The Golden Crystal (30 page)

Madu listened as the soldier recited the instructions, and glanced down at the rope — his lifeline — that would bear him to the platform. It wasn’t a proposition he liked, but it beat climbing
up
. 

His muscles quivering, he let out a sigh and clung to the rope. As he descended, he tried to see the area below him. It was dark — almost pitch black — and the mist that hung in the air made it seem as if he was descending into a cloud. The hollow echoes of sound from below gave the impression of an immense vacant space. He barely had time to contemplate that before his feet struck the circular platform. 

Madu’s knees shook as his feet made contact. He felt the smooth, hard surface under his boots, and caught a quick glimpse of the protrusion before continuing his descent. The floor was definitely circular — almost perfectly — and he thought he could see slight glints of light in the stone, almost like small fragments of glass in a sandstone rock fragment. 

Shouting up to his men, he detached the first rope from his waist and looked for the painted handholds that would lead down the dome’s face.

10:34 AM - EASTER ISLAND 

The wide, railless causeway led them over the surrounding fields and into the city. The moats had once, in fact, held water, as evidenced by the greenish tinge showing a millennias-old high water mark. Into the first section of the city, they could see that most of the houses were cut from stone — multiple slabs of volcanic rock that were slid together like interlocking puzzle pieces. Some sort of mud or clay acted as mortar, gluing the stones in place and forming airtight seals. None of the smaller buildings had windows — just one or two doors facing the narrow streets. The larger buildings, at the street corners, were similar in some ways to modern log cabins — they had doors, windows, and in some instances more advanced roofing, though most of the roofs had been wooden and were either completely rotted away or had become petrified. 

Because of the curvature of the streets, the houses had narrow fronts and wider backs, with open areas that ended at the encircling moat. 

The second moat they passed was deeper than the first. This section of the town seemed to be a commercial sector — the long, flat buildings often had no front walls, and the roofs extended over the edges of the circular street, forming an open-air market. Three rows of long steps fronted most of the buildings, reminiscent of Roman architecture.

“This is unbelievable,” Cole whispered to Corinne, as if they were in a sacred place that demanded silence.

“Yeah, I almost don’t believe it’s real — but it’s hard not to believe what’s right in front of you. Do you think people actually
lived
here once?”

“It’s hard to say — I mean, you’re right. Everything’s just like you’d imagine an abandoned city to be. But the fields — and these stables; how could you support life
beneath a volcano?”

Bryce knew that Cole was right — it seemed too unreal, too crazy, that a civilization had once blossomed here. Even with advanced technology, humans needed
sunlight
to thrive. He looked back at the fields, now nothing but dirt and rock tilled bare. Some of the stables — if that’s what they were — had small piles of bones in them. Were these all that remained of their livestock?

It was all miraculous, even unbelievable.
What had happened here?
A busy market area, workers tending the fields, children playing in the streets.
Was this the original Rapa Nui? A great civilization, long forgotten?

Cole and Corinne picked up their pace. Bryce saw where they were headed — a, towering statue just past the second-to-last moat. It was a dark grayish-black color, standing just to the left of the causeway. A second statue — a perfect twin of the first, stood on the right side of the causeway. Together, the sculptures formed a portal, guarding the bridge that spanned the final moat. Both statues looked toward the central mound, upon which a massive stone temple sat, looking back at the bridge and its two guardians. 

“Check this out — these are Moai heads!” Corinne yelled as she half ran across the stone bridge. 

It was indeed a Moai, like the 800-plus that dotted the landscape all over the island. This Moai, as well as its twin, was a large head and torso, with the head taking up most of the mass. It was a perfect replica of the famous Moai heads that made the island famous, but these two seemed somehow more “original” than the others — their features were not worn, and their eyes, noses, and mouths were perfectly embossed onto the stone’s faces. 

