Jennifer whispered to Tony. “Are they taking us to R’lyeh?”
“Yeah,” Tony answered. “I guess I don’t need to bring you up to speed, after all.”
“We found out what’s happening through a local. The village holy man.”
“Oh yeah? Where is he now?”
“Dead, I think. He was going to sacrifice us to Dagon.”
Jennifer saw Tony twitch, his jaw set in a grimace of anger. “You kill him?”
“No, the Dark Ones did. If he’s really dead.”
“How come you’re not sure?”
“There was a lot going on. It was all very confusing. We escaped, but some of our friends got left behind.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“So,” Jennifer whispered, “is there anyone else with you guys?
Rick, maybe? Does Livingston know you’re here?”
Tony shook his head. “No. It’s just me and Clark and these guys. There was one more with us but we lost him topside. As for Livingston, I’m not sure, but I’ve got the feeling that ol’ Augustus isn’t even aware of this situation.”
“But I thought you said these guys were spooks.”
“They are, but not the government kind.”
“They operate outside the confines of world government,” Clark said. “Have you ever—”
“Quiet,” Amethyst cautioned. “Sound carries down here and they’re all around us now. We must proceed with utmost caution.”
With the light from Ruby’s flashlight illuminating the way, they were able to cover ground much quicker. This time they did not have to slide their way down narrow cave passageways. It seemed to Jennifer as if Ruby knew intuitively which corridor to go down, and she didn’t hesitate when they came to forks in the cavern system. They darted down so many passageways that Jennifer became lost. God help them should they be ambushed by Dark Ones; it sounded like they were getting closer, but the sounds of their roars were still somewhat muffled. Ruby paused and the group huddled together, crouching in the darkness.
“We’re almost there,” Ruby whispered so softly that they had to strain to hear her. “Very shortly we will be reaching a very large cavern. There will be a number of bas-reliefs and statues surrounding a large stone altar. Hovering over the altar will be a large rectangle.”
“We saw that,” Wade said. “It was floating in the middle of the chamber, and it looked like there was an ocean inside it.”
“You saw the entrance to the Labyrinth?” Ruby eyes widened at the revelation. “Consider yourself lucky to still be alive.”
Wade shivered. “What was it?”
“That is Dagon’s doorway into our world.”
“I want to get out of here,” Susan moaned. “Look, you’ve rescued us, and we’re very grateful, but I don’t want any part of this. If you have another mission to complete, leave us out of it. I’m a researcher, not a soldier. Take us topside and then you can come back and do whatever it is you have to do.”
“Madam,” Diamond said, shuffling next to her, “please don’t—”
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Susan’s voice grew shriller and louder. “Leave me alone.”
The others tensed, glancing around warily, waiting to see if the echoes would attract attention. Jennifer saw Amethyst nod at Diamond. The big man reached forward and gently touched Susan’s shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was faint but strong.
“Calm.”
Susan immediately relaxed. Her posture slackened and an expression of complete serenity crossed her face. She looked up at Diamond and smiled.
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
“What the hell did you just do to her?” Wade asked. His tone was alarmed.
“It’s okay.” Susan placed her palm against his chest. “It’s sweet of you to worry about me, Wade, but I’m fine. Everything is going to be okay. And guess what? My head doesn’t hurt anymore. That terrible headache is gone.”
“Wish I could say the same thing,” Clark grumbled.
“Me too,” Tony agreed, turning to Amethyst. “Any chance you guys could do that to the rest of us?”
“I’m afraid not. All Diamond did was calm her down so that she wouldn’t be a liability. Her headache is gone only because Dagon’s nearing presence has driven her insane. Once madness sets in, the pain dissipates.”
“Okay,” Tony said. “Never mind. So this is the end game. What happens next?”
“Fifty yards ahead of us,” Amethyst whispered, “is the portal. The Dark Ones are encircling it, involved in rituals and prayer. As we already know, many of their soldiers have been fanning across these tunnels looking for us. As we speak, I’m sensing several of them nearby. Time will be of the essence here.”