She broke into a jog, the water now up to her knees, slowing her pace. Her feet felt wooden, numb from the ice-cold seawater, which was rising at an alarming rate.
When they got to the opening that led to the cavern, Celeste’s heart skidded. The charm she’d placed a few feet farther down the tunnel to block any attack from Dubonnet’s ghost had worked. It had created a barrier, but unfortunately, that barrier must also work on water, because they were met with a huge wave where the water pushed up against the invisible barrier and curled back toward them. Celeste tried to break through, but she couldn’t. The force of the water was too strong.
‘What’s that?” Jolene yelled.
“I put a protective charm on the tunnel! We can’t get through!”
“We need to go back this way!” Morgan tugged them toward the path that led to the cavern.
“No! There’s no way out from there!” Celeste yelled.
“It’s higher ground. Maybe we can wait it out until the water recedes,” Morgan said. “This must be part of the booby-trap system set up to flood certain tunnels. We must have done something in that cavern to trip it. But it can’t fill the whole thing to the top, can it?”
No one had an answer to that, so they turned and ran up the narrow tunnel, scrambling over the rocks into the cavern. Even here, the water was seeping in, and an inch of the floor was covered.
So much for higher ground.
“I don’t know if this was such a good idea.” Fiona’s rubber-soled boots sloshed water around as she moved farther into the cavern. “What if the water doesn’t recede?”
“It can’t keep flooding in here forever. Eventually, gravity will take over, and the water will level off. And besides, we don’t have much choice.” Jolene started to stack the rocks, pulling more from the rubble at the entrance and making a platform. “Besides, I have an idea. Help me with these rocks.”
Amidst the rising water, the sisters grabbed rocks and started adding to the pile. Celeste’s fingers were numb from dipping into the cold water, but seeing as the water had now risen to her knees and she didn’t have a better idea, she worked as fast as she could.
“What’s your idea?” Fiona had migrated to the sides of the cavern and was running her hands along the walls, probably hoping to find a section that ran alongside another tunnel close enough to dig through, Celeste guessed.
“The tunnel to the cavern slopes upward, which means the cavern is higher than the entrance, but it’s only a few hundred feet away from it. Up top, the ground is pretty much level, which means the top of the cavern is probably pretty close the surface.” Jolene climbed up to the top of the platform and pulled the pickax out of her belt. “I figure if we can chisel out enough of the rock, then maybe we can get out that way.”
Celeste’s gaze flicked up to the top of the cavern. “You mean if we dig up through the top of the cavern, we would come out on that flat grassy area near the treasure-pit hole we came in on?”
“Maybe. The trick is to do it without caving the whole top in.” Jolene swung at a piece of rock, which crumbled and splashed into the water.
“Too bad at this rate, the water will reach the ceiling before we can get out,” Morgan said.
“Maybe I can help.” Fiona climbed up beside Jolene and placed her palm on the rocks, eliciting a faint glow. “If I heat the rocks, they aren’t as brittle, so it might go faster.”
Jolene swung again, and a bigger chunk fell out.
“You’re going to have to go a lot faster.” Morgan stood waist deep in the water as she fished for more stones to make the platform big enough for all of them to stand on. “This is filling up quickly.”
“Maybe I can help.” Celeste’s heart tumbled at the idea. Her last spell had worked, with the unfortunate unintended consequence of creating the wave barrier, but maybe this one could buy them some time without any adverse effects. She closed her eyes and plunged her hands into the water, cupping them together and bringing up a handful of water, which she let trickle through her fingers.
She reached deep into her heart and whispered:
By Water, Earth, Air, and Fire,
I ask thee now, grant my desire,
Evaporate quick as can be
This charm is done, so mote it be
The four of them were silent, watching the water trickle out of Celeste’s hands. Celeste didn’t know what she expected. She’d hoped the water might evaporate and the level would go down, but it didn’t.
“Nothing happened. Sorry,” she said.
