by Jayne Castle
“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 looked 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.
But the lights were on and phones and computers were functioning. Communications with the mainland had been restored. Ferry service was scheduled to resume in the morning, conditions permitting. The proprietor of the service had promised to bring supplies, including toilet paper and groceries, on the early run.
Alice studied the two crystal slabs on the table. “So much trouble for such dumb-looking stones.”
“Not very impressive, are they?” Charlotte observed.
The crystals no longer glowed. Shortly after being removed from the pyramid they had reverted to a murky, unremarkable gray.
Rachel looked at Drake. “What are you going to do with them?”
“I’m tempted to drop them offshore into a deep-sea ravine but I’m not sure that would neutralize them,” Drake said. “It might have the opposite effect. These damn rocks have an affinity for geothermal energy. Be my luck they’d land in an undersea volcano and cause an eruption. For now they’ll be safer in a mag-steel-and-glass strongbox where the energy levels can be monitored.”
“In hindsight, it’s a wonder that the crystals were dormant for decades, sitting in a box in a cave here on the island,” Rachel mused. “Rainshadow is a nexus, a real hot spot where geothermal psi-forces intersect.”
“That’s probably why the Aliens chose it to set up their bio-research labs in the first place,” Alice said.
“According to the Old Earth records, the crystals have never caused any problem as long as they were properly stored aboveground in a strongbox,” Drake said. “But taking them underground into a hot psi environment was a hell of a mistake.”
Charlotte folded her arms on the table. “I assume you’ll store them in one of the Foundation labs?”
“Right,” Drake said. “We’ve got special vaults for the volatile specimens.”
Jasper looked thoughtful. “Think there’s any way to destroy them?”
“I don’t know,” Drake said. “It might be possible to pulverize them and scatter the bits and pieces over a large stretch of the ocean. Theoretically that would limit the resonating power of each individual shard. But I’m not even certain that would work.”
“Something else to consider here,” Fletcher said. “We humans have only been around on Harmony for a couple of hundred years. No more than a fraction of the planet and the Alien underworld has been explored. Got a hunch there are a lot of surprises waiting for us in the oceans and the catacombs and the rain forest. We might need some real firepower someday. Could be a good idea to have these stones in our hip pocket, so to speak.”
“Kind of like having spare tuned amber when you go into the tunnels,” Jasper added.
“My family has been guarding these rocks for a few hundred years, first on Earth and now here on Harmony,” Drake said. “Guess we’ll have to keep on doing that for a while. But once we get these back to the lab we can do some serious research on them. We need to know what we’ve got here.”
Drake started to say something, but a faint, muffled sound stopped him. Alice heard it, too. Chanting.
“. . . The Ancients will return, the Ancients will return.
Glorious dawn, glorious dawn, glorious dawn.
The Ancients will return, the Ancients will return.
Bringing wonders, bringing wonders, bringing wonders to behold . . .”
Burt came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron. “Sounds like Harry and Slade found that bunch of Glorious Dawners who went missing.”
“Not sure that’s a good thing,” Fletcher said.
“Look at it this way,” Drake said. “Tomorrow morning we can put them on the first ferry off the island and send them home.”
“Good idea,” Jasper said.
The door of the tavern opened, bringing in the fresh air of a fog-free night. Two men walked into the room. Energy whispered in the atmosphere around them. Men of talent, Alice thought. Slade Attridge and Harry Sebastian had returned.
Chairs scraped on the floorboards. Rachel and Charlotte leaped to their feet. Both women were glowing with relief and delight. They rushed forward, each hurtling into the arms of one of the men.
Three dust bunnies scurried into the tavern and began chattering enthusiastically.
A small gaggle of ragged-looking people in green robes paraded into the room. They had evidently lost their signs along the way but that had not diminished their enthusiasm.
“Glorious dawn, glorious dawn, glorious dawn.”
Burt planted his hands on his hips and eyed the newcomers. “Anyone who wants to eat had better shut up and stop chanting now.”
A sudden hush descended.
The tall, dark-haired man, who had one arm wrapped around Rachel, looked at Burt.
“Thank you,” he said. “I know I speak for Slade as well when I tell you that we are forever in your debt.”
“That damn chanting was enough to make us seriously consider leaving these dudes behind in the Preserve,” Slade added.
Houdini dashed toward Alice and bounced up onto the table. He made enthusiastic greeting sounds. Alice patted him affectionately.
“So that’s where you and Darwina went tonight,” she said. “You knew they were on the way back, didn’t you? You went out to meet them.”
One of the Glorious Dawners spotted the small group at the table. He lifted a hand, palm out.
“The nightmare fog is gone,” he intoned. “It’s a sign that the return is near.”
“You know something? I’m starting to think that I’d rather see the Aliens return than these guys,” Fletcher said in low tones.
The Dawner was not deterred. “Glorious dawn, glorious dawn—”
The other five took up the chant.
“Glorious dawn, glorious dawn—”
Back in the kitchen, Burt banged a frying pan loudly.
The Dawners hastily went silent again and sat down at the nearest tables.
Harry looked at Burt through the opening. “Feed ’em and send the bill to the Foundation.”
“Okay,” Burt said. He narrowed his eyes. “But they’re all leaving in the morning, right?”
“Oh, yeah,” Slade said. “They’re all leaving on the first available ferry.”
“What about you and Harry?” Burt looked from one man to the other. “I’ve been saving a couple of cans of tuna fish.”
“Sounds good,” Slade said. “But I think we could both use a couple of whiskeys with that
tuna fish.”
Burt chuckled. “Help yourself.”
Slade went behind the bar and took down a bottle. He found two glasses and started pouring generous quantities of whiskey.
Keeping Rachel close to his side, Harry walked to the table where Alice sat with Drake, Fletcher, and Jasper. He glanced at the two crystals and smiled, looking satisfied.
“You must be Alice North,” he said.
She started to respond, but Drake spoke first.
“Alice, I’d like you to meet my brother, Harry,” he said. “Harry, this is Alice, my wife.”
“Your wife,” Harry said, perfectly neutral.
“Yes,” Drake said.
“Congratulations,” Harry said in the same very even tone.
“Thanks,” Drake said.
“Just an MC,” Alice said quickly.
“Is that right?” Harry said. He turned back to Drake, his eyes gleaming with an unholy amusement. “In our family, a marriage is a marriage. Isn’t that right, Drake?”
“Yes,” Drake said. “So, what took you so long to show up here in town?”
“We were trapped by the fog. Couldn’t get the Dawners through it. We knew when the mist lifted this evening that something had changed. Where did you find the crystals?”
“Long story,” Drake said.
“Can’t wait to hear it,” Harry said, smiling. “I knew you’d make it here to the island.”
Drake nodded. “Knew you’d make it out of the Preserve.”
Slade brought the whiskeys to the table and sat down. He eyed the Glorious Dawn crowd.
“Idiots,” he growled. “I should lock ’em up until I can put them on the ferry.”
Alice smiled. “It might be hard to stuff all those Glorious Dawners into your little jail. It’s sort of full at the moment.”
Slade’s brows rose. “My jail is full?”
“Kirk and Myrna are taking turns keeping an eye on the new residents,” Drake said.
“Is that so?” Slade nodded once and downed some whiskey. He lowered the glass. “Then I’m with Harry. Can’t wait to hear the story.”