Up In Smoke
Page 36

‘‘Where there’s a lake and underground structures, there are tunnels and grottoes,’’ my twin said, straightening her clothing.
‘‘I’m inclined to think the back way is easier to get into,’’ I agreed, pulling up to a stop at a gas station. ‘‘Let’s see if we can get an address for Fiat; then we’ll tackle him from the lake side.’’
Fifty euros later, we were on our way around to the far side of the lake, where the man Maata had bribed into talking had said the very wealthy Signor Blu lived. We stopped before we got to the house, leaving the car pulled off into a nearby cul-de-sac, then carefully picked our way through a large house’s exquisitely manicured lawn to reach the lakeside.
‘‘See anything that says ‘secret entrance to subterranean passage’?’’ I asked Cyrene as she stood at the water’s edge. My voice was hushed, since it was early evening and conceivably residents might pop outside for a breath of fresh air. And since the area around the lake was populated with very expensive homes, security systems were sure to be bountiful.
‘‘Not a thing.’’ Cyrene frowned down at the water. ‘‘I can feel an underground stream, though. Not the feed that comes from my spring—that’s up north. This is something different, running deeper. And it’s tainted, too. Oh, goddess, what have I done to this poor lake?’’
‘‘Now is not the time to suffer regrets; now is the time to find the tunnel or whatever it is to get us into the bowels of Fiat’s house,’’ I murmured, tugging her along the shoreline.
‘‘Before we go any farther, why don’t I slip up to the house and see if the sports car is there?’’ Maata asked in a soft voice. ‘‘If it’s not, there’s no sense in spending time trying to get in.’’
‘‘Smart thinking,’’ Cyrene said, giving me a quelling look. ‘‘Why didn’t you think of that, Mayling?’’
‘‘I did. I just figured it would be worthwhile to get a peek at Fiat’s house regardless of whether the supposed Baltic is there or not.’’
‘‘Really? Why?’’ Cy asked as Maata melted into the night.
I clutched Cy’s arm and carefully skirted around a lit dock. ‘‘Because Aisling said that someone who had Baltic’s books was living in Fiat’s basement. Kind of makes you wonder, hmm?’’
‘‘Very suspicious,’’ she agreed.
It took us about twenty-five minutes to find what we were looking for. Maata had returned to report that she could see no cars whatsoever outside of Fiat’s house, which could mean anything, or nothing.
‘‘Here,’’ Cyrene said, pointing down at the earth. ‘‘It’s here. There’s an input to a cavern directly below us. I can feel the flow of the stream.’’
‘‘I don’t see anything.’’ I said, looking around. We were at the edge of Fiat’s property, right up against a tall hedge that marked the boundary between his yard and that of his neighbor. ‘‘Where is it?’’
‘‘Right here, below us.’’ Cyrene made an impatient noise as Maata and I peered into the hedge. ‘‘No, in the water below us.’’
‘‘An underground entrance? Gotcha,’’ I said, slipping off my leather jacket and tucking it away in the hedge. ‘‘Very clever of Fiat. The water’s bound to be cold, but we should be able to handle a quick dip. You lead, Cy, and we’ll follow.’’
Cyrene shed her coat and hat, wading into the water with a sharp exclamation. ‘‘Chilly!’’
‘‘We’ll warm up as soon as we’re out of the water,’’ I told her, about to follow when Maata grasped my arm.
‘‘May . . .’’
‘‘Hmm?’’ I turned back to look at her. Her face was troubled as she watched Cyrene dive into the cold water of the lake.
‘‘I . . . there’s something you should know about silver dragons.’’
‘‘You can’t swim?’’ I asked, making a wild guess.
‘‘No. We don’t like water. It’s not our element.’’
‘‘Cy!’’ I called out softly.
Cyrene’s head popped up out of the water, making her look like a blue-eyed seal. ‘‘What’s the holdup?’’
‘‘How far under is the entrance?’’
‘‘About fifteen feet. You can hold your breath easily.’’
‘‘If you held on to me, do you think you’d be able to hold your breath long enough for us to make it through?’’ I asked Maata, not sure at all how long dragons could go without oxygen. Cyrene was practically a water breather, she could go so long without it, and I had inherited some of that ability.
‘‘It’s not a matter of holding my breath,’’ Maata answered, looking worried. ‘‘It’s the fact that it’s water.’’
‘‘I know you don’t like to play in water because your element is earth, but does that mean you can’t get near it at all?’’ Gabriel didn’t seem to mind the shower we’d taken together, although I noticed he didn’t linger at all in it as I might have done.
‘‘No,’’ she admitted, but she watched the water warily as if she expected it to reach up and strike her. ‘‘We bathe and such.’’
‘‘Then you can do this,’’ I said, turning my back to her. ‘‘Grab hold of my belt with one hand, and follow as close as you can. If you get into trouble, give me a yank and I’ll help you out.’’
‘‘May—’’ she said, resisting as I started for the lake.
‘‘Either you come with us, or you stay here,’’ I said, not really wanting to leave her behind. I didn’t doubt that I could handle any situation I came up against, but there was definitely strength in numbers, and only a fool would go charging into an unknown situation alone.
She muttered something that looked like a prayer and touched the silver necklace bearing the sept emblem that she always wore.
‘‘I won’t let anything happen to you,’’ I said, pulling her into the lake. ‘‘I promise.’’