“No, something happened!” Morgan pointed to the surface of the water. In the cavern, with only their headlamps and handheld lights to illuminate, the water looked as dark as midnight, and Celeste couldn’t see anything happening.
“It’s not rising as quickly,” Fiona said.
“And look, it’s forming condensation on the ceiling.” Jolene chipped away with the pickax. “That’s making the rocks fall off faster. If we can get close to the surface, then maybe I can send some energy up that will blast a hole in it. I don’t dare do that now for fear the whole thing will cave in on us, but if we could carve out a small area that was near the layer of earth on top, I think it could work.”
They stacked the rest of the rocks, and everyone piled up near Jolene to help. Fiona kept her palm on the rocks, Morgan held a flashlight, and Celeste took a chisel and started to pry around the edges where Jolene was picking.
“What’s that?” Fiona held her hand out, and they all stopped what they were doing. “I think I hear a cat.”
“Belladonna?” Celeste looked around in panic. “She couldn’t have gotten in here.”
“No.” Fiona shook her head and pointed to the top of the cavern. “I think she’s outside. Listen.”
Celeste cocked her ear toward the ceiling and heard a faint muffled sound. A meow. And scratching. “I think she’s trying to dig us out!”
“We must be close to the surface!” Jolene swung the pickax harder.
“Good thing.” Morgan’s face turned grim as she looked down, and Celeste realized the water had risen to her waist. Though the sides and top of the cavern were dripping with condensation now, the rising water was starting to outpace the amount of condensation. As usual, her spell hadn’t been good enough.
Celeste worked the chisel harder. They were so close.
The water inched past her waist to her chest.
She dug faster.
Ka-pling!
“What was that?”
Celeste rammed her chisel into the rock again, feeling less resistance than normal. “Something’s behind here! I might have reached the top!”
Jolene shifted positions with Fiona to get a better angle at the area Celeste had uncovered. She swung her pickax at the area, and a large chunk of rock splashed into the water. Hope bloomed in Celeste’s chest, and she looked up, expecting to see blue sky or at least dirt indicating they’d dug to the soft ground above, but all she saw was a dark hole.
“It’s some kind of chamber.” Celeste stuck her hand into the space. It was only about a foot wide and a foot deep. Toward the back, her fingers met with cold, hard metal. “What the—”
She pulled the object out.
Golden light sparkled off the small dome-shaped object in her hand. It was small—no more than six inches long and four inches wide—but ornate, with an etched design and glittery cobalt-blue gems on each side.
“What is that?” Fiona stared at the box.
Though the icy water was now reaching Celeste’s shoulders, she was mesmerized by the object, holding it above water for them to see. “It’s a jewelry box. The relic must be inside.”
“Open it,” Morgan said.
“We don’t have time for that!” Jolene yelled as she swung the axe rapidly. “We can look in it later.”
But Celeste wasn’t listening. She held the box carefully in one hand while the numb fingers of her other hand fumbled with the clasp on the front.
The water inched higher, a
nd the chill of it stole the air from Celeste’s lungs. She couldn’t feel her fingers, much less get them to work the clasp.
“I think we’re almost there!” Jolene swung the pickax with all her might, jumping up to add force to the swing.
She landed hard on the pile of rocks, and the ones below them shifted.
Celeste pitched forward, almost falling headfirst into the water. Her grip on the box loosened, and it tumbled out of her hand.
“No!” Celeste watched in horror as it was swallowed up in the dark liquid depths.
Morgan grabbed her upper arm just as she was about to jump in after it. “You’ll never find it down there!”
“I can’t just let it slip away!” Her teeth were chattering, the words coming out choppy.
“We’ll come in later with scuba gear. We have to get out.” Morgan could barely open her mouth because the water was up past her chin. Her lips were purple.
She had a point. What good would it do to have the relic if they drowned in this damn cavern?
But would they be able to get out? Celeste jerked her eyes upward to see Jolene still trying to chip away at that one section. But now, with the water up past her chin, she didn’t have much momentum. And even worse, this part of the cavern was arched, so there was less surface area now, and the water level was rising even faster.
