Heart of Stone (36 page)

She reached for him telepathically.
Adrian? What's going on?

Going to confront Azotay. You two get the stone, and I'll see you back on the boat.

Going to confront Azotay? Her blood chilled. The Mendukati had found them.

Rigo swam to her and pointed to his wrist. They were running out of time. Pushing her fear aside, she nodded and fell in beside him as he swam for the underwater cave. The sooner they got the stone, the sooner they could get out of here.

The Stone of Igarle had imprinted a map in her mind. She took the lead, guiding them to the nearly hidden entrance.

The tunnel snaked into the solid rock, taller than it was wide. At one time it would have been a narrow, curving passageway that people would have walked through. Now it was a dark tunnel with no light. If not for the underwater flashlights they carried, she would have been lost.

The rock hummed around her, its song like a lullaby. Enveloped by the dark, surrounded by stone, Faith's fear fell away. The journey reminded her of her forays into the consciousness of the Stone of Igarle. There was something peaceful about the dark, about the stony corridor, that eased the pain of Ben's death that still seared her heart.

The tunnel curved upward—uphill, had the cave still been above the sea—leading them deeper into the Earth and closer to the missing stone. As she swam, she caught a glimmer of light ahead. She increased her speed. The glimmer became a glow that filled the water around her. She swam toward it, and her head broke the surface of a pool.

Rigo popped up beside her. They both tipped their heads back. The roof of the cave stretched up several stories above them. The illumination of the cave came from an opening on the side, halfway to the top. Just enough sunlight got in to cast reflections from the water onto the walls. Stalactites hung from the ceiling. Beside them was a wide outcropping. Dark openings in the wall behind it hinted at other passages and other caves.

Rigo pulled his regulator from his mouth and took an experimental breath. “A little stale,” he said, “but the opening up top probably keeps enough fresh air circulating that we don't need our gear.”

Faith took out her own regulator. “Any idea how to get on that ledge? I doubt there's a ladder.”

He laughed. “You're right about that one. Let's get closer. Maybe there's enough rock that we can make our own ladder.”

They managed to use submerged rocks to clamber up the edge of the outcropping, hauling themselves up and out of the water.

“These tanks are so much lighter in the water,” she groaned, sliding her air tanks off. She set them out of the way.

“I'll just keep mine. They don't bother me.” Rigo put his hands on his hips. “So, where do we start?”

“Give me a minute.” She closed her eyes and reached out with her senses, the song of the rock all around her vibrating in her throat. All of it sang together, connected and alive. She searched for one melody that was different from the others. Thought of Igarle and its song. Looked for one like it.

She found it finally, a lonely tune, whisper-soft, ancient. She reached for it, stroked it in her mind, coaxed it nearer.
I am the Stone Singer
.

The stone responded, its voice crackling like tissue paper.
I am Gerlari
.

Gerlari, the stone of the Warriors.

Help me find you,
she sent.

The images poured into her mind. The caves had been used for many things over the centuries: sacred rituals, burials and cremations, sacrifices, and even a source of pure water.

Turning on her light, she went into the left-hand cave, following the ancient whisper guiding her way. She stepped where she was shown to step and did not disturb anything else, though she would have loved to have more time to explore. Rigo was right behind her. She was aware of calcified pottery, some shattered on the floor, and the glimmer of the occasional crude mirror. Faces were etched in rock. In one corner, a pot sat trapped beneath a long stalactite formed by the calcification from dripping water ancient people had once collected.

The narrow cave opened into a bigger chamber. Here there were bodies.

Her flashlight caught on human bones that glittered. The first skull startled her, but she quickly realized that the diamond-like sparkle came from crystallization of minerals on bones that had lain untouched for over a thousand years. Skeletons leaned against the walls or were wedged in crevices. Some were very small—children, perhaps. Had these people gotten trapped in the cave with no way out?

Sacrificial victims,
Gerlari whispered.

