by Jayne Castle
“We’re close,” Drake said.
Jasper glanced at Houdini. “Yeah, the little guy looks ready to go for someone’s throat.”
They moved along the corridor that Houdini appeared to favor. At the far end Drake could see more intersecting passages. Alice was not far away. The whisper of intimate awareness on the back of his neck told him that she was somewhere nearby.
Instinct prompted him to move as quietly as possible. He noticed that Jasper and Fletcher did the same. Their caution was probably unnecessary. The reality was that sound, like other kinds of energy, was always distorted and quickly overwhelmed by the Alien psi that emanated from the tunnel walls, ceiling, and floor. It was possible to be within fifteen feet of someone who was talking in a normal voice and not be aware of his or her presence if the person happened to be out of sight around a corner.
“I know the three of us have a plan,” Fletcher said. “But I doubt that Houdini understands human strategy. If we’re close to Alice, he’s liable to take off at any moment to try to get to her. If Egan spots him, he’ll realize that we might be in the vicinity.”
“Every plan has a weak point,” Drake said, glancing at Houdini. “The good news is that we know ours. That means that we can compensate. On second thought, that’s not the only good news.”
Jasper raised his brows. “But, wait, there’s more?”
“Oh, yeah,” Drake said. “We’ve got two ghost hunters on our team. Zara Tucker only has one.”
“One hunter who just happens to be armed with an Alien weapon,” Fletcher pointed out.
“I’m counting on your ghost-fighting talents to neutralize Egan’s weapon,” Drake said.
“Right.” Jasper automatically touched the amber he wore around his neck. “No problem.”
They hugged the wall of the tunnel as they approached the intersection. Drake took Houdini off his shoulder and tucked him under one arm, silently trying to convey the need to stay out of sight until the last minute. Houdini wriggled a little but he stayed put. Maybe he had gotten the message, Drake thought. Or maybe when it came to hunting instincts, all predators relied on the same basic strategy—don’t let the prey see you coming until you’re ready to make the kill.
Drake was in the lead, so he arrived at the vaulted entrance of the passage first. Now, at last, he could make out voices. He motioned Jasper and Fletcher to a halt. They all listened intently.
“. . . They’ve been inside a full minute and they haven’t collapsed,” Zara said. Relief and excitement vibrated in her voice. “It looks like Alice can handle the psi.”
“What if they don’t find the crystals?” Egan asked.
“She’s still conscious. This is going to work.”
“But if it doesn’t?”
“You had better hope that it does,” Zara said. “Because if this fails there is only one last option.”
“You never said there was another option.” Egan sounded uneasy. “What is it?”
“We’ll have to send someone else in,” Zara said, impatient now.
“Yeah? Who?”
“You.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not going in there. I can’t handle that kind of energy. I’m a ghost hunter, not a light-talent.”
“According to my calculations, there is a seventy-percent possibility that a non–light-talent can survive the experience for a short time. Hopefully, long enough to bring out the crystals.”
“But you said the energy buildup inside the pyramid would drive a non–light-talent mad.”
“That is a complication,” Zara said. “Let’s hope that Alice can pull off one last magic trick.”
Chapter 37
THE NERVE-SHATTERING DARKNESS SCREAMED AROUND them. And this is with my senses at full throttle, Alice thought. No wonder Zara Tucker and Egan had not been able to get through the storm. It took everything she had to forge a path. She did her best to protect Pete as well as herself but she could tell from the death grip he had on her hand that he was struggling.
A few more steps and they were through the psi-barrier. Alice realized she had been holding her breath. She finally managed to inhale. Not that the situation was greatly improved.
A storm of dark light roared and crashed and churned around them. There were occasional flashes of paranormal lightning, but they did nothing to illuminate the interior of the pyramid. Bizarre images appeared and disappeared in the depths of the seemingly impenetrable night.
The utter darkness was disorienting. No normal light filtered in past the narrow entrance. They had taken only a couple of steps inside, but Alice could not see anything, not even Pete standing so close that his shoulder brushed against hers.
