“I’m worried about him.”
“You worry about him a lot. He’ll find us when he’s ready.”
“I’m afraid he’s in danger.”
“Nathan’s always in danger. He has enemies.”
“This is different,” Kendall said. “That shadow in the cave. I think it did something to my memories, but I believe it’s after Nathan.”
“He’s a big boy,” Jake said. “He can take care of himself.”
“Is that why you’re so worried about him?” Kendall asked.
When they arrived at the house, Halle’s face was glowing. “We’ve just had a late addition to the group. A message was just delivered.”
“I thought the others were sick?” Larry asked.
“This guy’s new.”
“Someone new will be fun,” Rhonda said.
Sandy agreed. “It brings more energy to the group. Look at how much has happened since Kendall and Jake joined us.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Alice said. “Jake and Kendall are new, and they’re fun.”
“I think you’ll be glad I allowed him to join.” Halle looked like she might burst, and when she made the announcement, Kendall understood why Halle, with her worries over money, was so excited. “It’s Nathan Larraby, the billionaire.”
King Arthur, Jesus, and now Nathan. There was always some other man in her head. He grimaced. “Told you he’d find us.”
There were exclamations of approval, and even Alice was agreeable. “I’ve heard of him.”
“Nathan Larraby is the most eligible bachelor in America,” Rhonda said with the authority of someone who was an expert on eligible bachelors. “They say he’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
“I bet he’s the handsome man I saw outside the gardens earlier,” Alice said. “When I went for a walk, he was looking right at the house.”
Maybe he was the one sneaking in the window of the caretaker’s room. Brandi had probably seen him and followed him here. Kendall was worried about what Brandi might do. The fact that she was here meant she had followed them, through the maze or by other means, and was more desperate to destroy the relics than they had thought. And after Kendall’s vision at the well, she was convinced there was at least one relic here.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen his face,” Halle said.
“With all that money and looks, he avoids the public,” Rhonda said. “Every gold digger out there is probably after him.”
“He must be shy,” Alice said. “I like a shy man.”
Jake stopped rolling his eyes and, grunting under his breath, stood. “Look at the time. We’re going to be late for Camelot.”
There was a rush for the bus.
“Did Halle say when Nathan was arriving?” Kendall asked when they were seated on the bus. She was anxious to tell him about her vision.
Jake did something to his boot. Probably checking to see if his knife was there. “Everyone was too busy drooling over him.”
Cadbury Mound was about ten miles away. The bus driver gave them the background on Cadbury as they wove their way through the countryside. “Most people believe the hill fort is Camelot,” he said. “There used to be a castle here, Cadbury Castle, and historians and archaeologists have found evidence of stones dating even farther back, the right time period to have been Camelot. Just like with Tintagel Castle where Arthur was born, just on the northern coast of Cornwall. Doubters say it couldn’t have been Arthur’s birthplace, since it was built later, but there are older ruins underneath, covered up by earth and time. There are some who swear that on Christmas Eve, King Arthur and his knights can be seen in a ghostly procession crossing from Cadbury Mound.” The drive took them through rolling countryside and a charming village before dropping them off at a parking lot at the base of the mound.
“Camelot,” Alice said, pulling in a deep breath, after she’d exited the bus. “Isn’t it exciting? Too bad Mr. Larraby hasn’t arrived yet. Where will he sleep?”
“He’ll have to share a room with Larry,” Halle said.
Larry nodded, looking intrigued. “I don’t mind as long as he’s neat.”
The path led between two buildings. They started off, Larry and Halle in the lead.
“Have you been to Cadbury Mound before?” Kendall asked Alice.
“Twice,” she said. “I’m certain it’s Camelot. There’s a presence here. I can just feel Arthur. Maybe he’ll contact you again.”
“Let’s hope,” Jake muttered.
“This is only my second time here,” Halle said, falling back. The climb was getting steeper now. “It’s one of Lizzie’s favorite places.”
Jake and Kendall quickly moved ahead of the group. He took her hand and guided her around a large rock. When they had passed it, he didn’t let go. “Have you thought about my suggestion?”
“You mean the…”
“Dating.”
“I’m not sure. I need to focus on Arthur.” She could hear voices as the others approached. Jake gave her a sizzling look and lowered his head. His lips locked on hers, and he kissed her until her knees went weak. He leaned back just enough that she could catch her breath, then took her bottom lip between his teeth and gently bit. Kendall heard chuckling from behind them. Jake raised his head and gave her a cocky grin.
“Arthur might be a king, but he can’t make you come.”
Kendall’s tongue was frozen, but by the time she could speak, they had reached the top of the hill and the tour group was catching up, so she was spared from having to comment.
There were a few other people here. Kendall put the kiss and her vision at the well out of her head. Like the Tor, Cadbury Mound was much higher than the surrounding countryside and offered a magnificent view. The top of the hill was level. Along the sides, the earth had been fortified to protect against an enemy attack. She could well believe it had once been Camelot. “It is beautiful,” she said, imagining how it might have looked back then with a castle and knights on horses. As it had looked in her vision of King Arthur? Had she seen Camelot?
Everyone in the group had been here before, so they split up and explored.
“Are you getting anything?” Jake asked Kendall.
“No. I’ll keep walking around and see if I pick anything up.” After that kiss, she wasn’t sure what he might do if they wandered out of sight. “I should go alone, focus my mind.”
He nodded. “Alone? Here?”
“My God, Jake. We’re on a hillside with grass and trees. It isn’t likely that someone followed us here.”
He frowned. “Don’t go far. Stay in sight. Call out if you need me.”
She looked at him—sexy, fierce, protective—and she dreadfully feared that she did need him.
She walked the place, sitting, touching the hill, trying to connect with Camelot. With Arthur. She needed to know more about the chalice, but she got nothing. She looked back as she walked down the side of the hill. Jake was watching her. Kendall heard a noise in the trees. A woman’s laugh, her voice soft, and a man’s deeper voice. Lovers, she thought. Something inside her ached. She didn’t want to intrude, but the sound was so familiar she couldn’t stop moving toward the laughter. Soon, she was running. She had to see him, one more time.
She passed the crofter’s cottage and entered the enchanted woods. The trees were tall here, with springy moss underfoot. A small wooden bridge spanned a narrow stream. The water almost seemed to sing as it washed over the rocks, calling to her. She found him waiting for her in their usual place. She stepped into his arms, and he kissed her as they undressed. When they were both naked, they lay on the ground and he made love to her. Her heart filled to bursting with love for him. Her Lancelot.
Kendall blinked and looked around. Where was she? What was she doing here? A shadow crept across the sky, and she felt the same sense of danger that she’d felt from the shadow in the cave. Something inside her head screamed at her to get out. She turned and started back the way she had come. The path didn’t look the same. Nothing looked the same. Where was she? She couldn’t be that far from the others. She felt something behind her and turned to look just as she hit a wall of air. “Jake!”