Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  Eventually might not be soon enough. And he wasn’t sure he trusted the Almighty Nathan, not after that thief recognized him. It raised a hell of a lot of questions that couldn’t possibly have good answers. And the only connection was Nathan.

  “He won’t come looking for us just yet.” But when he did, he’d better have some answers. Jake swung his light into the catacomb. “Come on. There must be another way out.”

  The catacombs had hundreds of residents. They searched for a couple of hours, digging through nooks and crannies, shoving aside coffins and desecrating bones, always watching for booby traps. There was no way out.

  “I think we’re stuck here for the night,” Jake said, dropping his pack near a small recess in the wall. “We can bed down here.” The small space would conserve body heat, keeping the wall at their backs and a line of sight to the main corridor.

  “I hope there aren’t any more booby traps,” Kendall said.

  “They’re probably limited to the area around the box. How’d you know what that last one was?”

  “We ran into a similar one in Egypt. A slingshot device with a wire attached to a sarcophagus.”

  “Did you get hurt?”

  “One of my friends cut his arm.”

  His? “What kind of friend?”

  “He was an archaeologist.”

  “Did you kiss his injury and make it better?”

  “You’re impossible.” Kendall pulled her jacket tighter around her. “Is your thermal blanket in there?” she asked, looking at his pack.

  She wouldn’t have known about it if she hadn’t snooped in his pack. He pulled out the thin blanket and spread it on the floor.

  “Do you have another one?”

  “No. You should’ve packed a blanket instead of a makeup kit.” He was only partially teasing. He’d looked in her bag and knew she carried some makeup. She didn’t need it. “I’m surprised that a woman who’s used to sleeping under the desert stars doesn’t have something to keep her warm.”

  “I lost mine, along with my spare flashlight. I didn’t have a chance to replace them. This trip was unexpected. I should have thought about it when we stopped for supplies.” She plunked down on the blanket. “What if the thieves come back?”

  “I don’t think they will. They got what they wanted.”

  “We have to get the box back.”

  “Thanks for warning me not to touch it. Guess I owe you one.”

  “I think we’re even. It wasn’t just the trap. That box scares me. I don’t know what’s in it, but it’s powerful.”

  “Evil?”

  “I don’t know, but we have to find it.”

  “You’re starting to sound like Nathan.” Which made Jake wonder what the hell was in the box. “After we’ve rested, we’ll find a way out. Whoever made that fancy door must have built another entrance. They might have an opening in the top to let in light and air. You get some sleep. You got pretty banged up in that fall. I’ll keep watch.”

  She lay down on the blanket. “We don’t have enough food and water to last very long.”

  “We have protein bars. And if we get desperate, we can drink urine.” He sat down and leaned against the wall, positioning himself so he could see if anyone came from either direction.

  “I’d rather die of thirst.”

  “Then you’ve never been really thirsty.” He turned the flashlight off to conserve batteries.

  “Have you?” Her voice was soft in the darkness.

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “I’ve spent time in the desert too. I got stuck there once. It wasn’t fun.”

  “Drinking urine is beyond gross.”

  “It’s better than dying.”

  He felt her eyes on him in the dark.

  “Whose urine?” she asked.

  “Mine.”

  “What were you doing in the desert?”

  “On assignment.”

  “For Nathan?”

  “No. That was before I met him.”

  “What kind of assignment was it?”

  “We were looking for some buried coins. Aren’t you tired?”

  “Why do you hate talking about yourself?”

  “I’m not that interesting.”

  “When it comes to privacy, you’re as bad as Nathan. Are you sure you aren’t tired?”

  “I’m fine.” He spoiled it by yawning.

  “Liar.” He heard shuffling and saw the dim glow of her watch. “It’s two in the morning,” she said. “You should get some sleep too.”

  “You just want my body heat.”

  She snorted. “I don’t need it. I have your blanket.”

  But Kendall was right. He was tired and the thieves were probably long gone. He lay down beside her, close enough that they could share heat, yet not so close that she would think he was taking advantage of her. Then he decided that she could use some distraction from the thought of thieves, booby traps, and those damned grinning skulls. He let his leg touch hers. She jerked like he’d poked her with a hot iron. Before she could speak, he rolled over and faced her. “It’s going to get colder. We’ll need each other’s heat. Scoot to the edge and turn around.” When she did, he pulled the excess blanket over both of them, trying not to press closer, which is what he wanted to do. He adjusted his arm and his hand brushed her breast. “Sorry.”

  “Was that an accident?”

  “If I’d done it on purpose, you would have known.”

  “Do it again and you’ll be carrying your balls home in your backpack.” The harsh words lacked punch, and he noticed she didn’t move away.

  They lay in silence for several minutes. He could almost hear Kendall’s wheels turning as fast as his own. “Why do you hate bones?” she asked.

  “It’s a long story.” One he didn’t want to tell.

  After a minute, she spoke. “I was trapped in a tomb once. One of the boards fell, blocking the entrance. I was terrified.”

  “How’d you get out?” he asked, pressing a little closer, not because he wanted to—though he did—but because she was still shivering.

