Icefall (Dane Maddock Adventures) (11 page)

Pain exploded through his skull
as he cracked the top of his head on hard stone, and he crumpled to the ground
with a whimper
. Head swimming and ears ringing, he tried to push himself up, but his strength was gone. Only a moan of pain and desperation escaped his lips as the stone cover slid back into place, entombing him where the saint had once lain.

“
Let m
e take another look at that
.
”
Dane reached into the back seat and accepted the skull from Angel. He sat it in his lap, its face grinning up at him. The
Magi
, the Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
Could it be true?
He had to laugh. How many times in the past few years had
he asked himself that very question
?
Either the world was jam-packed with mysteries and secrets, or he and Bones were very lucky
–
or unlucky, depending on how you looked at things.

“
I don
’
t know what to make of it.
”
Jade leaned over his seat to get a better look. A moment later,
Angel
’
s
face joined hers.

“
Hey chicks, we
’
re driving on a snowy highway. Put your seat belts back on!
”
Bones shook his head.
“
And they say I
’
m reckless.
”

Angel laid a hand on his shoulder.
“
We just trust your driving ability, that
’
s all.
”

Bones rolled his eyes but dropped the issue.

“
Does that light ever go out?
”
Angel pointed to the stone set in the front of the crown.

“
I think it
’
s just reflecting light from the dashboard,
”
Jade said.

“
I
’
m not so sure.
”
Dane remembered his first impression when he removed the skull from its reliquary. The light seemed to come from within the stone.
“
I could see a glimmer of light in it from the very start.
”

“
A stone that generates its own light? Maddock, that
’
s impossible.
”

Dane and Bones exc
hanged a quick glance, both remembering an underground temple, its walls
lined with stones that
could absorb and amplify light.

“
I once saw something along those lines, though not quite the same.
”
He told them about what he and Bones had found in the Holy Land a few years earlier.
“
I have an idea. Bones, can you pull the car over and kill the lights?
”

A few minutes later they sat on a dark, deserted stretch of highway. They all huddled around the skull, blocking any ambient light, and peering intently at the opaque gem.

“
I see it!
”
Jade gripped Dane
’
s arm.
“
There
’
s a faint sliver of light there.
”

“
It
’
s almost shaped like a triangle,
”
Angel mused.
“
See how it
’
s narrower at one end?
”

“
But is it generating its own light, or is it like the stones we saw before, and just using the light it absorbs?
”
Bones asked.

“
This isn
’
t like those stones.
”
Dane shook his head.
“
Those took a little bit of light and multiplied it. This is just a sliver that seems to come from within the stone itself. Weird.
”

Just then, Jade
’
s cell phone rang, interrupting their quiet contemplation. She glanced at the screen and smiled.

“
It
’
s Otto.
”

The conversation was brief, and Otto must have done most of the talking because Jade
’
s contribution consisted primarily of
“
okay
”
and
“
uh-huh.
”
When she hung up, she was smiling ear-to-ear.

“
What was that all about?
”
Dane asked.

“
Otto thinks he
’
s solved another of the clues. Paderborn Cathedral has a well-known three hares window. That by itself wouldn
’
t help us out much, but it also houses the remains of Saint Liborius.
”
She paused for effect.

“
This conversation is already feeling laborious.
”
Dane grinned
while the others groaned
.
“
Cut the suspense.
What’s special about this guy?
”

“
He was a bishop of the late fourth century during a time
when
paganism was strong in this part of the world. Legend has it, when the relics of
Liborius,
”
she emphasized the correct pronuciation,
“
were brought to Paderborn, a peacock led the procession.
”

“
The peacock be your guide.
”
Dane quoted the passage from the clue.
“
Well, I guess we
’
re headed for Paderborn.
”

The west tower of the Paderborn Cathedral rose above the ornate Romanesque-Gothic church like a sentry on the lookout for intruders. At least, that was how Dane felt as he gazed up at the structure that stood three hundred feet
tall
. It was, to him, the cathedral
’
s most impressive feature, though he was also blown away by the many large arched windows that contained within them smaller, narrower arched windows topped by round, highly decorative portals. No matter how many cathedrals he visited, the architecture and craftsmanship never ceased to amaze him.

