Spirit of the Revolution (35 page)

Just then, Dakota lifted his head in full alert. She glanced over in the direction of his excited gaze. Jedediah plowed through the wall just seconds ahead of the others. He wore a victorious smile.

“I think we found a way to get you inside, Jolena,” he said. “But you’re going to need a shovel and maybe even a small pick to make some of the passages wide enough for you to pass through.”

Jo rose to her feet and started for the doorway. “That won’t pose a problem. I’ll get some tools together and we can get out of here right now.”

Mathias stepped in front of her, impeding her progress. “Wait. Just wait, Jolena. You didn’t get much sleep last night. You’ve endured a long and trying day. The last thing you need to do is go running off through the mountain right now. Please, for me, go to bed. Try to get some sleep and we’ll all go at first light.”

Worry and concern filled his eyes as he spoke, and she just couldn’t deny his request. “All right, at least let me get everything ready tonight. I don’t want any unnecessary delay come the morning. Jedediah, how long do you think it will take us to get there?”

“I would think if the digging is easy enough, we should get you there in about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. It could take much longer, though,” he warned.

“Then I’ll plan on four maybe five hours to get there and back. I’ll need to take along some water, a few protein bars, fruit, and of course, I need to take my flashlight. I better take fresh batteries just in case, and I’m going to need my camera as well. We need to take pictures of the find and add them to the file.”

Even though Mathias wanted her to get some sleep, she found herself waking every couple of hours throughout the night. In truth, she really wanted to get this task done and over with. Finally, at about five a.m., Mathias knocked on her door. About twenty minutes later, they packed the car and then headed for the mine. Once they arrived at a specific area near Valley Creek, she parked her car and followed Jedediah as he led them along the fertile path of a dried-up riverbank. Finally, he halted their steps.

“This is the original entrance to the mine, right here,” Jedediah said as he pointed out the differences of color and texture on either side of the mountain’s rocky face.

Jo broke away some of the foliage so she could get a better look. The debris could also mark the exact point of entry to the other side for Carolyn and Ray’s benefit. During the drive, Mathias suggested she call them with her discovery as soon as they returned home. Their credentials made them the obvious choice to take over the site, and Jolena could trust them to carry out her wishes. She concurred.

“All right now, this way,” Jedediah said.

They continued their journey to the other side of the mountain. Jedediah soon stopped and said, “Follow me straight in through this opening, right here. I promise you, it’s bigger than it looks.”

The left side of the rock protruded a bit and then overlapped an opening she didn’t even see at first. She passed through it, and then extracted her flashlight.

“Mathias?” she called out anxiously, when she couldn’t locate him in the dim light.

“Right behind you, love,” he whispered.

So intent on following Jedediah’s lead, it took a few minutes for the endearment to sink into her consciousness. She wondered then, if he even truly said it.
Not now, Jolena,
she told herself.
Don’t think of it now
,
lest you lose your concentration
. Just as she took her next step, her boot slid on a pile of loose rocks and she slipped backward, thus proving her point. Nonetheless, Mathias kept her from pitching backward.

“Thank you,” she murmured and in return, he gave her waist a gentle squeeze.

“Okay, Jolena, this is where you might have to dig a little bit, but be very careful,” Jedediah said as he pointed to another, obscure passageway.

She nodded. In order to pass through the opening comfortably, she needed to make it larger. She retrieved the small hand pick from her backpack. With a few gentle strokes, the rocky dirt gave way. Dust filled her nostrils and in between the dull thuds, she coughed and sputtered until at last, she could ease her body through the opening. Once she crawled through the hole, she found herself in a more open area. The tunnel continued its twists and turns. Twice more she needed to dig in order to pass to the other side. At times, her leg muscles ached and burned with the effort to climb. Several times along the way, Mathias insisted she stop for a rest and some water. She found she needed both.

“We’re almost there,” Jedediah said. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I think I’m looking forward to the return trip, though. After all, the passageways are already dug and most of the time, we’ll travel downhill, am I right?”

