Phoenix by Blaze Ward

Author:Blaze Ward [Ward, Blaze]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781644700914
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

17

Dave

He kept telling himself that it was okay the kids knew he was an architecture nerd. Successful Dominators, like him, got to erect trophy monuments and new buildings. In Dave’s case, he had actually helped design about half of them in ways that had surprised the experts he had hired.

We aren’t all violence and gore.

So now Dave was envisioning how the trapdoor worked. Simple hinged plate, except that it was a meter thick, two meters wide, and nearly four long. Serious weight was involved, so the pin must be as big around as his thigh.

He had taken the shovel and politely moved the others out of the hole, since Dave figured he had the best reflexes here, not counting Glaxu. Each shovelful of sand got lifted just enough to test the balance point, and then tossed expertly to one side.

Number seven was the magic one. The trapdoor suddenly moved about a handspan upwards as he removed weight. At the other end, the sand settled as the reverse dropped the same amount. He didn’t hear any pouring down a hole, so the edges must be pretty trim.

Dave stepped right out onto the trapdoor and it lowered itself to the rest with a thunk.

“What are you doing?” Bayjy asked him almost belligerently.

“Won’t move while I’m on it,” Dave smiled at her. “Get one of you over here when I clear the other side and we may be able to close it later.”

He loved the way her eyes rather crossed as she processed the physics involved. Great thief, but never built a cathedral, that was for sure.

“Huh,” she finally said. “Yeah, okay. That might work.”

Knowing where the edges were now, Dave moved quickly.

“Vee, you stand on this spot,” Dave tapped it with the shovel. “That will hold it down. Kyriaki, maybe you join him, since I weigh more.”

Quick enough, both kids were there, standing butt to butt and watching him dig.

Dave cleared the whole trapdoor quickly and stepped clear.

“Both of you step towards me together,” Bayjy ordered in a breathless tone.

Dave watched them clear the stone, but nothing moved.

“Okay, good,” their thief pronounced. “Big Guy, you push with the shovel very carefully.”

He did, and watched the massive stone tilt down away from him as if it was brand new and perfectly lubricated. Those ancients really understood how to build.

Dave joined everyone else on the other side, looking at a set of stone steps descending into the earth.

Bayjy knelt and pushed the stone up and down a little with just her hand.

“Wow,” she exclaimed.

Dave watched her stand and very deliberately unhook his key from the green stone and collapse it back down into a series of parallel posts and ends.

“Put this in your toolbox,” she ordered him sternly. “Don’t want nobody coming up behind us and locking us in.”

Dave nodded. He hadn’t thought of that. Not that he had any idea who would, but best not to leave the fates with an option.

“Okay, all gear goes with us into the hole, just in case someone comes along during the day,” Bayjy said.

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