GOLDEN ONE: An Omega Files Adventure (Book 3) by Rick Chesler

Author:Rick Chesler [Chesler, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-09-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“All the bees left down the chute.” Hunt said this as he shone his flashlight on the cave ceiling, before sweeping it around the walls and back to the center of the cave where the wrecked hive lay on the ground. A couple of errant worker bees flitted about, landing on their fallen house before taking off again, but the thick swarm was nowhere to be seen or heard.

“I certainly hope you’re right.” Maddy began to walk around the cave, slowly inspecting its periphery, the parts that were cast in darkness or deep shadows without viewing them with a direct light source. “I know there are no other passageways that lead anywhere from here, but I’d just like to inspect more carefully before we leave back the way we came if that’s okay.”

Hunt agreed and also moved slowly about the chamber, examining its features. He reached an outcropping of rock that formed a kind of natural alcove and stepped inside it. Sweeping his beam along the wall there, he caught his breath as he saw color on the otherwise dark rock.

“Maddy, look at this!” She walked over and shone her light on the wall of interest.

“Wow! Oh my! Look at that detail!”

The two of them crouched down before an intricate painting directly on the cave wall. Mostly reddish in color, and occupying a rectangular patch of cave wall about two by three feet, the painting depicted various figures both animal and human. Four-legged animals, birds, even fish were presented. A series of squiggly lines and stippled patterns was interlaid between the different figures, creating a rich tapestry of obvious artistic merit.

Hunt retrieved his cell-phone from his pack, lit the device up and took a series of pictures of the cave painting, both in its entirety and close-ups of particular features. Maddy continued to thoroughly inspect it while he did this, standing to inspect the upper border of the ancient work of art. “Incredible! Crudely rendered yet richly detailed at the same time.”

“Can you say for certain it was done by the Muisca tribe?” Carter asked.

Maddy slowly nodded. “It certainly looks that way. To be one hundred percent certain, I’d need images of it to compare to verified, similar works. And a pigment analysis of whatever they used for paint—probably a berry extract--wouldn’t hurt. But if I had to put money on it, I’d say Muisca. And that’s just by looking at it.” She waved her arm around at the cave. “Add to that the fact that we are sitting in known Muisca territory, and it becomes even more likely it’s Muisca.” She continued walking along the upper border of the piece, and then paused, looking some distance above the artwork at an irregularity in the rock.

“Carter, check this out, would you? You’re taller than me.” Hunt walked over and aimed his flashlight at the area on the cave wall above the painting she indicated. An indentation in the rock wall seemed to contain an anomaly of some type. He squinted at it.

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