“To see if this even leads anywhere. Somebody has to shut you two up.”
The mumbling of annoyed voices carried down the corridor as Gemma descended into darkness. But the tunnel wasn’t very long and ended with a wall that had long since collapsed.
Brilliant. It looked like they were going Hawk’s way after all.
As she turned to go back to the cavern, a flicker of purple light caught her attention.What in the blazes...?
Something was on the other side of that wall.
Gemma listened for the sounds of scraping feet or heavy breathing, but she detected nothing.Unlikely to be any creatures on that side, then. I hope.
She tightened her fists. Getting Christian up the rope to where he’d fallen through—especially with a broken arm—would be near impossible. They had to keep going this way if they were to get free of this cavern. She was getting through, no matter what it took.
Hawk was pacing when Gemma returned. “I need your help,” she said to him and Colton.
Christian went to stand, but Gemma stopped him. “Not you, though. I’m sorry. This activitydoestake two arms.”
He smirked before returning to his comfortable position.
Colton and Hawk followed her down the tunnel, where she told them to help her shift stones so they could get through.
“You’re not serious?” Hawk’s skeptical gaze swept over the blockage.
Gemma offered him a pointed stare, and he sighed before lifting a rock and tossing it aside.
“You know, you can be a little scary when you get demanding,” Colton jested. “But that’s good. You’ll need that fire for what’s to come.” He winked before moving stone after stone alongside Gemma and Hawk.
Gemma’s arms ached by the time a hole large enough for her to squeeze through appeared. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand and wormed her way to the other side.
Her jaw fell open.By Illari. . .
The chamber in which she stood had to be thousands of years old. Archways of Reva’s red stone separated grandiose rooms filled with purple and orange light that flooded from above, as if each section had its own galaxy. It was otherworldly in its beauty and had definitely not been made by humankind.
Rami had mentioned they might come across some alien ruins, but she doubted he meantthis.
“Gemma, you okay?” Colton called.
“You guys need to see this.”
Colton pushed through with a little extra effort, but Hawk had to move a few more stones before he could fit his massive shoulders into the gap.
Both stared at the transcendental view with eyes as wide as Gemma’s spirit felt. Each epic chamber told stories of epochs past, the air heavy with the weight of history. How did something this gorgeous exist on Reva? And how did no one know about it?
“I’ll get Christian and Imara,” Gemma said.
“Wait,” Hawk interrupted. “As cool as this is, we can’t waste time in here. Let’s grab them and go.”
“That’s exactly what I am doing. There’s bound to be another exit in here somewhere. You think dropping into that cavern was how people normally got in here?”
Hawk frowned, but when he didn’t reply, Gemma marched back through the makeshift opening to the tunnel.
Imara wasn’t thrilled when Gemma woke her up, but the promise of something amazing at least kept her from threatening to cut off any of Gemma’s body parts. The two of them—plus Christian—packed up all the supplies and met Colton and Hawk on the other side of the collapsed wall.
Curses poured from both Christian and Imara when they realized they stood in a sanctuary of ancients, where time stood still, and the boundaries between past and present seemed to blur into a tapestry of wonder and awe.
“I’ve seen alien ruins before,” Christian said. “But nothing like this.”
Gemma ventured through the chambers, marking the intricate carvings on the pillars of crimson that depicted scenes of cosmic conquest. Each told a story of a forgotten race forced to vacate the planet once the asteroid belt began to take shape. Those who fought to stay had slowly descended into madness until just a handful of them remained. Large eyes seemed to follow them everywhere.
