“Just a shadow, really. A dark shape behind the falls. Likely naught but a shallow indentation in the rock wall. I dinnae dare risk Deidre’s safety, tae go see.”
“Or, it could be…?” Drew pressed.
“Deeper? Mayhap, a cave. And surely of no consequence and definitely no’ risking yer life tae find out.”
Though he kenned ’twas a fools errand, Reginald’s anticipation increased the entire way to the precipice. He dinna ken if ’twas merely curiosity about the shadowed area under the falls, or aggravation that he’d neither found, nor explored it as a lad. Although the punishment he’d have received for such recklessness, would have kept him on his feet for days.
Drew’s exaggerated whistle as he joined Reginald at the edge said everything he needed to say about the stupidity of such an endeavor.
“Agreed,” Reginald said. “ ’Tis daft for one of us tae go, let alone both. I’d be safer if ye stayed here as a lookout. If we both get in trouble down there, there’ll be no one tae rescue either of us.”
“Then I’ll go, and you stay,” Drew argued.
“Ye cannae. Ye dinnae even ken where it is.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to show me.”
“Och! But ye’re a stubborn walloper.”
“You go. I go,” Drew said, stubbornly. “Besides,” he pulled his talking device from his back pocket, “we have emergency backup, right here.”
They made sure the rope was still secure around the tree, and carried the coiled length to the ledge. “I’d like tae get as close tae the waterfall as possible, and still have good footing.”
Reginald removed the outer layer of bandages from his hands and slipped on his gloves, curling and stretching his fingers to be sure he had full range of motion.
Drew pulled on the other pair, and they both studied the drop-off, again. “How far down is it?”
“Mayhap halfway between here and where Deidre was stuck. But ’twill be a much easier descent than yesterday, with the rope tae hold tae.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Drew said, skeptically.
“Well then. The day’s not goin’ tae wait for us, is it?” Reginald took a firm grip on the rope, tested it for tautness, and lowered himself over the edge. “Give me ten feet or so, then follow. We’ll move one at a time, so we’re no’ pulling each other over.”
Slowly, Reginald worked in a diagonal path, toward the falls. In no time, he was soaked through. The noise of the falls made it difficult to communicate with Drew, with anything other than gestures.
The closer Reginald moved toward the shadow, the more convinced he was that it was, indeed, a cave. Mayhap a shallow one, but deeper than just a cut in the rock wall.
He stopped in the heavy mist, just short of the water, making sure to find secure footing. If he slipped and fell into the water, its pressure would take him down with it. Once set, he gestured to Drew, to join him.
“We should tie the rope around our waists,” he yelled against the roar, pantomiming his words. “Leave lots of slack, and plenty of room between us.”
It took a couple of tries, but finally Drew nodded his head in agreement.
Carefully they inched their way behind the falls where a protruding ledge above them provided a shoulder’s width between the water and the rock face. Several slippery steps further, water dripped over the opening to a sizeable cave.
A mixture of excitement and regret curled through Reginald’s stomach. He might have been ten, again. A lad with an imagination too large for his own good. If Laird’s Lair and Sleeping Giant had filled his head with wild imaginings, what could this cave have produced?
Motioning his intention to Drew, who followed closely behind him, Reginald moved through the dripping water, into the cave.
He couldnae see into the darkness well enough to tell how deep it was. But the ceiling was a foot or two above him, and the jagged walls were far enough apart that he and Drew could stand shoulder to shoulder, with room for one more. Despite the sizeable opening, it smelled dank and musty.
“Quite a hunch, you had.” Drew pulled his talking device from his pocket. “Let’s see how deep it is.” After a few taps and swipes, a small but strong light came on and he swept it across the ceiling, walls and floor.
After his initial surprise that Drew’s talking device was also a torch, Reginald turned his attention to the cave, struck by how clean it was. Although, he reasoned, ’twas little that could have penetrated the falls.
“Look,” Drew leaned down, picked something up and studied it under his light. “This looks like a shard of crockery.” He handed it to Reginald. “I guess we’re not the first ones in here.”
A ripple of disappointment went through Reginald before he reminded himself there’d been nearly three hundred years after he left, for someone to discover it. He had to stop thinking of the glen, as his.
