“Looks like Hemslock’s not going to let us have access to the treasures Cortes stole,” Hawaiian Shirt says. Unexpectedly, he begins to laugh. “Treasures. Jesus. We came here to look for the gold Cortes stole, but I almost forgot about that. The sanest thing to do would be to get out of here. Get back to the helicopter, let the authorities handle this.”

But Chase and I already know where we have to go.

***

“You kids positive you know what you’re doing?” Hawaiian Shirt asks nervously, peering over the edge of the pit, eyeing the corpse tree worriedly.

The balete does not move, content to simply be.

“Poor ugly bastard,” Hawaiian Shirt says.

“Are you deliberately trying to antagonize it?” Melissa hisses.

Chase and I are tying ropes around our waists, and she’s helping us, making sure the harnesses we‘re making are strong enough not to slip free. “You are two of the bravest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing,” she says. “Although I don’t know if it’s courage, or if you’re just out of your minds. But I have to come with you. I’m not going home and telling people that I let two kids into a haunted hole while I sat back and watched.”

“No,” I say quietly, giving my rope a good tug. “The fewer people involved at this point, the better.”

“That’s not on you to decide,” Melissa says. She glares at Hawaiian Shirt. “Back me up here.”

Hawaiian Shirt looks like he wants to argue with her but doesn’t know how to without looking bad. “Was Hemslock right?” he asks instead. “Do you really have some kind of weird mind meld with this god?”

“I trust Alon,” Melissa says firmly. “Save the questions till we’re all out.”

“Alright,” Hawaiian Shirt agrees, summoning his courage. “You’ve been telling us to stay away from this island since day one, and it’s our fault for not listening. We’re coming with you. This doesn’t sit right with me.”

“You said you knew nothing about caves,” I say.

“Well, we can’t leave you here, either. Did Hemslock and his men leave any guns and bullets we can grab?”

“There aren’t any,” Chase says. “And we’d likely shoot and hit something we shouldn’t.”

Hawaiian Shirt sighs heavily. “Let’s get this over with.” He looks down at Askal. “And you want him along? Won’t this put him in danger?”

“Trust me,” I say again, and he sighs.

Chase and I lower ourselves into the sinkhole first, the adults waiting to pull us back up at the first sign of danger. I hold on tightly to Askal with one arm. He endures the descent patiently.

“You’ve done this with your dog before, haven’t you?” Hawaiian Shirt asks warily but refrains from further comment. Askal simply wags his tail and yips importantly.

The descent is quick enough. We cling to the sides, taking care to stay as far away from the balete as we can, and shimmy down into the darkness. Melissa found us the flashlight helmets Hemslock, and his men used, and we flick them on once we reach the bottom, about a hundred feet down.