“All right. I believe you.” Her words broke the spell. They both sat back and took long pulls of ale. He thought he noticed a pink hue to her cheeks as she drank.
“Where is it?” she whispered.
“Can’t tell you. Like I said; classified government stuff.”
She stuck out her lower lip in a delicate pout. “Be that way, then. What else have the two of you found?”
“More than our share of treasure,” he said. “Lots of other stuff, some of it pretty crazy, but we’ll have to get to know one another better before I elaborate.”
“Are we going to get to know each other better, Mr. Maddock?” Her eyes flitted to his left hand, and then back to his face.
“I hope so.” He cleared his throat. “About this treasure. I think I see a connection between our two searches.”
“The stone that cries out beneath the king when he claims his throne,” she said.
“Exactly. It sounds very much like a stone that monarchs would sit upon when crowned, doesn’t it?”
“But where do we look?” Bones asked. Apparently, he and Grizzly had wrapped up their water monster conversation and had started paying attention to their companions. “Both our trails led to Dunstaffnage, but it doesn’t seem like anything’s there.”
“There has to be,” Isla said. “It’s too great a coincidence that, despite following different clues, we both ended up there, along with whoever is chasing us.”
“The modern descendants of the Tuatha,” Maddock said.
“Probably,” Isla said.
“Back to the treasure,” Grizzly interjected. “We went all over that place with a fine-tooth comb, and I don’t think there’s any treasure or even any clues there. At least, not anymore.”
“Unless it’s buried deep,” Isla added.
Maddock’s phone vibrated. He was pleased to see it was a lengthy message from Jimmy. Along with the other projects he’d given his old friend, he’d asked him to research Dunstaffnage. As usual, Jimmy did not disappoint. He grinned as he read the message.
“Actually, it looks like Dunstaffnage might still have some secrets to give up.” He looked around the table, smiled. “Does anyone here feel like going for a dive?”
Chapter 16
“This looks like the correct spot.” Maddock looked up at the hulking silhouette of Dunstaffnage, inky black against the moonless sky. His eyes ran down the edge of the eastern tower, then followed along to the distinctive stone outcropping that hung just above where they stood. When he was sure they were in proper alignment, he turned to face the water, took out his compass, and got his bearings.
“According to this Jimmy guy, there’s a passageway down beneath the water, but it’s a dead end?” Grizzly asked.
“Yes,” Maddock said through gritted teeth. He wasn’t happy with the decision that Grizzly should accompany him on this dive, but the man had pushed hard, arguing that one representative from each party should be included. Maddock didn’t appreciate the insinuation that he and Bones would double-cross their new partners, but he understood the lack of trust, as they’d only met earlier that day. Furthermore, the cryptid hunter had used his connections to borrow the SCUBA gear they needed on short notice. That earned him a few points on Maddock’s scorecard.
Maddock had expected Bones to object to being left behind. After all, the big Indian loved to dive. Unfortunately, he’d gotten no help from that quarter. Bones seemed to have finally taken notice of Isla, and was now eager to “keep an eye on her” in case the men who’d tried to abduct her returned. Maddock wasn’t sure how he felt about leaving the two of them alone, but he chose not to dwell on that thought.
“Well, if there’s any kind of hidden door, I’ll be sure to find it,” Grizzly said. “Did I tell you about the trapdoor I discovered in that haunted house in Connecticut?”
“I thought it was a cover over the old septic tank,” Maddock said, focusing on the illuminated face of his dive compass.
“It was, but it was totally hidden. No one knew it was there before I found it.”
“Before you fell in?” Maddock asked absently.
“I didn’t fall. I climbed down in. And then I slipped.” Grizzly lapsed into silence. Apparently, the memory was not a pleasant one.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. I’ve got our bearings. The way in should be about a hundred meters that way.” He pointed in the direction the compass indicated.
“You don’t have to go metric,” Grizzly said. “We’re both American.”
Maddock silenced him with a blank stare. “Like I said, I’ve got the bearing. Stay on my six and wait for me to signal you when I’ve found the passageway. I’m more broadly built than you, so I’ll go first. According to the accounts Jimmy found, it’s pretty rocky and uneven through there, and it could be easy to get stuck. If I get a fin tangled or something, I might need your help to get free. Got it?”
“Don’t worry. You’re safe with me.” Grizzly clapped a hand on Maddock’s shoulder. “I know diving at night can be scary, but I’ve done it plenty of times. You’ll be fine.”
Maddock sighed. “Just try not to get lost.”
They waded out into the cool waters of Ardmucknish Bay until they were deep enough to begin swimming. Visibility was almost nil and the current steady in his face as Maddock propelled himself through the water with powerful kicks. The beam of his headlamp sliced through the murky water, illuminating the rocky seabed below. A flicker of light told him Grizzly was keeping pace. That was good. Maddock would feel obligated to go back for the man should he lose his way. At least the cryptid hunter wasn’t slowing him down.
He kept an eye on his compass, mentally tracking the distance they’d covered. When he estimated they’d gone a hundred meters, he came to a halt. He was utterly unsurprised when, a few seconds later, Grizzly collided with him. He shoved the man away, held up his hands to indicate, You stay here, and then he dove.
He had a feeling Dunstaffnage would not be giving up its secrets easily. The jumble of rocks beneath the surface of the water seemed to go on forever, and one stone looked much the same as the next. This was not a problem. He was a patient man, even meticulous when the situation called for it. He could work a grid with the best of them, usually to the chagrin of Bones and the rest of the crew. Laughing internally at the thought of Grizzly treading water against the current while Maddock slowly explored underwater, he selected a starting point and began the search.
He swam back and forth, gradually working outward from his selected point. Light flashed across his field of vision. Apparently Grizzly was trying to help by adding his beam to that of Maddock’s headlamp. Maddock waved him away.
Finally, something caught his eye — a spot that was completely free of sand, silt, or debris. In its midst lay a deep shadow that proved to be a man-sized hole. Maddock felt the current pushing back against him. It would be a challenging swim, but the trip back out should be easy if they didn’t tarry too long. He turned, got Grizzly’s attention, and gave him a thumbs-up. Grizzly returned the signal and dove. Moments later, he shouldered past Maddock and swam into the narrow channel. Maddock bit down on his regulator, imagining he was a Kraken biting Grizzly’s head off and followed along.
They hadn’t gone far before Grizzly began to tire. Twice he stopped, bracing himself against the sides of the passage in order to keep the current from pushing him back. Maddock wondered if a well-placed jab from his Recon knife would get the man going again. Finally, Grizzly moved on, and after a short swim, the channel opened up, ending at a blank wall.