richest strike of platinum that anyone has ever seen."
"Platinum! And you knew?"
"I knew my father and grandfather were getting their money from somewhere. They always seemed to be joking about something. After my grandfather died, my father got drunk and let it slip that they really had the monks fooled with their little mining operation. I asked him what it meant. He threatened to beat me within an inch of my life if I ever said anything."
"I don't believe this. You're involved with this?" Sam was outraged.
"Of course not. I've been trying to prove that my father and grandfather's wealth came at someone else's expense. They've been stealing from the rightful owners without their knowledge. You've got to understand. My grandfather believed that he and his friends were the ones that drove the monks from this place. And my father believed them. But I knew otherwise. I knew what was done here was wrong." Vance placed the fist-sized ore in his pocket and pulled out the yellowing envelope and handed it to Caine. "I was instructed to give you this. The old priest told me I'd know when that time was right. I guess now's as good a time as any." Vance handed the flashlight to Sam then stepped back, facing away from the pair; partially melting into the shadows to give Caine and Sam some privacy.
Caine opened the envelope while Sam held the flashlight. Inside were several sheets of paper. Caine's face paled as he read the top sheet and staggered a bit as if he was about to faint.
"What is it, KC?" Sam came closer to his adopted nephew, seeing the look on his face.
"It is a letter from my father," Caine said, his words coming out in a whisper.
Before Caine could examine the letter and its companion sheets, voices could be heard coming from one end of the tunnel.
"I told you I heard voices," said one.
"There shouldn't be anyone back here. The tunnel is a dead end," said another.
"So, what happened to the woman," asked the first.
"You're right, something did happen to her. She was arrested."
"I knew it. Did anyone see you come back here?"
"Of course not."
The three intruders listened to the conversation as it got closer. Sam and Vance looked at each other then looked up toward the ceiling. There were only two ways out of the tunnel; from where they fell or from where the voices approached. Sam shut off the flashlight sending them into darkness, but that would not last long as the two men began to approach. It was then that Caine reached into his pouch, which was still at his side. He pulled out a small ceramic vial.
"No one move," He said to his friends. As the beam of light came into view, Caine raised the ceramic bottle and poured out its contents.
A flash of sudden light and the two voices came into view. The beam of light searched, but the two men saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"See, there's no one here. I think you imagined it."
"What's that up there?"
"Looks like we had a cave in."
"What if someone discovers that? They could find this place."
"No one comes here. Stop your worrying. Let's get out of here. I'm tired and I need a beer."
"What about Caine?"
"We'll just have to find some other way of getting rid of him."
The two men walked back down the tunnel and the three hidden from view breathed a sigh of relief.
"Man, I though we were goners. How come they couldn't see us?" Sam questioned.
"The mist of the marsh hid us from view."
"I don't understand."
"Who cares, so long as they didn't," Vance replied. "Come let's see where the rest of this tunnel leads."
"Did you get a look at their faces?" Sam asked.
Caine shook his head.
"What about you Vance"
"No, but I did recognize their voices. So they're involved with this too, but proving it is going to be tough."
Continues with Part 27
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2004.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
Synopsis / Previous Part / Next Part
Back to Temple Tales / Contact
Alisa