The Tree and the Tablet (The St. James Chronicles Book 1)

by Kathryn O'Brien

  He reached out and gently pushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear which caused a delicious shiver to run up my spine. All my resolve was crumbling. As he pulled his hand back, he slowly drew his fingers across my jaw and cupped my face in his large hand. “Maggie,” there was a pleading sound to his voice, “please share with me.” He was caressing my other arm with his strong fingers while he rubbed his thumb along my lower lip as if he were trying to coax the information he sought from my lips.

  A deep sigh escaped as I breathed, “Daniel.” Leaning toward him, I couldn’t stop. My eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips against mine. Lost. That’s it. Completely lost. Time stopped and my heart beat a crazy rhythm within my chest. At that moment, I was willing to give him anything his heart desired even at the expense of my previous words. I was drowning in his smell, his taste, his...

  Wait, what was I doing? Firmly placing my hand against his chest, I pushed him away. He was still staring at my lips. His breathing matched mine. Hoarse and intense with raw emotion, I said, “You’re the most despicable human being.” His eyes flew open and the jig was up. Instantly, I knew. Or did I? Was he just using my attraction toward him to get the information he wanted? Pain, anger, and distrust contorted my face. “Ohhhh. You!” As I stood up, I shouted, “Get out!! Now!”

  To his credit, he rose calmly to his feet, bowing under the low ceiling of the tent and said, “Maggie, why can’t you trust me?” There was no remorse in his expression. Only disappointment. Did he feel bad about using my passion to manipulate me? I glared at him accusingly.

  Stomping my foot, I pointed to the door. “OUT!”

  A brief flicker of what looked like sadness crossed his face. Bowing toward me like a gallant knight, he replied, “As you wish, milady.” He mockingly saluted me with a pounding hand on his chest followed by a raised fist while clicking his heels together and abruptly left the tent.

  Really? Shaking my head, I was totally befuddled by his response. As I stood there watching the tent door flap in the breeze, I wondered, Why can’t I trust him? Was it me, or him? Well, that doesn’t matter. What matters is finding Kelsey and the tablet. Time is wasting away while I stand here trying to figure out the enigma that is Daniel. No sense thinking about it any further, I admonished myself. My energy needed to be focused on more important things than one very puzzling man and his ability to flip me on my head every time he crooked his finger or smiled at me sideways. With that thought in mind, I grabbed the journal and stepped out into the light.

  Chapter Twenty

  As the sunshine hit me in the face, I couldn’t help but wonder about the weather. It was December and felt like it was April. There were clouds but it was almost like we were in a protective bubble of sorts. Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and just roll with it.

  Putting on my best devil-may-care expression, I marched over to where Daniel stood and extending my hand toward him, asking, “Can I see the map please?” Glancing at me skeptically, but deciding not to question why, he handed me the map.

  Tatyana and Joseph came out of the woods with broad smiles on their faces. They were laughing and talking as they approached. Joseph walked up next to Daniel and asked him, “What’s up?” With a shrug from Daniel and a nod in my direction, Joseph decided to take a seat next to me on the ground and peruse my face for a clue of my intentions. Promptly, I ignored him and went about my task. Joseph, determined to give me some space, stood and walked over to where Daniel was now talking with Tatyana.

  Unfolding the map, I searched for the waterfalls I knew would be close by. Finding the red circle on the map, there were several areas with little wavy crosses and one area stood out to me more than the others. There were no crosses next to it, but my mind knew there was something missing. As I shook my head in confusion, I wondered aloud, “It couldn’t be that easy, could it?”

  Daniel, Tatyana, and Joseph all stopped what they were discussing to look at me quizzically. Glancing up from the spot on the map where my finger rested, I said, “It’s not marked on the map as a waterfall.” Daniel smiled. At that moment, I knew he understood exactly what I was thinking.

