The Venetian Pursuit: An Archaeological Thriller (The Jack Reilly Adventures Book 5) by Matt James

Author:Matt James [James, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2023-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

26

Jack led the way down the steep switchback. The trail descended fifty feet into a bowl-like depression. He paused halfway and took in his surroundings with new eyes. At this high of an elevation, the lake had been formed by collected rainwater. That theory made the most sense since it rained so frequently here. Another way to fill it naturally would be with groundwater seepage.

“This is a caldera.”

“What?” Raegor said, leaning over the edge a little. “Caldera? Volcano?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah. Look at the way the land slopes inward and ends at the water. Remind you of anything?”

“Crater Lake.”

“Crater Lake?” Usama asked from behind.

“In Oregon,” Jack replied. “Like this one, but a lot bigger. Its elevation doesn’t allow for the inflow or outflow of water.”

“Hence the clarity,” Raegor finished.

Jack started up again. “Probably the purest water source on the island. Makes sense why a community of people would set up shop here.”

“Then taint it with the dead?” Sabit asked from behind Usama.

Jack glanced over his shoulder. The pirate looked genuinely interested. His life was on the line too. There was a lot of unknown here.

“Depends on how long they were here. Hundreds of years of isolation can warp one’s view of the world.”

“You have experience with that?” Usama asked.

Jack thought back to Tibet. “A little.”

“Isn’t this small for a volcano?” Sabit asked.

Jack shrugged. “Who am I to judge? Plus, this could just be the tippy top. The entire island might be housing an explosive surprise.”

They stepped out onto flat ground, edging closer to the water. Unlike the gharial pond, this one was pristine, and a lot bigger. Jack couldn’t see the bottom. It could’ve been hundreds of feet deep for all he knew. A mixture of human and animal bones were scattered along the shoreline, piled up high in some spots.

And even higher directly beneath the cave city.

“Over there,” Raegor said, pointing left.

Jack followed his finger and saw what he had seen. It was the stairs he had seen earlier. They led up to the first level cave openings. Jack spotted a second set further north that led up to the next level.

Raegor stepped toward it.

“Stop.” They turned. Sabit and his men hadn’t followed. “This is not a historical expedition—not anymore. Take me to the fleet.”

He and Raegor faced the pirates. “I can see you’re new at this,” Jack said. “Figuring out where these people went might help us find the fleet. You can’t just skip to the end and expect to find what you want.”

Sabit didn’t budge. “Bullshit. You’re just trying to delay the inevitable.”

“And what if I am?” Sabit’s rifle raised to Jack’s stomach. “Either way, you won’t find the fleet without our help. So, why don’t you sit tight and let us do our jobs.” He looked at Raegor. “Ready?”

Raegor nodded and the two men headed off. Sabit snapped out a handful of words in Malay, getting two of his men moving too. Usama also followed, and he still wore Jack’s backpack. Jack tried to visualize an escape while up on the rockface.

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