Fountain of Secrets (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  “Does that mean I should have died too?” Kendall asked.

  “Perhaps.” Marco’s blue eyes met Kendall’s, and she knew he wasn’t telling the truth. Not all of it anyway.

  “Marco, am I Adam?” Nathan asked.

  Marco smiled. “It’s not for me to say.” Claiming he needed rest, although he seemed to have more energy than Kendall had seen before, he asked Brandi to help him. His cross got them both safely past the statues.

  Things were awkward with just Kendall, Nathan, and Jake there. They were quiet at first, each of them grappling with the events of the night and the discovery, or doubt, that Nathan was Adam. Slowly, as in the way that the present always supersedes the past, their relationships fell back into place as they explored the temple. It was an astonishing place. They found seven statues, placed at intervals along the edges of the room. Kendall studied each one, wondering who was inside the stone, who the guardian had been before becoming a sentinel. She touched several of them and saw glimpses of lives lived and lost. The sensations were so strong they could have been overwhelming, but they weren’t. She felt calm. Controlled. Then they made another astonishing discovery. In a small room behind an ornate, iron door they found three marble tombs.

  “No names,” Jake said, running his hand over the middle tomb. “Who do you think is in there?”

  “I think we’ve found King Arthur and Guinevere,” Kendall said.

  “So the monks hid the bodies,” Nathan said. “What about the third tomb?”

  Kendall touched the cold marble and felt an ache in her heart. “One of the other knights? I don’t know.”

  “Something about this place is eerie,” Jake said. “Let’s get back to the fountain.”

  Nathan frowned, his expression troubled. “Yeah. Let’s leave them in peace.”

  Afterward, Kendall, Nathan, and Jake sat on the steps, staring at the Fountain of Youth.

  “The red stream looks like the Chalice Well,” Jake said.

  “I think it’s a combination of both the Chalice Well and the White Spring,” Kendall said. “Two sources, both powerful.”

  Jake looked at Nathan. “You thinking about taking a swim?”

  “Tempting,” Nathan said.

  “Don’t risk it. We don’t know how the fountain works,” Kendall said. “The Reaper said it’s deadly to drink from anything but a holy vessel. I saw a cup and a vial in the castle, in the room with the mural. The Protettori drink water from the fountain in a ceremony. I don’t know if getting in the water would work.”

  “I guess the question is, would it hurt?” Jake said. “The Protettori do like traps. Look what happened when the Reaper drank from the wrong cup. He’s going to be pissed.”

  “Pissed, or intrigued,” Nathan said. “Neither one is a good prospect for Kendall.”

  “I don’t like how he looked at her,” Jake said. “If he isn’t dead, he’s going to come for her.”

  “You have to stay at the mansion where we can protect you,” Nathan said.

  “If I’m a Keeper, you two have to stop giving orders,” Kendall said.

  “Just because you’re part of the Protettori doesn’t mean someone can’t hurt you,” Jake said. “Even with that superpower thing you did to the Reaper. I doubt you have any control over it any more than Nathan does. Hell, I feel like the nerd here. I’m the only one without any superpowers.”

  Kendall patted Jake’s leg. “You have guns and two of the best fists I’ve ever seen.”

  “That’s not much compared to the Hulk here, and you, what are you, Wonder Woman?”

  “Don’t pout,” Kendall said. “Who knows, you might have some kind of superpower too. I had no idea I could do anything like that. I think I’m going to have to try to read Marco. There are still a lot of loose ends to figure out. He isn’t telling us everything. Raphael is hiding something too.”

  “What are we gonna do about Brandi? She’s determined to destroy the relics, and now she knows where the Fountain of Youth is.” Nathan scratched his chin, shadowed with two days’ growth of beard. Kendall still couldn’t grasp that he was Adam. After she had spent a lifetime being haunted by him, missing him every day, feeling like a piece of her soul was missing, that she had failed him, now he was here. Alive.

  “She’s probably plotting a way to blow up the temple as we speak,” Jake said. “She knows too much.”

  “We’re not killing her,” Kendall said.

  “I didn’t say we should,” Jake said. “But you know she’ll try to destroy the relics. She’s not going to care that you’re the Keeper.”

  “If Raphael kills the Reaper, Brandi won’t need the relics,” Kendall said.

  “I don’t think the Reaper is dead,” Nathan said. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.”

  “Then you could kidnap her,” Jake said. “Make sure she doesn’t interfere.”

  “I considered it at the hotel,” Nathan said.

  “You can’t just go around kidnapping people,” Kendall said.

  “Nathan could buy her off,” Jake said. “Give her a million dollars to go off to some resort.”

  “It wouldn’t work,” Nathan said. “She’s determined to stop the Reaper. And now she has Thomas’s death to avenge.”

  “Assuming the Reaper is still alive, we’ll have to convince Brandi to work with us, not against us.”

