Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers) (9 page)

“
Alt
!” a voice growled behind them.

K
ENDALL SPUN, HER
heart racing. This was no goat herder. He was tall, and he wore a long, dark garment, something between a robe and a ninja outfit. His hair was dark and hung past his shoulders. Tattoos covered one side of his face, making it as hostile as the dagger sheathed at his side. Narrowed, amber-colored eyes drilled into hers. “Who are you?”

Jake moved in front of Kendall, his body brushing hers, close enough that she could feel the tension vibrating through his muscles. “My wife and I are honeymooning. We were hiking and got lost.”

“How did you get past the wall?” the man asked.

“We uh...climbed,” Kendall said. “The vines...”

“You must leave,” he said. “I’ll escort you out.”

Kendall looked at the dagger. “What is this place?”

“It is private.” The man continued to stare with those strange eyes. Jake stared back, his tourist face never wavering.

“Couldn’t we take a peek around outside first?” she asked. “Those statues are amazing.”

“She’s always loved old places, haven’t you, love?” Jake planted a kiss on her hair.

“No one is allowed here,” the man said, but his focus was on Kendall.

“Could we see the garden before we go?” Jake kept his tone friendly. “I’m studying plants native to Italy.”

The man looked up at the sky, which was darkening quickly. He frowned and moved his hand closer to his dagger. “Just the garden. Then you must leave.”

Jake took a step, keeping her close to him.

“Not her,” the man said. “Women are not allowed.”

No women
? Ordinarily, that would have had Kendall fuming, but an ancient mentality fit perfectly with an ancient secret order.

They were in the right place.

She saw the struggle in Jake’s eyes. He didn’t want to leave her alone, but he wanted to get closer to the castle. “Do you mind?” The look on his face gave her no comfort—the fake smile paired with the set of his shoulders that made him look relaxed but masked tension.

“I guess I have no choice.” She was still irked, even though it meant they’d found the secret order.

Jake shifted his pack, and one hand darted quickly behind him. He turned to her and his façade slipped. “Stay here,” he whispered. “Don’t move from this spot. I’ll see if I can find a way inside the castle.” He grabbed her in a newlywed hug, dropped a hard, quick kiss on her lips and fondled her butt. He was back in character again as he followed the stranger.

She watched them walk to the garden, feeling the gun Jake had shoved down the back of her pants digging into her skin. He pretended to study the trees, but she knew he was searching for a way inside. Every minute or so, he glanced back toward her, presumably making sure she hadn’t moved. She started to sit on a big rock near one of the walks so she could rest her feet, but she was afraid she’d shoot herself in the butt. She stood, studying the place, trying to equate reality with her vision. It was the same castle, without the horror. It reminded her of something from a
fairy tale. She could almost picture Merlin inside, practicing his spells.

The place might not be cursed, but there were secrets hidden here. She could hear them whispering. She wasn’t sure if they were trying to get her attention or warn her away, but the feeling persisted that she had been here. That often happened with her visions. Sometimes she wondered if she was traveling to another dimension in her sleep. She checked on Jake again. As if he sensed her watching, he turned and met her gaze. He continued to move around the garden, while keeping her in sight.

She was burning with curiosity about the place. Were there others in the order besides this guy? He didn’t look like a monk or a knight, more like a warrior or a guard. It wouldn’t be easy getting past him, but they had to get inside. She was certain the box was here.

She flexed her sore feet as the shadows lengthened around her. She might as well call Nathan and give him an update. She pulled out her phone. No signal. She walked a few feet and tried again. Nothing. She heard a sound, and when she looked up, she saw a robed figure move behind one of the statues.

“Hello?” she called softly. “
Salve
?” It was probably her imagination or her senses playing tricks. She looked toward the garden. Jake’s back was turned as he examined the maze. She hurried toward the nearest statue. It was at least nine feet tall. Some kind of warrior. She looked behind him, but there was no robed figure. The only things she saw were the other statues lining the castle grounds as far as she could see. The robed figure must have been her imagination, or perhaps her sixth sense. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference.

She studied the statue again. He wore a garment similar to the ninja monk’s. He had a sword clasped in his hand and his face was coldly handsome. She touched the stone, letting the texture settle against her hand. The images rushing through her head startled her. Places and faces that felt more like human memories
than the impressions she usually got from an object. The stabbing pain in her stomach startled her even more. She grabbed hold of the sword to keep from falling and put her other hand on her stomach, expecting to feel blood.

She wasn’t bleeding. She heard a low voice and realized it was Jake and the ninja monk returning. Shaking off the effects of her vision, or whatever it was, she started back to the spot where they had left her, but the ninja monk was already looking around, his face pulled into a fierce frown.

“Where is your wife?” he asked, his hand settling over his dagger.

Jake looked over the man’s shoulder and saw her. His face went taut. Call it bad timing or karma, but a crash sounded behind her. She whirled, expecting an attack and saw the statue’s sword lying on the stone walk.

A soft roar had her spinning back around to see the ninja monk racing toward her, a look of horror and fury in his eyes. Jake reached for his gun as he ran after the monk, but he came up empty handed. His face was every bit as fierce as the ninja monk’s. Kendall knew why he’d left her the gun. He didn’t need it.

Kendall tried to get the gun out of her waistband, but it was stuck on her belt loop. The ninja monk advanced on her, his face set like stone. “Who sent you?” he demanded.

Jake slipped between her and the monk, his hands turned up in submission. “I apologize for my wife. She loves exploring.” His fierce look was gone, yet his jaw looked tight enough to shatter his teeth.

Kendall bent to pick up the sword but couldn’t lift it. “I’m sorry. I was just looking at the statue and the sword fell.”

