Fountain of Secrets (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  “I feel much better.”

  They grabbed bottles of water and started across the street. The White Spring didn’t have a trust established to protect it, like the Chalice Well, but there was an attendant, a young man, who welcomed them. The spring was inside a building, dimly lit with candles. There were several flowers and gifts lying nearby.

  “Why is it called the White Spring?” Jake asked.

  “Because of the calcium,” Kendall said. “It has a sweet taste. The Chalice Well has a lot of iron, which leaves a red stain on the rocks. It’s interesting that the springs are so close but so different. Both of them are supposed to have powers to heal.”

  No one else was at the White Spring. Kendall bent down and touched the water, then cupped her hand and drank some. Jake stood nearby, wondering if it would have the same effect on her. She stood after a minute and shook her head. They looked around for a minute longer and then left.

  “You get anything?” he asked.

  “It’s powerful and old, just like the Chalice Well, but no visions. I think my focus was off. Maybe because the attendant was watching. But I do think the two springs are connected.”

  “You think they’re connected to the Fountain of Youth?”

  “I know the Chalice Well is connected to the Holy Grail, and the two springs are certainly in close proximity. They’ve flowed steadily for over two thousand years, even in drought. That’s pretty amazing. But I don’t know if that means either of them is connected to the Fountain of Youth. I wish we could get up with Nathan to see if he’s discovered anything.”

  “You mean if his curse is gone.”

  “I’m worried about him.”

  “You worry about him a lot. He’ll find us when he’s ready.”

  “I’m afraid he’s in danger.”

  “Nathan’s always in danger. He has enemies.”

  “This is different,” Kendall said. “That shadow in the cave. I think it did something to my memories, but I believe it’s after Nathan.”

  “He’s a big boy,” Jake said. “He can take care of himself.”

  “Is that why you’re so worried about him?” Kendall asked.

  When they arrived at the house, Halle’s face was glowing. “We’ve just had a late addition to the group. A message was just delivered.”

  “I thought the others were sick?” Larry asked.

  “This guy’s new.”

  “Someone new will be fun,” Rhonda said.

  Sandy agreed. “It brings more energy to the group. Look at how much has happened since Kendall and Jake joined us.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Alice said. “Jake and Kendall are new, and they’re fun.”

  “I think you’ll be glad I allowed him to join.” Halle looked like she might burst, and when she made the announcement, Kendall understood why Halle, with her worries over money, was so excited. “It’s Nathan Larraby, the billionaire.”

  King Arthur, Jesus, and now Nathan. There was always some other man in her head. He grimaced. “Told you he’d find us.”

  There were exclamations of approval, and even Alice was agreeable. “I’ve heard of him.”

  “Nathan Larraby is the most eligible bachelor in America,” Rhonda said with the authority of someone who was an expert on eligible bachelors. “They say he’s drop-dead gorgeous.”

  “I bet he’s the handsome man I saw outside the gardens earlier,” Alice said. “When I went for a walk, he was looking right at the house.”

  Maybe he was the one sneaking in the window of the caretaker’s room. Brandi had probably seen him and followed him here. Kendall was worried about what Brandi might do. The fact that she was here meant she had followed them, through the maze or by other means, and was more desperate to destroy the relics than they had thought. And after Kendall’s vision at the well, she was convinced there was at least one relic here.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen his face,” Halle said.

  “With all that money and looks, he avoids the public,” Rhonda said. “Every gold digger out there is probably after him.”

  “He must be shy,” Alice said. “I like a shy man.”

  Jake stopped rolling his eyes and, grunting under his breath, stood. “Look at the time. We’re going to be late for Camelot.”

  There was a rush for the bus.

  “Did Halle say when Nathan was arriving?” Kendall asked when they were seated on the bus. She was anxious to tell him about her vision.

  Jake did something to his boot. Probably checking to see if his knife was there. “Everyone was too busy drooling over him.”

