“I remembered a dream from a few months ago, all but lost to memory until reminded,” Darianna answered, still locked in a battle of wills with Colonel Muhammed. “You and I were walking down an underground hallway, and all of a sudden a gnarled old man blocked our path. We could not pass until answering his riddle. I stepped forward to answer, but going further meant leaving you behind.” She regretted having to tell Peter that detail, knowing his unspoken fear.

“What’s the riddle?”

“What is the day after the day after the day before yesterday?”

Peter quickly followed the logic in his head. “That’s today,” he snorted. “No way! I could have answered that.”

“Impossible as it seems,” Marc pointed to the computer screen, “the planetary positions match.”

Peering at the screen, Peter confirmed for himself but said, “That’s not possible.”

“Someone long ago knew we were going to be here today. It was meant to be,” said Darianna.

“What’s down there?” The colonel pointed to the square hole coming gradually into full view. A part of his mind insisted that the Westerners could be faking. That side of the argument was losing to acceptance of something extraordinary. Perhaps he was the right man for the job after all.

“The spirit in this mountain,” Darianna answered. “Waiting for us.”