Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers) (15 page)

K
ENDALL WOKE TO
absolute darkness, heart pounding with fear, but it wasn’t her fear. What was she sensing? Was it Jake? She could feel him behind her, breathing harsh, his hand gripping hers. He must be dreaming.

He’d scooted closer in his sleep. The move wasn’t a come-on but the need for warmth and human contact in a place of death. Ordinarily, she didn’t mind tombs. She’d spent a large part of her childhood crawling through them. It was different when the tomb might be hers.

Jake’s breathing was calmer now, and she let the sound soothe her. His hand had relaxed, resting over her stomach. She could smell him, warm and male. Part of her wanted to snuggle tighter and another part wanted to roll over and wake him up so they could forget about danger and death and bad dreams, at least for a while. She wondered if anyone had ever had sex in catacombs. She snuggled deeper into his warmth until her eyelids grew heavy. When she woke again, she was cold and alone.

She sat up, looking at her watch: four thirty in the morning. “Jake,” she whispered, eyes straining in the darkness. Farther down the catacombs, she saw a light moving toward her. She couldn’t tell if it was Jake or if the thieves had come back to make sure they didn’t escape. It could be Raphael. He must have played some part in this. A shadow moved in front of her. A monk in
a cowl. The thieves had come back. She gripped the blanket and pressed her body as far into the alcove as she could. The monk turned and faced her. She froze. Had he seen her?

He started walking toward her, but there was nowhere for her to escape. He moved closer and closer and she couldn’t help but cry out, expecting an attack. She felt a rush of air and he disappeared.

She jumped up and turned, staring at the wall where the apparition had disappeared. Just as silently as the ghost had moved, Jake appeared behind her. “What’s wrong?”

“I just saw the monk.”

He turned off his flashlight and pushed her against the wall, putting himself in front of her. “Where?” he whispered.

“Not the thieves, the ghost. He walked right through this wall.”

“Here?” Jake turned the flashlight on and aimed it at the wall. “Sure you weren’t dreaming?”

“I wasn’t dreaming. It was the same ghost I saw in the bedroom.”

“How do you know?”

“I could tell from his memories.”

“You read memories?”

“Sometimes.”

“So much for personal privacy.”

The very reason she didn’t have a husband or boyfriend. “Where were you?”

“Looking for a way out.”

“Alone? You could have run into another trap.”

“I found a lantern,” he said, cutting off her reproach.

“Does it work?”

“I was about to find out when you called my name.” He led her to a group of coffins housed behind an iron grille. “Look up there.” He swung his light up and she saw an old lantern hanging from the wall. “Hold the flashlight.”

She held the light while he got the lantern down. He gently shook it. “It’s full. And someone left matches. I guess Raphael comes down here to check on the box.”

“Too bad he didn’t leave a map.” There was a flicker, and soft light filled the catacombs. He handed the lantern to Kendall. “I know it’s all in my head, but I feel warmer already,” she said.

“There’s another one on the other side.” After he lit the second lantern, he turned off the flashlight and stuck it in his pocket. “We’ll save the batteries in case we need them later.”

In case they were trapped down here for good.

“Now we can see to find our way out of this hellhole,” he said, moving back toward their blanket. He held the lantern close to the wall.

“What are you looking for?”

“You said your ghost walked through the wall in the bedroom where there was a secret door. Maybe there’s a secret door here.”

“I got the feeling you didn’t believe in ghosts.”

“I don’t. But I’m starting to believe in your visions.”

That was a start, Kendall thought. “Haven’t you ever felt a presence, like someone was with you, but when you turned around, he wasn’t there?” In the flickering light of the lantern, she saw a haunted look cross his face and knew he had his own ghosts, whether he believed in them or not.

“So you’re a ghost expert too?”

“No, but I’ve encountered a few.”

They both systematically searched the alcove, running their hands over the rough stone. Kendall’s fingertips brushed over a notch that didn’t feel natural. “I think I found something.”

Jake scraped at the notch with his knife, uncovering the motif. “I’ve never been so glad to see a circle. There must be a door here.”

“But we don’t have the cross to open it.”

“I don’t see anything that looks like a lock on this one.” He pushed the mark and they felt the wall give.

