Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures)

by David Wood

  “We’ve got plenty of daylight, but don’t dally. Once you’re in the water, we’re going to head up the coast. We don’t want to draw undue attention. Call us when you’re out, and be careful.”

  Angel and Avery hugged Dane and Bones in turn, and Willis complained about the lack of a third set of diving gear. Matt, who had taken over the helm, guided them as close as he dared to the stones shown on the map, and Dane and Bones dived in.

  “Report,” Morgan snapped as Locke entered the room. She seemed to have recovered her faculties and energy, though the cuts and bruises on her face bore testimony to the damage she’d taken.

  Jacob had not bounced back so quickly. He’d sustained a severe blow to the head when Maddock, or one of his men, had crept up on him from behind just as he was about to set the dragons on the Bonebrake girl. He still attended Morgan, as always, but he seemed detached. Probably a mild concussion.

  “I planted a tracking device on the girl while she was sedated. I sent two men to follow them.”

  “Only two?” Neither her tone nor her expression betrayed her feelings, but he knew she disapproved.

  “We’ve been decimated here. Worse than decimated, in fact. They only killed a few of our men, but too many have sustained serious injuries.” He stopped there. Morgan knew what she had to do, and she wouldn’t thank him for telling her how to respond to present circumstances.

  “Of the losses we’ve sustained, how many are essential to our plans for the Queen’s visit?” She raised her eyebrows as she said the last word.

  “Only a few. SO14 is the critical piece, and our people have been in place there for years.” SO14 was the branch of Special Operations that provided protection for the Royal Family, and several of its members were loyal to Morgan and the Sisters.

  “Very well. Are you tracking Maddock right now?”

  “Of course. They appear to be headed to Tintagel Castle.”

  Morgan threw back her head and laughed. It was a rare display of amusement from the stolid woman.

  “Tintagel? They must not have the third map, or else they would not be wasting their time. The castle has been thoroughly excavated.”

  Locke nodded, though he lacked Morgan’s confidence. Maddock had already surprised him too many times for Locke to underestimate him.

  “In any case, our men will keep us apprised of the situation.”

  Locke nodded again. With so many of his men out of commission, he’d been forced to send two of his younger, more enthusiastic charges. He’d given them clear instructions, but worried they’d overextend themselves by trying to be heroes.

  “Most of our remaining men will need to remain here to clean up the damage and prepare for the event. How large is Maddock’s party?”

  “Seven, that we know of, including the women. At least, as far as we know. Four of them ex-military.”

  “Seven. A number of power, but fitting somehow. Even better, it is a number we can easily overcome, with help.” Morgan struck the desk once with her open palms and rose to her feet. She turned toward the wall where “Le Morte D’Arthur” hung, and gazed almost lovingly at the image. “The time has come. Summon the Sisters, and tell them each to bring their seven best men. We will follow Maddock, and be prepared to strike at any moment.”

  “Seven of our own men as well?”

  “In addition to you and Jacob, I want four reliable men.” She turned to face him, the ghost of a smile on her face. “And bring Mordred.”

  The water was cool and the dull sunlight shone gray-green beams into the depths. As Dane swam deeper, the two stones converged, leaving a space between them not much wider than a chimney. He followed it to the bottom, which was not as deep as he’d expected, and found nothing. Undeterred, he began digging in the loose sand, and soon exposed a portion of the rock face that was unnaturally smooth and even.

  Bones lent a hand and, within minutes, they found what they were looking for— a stone circle carved with a Templar cross. Working together, they turned it until it gave way. The stone rolled out of sight, exposing a dark tunnel. Dane turned on his dive light and swam inside.

  The passageway dropped straight down for twenty feet, then made a sharp right angle and, as Tam had said, led west, back toward Tintagel Island. They swam through the featureless tunnel until it took a sharp bend upward and then, thirty feet up, they broke the surface and emerged in an underground cave, facing two stone doors.

