They managed to stand up without bumping their heads on the rocky ceiling. Nat tried to get his bearings. His eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the darkness.

“Can you see anything?” Nat rasped.

“Yes, I think we’re in a cave,” said Woody.

“No way!” said Nat sarcastically. “I’ve figured that one out for myself, thanks.”

Woody’s face loomed scarily out of the darkness.

“Hey, your face is green,” said Nat. “Are you OK?”

“So is yours,” said Woody. “I think it’s the lights in the walls.”

“What lights?” asked Nat, puzzled. “I don’t see any.”

But gradually, as his eyes adjusted, Nat could see patches of luminescent material, glowing dully on the floors and ceiling of the cave.

“I think it’s called phosphorus,” said Nat, blinking. “That’s better; I can see you pretty clearly now.”

The cave was a miserable place. There was a plinking sound every now and then as water dripped from the ceiling.

“I want to get out of here,” said Nat fervently. “It’s one thing being lost in the open air, but here, it’s like being buried alive.”

Woody’s nostrils flared expansively as he sniffed the air. “There’s a passage at the end of this cavern,” he said. “We need to walk quite a long way underground before we come to another entrance.”

“How do you know?” asked Nat. “Can you smell it?”

Woody nodded, his eyes flashing with excitement. “I can see it! In my mind, I mean. Nat! We’re underneath Helleborine Halt.”

CHAPTER 21
OPHELIA MAKES A STAND

At roughly the same time Nat Carver had been staring down the barrel of Teddy Davis’s BB gun back by the marina, Ophelia Tate was pacing the floor of her stuffy bedroom in Wookey Hole like a caged lioness.

Something’s wrong! The bond she had shared with Woody hadn’t been broken, even after she and Alec had betrayed him by selling him to Mick Smith and his young grandson. Her feeling of unease had led her to take an enormous risk, and she had tried in vain to contact Iona de Gourney.

Where was she? Ophelia had been calling her since the day before, but kept getting voice mail. It was very odd. Ophelia knew Iona rarely left Meade Lodge for long periods because of her animals.