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Kyna saw the wide overhang at the base of the peak and redoubled her efforts. Another fifty yards and they were in the lee of the mountain and under the shelf. Lost in the shadows at the back of the recess was a narrow opening. |
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"Hold on a sec," Cyrus called. "Let me check it out." |
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The opening was as narrow as some Republicans' minds and totally black. He had to crouch and turn sideways to get his head and shoulders through, then he paused and willed his eyes to adjust. He didn't know what he had expectedskeletons hanging from rusty chains, a man in a black hood, a rack, an iron maiden, maybe the whole set from a medieval torture chamber. But the cave was little more than a large closet with a high roof and a dirt floor. On the far side, where the cave walls narrowed and the ceiling dropped down, was a small cairn under an umbrella of dusty cobwebs. He sniffed. The place smelled of dried leaves and twigs and badger glands. |
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So much for dreams, Cyrus thought. |
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He squeezed the rest of the way through the cleft and held out his hand to guide Kyna in. |
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"Stinks in here," she stammered as she molded her body against his. |
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"I think we just evicted the former tenant. Come on, relax. We may be here awhile." |
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They sat with their legs intertwined in order to see out the narrow opening in the rock. The rain gave no sign of letting up, and Kyna's teeth were chattering hard enough to shatter. Cyrus reached over and began briskly rubbing her shoulders. |
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"I've never b-been so c-cold in my entire life," she stuttered. |
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He walked to the back of the cave, then got down on his hands and knees and crawled to the pile of stones. The idea was to find dry wood, but he first had to wave the cobwebs away in order to see anything. |
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"I found the badger's nest," he called. There was a large |
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