“
So, what exactly are we looking for?
”
Bones asked.

“
There are two key connections to the clue,
”
Jade said.
“
The three hares, and the peacock. Paderborn Cathedral has a famous three hares window. Let
’
s start there.
”

They circled the cathedral examining all the windows for the three hares sign. They drew a few odd glances, but probably due more to Bones
’
presence than their interest in the stained glass. They searched for a half-hour before Jade decided to ask for help. They were directed to an inner courtyard where they found the three hares window and more.

“
This has got to be it!
”
Jade exclaimed as soon as they were alone. It was not as impressive as Dane had expected. The three stone hares in a circle were set atop a stained glass window and in front of it stood...

“
A peacock!
”
Angel brushed the snow off of the dark stone fountain surmounted by an ornately carved peacock.
“
This must be what the clue was talking about.
”

“
Could be,
”
Dane said.
“
Bones, you keep an eye out in case somebody comes this way. The rest of us will see what we can find.
”

They scoured the courtyard, paying particular attention to the area around the stained glass window and around the peacock fountain. The window offered no promising leads, so they focused on the peacock, but no amount of poking, prodding, pushing, or twisting uncovered any hidden compartment or passageway, nor did they find any telltale three hares images like those they had found in Cologne and Hildesheim.

They expanded their search, checking the walls around the courtyard and scraping away snow and ice from the ground in any likely spot. Dane scrubbed rough block
s until he wore holes in his gloves
, but with no success.

“
I don
’
t think this is the right place.
”
He looked at Jade, who nodded.
“
What else did you find out about this place when you researched it last night? You know, hares and peacocks and stuff.
”

“
If by
‘
stuff
’
you mean the
Magi
or the Wise Virgins, I didn
’
t find anything. Nothing else about the three hares either.
”
She screwed up her face in concentration. The expression made other people look constipated but, on her, it was cute.
“
There is supposed to be a lot of peacock imagery inside the cathedral.
”

“
The clue talks about the peacock being the guide. A peacock supposedly guided the relics. Considering where we found the first skull, I
’
ll bet that
’
s the connection.
”
He
’
d had a feeling about the relics, but they had wanted to eliminate the obvious first, and thus had checked the area around the three hares window.

“
It
’
s the next best possibility, if not the best
,” Jade said
.
”
The relics are down in the crypt. Let
’
s check it out.
”

The Paderborner Dom featured three parallel aisles, all reaching the height of the roof. The stained glass windows that ran the length of the side walls cast the interior in a warm glow. Christmas trees hung with white lights added to the cheer. Jade took Dane
’
s hand and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“
It
’
s nice, isn
’
t it?
”

He nodded. It was all too easy to get caught up in the mystery and not enjoy the moment. Bones and Angel seemed to feel the same way. Each was smiling and taking in the beauty that surrounded them. The cathedral, not one of Germany
’
s most famous or popular, was almost empty toda
y, with only a handful of visitors
wandering about.

Angel
’
s face suddenly froze. She ducked behind a column and beckoned to the others.

“
The guys who attacked me are here.
The dark-haired one is Uhlrich.
I didn
’
t get the other guy
’
s name.
”

Dane didn
’
t need her to point out the two men who stood a
t the crossing, looking around. Even i
f he had not remembered what they looked like, the black-haired man
’
s battered face stuck out like a sore thumb.

“
What are they doing here?
”
Bones scowled at the men
.
“
Do you think Otto told them?
”

“
No way,
”
Jade said.
“
He told them about the three hares, remember? They
’
re probably checking out any cathedral with a three hares symbol.
”

“
And considering what they did at
Kölner
Dom, they
’
re probably going for the shrine. You two,
”
Dane said to Jade and Angel,
“
get back to the car and wait for us.
”

“
Not a chance.
”
Angel shook her head.
“
You ain
’
t the boss of me.
”

“
Same here, Maddock,
”
Jade added.
“
Cut the chivalrous crap. You know I hate it.
”