him and the
pit.
“No, look at me. Keep your eyes on
me, sweetheart, okay ?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
He wedged the torch in some
boulders and turned to face her. He helped her sit down on the cliff’s edge
over the wooden stairway. She kept her gaze on his, even when she raised her
arms, so Sin could grab her hands and slowly lower her. Down, down, until her
feet landed on the platform.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded. Sin released her hand
and then passed her the torch.
“Step aside so I can come down.”
“Be careful, Sin. Please.”
He sat down with his legs dangling
over the cliff before turning to slide down on his stomach. Tricky, as he tried
to keep his balance with his arms and stretch down to his toes. He didn’t feel
anything right away and his heart jolted in fear as his arms slid a little in
the loose gravel. He prayed that he wouldn’t fall to his death, and then he
prayed he didn’t die and leave Ruby all alone in the dark.
Ruby’s hand grabbed his calf to
help steady him, and then he felt his foot touch the platform. When he was
secure on the wooden step, he looked back up the ledge and for some reason, it was scarier looking up than down.
“The steps seem sturdy enough after
a hundred years,” she replied.
“Mm,” he grunted. He took a deep
breath. “Just be careful. Come on, hold my hand.”
Her hand seemed tiny in his and he
couldn’t help but wonder, just what in the hell were they doing? This was sheer
and utter madness.
****
Holding Sin’s hand, Ruby didn’t
look down as they descended. A few feet down, they came across a cave and Sin
stretched up to wipe away the grime from above it to show a carving.
“Look,” Sin said, holding the torch
closer.
“That’s Vouleigh’s crest.”
They smiled at each other and for
the first time since entering the dark, Ruby felt excited. After all they’d
gone though, the treasure was finally within their
grasp. They entered the dark cave and the torch barely illuminated the area,
but what they did see were smooth walls, and a large wooden chest pushed up
against one side.
“What’s that smell?” Ruby asked.
“Rot. I’m surprised anything is
still standing after a hundred years, in this damp air.”
He walked over to the chest and
studied it. The wood was encrusted with mildew and the metal hinges were
overgrown with rust.
“This should be easy to open.” He
handed her the torch, raised his leg, and kicked the front lock squarely. The
lock not only broke, but the wood around it shattered into splinters. He tore
away the lid.
“What’s inside?” she asked eagerly.
“It’s art.”
He lifted one canvas up to show a
portrait of a man, woman, and young girl. The man looked happy and proud,
standing for the painter. The woman sat in front of him with a beautiful smile
on her face. The young girl was clearly their child.
Ruby backed up as Sin began to take
the paintings out to line them up. Each one was rather ordinary: A life, per se,
in painted pictures. As he worked, she glanced around and noticed another shape
in the back corner. Curious, she walked cautiously toward it, holding the torch
up.
“I don’t like it here,” Sin
muttered. “It feels like we’re in a tomb.”
The light touched upon something
long and white: A skeleton. Ruby screamed and backtracked.
“Ruby, are you all right?”
She gestured wildly toward the
corner. “It’s a, a s-skeleton.”
Sin took the torch from her and
headed for the area she pointed toward. Ruby glued herself to his back and held
onto his shirt. Darkness, skeletons––this hunt was almost more than she could
bear.
The skeleton was lying on top of
the sarcophagus, his arms down by his side. The clothes were mostly rotten away
and large spider webs lay in thick patches on the bones.
“Why isn’t he in the sarcophagus?”
she asked.
Sin kneeled down and traced the
side of the stone coffin with his fingers.
“Because his wife and child are
pit.
“No, look at me. Keep your eyes on
me, sweetheart, okay ?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
He wedged the torch in some
boulders and turned to face her. He helped her sit down on the cliff’s edge
over the wooden stairway. She kept her gaze on his, even when she raised her
arms, so Sin could grab her hands and slowly lower her. Down, down, until her
feet landed on the platform.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She nodded. Sin released her hand
and then passed her the torch.
“Step aside so I can come down.”
“Be careful, Sin. Please.”
He sat down with his legs dangling
over the cliff before turning to slide down on his stomach. Tricky, as he tried
to keep his balance with his arms and stretch down to his toes. He didn’t feel
anything right away and his heart jolted in fear as his arms slid a little in
the loose gravel. He prayed that he wouldn’t fall to his death, and then he
prayed he didn’t die and leave Ruby all alone in the dark.
Ruby’s hand grabbed his calf to
help steady him, and then he felt his foot touch the platform. When he was
secure on the wooden step, he looked back up the ledge and for some reason, it was scarier looking up than down.
“The steps seem sturdy enough after
a hundred years,” she replied.
“Mm,” he grunted. He took a deep
breath. “Just be careful. Come on, hold my hand.”
Her hand seemed tiny in his and he
couldn’t help but wonder, just what in the hell were they doing? This was sheer
and utter madness.
****
Holding Sin’s hand, Ruby didn’t
look down as they descended. A few feet down, they came across a cave and Sin
stretched up to wipe away the grime from above it to show a carving.
“Look,” Sin said, holding the torch
closer.
“That’s Vouleigh’s crest.”
They smiled at each other and for
the first time since entering the dark, Ruby felt excited. After all they’d
gone though, the treasure was finally within their
grasp. They entered the dark cave and the torch barely illuminated the area,
but what they did see were smooth walls, and a large wooden chest pushed up
against one side.
“What’s that smell?” Ruby asked.
“Rot. I’m surprised anything is
still standing after a hundred years, in this damp air.”
He walked over to the chest and
studied it. The wood was encrusted with mildew and the metal hinges were
overgrown with rust.
“This should be easy to open.” He
handed her the torch, raised his leg, and kicked the front lock squarely. The
lock not only broke, but the wood around it shattered into splinters. He tore
away the lid.
“What’s inside?” she asked eagerly.
“It’s art.”
He lifted one canvas up to show a
portrait of a man, woman, and young girl. The man looked happy and proud,
standing for the painter. The woman sat in front of him with a beautiful smile
on her face. The young girl was clearly their child.
Ruby backed up as Sin began to take
the paintings out to line them up. Each one was rather ordinary: A life, per se,
in painted pictures. As he worked, she glanced around and noticed another shape
in the back corner. Curious, she walked cautiously toward it, holding the torch
up.
“I don’t like it here,” Sin
muttered. “It feels like we’re in a tomb.”
The light touched upon something
long and white: A skeleton. Ruby screamed and backtracked.
“Ruby, are you all right?”
She gestured wildly toward the
corner. “It’s a, a s-skeleton.”
Sin took the torch from her and
headed for the area she pointed toward. Ruby glued herself to his back and held
onto his shirt. Darkness, skeletons––this hunt was almost more than she could
bear.
The skeleton was lying on top of
the sarcophagus, his arms down by his side. The clothes were mostly rotten away
and large spider webs lay in thick patches on the bones.
“Why isn’t he in the sarcophagus?”
she asked.
Sin kneeled down and traced the
side of the stone coffin with his fingers.
“Because his wife and child are
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