by Amy Lignor
“You mean besides a decapitated guy?”
Leah rolled her eyes but ignored Lange’s remark.
Kathryn was practically panting from their never-ending race. “Everything’s out of the ordinary here, Leah. Rooms on top of rooms on top of rooms. That’s what’s here.”
A shudder ran down Leah’s spine. She had to think. She wanted to pound her head on the wall until something, anything, came to her. A thought from the past reached her. “A mansion with many rooms.”
“What?” Kathryn asked.
“Two sides of the same coin. The Devil has the same type of dwelling as the One who made the call to cast him out in the first place. Someone like Hansen could’ve figured that out and found this place ironic.”
Gareth whistled through his teeth. “I don’t like this.”
“Not my idea of a good time either,” Leah responded, looking at Kathryn. “You need to think. I need to know everything I can about the layout of this place.”
Leaning back against the wall, Kathryn rubbed her belly, finally catching her breath. She closed her eyes, as if calling up a roadmap that she had stored in her mind. “The palace is split into two wings, east and west.”
“Where are we now?” Leah shone the spotlight up and down the hallway.
“Right now we’re in the west wing.”
“A throne in the west wing,” she said. “Of course. What else?” Leah was hunting for any nugget of information that would lead them in the right direction.
Kathryn’s eyes remained closed. “There’s the gatekeeper’s lodge. It was a cottage where keys leading to special places in the palace were kept.”
“There are locked doors in here?”
“Some.”
Gareth interrupted, “Maybe Hansen had a sick enough sense of humor to hide a key in that lodge. A key that could open up…” pausing, he seemed to search for an answer, “I don’t know. A Hell gate, or something?”
Leah’s mind raced. Yet another correlation. Yin and Yang. Black and White. There could be a key buried inside this ancient ruin. After all, there had been thirteen keys that’d opened up the Gates to Heaven, so in an evil mind, having another set made for the entrance to Hell wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. But as she reasoned this through, Leah became more and more convinced that Hell was nowhere near them. “What else?”
“The magazines where they kept their weapons, food and treasures; the Great Hall; the temple rooms, crypts, shrines—” Kathryn grew exasperated and she opened her eyes. “I don’t know. Everything! We’ve searched everywhere on this side.”
Leah reached out to her. “Okay. Okay. Stay calm.” She tried not to look down at the miniscule bump that right now needed his or her mother to be at peace, and instead turned on Lange. “What’s in the east wing? More of the same?”
She shook her head. “The other side has less rooms. More porches, more light. King and Queen Minos used that side for the royal residence, so we assume not many people went through there.”
Nodding, Leah searched her memory for the answers that were just not presenting themselves quickly enough. Her gaze landed on Kathryn’s stomach once again, and an idea suddenly came to her. “Where did the kids sleep?”
“They had no children,” Lange replied. “Except for the Minotaur, of course. Queen Minos was only cursed with that one monster of an offspring.”
The librarian instinct took over and paid no attention to the crass woman. To Leah, she was nothing but an extra pain in the ass that she just didn’t need right now. She searched through her personal card catalogue for data. Leah could almost feel the answer in there—twisting and turning through the labyrinth of her own brain as she raced to catch up with it. She stared into Kathryn’s exhausted eyes. “You’d do anything for that kid.”
“Of course I would.” Confusion leaked into her voice.
Leah continued, “What if she or he came out…wrong?”
“What?” Kathryn’s eyes grew wide.
Gareth’s words were swift, “Don’t scare her more.”
Leah shook her head. “Just listen to me. There’s nothing wrong with your child, Kathryn. I was just wondering what you think parents would do if their baby didn’t come out completely perfect?”
The terror left Kathryn’s eyes and was replaced with a look of tenderness that was stronger than any Leah had ever witnessed. “Your child is your child. You love them no matter what. At least, that’s how I feel.”
Energized, Leah wanted to smile. She could almost see an image of herself running through her mind’s labyrinth, the answer she’d been searching for now clutched in her hands like a medal of victory.
“That’s it.” She turned to Gareth. “We’ll take Kathryn back upstairs to the entrance. She’s had enough.” Leah glanced at Lange. “Then you’re going to show us where the queen’s rooms are before joining Kathryn.”
The Little General’s voice came out loud and clear, “You are not going to leave me behind, Leah Tallent! My husband’s somewhere inside this godawful place and I am going with you to find him.”
Leah winced at the harsh tone. Gareth took a step back from his sibling who was suddenly empowered with the strength of George S. Patton.
Turning around slowly, frightened of making any quick movements in front of the small commander who was clearly ready to pounce, Leah brought her voice down to a whisper, “I was just thinking about the baby, Kathryn. I have no idea if what I’m thinking is right, but whatever is under this place isn’t safe. You could get hurt.”
Kathryn raised her small form as high and straight as her spine would allow. “Maybe I wasn’t clear. My husband is lost and I am going with you to find him.”
Taking a moment, Gareth finally nodded at Leah, as if letting her know that this was one battle they weren’t going to win. “I’ll look out for her.”
Kathryn stepped around the group, raised her spotlight, and marched down the hall. They could hear her mumbling a tirade of curses in front of them, “Don’t you freaking tell me I can’t go.”