  “Adam found me.”

  “Adam?”

  “He was my best friend.”

  “Where’s Adam now?”

  “He died in a plane crash when he was twelve.”

  Jake felt a hand squeeze his gut, but he refused to let the memory in now. The past was done. He had to make sure Kendall had a future.

  “What if we don’t get out?” she said.

  “We will.”

  “Promise?” Her voice was a whisper.

  “I promise.”

  The catacombs got chillier and they snuggled closer as he listened to the stillness of night. It always amazed him how many sounds could be heard in a place where there was silence. The sound of her breathing. His own breath. Tiny scurrying sounds, an occasional bone being dislodged, hopefully by the scurrying critters and not the bone’s owner. Even the air seemed to have a voice, tired and weary, clothed with centuries of death.

  Death.

  As hard as he’d tried to keep it out, the memory slipped in.

  He forced himself closer to the hole, knowing what he would find. His knees dropped from under him and he sank to the ground, staring at the locks of blonde hair and bleached bones against the dark soil.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  KENDALL WOKE TO absolute darkness, heart pounding with fear, but it wasn’t her fear. What was she sensing? Was it Jake? She could feel him behind her, breathing harsh, his hand gripping hers. He must be dreaming.

  He’d scooted closer in his sleep. The move wasn’t a come-on but the need for warmth and human contact in a place of death. Ordinarily, she didn’t mind tombs. She’d spent a large part of her childhood crawling through them. It was different when the tomb might be hers.

  Jake’s breathing was calmer now, and she let the sound soothe her. His hand had relaxed, resting over her stomach. She could smell him, warm and male. Part of her wanted to snuggle
tighter and another part wanted to roll over and wake him up so they could forget about danger and death and bad dreams, at least for a while. She wondered if anyone had ever had sex in catacombs. She snuggled deeper into his warmth until her eyelids grew heavy. When she woke again, she was cold and alone.

  She sat up, looking at her watch: four thirty in the morning. “Jake,” she whispered, eyes straining in the darkness. Farther down the catacombs, she saw a light moving toward her. She couldn’t tell if it was Jake or if the thieves had come back to make sure they didn’t escape. It could be Raphael. He must have played some part in this. A shadow moved in front of her. A monk in a cowl. The thieves had come back. She gripped the blanket and pressed her body as far into the alcove as she could. The monk turned and faced her. She froze. Had he seen her?

  He started walking toward her, but there was nowhere for her to escape. He moved closer and closer and she couldn’t help but cry out, expecting an attack. She felt a rush of air and he disappeared.

  She jumped up and turned, staring at the wall where the apparition had disappeared. Just as silently as the ghost had moved, Jake appeared behind her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just saw the monk.”

  He turned off his flashlight and pushed her against the wall, putting himself in front of her. “Where?” he whispered.

  “Not the thieves, the ghost. He walked right through this wall.”

  “Here?” Jake turned the flashlight on and aimed it at the wall. “Sure you weren’t dreaming?”

  “I wasn’t dreaming. It was the same ghost I saw in the bedroom.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I could tell from his memories.”

  “You read memories?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “So much for personal privacy.”

  The very reason she didn’t have a husband or boyfriend. “Where were you?”

  “Looking for a way out.”

  “Alone? You could have run into another trap.”

  “I found a lantern,” he said, cutting off her reproach.

  “Does it work?”

  “I was about to find out when you called my name.” He led her to a group of coffins housed behind an iron grille. “Look up there.” He swung his light up and she saw an old lantern hanging from the wall. “Hold the flashlight.”

  She held the light while he got the lantern down. He gently shook it. “It’s full. And someone left matches. I guess Raphael comes down here to check on the box.”

  “Too bad he didn’t leave a map.” There was a flicker, and soft light filled the catacombs. He handed the lantern to Kendall. “I know it’s all in my head, but I feel warmer already,” she said.

  “There’s another one on the other side.” After he lit the second lantern, he turned off the flashlight and stuck it in his pocket. “We’ll save the batteries in case we need them later.”

  In case they were trapped down here for good.

  “Now we can see to find our way out of this hellhole,” he said, moving back toward their blanket. He held the lantern close to the wall.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “You said your ghost walked through the wall in the bedroom where there was a secret door. Maybe there’s a secret door here.”

  “I got the feeling you didn’t believe in ghosts.”

  “I don’t. But I’m starting to believe in your visions.”

  That was a start, Kendall thought. “Haven’t you ever felt a presence, like someone was with you, but when you turned around, he wasn’t there?” In the flickering light of the lantern, she saw a haunted look cross his face and knew he had his own ghosts, whether he believed in them or not.

  “So you’re a ghost expert too?”

  “No, but I’ve encountered a few.”

  They both systematically searched the alcove, running their hands over the rough stone. Kendall’s fingertips brushed over a notch that didn’t feel natural. “I think I found something.”

  Jake scraped at the notch with his knife, uncovering the motif. “I’ve never been so glad to see a circle. There must be a door here.”

  “But we don’t have the cross to open it.”

  “I don’t see anything that looks like a lock on this one.” He pushed the mark and they felt the wall give.

