He spent his ninth night at the top of a cascade he had named the Eastern Falls. The river here fell over a seventy-five foot precipice and formed a gigantic maelstrom at the bottom. He had had a nearly disastrous experience here as a boy, and this time he would take no chances.
He waited until morning to start his descent. Feeling refreshed after a night's sleep and a substantial breakfast, he moved over the rim of the falls and picked his way carefully down the crags beside the raging waters. He remembered his previous route and found the climb easier than he had fifteen years ago. At the bottom, he peered back up the cliff and sighed with relief.
Beyond the whirlpool, Vincent began watching for carbon smudges on the ceiling. From this point on, he was not the only being who had walked this path. Torch smudges and evidences of ancient campfires indicated someone had preceded him on this part of his journey. They also served as positive proof that, at least at one time, there had been an opening to the sea.
When he found the first of the campfire sites his heart raced with anticipation, and he filled his canteen full of fresh water. Soon the river water would become too salty to drink.
From here on, he remembered the way well. His ancient forerunner had made the way easy for Vincent. Although the path beside the river fell away in several places, the early man had cut toe and finger holds in the steep bluffs. He had been a smaller man than Vincent, but his carvings were adequate, and Vincent paid the man silent tribute.
The next day, Vincent tested the river water and spat it out with a smile. Salt.
Although the ceiling looked smooth, the shadows hid a series of flues and vents leading upward, and Vincent was determined to investigate every one of them. He refused to believe there was no outlet to the ocean. The first four vents took him the better part of a day to explore. One of them had run on for miles before the air became too foul to breathe. A fifth had encouraged him. Although it led nowhere, he found bat droppings and two mummified corpses of the tiny creatures.
A vertical chimney vent ran parallel with this last discovery, and it was there Vincent found his victory. He had been to the top of the flue and was on his way back down when his hand touched mud. Peering into the darkness, he saw a damp stain upon the wall. Using his claws he dug at it, and to his shock a large chunk of the wall fell outward. A gust of wet salty air rushed into his face, and to his amazement, Vincent looked out upon the ocean churning in an autumn rain storm. He was a hundred feet above the level of the sea, gazing through a hole in the face of a vertical cliff which fell away to the surf below.
Cold rain blew in upon him, taking his breath away, and making him blink through wet lashes. Vincent laughed out loud.
After the storm, Vincent sought a way to the top of the steep bluff. With little difficulty, he climbed upward and found a shallow cave only a few feet below the trees and vines which hung over the rim of the escarpment. With great joy, Vincent sat in the mouth of the cave andpeered out at the wonders before him. Late afternoon shadows fell acrossthe surf, and the sky was darkening in the east as the last of the stormclouds vanished over the horizon. Filling his lungs with air which smelled neither of tunnel musk nor traffic fumes, Vincent thought surely nothing in this world could be more beautiful. And then for a fleeting moment he felt Catherine beside him. Only the sincerity of his promiseto Father kept him from opening the bond and sending this glorious ecstasy to her.
That night Vincent explored the immediate vicinity above his cave. The forest grew to the very edge of the bluff, and he found no evidence of civilization. Small creatures soared over his head. Some he recognized as bats, and others were birds he could not name. The sounds of the forest were new to him, and he sought out the sources of many. One whirring sound was traced to a large insect, and another sound near a stream belonged to a frog hidden in the rushes.
He sat at the base of a very old oak tree near the stream and tilted his head to watch the stars twinkle through its leaves. He did not move for a very long time, and eventually his attention was drawn to a rustle in the thicket near him. As he watched, a fat raccoon waddled out and went to the water's edge. It stopped and turned to stare at him. He smiled and murmured, "Hello. Did you know you have a cousin Below?" The animal was unimpressed and swam off slowly downstream.
Once when Vincent walked along the top of the bluff he saw lights out on the ocean. He assumed they were freighters bound for some harbor to the south. Smaller lights twinkled closer to shore, and he wondered if fishermen worked at night. Possibly they were excursion boats, out on a pleasure cruise, never guessing the real sight-seeing lay west of them in the underground.
On his way back to the cave, he heard an owl in the distance. The eerie cry beckoned him, arousing his curiosity. For the better part of an hour he tried to locate the caller, but finally he grew weary. Vowing to find the bird the next night, he decided to return to his camp.
Gathering firewood along the way, he returned to the shallow recess in the bluff. There he cooked a hot meal and climbed into his sleeping bag with thoughts of Catherine.