  Each had a circle and cross stone where a doorknob should be, and each depicted a scene from Jesus’ life. The door on the left showed a Nativity scene. The door on the right showed Jesus struggling to carry the cross to his crucifixion.

  “I know which one looks like sorrow,” Bones said.

  Dane contemplated the doors. What was it about the Way of Sorrows that rang a bell? He had it!

  “The Way of Sorrows is another name for the stations of the cross. We’re looking for scenes of Jesus on his way to the crucifixion. It’s the one on the right.”

  He spun the Templar cross and the door opened on a passage that led up and curved to the left. He shone his light inside, looking for signs of danger, but finding none. Holding his breath, he led moved into the passageway and followed it up into the heart of the island.

  They continued on until they’d passed through six sets of doors, each juxtaposing a triumphant event of Jesus’ life with one of his road to Calvary, and every subsequent passage winding higher and higher. He wondered what lay behind the other doors, but didn’t really want to find out.

  At the seventh set of doors, they faced their first real conundrum. The doors were identical. Each showed the entombment of Jesus, with seven people, four male and three female, carrying him toward the tomb, which lay in the background on the left. In the background, on the right side of the picture, stood Calvary, with its empty crosses looking down on the scene.

  “Any ideas?” Bones was looking at the doors like they’d insulted his mom.

  “Take a closer look,” Dane said. “See if anything’s different.”

  “Man, that’s too much like those stupid puzzles in the newspaper. I vote for the door on the right.”

  “Fine. You can go first.” Dane grinned and pushed his friend aside as he moved in for a closer look. They spent five frustrating minutes gazing at the two doors. The images seemed to meld together until he couldn’t separate them in his mind. Finally, he rubbed his eyes in frustration and backed up to look at it from a distance.

  And then he saw it.

  “Bones, come back here and take a look.” When Bones joined him, he pointed to the crosses atop Calvary. “What do you see?”

  Bones stared blankly at the doors, and then his eyes widened. “The crosses on the right are Templar crosses. How did we miss it?” He moved forward a few steps. “You have to be in just the right place to see the subtle differences. I wonder...” He walked up to stand between the doors and rubbed an identical spot on each with the tips of his index and middle fingers.

  “Bones, those aren’t boobs.”

  “Check out the stone that blocks the tomb. It’s too small to see, but I can feel a cross carved in the one on the right.”

  “Just like the stones that have gotten us into the treasure chambers.” Dane nodded approvingly. “You want to do the honors?”

  Bones grinned and opened the door on the right. It slid back to reveal another chamber. In its center stood a three foot tall block of stone, and protruding from its center…

  “Holy crap!” Bones exclaimed.

  Even though it had been what he’d expected to find, the sight of a sword embedded in a stone took Dane’s breath away. He entered the room, feeling like he was in a dream, and stopped in front of the sword.

  “Excalibur.” He spoke the word reverentially. From the moment Avery told them they’d found Arthur’s dagger, he’d known they were on a path that would lead to the legendary sword, but the reality was still more than he could comprehend. Arthur had lived, had borne this sword, and, apparen
tly, had drawn it from a stone.

  Much of the sword was buried in a three foot-high block of stone, but he could see enough of the blade to know it was made of the same metal as the spear and dagger, while the hilt was made of the same white stone that gave them their power.

  “Well, who’s worthy to draw the sword?” Bones asked with a sly smile.

  “You first.”

  Bones reached out, took hold of the handle, and pulled. It didn’t give an inch.

  “Fine,” Bones sighed. “Your turn.”

  Dane gave him a knowing look and aimed the beam of his flashlight onto the white stone hilt. Lights immediately began to swirl in its depths, reminding Dane of a line from Tennyson’s “Morte d’Arthur.”

  “And sparkled keen with frost against the hilt, for all the haft twinkled with diamond sparks.” The stone pulsed faster and faster until it finally shone with a steady light.

  “Here goes nothing.” Dane pressed the stone, and flickers of light began to dance along the flat of the blade and run up and down the fuller. The edge shone a bright blue, and the light seemed to run up one side and down the other.

