Buccaneer (Dane Maddock Adventures) (30 page)

Bones chuckled and hunched down against the wall below the crosses and served as a ladder for Dane to climb. Bones stood up straight, then took Dane by his feet and lifted him up until Dane reached a ledge beneath the crosses.

“
Maddock, you have got to lay off the bacon cheeseburgers,
”
Bones grunted.
“
You
’
re too fat for me to keep doing this.
”

“
Quit whining.
”
Dane hoisted himself up onto the ledge and cautiously climbed to his feet. The ledge was narrow and the drop was far enough that he didn
’
t want to risk a fall.

“
Careful,
”
Avery warned.

He smiled down at her, then reached up to the topmost cross, took hold, and turned it in the same way Bones had turned its counterpart in the Oak Island church. It didn
’
t budge at first, but then, slowly, it moved. Gradually, he rolled the circle back into the wall, and climbed through.

The space here was much like the one beneath Oak Island
—
a domed, turret-like chamber with the same double-line of symbols spiraling from ceiling to floor and the same wedge-shaped pattern in the ceiling
’
s center, and a stone altar off to one side. In this chamber, however, there was no wooden casket atop the altar, but a long wooden cylinder. He took a minute to make a photographic record of the chamber before moving to the altar.

He was tempted to crack open the cylinder right then and there and see what was inside, but common sense won out. He hefted the cylinder and carried it back to the entrance.

“
Hey Bones, can you catch this?
”
he called.

“
Only if you don
’
t throw like a girl.
”

Dane chuckled and tossed it down to Bones, who managed to snag it in both arms before it hit the ground.

“
What
’
s inside?
”
He turned it over, giving it a close look.

“
Don
’
t know. We
’
ll see when we open it.
”

“
What do you think it is?
”
Matt asked.
“
It
’
s really long.
”

“
That
’
s what she said,
”
Bones jibed. He elbowed Avery, who gave an exasperated sigh and shook her head.

They were back on board
Sea Foam,
docked, and waiting for Corey and Willis to return. There was no word from them, and he didn
’
t know how to interpret that, though he kept his hopes up.

“
Let
’
s find out.
”
The cylinder was a good five feet long, and capped on each end. The caps were held in place by resin. Dane needed only a few minutes to work one end free. He twisted the cap off and pulled out a handful of coconut fibers.

“
I see it,
”
Avery whispered.

A brass circle gleamed beneath the stark light. Dane took hold of it and drew forth a spear. The shaft featured the same spiral band he had seen on the walls of the two chambers. The oversized spearhead was made of the same mottled metal as Carnwennan and, like the dagger, a deep channel ran down one side of the blade. The head was held in place by a band of the now familiar white stone. As he held the spear out for the others to inspect, lights began to swirl deep in the stone.

“
It
’
s Rhongomnyiad. King Arthur
’
s spear. It
’
s got to be,
”
Avery said.
“
It
’
s clearly a mate to the dagger.
”

“
Is it a cloaking device too?
”
Bones asked.

“
There
’
s no legend of invisibility surrounding the spear. In fact, there aren
’
t many legends about it at all.
”
Avery looked thoughtful.
“
The only one I can think of says it could take a life with a single touch. But the same story claimed that it carries life within it.
”

“
So, who wants to be the one to touch the big, scary spear?
”
Bones asked. No one volunteered.
“
Let me see that thing.
”
Bones took the spear from Dane and looked it up and down.
“
Do you think the butt turns it on, sort of like the dagger?
”
Before anyone cold object, he pressed on the bronze butt and the spearhead flickered.
“
Sweet. I wonder...
”

“
Bones, don
’
t...
”

Before Dane could finish the sentence, Bones prodded a metal folding chair with the spear. Avery screamed and everyone covered their faces as, with a loud crack, the spear sent up a shower of blue sparks and the chair flew across the cabin and clattered to the floor. Bones hurried over and picked it up so everyone could see the smoking hole the spear had burned through it.

“
Well, now we know what it does.
”
He grinned.
“
Who
’
s next?
”

“
Bones, give me the spear before you sink us.
”
Dane took the spear back and held it loosely by his side. He turned to share a pained smile with Avery, and was surprised to see her gaping at him.