Shaking her head, Leah chuckled beside Gareth. “She’s gonna make a terrific mom.”
“Yeah, I feel sorry for the kid already.”
CHAPTER 43
Leah noticed that the air was getting warmer; what was once dark was now brightening the farther east they walked. Eventually the hallway led out into the sunshine. On one side was open terrain; on the other remained a palace wall holding chambers every few feet. Leah took a quick look into each room they passed by, searching for clues. She didn’t want to miss anything that could perhaps lead her more quickly through the unknown world.
Staying a few steps behind the angry woman with child, Leah let Kathryn lead them. Her mutterings were still flowing like a sailor on shore leave, and the rest of the group seemed to have tactically decided to remain silent so as not to poke the ferocious bear with anymore sticky suggestions.
The hall began to open wider. With their new location, far from the rooms that were used for daily activity and the receiving of guests, it was easy to see that the private residences of the ancient home had been built to enjoy peace and serenity—an area of the palace for the royals to get away from it all and relax with one another. Or, more likely, count their gold, Leah thought.
A bright gleam suddenly made Leah’s eyes water as they passed by an open door. She stopped in her tracks, letting her sight adjust to the shiny objects that filled the tiny room. Stepping over the threshold, Leah looked up at the circle that had been carved in the ceiling; an extra source of light that allowed entrance to the warm Greek sun. Bringing her focus back down, she began to examine the selection of weapons hanging on iron hooks that protruded from the cream-colored walls. “Wow,” she breathed.
Poking her head back into the hallway, Leah called out to their fearless leader. “Kathryn? What’s this chamber for?”
Stopping, she turned around; her face was still set in a mask of determination. “That’s the King’s Megaron. There’s
nothing in there.”
“Really?” Leah peeked back over her shoulder before returning her gaze to Kathryn. “You may want to see this.”
Marching towards her, Kathryn looked into the chamber and let out a gasp of surprise. Her face was filled with uncertainty. “I don’t understand. This has been empty since we came here.”
Walking through the small area, Leah looked to her right at the tiered doors that were set in stone leading to yet another chamber. “That’s where King Minos slept?”
“But this was never here.” Kathryn waved her arms at the weaponry.
“Well, it’s all here now,” Leah replied, moving to the center of the room and staring up at the bright, blue sky.
Lange’s voice took over inside the Megaron as she pointed at the ceiling. “They’re called light-wells. A lot of the rooms have them. It’s an ancient ventilation system.”
“I know,” Leah said.
“They also had an old sanitation-slash-drainage system in the corners,” she said, indicating their locations. “There and there.”
Leah tried to contain her laughter as the woman suddenly took on the look of a flight attendant pointing out the available exits. “Got it.”
Staring at the polished weapons, Leah tried to find an explanation. “These couldn’t have just appeared, Kathryn. Of course, we could all be operating under some mass hallucination, I suppose,” she said, looking over at Gareth. “We’re not, are we?”
“No. They’re definitely here.” Stepping away from the wall, he walked to her.
Meeting in the center of the room, Leah noted the odd, dark red flecks of dust on the collar of his shirt. “What is this, rust?”
Lange let out a screech, causing Leah and Gareth to practically jump into each other’s arms. Turning around quickly, they caught sight of an axe that boasted one blade entombed in crusty blood.
Leah winced at the revolting sight. “Maybe we found the weapon used to kill that guy back in the Throne Room.”
Gareth walked forward, shaking his head. Pulling the axe off its hook, a light of recognition suddenly beamed from his eyes. “The bus driver.”
“What bus driver?”
“The bus driver who dropped me off said that a few months back he drove a couple out here. They wanted to use this place to have their wedding.”
Kathryn shuddered. “Talk about starting your marriage off on the wrong foot. Why would anyone want to get married in such a creepy place?”
Lange entered the conversation, “This is a historic monument. How can someone even be allowed to have their wedding here?”
Gareth kept his eyes fixed on Leah. “The guy said that a councilman came out with them. He was showing the couple the areas of the palace that could be used for a ceremony.” He swallowed hard. “Leah, the driver said that the councilman had eyes that reminded him of a feline.”
Her stomach lurched. “I’m surprised Hansen had to use an axe to kill someone. The bodies we saw inside Eagle’s Nest were, well…they looked almost supernaturally killed. There were no wounds.” She looked at the axe. “Why bother resorting to such a primitive weapon if he has these other…skills?”
Gareth shook his head. “No idea.”
“We didn’t find a decapitated female, though. Where’s the other half of this engaged couple?” Lange asked. Her voice amplified; it was now brimming with frustration.
Gareth shrugged. “Maybe she got out. But we know what happened to her Count.”
An icy chill raced up Leah’s spine. “What did you say?”
Gareth continued to inspect the walls, searching for clues. “The soon-to-be-husband supposedly introduced himself to the driver as a Count. Older guy, kind of regal looking.”
“Oh God, no. No, no, no.” Bile rose in her throat, as a crystal clear picture of the young librarian she’d worked with back in New York City popped into her mind. “Skylar was going to marry a Count, Gareth. And the last time we saw her—in the basement of the library—she told us she was coming to Crete.”
