Page 80 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species
“I’m settling this once and for all. Heads, we go in. Tails, we leave.”
“A penny can’t decide such important matters.” Viktor shook his head.
Amelia tossed the coin. All eyes were on her as the metal disc soared into the air, only to come back down and land perfectly in her open palm. She flipped it onto the back of her other hand. They all leaned in to see.
Helena smiled. “Heads…”
“I knew it!” Alex clapped her hands.
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As the largest of the group, Vladislav Nyavolski had the honour of threading through the crevice first. He tucked his long arms tightly against his body and tilted his head to the side, his bulky frame taking on a somewhat aerodynamic shape.
“This isn’t going to work. You should wait in the car,” Helena suggested.
Nyavolski bared his teeth and shoved one of his army boots into the gap. A few pebbles rolled off the rock while he was wedging himself in. With some strained manoeuvres and a couple of profanities, he squeezed his body past the obstacle. The rest of them followed.
After everyone had made it through, Nyavolski led them along a narrow tunnel forming in between the rocks. Amelia was in the middle, marching forward, goosebumps tingling across her skin.
The initial passage widened into a corridor between the cliffs, with bare lower parts and greenery draping the tops. Steep, almost vertical slopes closed in around them, casting shade over the path. When Amelia looked up, however, a clear blue sky loomed above the surrounding rocks.
Gradually, the slopes tapered, and the path opened up into a lush valley. Its green mass stretched far ahead, widening until it transitioned into a dense forest.
“It’s marvellous!” Alex took in the view.
Amelia inhaled the fresh scent of blooming spring flowers. In the centre of the valley rose a rock formation with a concentric, even base, supporting a second, more massive stone structure.Between the two rocks was a small, dark crevice that resembled a mouth.
“Just as it’s shown on the map,” Helena noted, staring at the rocks.
“This is it?” Alex frowned.
Nyavolski glanced around. “Where are all the mummies? Are they hidden with some kind of concealment magic?”
“They’re not! They’re inside the temple. This is the entrance.” Helena pointed with her chin at the strange pile of rocks.
The others exchanged glances. If that little black openingwasthe entrance, none of them – Nyavolski included – could squeeze through.
Helena hopped over the grass and began tapping on the rock. “There’s a password to gain entry. You need to knock a certain number of times right on the—”
The rock began to shift upwards, opening the “mouth.”
Amelia took a few tentative steps forward. The rock stopped moving once it had formed a large enough entrance, revealing a corridor of stone steps that descended into shadowy depths.
Helena gestured to the inside and smiled at Amelia. “Ladies first.”
The awaiting darkness made Amelia twitch, but she hadn’t come this far to give up now. She bent down, ready to step into the unknown.
“Ladies first, my arse!” Nyavolski shoved her, harder than necessary, and ducked down. “What the hell is this children-sized door, for fuck’s sake? Are we entering the kingdom of the Lilliputians?” With surprising agility for his size, the surgeon folded himself into a small ball and waddled through the opening in the rock.
The others fell silent, half-expecting to hear a scream – or at least a swear word.
“Ah, there’s room to breathe! C’mon, what’re you waiting for?”Nyavolski’s voice called out.
Helena followed and, after a moment, the clacking of her heels faded. Amelia made another attempt to enter, but Zacharia placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Wait,” he said, gesturing for Viktor and Alex to go first.
After Alex and Viktor vanished into the rock, Zacharia told her, “Mikhail has more than one reason to oppose getting genetic material from the temple, and none of them has anything to do with him being set in his ways. In this world, nothing is ever that simple. Helena has no idea what she’s getting into.”
