The Ancient Witnesses

Chapter 1: A Journey to Nicaea • 35

sensation of having missed something returned. Walking on, Cesar led us further in, with none of us asking whether we should keep going or even where we were going. At some point our conversation took up where it left off before we’d passed through the light shaft. “Where are we going?” Joseph whispered loudly to Cesar. “This is the way to the palace, right Ari?” asked Cesar. “I have no idea,” I whispered back, “I didn’t come this way.” Letting go of one another’s hands, we lost our forward momentum and came to a stop. Further along, the passage ended at a small door set within a stone arch. “Let’s go back,” said Joseph, “we don’t belong here.” “Aren’t you curious about what’s behind that door?” asked Cesar. “We’re tres passing,” he replied, accenting the word as if to stress its truth. This struck me as funny since Joseph was the one who persuaded me to come on the adventure in the first place. “Come on!” said Preacher, reaching for the door as we held our breath. He pulled on it but it did not open. “Let me have a look,” said Cesar, who carefully examined the door and found that it rested on a track made to slide into the wall. After blowing dirt and pebbles out of the track, he slid the door open with surprising ease, revealing a narrow crawlspace. He moved quickly into this passage on his hands and knees, crawling no more than a few feet before calling back, “Come look at this!”