Now we need to find the entrance to the second trail. We searched the entire shoreline. We looked between rocks, behind brush, beneath patches of flowers, and along every crack in the canyon wall. Nothing. Not one sign of an entrance.
Seiya, I need to see the map again. She froze, froze, and glanced cautiously around us. What if someone is watching? There's nobody here. We're alone.
After one more careful look around, Seiya removed her blouse and turned her back toward me. The map had changed again. A new symbol had appeared near the lower part of her back. A hand. One finger pointed straight down.
Down? I said. The entrance is under the water. Seiya turned sharply, her eyes widening. Under the lake?
Yes. Look at the symbol. It's pointing toward the bottom. But we don't know how deep it is. There's only one way to find out.
I pulled off my boots, then my shirt, and finally the gun belt holding my revolver. What are you doing? Seiya asked. I'm going down there to look for the entrance. That's the idea.
Cade, that's dangerous. I looked towards the black water. This whole journey is dangerous, but we've come too far to turn around now. She grabbed my arm. Then then I'm going with you.
No, you stay here. If something happens to you, and if something happens to you, everything ends. Her grip tightened. If you don't come back, I'm coming after you. We stared at each other for several seconds.
I knew that look. There was no point arguing. All right, but stay near the shore until I call for you. Understand? I understand.
We walked to the edge of the lake. The water was so dark I couldn't see more than a few inches beneath the surface. Ready? Ready. I filled my lungs and dove.
The cold hit me like a knife. For a moment, my chest locked up, but I forced my arms and legs to keep moving. I swam deeper. The faint light from above disappeared little by little until darkness wrapped around me. I searched blindly along the stone.
My lungs began to burn. Then I saw it. An opening in the rock wall beneath the lake. A narrow gap, a passage leading into an underwater cave. I kicked toward it, squeezed through the opening, and followed the tunnel until suddenly my head broke through the surface.