  Cadbury Mound was about ten miles away. The bus driver gave them the background on Cadbury as they wove their way through the countryside. “Most people believe the hill fort is Camelot,” he said. “There used to be a castle here, Cadbury Castle, and historians and archaeologists have found evidence of stones dating even farther back, the right time period to have been Camelot. Just like with Tintagel Castle where Arthur was born, just on the northern coast of Cornwall. Doubters say it couldn’t have been Arthur’s birthplace, since it was built later, but there are older ruins underneath, covered up by earth and time. There are some who swear that on Christmas Eve, King Arthur and his knights can be seen in a ghostly procession crossing from Cadbury Mound.” The drive took them through rolling countryside and a charming village before dropping them off at a parking lot at the base of the mound.

  “Camelot,” Alice said, pulling in a deep breath, after she’d exited the bus. “Isn’t it exciting? Too bad Mr. Larraby hasn’t arrived yet. Where will he sleep?”

  “He’ll have to share a room with Larry,” Halle said.

  Larry nodded, looking intrigued. “I don’t mind as long as he’s neat.”

  The path led between two buildings. They started off, Larry and Halle in the lead.

  “Have you been to Cadbury Mound before?” Kendall asked Alice.

  “Twice,” she said. “I’m certain it’s Camelot. There’s a presence here. I can just feel Arthur. Maybe he’ll contact you again.”

  “Let’s hope,” Jake muttered.

  “This is only my second time here,” Halle said, falling back. The climb was getting steeper now. “It’s one of Lizzie’s favorite places.”

  Jake and Kendall quickly moved ahead of the group. He took her hand and guided her around a large rock. When they had passed it, he didn’t let go. “Have you thought about my suggestion?”

  “You mean the…”

  “Dating.”

  “I’m not sure. I need to focus on Arthur.” She could hear voices as the others approached. Jake gave her a sizzling look and lowered his head. His lips locked on hers, and he kissed her until her knees went weak. He leaned back just enough that she could catch her breath, then took her bottom lip between his teeth and gently bit. Kendall heard chuckling from behind them. Jake raised his head and gave her a cocky grin.

  “Arthur might be a king, but he can’t make you come.”

  Kendall’s tongue was frozen, but by the time she could speak, they had reached the top of the hill and the tour group was catching up, so she was spared from having to comment.

  There were a few other people here. Kendall put the kiss and her vision at the well out of her head. Like the Tor, Cadbury Mound was much higher than the surrounding countryside and offered a magnificent view. The top of the hill was level. Along the sides, the earth had been fortified to protect against an enemy attack. She could well believe it had once been Camelot. “It is beautiful,” she said, imagining how it might have looked back then with a castle and knights on horses. As it had looked in her vision of King Arthur? Had she seen Camelot?

  Everyone in the group had been here before, so they split up and explored.

  “Are you getting anything?” Jake asked Kendall.

  “No. I’ll keep walking around and see if I pick anything up.” After that kiss, she wasn’t sure what he might do if they wandered out of sight. “I should go alone, focus my mi
nd.”

  He nodded. “Alone? Here?”

  “My God, Jake. We’re on a hillside with grass and trees. It isn’t likely that someone followed us here.”

  He frowned. “Don’t go far. Stay in sight. Call out if you need me.”

  She looked at him—sexy, fierce, protective—and she dreadfully feared that she did need him.

  She walked the place, sitting, touching the hill, trying to connect with Camelot. With Arthur. She needed to know more about the chalice, but she got nothing. She looked back as she walked down the side of the hill. Jake was watching her. Kendall heard a noise in the trees. A woman’s laugh, her voice soft, and a man’s deeper voice. Lovers, she thought. Something inside her ached. She didn’t want to intrude, but the sound was so familiar she couldn’t stop moving toward the laughter. Soon, she was running. She had to see him, one more time.