“Oh, shit,” Pete said. Dread edged his words. “It’s gotten even worse than it was yesterday when she sent me in here, a lot worse.”
“It’s okay,” Alice said with a cool certainty she did not feel. “It’s just light—really, really dark light—but light is light and I can work with that.”
“I used to think I could work with light, too. But this stuff isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen.”
She kept her grip on Pete’s hand and focused on altering the currents of her aura so that they formed a shield, forcing the dark wavelengths of the nightmare energy to bend around the two of them.
“What’s happening?” Pete whispered.
“We just went invisible. This is my one big trick. We’re standing in the eye of the storm now. Too bad we don’t have an audience. How are you doing?”
“Okay.” Pete sounded vaguely amazed. “I’m okay, at least I think so. Or maybe this is one of the hallucinations. I’m aware of the intensity of the energy but it’s as if we’re in a bubble that’s protecting us from the forces.”
“That’s a good way to describe it.”
“How long can you keep this up?”
“Long enough.” I hope, she added silently. Never let the audience see you sweat. “Let’s find those crystals.”
“Not a good idea. Once Dr. Tucker and Egan get their hands on those damn stones, you and I are both toast. Well, I am, for sure. They might keep you around until they’re safely off the island, but I’m a goner as soon as I step out of here. I doubt if you’ll last much longer.”
“I know, but those crystals are the only bargaining chips we’ve got,” Alice said. “Once we have them, we might be able to buy a little more time.”
“Time for your husband to arrive?” Pete sounded dubious.
“Yes,” she said. “Trust me, he’ll get here eventually.”
“Okay, it’s not like I’ve got any plan at all.”
“Can you sense the crystals?”
“Not anymore,” Pete said. “The bitch sent me in here one too many times. I haven’t had time to fully recover between sessions. I’m pretty burned out.”
Alice went still, probing cautiously. A thin trickle of energy that felt very different from the currents of the storm danced somewhere in the darkness.
“I think I’ve got a fix on them,” she said.
She moved forward, keeping her grip on Pete. She put her free hand out to ward off an encounter with a sloped wall.
She was walking blind but that did not stop the fractured images from swirling around her.
“It’s like moving through a dream,” she said.
“Yeah, a nightmare,” Pete said. “But I don’t feel as disoriented as I have in the past. Usually by now I start to pass out. Your light-bending trick is working.”
The delicate trickle of energy was growing stronger.
“We’re getting closer,” she said.
The tension on the rope around her waist remained steady as Egan let out the line.
“They must be getting real excited out there,” Pete said grimly. “They’ll know we haven’t collapsed yet. Hell, I’m excited because I haven’t passed out.”
Alice did not reply. There was no point letting Pete know that she was having to pull harder and harder on her talent to keep the shield aro
und both of them. She was approaching her limits.
The trail of crystal energy brightened. For the first time she could perceive a pale, shadowy light flickering in the utter darkness, a weak paranormal candle flame. As she and Pete moved closer a second current of eerie radiance appeared.
“The crystals,” Pete said. He sounded stunned. “I think I can see them.”
Alice stopped. Pete stumbled to a halt beside her. They looked down. At least Alice thought they were looking down. In the disorienting darkness it was impossible to know.
Regardless, she could make out two flat slabs of crystal, each slightly larger than a man’s hand. They glowed with paranormal energy.
“They look harmless,” she said. “Guess I was expecting something more dramatic.”
“A hot stove looks harmless, too, until you put your hand on it.”
“Good point.” She reached out and touched one stone very carefully. A frisson of energy flashed through her but there was no pain. She picked up the slab. “You take the other one.”
Pete did as instructed. “Now what?”
“Now we hang on in here as long as possible to give Drake time to deal with Zara Tucker and Egan.”
“And if he doesn’t come to the rescue?”