  “And if she won’t?” Jake asked.

  “I’m not so worried about the temple,” Kendall said. “She can’t get in without a cross, and she can’t blow it up without the whole world knowing. But I think she’ll go for the chalice.”

  “We don’t even know where to start looking for the real chalice,” Jake said.

  “That’s why we have Kendall,” Nathan said.

  “Keeper of the relics,” Jake said.

  Keeper. “I can’t believe this,” Kendall said. She was part of the Protettori. It still didn’t seem real, or even right. She was just Kendall. Just a woman. How could she be part of a secret order?

  “I guess you’ll have to tell her where you’ve hidden the Spear of Destiny,” Jake said to Nathan.

  “Will I?”

  “If you don’t, she might fling you around like she did the Reaper,” Jake said.

  “I’m not flinging anyone around… as long as you stop treating me like I’m helpless. So, what do we do with this place?”

  “You’re the Keeper,” Jake said. “What do you think?”

  “We guard it,” she said.

  “We?” Jake said.

  “I can’t do it alone. God knows where Raphael is. Marco comes and goes like the tide. We’re it. Can you station guards throughout the tunnel?” Kendall asked Nathan.

  He nodded. “We’ll have to bring them in through the opening in the Tor. We can’t let anyone know about the portal in the maze.”

  “And the entrance through the Tor,” Jake said. “Although it’s probably safe since it’s been there for God knows how long and no one has found it.”

  “We’ll put in a steel door with an access code,” Nathan said.

  “That might be hard to explain to the good folks of Glastonbury,” Jake said.

  “We’ll have to bring it through the maze so no one sees,” Nathan said. “That means you and I will have to do it. We’ll leave the outside disguised as it is.”

  “And the priest hole will have to be sealed,” Kendall said. “If someone did find it, they’d probably never get past that wall that fell. But we should seal the entrance up to be safe. We’ll have to do it at night so no one sees.”

  “It’s almost dawn. We should go back before Fergus comes with a search party.”

  They turned the wheel and watched as the floor covered the steps leading to the fountain.

  “This isn’t the end,” Kendall said. “If the Reaper is still alive, he’ll try to find the real Holy Grail.”

  “I guess that’s our next relic,” Jake said. “The Holy Grail. Sounds like a quest.”

  “Maybe that
’s why you dreamed of King Arthur when you were a kid,” Kendall said. “Because one day you would have the same quest he did.”

  “It’d be nice if King Arthur would give us a hint where we can find it,” Jake said as they walked back to the Abbey House. His words held their usual sarcasm, but also a bit of awe.

  Fergus had already formed a search party of two—himself and Art. They were trying to get into the priest hole when Kendall, Nathan, and Jake found them. Fergus was dressed in his butler suit and was backing into the hole while Art directed him from below. When grilled, Art swore he hadn’t told a soul about the great secret he had been entrusted with, that Fergus had forced him on pain of death to take him to the tunnel.

  “That is an extreme exaggeration,” Fergus said, glaring at Art.

  After they got rid of Art, Fergus, Kendall, Nathan, and Jake went to the room. Nathan sat on the sofa. “Fergus, who am I?”

  Fergus blinked. “What do you mean, sir?”

  “You know bloody well what I mean. Who hired you?”

  Fergus pulled in a breath that made the buttons on his shirt strain at the buttonholes. “Marco.”

  “How the bloody hell did that happen?”

  “He contacted me through an employment service. He said he had an orphaned boy who needed to be looked after.”

  “You never told me this?”

  “You never asked, sir. And Marco made me swear in writing that I would not tell you anything about your childhood. He said it was a matter of security.”

  “This is crazy,” Nathan said. “Who was my father?”

  “I don’t know that, sir. Someone powerful with powerful enemies. Marco said you must be protected.”

  “Stop calling me sir. What about the money, the boarding schools… Where did it come from?” Nathan asked.

  “The foundation, sir. The one you asked me to research.”

  “The one that owns the castle in Italy? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You already had so much on your mind. Then I saw Marco and I was shocked. I hadn’t seen him since you were a boy. He and I talked, and we decided it best to wait a while to tell you.”

  “But you work for me,” Nathan said.

  “Not technically,” Fergus said.

  “I should fire you.”

  Fergus scowled at Nathan. “I was doing my job, sir. The job I was hired to do. I’ve done it very well. I’ve watched over you as I would my own son.”

  Nathan sighed. “I’m sorry, Fergus.” He rubbed his chin. “I just wish you had told me.”

  “I couldn’t. I was sworn to secrecy, and I thought your life depended on it. Are you planning to return to the hotel tonight? I think Marco will need to rest first, and I’m sure he would like to visit the abbey again before we go. It’s been a long time since he was here.”

  “I’m not going anywhere tonight,” Kendall said. Her brain was fried.

  “We’ll stay here until tomorrow,” Nathan said. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m too tired to move anyway.”