“Right you are,” Jedediah said. “Now, Jolena, just around this corner is the connection to the tunnel that takes us to the bodies of Matthew and Joshua. Prepare yourself for what you’re about to see, all right? Remember we’re all here with you.”

Jo nodded and as Jedediah made the turn, she followed him through the corridor. After a few more turns, he led her into the cave. She found her composure slipping a bit as she gazed down on the remains of the two missing men. Mathias placed a comforting arm around her waist and she wanted so much to wrap herself in his arms in return.

Jo took a deep breath and then dropped to her knees beside the two men, lost to history for well over two hundred years. She envisioned the torment and grief their families suffered as they waited—endlessly waited for a husband, a father, who one day, never returned home. What a difficult thing to endure.

Finally, she stood up, retrieved her camera from out of her backpack, and took the required pictures proving her discovery. The pictures would offer indisputable proof she left everything in the condition she found it. The boys waited patiently for her to finish the task.

As Jolena focused on the bodies of Matthew and Joshua, Mathias turned her around to face him. He tilted her chin upward to meet his gaze. She didn’t know these men, but she grieved their loss just the same. “It’s all right, love, I’m sure they found their peace a long time ago,” he murmured.

Mathias looked over her shoulder just as Paul Sanders rounded the corner. The man entered the main part of the mine like some crazed madman. His arm rose up and without a shred of conscience or hesitation, aimed his pistol straight at Jolena’s head. At that point, several things happened almost simultaneously.

Mathias yelled for Sam who stood the closest to Paul. Sam, followed closely by the others, rushed toward Sanders. Despite their speed, they arrived too late. They grabbed hold of him just as he fired the weapon. Yet the force of their impact threw his aim off his intended target and sent the bullet spiraling upward.

While his men bolted toward Paul, Mathias took hold of Jolena and yanked her to the ground to avoid the projectile. Scant seconds later, a burst of fire belched flames in every direction at once. A deafening roar followed. The blast rumbled and shook throughout the mountain. Clouds of dust and falling rock spewed forth inside the cave. Mathias could do naught but watch in horror as the single blast from Paul Sanders’s weapon, set off an explosion formulated from centuries of noxious coal dust. The discharge resulted in another cave-in, sealing Jolena inside.

Chapter 28

Instinct drove Mathias to cover Jolena’s body with his, but it served no real purpose. Several large rocks battered, and then covered a portion of her body. Using the force of his anger, he sent the offending stones flying toward the wall. They smashed against it, and fell to the ground in crumbling pieces. He brushed the long strands of hair from off her face and inspected her from head to toe, looking for any outward sign of injury.

“Jolena,” he whispered. “Jolena, can you hear me. Please—”

She didn’t respond to his voice. He could see from the slight rise of her chest that she still breathed. Right now, he would ask no more than that. She still lived and he would fight against any force in heaven or hell to keep her that way. He looked up and found the boys working to chuck the rocks that blocked the passageway. The air inside this chamber wouldn’t last, despite the small gap at the top of the rubble. A gap which merely served to prolong the inevitable.

“We’ve got to get some help,” Mathias said. “We can’t shift all the rocks in time to save her life.”

Sam turned around to face him and with a look of determination on his face said, “Tell me what you want me to do.”

“E-mail,” William suggested, coming toward them. “What if we send an e-mail to that friend of hers? We can write it so she’ll think Jolena penned it. We’ll tell her she needs to come straight away and see what she found. Once she hears the details, I’m sure she’ll come.”

“Yes, we could do that, but what if she doesn’t read it soon enough to do us any good?” asked Alexander.

“We’ll have to see to it that she
does
read it in time. The only other alternative is to explain the situation to her
personally
,” Sam declared through clenched teeth. “Either way, I don’t care.”

“We may have to go look for her,” Jedediah warned. “And then we’ll need to make sure she comes out here quickly and finds the right place. I think the best option is to look for someone who’s already outside and aware of the ruckus.”