Gareth’s face turned white. “You don’t think…?”
“I’m trying not to.”
Lange’s voice once again appeared, “Who is Skylar?”
“A colleague…a friend of mine,” Leah whispered, “back home.”
“Jesus.” Kathryn shook her head. “Nobody else was in there, Leah. I’m sure. We’ve checked everywhere. Maybe the woman who came out here just left. Maybe she got away before the Count was killed. Or maybe…she’s the one who killed him and then fled.”
Leah moved her gaze to the woman who was clearly grasping at straws. “I need to see where her Royal Majesty lived.”
“There’s nothing—” Lange began.
“—in there,” Leah yelled. “Yeah, I know. But I’m betting there’s something in there now.” Pushing past the annoying woman, Leah followed Kathryn directly to the room that’d once played home to the Queen of the Minoan world.
CHAPTER 44
Staring at the wall, Leah attempted to concentrate on the happy faces of the painted dolphins as they jumped over the open door of the Queen’s Megaron. She kept her focus locked on the creatures at play; her brain simply couldn’t take the sight of the small body, swathed in a familiar fur coat given to her by a Count, sitting in the corner. Skylar. Her life taken with the brutal removal of her head.
Leah desperately wanted to forget the picture that was now permanently burned into her skull. The once beautiful head of the woman had been replaced with a glittering tiara, marking her as royalty, something Leah knew Skylar had always craved. The psychotic mind who’d done the deed had also placed a fake gold ring on the dead librarian’s finger; the cheap metal had been engraved with a pentagram and was turning Skylar’s finger a sickly green color.
Taking a deep breath, keeping her gaze shifted away from the corpse, Leah stepped slowly toward the figure. Reaching down, she tore the jewelry off the poor woman’s hand, throwing it across the room. Sorrow and anger overwhelmed her. Poor Skylar had quit the library to travel here in order to begin the life of a Countess, and instead ended up a defiled victim of some demonic jerk who wanted nothing more than to expunge everyone in Leah and Gareth’s world. Gain power and have a laugh at their expense at the same time.
“I don’t understand,” Kathryn offered a haunted whisper. “Why put her here? Why would Hansen even do this? There was no reason for him to care about your friend.”
“She was a link to us,” Gareth replied. “Hansen was leaving us his calling card. He knew we’d come here. He seems to know everything. Skylar is probably the first of many, letting us know that he’ll destroy anyone we care about if we keep getting in his way. He won’t rest until he gets his hands on Satan’s stone.”
“But, if Anippe is somewhere inside this palace now,” Kathryn’s words hit Leah’s heart like a fiery arrow, “then he’s already succeeded in getting his hands on the gemstone. After all, your sister was the one protecting it.”
“But if this person wanted a stone, then why would your sister even be here?” Lange asked. “Wouldn’t he just have killed her by now, too?”
Leah turned on the woman with lightning speed, wanting to take her anger out on the stranger who she felt had no right to speak. “He’s keeping her as bait. Like Gareth said, eventually he knew we’d figure all this out, and he brought Anippe here to finish the game.”
Lange took a step back, changing the topic quickly. “But what would make you head straight to the queen’s chamber to find your friend? How did you know she was in there?”
“Why can’t you just shut up?” Gareth’s voice burst through clenched teeth. “Christ, you haven’t changed a bit. What is it, Lange? Let me guess, you heard the word ‘gemstone’ and now your brain is thinking about some treasure you could steal for yourself?”
Leah, struggling to stick to her objective, grabbed Gareth’s arm. “It’s okay. We’ve got to calm down. She was just asking a question.”
“Trust me. This woman is never
just doing anything. There’s always something more,” he muttered, stalking to the window on the other side of the room.
Taking a deep breath in an attempt to get her thoughts straight, Leah stared at the unwanted female. “All this anger… You can’t just be a friend of the family.”
Kathryn walked away from the women and joined her brother at the window.
Lange raised her chin in the air. “I was his fiancée.”
Not wanting to converse with a woman she really couldn’t give a damn about, Leah turned back to Gareth.
Kathryn spoke up, “I hate to sound like her, but why did you want to see this specific room?”
“Because of the Minotaur.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Lange uttered her annoyance.
Kathryn squinted. “Seriously?”
Leah simply nodded. The tone of her voice was more than serious. “We know for a fact there’s something under this place. We also know there was a very real queen who once lived here who most likely gave birth to a child.”
“Yeah, a bull.”
Leah continued, completely ignoring the woman’s attempt at baiting her, “A more realistic scenario would be that she birthed a child who was not up to King Minos’s standards. Ancient myths all have a base in reality. They begin as fact. Yet over time, lies and exaggerations are added in order to make them colorful enough to turn into unforgettable legends. Which makes me believe that Queen Minos had a child who was somehow deformed, or perhaps had a very real disease that made her husband mad or somehow ashamed.”
Walking around the room, Leah observed the empty basin in the middle of the floor. “I believe what you said, Kathryn. I believe that a mother would love and care for her child no matter how they turned out.”