Daughter of Destiny (17 page)

J
ust past noon, Kai sat on Booster beneath the spreading arms of a River Red Gum at the entrance of the colorful canyon. Jake came up alongside her, halted and looked around. The remarkable canyon walls rose five hundred feet on either side and towered above them. To Kai, it was as if a giant had slashed open the red desert and created the colorful marvel. The entrance was nothing more than a well-trodden rocky path that could barely be discerned to anyone but trackers. One thing her father did was teach her how to track. Now that skill had come in handy.

The canyon was U-shaped, the walls of red, yellow and white sedimentary deposits stacked up like a layer cake. It reminded Kai of a colorful torte cake, with scraggly, tough gum trees around the top like frosting.

As she studied the landscape, her stomach knotted with dread. Dread of failure, of disappointing Grams and the Cherokee nation. Would Jake and she find the crystal mask here? Anxiety riffled through her.

Then she spotted the dark mouth of the cave at the far end of the box canyon. “There it is,” she murmured to Jake. “The cave.”

“Yeah, I see it.” He patted his camel. “Let's get to it. Maybe we can have that mask in an hour or two.” He looked upward. “The sky is turning a funny color, did you notice?”

Kai nudged Booster forward. “Yes, I've been watching it. Looks weird. You were out in various deserts. Does it remind you of some kind of special weather condition?” Kai swayed from side to side as the camel picked his way along the stony path that led to the cave.

Jake frowned and studied the sky. It wasn't clear blue any longer. As they'd rode throughout the morning, it had seemed to be tinged with a reddish stain, making the blue look dirty. “Well, every desert is different, but if I'm right, I think we've got one helluva sandstorm coming our way.”

“Never been in one,” Kai said, looking back and flashing him a slight smile. Jake was still studying the turgid sky, obviously concerned.

“There are all kinds, Kai. A big one can kill you if you aren't in the right place at the right time. The frontal winds blast at over a hundred miles an hour, and the sand flies like sharp shards of glass into your face. If it doesn't suffocate you, it cuts you like a thousand razors.”

“Oh….” Kai frowned. “How soon will we know?”

“Not long from now, I'm afraid. Sandstorms move at different velocities, too. Judging from how quickly the sky is changing, I'm guessing this one is pretty big and fast.”

“Are we in a good place to be when it hits?” The can
yon looked like a safe place if sand was flying like glass at a hundred miles an hour.

“Yeah, we are. This canyon could mean the difference between life and death.”

Kai patted Booster's neck affectionately. “What about these guys?”

“They can handle any and all storms. See their nostrils? How they're shaped like vertical slits? They can close them down so the sand won't get in and choke them to death.”

“I see! Too bad we don't have nostrils like that.”

“Right. But that cave coming up could be an ideal place to wait out a sandstorm. Also, it looks big enough to bring the camels inside, to protect them, as well.”

“If the storm hits soon, will it cause us problems finding the mask?”

“It could. We'll have to wait and see….”

As the camels moved with ease over the rocky ground, Jake studied the cave's oval entrance. Bushes crowded around the front, but it was still going to be easy to access. The cave appeared to be about forty feet in height, with two very different colors of rock on the walls inside. He could barely make them out because the darkness became total at the rear. The cave seemed to be about fifty feet deep, wide and dry.

They halted the camels at the cave mouth and ordered them to sit so they could dismount. The canyon was a lot cooler than the open desert thanks to the shade cast by the south wall and by the trees that grew profusely there. Obviously, water was close to the surface in the area, judging from all the greenery surrounding them.

Kai moved forward. Halting at the cave entrance, she saw what looked like a ledge at the back end abruptly. Jake came up alongside, a set of heavy nylon ropes slung over his right shoulder. Noticing the frown gathering on his face, she asked, “What do you think? You're the caving expert.”

“I think that's a trick shelf at the rear of the cave,” he told her, pointing toward it. Leaning down, he examined the prints of a man's boots in the red sandy soil. They were barely visible, the wind having blown most of them away over time. “I wonder if this is the dude that ran in here with the mask. I see animal tracks around, but only his prints go straight back and disappear.”

Kai knelt down, her eyes narrowing. She might not be a spelunker, but she knew tracking. Jake was right: a lot of small animal tracks dotted the sand, but only one set, a two-legged's, went anywhere near the end of what appeared to be a ledge. “I wonder if it's a straight drop-off.”

“I don't know.” Jake put the nylon rope down and smiled at her. “Who's going down and who's staying up here?”

Kai rose to her full height. “You know more about belaying ropes than I do. How about if you teach me the rudimental rock climbing and I go down? You can stay here and anchor me.”

Jake swallowed his fear for her safety. Kai was grownup now, not a little girl needing his protection any longer. “Sounds like a plan to me. I'm going to set up a makeshift winch and ropes by using these nearby trees to haul you up and out of there.”

Kai looked around. “Good.” The day was growing darker by the moment. The sky, which was mostly hidden
by the amazing number of gum trees growing in the small canyon, seemed to be turning a brownish color. Sand was in the air. She also noticed that the birds were no longer singing. More than likely they were finding somewhere to hide from the threatening storm.

Looking around the cave, she saw there was nothing other than that one ledge to indicate the danger Ooranye had warned them about. Jake quickly fashioned an aluminum “come along” device between two huge gum trees that grew in front of the entrance. He expertly wove the nylon ropes around their stout trunks and threaded them through the metal device that would help him lower and raise her without a lot of physical effort on his part.

Jake knelt down and, using a series of carabiners, metal locks, created a harness for Kai to step into. He motioned her into the contraption and trussed her up from the waist downward. When Kai put weight on the harness, it would place her in an automatic sitting position when she was suspended in midair. Jake had one headlamp and she slipped it on, adjusting the elastic to her head size, grateful she had arranged her hair in one long braid earlier. Making sure all tendrils of hair were out of her face, she slid on leather gloves to protect her hands from potentially sharp rocks.