“Which is highly unlikely this time of morning,” William pointed out. “Still, we’ll give it a once-over.”

Mathias looked at each of his men and nodded. “Do whatever you have to do. Jolena can’t survive in here very long. Just—hurry, Sam, please. I’ll stay with her.”

At once, the boys gathered in front of the main entrance to the mine. Then, in unison as if they already discussed it, they attempted to take down the wall, using the combined force of their will. The wall didn’t so much as rattle in return.

Sam shook his head. “We tried, lads. I think the best thing we can do now is to get that e-mail sent if no one is out there to help us. William, I’ll put you in charge of that if we find it the only alternative. Alexander, you’ll come with me to Carolyn’s lab. We’ll see if she’s there. Jedediah, you need to make a trail for her to follow once she arrives. We’ll meet back here as soon as we have each completed our assignments. And Mathias, take good care of her while we’re gone. I can promise you, we’ll hurry.”

Mathias nodded and as they disappeared, he turned his attention to making Jolena just as comfortable as he could. He had no way of knowing if she sustained internal injuries, so he didn’t shift her body very far. For now, he could see to her needs—he could wait—and for the first time since his death, he could pray. Some time later, she finally stirred.

“Mathias—” The moment Jo lifted her shoulders, unbearable pain beset her, and she halted all progress. She didn’t know for sure just where she lay. She coughed. Her throat burned and as her hand traveled toward her aching head, she suddenly remembered. They found Matthew and Joshua. And she—

“I’m right here by your side,” he whispered.

“What happened?” she asked. The chamber spun around in vicious circles and her head hurt so bad it made her nauseous.

“The bullet from Paul Sanders’s gun caused a portion of the ceiling to collapse,” he said.

Jo recalled the events though a thick cloudy haze. She remembered Mathias shouting Sam’s name, and then—and then she looked over and peered into the darkness. A man stood in the shadows. She couldn’t see him clearly. But she did see a gun in his hand. Why did he have a gun?

“The lads have gone to get help. They’re going to send an e-mail to Carolyn and tell her you found something important she needs to see. They’ll tell her you want her to come right away.”

She managed a small smile over the revelation. “Then she’ll come.” Her eyes closed of their own volition. A semblance of peace settled over her being. She allowed herself to give in to the tranquility.

“Hang on, Jolena, just a while longer, my love—you must hang on, a little while longer.”

****

Time passed, but she didn’t how much time. Jo could hear Mathias’s voice through the fog in her mind. She loved his voice and he said something—it sounded so important. Her eyes didn’t want to open, yet they must. She dug down deep inside and found the strength to make them obey. Dutifully her eyelids fluttered and at last, she gazed into his face. A powerful love shone from his eyes. Just like in her dreams. She could see it. His love gave her the courage to speak. She caressed his jaw, and traced its outline with her fingers. Interesting, she could actually feel it this time—even the stubble. Perhaps she dreamed again.

“Mathias,” her voice sounded hoarse. Why?

“Yes?” He took hold of her hand then, only to discover he could actually feel it as if he still lived. Warmth radiated from her fingers as they twined around his own. Lord in heaven, what did that mean?

“I’ve had a series of dreams—about you and me,” she whispered.

He nodded. “Yes.”

“You know about them, don’t you,” she said the words as if stating fact, rather than asking him a question.

“Yes.” Without releasing her gaze, he drew her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

“We’re they real?”

“Oh, they were real, my love,” he replied.

“All of them?”

“All of them—in their entirety. Each word, each embrace, each kiss.” Mathias let go of her hand and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. He could see the great effort it cost her to speak.

“Did you mean what you said?” she asked.

“Every word,” he replied.

A smile of contentment touched her lips as she closed her eyes.

Mathias gathered her into his arms and cradled her close to his chest. He could still feel her warmth against his body and he could feel every breath she took. Each breath seemed a little shallower than the one before. She kept falling in and out of consciousness and he could do naught but witness her life ebb away, inch by precious inch. He never remembered feeling this helpless in his entire existence.