“Push harder,” Kendall said.

He grimaced, shoving against the wall with his shoulder. Kendall started pushing with him, and the wall opened several inches.

“Another secret tunnel,” Jake said.

“We were in front of the door all along.”

“That explained why the recess looked like a doorway. I’ll check it out first. We don’t want to stick our heads inside a trap.” He used the lantern to inspect the other side of the door before climbing through. “This is going to be a tight squeeze.”

After Jake made sure it wasn’t booby-trapped, Kendall climbed through, holding her lantern in front of her. “Yikes, this is cramped.” It was nothing like the tunnel on the other end of the catacombs. This one was just tall enough to clear Jake’s head, and barely wide enough for his shoulders.

“At least there aren’t any bones here,” he said after they had walked for a few minutes.

“You sound relieved.”

“Told you, I don’t like bones.”

She did, but right now she needed daylight and fresh air. And a bathroom. “Do you see an end?”

“Not yet. Don’t panic on me.”

They walked on in silence broken only by the occasional scrape of feet. “How did you meet Nathan?” she asked.

“It’s a long story,” he said.

“It’s not like either of us is going anywhere.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Just say you don’t want to tell me, for goodness’ sake.”

“I don’t want to tell you.”

“You’re as bad as him, with all these secrets.” She wished she had a bottle of water.

“Men don’t blab everything like women do.”

“We don’t blab.”

“Yes you do.”

“How would you know? Have you ever been married?”

“No.”

“Have you ever wanted to get married?”

He hesitated. “No.”

“Good. You’re not marriage material.”

He grunted. “What about you? Any husbands hanging around?”

“No.” What man wanted someone who might see inside his head? Even though she usually couldn’t, there was always the threat. She would pick up an object belonging to him and inadvertently blurt out something she wasn’t supposed to know. That kind of thing tended to freak people out. It didn’t take long to get a reputation as a wacko. Or a witch.

Adam was the only one who had understood. An image flashed through her head. A boy with rumpled, sun-bleached hair and tanned skin, holding up his latest treasure, his face split into a grin. Her heart gave one soft squeeze and the face faded back into the place where she kept it. “Where the hell is the end of this tunnel?” Her voice echoed strangely in the small confines.

“What about sex?”

Kendall stopped. “Sex?”

Jake kept walking. “You don’t strike me as a total prude. You’re probably—what—twenty-five? I doubt you’re a virgin.”

“I’m twenty-eight and my virginity or lack thereof is none of your concern.”

He stopped suddenly. “There.” His lantern showed a set of steps leading up to a stone door.

“I hope we don’t need the key.”

They climbed the narrow staircase and she waited while he searched for a way out. The space was so tight there was barely room for one person. “Here we go.” He pushed something and a door opened in the wall, amazingly quietly for stone. He put his
hand over the lantern, keeping the light low. He stuck his head out and looked around before motioning for her to join him.

She followed, scraping her body through the doorway. Kendall looked around in surprise. “We’re inside the entryway of the castle.” The tunnel door was inside one of the stone columns. This place was full of secrets.

“Quiet,” Jake whispered. “Raphael may be here. I don’t know how he’s involved, but we don’t want to announce our presence...” He stopped. Raphael lay on the floor behind the column, the light obscene on his dead, amber eyes.

“Oh my God. They killed him too.”

Jake kneeled and touched Raphael’s chest. “He’s been dead for about four hours.”

“You can tell how long he’s been dead?”

“I can tell from his body temperature. The thieves must have killed him.” He pointed to the tracks leading to and from the body. “The footprints match the ones where you were attacked.”

“If they weren’t working for Raphael, then who?”

“I don’t know. See if you can pick up anything from him.”

“Touch him?” She didn’t mind bodies that had been dead for a long time. That was history. But fresh death was disturbing. Swallowing, she knelt beside Jake and stretched out her hand. A ripple moved over her skin and she hesitated. There was some kind of weird energy surrounding Raphael. Jake put his hand on her shoulder in encouragement. She closed her eyes and touched Raphael’s chest.

A blinding light flashed as screams filled the air. Men were running from the light, eyes wide with terror, swords and shields dangling uselessly. Protect it. He must protect it.