  He took Excalibur in his hand and pulled. The blade slid free easily. He knew he should shut it down right then and head back to the boat, but the little boy inside of him, the one that, in his youth, had daydreamed of being a Knight of the Round Table, wouldn’t let him.

  “Stand back,” he told Bones. “I want to try something.” He took aim, raised the sword, and brought it down at an angle. Excalibur sheared the corner off of the stone like the proverbial hot knife through melted butter.

  “Sweet! My turn.” Bones looked like a kid on Christmas morning as he sliced two more corners off the stone. Then his expression grew sober and he shut pressed the pommel. As the lights in the blade faded and died, he handed the sword back to Dane. “This is serious stuff, you know.”

  “I know.” Dane had pondered the implications of their discoveries many times. The weapons might be ancient, but they represented an advanced, maybe even unearthly, technology.

  “A cloaking device. A weapon that turns a little bit of light into a powerful electrical weapon. Now a sword that can cut through stone.” Bones shook his head.

  “And none of them require a power supply,” Dane added. “Just solar energy, or even a little bit of artificial light. If scientist can unlock the technology, they could do incredible things.”

  “Or incredibly terrible things.” Bones rubbed his chin and stared down at the ground. “Tam’s going to want to turn them over to the government, you know.”

  Dane nodded. “Better that than the Dominion getting its hands on them.”

  “I guess. Let’s take some pictures and get out of here.”

  While Bones made a photographic record of the chamber, Dane finally took the time to look around. It did not differ in any significant way from those chambers on the other side of the Atlantic: circular with Templar symbols carved in the walls, the double-band of code winding down the walls, and a wedge-shaped image up above.

  Dane took a last look at the stone where Excalibur had been embedded minutes before, still amazed and intrigued by what they’d found. He stowed the sword in a bag Tam had provided, slung it over his shoulder, and began the trek back to the outside world.

  Back on the surface, he radioed Tam to pick them up.

  “Three down,” Bones said. “I wonder what Jimmy has come up with. This kind of feels like it should be the end of the line, you know? Arthur only had three legendary weapons.”

  Before Dane could answer, their cruiser appeared around the tip of the peninsula, and shots rang out from up above. He turned and saw that two men had taken up positions on the cliffs below Tintagel and were firing on their cruiser. Nearby, a sleek-looking boat bobbed in the surface. He and Bones had been so dizzy with success that they’d ignored what was right in front of their faces.

  “Tam, get out of there now!” he barked into the radio.

  “We’re coming to get you!” came her reply.

  “I’ve got a plan. Just get out range and fast!” He breathed a sigh of relief as, moments later, the cruiser turned and headed back around the peninsula.

  “Are we swimming for it?” Bones asked.

  “We’d never outrun them. Give me a minute.” Before Bones could ask what he had planned, he submerged and swam to the boat. He surfaced on the side opposite the gunmen, who were clambering down from the rocks. He didn’t have long.

  He drew Excalibur from his pack, gave it a few seconds to absorb the sunlight, then activated the blade. He could almost feel the energy coursing through him as the edges shone with blue light. He checked to make sure the men still had their backs to him before he took his first swing. The sword sliced through the hull with ease and, moments later, he’d cut a gaping hole near the stern, just above the waterline. He covered the hole with a life jacket, knowing the ruse wouldn’t last for long, but maybe it would be enough.

  He met up with Bones just as the men got into their boat and fired up their engine. The boat shot past them and, moments later, it slowed and began to sink. The men cursed in surprise and anger, the chase abandoned as they tried to plug the leaks with whatever they had on hand.

  Dane smiled as he and Bones hit the water, keeping well below the surface and passing unseen beneath the foundering boat. Now, to finish the job.

  Chapter 34

  “That place is crazy-looking,” Bones said, looking out the porthole

  “Inishtooskert,” Tam said. “They call it the Sleeping Giant, or The Dead Man.”

  “How many skirts was that?” Bones asked.

