Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures) (42 page)

Dane smiled as he and Bones hit the water, keeping well below the surface and passing unseen beneath the foundering boat. Now, to finish the job.

“
That place is crazy-looking,
”
Bones said, looking out the porthole

“
Inishtooskert,
”
Tam said.
“
They call it the Sleeping Giant, or The Dead Man.
”

“
How many skirts was that?
”
Bones asked.

Tam shook her head and Angel punched him.

Dane had been correct about the wedge-shaped images on the ceilings of the three chambers. When put together, they formed a map to this, the northernmost of the Blasket Islands off Ireland
’
s southwest coast. The lonely island had been uninhabited for years, and was home to many ancient ruins. And, as its nickname suggested, when seen from the east, the island did, indeed, look like a man lying on his back. Blanketed by silver moonlight, it put Dane to mind of a corpse lying on a funeral bier.

“
What do you think we
’
re going to find there?
”
Dane asked no one in particular.

Everyone exchanged glances, unwilling or unable to hazard a guess. Finally, Avery spoke up.

“
Avalon. Legend holds it was somewhere across the water. They could have crossed the Irish sea and rounded the coast until they found the perfect place. What better place to lay a king to rest than an island that looks like a giant crypt?
”

No one disagreed.

“
You think King Arthur is somewhere inside that island?
”
Willis asked.

“
Why not? If our theory is correct, Morgan believes she
’
s his descendant and would need his remains in order to conduct a DNA test. She
’
s a museum director, so the public wouldn
’
t look at the find with the same suspicion they would if some random person claimed he
’
d found Arthur
’
s final resting place.
”

“
I guess we
’
ll find out soon enough,
”
Dane said,
“
So, who
’
s going and who
’
s staying?
”

Everyone spoke at once. None of them wanted to remain behind. Not even Corey.

“
We can
’
t all go. Somebody
’
s got to stay with the boat.
”
He looked pointedly at Matt
’
s broken arm.
“
And we need a lookout and someone to be our communications man.
”

“
That
’
s me, as always,
”
Corey grumbled.

It was agreed
that Greg, Tam’s agent,
would go ashore and find high ground from which he could serve as lookout. As the the rest of the group made their preparations, Dane pulled Angel aside.

“
I really think you should stay behind.
You’ve dealt with
too much already.
”

“
Forget it. After what I
’
ve been through, I deserve to see this to the end as much as anyone, if not more. Besides, you can
’
t tell me what to do.
”
She grinned, gave him a quick kiss, and left him standing alone belowdecks.

She was right. He couldn
’
t tell her what to do, though he wished he could. He vowed to keep her close and not let anything happen to her.

“
There you are.
”
Avery poked her head in the door.
“
You
are
coming aren
’
t you? I mean, we can handle it without you, if you
’
d rather stay here.
”
She reached out, took his hand, and pretended to haul him up the stairs. He played along, feigning reluctance. When they reach the deck, she laughed and
gave him a hug
.

“
We
’
re going to do it, Maddock! After all these years, Dad
’
s quest is at an end.
”

“
Do you think he had any idea where it would lead us? This is a far cry from a pirate
’
s treasure.
”

“
I doubt it, but I think he
’
d have loved every minute of it.
”
She stopped, blinked a few times, and cleared her throat.
“
I wish he was here.
”

Dane looked out across the moonlit water, and fought down a sudden wave of sadness. He put his arm around Avery
’
s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

“
Me too.
”

It was a steep climb up the side of the Dead Man, and they were all exhausted from the ordeal of the past few days but, buoyed by enthusiasm, they made the climb in good time. Reaching the top, they paused to look out across the water at the chain of islands to the south. It was a beautiful sight, and he found himself wishing he and Angel were here alone, with no thoughts of Morgan or the Dominion to distract them. He looked down at her and could tell by the look in her eyes she was thinking the same thing.

“
All right, Maddock,
”
Tam said,
“
take charge of your troops or I
’
m going to do it for you.
”
She handed him a flashlight and a sheet of paper.

Jimmy had made a major breakthrough. He
’
d broken the bands of code carved on the chamber walls. The resulting message, they hoped, marked out the path they were to follow.

“
Okay, the first line reads,
Beneath the eye of the giant lies the door to eternity.
”

“
I hate poetry,
”
Bones mumbled.