Kendall yanked her hand back.

“What the hell was that?” Jake asked.

“I don’t know. You saw it?” She’d never had anyone else share her visions. Except Adam.

Jake looked shaken. “Were those Raphael’s memories? How old is he? I saw men in armor holding swords and shields.”

“Maybe they’re someone else’s memories, someone connected to him.” Otherwise, Raphael was really old. Or he had been.

Jake shook his head and stood. “Let’s just get out of here before the trail gets colder. What are you doing now?”

“Look at this...” She lifted a cross from Raphael’s neck.

“It looks a lot like yours. Bring it. If it’s also a key, we might need it yet.”

“You take it.”

Jake pulled the cross over Raphael’s head and stuck it in his pocket. “Let’s go.”

“I want to get the piece of letter I found under the desk. It’s still in the tower room.”

“Hurry. There could be more of those thieves. I need to get you someplace safe.”

“Should we call the police?”

“No.”

“Why not? There’s a dead guy here.”

“You want the cops to pull us aside for questioning while the thieves get farther away? They’ve already got a head start. No cops.”

“I feel like we should do something,” she said, looking at Raphael again. Even in death he looked fierce. Kendall felt a wave of sadness at such a needless loss.

Jake nudged her toward the stairs. “Nathan can have his people take care of it later.”

“The one guy knew you. He said your name.”

“Must have been Thomas.”

She hadn’t seen his face clearly, so she couldn’t say, but Jake obviously had. Why else would he have acted so surprised?

They hurried to the tower and found a metal bar in front of the door to their room. “We really were prisoners,” Kendall said. “How did we not see this when he brought us here?”

After lifting the bar so Kendall could get inside, Jake examined the mechanism while she retrieved the scrap of paper. “The bar was hidden along the doorjamb,” he said, when she returned.

Kendall put the paper in her bag. “We need to find whoever was singing. They might be prisoners here too. Or whoever killed Raphael could have found them.”

Jake wasn’t pleased, but they made a quick search on all three floors, checking the rooms with unlocked doors. Jake even picked a couple of locks, but they didn’t find anyone else. They discovered bedrooms in every size, sitting rooms, parlors, and libraries, all modernized with electricity and indoor plumbing. At one time this must have housed a large group. Where were they now?

“Three floors of nice rooms, and he sticks us in the tower,” Kendall said.

“Prisoners don’t get the good rooms. Raphael put us in the tower for a reason.”

And now they would never know why. They hurried back down to the first floor. They were both silent as they passed Raphael’s body. Jake stopped at an open door they hadn’t seen when Raphael showed them around.

“He must have stayed here,” Kendall said. The room had a small bed and a few pieces of furniture, including a desk with books, papers, and pens. A window overlooked the statues and underneath, a table held a glass of wine that Raphael would never finish.

“Stay close,” Jake whispered.

They stepped outside and he grabbed her hand, tugging her toward the statues. Kendall felt a vibration deep in her bones, like a warning. They had almost reached the statues when Jake stopped. Two dark shapes lay on the ground.

“What is that?” Kendall asked. When they got closer she saw two of the thieves, their robes twisted about their bodies, faces
covered by hoods. Jake kneeled beside them and pulled one hood back to check for a pulse. The dead man’s eyes were solid black.

“What happened to their eyes?” she asked.

“Hell if I know.” He checked the other thief. “Neither of these is Thomas. He must be the third thief.” Jake started searching the corpses. The vibration got stronger, along with Kendall’s sense of dread.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Looking for the box. Maybe we’ll get lucky.” But they didn’t. “Thomas must have it. Let’s see if we can find him.” He stood and started to take a step.

“Stop!” She grabbed Jake’s arm. “The statue...It’s humming. Don’t touch it!”

He picked up a rock and threw it at the statue. There was a hissing noise and a blinding flash of light as the rock fell.

Jake shaded his eyes. “What the hell!”

“They are sentinels, just like in the vision.”

“I guess we know what happened to thief one and thief two,” Jake said, studying the statues. “Maybe if we don’t touch them.” He picked up another rock and tossed it between the statues. The wall of light flashed again. Jake moved back beside her and cursed. “It’s like some kind of electric fence.”