Arkana Archaeology Mystery Box Set 2

by N. S. Wikarski

  “But you don’t have the entire artifact,” Cassie countered sweetly.

  All three foes stared at the pythia in shocked disbelief.

  “Gal, you’re as crazy as the feller who made that ostrich.” Hunt laughed. “I seen the doodad with my own eyes. There ain’t nothin’ missin’ from that little butterfly lady.”

  “The base is missing,” Griffin informed him. “It’s a prismatic key.”

  “A what now?” Hunt squinted.

  “A bundle of rectangles of different lengths. They fit into a recessed lock which we presume opens the door to the Sage Stone’s hiding place.”

  While the scrivener had been speaking, Cassie produced a photo of the object. “It looks like this.” She held the picture forward for the others to see. After waiting only ten seconds, she snatched the photo back. “That’s long enough. We don’t need you trying to replicate the design from memory.”

  “You might easily have fabricated this relic of yours,” the diviner protested. “Who’s to say you didn’t concoct this scheme just to sow seeds of doubt in our minds.”

  Cassie shrugged. “Well, there’s one easy way to find out. Go ahead and spend months chasing down the Sage Stone on your own. When you get to the right spot and realize you don’t have the key to open the lock, then you’ll know for sure I was telling the truth. Oh, wait.” She paused, mimicking confusion. “By the time you get there, your precious Sage Stone will be long gone because we actually do have the key.”

  Metcalf turned angrily toward his son. “I still say they’re lying.”

  Daniel shook his head slowly. “I don’t think so, Father. The clue itself makes mention of a key. Besides, we stand a much better chance of finding the relic with their cooperation.”

  “In fact, we’re willing to retrieve the Sage Stone on your behalf and deliver it to you,” Griffin offered.

  The diviner said nothing for a full minute as he assessed the situation. Eventually, he let out a deep sigh. Focusing on the Arkana agents, he asked, “In exchange for what?”

  “Hannah,” the pythia answered.

  “That’s preposterous!” Metcalf exclaimed sharply. “Why would you want my wife?”

  “To protect ourselves,” Cassie said. “This whole treasure hunt has gotten way too dangerous. Once you have the Sage Stone, you might consider coming after us. If we have Hannah, then you won’t.”

  “Just like I told you before, boss,” Leroy chimed in. “They was keepin’ the little gal at that farmhouse as insurance.”

  “Surely you don’t expect me to agree to let you hold her hostage permanently,” the old man protested.

  “Just long enough for us to cover our tracks,” Cassie explained.

  “Once we’re out of harm’s way, we’ll tell you the location where she can be found,” Griffin said.

  “And why should I believe you’ll keep your word and not murder her instead?” Metcalf retorted.

  “Because the whole point of this deal is to get you out of our hair once and for all,” Cassie said. “It wouldn’t make any sense for us to give you a bigger reason to keep hating on us.”

  Metcalf stared down at the granite tiles beneath his feet and tapped his cane absently, considering the proposition.

  Cassie and Griffin waited tensely for his decision.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the old man raised his head and glowered at them. “I have two conditions.”

  “Name them,” the scrivener said.

  “Firstly, you won’t bring the Sage Stone to me. I will be at the site when you retrieve it. You are merely to locate the spot and tell me where to meet you.”

  “OK.” Cassie nodded. “What else?”

  “My son Daniel will accompany you on your quest.”

  “What?” Griffin, Cassie, and Daniel cried in unison.

  “If my son goes along, then I can be certain you won’t try to deceive us.”

  Now it was the Arkana agents who hesitated.

  Griffin shrugged. Addressing Cassie, he said regretfully, “I don’t think we have any choice.” Turning to Metcalf, he conceded, “Very well. We’ll perform our research here, and when we’ve targeted a potential location overseas, we’ll notify Daniel. We know where to find him.”

  “Now hold on a minute, boss,” Hunt protested.

  The others turned toward him in surprise.

  “I been part of this operation from Day One. I’d kind of like to see how it all pans out.”

