by David Wood
“The eyes have it,” Bones proclaimed. He, Dane, and Willis rolled the boulder out of the way, revealing a shaft carved into the rock. Handholds ran down to the floor twenty feet below. Dane insisted on going first, in case there was a trap. The ladies exchanged wearied looks, but didn’t argue. He reached the bottom without incident, and looked around.
He stood in a cave. Evidence of occasional human presence in the distant past lay all about in the form of fire rings, the charred bones of small animals, smoke-stained walls, and carvings. What he did not see was any sort of door, trapdoor, or portal, and certainly no Templar cross. The others reached the bottom and joined him in examining the cave.
“What’s the next line?” Bones asked.
“The three come together and show the way to the Dead Man’s heart.”
“The three what? Wise men? Amigos? Blind mice?”
“The three weapons, genius.” Angel said, pointing to Rhongomnyiad, which Bones wore strapped across his back.
“Definitely,” Dane said, pretending he’d known all along. He suspected he wasn’t fooling anyone, but that was all right. “Everybody spread out and look for carvings that resemble the sword, spear, or dagger.
It wasn’t long before Willis found what they were looking for. A triangular shape formed by carvings that exactly matched the three weapons.
“So what do we do now?” Avery asked.
“I think the weapons are the key.” Dane drew Excalibur and pressed it into the carved outline. As if some magnetic force were pulling it, it clicked into place and light danced in the stone haft. Next, he set Carnwennan, then Rhongomnyiad. For a moment, the three blades burned like a blue sun and, when the light winked out, they found themselves staring at an open doorway. The weapons no longer glowed, but hung in the stone doorway. Gingerly, Dane touched Excalibur. When it didn’t zap him into oblivion, he removed it and the other weapons, and they moved on.
The passageway opened onto a sheer cliff. Dane shone his light down into the yawing abyss, to the rock-strewn bottom a hundred feet down.
“Did I mention I don’t like heights?” Avery asked, moving back from the edge.
“It’s not the height that scares me,” Angel said. “It’s falling from heights.”
“Hey, I’m the one who’s supposed to make the bad jokes,” Bones protested.
Dane shone his light up ahead. Two stone bridges spanned the gap, each only wide enough for one person to cross at a time. He consulted their list of clues.
“The hand of God will carry you across. That’s got to be the bridge on the right. In Biblical times, the left hand was unclean.”
“You’d better be sure,” Tam said. “That’s a long way to fall.”
“One way to find out.” Bones turned and strode out onto the bridge. He reached the center, stopped, and turned back. “Seems pretty solid, and I’m heavier than any of you, so I think we’re good.” He hopped up and down to illustrate his point and, with a crack, a chunk of the bridge rail broke off and fell down into the abyss. “Sorry.”
“Holy crap, Bones.” Dane shook his head. “I still think this is the only way to cross. Anyone who wants to hang back, that’s fine.” They all shook their heads in unison. “All right. One at a time. Heaviest first.” Tam, Angel, and Avery all exchanged appraising looks. “Fine. Willis first, then the ladies in any order you like.” He watched with bated breath as, one by one, his companions crossed over, and then he followed. On the other side, they followed a steep passageway and disappeared down into the darkness.
“I’ve lost the signal.” Locke pocketed his tracking device. “They must have gone underground.”
Tamsin looked at her Sisters. Rhiannon, flanked by her men, was her usual, calm, detached self. The ocean breeze whipped her red hair about like a fiery halo. She didn’t meet Tamsin’s eye, but stared at Morgan, waiting.
Morgan’s implacable stare had been replaced by a manic gleam once they arrived at their destination. She didn’t bat an eye at Locke’s news.
“It is of no matter. Mordred will track her.”