Faith shivered, disturbed by the very idea, and moved her light to the center of the chamber. A sarcophagus had been set on a dais in the center of the room. She slowly traced the carving on the lid, three triangles connected at the base by a circle with a squiggly line in the middle—the symbol of Atlantis. A survivor of the cataclysm had been laid to rest here.

“Help me,” she said to Rigo. Both of them took a corner at the head of the sarcophagus. Leaning every muscle into it, they were able to slide the stone lid over enough for Faith to shine her light inside.

Red crystal glimmered between skeletal hands.

“I see it.” She started to reach inside. The lid skidded. She and Rigo grabbed it and prevented it from crashing to the floor. They stood balancing the heavy stone, muscles straining. The idea was to reclaim the stone and leave the rest of the artifacts untouched.

“Wish Gray was here,” Rigo said. “How are we going to get that thing out?”

“You grab it. I'll hold the lid steady.”

“What? You couldn't possibly.”

She smiled. “Yes, I can.” She closed her eyes and reached for the energy of Gerlari. The stone had been packed away for eons, no human contaminating it, which meant it flared to life with as pure an energy as she had ever felt. Unlike Igarle back at the Montana house or Eraldatu in Santutegi, this stone remained as pristine as when it had been balanced by the last Stone Singer.

Its song burst from her throat, full and eerily beautiful.

Rigo jumped when she first started singing. She didn't know how much he knew about who his employers were, but he recovered quickly and just waited for orders. She channeled the energy of Gerlari, asked for its help. Moments later, invigorating power swept through her, activating every muscle with an adrenaline rush. She easily lifted up the stone lid so Rigo could grab the stone.

“Sorry,
amigo,
” he said to the skeleton as he freed the stone from the clasp of the dead.

As soon as his hand was clear, Faith replaced the lid with a soft thud and brushed her hands together to get rid of the dust. “Let me see it.”

Rigo handed her the stone. The instant it touched her hand, it flared to life, glowing clear with swirls of red in it.

“
Dios,
” Rigo whispered.

“Where's your bag?” she asked.

“Right here.” He detached a waterproof catch bag from his belt and opened it.

Faith placed the stone in the bag. “Hang on to that with your life. Now let's get out of here.”

“Hell yeah.”

They hurried out of the cave, following the dim glow of the main cavern. They burst out into the light. Two Warriors in scuba gear met them, pointing harpoon guns.

“I'll take that,” one said, and snatched the bag from Rigo. He tucked the harpoon gun under his arm and opened the bag, glancing inside. He nodded to his partner.

“You.” The partner pointed at Faith and then swung his finger to the other side of the cavern. “Get over there.”

Faith glanced at Rigo. Don't try anything, she thought. Please don't try anything.

He tried something.

As Faith shuffled to the other side of the cavern, Rigo lunged at the Warrior who'd opened the bag. The guy went down, and the bag skidded aside. Rigo leaped for it.

The other Warrior fired. Rigo tried to dive out of the way, but the harpoon sliced along his side before bouncing off the stone wall. He landed hard, groaning and pressing his hand to his side. The Warrior he'd tackled snatched up the bag with the stone in it and stood. Rigo shoved himself into a seated position against the wall. His head sagged forward.

“We should finish him,” the Warrior with the bag said in Atlantean.

“No,” Harpoon Gun answered in the same language. “We have our orders. Separate the girl from the stone and wait for Azotay.” He jerked his chin at Rigo. “He might want this one for some reason.”

“Very well.” Bag Warrior folded his arms. “Then we wait for Azotay.”

*   *   *

Adrian came out of the lush forest on the east beach of the island, as instructed. A man in black jeans and a black T-shirt waited for him. Adrian glanced around. He appeared to be alone.

“Ah, Atlas. So good of you to come.” White teeth flashed through carefully groomed stubble. “I assure you, we are alone, according to the rules of the erron-ka. I would not have it said I cheated.”

Adrian stopped several paces away and folded his own arms. “I'm here. And the name is Adrian.”

“Oh, I think not.” Azotay's dark eyes gleamed. “I think you are Atlas Itzal, son of Ezares Itzal and his wife, Nilara. I think you are a Warrior of Mneseus.”