  “Never fear, Mr. Hunt. You will be at my side when the Sage Stone is recovered.” In a lower voice, the diviner added, “I have other ways to occupy your time before that day arrives.”

  “Just so’s I’m there for the big finish,” the cowboy assented half-heartedly. He clearly wasn’t pleased about being left behind.

  The diviner listed to one side apparently weakened by the effort of standing so long. Daniel hastened to catch his elbow. “I believe that concludes our business for the moment?” Metcalf looked at the Arkana agents searchingly.

  “We’ll be in touch with Daniel once we’ve figured out a starting point,” Cassie informed him.

  Hunt tipped his hat. “Adios, Miss Cassie.” He gave a cursory nod toward the scrivener. “Grif.”

  He then turned and shepherded the other two across the plaza.

  Their progress was slow as the diviner stopped every few paces to catch his breath.

  Cassie waited until their foes were out of earshot before confiding, “Is it just me or did Metcalf throw Hannah under the bus way too fast? He really didn’t balk at the idea of letting us take her hostage.”

  Griffin took a few moments to consider her question. “Given the extreme lengths to which he went to retrieve her, it does seem odd that he’d relinquish her again so easily.”

  They silently watched as the trio paused at the Adams Street stoplight a block away.

  Cassie’s eyes narrowed to slits. “That fossil is planning to double-cross us.”

  The scrivener laughed wryly. “It’s hard to summon up a proper sense of righteous indignation when we’re arranging a betrayal of our own.”

  “Yeah, but we’re the good guys.” The pythia’s voice held a note of outraged innocence.

  Her partner cocked an amused eyebrow. “I’m quite sure Mr. Metcalf would say the same about himself.”

  Chapter 6—Smoke and Mirrors

  Cassie and Griffin stood hesitantly before the chatelaine’s office door. The pythia gave her partner a wry glance. “Brace yourself. Here goes nothing.” She knocked tentatively. “Maddie, can we come in?”

  Rather than the Arkana’s resident Amazon, the door was opened by a spiky-haired teenager. “Oh, hi guys. C’mon in.”

  “Zach! What are you doing here?” the scrivener asked in surprise.

  The duo stepped into the room.

  “Maddie has me organizing some budget reports.”

  “Have you seen Faye today?” the pythia asked softly. The memory guardian was still comatose in the vault infirmary.

  “Yeah.” Zach’s shoulders sagged. “Same old, same old. I hate seeing Gamma like that. Alive but not alive. When is she gonna snap out of it?”

  “You know the doctors had to induce a coma to avert the risk of permanent brain damage,” Griffin reminded him.

  “Give it time, kid,” the pythia counseled. “It might be a month or more before the swelling comes down. Faye took a nasty tumble during the Nephilim raid. In fact, we’re lucky she’s alive at all. She needs time to heal.” Cassie paused and sighed ruefully. “Considering how hard we’ve been slammed in the last few weeks, I think we all need time to heal.” She stepped forward and gave the boy a hug.

  He returned the embrace gratefully. “Gamma will be alright. I know it. She’s a tough old lady.”

  “She is that,” Cassie agreed.

  Scanning the office, Griffin asked, “Would you happen to know the whereabouts of our chatelaine?”

  �
��She’s up in the chimney.” Zach referred to Maddie’s personal smoking lounge in the converted bell tower that capped the building. “Have you guys noticed that she’s been smoking more lately?” He peered at them earnestly. “I think everything that’s happened has sent her around the bend.”

  “Oh, this is nothing,” Cassie countered. She traded a significant glance with Griffin. “You’ll know when Maddie’s gone completely around the bend.”

  Undeterred, Zach persisted. “Seriously. Somebody needs to have a long talk with her about quitting cigarettes.”

  “NO!” Both Cassie and Griffin shouted in unison.

  “Jeez, you guys,” the tyro muttered. “It was just a suggestion.”

  “And it’s an excellent one,” the scrivener agreed diplomatically. “But perhaps we should defer your proposal until after this Nephilim business has been sorted out.”

  “Promise us you won’t say anything to Maddie til then,” Cassie insisted urgently. “Okay?”