  “Push harder,” Kendall said.

  He grimaced, shoving against the wall with his shoulder. Kendall started pushing with him, and the wall opened several inches.

  “Another secret tunnel,” Jake said.

  “We were in front of the door all along.”

  “That explained why the recess looked like a doorway. I’ll check it out first. We don’t want to stick our heads inside a trap.” He used the lantern to inspect the other side of the door before climbing through. “This is going to be a tight squeeze.”

  After Jake made sure it wasn’t booby-trapped, Kendall climbed through, holding her lantern in front of her. “Yikes, this is cramped.” It was nothing like the tunnel on the other end of the catacombs. This one was just tall enough to clear Jake’s head, and barely wide enough for his shoulders.

  “At least there aren’t any bones here,” he said after they had walked for a few minutes.

  “You sound relieved.”

  “Told you, I don’t like bones.”

  She did, but right now she needed daylight and fresh air. And a bathroom. “Do you see an end?”

  “Not yet. Don’t panic on me.”

  They walked on in silence broken only by the occasional scrape of feet. “How did you meet Nathan?” she asked.

  “It’s a long story,” he said.

  “It’s not like either of us is going anywhere.”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Just say you don’t want to tell me, for goodness’ sake.”

  “I don’t want to tell you.”

  “You’re as bad as him, with all these secrets.” She wished she had a bottle of water.

  “Men don’t blab everything like women do.”

  “We don’t blab.”

  “Yes you do.”

  “How would you know? Have you ever been married?”

  “No.”

  “Have you ever wanted to get married?”

  He hesitated. “No.”

  “Good. You’re not marriage material.”

  He grunted. “What about you? Any husbands hanging around?”

  “No.” What man wanted someone who might see inside his head? Even though she usually couldn’t, there was always the threat. She would pick up an object belonging to him and inadvertently blurt out something she wasn’t supposed to know. That kind of thing tended to freak people out. It didn’t take long to get a reputation as a wacko. Or a witch.

  Adam was the only one who had understood. An image flashed through her head. A boy with rumpled, sun-bleached hair and tanned skin, holding up his latest treasure, his face split into a grin. Her heart gave one soft squeeze and the face faded back into the place where she kept it. “Where the hell is the end of this tunnel?” Her voice echoed strangely in the small confines.

  “What about sex?”

  Kendall stopped. “Sex?”

  Jake kept walking. “You don’t strike me as a total prude. You’re probably—what—twenty-five? I doubt you’re a virgin.”

  “I’m twenty-eight and my virginity or lack thereof is none of your concern.”

  He stopped suddenly. “There.” His lantern showed a set of steps leading up to a stone door.

  “I hope we don’t need the key.”

  They climbed the narrow staircase and she waited while he searched for a way out. The space was so tight there was barely room for one person. “Here we go.” He pushed something and a door opened in the wall, amazingly quietly for stone. He put his hand over the lantern, keeping the light low. He stuck his head out and looked around before motioning for her to join him.

  She followed, scraping her body through the doorway. Kendall looked around in surprise. “We’re ins
ide the entryway of the castle.” The tunnel door was inside one of the stone columns. This place was full of secrets.

  “Quiet,” Jake whispered. “Raphael may be here. I don’t know how he’s involved, but we don’t want to announce our presence...” He stopped. Raphael lay on the floor behind the column, the light obscene on his dead, amber eyes.

  “Oh my God. They killed him too.”

  Jake kneeled and touched Raphael’s chest. “He’s been dead for about four hours.”

  “You can tell how long he’s been dead?”

  “I can tell from his body temperature. The thieves must have killed him.” He pointed to the tracks leading to and from the body. “The footprints match the ones where you were attacked.”

  “If they weren’t working for Raphael, then who?”

  “I don’t know. See if you can pick up anything from him.”

  “Touch him?” She didn’t mind bodies that had been dead for a long time. That was history. But fresh death was disturbing. Swallowing, she knelt beside Jake and stretched out her hand. A ripple moved over her skin and she hesitated. There was some kind of weird energy surrounding Raphael. Jake put his hand on her shoulder in encouragement. She closed her eyes and touched Raphael’s chest.

  A blinding light flashed as screams filled the air. Men were running from the light, eyes wide with terror, swords and shields dangling uselessly. Protect it. He must protect it.

  Kendall yanked her hand back.

  “What the hell was that?” Jake asked.

  “I don’t know. You saw it?” She’d never had anyone else share her visions. Except Adam.

  Jake looked shaken. “Were those Raphael’s memories? How old is he? I saw men in armor holding swords and shields.”

  “Maybe they’re someone else’s memories, someone connected to him.” Otherwise, Raphael was really old. Or he had been.

  Jake shook his head and stood. “Let’s just get out of here before the trail gets colder. What are you doing now?”

  “Look at this...” She lifted a cross from Raphael’s neck.

  “It looks a lot like yours. Bring it. If it’s also a key, we might need it yet.”

  “You take it.”

  Jake pulled the cross over Raphael’s head and stuck it in his pocket. “Let’s go.”