Ghostwriting

by Traci Harding

  ‘Search me,’ she said spitefully, not too sure which of the men involved in this affair she was madder at.

  ‘If necessary.’ Logan moved as if to frisk her, but Preston held him at bay when he spotted a car approaching.

  ‘Follow us in our car,’ Preston instructed and Logan immediately headed off across the road to where they’d left their vehicle.

  ‘Get in!’ Preston dragged Karita around to the passenger door, and shoved her across into the driver’s seat and climbed in the passenger seat behind her. ‘Let’s drive,’ he instructed, aiming the gun in his lap in her direction.

  What the hell am I doing here? Karita began to wonder on the quiet as she drove. What the hell was I thinking, following a ghost halfway round the world on some hocus pocus treasure hunt?

  Unaware of the history of the dig, Karita had questioned Tristan on the drive down to the island about the reason the Brotherhood suspected that there was buried treasure in this particular spot. Apparently, the location had all the telltale signs.

  Firstly, it was an island, which was the preferred location of pirates when it came to hiding treasure. Secondly, the lad who had found the site over two hundred years ago had noted a large round depression in the small clearing, over which hung a sturdy branch; attached to this branch was an old tackle block. What started out as three lads digging for buried treasure turned into a centuries-long excavation, due to the extraordinary defence system of the site. For soon after the dig commenced, flagstones, made of a type of slate not to be found on the island, were unearthed and there was a short drop into a shaft that contained more dirt. Differing platforms were found at ten-foot intervals during the major digs that followed, some of these platforms were constructed of ancient oak, and others of charcoal putty and stones. At 90 feet there was a stone inscribed with hieroglyphs that echoed the prophecy inscribed on Karita’s chimney stacks. This prophecy was known to the Brotherhood via a few surviving pages of the old texts … ‘The gold plate is a treasure buried in a subterranean vault.’

  Karita had noted that this message did not contain the omitted word either, and she felt that this was a sign that Tristan was meant to find the treasure as nobody else would understand the message — the pit was just a distraction from the real treasure located somewhere nearby.

  At 93 feet deep, the floor of the shaft began to turn to soft mud and overnight the pit filled with 60 feet of water. It was later discovered that the beach some 500 feet away from the dig was artificial. Examination showed that the original clay of the cove had been dug away and in its place were laid stones, covered by dead eel grass, which was in turn covered by coconut fibre and finally sand. Below this layer were five box drains that merged, well back from the coast, into a single tunnel that ran to the dig site. The filtering action of the coconut fibre and the eelgrass ensured that the drains never became clogged. The custodians of the site in the 1930s managed to block off the flood tunnel from the cove, only to discover more water pouring in from the opposite direction via a route from the south shore. Later that century, drilling indicated a possible cement vault at the 153-foot level.

  At the present time the south end of the island was full of old shafts and it was increasingly hard to tell where the original dig located; only certain men knew — men like Preston Molay and Logan de Scott.

  ‘I really wish you would just tell us what you know, Karita.’ Preston broke the silence. ‘Why are you placing yourself in such danger? Because of de Scott’s ghost?’

  ‘I’ve been asking myself the same questions,’ Karita replied, carefully. It was in her interest to try and befriend Molay, but having seen Tristan confront his spiritual mentor, Karita knew in her heart that Tristan would not abandon this quest, for his eternal soul depended on it. ‘Can I ask you a question?’

  ‘Shoot,’ Preston said cheerily, aiming the gun away from her to take the sting out of his pun.

  ‘What does the Brotherhood plan to do with this sacred knowledge you’re all seeking?’ Karita held a hand up to delay his response. ‘I know you’re going to say that you hope to be enlightened by the ancient insight, and that you plan to be the sacred guardians of the knowledge, as you have been training through the ages to do. But, if yourself and Logan de Scott are any indication of the kind of men that shall have this knowledge at their disposal, do you really need to ask me why I hesitate to share?’

  Preston was clearly impressed by her answer and overwhelmed by her question. ‘Look, I know you have a very bad impression of me,’ he began, ‘but before this little fiasco began I was just an art collector —’

  ‘Just an art collector?’ Karita felt he was being too modest.

