“It was definitely built to keep something in,” Maddock said.
Bones grimaced. “Like there’s any doubt what that was.”
Cautiously, they peered inside to see another large cavern, this one with a deep pool in the middle. At the far end lay a huge, recessed overhang, the floor worn smooth. The remains of fish, seals, and a few humans lay scattered about.
“I think we’ve found the curse,” Maddock said, “and it wasn’t a virus.”
“Looks like it’s been empty for a long time,” Bones said. “Doesn’t bode well for the legend of the treasure, does it?”
“Let’s take a look and see.”
The second door was a solid block. It had no bar on the front — only a large keyed lock. The space beyond it was small, scarcely large enough for Maddock and Bones to stand side by side. Shelves carved from the bedrock lined the walls. All were bare.
“I don’t see any sign of the Tuatha,” Bones said. “No symbols, nothing.”
“And these shelves weren’t made for a sword or spear,” Maddock agreed. “Maybe the stone or cauldron, if they’re small enough, but I’m with you. I don’t think it’s Tuatha.”
“But still, monsters and treasure,” Bones said.
“Neither of which are here anymore. So unless you have an idea of what happened to them…” Maddock lapsed into silence as his eyes fell on a series of carvings on the back of the vault door. “What the hell are these?”
He and Bones shone their light on a pyramidal shape — but this pyramid was not formed from blocks.
“Are those severed heads?” Bones asked.
“Seven of them. I wonder what that means.”
Chapter 25
Isla’s heart leaped when she peered out the window and saw Maddock and Bones coming down the road. She wanted to run down and meet them, but something told her to keep private things private. Even at this late hour, no telling who might be listening. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Maddock’s face when she told him what she’d found.
The soft knock came a minute later, and she opened the door to see the two treasure hunters, their hair still damp from the swim, standing in the hallway.
“We saw your light on,” Maddock whispered. “Is it all right if we come in?”
“It’s not that late,” she said, then glanced at her bedside clock. One o’clock in the morning. “Well, it’s not that late where you’re from.” She opened the door to let the two men in. “You can sit if you like.”
Bones shook his head. “We’ve got wetsuits on under our clothes. I hope the chick at the front desk didn’t think I’d wet my pants.”
“She looked half-asleep to me,” Maddock said, then turned to Isla. “Did you get the message off to Meikle?”
“I did. I believe I managed to make a fairly convincing forgery.” At least, she hoped she’d succeeded.
“Think he bought it?”
She nodded. “He said he’d look into it right away. He didn’t sound as if he suspected anything.”
“Hopefully, that’s the Tuatha off our tails for a while,” Bones said.
“How was your dive?” she asked.
She listened, eyes wide, as the two men recounted their discovery of the sea serpent carving, the hidden door, and the chambers far beneath Urquhart Castle.
“Incredible. So there was some truth to the legend after all?”
Maddock nodded. “Except there was no pestilence. Only a monster, or monsters. At least, that’s the way it looked to us.”
“That’s fascinating,” she said.
“Problem is, it doesn’t bring us any closer to the Tuatha treasure,” Bones said. “Unless a bunch of severed heads are a clue.”
The words jolted Isla all the way down to her toes. She blinked in surprise. “What did you say?”
“Severed heads. The treasure vault was empty, but someone carved seven heads on the inside of the door. We don’t know for sure if it means anything, but as graffiti goes, it’s kind of weird.”
“And you’re certain there were seven heads?” Her heart raced as she hurried to the desk and turned on her computer.
“What’s going on?” Maddock said.
“There was a problem with a couple of the photographs you sent to Jimmy. The flash obscured some of the symbols.”
“I told you, Maddock,” Bones said. “You need to take that photography class with me.”
“Taking photos of nude women for your friend’s adult website is not a photography class. It’s just creepy.”
“I’d say getting engaged turned you into a bore, but you were always a dud,” Bones replied.
Isla felt a pang of jealousy when she heard the word “engaged.” Grow up, she told herself. You barely know the man. She opened the file containing the photographs Maddock had taken beneath Dunstaffnage, and showed them the obscured areas. Then she navigated to the photos Grizzly had taken.
Bones let out a low whistle. “Whoa! We missed some symbols.”
“That’s why the Well of the Dead clue was a bust,” Maddock said. “Good thing Grizzly took some backup photos.”
Isla smirked. “As much as I hate to say it, he does occasionally do something right. Though it’s usually by accident.”
“Were you able to decode the actual message?” Maddock asked.
Isla nodded. “The latter part of the message, the bit about St. Columba’s beastie guarding the treasure, is the same, of course.”
Bones folded his arms and arched his eyebrows. “All right, chick, don’t keep us in suspense. Where is it?”
“Beneath the Well of the Seven Heads. I emailed your friend, Jimmy to show him what I found. He agrees with my translation. He also says you owe him an extra bottle of Wild Turkey for, and I quote, ‘wasting his time with your crappy photography.’”
Maddock winced. “We do tend to dump on him a lot.”
“You do,” Bones said. “I like to solve my own problems.”
“Only because you create so many of them for yourself.” Maddock turned back to Isla. “Do you know where this Well of the Seven Heads is?”
“I do. And it’s not far from here.” She called up a map and showed them the location.
“Good,” Maddock said. “I’m tempted to go there right now, but I’m exhausted. None of us will be at our best until we’ve had at least a few hours’ sleep.”
Bones nodded. “Up and out at 0500?”
“Works for me.” Maddock turned to Isla. “Great work. We’ll see you bright and early.” He and Bones turned to leave.
Heart racing, Isla took a deep breath. “Maddock? Can you stay for a moment? I need to talk to you.”
He and Bones both stopped and turned toward her.
“Just you,” she said.
Bones looked like he was about to protest, but then Maddock gave a quick nod and made a small motion with his hand.
Bones gave Isla a long, hard look, then turned to Maddock. “I’ll see you back in the room in a few minutes.” He emphasized the last two words. When he left, he didn’t close the door behind him.
“What’s up?” Maddock asked, his expression unreadable.
“You asked about my parents. I thought I should answer your question.”
He glanced at his watch. “Does it have to be right now?”
“Just listen. I trust you more than the others.” She hurried to the door, glanced out into the hall to make certain Bones was not around, and then closed it behind her. How much to tell him?
“My parents weren’t just obsessed with the Tuatha. They were members, and they were in deep.”
Maddock frowned. “What, exactly, does that mean? What were they into?”
“They managed to hide almost everything from me. What I did learn, I picked up by snooping, eavesdropping. I can tell you that the Tuatha isn’t all bad.”