The Collectors Book Two: Full Circle (The Collectors Series 2) by Ron Sewell Read Free Book Online Page B

cable and connect it to the generator. Working together, they lowered everything into the pit. The engine started on the third pull and flooded the pit with light. Yannis made the entrance hole to the tunnel larger and entered, dragging the lighting cable with him. Alexis followed. With two torches on their belts and purpose-made lamps strapped to their heads, they explored the passage that vanished into the dark.
    Yannis examined the stonework and marvelled at its precision. The floor had a central gutter, worn smooth by the passage of water. “I wonder how far it goes,” he said.
    “Keep walking,” said Alexis.
    One step at a time they continued, pulling the lighting necklace with them. At one hundred metres the cable went taught. Yannis switched on one of his torches and went on. Alexis followed. Again Yannis studied the floor of the tunnel, attempting to judge the incline. He glanced back and estimated it to be roughly one-in-thirty, not steep but enough. How far had they descended? He checked the time – over an hour. The fine roots of trees had found a route into the passage and when these brushed against their heads and faces, they jumped.
    To his surprise, Yannis found that the tunnel opened out into a vast hall. The floor of the chamber in front of them appeared five metres below. Moving the beams to the far side, they saw a series of well-worn stone steps descending into the chamber. Eight statues of Neptune, the Roman God of the sea, supported a vast sandstone roof.
    “Hey, Alexis, there’s a ledge. We can get across.”
    “For a tall, skinny runt like you, maybe, but for me, I don’t know.”
    Yannis sidled along until the ledge widened to over a metre. “Follow me. Press your back to the wall and edge your way along. That can’t be difficult, even for you.”
    “I have a choice?” said Alexis.
    Yannis laughed but waited for his brother.
    Together they wandered down the steps. Yannis stopped. He was puzzled: Roman mosaics on the island were common but plain mortar covered this floor. He knelt and examined it. Dark lines stretched around the three sides.
    “I must be stupid,” Yannis shouted, his voice echoing in the lofty chamber. “This isn’t a room! It’s a fresh water sump. The statues of Neptune should have told me.”
    His torch started to dim and he switched on another, saving his headlamp for emergencies. Time had run out.
    “Not a lot here, Alexis. We need to come back, better equipped.”
    “Brother, we must go before our torches fail. Wandering around this place in the dark would not be my idea of fun.”
    After two hours walking, they clambered to the surface, grabbed their flasks of water from the truck and gulped. Although warm, it sated their thirst and washed away the ancient dust clogging their noses and throats.
    But now they had a decision to make.
    “We should inform the authorities,” said Yannis.
    Despite what he heard, Alexis couldn’t stop laughing. “Brother, your mouth might be in gear but that brain of yours is in neutral. Tomorrow we’ll see if there’s anything down there. If it’s as empty as it seems then we’ll tell the authorities.”
    “But that’s illegal.”
    “My brother, the Romans abandoned Cyprus two thousand years ago. One more day will make little difference.”
    “Okay, one more day, Alexis. No more.”
    “Whatever you say. Now let me get behind the wheel of this heap of crap and go home.”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    The following morning, Yannis’ body ached. A power shower massaged his muscles but he walked with difficulty down the stairs to the kitchen where his mother and Alexis greeted him.
    “You walk like your papa, Yannis,” said his mother as she placed bread on the table.
    “Too much lifting buckets of dust.”
    “The bookworm can’t stand the strain, Mama. We’ve agreed one more day,” said Alexis.”
    Yannis stared at his mother