‘Looks safe,’ he told the others. ‘Don’t know what we’ll find further in, though.’

‘We have to look,’ said Nina. ‘If the Veteres prison really is down there, hundreds more Nephilim could come back up this tunnel any minute.’

‘Maybe we should just blow it up and seal ’em inside.’ The suggestion drew shocked disapproval from the two Australians. ‘Yeah, thought not. So I guess we’ve got to go in.’

‘Not you,’ Nina said firmly as Macy started towards the cave. ‘It’s far too dangerous.’ She addressed the rangers. ‘Can one of you stay here with her?’

Sandra and Barney exchanged looks. ‘Go into a dark tunnel with a white guy with a gun, chasing after giants who’ll try to kill me – or look after someone else’s kid?’ rumbled the latter. ‘I’ll take the tunnel.’

‘It’s no wonder you’re single, Barney,’ Sandra said. ‘Okay, Macy? Sorry, darling, but you’ll have to stay with me.’

‘Aw, Mom!’ Macy protested.

‘Go on, love,’ Eddie told her. ‘We’ll be back. Soon, I hope.’

‘And in one piece,’ Nina added under her breath.

Macy reluctantly went to Sandra. ‘There’s sunblock in the jeep,’ the Australian said. ‘Come on, let’s put some on you. You don’t even have a hat!’ She led Macy towards the Land Cruiser. ‘I’ll bring you guys some torches.’

Nina turned back to her companions. ‘We ready?’

Cheng peered nervously into the tunnel. ‘Not really, but . . . I guess I’ll have to be.’

‘You’ll do fine,’ Eddie told him. ‘You’ve managed all right so far.’

The young Chinese looked uncertainly at Nina. ‘From him, that’s a compliment,’ she assured him, before facing the dark opening. ‘Okay. Let’s see what’s down there.’

Chapter 41

41

The group carefully descended the sloping tunnel. Sandra had provided two flashlights, Nina taking one and Barney the other. Cheng concentrated on keeping his balance while carrying his backpack, and Eddie led with the rifle.

The passage was originally a natural feature, but it was clear that the Veteres had worked hard to enlarge it. The walls were at least four feet apart at all times. The dimensions rang a bell for Nina. ‘Y’know, if they brought one of their sarcophagi down here, this tunnel is just big enough to fit it,’ she mused.

‘You think that’s how they got them to the prison?’ asked Eddie.

‘They couldn’t have flown here, only the Nephilim had the technology. They would have had to transport their prisoners the hard way – by sea, then across land.’

‘Australia as a dumping ground for someone else’s criminals?’ groused Barney. ‘Sounds familiar.’

‘They didn’t want them to die in transit; they considered themselves far too civilised for that,’ Nina went on, with scathing sarcasm for the race that used primitive humans as slaves. ‘So putting them in stasis was the best way to keep them alive.’