The monk wasn’t looking at the sword. He was staring at Kendall’s cross, which had slipped free of her shirt. He looked pale now, his tattoos harsh against his skin. He slowly stretched out his hand and touched Kendall’s cross. “Where did you get this?” he whispered, turning it over.

“A friend gave it to me.” She put her hand on the chain, afraid he might try to take it.

“We’ll go now,” Jake said. “We’re sorry to have troubled you.”

“It has begun,” the ninja monk said, still mesmerized by the cross. He shook his head. “No. You must stay.”

Jake’s whole body stilled, but there was tension running through him, like an arrow just before it was released.

The ninja monk let go of Kendall’s cross and folded his hands in front of him. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Kendall exchanged a blank glance with Jake. Had Nathan already found the castle and told this man they were coming? Why hadn’t he called to let them know? Kendall didn’t know if they were supposed to use aliases or if the monk knew what they were looking for.

“Forgive my manners. I am Raphael.”

“Who told you we were coming?” Jake asked, the tension easing slightly from his body.

“My...employer.” Raphael raised his head and smiled. It wasn’t an easy smile, more like he’d found it buried in the ground and brushed it off for the occasion. “Would you like something to eat or perhaps a drink? We don’t have much to offer. We don’t often have guests.” He glanced at the cross again, as Jake continued to watch him with narrowed eyes.

“Thank you,” Jake said. “But we should get back to our car before it gets dark.”

“You must stay,” Raphael said. “At least until morning. The trail is dangerous after dark. I would hate for you to suffer an accident.” He glanced at the statues. “Please. You will be my guests.”

Jake gave Kendall a quick glance. His newlywed persona slipped for one second and she knew he was considering whether to shoot Raphael or take him up on his offer. He smiled, still in character. “We could use the rest. We haven’t had much sleep. Honeymooners, you know.” He gave Kendall a grin that her body
would have believed if it hadn’t been so distracted with relief that she was still alive.

“I thought no women were allowed,” she said.

Raphael’s amber gaze dropped to her chest, where she could feel the cross pressing against her shirt. “I will make an exception.”

“Who owns this place?” Jake asked.

“It belongs to a...foundation. I watch over it for them. They’re very private.”

Like a secret order.

“These statues are magnificent,” Kendall said, keeping her voice level.

“Yes.”

“What are they?”

“Sentinels.”

Sentinels? As she had thought, although she wasn’t sure what purpose they would serve other than intimidation. “I’m sorry about the sword. I don’t know why it fell off.”

“No matter,” Raphael said. “Come. I will show you inside. Then you must rest.” He looked at Kendall’s cross again and smiled, another stiff movement of his mouth that left the rest of his face untouched. A chill rolled over her skin, and she didn’t move away when Jake’s warm hand touched her back. Raphael turned away for them to follow, and Kendall slipped the cross inside her shirt. She felt Jake ease the gun from her waistband and tuck it in his.

Raphael led them to the castle and through a set of heavy wooden doors that were crossed with metal strips. The only light inside came from lanterns, candelabras, and low-burning sconces on the walls. Was there no electricity? Raphael grabbed two lanterns and handed them to Kendall and Jake. The lanterns helped, but the entryway was still shadowed. It was large, the ceiling two stories tall with columns lining the walls. A fountain gurgled in the middle of the floor, seated in a small pool. Corridors ran right and left, and circular steps lined each side of the entryway,
leading to the second floor. Kendall took in as much as she could, but the low light made it difficult to see.

There were the usual things one would expect in a castle: armor, swords, daggers, and other weapons, as well as heavy furniture and thick drapes covering long windows. She felt bits of memories calling to her, but the message wasn’t clear.

“How long has this foundation owned the place?” she asked.

“A long time.” Raphael didn’t look back but kept walking. His shoulders were powerful, his movements easy. He reminded her of Jake.

They passed a room with an open door, and Kendall felt her senses warm. She stopped and tried to look inside. “What is this room?”

Raphael turned, his face even dourer than it had been before. “The library.”

She held her lantern higher and saw bookshelves covering the walls. Two long tables sat in the middle of the room. She shifted her light and saw a tapestry woven in rich colors hanging on the near wall. “May I go inside?”

“It’s not for public use.” He closed the door, pulled out another awkward smile and walked on. She had to get inside that room. Something in there was connected to the box. Perhaps it was hidden there.

Raphael showed them several other rooms, including a kitchen that looked rather bare. Many rooms he passed without opening. Those were the rooms she really wanted to see. Those, and the library. Jake didn’t seem to have questions. He just watched everything, his eyes alert.

Their guide kept moving, and Kendall hurried to catch up. Raphael led them to the second floor. Paintings and tapestries covered the walls, but he didn’t stop long enough for her to examine them. He continued on to the third floor, not even stopping until he reached another set of stairs.

“There’s a fourth floor?” Kendall asked.

“No. This is the tower. It is the only room available.”

The only room available out of three floors? Kendall glanced back at all the doors they’d passed and then looked at Jake. He nodded, and she followed Raphael, with Jake bringing up the rear.

Raphael stopped and opened a door. “I am sure you will want to rest after the long walk.” He motioned for them to step inside. The room was small, like something she imagined would be in a monastery, but there weren’t any crosses on the wall. There was a small bed covered in a worn brown blanket. Two equally worn rugs covered the floor, one by the bed and another in front of an empty fireplace. There was a small window above the bed and an old desk against one wall. After the impressive entryway, this room was a disappointment. Obviously, they weren’t prepared for guests.

“The night will be warm,” Raphael said. “No need for a fire.”