  She passed the crofter’s cottage and entered the enchanted woods. The trees were tall here, with springy moss underfoot. A small wooden bridge spanned a narrow stream. The water almost seemed to sing as it washed over the rocks, calling to her. She found him waiting for her in their usual place. She stepped into his arms, and he kissed her as they undressed. When they were both naked, they lay on the ground and he made love to her. Her heart filled to bursting with love for him. Her Lancelot.

  Kendall blinked and looked around. Where was she? What was she doing here? A shadow crept across the sky, and she felt the same sense of danger that she’d felt from the shadow in the cave. Something inside her head screamed at her to get out. She turned and started back the way she had come. The path didn’t look the same. Nothing looked the same. Where was she? She couldn’t be that far from the others. She felt something behind her and turned to look just as she hit a wall of air. “Jake!”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  JAKE FELT A prickle in his shoulders. He often felt it when something was wrong, and something was sure as hell wrong now. Kendall was in his sight one moment, vanished the next. He ran after her. What the hell? Had she stepped into the trees to avoid him after the talk of dating?

  A sense of urgency knotted his guts. He needed to get to Kendall now. He often had these gut feelings. They didn’t make much sense, but they’d saved his life more than once. He hadn’t thought of it until now, but his team used to tease him about being psychic. They knew he was skeptical of all things paranormal. If they could see him now, he guessed they would be having a good laugh.

  He reached the spot where he’d lost sight of her. The trees were thicker here. He was surprised she would come this far unless she sensed something. His own sense of urgency grew stronger, but he also felt aroused, as if he’d been here. With her. An image shot through his head, a man and woman making love on the ground. What the hell? He pulled out his knife and started running as he called her name. “Kendall?”

  Jake heard her voice then. He felt it. He locked on one spot ahead of him in the trees. It seemed to waver, like heat rising off pavement. He ran toward it, his heart pounding. He couldn’t have said why, but he reached out, feeling for her, and in the midst of the air he felt her wrist. He grabbed it and pulled. Kendall burst out of nowhere. Her eyes were wide, her face pale. Where the hell had she come from?

  “What happened?” she asked, holding on to him.

  “I don’t know. Where were you?” Because she sure as hell wasn’t on the same hillside as he had been.

  “I don’t know. I was walking, and I found this beautiful forest. It was like a fairy tale. Like in my dream.” She turned and looked back at the thick trees where Jake had found her. “That’s not what I saw. Maybe it was a vision like the one with King Arthur.”

  “It wasn’t a damned vision. I saw you the whole time in the King Arthur vision. This time you weren’t even there. I had to pull you out of thin air. We’re getting out of here. If Arthur wants to talk to you, he’ll have to do it someplace else.” He pulled her up the hill, and when they reached the top, the others were waiting for them, frowning.

  “Are you OK?” Halle asked. “We were worried. We couldn’t find you. Didn’t you hear us calling?”

  “We didn’t hear you,” Jake said.

  “We felt something…” Sandy paused.

  “Odd,” Larry said.

  “We didn’t just feel it. We saw it,” Rhonda said.

  Alice looked nervous. “A cloud appeared right there in the sky, over the area where you had gone.”

  “It was more like a mist,” Sandy said. “What happened to you?”

  “I got lost.” Kendall said. She still looked shaken.

  “Here?” Larry said.

  “I bet it was the enchanted forest,” Alice said.

  Sandy nodded. “There are rumors that an enchanted forest surrounded Camelot. Someone with your abilities could probably find it.”

  “Let’s get out of here,” Jake said. The others looked surprised to see his knife. “I’m her bodyguard as well as her assistant.”

  “And her husband,” Sandy reminded him.

  “Right.” He put the knife away, and they all walked down Arthur’s hill a lot faster than they had come up. But by the time they got to the bus, they were feeling more comfortable with the eerie experience. Relief gave a false sense of security. He’d often had a close call and afterward felt like he could take on an army. Or ten women. Not that he’d ever tried. For all his talk, he was a one-woman man. One at a time, that was. And now, just one.