  ‘Well,’ he raised his eyebrows and smiled, ‘not just an art collector. But I had never touched a gun, let alone fired one! And for the record, I don’t agree with the conclusions that the Brotherhood drew in relation to Tristan de Scott’s case.’

  Karita felt herself warming to Preston and immediately became wary.

  ‘I believe Tristan was a channel, much as his great-grandson is,’ Preston ventured. ‘Thus, one must consider that Tristan’s claim to be in touch with the Master entity behind a stream of great men who passed the secret doctrine down the ages could be true.’

  Oh, how Karita wanted to tell him of her encounter with this great Master. How the Brotherhood would seethe if they discovered that this mighty being had appeared to a woman who was virtually ignorant of their doctrine. ‘Well, perhaps there’s hope for you yet.’ Karita skirted around the real issue.

  It was plain to see that the dig site had once been quite a major affair. The hole in the ground, which extended down nearly a hundred feet, had claimed many lives in the past couple of centuries and even modern construction and reinforcement techniques had failed to make the dig shaft secure. This was why, for the present, the excavation had been abandoned.

  ‘Now, about the key to this chest,’ Preston asked, shining his torchlight on the locked item. Logan placed it at Karita’s feet and stepped away to let Preston handle the interrogation.

  ‘Once you have that key, I become another victim of this accursed hole in the ground … am I right?’ Karita asked, figuring that she had some defence.

  ‘Not at all,’ Preston assured her sweetly. ‘Your safety depends entirely on how cooperative you are prepared to be. The Brotherhood always rewards the faithful.’

  ‘That’s not what I’ve heard,’ Karita scoffed, as she watched Logan come up behind Preston and rap him over the head with the butt of a gun.

  Karita squealed and jumped back as the art collector dropped to the ground at her feet. Logan dropped the gun and grabbed hold of both Karita’s wrists. ‘Sorry if I had you worried there, lass. I spied them lurking about the shore and needed to draw them in close.’

  ‘Tristan?’ replied a stupefied Karita.

  ‘Aye.’ He winked in reassurance.

  ‘You used me as bait?’ She wanted to make sure she understood him correctly, wrenching herself from his grip. When Tristan nodded, Karita punched him square in the jaw. ‘You had me scared shitless, you arsehole!’ She belted him again and finally felt satisfied. ‘That second one was for Logan.’ She shook her hand which ached from the impact; she’d never struck anyone before and that just went to show how rattled this whole adventure had made her.

  ‘I’ll be sure and pass it on.’ Tristan held up both hands in defence, in case Karita intended to hit him again. ‘Women have changed somewhat since my time.’ He dared to nurse his aching face when Karita backed away a little.

  ‘You’d better believe it, buster.’ Karita gave her body a slight shake, in an attempt to cast off her anger.

  ‘Well, if it makes you feel any better, I couldn’t take Logan over until I got him away from Molay, or the element of surprise would have been lost.’ He grinned, wiping the trickle of blood from the side of Logan’s mouth. ‘Our fearless leader here has saved us a lot of trouble, as he’s mapped out for us the location we seek on this old dig
site.’ Logan reached into Preston’s suit jacket and pulled out the map.

  ‘That information was on the stacks, too?’ Karita regretted her little outburst, but did not admit it.

  ‘Aye,’ Tristan confirmed. ‘Although I must say I am impressed that Preston made the connection between those directions and this dig without knowing the omitted word. It means that I don’t have to bother translating the old doctrine.’ He opened the map to peruse it.

  ‘Good plan,’ Karita conceded finally, passing Tristan a tissue from her pocket. ‘Next time, tell me details before and not after the fact.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry,’ Tristan said ruefully, dabbing away the blood from his split lip. ‘I won’t make that mistake again.’

  As Tristan eyed over Molay’s translation and calculations using the torch, Karita crouched down to check on the unconscious man.

  When Tristan noticed the care she took in rolling Preston over and making him comfortable, he felt a twinge of jealousy. ‘Don’t bother mollycoddling the man. You are only going to be tying him to Logan here and dropping them both down that shaft.’

