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"It’s okay, Bernie Kosar," I say, patting his back

Saround and lay on our sto across the small valley at the cave’s alined, probably twenty feet wide and tall, but alsoit, a net or a tarp s; you’d have to know it’s there to be able to see it

"Perfect location," Sam whispers

"Totally"

My nervousness quickly turns to full-blown terror AsI know for sure is that there’ll be no shortage of things--weapons, beasts or traps--that could kill us I could die within the next twenty minutes And Sam could, too

"Whose idea was this, anyway?" I ask

Sam snorts "Yours"

"Well, I have some stupid ideas soet your Chest somehow"

"There’s so much in there that I don’t even kno to use yetbutcatches round in front of the entrance," I say, pointing to a s of dark objects by the cave’s entrance

"At the rocks?"

"Those aren’t rocks Those are dead animals," I say

Sam shakes his head "Great," he says

I shouldn’t be surprised since Six told us about it, but the sight of them fills me with even more dread, which I didn’t think possible Myup "There’s no time like the present"

I kiss the top of Bernie Kosar’s head, then runthis won’t be the last tio, and I communicate back that I have to, no other choice "You’re the best, BK I love you, buddy"

Then I stand I take the bottoht hand so I can re it

Sa it in stopwatch mode We won’t be able to read its face once we’re invisible, but when the hour is up, the watch will beep--though I iured it out

"Ready?" I ask

Together we take our first step, then a second, and then we’re hiking down the trail that may very well lead to our imminent doom I turn around only once, when I’ve nearly reached the cave, and see Bernie Kosar staring at us

Chapter Twenty-Nine

WE GET AS CLOSE TO THE CAVE AS WE CAN WITHOUT being seen, and we duck behind a tree I place the Xitharis stone on the sticky side of a section of duct tape Saers pinched around his stopwatch

"Ready?" I ask

He nods I press the Xitharis and the tape to the very bottom of my sternum I vanish instantly and Saital beep I snatch Saether we lurch around the tree and speed to the cave It’s all about the task at hand now, and with that in er as nervous

The cave is covered with a large caraveyard of dead ani careful not to step on any, which is hard to do without the luxury of seeing your feet There are no Mogs outside, and I hurry forward and flick the tarp aside a little too forcefully Sauards jump up from their seats and raise cylindrical cannons like the one that was held to ht in Florida We stand as still as statues for a briefthey’ll attribute the tarp’s sudden disturbance to the outside wind

There’s a cool breeze co from a ventilation system and the air is oddly fresh, which I hadn’t expected considering it’s laced with poisonous gas The gray walls are polished shts evenly spaced twenty feet apart

We pass several more scouts and slither by undetected The anxiety of the ticking clock racks us both with stress We jog, we sprint, we tiptoe, alk And when the tunnel narrows and declines steadily, we sidestep down it The cool air grows hot and stifling, and a crilow at the end of the tunnel co the cave’s beating heart

The cavernous hall is far larger than I’d ie runs along the circular walls and spirals all the way, fro the overall appearance of a beehive; and the place is every bit as busy as one, too--there are literally hundreds of Mogs in sight, crossing the precarious stone arched bridges, entering and exiting tunnels The deep floor and the vast ceiling are separated by a half mile, and Sam and I are situated very close to the middle Two massive pillars sprout up fro the whole thing froeways around us is endless

"My God," Sa it all in "It’d take "

My eyes are drawn to the lake of glowing green liquid down below Even from so far away, the heat off of itte carts full of the bubbling stuff and quickly taking it away Past the green lake,else