Page 102 of Moon Chosen

“Nope, can’t say that I did,” Wilkes said. “Any of you see sign of those bastards?” The other men shook their heads. Wilkes smiled and clapped Nik on the shoulder. “See, it’s like I told you—this is a blessed mission.”

Nik said nothing. Instead he kept studying the area surrounding them.

“Winston, you and Star stay with the boats and watch our backs. We’ll be in and out as fast as possible,” Wilkes said.

Winston nodded, holding his crossbow in the crook of his arm. “If you find a pot, any kind of pot, I’d appreciate first dibs on it. My Allison’s birthday is next week, and she would sure love to stop borrowing the boiling pot from her mother.”

“The first pot found is yours,” Wilkes said.

“All right, the way in is just over there.” Sheena led the group, picking her way carefully through the rocks and rubble. Each Tribe member, except for Nik, kept his canine close, well aware that their senses would warn them far before human senses could begin to decipher danger. Nik kept his eyes and ears open and his crossbow at the ready as he tried to tell himself that the sick feeling that kept crawling over his skin was due to the close proximity of bridges and run-offs, and nothing else.

In just a few yards the bank cut sharply inland, with an unnatural slant that had Nik frowning in confusion. Shaped like a long rectangle, the river slashed into the bank. The water was quieter here and brackish, with water reeds choking the area. Coming out of the river were two long, thick strips of rusted metal. River water lapped beneath the rails, reminding Nik too much of another bridge. Though they jutted above the water, they were accessible from the bank by the half-broken remains of metal supports and concrete blocks.

“Are those rails?” Monroe asked.

Sheena nodded. “They are. See how they lead up to the find and then stretch all the way out there into the river proper?”

Nik did see—and he didn’t like what he saw.

“Man, this is sweet!” Thaddeus said. “We can use the rails to climb up to the opening, and when we’re done we can paddle the kayaks over here and slide the heaviest pieces of metal down these things and load them right up.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” Sheena said.

“Yeah, Sheena and I used them to climb up and check out the find. It was a nice change from slogging through those terrible vines and undergrowth.” Crystal shivered. “You never know what’s hidden beneath that stuff.”

“Why isn’t it covered in vines?” Nik said, causing everyone to turn to look at him. “Did you and Sheena clear them off before you climbed up there?”

“Nope, they looked just like this when we found them,” Crystal said.

“How about the area around them?” Nik gestured at the blocks and supports. Except for the choking river reeds that were in the water, the rails were eerily free of plants and debris.

“Nope again,” Crystal said. “We didn’t do much of anything except use the rails to get up there.”

“What’s the problem, Nik?” Wilkes asked.

“I don’t know. It feels wrong to me.”

Wilkes shrugged. “There are lots of rocks here, and lots of water. Maybe vines can’t grow on the rails.”

Nik pointed at the rest of the bank. “Same rocks and water there, and there, but lots of vines.”

“I see that,” Wilkes said, rubbing his chin. “Maybe the things are toxic. You never know what kind of crap is leeching out of them.”

Nik carefully stepped up onto a wide cement block and followed it to a rail, then crouched beside it. It was big—really big—and now that he was closer he could see that the rails had been fashioned with a thick groove, as if to hook a giant something into them so that it could slide down and into the river. Easily three feet across they were rusted, but looked solid—as if they had been used yesterday. Nik thumped the top of the first rail with his knuckles. “It’s just metal. No different from train tracks or bridge supports. They’re big.” He paused, looking up at the vine-choked building the rails led to. “Might have been a place where they built ships, what with this access to the water. Doesn’t seem like it’s toxic. Those other plants are flourishing.”

“What are you getting at, except wasting our time?” Thaddeus said.

Nik ignored him and kept talking to Wilkes. “It’s like the rails have been cleared so that we’d use them.” He pointed up at the section of green from which a piece of glass winked enticingly. “Up there feels as wrong as this does down here.”

“Wrong?” Wilkes asked.

“Like we’re being led here by a strategically placed mirror and conveniently cleared vines,” Nik said.

“Oh, come on! That’s ridiculous. He’s chasing ghosts again,” Thaddeus said, throwing his arms up in disgust.

“Nik, Sheena and I climbed up there. We looked into the hole. It’s just an eroded roof to some kind of huge warehouse—that’s all. Like you said, it’s probably where they built the ships and then used these rails to launch them into the river,” Crystal said.

“I hear you, Nik, and I agree we should be cautious, but there’s lots of metal rods and chains and glass inside,” Sheena added. “And no sign of anything else. The inside’s covered with dust and debris. Nothing’s been in there except rodents and insects for centuries.”