  “I’ve never felt anything like that,” Alice said. “I wish I’d been there.”

  She would have died of fright, Jake thought. Kendall was tougher than most women, and the experience had shaken her.

  “Another grand adventure,” Halle said, playing up the event. “We should stop for tea.”

  “I’m not sure Kendall is up to it,” Jake said. He wasn’t sure he was. He didn’t know what had happened, but he must have tapped into whatever Kendall was experiencing. Making love, it had felt like. Who had she been with? Him? Lancelot? Someone else?

  “I’m fine,” she said. “It might be nice to have a change of scenery.”

  The bus dropped them off in Glastonbury. It was Kendall’s first glance at the town.

  “We could go to the Abbey Tea Rooms,” Rhonda said.

  The group agreed that it sounded lovely. Jake would have preferred a hamburger and beer, but the others seemed enthused at the prospect of tea and scones. He found the tea shop and held the door as everyone entered. After everyone had finished, they decided to walk around the town for thirty minutes and meet back in front of the tea shop. Jake planned to sneak back to the house and look for the chalice. He didn’t want to wait until tonight. They could make some excuse to the others later. He convinced Kendall, and they started toward the bus stop. A small group of people walked past, and he used the excuse to pull her close. It was troubling how much he wanted to feel her next to him.

  Should he buy her something since they’d slept together? He wasn’t sure of protocol. The women he’d slept with had been looking for the same thing he had. A night of distraction or fun, no strings attached. With Kendall, he felt tied up like a mummy.

  “What the hell happened back there at Camelot?”

  “I don’t know. I felt as if I’d been there before, as if I were someone else. I had to see… him.” Kendall frowned.

  “Lancelot?”

  “I think so. It’s the same dream.”

  “It was damned odd. Like déjà vu.”

  “You felt it?”

  “I felt something.”

  “The man and woman?”

  He nodded.

  “Then it changed. I felt something dark, like that shadow in the cave.”

  “You said there were supposed to be fairies under the Tor. If that was some kind of enchanted forest like Sandy said, maybe fairies lured you there.”

  Kendall stopped on the street, staring at him. “Jake Stone, are you saying you believe in fairies?”

  He grunted. “Well, if you put it that wa
y.”

  She laughed, and that made him smile. He was glad to see her mood lighten, even if it was at his expense.

  “That fishing boat on the lake’s looking better and better.”

  “Fishing isn’t as exciting as this,” Kendall said.

  “I’d rather deal with fish. We’re talking stuff that shouldn’t exist.”

  “You don’t like being out of control, do you?” Kendall asked.

  “Does anyone?”

  Kendall smiled. “I guess badass bodyguards have a harder time with it than most.”

  “Don’t forget knights. If you’re not well, I would be honored to tote you home if you feel faint.” He wasn’t sure why he chose that moment to look across the street. He saw a man watching them. He turned and disappeared into a small group. “Get inside that shop,” Jake said, nudging her toward the door of a small shop behind them.

  “Why?”

  “Someone was watching us. I’m going to follow him.”

  “Maybe it’s Nathan,” she said hopefully.

  “I can move faster alone. Go, please.”

  Surprisingly, she did as he asked, which would have pleased him if he hadn’t been sure it was out of desperation to find Nathan. The man was tall and wore a hood, but he didn’t move like Nathan. Still, something was familiar about the man. Jake hurried across the street, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the crowd. Both Jake and the man were taller than most of the people walking, but with everyone moving around, it was hard to keep him in sight. The group passed a street and the stranger disappeared. Jake hurried to the street. The man was running away. He looked back at Jake, but the hood made it impossible to identify him. Jake started running hard. He was catching up when the stranger darted down another street. Jake burst around the corner, but the street was empty. There were several shops. He could have gone into any one of them.

  He jogged down the street, looking in windows, but didn’t see him. On the next street, a car started and pulled out with a squeal. He must have run out the back door of one of the shops. “Damn.”