by David Wood
“Do you think this is a clue to the location of the stone?” Grizzly asked.
“No telling,” Maddock said. “Maybe there’s a code here that needs to be deciphered, although I have to admit it seems unlikely. The images are too irregular.”
“There has got to be something here,” Grizzly said. “This place is almost impossible to get to, so it’s not like rock carvings in the American southwest, where people would camp for the night beneath an outcropping and leave a little graffiti behind. Somebody carved this here for a reason.”
Maddock couldn’t disagree. He took a few steps back and examined the symbols one by one. He was about halfway done when Grizzly let out a triumphant cry.
“That one! I recognize it.” He pointed to a shape like an old grave marker in the lower portion of the carving. “This is one of the symbols that represent the Tuatha de Dannan treasure.”
They both moved closer to inspect it.
“Are you sure it’s Tuatha?” Maddock asked.
“Definitely. I’ve been studying up on the treasure forever. Isla and I also spent a lot of time going over them. There’s the spear, the sword, the cauldron, and this one is the stone.”
“Well, the stone is what we’re looking for,” Maddock said.
Frowning, Grizzly rose up on his tiptoes and shone his light down into the recessed area where the stone symbol was carved. “This is weird. The edges around the image are cut deep. It’s almost like a handle.” Without warning, he hooked two fingers into the carving and pulled.
“Grizzly, no!” Maddock grabbed the man’s wrist and yanked his hand away, but it was too late. The oblong shape that represented the Tuatha stone tilted forward, then snapped back into place when Grizzly’s hand came free.
The floor trembled beneath their feet, and a low rumbling filled the cavern. Instinctively Maddock looked up, fearing the ceiling might collapse. But the sound stopped.
“See?” Grizzly said. “Nothing to worry…”
His words were lost among a series of sharp cracks as the floor fell away beneath their feet and they tumbled into darkness.
Chapter 17
Dunstaffnage Castle
Bones lay back on the soft grass, fingers laced together behind his head, and gazed up at the starry night. After hours, the ruins of Dunstaffnage were about as quiet as a place could get. A perfect locale for some alone time with a lovely lady. The problem was, Isla didn’t seem to feel the same way. The auburn-haired beauty had shown no interest in him. She now sat a few feet away, knees pulled against her chest, staring balefully out at the water.
“How long do you think it’s going to take them?” she asked.
“There’s no way of telling. Depends on how long it takes to find the underwater passageway, and then what’s waiting for them at the other end. Maddock won’t waste time, though. He’s efficient.”
“I just hope they’re all right.”
“Don’t worry about them. Maddock’s the most capable man I know, except for me, of course.” He smiled and winked, but she was still gazing off into the distance, paying him no mind.
“It’s not Maddock who concerns me. I’m worried that Grizzly will do something stupid and get them both into trouble.” A breeze gusted in from across the water, and she shivered.
“If you’re cold, you can come sit next to me,” Bones said, trying to sound both innocent and inviting at the same time. The flinty stare Isla shot in his direction caused him to immediately abandon any thoughts of making a connection with her, at least not tonight. He changed tactics on the fly. “Grizzly seems okay to me.”
Isla rolled her eyes. “The man is a buffoon. He has just enough knowledge to get himself into trouble.”
“But he’s a well-known cryptid hunter. He’s spent plenty of time in the field, built a reputation for himself, stayed alive in some precarious situations.”
“The fact that he hasn’t gotten himself killed tells me he’s got more dumb luck than Forrest Gump. That or he’s done a deal with the devil.”
Bones couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Sounds like you’ve got a personal grudge against him. Maybe he’s not paying you what you’re worth?”
Isla let out a harsh laugh. “I don’t work for that idiot. Circumstances brought us together, and I thought he would do less damage if I kept an eye on him.”
“Circumstances? Like a romance gone bad?”
“Oh my God.” Isla sprang to her feet and began pacing.
Bones watched her stalk back and forth, reading the lines of her face, the set of her jaw until he sensed it was safe to speak again. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get under your skin.”
“It’s fine. You’ll understand after you’ve worked with him for a few days. It might not even take that long for you to figure him out.”
Bones was dying to ask more questions, to understand what, exactly, had caused the rift between Isla and Grizzly. He and the cryptid hunter had talked lake monsters and sea monsters for a good half-hour and the guy knew his stuff. There had to be something else going on here.
“Look, if there’s a problem with Grizzly, Maddock and I should know about it if we’re going to work together.”
“I told you what the problem is; he’s a tosser. I don’t…” She jerked her head around, looking in the direction of the parking lot. “Do you hear that?”
Bones was already on his feet. He’d caught the sound of tires crunching gravel and asphalt. In the dim light, his sharp eyes spotted the outline of an SUV, headlights turned off, rolling into the parking lot. They, whoever they were, had even cut the engine and were coasting in.
“Someone isn’t taking any chances,” he said. “I’m pretty sure it’s the same guys from earlier today.”
“Good thing we parked down the road,” Isla said. “We can take them by surprise.”
“We aren’t doing anything. They tried to snatch you earlier, and they might try it again, so you keep out of sight.”
“Fine. I will.”
