by David Wood
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.
Maddock 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 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,” Maddock 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.” Maddock 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.” Maddock 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 Maddock’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, apparently, 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.”
Maddock 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 Maddock 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.” Maddock 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 pressed the pommel. As the lights in the blade faded and died, he handed the sword back to Maddock. “This is serious stuff, you know.”
“I know.” Maddock 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,” Maddock 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.”
Maddock 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, Maddock 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.
Maddock 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 Maddock 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 of rang
e 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 leak with whatever they had on hand.
Maddock 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.
Maddock 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 Maddock to mind of a corpse lying on a funeral bier.
“What do you think we’re going to find there?” Maddock 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,” Maddock 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 rest of the group made their preparations, Maddock 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. He 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 reached 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.”
Maddock 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.
“The eyes have it,” Bones proclaimed. He, Maddock, 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. Maddock 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,” Maddock 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.” Maddock 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, the men found themselves staring at an open doorway. The weapons no longer glowed, but hung in the stone doorway. Gingerly, Maddoc
k 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. Maddock 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.
Maddock 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.” Maddock 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.