“We go to Plan B. If worse comes to worst, we’ll pretend we found one of the stones but that we need a break before we go back in after the second crystal. I told you. It’s all about buying time.”
“Too bad you’re not a real magician,” Pete said. “We could use one of those about now.”
Chapter 38
DRAKE MOVED AROUND THE CORNER AND SAW ZARA AND Egan. Egan looked very different without his disguise, remarkably unremarkable. Zara and Egan were hovering close to the entrance of the crystal pyramid, which was the size of a two-story house. He could feel the energy of the Chamber from where he stood.
Egan gripped the end of a long length of rope in one gloved hand. The cord was stretched taut. It disappeared into a deep darkness at the entrance of the Chamber. Drake was very sure that Alice was on the other end of the line.
He set Houdini free.
“Get him,” Drake whispered. He doubted that Houdini could understand, but with luck he would serve as a distraction.
As if he had sized up the situation and had recognized the primary source of danger in the room, Houdini dashed across the cavernous space, heading straight for Egan.
Sensing that they were no longer alone, Zara whirled around. When she saw Drake, alarm exploded into fury.
“Bastard,” she said. “Kill him, Egan.”
Egan dropped the end of the line he had been holding and yanked the Alien weapon out of his belt. He leveled it at Drake.
Houdini arrived at his target and scampered up Egan’s pant leg.
“Shit.” Egan reeled backward, frantically swiping at Houdini with the weapon.
Houdini bounded off Egan to evade the vicious swipes but he immediately circled to find another opening. Egan brought the weapon up again and fired it, aiming for Houdini. The ray missed Houdini’s tail by scant inches.
“Egan!” Zara screamed.
Egan finally realized he had been paying attention to the wrong threat, but it was too late. Jasper and Fletcher were already moving forward, initiating the strategy they had devised during the trek through the tunnels. Both conjured hot, powerful ghosts that closed in on Egan, driving him back toward a wall.
There was nothing like having a pair of energy storms chasing you to help concentrate your attention. Egan had spent time in the tunnels. He recognized lethal-sized ghosts when he saw them.
“Drop the gadget,” Fletcher ordered.
Egan came up against the wall. There was nowhere to run. He tossed the weapon aside. It rolled across the floor.
But Zara was running and she was not headed toward the nearest exit. She went toward the entrance of the pyramid. For a beat or two Drake thought she was going into the Chamber.
He was wrong.
When she reached the entrance, she bent low, scooped up the trailing end of the rope, and hurled it through the wall of energy that sealed the pyramid.
The line vanished into the darkness.
“Your little MC wife will never find her way out,” Zara said. “Neither will Pete. You can’t possibly come up with a way to rescue them or retrieve the crystals—not in time to keep this whole island from drowning in that damn fog. You and I are going to go together, my love. Isn’t that romantic?”
Chapter 39
THE TENSION ON THE LINE AROUND ALICE’S WAIST WENT abruptly slack.
“Oh, crap,” she whispered softly.
She tucked the crystal under her arm and tugged slightly on the rope. There was no resistance.
“He let go of the rope, didn’t he?” Pete said in the voice of doom. “He might as well have dropped us down a bottomless mine shaft.”
“There’s only one reason why Egan would have dropped the rope,” Alice said briskly. “Drake is out there.”
“Even if you’re right, it doesn’t matter now. No one is going to be able to find us before this place blows.”
“The trick isn’t over yet,” Alice said.
“Got any ideas?”
“It’s up to the magician now,” Alice said. “I told you, I’m just the box-jumper.”
Chapter 40
“KEEP AN EYE ON BOTH OF THEM,” DRAKE SAID.
“No problem,” Jasper said.
He sent his ghost closer to Egan, who opened his mouth on a soundless scream when the fierce energy brushed against him. He crumpled to the ground and lay very still.
“Is he—?” Drake asked.
“Just unconscious,” Jasper assured him. “Easier to keep an eye on him this way.”
“Same treatment for Dr. Tucker?” Fletcher asked.