Bones heard the lie in her voice but didn’t waste time arguing.
From the corner of the castle, they watched as two men emerged from the car. After a few seconds, they flicked on a pair of flashlights and separated. One headed in the ruined chapel while the other made a beeline for the castle.
“What are we, I mean you, going to do?” Isla whispered.
“Look, chick. I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I’m asking nicely. Please stay the hell out of sight and let me handle it?”
Isla let out a huff of breath, turned, and vanished into the darkness.
Bones relaxed. One less thing to worry about. He watched as the flashlight beam bounced its way toward the castle. The man moved along at a jaunty pace, clearly thinking he and his friend had the place to themselves. That was all right with Bones.
He watched as the man moved to the castle entrance and began working at the lock that held the gate in place. Perfect! His quarry distracted by the task at hand, Bones melted into the night and circled around behind him. Growing up, he’d learned from his grandfather how to move silently in the forest, so treading soundlessly on the soft grass outside the castle was child’s play. In a matter of seconds, Bones was standing behind the man.
“Don’t move,” he said.
The man didn’t follow directions very well. He spun about, one hand reaching inside his jacket.
Bones struck him flush on the jaw. It was a solid blow that turned the man’s knees to rubber. Bones hit him again for good measure, pinned him to the ground, and relieved him of the small automatic pistol he had tucked in a belly band beneath his shirttail. Hastily, he tied his captive up with his own shoelaces and then took his wallet.
Bones recognized the man immediately as the driver of the car; the one who had taken potshots at him and Maddock. He checked the man’s license. “Theodore Campbell,” he read aloud. “You go by Ted? Teddy? Mister T?”
The man narrowed his eyes and glared up at Bones. “Bugger off.”
Bones slapped him hard across the ear. “This will end a lot better for you if you mind your manners,” he said. “You get what I’m saying, Teddy?”
“The name is Campbell.”
“Whatever. Tell me, Campbell. Who do you work for?”
Hatred burned in Campbell’s eyes. “I already gave you the only answer you’re going to get.”
“Yeah, but it was the wrong answer.” Bones knew time was tight. The man’s partner might show up at any moment. His patience waning, he shoved his hand into Campbell’s mouth, grabbed one of his incisors, and twisted.
Campbell let out a yelp, which Bones quickly muffled with his hand.
“I flunked out of dental school, so it only gets worse from here. You ready to talk now?”
Eyes wide, Campbell nodded.
“All right. Who do you work for?”
“I’m one of the Tuatha de Dannan. I don’t work for them; I’m one of them.”
“And what are you doing here?”
“You are trying to take what rightfully belongs to us.” He hesitated but hurried on when Bones made to grab another tooth. “The treasure.”
“How did you know we would be here looking for it?”
“We have our ways.” A grin split his face, maniacal laughter in his eyes. “You might be thinking of killing me, but it would be a waste of time. Even if you end me and my partner, more will follow.”
Bones interrogated the man for another minute, but the fellow knew nothing, aside from the orders he’d been given—come to Dunstaffnage, search for clues to the treasure of the Tuatha. If he met Isla, he was to find out what she might know. Bones also extracted the name of the man’s partner—Brown. Satisfied, he gagged Teddy and left Isla to watch over him. She refused to take the gun but accepted Bones’ Recon knife instead. From the look in her eyes, Bones had a feeling she was hoping Teddy would give her a reason to use it.
He crept down to the ruined chapel, where Brown was still searching. Brown almost proved to be a problem. He saw Bones coming and almost managed to draw his own pistol before Bones closed the distance between them.
He seized Brown’s wrist before he could take hold of his weapon, then head-butted him across the bridge of the nose. He followed it up by driving a knee into his groin, which sent him crumbling to the ground. One precisely-targeted punch behind the ear and Brown was lying dazed on the ground.
Once he was disarmed and trussed, Brown offered no further resistance. He answered all of Bones’ questions, though he had little more to offer than his partner. They were members of the Tuatha de Dannan who had been sent here to search for clues to the treasure, and to find out what Isla might know. They answered to someone named Brigid, whom he referred to as an elder. Bones had heard that title used before by those against whom he and Maddock had run up in the past.
“Are you connected to the Dominion?” he asked.
Brown was either an excellent actor, or he’d genuinely never heard of the organization to which Bones and Maddock had delivered a crippling blow. One which still had not been eradicated.
“No idea what you’re talking about. The Tuatha are an ancient order, and we only want what is ours.”
“And you’ll kill in order to get it?” Bones asked, waving the pistol he’d taken from Brown.
“We have a right to defend ourselves.”
Bones smiled. “And how did that work out for you?”
Brown scowled and lapsed into silence.
Bones considered his options. He saw no need to kill these men. What did they really know, other than his face and Isla’s name and description? He freed Brown’s ankles and escorted him back to the castle, where he collected Isla and Campbell. From there, he led them back to their SUV, shoved them in the back, hogtied them, and locked them inside.
“Someone will find them in the morning,” he said to Isla as they headed back to the castle.
“Unless the Tuatha send someone to check on them.”
