Lila grabbed the hand and twisted it into a wristlock. There was some loud cursing in Russian and then Lila released the wrist and backed away.

“Nice move.” Sergey complimented Lila.

“Thank you,” Lila said modestly.

“She makes it do what it do.” Ian agreed with a twinkle in his eye.

Lila gave Ian a murderous look.

“Why the whole big mysterious thing to get us here?” Lila asked Sergey curiously.

“There is something I want to show you –“

“More etchings?” Lila interrupted him to ask cheekily.

“Hardly. This is another, what would you call it, void?” Sergey began walking with them to a much quieter and more secluded area. A cold chill in the air made Lila shiver, and she could feel goose bumps rising on her arms, which she rubbed briskly to warm them up. “Wish I’d brought a coat,” she mentioned in an aside to Ian.

“Wimp,” he said with a smile.

“Haha,” she said sarcastically. “Well, maybe a little,” she reluctantly agreed.

Sergey continued speaking. “This is a place of natural energy. The research lab requires huge amounts of energy, but this place…” his voiced drifted off. “We are not sure what to think. I would like to get your opinion,” he added respectfully.

After about fifteen minutes of hiking, they reached a spot hidden away from the crowds. There was definitely a mystical energy in the area. She could feel the vibrations coming from the earth under her feet. The vibes particularly seemed to emanate from a tree directly in front of them. “Is that it?” She pointed to the tree from which she felt the energy.

“Yes, it is most – unusual. Please walk over and touch its surface.” Sergy gestured toward the tree. Lila walked over with Ian at her side. Together they placed their hands on either side of the tree, the edges of their fingers nearly touching.

From the moment their hands came in contact with the rough bark, Lila could feel herself being drawn down into a tunnel. She could see several beings in front of her who appeared to be transparent. “Holy…” she whispered.

“I hear you,” Ian said softly, agreeing with her assessment.

As they neared the creatures, they could hear a buzzing in their ears that sounded like a hive of bees was hovering around them. She craned her neck looking for anything that might emit the sound, but all she could see were skinny, pale looking, short people whose mouths didn’t seem to be moving.

Suddenly the buzzing cleared up into speech. “Welcome.”

Lila’s eyes widened and she sucked in a quick breath. Was that them?

“Um, thanks?” she said uncertainly.