Earthbound: Science Fiction in the Old West (Chronicles of the Maca Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

deeper than the front of the cave. Someone did nay wish it found.” This wasn't a lie. He hadn't wanted anything found and had hidden the
Golden One
deep in the earth after finding this earthquake-free region. He had discovered the extra gold in Ricca's quarters when he searched for anything that would aid him in surviving in this alien world.
    Rolfe frowned and swung down from his horse. “Why do I get the feeling you are hiding something from me, Mac?”
    “Because, I am.”
    He turned to face Rolfe. “If ye see what I have hidden below, ye twill have the knowledge to destroy me and my time here.”
    “Who did you kill to steal the gold? Are there bones hidden by the gold?”
    “Nay! Ye ken me better than that.” His voice was emphatic.
    “Friend Rolfe, if the world sees what tis below, certain people twill wish to claim it. Without me, they canna enter it. They twill nay understand it, they twill try to possess it or destroy it. The weapons available in this world canna do that. Then they twill fear it and me.”
    Rolfe's face was devoid of understanding. “You are not making sense. You said 'world.' Do you mean the U.S. or Texas?”
    “I meant this world. Come with me, and then ye decide if ye twill keep my secret.”
    He turned and moved sideways through the open space.
    Rolfe tied his horse to the tree, not really sure it was sturdy enough to hold both horses if something should frighten them. Like MacDonald, he had to turn his wide frame sideways to enter. For a moment he stood, blinking, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness. When he could discern the features of the cave he looked up and around. The place was wrong; the walls too smooth, the ceiling looked as smooth as the floor. He turned to face MacDonald and his mouth fell open.
    The huge form was standing at the mouth of a tunnel waiting for him and in his hand was something giving out a beam of light stronger than any lamp Rolfe had ever seen. Questions, curse words, all ran through his mind in a jumble, but he was unable to utter a word for a few seconds. He fought the urge to run and stepped closer.
    “What the hell, Mac? Can you explain that?” The light was so strong he could even see the half-smile on MacDonald's face.
    “I could, but ye twould nay believe me until ye see what tis below. Shall we walk?”
    Rolfe reached out and grabbed him by the bicep. “How far do we walk, Mac?” His voice sounded strangled to his own ears. “Will you let me walk back up if I don't like what I see?”
    “Twould ye kill me, Friend Rolfe?”
    “Ja, if you tried to kill me.” His mouth was in a stubborn line and his blue eyes hard. He saw the white teeth of MacDonald flash and heard the laughter in his voice.
    “That tis what I like about ye, Herman. Ye are the most honest man I ken. I could nay kill the man who taught me so much. If ye come with me, the decision tis yeres as to what we do next.” He turned and began the descent.
    Rolfe's emotions fought with his reasoning, but something was down there—something that his friend had discovered. That MacDonald could have possibly fashioned the tunnel never occurred to him as the height and width of it rivaled that of a three story mansion. The light began to recede and Rolfe hurried after MacDonald rather than be left to wonder the rest of his life.
    As they descended, Rolfe could see a faint glow becoming brighter, sending the darkness back into the walls. As they neared the bottom, MacDonald shut down the light in his hand and Rolfe realized that the golden dome he had spotted was a huge ovoid-F-shaped machine built by men. But when? How?
    MacDonald kept striding toward that monstrosity. Rolfe found he could not move. He had faced blizzards, floods, Indians, madmen, thieves, and grizzlies, but whatever squatted in front of him was beyond his comprehension. If the tunnel had not been dark, he would have turned and fled upward. The world began to dim and he remembered to breathe.
    MacDonald