to him as he chipped away at the ancient inscriptions, larger chunks breaking loose. “What are you doing?”
“Sorry, but if we want to get through here, this wall’s going to have to come down.”
“Well, yes,” she said, flustered, “but at least let me photograph it first!” She hurriedly rummaged through the bag for her camera.
Eddie sighed, but moved back so she could take several pictures. “All right, you done?”
“Yes, okay.” She hung the camera’s strap around her neck and grimaced. “I really wish we didn’t have to do this, but … go ahead.”
He returned to the wall and continued his attack. After a few minutes, enough plaster had been smashed away to expose a section of what was hidden behind it.
A wall. But not solid volcanic rock. This was built from stone blocks—another barricade, sealing the entrance to the Temple of the Gods.
Eddie used his penknife again to explore the cracks between the stones. Unlike his examination of the fake door, this time the blade went all the way in without obstruction. He also noticed something else. “It’s warm.”
Nina put her hand against the exposed wall. It was noticeably hotter than the chamber’s ambient temperature. “Well, we are in a volcano …”
“Yeah, but if it’s warm on this side, God knows what it’ll be like on the other. We don’t know how thick this wall is. Only one way to find out, though.” He looked at the bag of explosives.
Nina’s shoulders slumped in dejection. “Guess I’d better take photos of the rest of the room …”
“Ready?” Eddie asked.
Nina cringed, covering her ears. “Yeah. Do it.”
He switched the channel selector to 1, flicked up the protective cover over the detonation control … and pushed the red button.
Even though they were back outside the lava tube, the explosion from the underground chamber was still as loud as a shotgun blast. A gush of dust and smoke rushed out of the tunnel, loose stones clattering down the slope.
Eddie turned the detonator control back to safe and closed the trigger cover. “Looks like Alderley’s mate took good care of the explosives. That was a bigger bang than I expected.” They waited for the dust to settle, then started back down the lava tube. “Feel that?” he asked, after a few steps.
“Yeah,” said Nina. The breeze blowing down the shaft was now a gust, strong enough to ruffle their hair. The residual haze in the air was rapidly being cleared. “I think we definitely opened up the wall.” They continued down the curving tunnel. Rubble littered the floor as they got closer to the chamber. The final bend, and they raised their flashlights to see what awaited them.
To Nina’s relief, the enormous hammer hadn’t fallen, but was still hanging ominously over the room. Below it, the floor was strewn with debris. The wall blocking the exit had been obliterated—as had almost everything else. The blast had stripped most of the plaster from the walls, wiping out forever the last tale of the expedition from Atlantis … and also the remains of its members. The bodies in the burial nooks had been pulverized, ancient bones shattered to splinters. She regarded the devastation sadly. Photographs were little compensation for the loss of such a find.
“Hey,” said Eddie quietly, recognizing her mood. “This was just the outer room, remember?” He nodded toward the newly opened passage. “The Temple of the Gods is right through there.”
“You’re right,” she said, composing herself. Eddie headed for the exit; she gave a silent apology to what little remained of Nantalas and her acolytes before following.
Even with the stiff wind at their backs, the temperature beyond the chamber rose rapidly. And as they moved down the short tunnel, the light from their torches was joined by another source from ahead. Eddie at first thought it was daylight, but the color was wrong: too orange.
Nina had noticed it too. “You know how we thought the meteorite was in a volcano? I think it’s literally in a volcano.”
The tunnel opened out … and revealed that she was right.
They emerged on a large bowl-like ledge jutting from the inside of the volcano’s throat. High above was a circle of blue sky, but the orange light was coming from below. The volcano was still active, a lake of molten lava bubbling away deep underground.
For the moment, though, Nina’s attention was on the ledge itself. A dozen statues surrounded the center of the bowl. All were mythological figures: gods. She recognized Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Athena, Hera, and more