“How long will this headlamp battery last?” she asked, adjusting the harness around her waist.

“Probably two hours at the most. And we have no idea how this cave twists or winds.” He grimaced. “Or if that ledge falls off into never-never land. The first thing I want you to do once we've got you safely harnessed up is move forward on your hands and knees to the rear of the cave.
Look over that lip. See what you can see. But be careful. That ledge could be real brittle and not support your weight.”

Kai nodded. Jake's hands flew with knowing ease across the rope harness, double-checking all the knots and carabiners. The thick, soft nylon felt snug but comfortable around her thighs and butt. Luckily, he'd brought along walkie-talkie radios. He handed one to her and made sure it was on the same channel as his own.

“As you descend, stay in touch like I taught you, okay?” He wiped the sweat from his brow as he straightened and looked at her. She appeared proud and confident. Still, it didn't stop him from being scared for her.

“I will.” Kai leaned over and adjusted her leather holster, making sure the pistol was strapped in snugly. She wasn't going down into that cave unarmed. She didn't know what—or who—she might find once inside. She cast one more glance at the sky. “You're right about a sandstorm coming, Jake. Look at it now.”

Jake nodded. “Yeah, no doubt about it. The sky's already turning a dirty brown. Wait until it hits. You won't be able to see your hand in front of your face.”

“What about the camels? Do you want to put them inside just in case?”

“Yeah, right now. Hold on….” He trotted over to them, got them up and led them into the cave. Rocket and Booster settled side by side near the entrance, chewing their cuds.

Jake walked quickly to a huge, white-barked gum tree just outside the entrance and double-checked to see that the series of ropes were tight around the thick trunk, and the
pulley and winch were secure. Picking up an extra saddle blanket he'd retrieved, he handed it to Kai.

“I need you to put this on that cave ledge. If you have to go straight down, the ropes need to stay on this pad so they won't be sawn through or cut by the rock and sand on that lip. This blanket will protect the ropes.”

“Got it,” Kai said, taking the pad.

Jake gave her a critical look. “You have water on you?”

Kai patted the two quarts of water hanging from the rear of her belt. “Yeah. Some protein bars in my pockets. Hopefully, I'm not going to be gone that long to use any of them.” She gave him a quick grin.

Kai saw the worry in Jake's gold eyes. Reaching out, she gave his hand a quick squeeze. “I'll be okay….”

He squeezed her gloved hand in return. This was the first time Kai had reached out to reassure him. It felt wonderful. “Yeah, I know. Just be careful, okay?” Jake didn't tell her how concerned he was about the coming sandstorm. He didn't want her to worry about that, too.

Kai nodded. “I will,” she promised softly, and turned and walked into the shadows of the cave. Getting down on her hands and knees, she dragged the pad alongside until she got to the ledge. Testing the ground by pounding her fist ahead of her, she discovered the area was solid. She felt fairly confident in going to the edge. Turning on her headlamp, Kai saw that the lip did indeed fall off into darkness.

“This is a cliff,” she told Jake, raising her voice. The sound echoed strangely around the cave. “My headlamp won't penetrate the darkness below the lip. I see nothing.
No bottom. No…nothing. It's probably a helluva fall from here. Maybe a hundred feet or more, would be my guess.”

“That's what I thought,” Jake called, standing by the gum tree, the ropes in his gloved hands. He was about ten feet outside the mouth of the cave. “Put the pad down and place the ropes on top of it. Once you do that, just belly up to the edge, swing your feet over and point your head in my direction. I'll keep tension on the ropes so you can't fall. Once you get in that position, I'll slowly ease the ropes and begin to lower you when you give the signal.”

Kai did exactly as Jake said. With her legs dangling over the maw, she shouted, “Go ahead, on belay. I'm ready!”

“On belay,” Jake said, speaking into the walkie-talkie. The special winch as well as the two gum trees he'd used as anchoring points would easily hold her weight. The “come along device” held the tension and also released it. Jake tucked the radio in his pocket and slowly eased the handle forward. Kai disappeared over the edge. The nylon rope swiftly began to play out.

Kai coughed violently as she slid over the edge, raising clouds of sand by her movements. Bits of grit showered around her. Closing her eyes, she dangled a few feet below the lip, slowly swinging back and forth above the dark abyss. Finding the switch, she turned on her headlamp. The darkness seemed to swallow the weak beam of light like a hungry monster as she turned her head, one hand on the ropes above her, to explore her surroundings.

“Kai?” Jake's voice sounded worried.

Fumbling for the walkie-talkie, she turned it on. She'd tucked it in the pocket nearest her mouth so she could
speak directly into it, and decided to leave it on for the duration of the descent.

“I'm here. I'm okay.” She coughed again. “Damn dust…Everywhere I look, I see only darkness. This headlamp is like shining a penlight into a cavern. The beam doesn't go very far.”

“Don't worry about it. That light has a seven-foot radius. It's strong enough for you to see a wall or floor coming up,” Jake said. “I'm going to slowly start lowering you. If you see
anything
below you, or if the sides of the cave come in around you, holler.”

“Roger that,” she said, feeling the ropes begin to slide, taking her slowly downward.

Darkness consumed Kai. The daylight at the ledge was growing dimmer and dimmer. It was much cooler in the cave, and felt delicious compared to the heat out in the canyon. Continuing to swing her head from side to side as she descended, Kai still saw nothing. The silence was overwhelming. Had the man who'd stolen the mask run into the cave, thinking he'd hide, and then failed to see the ledge? Tumbled to his death? Kai estimated she must have dropped a hundred feet. Still no bottom. Was there a floor to this cave?