She has spent twenty years searching for a mythical gateway to another world. Now archeologist Sandra Adams has her first solid lead. An undisturbed archeological site that appears normal. But looks can be deceiving and she is soon in a race against time, crossing the country to locate the hidden gateway. With an old colleague trying to derail her quest, the only question is, what will she do if she finds it?


             Here is an excerpt from Four Paths To Forever

                                       Chapter 1
                                        2000 BC

    It was a bright spring day, the kind of brightness that hurt your eyes even when you weren’t looking at anything in particular. No clouds were visible and only the slightest breeze could be felt if you were to stand still long enough. The temperature was already in the mid nineties and it promised to be over one hundred before the day was through. There was a silence that hung in the air as if the entire world was waiting for something to happen. The wait wasn’t long. 
    If there had been anyone around to observe the event, they would have thought their world was coming apart. In the middle of the four spires the air began to shimmer, almost like the heat from the surface of the ground. Almost, but not quite. Unlike the heat, the air pulsated, growing and shrinking as if it were breathing. With each breath it grew larger and denser, a mist that was solidifying, until the entire area beneath the four spires was involved, 100 feet in all directions. Suddenly, in the very center of the spires, a gap began to appear, starting at the top and working its way to the ground. As the tear reached the ground the sides began to pull apart like a set of curtains at a theater. And from behind the curtains stepped the actors. 
    Simply clad, they came out in single file; shielding their eyes with their hands against the glare; gasping at the oppressive heat. This land was brighter than their own and much hotter. Two hundred strong, equal amounts of men and pulling carts behind them. Everything they would need to survive here, they hoped. As the last one-stepped out into the sunshine, the opening closed and disappeared, leaving them in bewilderment. 
    The first through, Kitar, their leader, looked over their surroundings. “We are here, the Upper World. I see everyone has made it.” His wife Lana came up and stood next to him. 
    “It is not what I expected, my husband. I was not sure what it would be like, but this was not it. It is hot and dry and I do not see any sign of life or water. Why would the Gods send us here?” 
    “You were at the meetings with the elders, Lana. We were told that the people of this world were ready to learn. It was our calling to come and start the process in hopes that some day they will find their way back here and see the Cave of Fingers, the doorway to the Inner World, to our home. It was a great honor to be picked for this journey.” 
     “I know you are right, Kitar. Do you think the entire world  is like this?” 
    “I doubt it. I do not believe much would grow here.” Kitar turned to the group. They were the best people that could be found for this journey. All were strong, not only in body but also in mind and each would be put to the test. This was a strange new world with many new things to see and learn. There would be many dangers encountered during their travels. They would depend heavily on each other in the years to come. 
    “We will camp here tonight. Altire, take your scouts and survey the area out 1,000 paces. Set up perimeter defenses. We do not know when the light will be gone, but we must be ready before dark. 
    “Silva, prepare the parchment for mapping. We will only have one chance to have it inscribed. Everyone else, prepare the camp.” 
    Like a well-rehearsed plan, the small group went about their duties. Altire and fifteen members of the tribe fanned out to inspect this new land. They went in pairs, primarily for  protection since they had no idea what they would find here. Silva, the Chief Priest took his people back to the Cave of Fingers to set up the instruments for the etching. The cave wasn’t actually a cave, but rather a grouping of tall slender spires bent in towards each other, like fingers of two hands pressed together to form an arched, cave-like setting. The remainder of the group set about making camp. They had brought with them materials that looked similar to animal hides but were in fact a completely artificial material from their homelands. The same was true of their clothes. It was believed that the people of the Upper World dressed in this style. The Elders felt the group would be accepted more easily than if they wore their normal clothes. 
    Kitar climbed up on a ridge and looked around. This was a barren place they had come to. In every direction was a vast flat land, void of any apparent life. But who was he to question the Gods? They had said it was time to come to this land and teach the tribes of greater things - of agriculture, sciences, and building techniques. The most important task was to let the inhabitants know there was a way to another world. 