“No,” Zara shrieked. “You can’t do this to me. You don’t understand. This was important research.”
“Just tie her hands behind her back,” Drake said. “Unless she starts to give you any trouble. In which case, feel free to zap her.”
Fletcher took a length of leather cording out of a pocket and went toward Zara.
“Please,” she entreated. Energy shivered in the atmosphere around her. “You must help me. Drake Sebastian hates me. He wants to kill me. You’ve got to stop him. Together you and I can save this island.”
“Forget it,” Fletcher said. He snagged one of Zara’s wrists and then the other. “I’m married to that guy over there.” He angled his head toward Jasper. “We’re both gay.”
Houdini chortled excitedly, fully fluffed once more with all four eyes still open. He dashed through the entrance of the pyramid and disappeared.
Drake went swiftly to the opening and looked into the thick, impenetrable darkness that barred the way.
“You’re psi-blind,” Zara taunted. “There’s no way you can enter that pyramid. One step inside the door and you’ll be lost. You’ll never find her or those Keys.”
Drake ignored her. He took off his dark glasses and slipped them into the pocket of his jacket. He jacked up his senses and walked through the gate of midnight energy and into a brilliantly lit crystal chamber that glowed with the dark light that came from the farthest end of the spectrum. Dazzling waves of energy stirred his senses.
Somewhere in the distance he thought he heard Zara scream in rage, but he paid no attention. The scene inside the pyramid riveted his full attention.
This was a world lit by the energy of darkness. Walking into it was the equivalent of waking up to a new dawn. The crystal walls of the Chamber were radiant with energy—energy that he knew intuitively he could channel. And when he did focus the currents in the walls of the pyramid, he knew he would see wondrous things.
Alice stood in the center of the Chamber, illuminated in the enthralling light. She clutched a glowing crystal in one hand. Houdini was on her shoulder, chattering happily. With her other hand Alice gripped the fingers of a young man. Pete, Drake decided. The kid looke
d scared but hopeful. He, too, held one of the crystals.
Drake realized that neither Alice nor Pete could see him. They stood close together, shoulders touching, and gazed blindly into space.
“I’m here,” Drake said.
“I know.” Alice turned partially toward him, relief and joy on her face. “I could sense your presence.”
“He’s really here?” Pete asked. “That voice isn’t a hallucination?”
“He’s here,” Alice said. “The magician pulled off the trick. Told you he would.”
“Alice,” Drake said.
He took her into his arms. It was an awkward move because she did not drop Pete’s hand or the crystal. And then there was Houdini bouncing around as if they were playing some new game.
But Alice rested her forehead against Drake’s shoulder. “I knew you would come for me.”
“You’re sure this guy is your husband?” Pete asked.
Alice raised her head, smiling, even though Drake knew she could not see him.
“Yes,” she said. “This is really my husband. Trust me, I’d know him anywhere.”
Chapter 41
AT TEN THIRTY THAT NIGHT ALICE AND DRAKE SAT AT A table in the Marina Inn Tavern. Alice had Nicholas North’s diary safely stowed in a bag that she kept close to her side.
She and Drake were not alone. Rachel, Charlotte, Jasper, and Fletcher were with them. They were the only people left in the restaurant. Houdini and Darwina had disappeared shortly after the kids had been sent upstairs to bed. Alice was fairly certain that the dust bunnies had gone hunting inside the Preserve. She wondered where they got the energy. She was exhausted but still too worked up to sleep. She doubted that she would sleep at all that night. She wanted to read her great-grandfather’s diary.
Earlier, Burt had fixed her a large bowl of canned vegetable soup accompanied by crackers. She had eaten everything he put in front of her and asked for seconds.
The power had come back on an hour ago. There was no sign of the dark fog. A few brave souls who had been staying at the inn had returned to their own homes, but many of the Marina Inn rooms were still occupied and the B&B was doing a brisk business. There were those who did not entirely trust that the threat was over.