The rumbling eventually died down. The crashing sounds dissolved into dreary silence. An apprehensive sense of relief coupled with claustrophobia seeped into the small group’s consciousness. They found themselves trapped in a vast chamber of immeasurably valuable treasure. The chances of the topside percussion drill finding them fell drastically. They were a long way from where they started. Their only chance of survival rested in a door that they could not reach. The door rested tauntingly, emotionlessly, and maddeningly on a platform thirty feet above the floor. In Tiyana’s mind, the final blow to her hope came from the size of the door. Even if they reached the platform, she doubted that they could lift or open it.
Hunter could hear someone weeping. “Damnit, damnit, damnit…” He repeated over and over in his mind. He carried on a mental conversation with himself, “Ok think, Hunter, think. This is no time to panic. There’s a door, there’s the shelves, there’s the Sphinx, there’s walls, rocks, piles of stuff, a platform, the Cintamani stone… the Cintamani stone.” Hunter tried uselessly to get the stone out of his mind. Their survival depended on his ability to figure a way out of this mess. He determined to do this. Still, his mind fixated on the stone.
He thought, “If there’s a real Cerberus, why can’t the stone be real? Greek mythology mixed with Vedic and Egyptian mythology in this labyrinth. Maybe the Cintamani Stone and the Philosopher’s Stone of the ancient Alchemists were one and the same. Both granted immortality and had many other uses including transmuting rocks to gold and fulfilling wishes. We don’t need more gold, but we could certainly use a few wishes right about now.”
“Tiyana.” Hunter begun solemnly. “The stone from underneath the lion’s paw in the painting; I think we should try to find it. I think that it could help us. It might be blue. It might be white. It might be clear. It might be big. It might be small. It is probably big enough to hold in your hand, but could be as big as one of Cerberus’s paws. It is probably smooth and circular, but it might be more of an oval shape and it might have a design etched into it.”
Tiyana nodded, “Alright, that’s about as clear as mud. Maybe you should tell Hongo?”
“I’ll do that.”
Soon Hongo had people working in shifts. They took stuff from the cheaper area and stacked it at the makeshift hill under the door. Everyone kept an eye out for Hunter’s stone.
They spent a night in the chamber. The next morning, the crew woke up lethargic. The hill needed days more work before they could get anyone up to the platform. They did not have days’ worth of water. Morale hit bottom. The Prices returned apprehensively and reluctantly to the Sphinx.
“We could have gotten it wrong.” Said Hunter.
“I suppose.” Said Tiyana.
Tiyana stirred her finger aimlessly in the sand and waited.
“Hello again visitors. Your entry was not recognized.”
“This blasted machine is so polite. It’s driving me nuts.” Tiyana complained.
“I don’t know. Maybe computers should be more polite. It would make error messages less frustrating.”
“Or would it? Hunter, stop sidetracking. We have to get information out of this machine.”
Hunter snickered.
“Why did the cavern cave in?” Tiyana asked.
“That occurred due to an incorrect entry.”
“The symbol for man, that entry was incorrect?”
“Correct.”
“What is the correct entry?”
“Apologies, but you are not authorized to receive that information.”
“What happens when you enter the correct entry?”
“Apologies, but you are not authorized to receive that information.”
“Are there any exits to this room?”
“Apologies, but you are not authorized to receive that information.”
“What happens when we enter another incorrect entry?”
“Apologies, but you are not authorized to receive that information.”
“Will this chamber cave in?”
“Apologies, but you are not authorized to receive that information.”
“Is the door up there on the platform locked?”
“Apologies, but you are not authorized to receive that information.”
“This is getting nowhere fast.”
“Correct.”
Hunter and Tiyana looked at each other, then back to the machine. Hunter spoke, “Is this serious? It’s mocking us.”
“I apologize again. No offense was intended.” Said the voice.
“Bugger!” Tiyana shouted half at the machine and half in surprise. “Well Hunter, Mr. Encyclopedic Historian, what other ideas have you got?”
“I do know the Egyptian hieroglyph for man.”
Hunter and Tiyana both remained silent for a while. Hunter spoke first, “I’m not going to put it in until we’ve exhausted all of our other options.”
“I hate to say it, but, honey, our option tank ran dry this morning. We are running on option fumes.”
Hunter sighed. For once, he felt no irresistible impulse to act. He, in fact, felt reluctant. This hieroglyph could end his life. It could end his life just as it began. Before finding the labyrinth, he had only felt truly alive once. He had felt it when he met Tiyana. He had felt whole, like the right key found the right lock, fit it perfectly, and opened the door to fulfillment. It was destiny. When he found this cavern, he felt destiny again.
“Should we talk to Hongo?” Hunter asked.
“We could, but I saw the look in his eyes this morning. He’s losing hope. He trusts you. He trusts us. They all do. If there were any other way…”
“I hope I live to regret this.” Hunter said as he slowly and steadily drew the profile of a man sitting in lotus position with elbows bent and palms pointing outward. As he finished, the eyes of the Sphinx lit up. Then, they heard the familiar sound of old gears grinding on each other. They felt the ground shake softly beneath their feet. They watched the rock wall give way. Soon, another hallway lay before their eyes.
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Dawn of the Epoch
ActionHunter called himself an archaeologist, but he was a modern day treasure hunter. Tiyana was a scientist devoted to her craft. They were passionate people, wholly devoted to their work. Neither of them had time for love. Neither of them could resist...