  “No, because the water fall only exists during winter rains and runoff in the spring. Otherwise, it’s just a small creek.” He turned and grabbed his pack off the ground. Excited, he remarked softly, “I can’t believe I missed that.”

  Speaking quickly to Tatyana and Joseph in a brief huddle, he turned and started to walk away. Glancing in my direction he called over his shoulder to them, “You two can stay here. We should be back soon. If not, you know where to look.” They both nodded.

  Reaching out a hand to help me up, I ignored it and helped myself up. Nonchalantly, I dusted myself off and walked over to my tent to retrieve my pack. As I turned around, he was standing behind me. Handing him the map, I said, “Shall we?” He nodded and we headed off along the creek that fed the lake. Jaxon followed along flitting from tree to tree. Every once in a while, he would let out a little chirping noise.

  We walked along quietly for quite some time. The combination of the sun beating down and the weight of my pack caused me to start sweating. Having stopped near a spot where the water was a little shallower, I reached into my pack to retrieve a bandana. While I was soaking it in the water, I noticed that Daniel silently had removed his pack and was rinsing his face off in a spot where the water was cascading off the rocks above. Again, he’d removed his shirt. Geez, couldn’t this man keep his clothes on? I wondered to myself as I drank in the sight of his chiseled body. He glanced over at me and I realized I was staring again. Busying myself with the bandana and wringing it out, I wiped it across my chest and neck. Making a big deal out of soaking and wringing out the bandana again, I couldn’t help but to glance sideways to see if he was watching me. Surprised, I looked around and he was gone.

  Instantly, I stood up to get a better view of my surroundings. Losing my balance on one of the slick rocks I was standing on, I did this odd sort of dance, waving my hands this way and that, trying to catch my balance, but it was too late. Splash! Instantly, freezing cold water penetrated all of the little nooks and crannies in my nether regions and the sensation of the cold water trickling across my mid-section had the effect of making me gasp, and sputter profusely. The water was coursing across my stomach and rushed just under the line of my breasts as it was about a little over a foot high. It was agonizingly painful due to the extremely low temperature.

  Screaming like a banshee, I jumped up and ran to the bank of the creek. Looking like a crab freshly plucked from the ocean with my arms spread askew and my head leaning forward to assess the damage, water was dripping from all over me. Hearing Daniel’s laughter nearby, brought my attention to the fact that he was standing under a tree about four feet from where I stood. Unfortunately, it was easy to surmise that he’d seen the entire episode. Mortified, I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I tried to overcome my embarrassment. Replaying the event in my head, I started laughing hysterically at myself.

  “You look like a drowned cat.” Daniel continued to laugh.

  He was right, but I didn’t need him to point it out. Not quite knowing what to do with myself, now that I was soaked, I walked casually over to my pack, picked up the discarded bandana and tied it around my now wet hair. Placing my jacket around my waste, I turned to Daniel with a nod, “Ready?”

  He was still smiling as if he were trying to keep from laughing. Nodding his head at me, he motioned outward with his right hand and said, “After you.”

  Turning on my heel, I continued our hike up the creek side toward our destination. My senses were heightened, and I could swear that I felt eyes watching me, but looking around in the trees, there was nothing in sight. The further up we went, the thicker the woods grew. The forest seemed to be closing in on us. It was difficult to keep right next to the water while we wound our way along the creek that was soon becoming a river due to the amount of brush and lush grasses gro
wing right up to the edge of the water. Reaching a Y in the river, it was easy to see how the other water flowed away from the current course at a forty-five-degree angle. There were several boulders that allowed us to get across the river to the other side without getting too wet. After crossing over, we turned to follow the other waterway back down river in the opposite direction from where we were.

  Hours passed but we finally reached a bend in the river. Rounding the bend, it appeared that the river just disappeared and there was a sudden drop in elevation. We slowly climbed down along the edge of the water to where we could gain a solid footing again. About fifty feet down the river there was a clearing right next to a fallen log that spanned the river like a natural bridge of sorts. It appeared that, again, we were on the wrong side. Looking down at the chasm below and seeing the rushing water was quite the hindrance to my wanting to cross the log.