“I think we’re close. I’m going to try zapping some energy up!” Jolene raised her hands up toward the ceiling. Sparks of energy crackled and popped on the wet surface of her palms.
The water reached the bottom of Celeste’s nostrils, and she tilted her chin up so she could breathe. A few more minutes, and they would be totally submerged.
Celeste rolled her eyes toward Jolene. Why wasn’t there any energy coming out of her palms?
“It’s not working. I’m practically frozen…” Jolene stabbed her palms up toward the ceiling again, and Celeste saw an orange glow zip through the cracks of the rock above right before the water flooded over her face. She closed her eyes. The tip of her nose was now the only thing above water, and she took one last, deep breath, letting herself relax and succumb to the sleepy chill of the icy ocean water.
Chapter Nine
Celeste must have gotten past the point of feeling the icy cold. She didn’t feel any pain, just a sense of peace. She was incredibly sleepy, her mind letting go of all her concerns one by one as she drifted in weightless suspension. The sensation of floating there in the pitch-dark cavern was actually kind of comfortable.
And then something latched onto her arm with a painful viselike grip, and she was ripped through the water. It was like leaving a comfortable cocoon. She didn’t want to go. She kicked and jerked, but whatever it was that had ahold of her was stronger.
And then she burst out of the water, the cool air hitting her like a glacier, and her back collided with the hard ground.
She heaved in a breath of air and choked out a lungful of water.
She saw sweet blue sky. And green grass. And what was that warm, sandpapery thing rubbing her cheek?
“Meow.”
“Belladonna!” Celeste rolled on her side, coughing as she petted the cat. Belladonna submitted to a few ear rubs then trotted off toward the other Blackmoore sisters, whom Celeste was relieved to see were all lying on the grass, in various stages of recovery. Her previous apathy about her watery death evaporated, and her eyes sought out Cal. She was grateful and overjoyed to be alive.
“Is everyone all right?” Jolene was on her knees, her long, wet hair dripping on the ground. Matteo crouched beside her, rubbing her back. Jolene leaned into Matteo for support, and Celeste’s heart swelled. Maybe the connection charm had actually worked.
Then disappointment settled in. That charm might have worked, but her magic still wasn’t helping with their mission. The spell she’d cast to deflect Dubonnet had practically gotten them killed, and worse, she’d had the relic right in her hands and lost it.
“I’m fine,” Celeste said as Cal rushed over to her.
“I’m good.” Morgan let Luke help her up.
“Me too.” Fiona smiled up at Jake, who was hovering around her with a concerned look on his face.
“What happened?” Cal helped Celeste up, pulled her close, then held her at arm’s length, apparently checking for damage.
“Something blew up in there and caused a cave-in. We were trapped inside, and then water started rushing in.” Jolene wrung the water out of her hair.
“We heard the explosion. Matteo was here first. I saw him reach into the ground and pull Jolene out, then Luke and I helped get the rest of you out. But how in the world did you get in there?” Jake pointed to the black hole of the cavern. The water was level with the top.
“We might have triggered one of the booby traps in there.” Jolene glanced at the black hole. “It’s a cavern. Man-made. But I knew the top of it was close to the surface, and when the water rushed in, we didn’t have much choice but to dig up.”
“Luckily, Jolene’s calculations were right. But how did Matteo know we were under there? The last thing I remember is that we couldn’t punch through before the water swallowed us.” Morgan shivered, and Luke pulled her tighter.
“You did break through,” Matteo said. “I heard the explosion and was running for the treasure pit. That whole entrance is underwater now. Then I saw red-energy arcs coming out of the ground and ran over in time to see a hole open up.” Matteo looked at Jolene. “I knew you were inside, and I was going to jump in, but I could see you just under the water and pulled you all out.”
“Thanks for that,” Jolene said. “We thought we were close to the surface and were trying to dig out.”
“So Matteo saved Jolene?” Morgan’s lips quirked. “Sounds like that might make them even.”