  ‘What!’ Karita stood to debate the issue. ‘That shaft is over a hundred feet deep!’

  Logan shrugged.

  ‘And it floods at high tide!’ she added, enraged by his indifference. ‘How the hell are they supposed to swim if they’re tied up?’

  ‘That’s their problem,’ Tristan insisted. ‘They invited this fate when they threatened your life.’

  ‘I won’t do it!’ Karita stood firm and defiant.

  ‘Fine.’ Tristan handed her the map and the torch. ‘I’ll do it myself.’ He grabbed Molay and began dragging him toward the hole in the ground.

  ‘Don’t you do it.’ Karita began to panic, until it occurred to her how she might threaten the ghost. She began folding the map. ‘One more step and I’ll rip this map into confetti.’

  Tristan stopped and dropped Molay. ‘Are you sweet on this lying thug, is that it?’

  ‘Are you jealous?’ Karita realised the true source of Tristan’s anger.

  Stunned, Logan’s expression turned to that of a man betrayed. ‘I’d just like to see you live through this.’

  ‘But you’re not a murderer, Tristan.’ Karita appealed to his good nature.

  Logan’s eyes filled with tears suddenly, for her claim was true enough. ‘I’d kill to save you.’

  Karita softened her tone, touched by his concern.

  ‘I don’t doubt that your motive is in my best interests and maybe I am naive, but …’ Karita tucked the map into a pocket and approached Logan, ‘I’d rather die than have these men’s souls on my conscience for the rest of my days. And I’m sure that killing these men was not what your Master had in mind when he sent you on this quest.’

  Logan began to tremble with the emotional distress Tristan felt. ‘They took everything from me.’ He looked down to direct his anger at Molay.

  ‘No!’ Karita grabbed his face and made him look into her eyes. ‘Not these men,’ she stressed, and unsure of how best to ease the ghost’s painful memories, she kissed him.

  As their mouths melted softly together for the longest while, Karita felt all the tension and anger rush from Logan’s body. The gates to her heart, which had been closed for years due to lack of motivation, were suddenly flung wide open, and love, joy and happiness came flooding out.

  Logan grinned as Karita pulled back, flushed and radiant. ‘A very convincing argument, I must say.’

  Karita shrugged, rather overawed herself. ‘I excelled at debating when I was at school,’ she commented, unsure of how to explain her tactics.

  ‘I would warrant, you did, lass —’ With the sound of a gun being cocked, the smile dropped from Logan’s lips and their attention was drawn to the now conscious Preston Molay.

  ‘I know how you feel about Logan de Scott, Miss Torelle,’ Preston rose to his feet, the gun aimed at Karita, ‘so I am guessing your beloved ghost is having another possession session.’ As Molay shifted his aim to Logan, Karita jumped into the line of fire.

  ‘Were you lying to me about the gun, Preston?’ Karita appealed, scared out of her mind by her own heroics. She knew what Preston was thinking; with Logan dead there would be no body for Tristan to possess.

  Preston mulled over the question, maintaining his aim. ‘No.’

  ‘Then put it away.’ Karita stared him down as she inched her way toward him. ‘The Brotherhood will ensure your worldly freedom if you kill us, but only you can ensure the freedom of your eternal soul.’

  ‘Stay.’ Preston backed up a step, and Karita froze. Clearly, Preston was in conflict with himself and she didn’t want to rush him into choosing unwisely.

  ‘The great Master who once worked through Tristan —’

  ‘Karita, no,’ Tristan interrupted, to caution her against disclosing anything about that entity.

  ‘I’ve met him,’ she boasted and Logan groaned in protest. ‘It’s all true, Preston … the afterlife, reincarnation, the House of the Spirits, all of it! But the treasure can only be found by the righteous,’ she emphasised and her point hit home this time. ‘From what I can tell of you and Tristan, you are both good men, who’ve kept bad company. If you could just stop seeing each other through the Brotherhood’s eyes, you might both realise that you can help each other.’ She lightened the tone of her lecture, as Preston lowered his aim. ‘I see no reason why we can’t all get what we want out of this.’

