The Talbot-Martin team switched on their lamps. The passage continued for miles, always seeming to stay one step ahead of the lights. Nothing but slick black rock lined the tunnel. No sound could be heard except the echo of their footfalls and the rhythm of their breathing. They were completely alone, miles deep inside the base of a mountain.
“Extraordinary,” Patrick whispered. He had never witnessed anything like it in his life. This was isolation at it’s finest.
Slowly, and very tiny at first, a light appeared at the other end. The Talbot-Martin team pushed on, eager to discover what lay ahead.
Before them, the passage opened up to a lush valley. Everything shone green, and crisp, and fresh. A waterfall seemed to descend from the very heavens to nourish the hidden nugget of earth, which Patrick estimated was only a hundred yards wide. At the base of the waterfall, a large pool of water gathered before trickling off into no more than a brook.
The brook disappeared beneath a mountain on the far side of the valley, probably traveling underground to meet with the river they crossed days before. This place they stumbled upon was natural—as natural as Patrick and the air he breathed—but to discover it hidden in the Himalayas gave it an otherworldly mystique.
“Where to now, Papa?”
“Up,” he said. Linley’s father walked among the tall bushes and trees, stopping to touch a specimen from time to time. He knew there must be a way to the top of the hidden valley, he just waited for it to make its existence known.
“Stairs!” Reginald cried. “This way!”
Behind the waterfall, a set of narrow steps were carved into the rock.
“Marvelous!” Sir Bedford said, clapping his hands together. Bracing himself against the side of the mountain, he climbed the steps one by one.
Behind him, the rest of the team followed. They made their way up the mountain, up an endless set of stairs that wound around the valley, spiraling higher and higher toward an unseen destination. They passed through clouds settled between the mountains that stood guard over the valley. At some places, the steps grew so steep they were hardly more than ladders. Vertical. Hand over hand and foot over foot as the team ascended.
It grew dark early in the shade of the mountains. Soon, there was very little light to climb by. Their legs quivered with every step and their hands grew raw clinging to the rocks for support. Patrick did not know how Sir Bedford managed. He was half the old man’s age, and already his lungs burned from the stress of the climb, the altitude, and from general overexertion.
Not to mention half his nose had been caved in the night before.
Patrick gritted his teeth, forcing himself to push on. It was his God-given right to defend himself against an attacker, and if Linley didn’t like it, then so be it. Obviously Reginald meant more to her than he did. She cried no tears for him that night. And the next morning, it had been Reginald she fussed over. In fact, she had not spoken a word to Patrick since he cocked back and gave old Reggie what he deserved all along.
How dare Reginald try to use another woman to frighten Linley off! Sure, he embarrassed Patrick beyond belief, but what else had he hoped to accomplish? Exposing him for the caring, faithful man he was could certainly do no harm to a budding relationship. Yet…Patrick and Linley were no longer on speaking terms.
In fact, she stayed as far away from him as possible. She walked beside her father at the front of the line while Patrick kept a safe distance from the entire Talbot-Martin team. If he thought things were awkward before, it was far, far worse when everyone hated him.
***
The moon hung high in the air by the time they reached a suitable place to camp. They were out of the valley, but still surrounded by mountains on every side.
Linley unfurled her bedroll and slipped out of her boots, giving her feet a few hours rest as she crawled beneath the blankets. The night was bright and clear. There was no need for a tent, and to fall asleep under the stars was a perfect reward for her hard day’s work.
She listened as the team fell asleep. One by one, each person’s breathing became slow and rhythmic, and in Schoville’s case, a few dozen times louder. But nothing—not even his snoring—could ruin such a beautiful night.
Until Patrick crawled up beside her.
“Go away,” she said.
“I want to talk to you.”
She shook her head. “Not until you apologize for hitting Reginald.”
“He hit me first,” Patrick hissed, trying not to wake the others. “I was defending myself. Surely you of all people could see that!”
“Haven’t your ever heard of ‘turning the other cheek’?”
“Don’t preach to me, Linley. I was not about to stand there and let the man air out my personal life for everyone to hear.”
Linley rolled over onto her side, away from him.
“He’s trying to poison you against me,” Patrick said.
“He doesn’t have to,” she replied. “You do a fine job on your own.”