    The travelers were known as the Kulato in their world. They were a handsome people, tall and muscular, the men averaging over six and a half feet tall, the women not much shorter. Their skin tone was almost bronze, the hair leaning towards auburn and the eyes a deep golden brown with flecks of green. Everyone in the group was between twenty-five and thirty-five years old. They were young enough to handle the physical tests of the upcoming journeys, yet old enough to make wise decisions. Kitar was proud of them. They were sacrificing all that they knew to make this journey. There would be no going back for them. The doorway would not open again for several hundred years and, as when they came through it, it would only be open for a short time and only to allow people from this world to go through to the Inner World.The gateway was like a swinging door. First it would swingopen one way and then it would swing open the other way. Itwould only change direction once someone had passed through the Elders had said. The Gods did this to keep people from wandering back and forth at will. The hard part was knowing
where to find the cave and when to be there. Some of those clues are what the priests would give to them tomorrow. 
    As Kitar came back into camp, Altire was just returning. “Are we secured, Altire?” Kitar asked.
    “Yes, Kitar. The perimeter is guarded but there seems to be nothing here to guard against.”
    “Did you see anything out there?” Lana asked as she joined them.
    “Just more rock and sand. We went up on the ridge in that direction.” Altire pointed toward the east. “In the distance there are mountains but the rest looks as here. My scouts said it is much the same in every direction. Are you sure we came to the right place, Kitar?”
    Kitar smiled. “We go where the Gods send us. They must have a reason for it being here.  Lana, it appears the camp is about complete. I believe the sun is going to set soon. We should set up the fire pits and prepare for dinner.”
    “All should be complete before the sunset, my husband. I will meet you for dinner,” she said as she left.
    “I do not wish to question the Gods, Kitar, but there cannot be people living here. It is just too desolate.”
    “I agree with you, my friend. I suspect that this place was picked because of where it is. It will require the people of this world to want to find it. We will have to teach them well,” Kitar said.
    Altire nodded. It made sense. The Gods would not want it easy for this place to be found. They would only want those intelligent enough to decipher the clues to make it to the Inner World. Kitar was right, he thought, we would have to teach them well.
    They had finished dinner and were settling down to rest. The fires they had started made their shadows dance across the walls of the canyon. Kitar climbed up on a boulder and stamped his walking stick to get their attention. Soon all were quiet and looking at him. 
    “We have started a long journey, my friends. We have left behind the comforts and surroundings of our own world to do as the Gods have commanded. We have been told that the peoples of this world are primitive by our standards but are advanced enough to learn the things that the Gods want them to know. We will never return to our land so we must make this new world ours. We have left behind many technologies that made our lives easier. To the people of this world these things would seem magical and they would think of us as Gods. For this reason we have learned to live in a more simple way.” This brought laughter and helped ease the tension felt by everyone.
    “We will no longer use the name Kulato, for that was of the old world. At the end of our days we will use it one last time in the records we leave. We will have no tribal name so that when we are done with our tasks we will fade from memory as the dark does to a sunrise. Tomorrow will be the last time that we will all be together. The parchment will tell us where we are to go and into how many groups we will divide. Enjoy each others company tonight and at sunrise we will know our destiny.”
    As Kitar climbed down, Silva the priest met him. “All is prepared, Kitar.”
    “Good. Go and enjoy the night then.”
    Kitar found Lana and they walked among the group and stopped to talk with everyone. Though there was an excitement in the air there was also sadness. He had known these people all of his life. He did not like the idea of never again seeing most of them. Then he felt the hand of his wife in his and warmth came over him. He looked at her and marveled at her beauty. The most startling feature was her eyes. Unlike most Kulato, hers were not deep brown but more hazel. She was his life partner and he could think of no one he would rather have by his side. She looked at him and smiled as they continued on. They were up all night talking with friends. There would be plenty of time to sleep later. 
    As the sky began to lighten, Silva found them. “It is time Kitar. We must go to the Cave of Fingers.”