“I got the impression they were the only ones assigned to this detail. But, if more of the Tuatha show up, we’re ready for them.” Bones patted his waistband, where he had secured the two pistols he’d taken from the men.
Isla looked uncertainly at the weapons, then slowly nodded.
“All right, what do we do now?” she asked.
He took a long look out at the water and sighed. “We hope Maddock and Grizzly find something soon.”
Chapter 18
Beneath Dunstaffnage Castle
Maddock slid downward, shooting forward at a steep angle. The beam of his headlamp bounced off a low ceiling a few feet above his head. Alongside him, Grizzly shrieked and covered his face. Ignoring him, Maddock looked down and saw that the slope ended about twenty feet ahead and braced himself for impact. They hit the ground hard, the detritus from the shattered ledge spilling around them.
“Holy crap,” Maddock groaned. He took a moment to check himself for injuries. Only scrapes and bruises. Nothing broken.
“Give me a hand up?” Grizzly asked.
Maddock considered telling the man where to go, but he relented and hauled the cryptid hunter to his feet. “Are you hurt?” He didn’t exactly care what happened to Grizzly, but if the man had a broken leg or some other injury that would prevent him from climbing out and making the swim back to Dunstaffnage, it would fall on Maddock to rescue him. He didn’t need the inconvenience.
“I’m good. My butt’s sore.” Grizzly rubbed his backside for emphasis. “I guess it’s because I’m a man of action. I don’t sit around, so my ass isn’t accustomed to making contact with hard surfaces.” He forced a laugh.
Maddock clenched his fist and imagined it making contact with Grizzly’s face.
“I want you to listen to me very carefully. Don’t… touch… anything.”
Grizzly smiled. “Relax. We’re all right, aren’t we? And I managed to discover…whatever this is. It’s like I said, if there’s a trapdoor, I’ll find it.”
Gritting his teeth, Maddock turned and shone his light all around.
They were in a natural cave. Moisture coated the surface above them, which gleamed under the beams of their lights. A single stalactite, smooth and glistening, hung from the middle of the ceiling. Every few seconds, a single drop of water fell from its tip down onto an oddly shaped stalagmite, which stood at the center of a dark pool. The steady drip, along with Grizzly’s labored breathing, were the only sounds.
A line of Celtic symbols—single, double, and triple spirals—led the way to the statue, which stood in the center of a triskele pattern.
As they moved closer, Maddock realized that it was not a stalagmite at all, but a statue. The steady drip of water over countless years had eroded its features. The top of its head was gone, and rivulets marred its surface. Still, he could tell the figure was female, clad in an ornate robe, and holding what had once been a bowl or a disc of some sort. A serpent lay coiled at her feet.
“That’s Danu,” Grizzly said. “She’s the mother goddess of the Tuatha de Dannan.” He reached out to touch her face, but Maddock seized his wrist.
“I told you not to touch anything.”
The twinkle in Grizzly’s brown eyes faded as he met the cold steel of Maddock’s gaze. “It’s cool.” He drew away, hands held up as if he were being arrested.
Maddock stared for a few seconds longer, just to show he meant business, before continuing his inspection of the cave. Hidden in the darkness stood four large stone blocks, carved of basalt, each at one of the compass points if Maddock did not miss his guess.
“There’s writing on them,” Grizzly said. “Lia Fáil, Lug, Nuada, Dagda.”
“What do they mean?” Maddock asked.
“Stone, spear, sword, and cauldron.”
“Great.” Maddock ran a hand through his hair. “It looks like the four treasures were once here.” He pictured the artifacts, each on its respective pedestal, standing beneath the watchful gaze of the Tuathan goddess.
“How did they
even find this place?” Grizzly asked. “Someone without diving gear held his breath and swam into a dark underwater channel until he found this cave?”
“I have a feeling there was once a way down here from the castle, probably close to the trapdoor you so cleverly found. Whoever took the treasure, assuming it was real, and these aren’t symbolic representations, must have sealed it up.”
“But why seal it up once the treasure was gone?”
“To cover their tracks, I suppose,” Maddock said. “If knowledge of this place came to light, people might start believing the treasures are more than a mere legend.”
“I think this proves the treasures are real,” Grizzly said. “If they were figurative, there wouldn’t be a simple stone block with the words on them.”
Maddock nodded. “They’d have carved representations of the treasures, just like they made the image of their goddess.” It felt odd to agree with Grizzly, but at least the man wasn’t a complete idiot.
“The million-dollar question is where did they go?” Grizzly said.
“There’s got to be a clue,” Maddock said.
“How do you figure?”
“I’ve seen it more times than I can count. When something sacred is moved to a new location, there’s always someone who is so afraid of it being lost forever, that they leave a message behind just in case.”
“What about when an enemy takes it?” Grizzly asked. “Like when the Babylonians took the Ark of the Covenant?”
Maddock could have told him a few things about the sacred ark, but he kept his knowledge to himself. “Depends. In a situation like you describe, they’ll often leave a gloating message behind. Usually, something like that isn’t kept a secret. They want the world to know they’ve taken the enemy’s most treasured possessions.”
“Like a Roman triumph, when they’d parade the treasures of the conquered nation to show off the fruits of their victory.”