  Fergus fairly flew out of the room, leaving Kendall, Nathan, and Jake alone. She sat down across from the men. “Some night this has been. We found the Fountain of Youth, finally met the Reaper.” She looked at Nathan. “Discovered that Adam is alive.”

  “I’m still not sure I’m Adam. There are some things that make me think I am. The man in my dream, or my memory, whatever it was, he called me Adam.” He rubbed a hand through his hair. “The first time I saw you, I felt as if I knew you. That’s one reason I hired you. I had to know why you looked familiar when nothing from my childhood was.”

  “I saw one of your memories in the fountain room,” Kendall said. “I saw myself as a little girl. How could you have seen me back then if you’re not Adam? And only Adam knew our secret sign for trust me. Do you want me to try to read you? Maybe it’ll jog something.”

  “Maybe later.”

  “Why not now?” Kendall asked. “Then you’ll know for sure.” She wasn’t positive she could read him, but there might be a chance if he wasn’t blocking her.

  “He’s afraid,” Jake said quietly, his lips tight. “He’s afraid he’s not Adam.”

  Nathan gave Jake an irritated look, but he didn’t deny it.

  “We need to go back to Great Falls and see if you remember anything,” Kendall said.

  “Great Falls?” Nathan asked.

  “That’s where you lived. Where Adam lived.”

  Nathan nodded. “That might help. I get these flashes of strange places. Strange faces.”

  “If you’re Adam, and I think you are, I owe you an apology. You tried to stop me from leaving the room at the castle, but I didn’t listen. I got you into this. I’m probably responsible for your father dying, for my father dying.”

  Nathan put his hand over hers. “I don’t think you caused it. You said something was bothering your father, and mine, or Adam’s. If he had money and a rare collection, I’m sure he had enemies. There were probably threats. Look at me. There are many people who would kill for my collection, not just the Reaper. It’s not your fault.” He shrugged. “I can’t remember them anyway.”

  “Your… condition is also my fault. You were there when I took the vow, and you got caught in the light.”

  “I think you were right about it not being a curse. Not exactly. I don’t understand it, but I feel like I’ve gained more control.”

  “You may be like Raphael. You have to learn to use it.”

  “Are you saying he’s a damned guardian?” Jake asked.

  “He’s got the eyes and the speed,” Kendall said. “And I didn’t tell you that the black knight in the tunnel had glowing eyes.”

  Jake threw up his hands. “Now you’re gonna tell me Nathan is Adam and some kind of modern knight?”

  “I’m not saying that,” Kendall said. “But it’s kind of odd if you think about it. Marco said King Arthur and his knights were the first of the order. Raphael is really old. He could have been a knight, and his eyes glow like Nathan’s.”

  “If Raphael gets back alive, he’s got some questions to answer,” Nathan said.

  “I’m not calling you Adam,” Jake said.

  Nathan shrugged. “I’ve been Nathan for longer than I’ve been Adam, if I’m even him.” Then he and Jake started arguing about sleeping arrangements. “Maybe there’s another room available?”

  “There’s not,” Jake said. “I checked for you.”

  “For me?” Nathan said, frowning.

  “You two take the bed,” Kendall said. “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

  “Let him take the sofa,” Jake said.

  “I’m going to take a shower. You two sort it out.” She needed just a moment without having either of them around.

  She walked into the bathroom and undressed. She pulled back the shower curtain to turn on the water and saw a man’s legs stretched out in the bathtub. Kendall screamed and the man leapt at her, but he got tangled in the shower curtain and fell into her. They both landed on the floor. The bathroom door crashed open as Kendall realized who was on top of her.

  Raphael.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  THERE ARE ALWAYS so many people involved in the complex process of taking a book from that first glimmer of an idea to a published story. As always, I have to thank my husband and kids for their patience and love and inspiration. Austin, you have some great ideas! Thanks to my agent, Christine Witthohn, a true friend and champion. My critique partner, Dana Rodgers, for her wonderful editing and brainstorming. Thanks to Lori McDermeit, Tamie Holmes, and Fawn Johns for their insights into the book. Lori—if I’m ever out that way, I want one of your meals! To Clarence Haynes, my developmental editor, for his expert direction, and to Kelli Martin, my wonderful Montlake editor, and the Montlake team, thank you all!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Barbara Woodard

  NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author Anita Clenney writes mysteries and paranormal romantic suspense novels, including th
e bestselling Connor Clan series. Clenney grew up an avid reader, devouring Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books before moving on to mysteries and romance. It was only after several successful but wildly different careers—including work as an executive assistant, a real estate agent, a teacher’s assistant, and a brief stint in a pickle factory—that she discovered her untapped passion for writing. Clenney’s first novel, Awaken the Highland Warrior, won the Single Title Reviewers’ Choice Award. She lives with her husband and two children in suburban Virginia.

  www.anitaclenney.com