Matteo smiled, but Jolene frowned and moved away from him. So much for the connection spell.
“What made you guys dig right there?” Luke pointed to the patch of ground. Claw marks where Belladonna had been scratching her way down toward them could still be seen at the edges of the hole.
“I thought I heard Belladonna.” Jolene looked down at the white cat, which weaved figure eights around her ankles.
“Guess we did hear her.” Morgan squatted to pet the cat.
“But what I don’t understand is why would there be an explosion? If you triggered something that opened the flood chambers, would there actually be an explosion? Was it gunpowder rigged by some pirate three hundred years ago?” Jake asked.
“Good question,” Luke said. “But whatever happened, we won’t be able to continue our search here until the waters recede. Unless we dive, but that’s dangerous and won’t be nearly as easy.”
“Actually, we won’t have to keep searching,” Morgan said.
Luke’s brows quirked up. “Oh?”
“We found the relic.” Morgan pointed to the hole in the ground, which now had water bubbling out of it. “It’s in there.”
“Was in there,” Celeste corrected. “It might have been washed out in the current at the bottom.”
“That’s great news! We can dive in and look for it.” Luke glanced over at the hole. “Seems like the water has leveled off. If it doesn’t recede too rapidly, there won’t be much of a current, and we can simply dive in and get it. Hopefully, it will still be near where you dropped it.”
“Hopefully.” Celeste’s shoulders sagged as Cal wrapped his sweatshirt around her. “But I had it in my hands, and I lost it. Sorry, guys. I failed you.”
“No, you didn’t!” Morgan rushed to Celeste’s side. “The rocks shifted, and it slipped out. Could have happened to anybody. Besides, you found the secret chamber it was stashed in. If you hadn’t dug where you did, we would never even know it was there, and we’d waste a ton of time searching the rest of these tunnels.”
Morgan’s words did little to cheer Celeste. “Yeah, but—”
“What’s going on? Are you guys okay? I heard an explosion up there.” Buzz pointed to the wes
t, where the island sloped upward, and Celeste noticed he had something in his hand.
“There was an explosion… or something. The flood chambers opened and flooded the tunnel. But we’re okay.” Jolene’s brows tugged together. “What’s that in your hand?”
“I found this near where I thought the explosion was. Looks like a gun, but I’ve never seen this model.”
“Let me see.” Jolene turned the gun over in her hand then passed it to Morgan. “That’s no regular gun. That’s an energy gun like the ones Dr. Bly had when we rescued Mom. And if it’s on this island, that can only mean one thing.”
Morgan’s face was grim as she passed the gun to Fiona. “We’ve got company.”
Chapter Ten
“Can you show us where you found that?” Jolene asked.
“’Course. I was right over on the west side near a big outcropping of ledge,” Buzz said.
“We should change first.” Fiona pointed to her outfit. Soaking wet wasn’t exactly conducive to hiking through the woods in the middle of fall.
They hightailed it to their cabins and changed in record time then followed Buzz into the woods.
The path to the outcropping was mercifully devoid of underbrush. Celeste was tired from their earlier adventure and didn’t know if she could have weathered a hike that involved cutting away shrubs and jumping over logs. Since the hardwoods were sparse, the sun shone through, and its warming rays on Celeste’s shoulders got rid of the remaining chill from the icy water. It was still Indian summer, and the temperatures were in the low seventies. The path led to a section of the island where large boulders were wedged between outcroppings of ledge.
“It was right down here.” Buzz pointed to the ground in front of an enormous boulder wedged between an outcropping of ledge and several smaller boulders. “I was on the hill, looking for anyone approaching the island, and heard a loud bang. Then I felt the vibrations. When I looked around, I thought I saw something moving up here, so I ran up, but there was nothing. Just this gun. I picked it up and rushed down to make sure you guys were okay. That’s when I found you all lying on the grass. Gordy is out scouring the island to see if he can find evidence of whoever belongs to this gun.”
Fatal Fortune (Blackmoore Sisters Mystery Book 8) Page 7