Mordred was Morgan’s prized pet. Bottle green with a bronze chest and red streaked frill and wings, he was the the most successful product of her genetics experiments. At sixteen feet long and standing nearly four feet at the shoulder, he was the largest of Morgan’s children, as she called them. He was also vicious, but that was not what bothered Tamsin about the beast. Mordred was intelligent... too intelligent. He was well-trained, responding to Morgan’s every command, much like a loyal dog, but one look in his eyes suggested there was a limit to his restraint. She only hoped she was not there when he finally broke free of his mistress’s control.
Morgan took a scrap of bloody blue carpet from her pocket and held it out in front of Mordred. The dragon flicked its forked tongue several times, even licking it it once, then looked up at her, indicating his readiness.
Tamsin shivered at the sight.
“Hunt.”
At Morgan’s single word, the dragon dropped his head close to the ground and began flicking his tongue in earnest. Back and forth he went until he hit on something. He stopped, turned his head to look at Morgan, and hissed.
“He has the trail,” Morgan said. “Come.” She moved to walk alongside her pet, while her men kept a safe distance behind. Rhiannon and her men followed.
Tamsin hesitated, stealing a glance at the horizon, before following. She had kept her word to the Dominion, secretly apprising them of the Sisters’ departure and notifying them as soon as she knew their destination. Now she waited for them to fulfill their end of the bargain. They had assured her they had resources embedded in England, ready to move at her call. If they did not arrive soon, all would be lost.
Mordred led them to a passageway at the eastern end of the island amongst the rocky crags. He paused only long enough to make sure the others were coming, then disappeared into the hole. Only one person could climb down at a time, so Tamsin again held back, hoping for some sign of her new allies. Finally, as she was about to descend, she caught sight of a light in the distance, growing larger as it approached. A helicopter! They had not abandoned her after all. Smiling, she began the descent toward her destiny.
“Maddock, can you hear me? Tam! Come in!” Corey cursed and pounded the console. All of his attempts to reach Maddock had been unsuccessful. Wherever Dane and the others had gone, they were well out of radio contact.
“I didn’t get a good look,” Matt said, dropping a pair of binoculars in a chair, “but I think it was Morgan and her men. I caught sight of them at the top of a ridge.”
“How many?” Corey asked. They were anchored in a sheltered cove, well out of sight, but still he worried about being discovered before Maddock and the others returned.
“A lot. Close to twenty.” Matt drummed his fingers on his pistol grip and worked his jaw. “I thought about following them, but it would take me forever to climb up there. They’d be gone.”
Just then, they heard the drone of an engine. Matt hurried out of the cabin, returning minutes later, his face ashen.
“That was an AS532 Cougar.”
“One more time, in English,” Corey said.
“A German transport helicopter. It just dropped a dozen armed men up on the slope.”
Shots rang out in the distance.
“I hope that wasn’t Greg.”
“I’m going to find out. You keep trying to reach Maddock, and be ready to get the hell out of here at the drop of a hat.”
“Matt! You can’t do that! You’ll be killed!”
But Matt was gone. Corey punched the console again and returned to the radio. It was all he could do.
Chapter 35
They entered a cavern honeycombed with side passages, large and small. The floor was cracked and wisps of steam rose all around.
“I don’t like this.” Tam looked down at the ground, as if expecting it to give way at any moment.
They shone their lights all around, the beams slicing
through the mist and revealing carvings of mythical creatures above the various passageways. The room was a veritable menagerie: a griffin to the left, a manticore to right, and various others all around. All of them looked fierce... and hungry.
“How about we move along?” Bones asked, looking nervously around.
“The directions say we’re supposed to feed ourselves to the dragon,” Dane said. “Look around for it, and watch your step.”
They scattered and, moment later, gunfire and shouting erupted from the passageway by which they’d entered. Everyone looked around in alarm, those who were armed drawing their weapons.
“Find the dragon and let’s move!” Dane shouted, moving as quickly as he dared across the precarious ground and shining his light above every passage.
