Gray felt this exploratory team of eight was too small for the challenge ahead—or possibly too large, considering the civilians in tow. But with the constrained timetable, he needed all their expertise, especially not knowing what awaited them.
If anything.
He had to accept that possibility, too.
Before leaving, his group had also armed themselves from the vehicles’ weapon lockers. All of them now carried sidearms. Though, Seichan undoubtedly also had knives hidden under her winterwear at strategic locations. Sister Anna refused a pistol, but with some pressure, she settled on a flare-gun.
Omryn brought his own firearm, a Remington 870 DM Magpul. The 12-gauge shotgun was fitted with lead slugs in a detachable six-round magazine. He carried two more mags in a sling over his shoulder. He explained his choice of Arctic weaponry with an economy of words:polar bears. While no one expected to encounter such a creature here, such stopping power would be welcome if there was trouble.
Tucker still had an AK-12 that he had secured from the assault on the naval base in Severodvinsk. He gave a spare rifle to Gray, which was slung over his back.
Gray radioed the group. “Single file. We proceed with care.”
He twisted the throttle and edged his Polaris over the lip of the slope, then began a slow descent down the icy chute. The treads of his tracks dug deep, keeping him from a deadly slide.
Seichan followed.
Gray studied the ramp under him. He pictured water trickling down here for centuries, building up into this natural slide into the heart of the mountain. He swiveled his light, inspecting the chute, watching for any worrisome cracks, wending his way around jagged boulders that had gotten blasted down here.
He also studied the rock walls to either side. As he descended, the walls slowly climbed higher and spread wider, forming a huge opening into the peak, easily forty feet high. The icy chute broadened under him, like a glacier spilling down a valley.
With the extra room, Seichan drew alongside him. The two Snowcats followed, keeping single file.
Gray glanced back. He pictured the tall archway and imagined a three-masted ship docked outside, maybe moored in the deeper waters.
He made the mistake of staring back for a breath too long.
Seichan shouted a warning. “Stop!”
She reinforced this by nudging her snowmobile into his, sending him in a sideways skid.
He braked hard, spinning a bit more on the ice, then came to a stop.
He quickly identified what had panicked her.
Twenty yards ahead, the rock walls vanished, opening into a gargantuancavern. The ramp that they had been following spilled over an edge, forming a frozen waterfall that tumbled into the abyss.
Seichan stopped next to him and scolded, “Quit sightseeing. Eyes on the road.”
The two Cats trundled up to them, then cut their engines.
Doors popped, and the team exited, wary of the meltwater-slick slope. Flashlights clicked on.
Gray waved everyone together. “Keep close. Watch your footing.”
They carefully edged down the last of the ramp, aiming toward the drop-off.
Jason stared at the trickling water underfoot. “Definitely warmer down here.”
Anna whispered as she kept close to the young man. “It’s like the stories the Greeks told of Hyperborea, how its lands were said to be sultry and hot.”
“A land we now know was heated by geothermal energy,” Jason noted.
Elle supported this. “I smell sulfur in the air. Pretty strong.”
Gray had noted it, too. It was the rotten-egg smell found around hot springs and geysers.
Tucker offered his own explanation. “It might just be Marco. His bowels still haven’t fully settled after all that Russian prison food.”
