As they progressed up the slope, the observation tower atop Mt. Diablo came into view above them. Nate had once enjoyed the view from the solid structure on a day trip with his family. It had never crossed his mind that he might be close to an ancient magical treasure.
Cleon paused, staring up at the observation tower and wiping sweat from his brow. “Folks might be able to see us. You freaks might want to get back down on the ground.”
“That building is still a long ways off,” Jeanine protested. “No way can anyone see the six inches between my toes and the ground. I know misery loves company, Cleon, but we’re going to keep hovering. Pick up the pace if you can. Boss wanted this accomplished today.”
Grumbling angry words under his breath, Cleon sped up a little. He kept his eyes on the ground in front of his feet.
At last they arrived at a dark cleft in the ground sheltered by a boulder. The cavity didn’t look like much of a cave. Nate wouldn’t have expected it to extend back more than a few feet out of view.
“We had to excavate this,” Cleon said, his lungs working hard. “Jeanine didn’t pitch in. She sat back and watched. Everybody who wants to criticize my hiking should keep in mind that I was up most of the night uncovering this entrance.”
“We’re very proud of you,” Jeanine consoled. “It’s a majestic hole.”
Cleon gestured at the cleft with both hands. “In we go.”
Chris ducked inside.
“Watch out for that first step,” Cleon called, one hand beside his mouth. “It’s a doozy.”
“The kid can fly,” Jeanine pointed out.
“It’s an expression,” Cleon growled.
“Watch your tone,” Jeanine said. “You’ll need my help before long.”
Cleon gave a little nod and tipped an imaginary hat. “No disrespect intended.”
Risa hesitated, crouching at the entrance of the cleft.
Cleon waved for her to enter. “Go on, girl. You’ll be fine.”
“They left light in here,” Chris called from inside. His voice already sounded kind of distant.
Risa entered. Nate followed, squirming through the narrow opening. He wondered how a big guy like Cleon could fit. He probably couldn’t squeeze through without getting scraped up.
The deeper Nate progressed into the cleft, the more it opened up, until he was no longer squirming and could walk comfortably. The air smelled of minerals. Up ahead he saw Chris silhouetted against an electric lantern.
“Come here,” Chris called, waving.
Lifting off the ground, Nate flew along the cave to where Chris stood by the lantern. Nate caught up to Risa, and they reached Chris together.
Where Chris waited beside the lantern, the cave widened considerably, forming a large, craggy chamber. A massive hole dominated the floor. Chris lingered a few paces from the brink of the yawning crater.
“Looks like we go down from here,” Chris said.
“I don’t see any other openings,” Risa agreed.
Nate drifted out over the void. “Hello,” he called, tilted downward, hands cupped around his mouth. The acoustics of the echoes suggested that the hole was extremely deep.
“How can you hover over all that emptiness?” Risa asked with a shiver.
“I don’t know,” Nate replied. “The same way I can swim in deep water, I guess. It’s a long way down, but I can fly.”
“I can’t,” Cleon remarked, striding toward them. “That’s why I need Gravity Girl.”
“And why you had better be nice to her,” Jeanine reminded him.
Lindy glided out over the void to hover beside Nate. “Wow,” she murmured. “Now, that is a deep hole. It’s like staring down the throat of a volcano.”
Jeanine cracked a chemical light stick, then shook it until it emitted an even, green radiance. She tossed it underhand into the crater. Nate watched as it fell and fell, shrinking to a faint green spark before vanishing entirely.
“It has a bottom, right?” Nate asked.
“I can’t confirm,” Lindy said. “It extends a long way and then elbows a little to the side. I can’t see through the rocks here.”
“It has a bottom, all right,” Cleon said. “The Gate and the Protector are down there right now.”
“How’d they get down there?” Risa asked.
“We had a busy night,” Jeanine said.
“Are we ready?” Cleon asked.
Jeanine cracked more chemical light sticks, distributing one to each of them. Then Jeanine and Cleon floated out over the pit. Cleon wobbled and waved his arms for balance.
“Keep still,” Jeanine advised. “You’re messing up my concentration.”
Cleon obeyed without comment.
“I’ll lead the way,” Lindy offered.
They started downward. Nate regretted his lack of opportunity to strategize with the others. Somebody employed by Jonas was always present to overhear. He hoped that when the time came, Chris and Risa would help hold back Jeanine and Cleon so he could race ahead to Uweya. He would have to pick his moment with care. If he failed today, Jonas would win.
Nate stole glances at Cleon and Jeanine. If he made it to Uweya ahead of everyone, what would he do? How much time would he have before others caught up? This was not the sort of situation where he wanted to trust to luck and improvisation. But what else could he do, considering how little he really knew about Uweya? What else could he expect, with so little time to collaborate and plan? A nervous, fluttery feeling persisted in his belly.
The air grew cooler as they descended. The gentle glow of their light sticks seemed a feeble weapon against the thick darkness above and below. They didn’t rush—the ominous obscurity around them forbade haste. Nate felt like a deep-sea explorer sinking into an oceanic trench.
The profound shaft elbowed once, then again. After the second bend, the bottom of the pit came into view, illuminated by various electric lanterns.
“Katie Sung is waiting for us,” Lindy announced.
“Jonas wanted his best people along,” Cleon said.
“Is that why you’re here?” Jeanine said, straining to resist laughter. “Don’t make me crack up, Cleon. I wouldn’t want one of his best people to fall.”
“You calling me minor league?” Cleon challenged.
“We’ll let your performance today do the talking,” she replied. “Now let me concentrate.”
“Welcome,” Katie greeted warmly as Nate touched down between a pair of lanterns. Her form-fitting outfit emphasized her athletic build. Nate noticed the cot where she must have slept. “Turns out the Jets were the top squad after all. A few of us employed by Mr. White lost some money on that outcome.”