No sooner had he spoken than a group of armed men burst into the cavern. Though the mist limited visibility, the ambient glow of a dozen flashlights playing off damp stone was sufficient to see the gleam of weapons in their hands. The newcomers froze for an instant at the sight of a cavern full of people, then opened fire.
The chamber thundered with the sound of gunfire. Dane hit the ground turned off his flashlight, and returned fire, as did the others in his party. The mist, moving lights, and confusion made him feel as if he were in a madhouse. Bullets ricocheted all around, adding to the danger. More men poured into the chamber, and Dane knew they were outgunned.
“Maddock! The dragon’s over here!” Angel shouted from behind him.
“This way!” he called, keeping low as he ran toward her voice. “Let’s get out of here.”
Avery was nearby, and vanished into the tunnel along with Angel. Dane looked around for the rest of his group, but they had all killed their lights. He could tell by the occasional gunshot from the cavern’s perimeter, however, they were scattered all around and cut off from him.
“Just go!” Tam shouted. “We’ll catch up with you.”
“No way.” Dane dropped to the ground as someone fired off a shot in his direction.
“Maddock, you get out of here or I’ll shoot you myself!” Bones’ voice came through the fog. “Finish it!”
Indecision kept Dane frozen in place long enough to realize the sounds of gunfire on the perimeter were growing fainter. His friends were retreating into the side passages, drawing the attackers away from him. Cursing and blessing them in the same breath, he turned and dashed down the passageway.
Tamsin stumbled through the darkness. Her face was bloody and her body bruised from tripping over unseen obstacles and banging into walls. Her men had abandoned her the moment the fighting started and the Dominion operatives didn’t seem to care who they killed. They had surprised the Sisterhood’s forces and started shooting. They were supposed to have made contact with her and joined forces. How had it gone so wrong?
She grimaced at the question. It had gone wrong because she had placed her trust in Heilig Herrschaft, the most sinister sect of the Dominion and had been betrayed. Now she and her Sisters were paying the price. Morgan had lost all her men except Locke and Jacob. Rhiannon’s force had fared better, taking up defensive positions and holding the attacking force at bay, though who knew how long they could keep it up? If Tamsin’s own men had stood their ground, they might have turned the tide, but the cowards had shown their true colors and now she was alone.
As she reeled forward, she sensed that the space around her had opened up. She had lost her flashlight when the fighting started, and was now, for all practical purposes, blind. She slowed her pace and felt all around her. She was definitely in a large chamber of some kind. She felt around for a wall to guide her and stepped out into open space.
She fell, screaming and grabbing for a handhold. Her fingernails tore as she clutched at rough stone, still falling. And then she hit the ground hard. For one irrational moment, she thought she had fallen to her death. Then she laughed. Feeling around, she realized she’d landed on a ledge. Of course, she didn’t know how she was going to get out of this predicament, but at least she was alive. If only she could call for help, but there was no way her phone would get a signal so far underground.
Her phone!
She cursed herself in three languages as she dug her phone from her pocket and turned it on, using its faint glow to light the space around her. She saw immediately that she had not fallen far, and the rocky face above her was ripe for climbing. Relief flooded through her, renewing her energy.
She had raised her head and shoulders over the top of ledge when she heard a faint sound coming toward her. It wasn’t exactly footsteps, but more of a scraping sound. She froze, hoping it would pass her by, but it came right toward her and, as it approached, she knew what it was.
Mordred.
She knew she should climb back down and wait for the dragon to go away, but fear kept her frozen in place, and she was trembling so hard she was afraid she would lose her grip and, this time, miss the ledge. Mordred had always terrified her, but this was far beyond any fear she had ever felt.
Far down the passageway behind Mordred, she saw a flicker of light. Someone was coming. She tried to cry out, but managed only a whimper. As the light grew stronger, she could finally see the dragon. Its snout was inches from her face.
She shook her head, furtively praying that the beast would go away, but it hissed, and opened its mouth wide.
