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Jiron hits the hidden door but it withstands the impact and doesn’t budge. “Dave I’ll kill you!” he screams through the fissure.

James comes up to him and skids to a stop. Shoving Jiron aside he puts his mouth to the fissure and yells, “Dave!”

From the other side he can hear Dave’s voice, “Sorry James.” His voice is full of sadness and regret. “I…I have to.”

“Dave,” he says, trying to get his anger and hurt under control, “open the door.”

“You don’t understand,” Dave says. “My master needs this. H…he said I must bring it to him.”

“Dave, we’ve been friends a long time,” James says in a clam, soothing voice. “I can’t believe you will leave me here to die.”

Dave’s voice grows fainter as if he’s moving away from the door. “I…I gotta go. They’ll be here any minute.” A moment’s silence and then he says almost so quietly James can’t make out the words, “Remember, you said you would always be my friend. No matter what.”

“Dave!” James cries out. When there’s no response he screams for all he’s worth, “DAVE!” When only silence comes from the other side, anger boils up inside him and he tells everyone, “Stand back.”

Everyone scrambles back, Fifer grabs the miner when he doesn’t move fast enough and jerks him away from the door. Summoning the magic, James lashes out at the door and it explodes outward into the other room.

For a brief moment he can see the light emanating from the Star ahead in the narrow passage leading from the room to the stairs. Sobbing can be heard as Dave races up the stairs.

Jiron flies past James and enters the passage in pursuit. Rushing behind, James and the others follow. James no sooner enters the passage than he feels the tingling sensation of someone doing magic. Then it suddenly spikes and the ground begins to tremble.

“Back!” he yells coming to a stop. Turning around, he and the others beat a hasty retreat back to the room with the cubes. Barely able to keep on their feet due to the shaking of the ground, they race out of the passage and cross the rubble strewn room and make their way into the cavern.

“Jiron, get back here!” James cries as he pauses where the secret door had stood for a moment.

Then all hell breaks loose. The ground shakes even more and stones start falling from the ceiling. A loud roar and then a belch of dust explodes outward from the passage. “Jiron!” cries out James as the sound of a massive cave-in reaches them.

The rumbling continues for a few more seconds then all becomes quiet.

Chapter Thirty Two

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“Jiron!” cries out Miko once the rumbling subsides.

Coughing, James begins working his way back through the room toward the collapsed passage. “Jiron!” he cries out. “Dave!” He increases the luminosity of his orb and the light manages to cut through the dust.

“Nothing could have survived that,” states Uther as the passage leading out is revealed. Choked with rubble and large stones, it doesn’t look like they could have survived.

“Maybe they made it through to the other side?” Miko asks hopefully.

“Let’s hope so,” says Fifer.

James works his way through the room to the passage and is able to move several feet into it before being forced to stop. “Jiron! Dave!” he cries.

From somewhere within the passage, a muffled, “Here!” can be heard.

“Someone’s in there!” he cries and begins removing the rubble.

Coming to help him, Miko says, “It must be Jiron.”

“He was in the rear,” agrees Uther.

As Miko and James remove the rubble, the others take the stones and pile them further back in the room away from the opening. Slowly, the rubble is removed from the passage. Fortunately it’s only the smaller blocks of stone which made it this far and so between them, they are able to move them out of the way.

“Are you okay?” asks James.

This time the unmistakable voice of Jiron replies, “My leg’s trapped under a block of stone. I think it’s broken.”

“Sit tight, we’ll get you out of there,” Miko hollers.

“Is Dave with you?” James asks.

“No,” he replies. “Saw him make