  ‘Sanest idea I’ve heard yet,’ Preston admitted, tucking his gun away.

  ‘We can’t take him along,’ Tristan objected. ‘Whatever we discover, mankind is not ready to know of it. The Master said so.’

  ‘From what I can tell of the Master … if he doesn’t want Preston to know or remember anything, then he won’t.’ Karita took a deep breath to contain her frustration. ‘Or perhaps, once made privy to divine inspiration, Preston will realise his colleagues are not ready.’ She approached Logan and removed the gun from his person. ‘What I guess I’m trying to say is that we have no right to judge a man we hardly know … so why don’t we leave those kinds of decisions to the powers that be, hey?’

  ‘I still don’t trust him,’ Tristan stated for the record.

  Karita moved to Preston and held out a hand to request he hand his weapon over.

  ‘Well, I trust you.’ He cooperated, whereby Karita cast both guns into the deep shaft.

  ‘You,’ she gave Tristan the map and the torch, ‘give directions. And you,’ she directed Preston, ‘get the chest.’

  6. House of the Holy

  Long ago it was known that man could

  do everything he conceived he would.

  It was only man who changed the game,

  by believing himself unworthy of gain.

  The steadfast soul need never fear,

  divine assistance is always near.

  The Man clear of heart, soul and mind,

  will transcend the ring-pass-not of time.

  Fortunately, there were not too many obstructions en route, bar the dense scrub of the forest and the darkness of the moonless night. They were pacing out an old trail on a northerly bearing, which the legend claimed would lead them to a great marker of cold fire.

  ‘What the …?’ Tristan mumbled as he shone the torch over a boulder that lay directly in their path.

  Karita stumbled out of the bush next, inspecting her clothes, which had become ragged on the way. She was disappointed to discover that she’d just ruined a perfectly good pair of trousers and a sweater. ‘What is fire-like about this?’ Karita threw her hands up in the air. ‘Cold, yes … great, certainly … but fire, gentlemen?’

  ‘Well, assuming this is the marker,’ Tristan advised, checking their instructions, ‘the map ends here, with a riddle.’

  ‘Let’s have it,’ Karita urged.

  ‘At the heart of the rose is a symbol,’ he read, ‘at the centre of which lies the House of the Holy.’

  ‘That’s very prett
y.’ Karita was losing her patience. She was tired, dirty, hungry and seemingly lost! ‘What the hell is it supposed to mean?’

  Tristan looked at her apologetically; he obviously had no idea.

  ‘Great!’ She looked at Preston, who’d been very quiet, to find him looking very pleased with himself. ‘Do you want to share your joy with the other children?’

  ‘I’d just like to state now, before I answer this little conundrum for you both, that I don’t have to.’ He aimed his point at Tristan. ‘So, I think this proves Karita’s theory that I am meant to be present, as without me your hunt would end here, unfruitfully.’

  ‘All right.’ Karita urged him to get on with it. ‘Your readiness to bequeath information is a credit to you.’

  ‘Only if the information proves correct,’ Tristan growled; he didn’t like being upstaged in front of the object of his desire.

  Preston looked at Karita; he was out to impress. ‘You asked what is fire-like about this marker? This is one of six such boulders that are laid out in the shape of a cross that is almost nine hundred feet long. The element of fire is related to the south in all esoteric doctrine. I think we can safely assume that this stone represents the southern tip of the cross. Legend states that the boulders marked the final resting place of the Holy Grail.’

  Karita wasn’t too sure what she thought about that and so looked at Logan to hear Tristan’s view.

  ‘The Grail is the Philosopher’s Stone, which is the key that unlocks the House of the Spirits to mankind,’ he mumbled. ‘This is one of the central teachings of the order of the Rose Cross …’

  ‘Yes …’ Preston encouraged Tristan’s train of thought.

  ‘We must look for the central boulder of this configuration,’ Tristan concluded.

  ‘Elementary,’ Preston warranted with good cheer.

  ‘But if there are six boulders, doesn’t that mean that there are two central boulders?’ Karita figured.