She found her voice in time to manage a shrill scream that cut off when razor sharp teeth closed around her throat.
Chapter 36
“Oh my God,” Angel whispered as they emerged into a vast cavern. Like one from which they’d just come, tunnels branched out from it on all sides, but that was where the similarities ended. Its walls were sprinkled with crystals that twinkled like tiny stars, the source of their light not readily apparent. In the center of the room, a pit, twenty feet across, plunged down into the earth. Deep in its depths, a vortex swirled, sending up wisps of steam.
All around them, carvings depicted events from King Arthur’s life, but they weren’t exactly what he’d expected. One showed Arthur climbing out of a deep pool, clutching his three weapons— no lady in a lake to be seen. Another image showed him standing before a glowing man. At least, he thought it was a man, but there was something different about him. He looked... alien.
“Bones would love that one,” Angel said.
“Do you see what’s written below it?” Avery’s voice was filled with wonder. “Merlin.”
Not for the first time in the past few days, Dane felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of their discoveries. His mind was abuzz, wondering if what they saw here connected with other, similar finds he and Bones had made in the past.
“Do you want to see him?” Avery’s voice drew him from his thoughts. “Arthur,” she whispered, as if they were attending a viewing in a funeral home. “Come on.”
Two stone footpaths formed a cross above the chasm, supporting a central platform. Upon it, a casket of blue-tinted crystal lay on a bier in the center. As they drew closer, Avery gasped.
“He looks like he just died yesterday.”
Indeed, Arthur’s had to be the most remarkably well-preserved corpse he had ever seen. He was a handsome man of early middle years. His wavy brown hair and thick beard were streaked with silver. He wasn’t as tall or broad of shoulder as Dane had imagined, but had probably been a big man for his day. He had been put to rest in simple garments— no armor or chain mail like Dane had always imagined. His expression in death was serene, as if he were enjoying a pleasant dream.
“What is he holding?” Angel asked, pointing to a simple, stone bowl Arthur held upon his chest. It was carved of chalky white stone, but sparkled throughout with the same substance found on his weapons. It was deeper than an ordinary bowl, and three holes, evenly spaced, were bored just below the rim.
“I think it’s the Holy Grail.” Avery’s face was as pale as the stone from which the bowl was carved.
“Doesn’t look like a chalice to me,” Angel said.
&nbs
p; Dane considered what he knew about Grail lore.
“There are a lot of different ideas about the Grail. Some said it was a chalice, a bowl, even a dish. One legend said it was a stone that fell from the heavens, and later fell into the hands of the Templars.”
“Lapis Exillis,” Avery whispered. “Though some people call it Lapis Elixir.”
“The Philosopher’s Stone,” Dane finished. “I see how it could be both. It’s a bowl that could be used to catch blood, but it also looks like a chalky stone someone could scrape a bit off of and use it for an elixir.”
“Yeah,” Angel said. “It’s sort of got that Alka Seltzer look to it.”
“It’s not quite that simple.”
They whirled about to see Morgan enter the chamber, flanked by Locke and another man on one side, and a huge dragon on the other. She and her men aimed their pistols at Dane.
“Hello, Jacob,” Angel said to the man standing between Morgan and Locke. “Thanks for letting me go, but you forgot to tell me about your boss’s reptile fetish.”
Jacob looked uncomfortable, but Morgan ignored Angel.
“I must commend you on your resourcefulness,” she began. “I did not anticipate the challenge you and your people would pose, but we beat you in the end. Now, I want the three of you to lay down your weapons. You should know, Mister Maddock, that if you try anything, we will shoot the ladies first.”
Dane gritted his teeth. He didn’t see a way out of this one. He wasn’t fast enough to kill all three before they could take a shot, and even if he could take hold of Carnwennan, which he had sheathed on his hip, its cloaking power would not help Angel or Avery. Slowly, he drew his Walther and laid it on the ground. On either side of him, the ladies did the same.