  “Okay, whatever,” Zach agreed warily. “But I don’t get what the big deal is.”

  “If you want the scoop on what happened last time she quit, ask one of the other tyros about the war club incident,” Cassie advised him.

  The boy’s eyes darted to the massive wooden club resting against the back wall. “Oh.” He hastily changed the subject. “So, did you talk to that diviner dude?”

  “Yup. That’s why we’re here,” Cassie informed him. “To figure out a strategy with Maddie, assuming she’s willing to cooperate.”

  “We’ll just go up to the chimney and speak with her there.” Griffin turned on his heel.

  “Great! I’m going with.” Zach darted past the scrivener and out the door.

  Cassie eyed her partner and shrugged.

  Griffin shook his head and fell in line behind the others.

  They took the elevator to the second floor, traveled through the corridor of empty offices and conference rooms, and climbed the spiral staircase at the far end.

  The scent of cigarette smoke hit Cassie’s nostrils before they were halfway up. “Oh, wow.” She waved her hand in front of her face and coughed.

  “See, I told you she’s smoking more,” Zach murmured from behind her.

  The pythia paused at the top of the steps, steeling herself for an uncomfortable encounter. The last words she’d spoken to Maddie during the Circle assembly nearly resulted in a punch in the face. With false bravado, she strode into the bell tower. “Hey, Maddie. How’s it going?”

  The chatelaine was sitting on a couch by the front picture windows, one arm slung over the back of the sofa, contemplating the view as she puffed away at a half-smoked cigarette. She turned with a start. “You!” she barked accusingly.

  “Me.” The pythia smiled sheepishly. “And Griffin too.”

  The scrivener came to stand beside her. “We were hoping to have a word with you.”

  The chatelaine snorted. “I couldn’t stop you if I wanted to. Michel Khatabi and his delegation made it pretty clear that the Circle voted in your favor. Everybody seems to think I should fall in with whatever hare-brained scheme the two of you have cooked up.”

  Cassie crossed the room and took a seat in an armchair near the couch. Griffin claimed a chair opposite her.

  Zach slid into the room, presumably wishing to remain invisible.

  “I see you brought your mascot,” Maddie remarked sarcastically.

  “He is an interested party in what we have to say,” Griffin reminded her.

  “Fine.” Maddie ground out her cigarette in an ashtray on the coffee table. “I’m listening.” She shifted to sit forward and face them. “Sit down, kid,” she commanded.

  Zachary dragged a chair closer to the group and plopped down wordlessly.

  “We met with the Nephilim yesterday,” Cassie began.

  Maddie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You did what?” She seemed more intrigued than angry now. “How did you manage that?”

  Cassie and Griffin recounted the various events which had occurred after Maddie stormed out of the Circle convocation: the decision to use the labrys key as bait, Daniel’s unexpected offer of assistance, and the meeting in Federal Plaza.

  Once they’d finished, the chatelaine said nothing for several moments. She drummed her long, lacquered nails on one knee while considering the facts. Then she reached for her pack of cigarettes, lit a fresh one and took a long drag before speaking. Blowing out a puff of smoke, she finally said, “You’ll both be walking a tightrope here.”

  “We are well aware of the intricacies of the situation,” Griffin agreed.

  “Our biggest problem is how to keep Daniel out of the way while we hunt for the Sage Stone,” Cassie concluded.

  Maddie shook her head. “I don’t think you can do that without making Metcalf suspicious.” As she pondered the dilemma, it was clear that she’d forgotten her grudge against them.

  “Guys, please try to remember you’re gambling with my girlfriend’s life.” Zach looked at them beseechingly.

  “Don’t worry, kid.” The chatelaine’s expression softened. “We wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize Hannah’s safety.”

  “She’s safer now than she was before we cut this deal with the Nephilim,” Cassie reassured the teenager. “Metcalf knows if he lifts a finger to hurt her, he’ll never get his hands on the Sage Stone. She’s his only bargaining chip.”