  Beside the fifteen foot drop we’d just come down, there was an additional twenty-foot drop to where the swirling white water was cascading through the earth’s opening. The opening was only ten feet across, but it looked very treacherous. The log was large though, and it appeared that it would be quite easy to cross it while standing. However, that would mean that I needed to get over my fear. Palms sweating, blood rushed through my head in a pulsing pattern which sounded like an internal drum machine between my ears. Gathering all of my courage, I decided to allow Daniel to cross in front of me so I could take a couple extra minutes to get my bearings and convince myself that I just needed to not look down. As I stepped up onto the log, my legs froze.

  Daniel recognized my fear, “Maggie, keep your eyes on me and walk in a straight line.” He smiled encouragingly, “You can do this. I’ll be right here.”

  Staring into his beautiful green eyes and seeing his reassuring smile, I took a deep breath. One foot moved in front of the other as my eyes attempted to steadily watch him. Crossing over on the fallen log was faster and easier than I’d anticipated.

  “Okay?” he asked as I stepped down.

  Releasing my pent-up breath as I reached the other side and pride welled within me as I applauded my own bravery. Nodding, I stepped down and goofily grinned up at him, “Thanks.” Andrea would never believe I did that. I was always a chicken when it came to heights.

  He simply smiled and nodded. Turning and looking back toward the drop, it was much easier to see the shape of the river from where we now stood. Awestruck, I couldn’t help but marvel at the view before me. It looked exactly like a hand with water running between the fingers in the form of small waterfalls. Pulling out the journal, I flipped to the page that had the drawing of the hand. Pointing to it, I motioned toward the waterfall. Daniel nodded to me which indicated that he understood exactly what we needed to do.

  As we inched our way around to the side of the waterfall, we could see there was a very thin ledge that led behind the water in between the rocks. Pointing to the ledge, I shouted to be heard over the sound of several waterfalls flowing at once, “Do you think that will support our weight?”

  He was looking at it skeptically as well. Suddenly, he reached over my head and grasped a large vine that was hanging over the edge of the outcropping. Tugging on it to check its ability to hold weight, he yelled over the sound of the raging water, “Stay here. I’ll check it out.”

  Briefly, I nodded my agreement and watched tensely as he swung out and placed his foot on the ledge. Jaxon had flown over, landing on a tree branch that jutted out from the rocks just above my head. He appeared to be watching intently as Daniel stepped out onto the ledge.

  Slowly, he edged his way across the tiny ledge and disappeared behind a wall of water. Anxiously, I waited, and it seemed like hours passed as I looked at the spot where he entered, hoping that everything was okay. His head popped out from the spot where he’d entered, and I let my breath out, slightly dizzy from having held it for so long. His boyish grin reminded me of a child having caught his first fish. The joy and excitement of what he must have found caused me to rush forward toward the ledge. Looking back toward Jaxon over my shoulder, “You’d better stay here. Your robin’s eyes may not be well suited to a cave.”

  Daniel yelled something at me, but it was drowned out by the rushing water. Looking toward the sound of his voice, I realized too late that I’d stepped out a bit too far. Suddenly the world seemed to be falling or maybe it was me who was falling. Screaming, my hand flailed out desperately to catch myself from falling into the vortex of water that was churning thirty-five feet below. Just as my life started to flash before my eyes, a strong vice closed around my wrist. A jolt of lighting shot through my body as my weight was suddenly held in place by a force I didn’t expect. My eyes went up instantly toward my hand being held by a much stronger, darker hand. Looking beyond that I could see a forest of green reflected back at me in the shape of two eyes staring into mine. “Hold on, Maggie! I’ve got you!” he shouted.