“
Maddock,
”
Bones said,
“
your butt is glowing.
”

Dane looked down and saw that the dagger, which he had tucked into his belt, and the stone band around the spear, had begun to shine. The closer together he held them the brighter they shone.

“
This is crazy.
”
Avery said.
“
How can you guys be so calm about this?
”

“
Like we said before, we
’
ve seen this phenomenon a couple of times.
”
Dane drew Carnwennan and held it next to Rhongomnyiad. The white stones glowed like small suns, though they produced no heat. Strangely, he felt a tingling down his arms, and decided he shouldn
’
t toy with forces he did not understand.

“
Stones like this are unheard of.
”
Avery took the spear from Dane for a closer look.
“
So, what are they? Did you study them?
”

“
We
’
ve never actually been able to do that. We sort of keep losing them.
”

Just then, Dane
’
s phone vibrated, sparing him of further questions. The number was unfamiliar.

“
Hello?
”

“
We each have something the other wants.
”

He
’
d only heard the voice once before, but he
recognized it instantly
. It could only be one person.

“
Locke.
”
He couldn
’
t keep the growl from his voice. Silence fell in the cabin as everyone stared.

“
One and the same. Now, time is short, so I shall keep this simple. I want what you found on the island...
”

“
I don
’
t know what you
’
re talking about.
”

“
Mister Maddock, I assure you I have no attachment to this girl. In fact, I find her crass and tiresome. The only value she has to me is as an object for trade. If you do not have what I want, rather, if you insist on pretending so, she will no longer be of use to me, and I shall dispose of her. Now, shall we begin again?
”
He took Dane
’
s silence as assent, and continued.
“
I want what you found on the island, and I want the map you recovered from Saint Paul
’
s.
”

Dane
’
s mind worked furiously. As he
’
d predicted, Locke knew about the map, but assumed it led to somewhere else entirely. That was good.

“
What do you want with the map? It was right here in New York all this time, right under your
nose
. Why didn
’
t you take it?
”

“
Yes, disappointing, that. You beat my men there, literally and figuratively, by minutes.
”

“
We have a bad habit of doing both those things.
”

Locke ignored him.

“
For your convenience, we will make the exchange in Baltimore. I believe you are already headed in that direction. Don
’
t bother with the Poe House. My people will be there before you.
”

Dane
’
s heart pounded and thoughts hummed through his mind at a lightning pace. Locke had caught him off guard with that detail.

“
I
’
m not making any kind of deal with you until I talk to Angel.
”
Just saying her name felt like a vice clamping down on his chest. He could hardly breathe, so powerful was his rage.

“
How cliche,
”
Locke sighed.
“
Very well, if it will make you feel you have some semblance of control, you may speak to her. But first, I want something in return.
”

“
What?
”

“
Tell me which one you have. My man got a good enough look that I know it is not the spear.
”

“
The dagger.
”
Dane saw no point in lying.

“
Excellent. Very well, here
’
s your bird.
”

There was two seconds of agonizing silence, and then he heard Angel
’
s voice.

“
Maddock?
”
For a moment, she sounded fearful, almost childlike, and then her resolve hardened.
“
Are you there?
”

“
Yeah, are you all right?
”
He wondered if the look on his face or the tone of his voice revealed anything to the others in the cabin, who still looked on in rapt silence.

“
Doesn
’
t matter. Don
’
t you give this poncey asshat anything.
”
Now she sounded like her old self.
“
I
’
ll kick your ass if you do. You hear me?
”

“
Sorry, Angel. You know I don
’
t follow orders very well. You just hang tight, okay?
”
He almost smiled at the stream of profanity she hurled at him.

“
Very well.
”
Locke was back on the line.
“
Tomorrow at one o
’
clock in the afternoon. You will receive specific instructions at noon. If I, or any of my people, have so much as a hint you
’
ve notified the authorities, she dies, and then I will hunt you down and kill you too. Do we understand each other.
”

“
Yes to the first part. As to the second, you
’
re welcome to try your luck any time.
”
At that moment, Dane would have liked nothing more than a shot at Locke, but he had Angel to think about.

“
How I do love bravado.
”
Locke chuckled.
“
By the way, don
’
t believe her when she says she doesn
’
t want you to come for her. She made some very interesting admissions under sedation.
”