Chapter 12 10

Saul, Brown, Martin.Selenus, and the Consul, with equipment and Hayter.Mastine's Mobius Cube, and Reina.Hoyt's body descended the long slope to the entrance of the Sphinx.Now the snow fell again and again, blowing across the weathered dune surfaces in an intricate dance of wind-blown particles.Although the night was coming to an end according to their communication recorders, there was no ray of sunshine in the east.They called repeatedly using the radio on the comm recorder, but there was no reply from Colonel Kassad. Sol.Wen Chaobo stopped at the entrance of the time tomb called the Sphinx.He felt his daughter warm against his chest under the cloak, the baby's warm breath rising and falling against his throat.He stretched out a hand and touched the body wrapped inside, hoping to imagine Rachel as a twenty-six-year-old young woman. She was a researcher at the time, so she stopped at this entrance, and then went in to detect it. The secret of the anti-entropy force field in Zakizuka.Thor shook his head. Twenty-six long years and a lifetime had passed since then.It will be his daughter's birthday in four days, unless Saul can figure out a way to find the Thorn Demon God, make a deal with it, and come up with a way, Rachel will die in four days.

Are you coming, Sol?Brown.Ramia called.Others had put their stuff in the first room, about six or seven meters down the narrow walkway in the stone. Here it comes, he cried, and entered the Time Tomb.There used to be light balls and electric lights in the tunnel, but they are all dead and dusty now.Only Thor's flashlight and the light from Kassad's small lantern lighted the way. The first room was small, at most four meters wide and six meters long.The three remaining pilgrims had already leaned their luggage against the back wall, spreading tarps and bedrolls in the center of the cold floor.The two lanterns sizzled and glowed coldly, and Sol stopped and looked around.

Father Hoyt's body is in the next room, Brown.Lamia answered his unspoken question.It's colder there than here. Sol moved closer to the others.Even at this depth, he could still hear the sound of snow and sand being blown against the stone by the wind. The Consul decided to try the comm recorder again later.Brown said: Tell Graystone about it. Martin.Selenos laughed and said: No use, no fucking use, she knows exactly what she's doing, she will never let us out of here. I'll try again after sunrise, the Consul said.His voice was tired. I'll keep watch, Saul said.Rachel moved and wept weakly.I'm going to feed the baby anyway.

The others seemed too tired to answer. Brown leaned on a backpack and closed his eyes. Within a few seconds, all he could hear was her heavy breathing.The Consul pulled his cocked hat down over his eyes, Martin.Selenus folded his arms on his chest, stared at the door, and waited. Sol.Wen Chaobo fiddled with the feeding packet, his cold and arthritic fingers couldn't handle the heating pad.He looked in his backpack and saw that he had only ten packets and some diapers left. The baby was nursing and Thor was nodding his head and almost falling asleep when a sound woke them all up. what sound?cried Brown, fumbling for her father's pistol.

Hush, the poet scolded, holding out his hand for silence. From somewhere beyond the mound came the voice again, very distinct, cutting through the sound of the wind and sand. Kassad's spear, Brown.Ramia said. Maybe it was someone else's gun, Martin.Selenos said softly. They sat in silence, listening, and for some time there was no sound at all.Then, all of a sudden, there was a burst of noise from the night that made each of them cringe and cover their ears.Rachel cried in fright, but no one could hear her cry under the sound of explosions and tearing outside the mound.