The Thrones of Eden 3 (Eden) Read Online Free Page A

forward . “What did you just say?”
    “The breach,” he said, “was committed from the inside out.”
    It was the last thing they both wanted to hear.
    “Last night,” Hillary continued, “I think I may have seen a shadow of something, a mere glimpse from the corner of my eye, a flash, and then it was gone. I merely chalked it up to night shadows and dust forms cast by the wind.” 
    “But it obviously wasn’t.”
    “I don’t know for sure. But when we examined the opening this morning, it was quite plain that something from the inside forced its way out. The barrier was quite secure, I assure you.” 
    “Are you certain?” she asked.
    “All I know is that the sand outside the opening was too soft to maintain any discernible set of prints. But the impressions were the size of dinner plates.”
    Alyssa appeared numbed. 
    “Whatever it was,” he continued, “it left trace prints of sand in the corridor about twenty feet in before they disappeared all together. More to the point, however, the pattern upon the floor was that of a quadruped, the strides long and measurably even. If we press forward with this, then there is the very real possibility that we may not be alone down there. And given the articles of your prior encounters . . .” He allowed his words to trail. But after a moment his eyes seemed to fixate on something gloriously wonderful. “But if there is a city beneath our feet,” he whispered dreamily, “can you only imagine?”
    “Hillary.”
    He snapped back to reality.
    “I need you to show me this tunnel.”
    “Of course.” Hillary got to his feet and politely gestured to the doorway of the tent. “After you.”
     
    #
    The sun was hot. Not the type of ‘hot’ on an immensely warm day. It was the type of ‘hot’ that could damage skin after a few minutes of exposure, which is why John and Alyssa opted to wear long sleeves and boonie hats. 
    They followed Hillary to the dig site and stood at the crater’s edge, looking down into the implosion site at what used to be the temple of Eden. The walls were tiered and manicured to resemble giant steps, as workers cut at the dirt with picks and shovels.
    Emotions began to bubble inside Alyssa as she leaned into John, who accepted her into his embrace. She nearly lost her life here close to a year ago when she discovered Eden. But it was also this place that gave her life.
    Hillary pointed to an area west of the tiered elevations, to the fourth level where there was an amoeba-shaped opening in the wall. Three men, Turkish officials, all bearing assault weapons and taking refuge beneath a tarp, stood sentinel. “Do you see it, Alyssa? The hole in the west end of the crater.”
    “I do.”
    “Then if you’re feeling agile, may I suggest that we begin the climb downward.”
    Hillary may have been a man in his sixties, but Savage was quite impressed with his ability to climb. He moved with the grace and quickness as he descended the ladders from one level to the next. When they reached the fourth tier, he assisted Alyssa to solid footing with Savage following.
    The air was thick with choking dust from the constant labor of digging, prompting Hillary to cover his mouth with a handkerchief. As they neared the opening, the Turkish guards offered a tip of their caps and gave them a wide berth.
    The opening revealed black silica walls and floor, naturally polished, that ran into darkness that was complete and absolute about twenty feet in. 
    “We ran a laser down this corridor,” Hillary said, his voice muffled. “According to the measurement, the nearest obstruction is two kilometers in. Perhaps a wall?”
    John and Alyssa looked at him incredulously. Two kilometers was more than a mile.
    “Are you serious?” asked Savage.
    Hillary nodded. “Our instruments don’t lie. We took several measurements from several different sources. And the answer was always the same. This tunnel runs long and deep. And it has to run somewhere. Otherwise,