  Tam shook her head and Angel punched him.

  Dane had been correct about the wedge-shaped images on the ceilings of the three chambers. When put together, they formed a map to this, the northernmost of the Blasket Islands off Ireland’s southwest coast. The lonely island had been uninhabited for years, and was home to many ancient ruins. And, as its nickname suggested, when seen from the east, the island did, indeed, look like a man lying on his back. Blanketed by silver moonlight, it put Dane to mind of a corpse lying on a funeral bier.

  “What do you think we’re going to find there?” Dane asked no one in particular.

  Everyone exchanged glances, unwilling or unable to hazard a guess. Finally, Avery spoke up.

  “Avalon. Legend holds it was somewhere across the water. They could have crossed the Irish sea and rounded the coast until they found the perfect place. What better place to lay a king to rest than an island that looks like a giant crypt?”

  No one disagreed.

  “You think King Arthur is somewhere inside that island?” Willis asked.

  “Why not? If our theory is correct, Morgan believes she’s his descendant and would need his remains in order to conduct a DNA test. She’s a museum director, so the public wouldn’t look at the find with the same suspicion they would if some random person claimed he’d found Arthur’s final resting place.”

  “I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Dane said, “So, who’s going and who’s staying?”

  Everyone spoke at once. None of them wanted to remain behind. Not even Corey.

  “We can’t all go. Somebody’s got to stay with the boat.” He looked pointedly at Matt’s broken arm. “And we need a lookout and someone to be our communications man.”

  “That’s me, as always,” Corey grumbled.

  It was agreed that Greg, Tam’s agent, would go ashore and find high ground from which he could serve as lookout. As the the rest of the group made their preparations, Dane pulled Angel aside.

  “I really think you should stay behind. You’ve dealt with too much already.”

  “Forget it. After what I’ve been through, I deserve to see this to the end as much as anyone, if not more. Besides, you can’t tell me what to do.” She grinned, gave him a quick kiss, and left him standing alone belowdecks.

  She was right. He couldn’t tell her what to do, though he wished he could. H
e vowed to keep her close and not let anything happen to her.

  “There you are.” Avery poked her head in the door. “You are coming aren’t you? I mean, we can handle it without you, if you’d rather stay here.” She reached out, took his hand, and pretended to haul him up the stairs. He played along, feigning reluctance. When they reach the deck, she laughed and gave him a hug.

  “We’re going to do it, Maddock! After all these years, Dad’s quest is at an end.”

  “Do you think he had any idea where it would lead us? This is a far cry from a pirate’s treasure.”

  “I doubt it, but I think he’d have loved every minute of it.” She stopped, blinked a few times, and cleared her throat. “I wish he was here.”

  Dane looked out across the moonlit water, and fought down a sudden wave of sadness. He put his arm around Avery’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

  “Me too.”

  It was a steep climb up the side of the Dead Man, and they were all exhausted from the ordeal of the past few days but, buoyed by enthusiasm, they made the climb in good time. Reaching the top, they paused to look out across the water at the chain of islands to the south. It was a beautiful sight, and he found himself wishing he and Angel were here alone, with no thoughts of Morgan or the Dominion to distract them. He looked down at her and could tell by the look in her eyes she was thinking the same thing.

  “All right, Maddock,” Tam said, “take charge of your troops or I’m going to do it for you.” She handed him a flashlight and a sheet of paper.

  Jimmy had made a major breakthrough. He’d broken the bands of code carved on the chamber walls. The resulting message, they hoped, marked out the path they were to follow.

  “Okay, the first line reads, Beneath the eye of the giant lies the door to eternity.”

  “I hate poetry,” Bones mumbled.

  “The head is that way.” Avery pointed to the east.

  They picked their way across the rough terrain, navigating the old ruins, then faced an even more challenging climb up to the jagged rocks that formed the giant’s head. Avery shone her light across the rocks and cried out in triumph. Where the right eye should be, a round boulder four feet across sat in the center of a circular depression.