Vilocek, Karn, and Beka made their way over the bridge, and Karn whipped his camera up to snap more pictures. “This must have been the Rapa Nui’s original homeland — not
on
the island, but in it,” he said, making sure to get shots of both the Moai with the city in the background. If he got out of here alive — with or without that damned crystal — he’d be able to sell these pictures for a hefty price. 

“Hurry, let’s check out that temple up on the hill!” Corinne called back, already looking for the next treasure. Cole followed eagerly, but Bryce couldn’t help but notice how easy it had been to get this far. 

For a civilization that had prided itself so much on hiding from the world — even going so far as to create hidden chambers and passageways that were only accessible to people holding their beloved power source — it seemed a bit off-kilter that they’d just been able to waltz over the bridge and into this once great city. Something else bothered him as well.

Where is Madu Jabari and his army?
They’d seen Madu leaving Petra, and Bryce knew he would be heading straight for Easter Island. Why hadn’t they seen them yet? Was their another entrance to the city, perhaps on the other side of the huge circular metropolis?

He didn’t have much time to contemplate the scenario. Cole and Corinne had reached the gates of the inner circle, where the mound of earth rose to meet the foundation of the beautiful temple. The stone gates were open, beckoning the group to ascend the hundred or so stairs leading to the palace. A small plaza extended outward from the doorless temple, ending in a dry fountain at the top of the stairs. He watched as Corinne and Cole paused at the top to gaze at the ancient building. 

As Bryce and the rest of the group reached the top, they all continued toward the main building. The air felt heavy, as if a giant hand was pressing down on them. Bryce’s nerves were jangling; his senses intensely focused. He wondered if it was just the strange location — trespassing into an ancient Roman-style city, one of the first people to see it in probably thousands of years. He wondered if it would have been smarter to split up like Vilocek had said, but knew that they were probably better off sticking together. Who knew what dangers this place held?

The entranceway to the temple was much larger than it looked from the top of the cavern. The two spires towered upward, like arms that held the rock far above at bay. The temple itself reached halfway to the top the dome, ending in a pointed obtuse triangle. Columns stood all around the square building. It was similar to the Greek Parthenon, but less crumbled and dilapidated.

As they stepped up to the threshold of the great complex, the entire group hesitated, taking in the immensity of the place. Finally, Vilocek stepped forward and entered. 

10:39 am.

The inside of the temple was stark by contrast. Its walls of stone were nothing more than smoothed slabs of tuff, the volcanic material many of the Moai were carved from, and the only decorations were a few small Moai statues in the corners of the great hall. The square building was roofless — the central atrium surrounded a smaller square hole in the center. 

“This is a little disappointing,” Jeff said under his breath. 

“You expecting a welcoming party?” Wayne asked. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Vilocek snapped. “We’re not here to marvel at the architecture. We need to find that crystal, and we need to find it fast — Madu’s team must be here somewhere. We don’t want a repeat of Petra on our hands.”

No, we certainly don’t,
Bryce thought. As he walked, his nerves and instincts seemed to play with his mind, as if his intuition was keeping something from his brain. 

He wasn’t alone in his unease.

“What’s that? An earthquake?” Karn asked, letting his camera dangle forgotten at his neck. 

“I didn’t feel anything,” Beka said, “but it sure seems like we’re not alone.”

“Spooky,” Jeff said, taunting. Wayne and Bryce simultaneously shot him a
“shut up”
glance. They raised their weapons, backing against the nearest wall. Corinne reached for Cole’s hand, but he yanked it away. 

Cole started running toward the shaft in the middle of the atrium. “What is it?” Corinne said in a half-whisper. 

“I’m feeling something — like outside, around those other statues.” He ripped up his shirt sleeves and looked at the underside of his arms. After a few seconds, the unmistakable bluish glow appeared just below his wrists. Something had triggered the effect, and now the rest of the atrium reflected it as well. Starting at the floor and moving up the walls, the mysterious symbols appeared all around them. They were bright enough to light the entire atrium. A door, a mirror-image of the one they’d come through stared back at them from the rear wall. The symbols grew ever brighter until it was almost hard to look at them head-on — like lightbulbs without shades. 