“
The head is that way.
”
Avery pointed to the east.

They picked their way across the rough terrain, navigating the old ruins, then faced an even more challenging climb up to the jagged rocks that formed the giant
’
s head. Avery shone her light
across
the rocks and cried out in triumph. Where the right eye should be, a round boulder four feet across sat in the center of a circular depression.

“
The eyes have it,
”
Bones proclaimed. He, Dane, and Willis rolled the boulder out of the way, revealing a shaft carved into the rock.
Handholds ran down
to the floor twenty feet below. Dane insisted on going first, in case there was a trap. The ladies exchanged wearied looks, but didn
’
t argue. He reached the bottom without incident, and looked around.

He stood in a cave. Evidence of occasional human
presence
in the distant past lay all about in the form of fire rings, the charred bones of small animals, smoke-stained walls, and carvings. What he did not see was any sort of door, trapdoor, or portal, and certainly no Templar cross. The others reached the bottom and joined him in examining the cave.

“
What
’
s the next line?
”
Bones asked.

“
The three come together and show the way to the Dead Man
’
s heart.
”

“
The three what? Wise men? Amigos? Blind mice?
”

“
The three weapons, genius.
”
Angel said, pointing to Rhongomnyiad, which Bones wore strapped across his back.

“
Definitely,
”
Dane said, pretending he
’
d known all along. He suspected he wasn
’
t fooling anyone, but that was all right.
“
Everybody spread out and look for carvings that resemble the sword, spear, or dagger.

It wasn
’
t long before Willis found what they were looking for. A triangular shape formed by carvings that exactly matched the three weapons.

“
So what do we do now?
”
Avery asked.

“
I think the weapons are the key.
”
Dane drew Excalibur and pressed it into the carved outline. As if some magnetic force were pulling it, it clicked into place and light danced in the stone haft. Next, he set
Carnwennan
, then Rhongomnyiad
. For a moment, the three blades
burned like a blue sun and, when the light winked out, they found themselves staring at an open doorway. The weapons no longer glowed, but hung in the stone doorway. Gingerly, Dane touched Excalibur. When it didn
’
t zap him into oblivion, he removed it and the other weapons, and they moved on.

The passageway opened onto a sheer cliff. Dane shone his light down into the yawing abyss, to the rock-strewn bottom a hundred feet down.

“
Did I mention I don
’
t like heights?
”
Avery asked, moving back from the edge.

“
It
’
s not the height that scares me,
”
Angel said.
“
It
’
s falling from heights.
”

“
Hey, I
’
m the one who
’
s supposed to make the bad jokes,
”
Bones protested.

Dane shone his light up ahead. Two stone bridges spanned the gap, each only wide enough for one person to cross at a time. He consulted their list of clues.

“
The hand of God will carry you across.
That
’
s got to be the bridge on the right. In Biblical times, the left hand was unclean.
”

“
You
’
d better be sure,
”
Tam said.
“
That
’
s a long way to fall.
”

“
One way to find out.
”
Bones turned and strode out onto the bridge. He reached the center, stopped, and turned back.
“
Seems pretty solid, and I
’
m heavier than any of you, so I think we
’
re good.
”
He hopped up and down to illustrate his point and, with a crack, a chunk of the bridge rail broke off and fell down into the abyss.
“
Sorry.
”

“
Holy crap, Bones.
”
Dane shook his head.
“
I still think this is the only way to cross. Anyone who wants to hang back, that
’
s
fine
.
”
They all shook their heads in unison.
“
All right. One at a time.
Heaviest first.”
Tam, Angel, and Avery all exchanged appraising looks.
“
Fine. Willis first, then the ladies in any order you like.
”
He watched with bated breath as, one by one, his companions crossed over, and then he followed. On the other side, they followed a steep passageway and disappeared down into the darkness.

“
I
’
ve lost the signal.
”
Locke pocketed his tracking device.
“
They must have gone underground.
”

Tamsin looked at her Sisters. Rhiannon, flanked by her men, was her usual, calm, detached self. The ocean breeze whipped her red hair about like a fiery halo. She didn
’
t meet Tamsin
’
s eye, but stared at Morgan, waiting.

Morgan
’
s implacable stare had been replaced by a manic gleam once they arrived at their destination. She didn
’
t bat an eye at Locke
’
s news.