should be able to touch it. But, with her eyes open, she could see nothing but the fallow land of a hayfield.
She closed her eyes one more time and oriented herself on the dark yellow surge of power, then opened them and walked straight forward.
Nothing.
That was odd. She closed her eyes and the glow had moved. Or maybe she had changed direction without meaning to.
"There's nothing here,” Zack protested.
"That's where you're wrong, Captain. I don't know what it is, but there's definitely something here."
She tried again, this time, keeping her eyes closed. At least she didn't veer. Instead, she bounced off the yellow glow as if she'd hit a glassy-sided wall.
"Something is keeping us out,” she confessed.
"Out of what?” He waved his hand across the apparently empty landscape. “There's nothing here but hayfields."
A sheep butted its head against Ivy's bicycle but must have decided it was inedible because it wandered off.
"And sheep,” he added.
She noticed that the sheep avoided the flow of yellow power.
It would have been handy if Zack could see what she saw. But if it took killing and resurrection to open his eyes, she didn't want to take the risk. What if the Cross only healed some of the people who died on it? What if she'd used up its last shot?
She waved him to silence. “Let me think."
He nodded, then leaned against his bike. It had been a long day and he had to be at least as tired as she was.
She closed her eyes again, studying the jaundiced glow to see if she could spot any breaks in the smooth dome-like construct.
At first, she saw nothing. But as she looked more closely, she saw a faint discoloration where the Cross was closest to the yellow.
That gave her an idea. Maybe the Foundation document that had referred to the Cross as the key had been literal.
"Pick up the cross,” she commanded.
Zack obeyed, humoring her although the green haze of his doubt intensified around him.
"Trust me on this, Zack. Just close your eyes and walk straight forward."
He tried to follow her directions, but veered to his right, sweat glistening on his face.
"Are your eyes really closed? Ten degrees left, Captain. And put the Cross out in front of you."
His muscles shook as if he were struggling with an impossible weight and beads of sweat ran down his face, but he made the turn.
The end of the Cross penetrated the yellow glow—and vanished into an orange hole.
"Open your eyes."
He stared. “That's impossible. It's like something swallowed half the cross."
"I'm pretty sure the Cross is intact.” Wouldn't that be a kick in the rear, though? Suppose, after all they'd been through, she managed to stick the Cross into some sort of satanic meatgrinder and ended up with sawdust?
He set his end of the cross down and wiped the sweat from his eyes. “This would be a perfect hiding place."
She nodded. “Unless someone has a douser, they'd never find it."
"There's only one problem,” Zack said.
"Yeah?"
"If we hide the Cross in there, how are we ever going to be able to get in to retrieve it?"
Chapter 6
Ivy took Zack's hand in her right hand and brushed her left hand against the Cross.
She closed her eyes and stepped forward.
The malignant yellow glow resisted, but she pushed harder. It yielded slowly, like a mountain of Jello, as the Cross lent its power to her own strength.
"Wow! I can't believe this.” A boyish excitement pushed all fatigue from Zack's voice.
She opened her eyes to a completely transformed landscape.
Where moments before there had been nothing but a hayfield and rocky outcrops, now a perfectly preserved structure rose above a stone courtyard.
A gargoyle-like statue leaned out over the wooden doorway, the head that of a bird and the body that of a man. The statue reminded Ivy of an Egyptian exhibit she'd once seen in a museum, but the bird's expression was colder and crueler than anything she remembered.
"It's got to be an ancient temple,” Zack breathed. “Do you have any
She closed her eyes one more time and oriented herself on the dark yellow surge of power, then opened them and walked straight forward.
Nothing.
That was odd. She closed her eyes and the glow had moved. Or maybe she had changed direction without meaning to.
"There's nothing here,” Zack protested.
"That's where you're wrong, Captain. I don't know what it is, but there's definitely something here."
She tried again, this time, keeping her eyes closed. At least she didn't veer. Instead, she bounced off the yellow glow as if she'd hit a glassy-sided wall.
"Something is keeping us out,” she confessed.
"Out of what?” He waved his hand across the apparently empty landscape. “There's nothing here but hayfields."
A sheep butted its head against Ivy's bicycle but must have decided it was inedible because it wandered off.
"And sheep,” he added.
She noticed that the sheep avoided the flow of yellow power.
It would have been handy if Zack could see what she saw. But if it took killing and resurrection to open his eyes, she didn't want to take the risk. What if the Cross only healed some of the people who died on it? What if she'd used up its last shot?
She waved him to silence. “Let me think."
He nodded, then leaned against his bike. It had been a long day and he had to be at least as tired as she was.
She closed her eyes again, studying the jaundiced glow to see if she could spot any breaks in the smooth dome-like construct.
At first, she saw nothing. But as she looked more closely, she saw a faint discoloration where the Cross was closest to the yellow.
That gave her an idea. Maybe the Foundation document that had referred to the Cross as the key had been literal.
"Pick up the cross,” she commanded.
Zack obeyed, humoring her although the green haze of his doubt intensified around him.
"Trust me on this, Zack. Just close your eyes and walk straight forward."
He tried to follow her directions, but veered to his right, sweat glistening on his face.
"Are your eyes really closed? Ten degrees left, Captain. And put the Cross out in front of you."
His muscles shook as if he were struggling with an impossible weight and beads of sweat ran down his face, but he made the turn.
The end of the Cross penetrated the yellow glow—and vanished into an orange hole.
"Open your eyes."
He stared. “That's impossible. It's like something swallowed half the cross."
"I'm pretty sure the Cross is intact.” Wouldn't that be a kick in the rear, though? Suppose, after all they'd been through, she managed to stick the Cross into some sort of satanic meatgrinder and ended up with sawdust?
He set his end of the cross down and wiped the sweat from his eyes. “This would be a perfect hiding place."
She nodded. “Unless someone has a douser, they'd never find it."
"There's only one problem,” Zack said.
"Yeah?"
"If we hide the Cross in there, how are we ever going to be able to get in to retrieve it?"
Chapter 6
Ivy took Zack's hand in her right hand and brushed her left hand against the Cross.
She closed her eyes and stepped forward.
The malignant yellow glow resisted, but she pushed harder. It yielded slowly, like a mountain of Jello, as the Cross lent its power to her own strength.
"Wow! I can't believe this.” A boyish excitement pushed all fatigue from Zack's voice.
She opened her eyes to a completely transformed landscape.
Where moments before there had been nothing but a hayfield and rocky outcrops, now a perfectly preserved structure rose above a stone courtyard.
A gargoyle-like statue leaned out over the wooden doorway, the head that of a bird and the body that of a man. The statue reminded Ivy of an Egyptian exhibit she'd once seen in a museum, but the bird's expression was colder and crueler than anything she remembered.
"It's got to be an ancient temple,” Zack breathed. “Do you have any
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