A sudden eruption of light caused them all to recoil. Cole jumped sideways against the right wall, and Corinne backed into a corner. The shaft in the center of the room suddenly and violently was emitting a thick, slightly blue-hued beam of light. It shot straight up into the top of the dome. 

But it didn’t
stop
at the domed ceiling. They hadn’t noticed it before, but the temple was on a raised mound
directly underneath the small hole at the top of the dome.
Now, the light shot through not only the open top of the square temple’s roof, but through the top of the dome itself.

The effect was immediate and near-blinding. Some sort of architectural feature split the beam of light into millions of directions and reflected it back down over the gigantic underground metropolis. The entire city became lit by a vibrant, living light source. As the group straggled out of the temple to escape the intensity of the beam, they looked in awe over the causeway and sectioned areas of the city below. Far in the distance, they could see the fields they’d passed on their way in. As they looked out across the city, dots of blue light begin to appear outside of buildings and houses, like individual porch lights and lampposts. 

It was beautiful.

10:34 AM

MADU UNCLASPED the carabiner from his belt and wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead — he’d been sweating heavily throughout the traverse over the inside wall of the giant dome. Most of the men had already crossed, obeying their orders to scout ahead and remove any unforeseen obstacles. He’d gotten radio confirmation some time ago that they were, in fact, in a dome, and once he got through this upper layer of fog, he’d be able to see down into the center of the bowl. 

Madu had just started walking down the pathway on the side of the cavern when his radio crackled to life. “Sir, we have reached a protruding ledge on the side of the cavern. It is close to the floor of the cave, and we are holding up here to wait for the rest of you.”

Madu lifted his radio to respond, but the man on the other end of the line continued. 

“…And, I do not know how to say this, Commander. You need to see this for yourself.”

Madu frowned and continued on. The descent was now a simple hike, the path leveling to the point that he barely needed to use his hands to steady himself. He couldn’t help but notice that the route they’d taken on did seem almost like a pathway — a trail intentionally cut into the side of the gargantuan cavern. 

A few more paces down the ledge and Madu reached the remainder of the team. The men were mostly sitting, kneeling, or lying down, catching a quick break. Four of the soldiers maintained a watchful eye over the center of the cavern, its hollowed-out interior large but completely in front of them, offering an easy view. 

As Madu stepped around a large stalagmite jutting from the floor, the sight of an ancient city, steadily revealing itself with each step, made him catch his breath.

A soldier strode up, and both men stood staring at the expansive city. Madu’s mind was racing; the city was abandoned — not a sign of life — yet everything else was in place. What looked like farmland stretched out below, followed by rings of ancient water systems that divided the city into specific areas. One segment was made up of small rectangular houses, and the next seemed to be more commercial — open-air markets, trading areas, and larger buildings. Beyond it all, Madu saw the raised mound in the center of the old city, with its large temple on top.

Running toward the temple was Tanning Vilocek and his team.

“Get down there! Intercept them!” Madu shouted. They all bolted from the small ledge and took the path toward the city. Madu hoped they’d be able to corral the opposing forces inside the temple. If Vilocek decided to head somewhere else in the city, Madu would have a much harder time tracking them down.

He thought through his options, and remembered that he already had eyes up above. 

“Musim!” he barked into the radio. He hoped the two snipers were still up on the platform at the top of the dome. “Hold your position — try to get a clear shot,” he said. 

“Copy that, commander,” Musim answered. “We are with Bayoumi and Mounier. We’ll wait for your orders.” 

Jabari confirmed the order, and watched as the rest of his team reached the second ring and crossed the stone bridge. They were making excellent time — and assuming Vilocek was still inside the temple, they’d be able to catch up and trap them in a firefight inside. 

Looking up, he tried to see the four soldiers posted somewhere above. It was difficult to see anything through the mist, but he thought he could make out the bottom of the platform attached to its hanging stalactite.