Damn, the bastard knew too much.

“You're mistaken.” Adrian frowned. Something about Azotay seemed familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

“I doubt that.” Azotay pressed his palms together and touched his lips with the tips of his fingers, that gleeful grin still playing about his lips.

“And what about you, Azotay?” Adrian challenged. “I know that's not your name.”

Annoyance flashed in Azotay's eyes. “It is now.”

Touchy subject. Adrian filed that away for later. “So,” he said. “You challenged me. Here I am. What now?”

“Now we battle,” Azotay said, and lunged.

*   *   *

Rigo hadn't moved since he'd fallen.

Faith slanted a glance at the Warriors. They sat on a large rock, their harpoon guns across their laps, talking in undertones. The bag with Gerlari in it hung from the belt of the one nearest to Rigo.

Faith leaned against the wall of the cave and closed her eyes. She summoned power from Gerlari, the white-hot energy sweeping through her channels like caffeine, amping up her powers. The Warriors had no idea she could do that; they thought she needed to touch the stone.

Ha.

She guided the energy into the wall behind her, the same wall against which Rigo rested, and focused her mind-voice stream. Rigo couldn't hear her telepathic speech, but when she filtered the energy through it, the result was a soft vibration through the rock. Barely audible sound.

Rigo, can you hear me?

He didn't respond.

Rigo, if you can hear me, twitch your pinky finger
. She nearly squealed when the finger flicked.
Are you okay to swim? Move one finger for yes, two fingers for no.

His pinky moved again. One finger.

I want you to grab the bag and swim out of here. Bring the stone to Darius
.

Two fingers twitched.

Don't argue with me. I'm going to cause a cave-in, and I need to know you're clear before I do. Take the stone to Darius.

Nothing. Then, he flicked one finger again.

When the shaking starts, you run for it, you hear? Grab that bag and get out of here
.

The pinky twitched.

Here we go.
Channeling both the power of the massive rock cave around her and the ancient stone Gerlari, she jabbed deep into the earth and ripped through the delicate stability of carefully balanced plates to poke at the fault beneath them.

The cave started to shake. Stalactites fell from high above, splashing into the water. Rigo jumped to his feet and sprinted, snatching the bag off the belt of the Warrior and jumping into the pool before the man could aim the harpoon gun.

The Warriors shouted, argued. One dove into the water after Rigo. The other turned the harpoon gun on her … until a huge chunk of rock fell from the ceiling and flattened him.

Faith held the integrity of the tunnel, watching Rigo's progress through the eyes of the Earth itself. She threw obstacles in the pursuing Warrior's way, rocks from above and below, crashing on the bottom of the narrow tunnel, churning up sand and debris to block his view and slow him down. Finally Rigo was clear. She slumped back with a weary sigh. She knew she wouldn't make it out alive. She'd known that the instant she'd thought of this plan. But as long as the stone was safe, as long as the Mendukati didn't get their hands on it, her life was worth the risk.

She sat on the floor of the cave, hugging her knees to her chest as slabs of rock crashed down around her. How ironic that she'd never wanted to be part of this war, yet she would be giving her life for it. She thought of Darius, of a love that had started in deception yet somehow still lodged in her heart.

Maybe they could have worked things out. Or maybe she would have been on her own again. She didn't know which way it would have gone, but she would have liked a happy ending.

She'd never know now.

Water gushed into the chamber. She bowed her head and waited for the Earth to take her.

 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Something was very wrong. Darius could feel Faith as if she were there beside him. She was afraid.

Faith, are you all right?

Darius.
Even her mind-voice sounded weary.
I sent Rigo with the stone. He's wounded. Make sure he gets … back … safe.

Faith!

She didn't answer. He connected through their link, but her energy felt weak.

He searched for Rigo. There weren't a lot of people in the immediate area, so he found him quickly. The ex-Marine was wounded and losing strength fast as he struggled to make it back to the boat. There was another man closing in on him, one of the Mendukati Warriors, based on his emotional signature.