  “I spoke to Daniel at length about Hannah’s situation,” Griffin added. “He visits her every day. She’s being held under lock and key but is otherwise well-treated.”

  “So he says,” muttered Zach. “He could be lying.”

  “I don’t think he’s lying about that. He’s Hannah’s ally.” Cassie frowned in concentration. “But Zach raises a good point. We don’t know how far we can trust Daniel when it comes to the Sage Stone.”

  “And we have to work side-by-side with him during the most critical phase of our artifact quest.” Griffin slumped forward and clasped his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. “His presence complicates our search enormously.”

  “It doesn’t have to.” Maddie was gazing off into the distance, puffing pensively on her cigarette.

  “I beg your pardon,” Griffin sat up in surprise. “How are we supposed to beat the Nephilim to the Sage Stone with the diviner’s son in tow?”

  “Maybe you’re not.” Maddie gave a cryptic smile.

  The other three peered at her blankly.

  “Maybe you two aren’t going to find it first.” She paused. “We are.”

  “We who?” Cassie asked.

  “The Arkana,” Maddie explained. “You feed us whatever info you uncover along the way, and we do the heavy research and the preliminary legwork.”

  “I volunteer.” Zach’s hand shot up in air.

  “For what?” the pythia challenged.

  “For research. I’ve been told I’m pretty smart.” He paused to register their expressions of disbelief. “By people who aren’t you, anyway. I get good grades at school. Please, guys. You’ve got to let me help. I can’t just sit here and fret about whether Hannah is OK or not.”

  Maddie let out a long sigh. “Fine. You can help. But I still expect you to finish your martial arts and weapons training.”

  “Absolutely!”

  “Zach, with all that stuff on your plate it means you’ll have to be here full time,” Cassie pointed out. “What are you going to tell your parents?”

  “No worries. Only a couple more weeks before school’s out for vacation. I’ll tell them I got a summer job.” He paused as another thought struck him. Turning brightly to Maddie he said, “Of course I’ll need to make it convincing. My folks will expect to see a paycheck.”

  “A paycheck!” Maddie glared at him. “That’s unheard of. tyros don’t get paid.”

  “I’m operating undercover,” the boy protested. “I’m a special case.”

  “You’re a special case alright,�
�� the chatelaine grumbled. “I’ll give you minimum wage.”

  “What?” the boy yelped.

  “I can go lower,” Maddie warned.

  Zach held up his hands in resignation. “Fine, fine. Minimum wage.”

  “But what are we supposed to do while the staff at the vault is searching for the Sage Stone?” Griffin persisted.

  “Buy us time.” Maddie fixed them with an earnest gaze. “You’ll be decoys. You can still follow the trail of whatever clues you find but drag your feet a little. Let us get there two steps ahead of you.”

  “Suppose your plan works and you do get to the Sage Stone before we arrive with Daniel,” Cassie challenged. “We still have to produce an artifact for Metcalf at the end of the day.”

  “We could leave the hiding place empty. Make it appear as if robbers had gotten there first,” Griffin suggested.

  “Too risky,” Zach objected. “Daniel’s dad might suspect we pulled a fast one and then he’d refuse to turn Hannah over to you guys. We have to give him something.”

  “We can do what we always do,” Maddie suggested. “Substitute a replica.”

  “As long as the old dude thinks it’s real, he’ll go ahead with his master plan,” Zach cautioned.

  “True,” the chatelaine conceded. “But between now and then we should be able to figure out what his master plan is and how to put a crimp in it. When things blow up in his face, he’ll be forced to conclude that the Sage Stone had no power to help him after all. Then he’ll have to call it quits.”

  “As an added bonus, he might completely lose credibility with his flock,” the scrivener pointed out. “His failure could demoralize the Nephilim for generations.”

  “Fine by me,” Cassie said. “If they crawl back under their rock for a couple hundred more years, they’d be doing the world a favor.”

  “So, what’s our first step?” Zach regarded the others eagerly.

  “We’ll have to give you some initial momentum,” Griffin said.

  “I can think of a good starting point.” Cassie smiled mischievously. “Australia.”