It was only when she saw road signs with the mileage to the park that Fiona finally realized where they were going.
The passing scenery reminded Fiona of the Mt. Hood National Forest, near where she had grown up. It was not just the natural landscape, but also the towns, which had a sort of faux rustic charm. Window dressing for the tourists.
They passed beneath the stone arch at the North Entrance as dawn was lightening the sky, and continued into the park on the Grand Loop Road. Not long thereafter, Fiona noticed a change in the scenery. She did not need a map to see that they were entering geyser country.
Vents of steam erupting from the earth. Pools of boiling acidic water. Bubbling cauldrons of mud. Exactly the sort of place to find a doorway into Hell, she thought.
About half an hour later, the convoy pulled to the side of the road. “What’s going on?” Fiona asked. She did not get a direct answer. Instead, the goons got out and told her to follow.
When the door opened, she got a whiff of sulfur that made her eyes water. The next thing she noticed was the heat. The thin, high-altitude air felt cool when she breathed in, yet the pavement underfoot radiated heat like a parking lot in the dead of summer, so much so that she dared not stand still for too long.
The Cerberus men walked her to the van in the lead, where Tyndareus was riding. The front row of passenger seats had been removed to accommodate his wheelchair, which was anchored to the floor with nylon tie-downs.
“This is as close to our destination as the road will take us,” he told her. “My men will move out on foot, looking for the signs that you promised we would find.”
“I don’t know if I would use the word promised.”
“What should they be looking for?” Tyndareus asked, ignoring the comment.
“Phaistos symbols, like on the map.”
“Where?”
She shrugged. “Carved on rocks. Like petroglyphs.”
Tyndareus turned to his nearest associate. “You heard her. Begin the search. Instruct the men to send photographs of anything they discover.”
“Am I going to have to go out there?” Fiona asked.
“I would prefer you remain here with me,” Tyndareus replied. “That way, you can verify anything my men discover.”
“Whatever.” Though she was somewhat relieved by the fact that she would not have to venture out into the alien landscape, hanging out with Tyndareus was not much better. But as she watched the Cerberus men—all but the two who had been assigned to watch over her—move out across the blasted terrain, she realized that she might never get a better chance to escape. All she would have to do was ditch Nurse Wretched and the two goons, and flag down a passing car. It would be that easy.
Except she knew that it wouldn’t. And there were other considerations as well. Tyndareus had made it clear that Gallo would pay dearly for any display of resistance.
He’s going to kill us both, she thought. Even if he gets what he wants.
She knew it was true, just as she knew that Gallo would never want her to cooperate with Tyndareus just to buy her a brief reprieve. Being part of the Herculean Society meant being willing to sacrifice everything to preserve those ancient secrets, to keep them out of the wrong hands. Fiona had already given Tyndareus too much, brought him too close. She couldn’t wait any longer.
One by one, the searchers disappeared into the roiling convection waves or dropped behind terrain features that eclipsed them from her view. She settled back into her chair, biding her time, counting the cars that passed by. Traffic was light, but she suspected that it would increase as the day progressed. Tyndareus might be willing to kill a lone Good Samaritan stopping to help a running girl, but she doubted he would do so in front of dozens of witnesses. He had not evaded capture for more than seventy years by being reckless.
A silver sedan passed the parked vehicles a few minutes later, slowing as if the driver was curious.
Too soon, she thought. But she could not afford to pass up an opportunity.
Without moving, she calculated the distance to the door, rehearsing the sequence of moves that would be required to unlock it, open it and hit the ground running. The guards would make a grab for her. She would have to be ready for that. Fiona shifted in her chair, stretching casually, as she readied herself.
On your mark…
The sedan stopped and pulled off the road, right in front of them.
Get set…
The door opened and the driver got out. It was Rohn.
As the big man strode along the roadside to the van, Fiona slumped back, her enthusiasm extinguished. She had come within a heartbeat of making a fatal mistake, one that would not only get her killed, but also…
She sat up again. “Where’s Aunt Gus?”