*ON HOLD* The Theon Revelations (The Ancients Series)

Prologue.

Appalachian Mountains,
June 12, 1992

"You doing okay, Geni?" Noah grunted as he locked the next alloy carabiner deep into the rocky crevice before him.

Geni squeaked out a determined, "Yeah," which she didn't honestly feel. When she had suggested a couple's getaway, rock climbing had not been the first thing she imagined they would do.

It wasn't even in the top five on her list.

And now here she was, deep in the forests of the Appalachians, attempting to keep pace with her more athletically inclined boyfriend.

Don't get her wrong, she loved the outdoors just as much as him but she had little experience when it came to scaling natural or artificial walls... she was even less inclined knowing what was slowly growing inside her womb.

She would have to tell him soon—her belly was extending far past the reality she had been miserably trying to deny for the last four months.

"We're almost there," he assured her and he wasn't lying.

He hauled himself up and over the ledge. Turning back, he held out a gentle, patient hand to help Geni do the same.

Geni stood, surveying the landscape before her.

This was not the highest mountain in the Appalachians by far, but the scenery was nothing less than magnificent. From here, she could see miles into the distance, the mountainous forests covering every inch of luscious land. Large, white clouds cast rolling shadows on the woods below, the effect nothing short of breathtaking.

She suddenly felt guilty for ever considering traveling to California's wine country instead. Of course, they hadn't attempted to scale down the mountain yet so those thoughts still had the possibility of drastically changing.

Noah kissed her forehead. "Check it out," he whispered, nodding his head to the cave entrance behind him.

"Oh! Wow," she squinted her eyes and cocked her head in wonderment. "Can we go inside? You have a flashlight right?" She wondered if this was one of many unexplored caves that dwelled within the heart of this mountain range. It didn't sit at the bottom of the formation like most so she doubted anyone had climbed this high to venture inside. Six stories up and set back along a five-foot or so ledge, it was well hidden from the common passers-by.

Noah laughed at the excitement that poured from her. He dangled his flashlight in front of Geni, an ornery grin plastered across his face.

The world outside disappeared once they passed the tight threshold. The temperature dropped dramatically, plunging them into darkness. If not for Noah's flashlight, they would surely be unable to see their hand before their face. The smell of wet limestone was strong and Geni wrinkled her nose in repugnance, her senses heightened by the life taking residence inside her.

The stoney floor was smooth. The condensation caused it to be more slippery than one would expect. She latched onto Noah's arm, right before she lost her balance. He wrapped that arm around her waist instead. "Careful," he cautioned.

His flashlight scanned the spacious rotunda, and Geni's eyes were full of fascination and awe. Just the thought of the proper conditions the earth had to go through to form such a creation was formidable. As one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth, it would have definitely seen some shit... she hoped they found something cool.

Fossils perhaps?

Maybe an undiscovered lifeform?

The passageway narrowed once more, leaving the spaciousness of the rotunda nothing more than a mere memory. The air here was colder, suggesting a possible karst system. This was good news. They may be able to exit on the opposite side.