Timothy let the name roll quietly off his tongue. “Sapphira Adi.”
“A lovely name, isn’t it?”
“It is lovely … and familiar.” Timothy leaned forward and gazed at the chaotic swirl within Enoch’s Ghost. “Sapphira Adi,” he whispered, “For some reason, I think we have met before, and I believe we are destined to meet again.”
Chapter 6
THE ENDLESS STAIRCASE
Holding Excalibur in front, Walter scampered down the uneven, rocky steps, occasionally skipping one or two as he hurried along.
Ashley hustled to keep up, but each echoing footfall brought new reminders of her recent upwelling of frightening recollections. The dark staircase felt like an old nightmare come to life, a deepening vision of vague, shadowy dreams that had haunted many troubled slumbers. The last thing she wanted here was to be alone. “Slow down!” she called, trying to catch her breath. “I can’t see where I’m going!”
Walter stopped and looked back. “Sorry. I just want to get there as fast as possible.” The light from the blade shone on each side wall. The stairway was so narrow they had to descend single file to keep from scraping their shoulders on the rough stones. “Besides, who wants to stick around this creepy corridor?”
“I know what you mean.” She unzipped her jacket and flapped it to cool her body. “I’m getting kind of claustrophobic, but we can’t hurtle into the unknown at ninety miles an hour. Who knows what might be down there?”
He pointed the sword at the stairs below. “If it’s something dangerous, then we should go even faster. Karen needs us.”
“But we’ll be exhausted when we get there.” She leaned against the wall. “Don’t forget. Going down is a lot easier than coming back up. If Karen can’t climb, it might take all day to get back.”
“Good point.” Walter exhaled loudly and rested his back on the opposite wall. After a few seconds his eyebrows lifted. “Have you wondered how a dragon can make a hole like this open up? I mean, is that a weird dragon power we haven’t heard of yet? Can some of them make things move with their minds?”
Ashley pushed a shock of wet hair out of her eyes and wiped the perspiration on her jeans. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since we started down this hole. I doubt that dragons can defy the laws of physics. They’re limited to using their natural traits, just like humans are, and creating a hole and a staircase like this out of the blue isn’t anywhere close to natural.”
Walter’s eyes gleamed in Excalibur’s weak glow. “So, what’s your conclusion, Miss Mighty Mind?”
A twinge of pain pinched Ashley’s heart. She expected Larry to zing her with barbed nicknames, but not Walter. She tried to hide the sting with a laugh. “Didn’t I ask you to stop joking about me?”
“But it wasn’t a joke.”
“Then what was it?”
“Uh …” His eyes averted, finally fixing their gaze on the stone wall. “A term of endearment?” Even in the low light, the redness in his cheeks was obvious.
She smiled and sighed. “Okay. Fair enough.”
Walter’s gaze stayed locked on the wall. “That’s kind of weird.”
“What’s kind of weird?” Ashley followed his line of sight and searched the bare stone. “What are you staring at?”
“You can’t see it at first,” he replied, rubbing his finger along a darker spot, “but if you concentrate, you can make out a design.”
She leaned closer. “What kind of design?”
“Kind of like letters, but it’s pretty ragged.” He brought Excalibur near the wall. Its glow poured into the crags, revealing a series of odd shapes that ran head high and parallel to the sloping staircase, staying within a hand’s-breadth range. “You can see it pretty easily now.”
Ashley ran a finger along the stone. “It’s too broken to make out, but it’s definitely a string of words of some kind.” She tapped her jaw and spoke into the air. “Larry, are you still listening in?”
“Your signal is weak, O Anthrozilic Angel, so I will boost my power and extend the auxiliary antenna.”
“Yeah, right. And increase the volume on your annoying alliterations.” She reached into her duffle bag and pulled out her handheld computer. “I have my tracker turned on. Are you monitoring us?”
“You are still at your former residence in Montana, but your elevation has changed. You are now at only one hundred and twelve feet above