“I’ve found a place where we can slip inside.”
“We’re turning into criminals.”
“Like I said, it’s survival.”
They climbed over a low fence and kept to the grassy areas to steer clear of people on the path. Kendall had never been here before, but she could immediately feel that there was something unusual about the place.
“You hanging in there?” Jake asked.
“This place is… unusual. I can feel some kind of energy here.”
“I hope that’s a good sign,” Jake said.
The gardens were beautiful. Natural, not overly tended. There were several varieties of trees and plants, including yews and a Holy Thorn Tree. Some leaves had already turned beautiful shades of red and gold. There was a kind of serenity about the place that soothed her soul. “I could spend hours here,” she said.
“Let’s find this fountain first. That’s where Nathan will be.”
They walked along a serene path toward the Lion’s Head Fountain. Kendall was so enchanted that she almost forgot their reason for being there. Then a whining voice approached and pulled her out of the moment.
“It was his fault. I just wanted to stick my head in the fountain like he did.”
“Of course it was, darling, but you must be more careful.”
“It’s that brat that hit me with a rock,” Jake said.
The boy and his mother walked by, dressed this time in normal clothing, but the boy’s head was wet.
“Excuse me,” Kendall said to the woman. “Did you say a man stuck his head in the fountain?”
The woman looked as unpleasant as her son. “He did. Very poor behavior in front of impressionable, innocent children.”
“He drank all the water up and then stuck his head under,” the boy said. “Hey, you’re the man who called me fat.”
The woman scowled and pulled the boy toward her. “Let’s get you a dry shirt, Arthur, and then we’ll go see the abbey and Camelot.”
“Did you see which way he went?” Jake called.
The woman didn’t answer, but the boy looked over his shoulder and stuck out his tongue.
Camelot. Kendall grabbed Jake’s arm. “Remember Marco said to find Arthur? Well, Glastonbury isn’t famous for just the Chalice Well. King Arthur was supposedly buried here.”
“You think Marco meant King Arthur?” Jake asked. He sounded surprised. Almost hopeful. She sensed something coming from him, but his face went blank and she lost it. He’d blocked her. Just like Nathan. “Legend says he was buried at the abbey near here. I expected one of your sarcastic snorts, but you seem excited. Did you want to be a knight when you were young?”
Jake shrugged. “What boy doesn’t dream of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?”
“Adam was fascinated with King Arthur. He spent hours telling me stories.” Some of them, so vivid she felt as if she were really there.
When they reached the fountain, a small group was just leaving. Kendall walked closer to study the spot. A stream of water flowed from a lion’s head into a basin. The stone underneath had a reddish-orange tinge.
“Looks like an ordinary fountain to me,” Jake said.
“This might not be the fountain Marco was talking about, but this is anything but ordinary. This well has been flowing for over two thousand years.”
“There’s no one here. Do your thing. See if it’s the real deal.”
“Why are you so anxious? You worried about Nathan?”
He scoffed but nudged her to the edge of the fountain. Kendall sat on the side. Jake put down the clothes he’d stolen and sat next to her, dipping his fingers in the stream of water. He touched his finger to his tongue. “Tastes like water. A little metallic. Come on, get your fingers wet.”
Kendall touched the water, and she felt a rush of energy that jolted her so hard, she fell against Jake. He grabbed for her, but they both landed in the basin. Kendall gasped as the cold water ran over her head.
Cursing, Jake scrambled to his feet and pulled them both out of the fountain.
“That’s cold,” Kendall said, shivering.
Jake swiped water from his face. “Your gift sucks sometimes, Legs.”
He hadn’t called her Legs in a while. “I’m sorry.” Kendall wiped her face with her hands. The day was nice for October, but for anyone wet and without a jacket, it felt like December.
“I think you have a gift of your own,” Kendall said, pointing at the stack of dry clothing. “Good intuition. We’re going to need those.”
“Blimey, that’s the fourth person to fall in the fountain today,” a man exclaimed.
“This place has a strange effect on people,” his female companion said.
Kendall turned around and saw a man and woman watching them curiously.
“Was one of the others a man?” Kendall asked.
“Yes,” the man said.
“What did he look like?”
“Short hair, tall. Maybe thirty.”
“Was he handsome?”
She heard Jake snort behind her as the man shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Oh yeah,” the woman answered. “He was a hottie.”
The man gave her a startled glance.
“Well, you been looking at every pretty thing ye’ve seen. I’ve got eyes in me head too.”
“Did you see which way he went when he left here?” Kendall asked.
“That way,” he said. “Toward Little Saint Michael’s.”
“What’s that?” Jake asked.
“It’s lodging for people who support the well.”
“What’s he doing going that way?” Kendall asked.
“He probably made a phone call and bought the place.” Jake took Kendall’s arm and pulled her toward the entrance.
“Is she wearing pajamas?” the woman asked quietly as they walked away.
“Where are we going?” Kendall asked. “Nathan went this way.”
“I don’t care where Nathan went. We’ve got to get out of these wet clothes. People are staring. Don’t give me that look. As much as I’d like to see you naked, I’m thinking about our well-being, not sex. We don’t want to end up sick. We’re a long way from home with nothing but the clothes on our back, my pocketknife, and your sixth sense until the car gets here. And your sixth sense is quirky to say the least.”
He handed her some dry clothing, and they went to the restrooms and changed. Kendall would have paid a hundred pounds for clean underwear. Her sweats were gray with GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND, emblazoned across the front of her shirt. It wasn’t pretty, but it was better than pajamas and it was clean. She freshened up her face and finger-combed her hair. She got lucky and found a ponytail holder lying on the sink. She grimaced but pulled her hair back with it. “Ugh,” she said to herself in the mirror, and then rolled up her old clothes, stuck them under her arm, and walked outside to meet Jake. He was wearing a matching outfit. His clothes fit better than hers, which were a little too snug.
“This getup does more for you than me,” he said, looking her over. His old clothes were balled up in his hand. She didn’t want to look twice, but she was pretty sure he was commando. Yep, there was his underwear sticking out from under his old jeans and shirt.
“We have to find Nathan. The car should be here soon,” Jake said.
“I’m not sure if you’re worried about Nathan or getting to a hotel for a warm meal.”
“A steak sounds good.”
“You’re just too stubborn to admit that you care about him too.”
“Nathan’s all but holding me hostage. Work for him, or go back to prison. Does that sound like someone I should care about?”
“That sounds like someone who’s desperate. And he has a good reason to be desperate. He needs you to help him get rid of this curse, what he thinks is a curse.” There were times when she felt cursed, but she’d used her talents for good. She had helped people, protected relics, shed light on history. Maybe Nathan was looking at this the wrong way. It still left the question, where had he gotten this ability?