  Reaching up with my left hand, I grasped the hand that was holding onto mine. As I struggled to get a good grip with the cold water that was rushing around me, he pulled me up and into his arms behind the waterfall. Standing there, pulses racing, breathing out of control, I knew in that moment that I never wanted to be separated from him again. The electricity that I felt every time we touched, no matter what the situation, told me that there was something between us. Cringing, I briefly wondered if I’d ever be able to let my guard down and fully trust him.

  Stepping backward into the cavern, he leaned over and gently set me on a rock outcropping to catch my breath. Turning and dropping to his knee, he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a flashlight. He motioned to me to stay put and nodding my agreement, I reached for my pack to get a drink of water. Looking around, the light barely penetrated behind the waterfall, but there appeared to be a very large opening behind where I sat.

  The light from the flashlight briefly disappeared at the back of the hollow and then reappeared, steadily moving toward me. The sound of the rushing water bounced off the walls of the cavern, but an odd effect kept it from drowning out the sound like it had outside. As a matter of fact, I could hear everything as if it were amplified. My ears picked up the sounds of small rocks falling, and the scurrying sound of small animals as well as the sound of Daniel’s feet softly walking toward me. No sneaking up on me this time.

  Placing my water bottle back into my pack, I looked up at him as he stood in front of me. “Well?” Tilting my head to the side waiting to hear a response.

  Reaching out a hand to help me to my feet, he replied calmly, “Come with me.”

  Standing to my feet and swinging my pack onto my back, I eagerly followed like a puppy trying to please its master. Inwardly mocking myself, I chided, I swear, if I had a tail, I’d probably be wagging it joyfully. Following him blindly, we reached the back of the grotto.

  There were a few different caves that led off in different directions. Daniel pointed to a larger one that appeared to have been used recently. As my affirmative response we entered. It was so dark in the cave that it seemed to swallow the light from the flashlight as if it was dimming it somehow. Even with the flashlight we could only see about a foot in front of us. Reaching the end, there was a lever that protruded from the right side of the cavern wall. It looked almost like a door handle.

  Something about it seemed off to me. Just as I was about to speak, Daniel reached out and pulled it. Too late. Looking back at me apologetically, we both screamed as the floor opened and we slid into a deep abyss. The world suddenly came abruptly to a halt as I fell headfirst into something extremely hard. The blackness engulfed everything, and the scream stopped just as abruptly as it started. Darkness was quickly replaced by nothingness and the last thing I felt was the warm trickle of something flowing into my eyes before I succumbed to oblivion.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  A voice echoed in my mind. It sounded like the woman from my dream. “WAKE UP!” Awareness filled my core and radiated outward. Taking in a deep b
reath, I found my chest was constricted. A splintering sensation shot through my head. Confusion clouded my brain as I tried to recall where I was, and what had happened. Trying to clear the fog, but unable to overcome the intense pain that was radiating through my skull, I gingerly felt my head above my eyebrow where the pain was centered. There was a large knot with a gash at the center that felt like it had scabbed over. The sound of my labored breath echoed through the chamber and briefly I wondered how long I’d been lying there. Trying to open my eyes was difficult as what I assumed to be blood from the wound had clotted over my right eye preventing it from being opened easily.

  Fortunately, I hadn’t lost my pack in the fall. Trying to sit up to reach it, I discovered that the reason I was having such a hard time breathing was because there was a large object laying across my abdomen and chest. Feeling it gingerly to try and figure out what it was, a moaning rumble sounded from the lump and I realized it was Daniel. He was coming to and must have realized he was laying on me as he suddenly sat up and away from me which caused me to gasp with the relief of pressure. His voice came a little raggedly at first, “Maggie?”

  “Yeah, I’m here.” I touched him gently on the arm. He shivered. Opening my good eye to try and see, it was just as dark in this chamber as it had been in the tunnel that was now, what I assumed to be, somewhere above us. In a bit of a daze, I asked, “What happened?”