Chapter 7: The Enemy Beneath the Canyon
The sound of the gunshot echoed through the hidden chamber long after it ended.
Nobody moved.
Not Caleb.
Not Aiyana.
Not me.
For a moment, the only sound was the dust falling from the ceiling.
Then another shot exploded above us.
This one was closer.
Aiyana immediately stepped toward the stairs.
“Everyone get away from the entrance.””
Caleb looked at her.
“You are giving me orders now?””
She turned sharply.
“No.””
Her eyes hardened.
“I am telling you that someone is here who does not care about your agreement, your money, or your plans.””
Something about her voice made even Caleb listen.
I had seen fear in her once.
When she recognized Caleb.
But this was different.
This was the expression of someone who knew exactly what kind of danger was coming.
I grabbed the old documents from the chest.
“Who is shooting?””
Aiyana looked at me.
“The people my father was trying to stop.””
Caleb gave a bitter laugh.
“You still believe that story?””
She looked at him.
“My father disappeared because of people like you.””
Caleb’s face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
I noticed.
“You know what happened to her father,” I said.
Caleb looked away.
“That is not the conversation we need to have.””
“That means you do.””
The silence answered for him.
Before I could push further, the hidden chamber shook.
A piece of stone fell from the ceiling.
Someone above was trying to break through.
Caleb lifted his pistol.
“Move.””
I stared at him.
“You expect me to trust you?””
“No.””
His eyes met mine.
“I expect you to understand that if they get what is down here, none of us walk away.””
It was the first honest thing he had said.
Aiyana looked at the staircase.
“We need another way out.””
I looked around the chamber.
“There is another way?””
She walked toward the far wall.
“There was always another way.””
She pressed her hand against a carved symbol.
Nothing happened.
Then she looked at the ring in my hand.
“Try.””
I stepped beside her.
The metal felt strangely warm against my skin.
I placed the ring against the carving.
A low grinding sound filled the chamber.
A section of the stone wall slowly moved.
Behind it was a narrow tunnel.
Cold air rushed out.
Caleb stared.
“You knew about this?””
Aiyana shook her head.
“No.””
She looked at me.
“Corvin opened it.””
Nobody spoke.
I did not know why.
I did not understand how.
But once again, the ranch I thought I owned was revealing secrets I had never imagined.
We entered the tunnel.
Aiyana went first.
I followed.
Caleb stayed behind us.
I noticed.
“You are trusting me to walk behind you?””
He looked at me.
“Not trusting.””
“Then why?””
“Because if I wanted you dead, you would already be dead.””
I did not like that answer.
But I believed it.
The tunnel stretched beneath the ranch.
The walls were covered with markings.
Some were Apache symbols.
Others looked like maps.
Halfway through, Aiyana stopped.
She touched one of the carvings.
“My father made this.””
I stepped closer.
The carving showed a group of people standing together.
Apache families.
Settlers.
Travelers.
All beside the same land.
“This was the agreement,” she said.
I looked at her.
“The agreement was not about ownership.””
She shook her head.
“No.””
Her fingers traced the symbol.
“It was about protection.””
“Protection from what?””
Aiyana did not answer.
Caleb did.
“From people who believe everything has a price.””
I turned toward him.
“You included.””
His jaw tightened.
“Yes.””
The answer surprised me.
“You admit it?””
He looked ahead.
“I was wrong about some things.””
Aiyana laughed quietly.
Not kindly.
“That is the closest thing to an apology you will ever hear.””
We continued.
After several minutes, we reached the end of the tunnel.
A hidden exit opened onto the side of the canyon.
The moment we stepped outside, I saw the valley.
And my heart sank.
The Apache warriors were no longer surrounding my ranch.
They were fighting.
Not with guns.
With position.
They had formed a protective line between my land and a group of armed men moving up from the southern ridge.
There were dozens of them.
More than I expected.
And leading them was someone I had never seen before.
An older man wearing a dark coat.
A man who looked completely out of place in the desert.
Caleb stopped beside me.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
His face had gone pale.
“That is impossible.””
“Who is he?””
Caleb stared at the man below.
“That is Elias Rourke.””
The name meant nothing.
Until I remembered.
Samuel Rourke.
The man who sold me the ranch.
“The previous owner?””
Caleb nodded.
“His son.””
I looked down at the valley.
“Why is he here?””
Caleb answered quietly.
“Because he believes this ranch belongs to his family.””
Aiyana stepped forward.
“And he knows the truth is buried here.””
Elias looked up.
Even from that distance, I could feel his eyes find me.
Then he raised his hand.
Everyone stopped.
His voice carried across the canyon.
“Corvin Torne.””
I froze.
He knew my name too.
“You have something that belongs to me.””
The desert went silent.
Then he smiled.
“Bring me the agreement…”
His eyes moved toward Aiyana.
“…and bring me the woman who stole my family’s future.””
Aiyana’s expression became cold.
I looked at her.
“What does he mean?””
She did not answer.
Because Elias continued.
“Tell him the truth, Aiyana.””
His voice became louder.
“Tell him why your father died.””
The entire valley went still.
Aiyana looked toward Elias.
May you like
And whispered:
“Because he killed him.””
