Curse of the Druids Page 9

  The other two officers, however, caused a nice big lump to form in my throat.

  We didn’t see them until after we had purchased our tickets, and for a moment I worried they were about to accost us as they walked swiftly in our direction. Thankfully, Ishi and Marie were laughing at a YouTube video on Ishi’s tablet, and missed the pair until they were upon us. I could tell the sudden appearance of these two officers—the main guy and gal who had earlier conversed the most in our presence—startled my companions. But Ishi’s and Marie’s reactions were subtle, and could easily be mistaken for a number of emotional responses. Other than a cursory glance, the pair stepped past us to continue their search.

  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dying to turn around, or cast a quick glance over my shoulder, to make sure they carried onward and the hell out of our lives. But I remained nonchalant. I’m proud to report that Marie and Ishi successfully resisted the urge, as well.

  “That was close, huh, Nick?” whispered Ishi, when we found a bench to occupy while we waited for two o’clock to arrive. Restlessly waited, I might add. “Do you think they recognized us… even a little?”

  “We’ll see,” I said, glancing at Marie, who sat down on the other side of Ishi. We had him sandwiched between us. “It’s best to keep looking relaxed. You two should continue having fun with your YouTube account, Ishi…. I’ll keep an eye out for them and our other friends.”

  “Okay… but since we have time, I have a question. Something on my mind since this morning, when we first discovered the amulet,” he said, and waited for Marie and I to nod before going on. “How does this thing ‘know’ who is a friend and not an enemy? I mean, how did the amulet hide us all when Marie alone was wearing it?”

  The same thing I had asked myself. Before my basic survival instincts kicked in, and I thought of nothing else beyond still being alive in the afternoon. The question hit me hardest when I dove into what looked like a vacant car and heard Ishi’s and Marie’s voices in the Volkswagon’s emptiness. Pretty eerie. It took a few minutes before they materialized for me, as if the amulet was checking my ass out, to see if I remained a friend or not.

  “I had hoped the amulet would behave like that,” said Marie, quietly, as if afraid the damned thing in her purse would hear her and count the revelation as betrayal. “Papa said one of the older accounts about King Richard told how it would act like this. It protected the king and his closest allies for years. But then something happened, and it betrayed him. The amulet tunes into the person wearing it—so much that it takes on their preferences and becomes loyal to what matters most to them. It obviously reacted to how I feel about you guys.”

  Ishi blushed and looked away, while I wasn’t sure how to digest this latest information. Maybe my alpha male side felt slighted a bit at sharing her affections. Silly shit, I know, and she must’ve picked up on it. She sent me a kiss and seductive wink. Now I was the guy blushing.

  Fortunately, she and Ishi returned to watching YouTube and I subtly surveyed the endless crowd that swelled with each train arrival. I began to think we’d make it out of there with nothing more than near misses from London’s finest. The fantasy lasted until right after we gathered our backpacks and headed for our assigned boarding spot.

  “It’s them!” whispered Ishi, pointing worriedly at the five Yassir Ali thugs who relentlessly pursued us.

  The dudes were bobbing in and out of the crowd, surely looking for us. Thankfully, they had yet to notice our presence. Maybe separating in their search would’ve helped… and a definite strategic flaw to capitalize on. Knowing we had less than five minutes to completely elude these guys and make the boarding call for our train, I grabbed Marie and Ishi, hunching low and scurrying away from our enemies’ field of vision.

  “Why are we doing this?” she demanded. “The gate is in the other direction, and we’re going to miss our train!”

  “No… no we won’t miss it,” I assured her, casting one last glance at the Egyptians. I could barely see them from my lowered vantage point, and prayed it was the same for them seeing us. “Okay, stay low, and here goes nothin’!”

  I scurried back to the gate with my frightened cohorts in tow. I kept a smile on my face, hoping most folks would pass us off as three terrible Marx Brothers imitators. None of us looked to where the Egyptians had been a moment ago. We soon reached the short line getting ready to board the train. More importantly, our arrival went unnoticed by Ali’s men.

  I casually scanned the area around us and at first didn’t see our pursuers anywhere in the area. But then I caught sight of the tallest one’s slicked-back hair… moving further away. The others were with him and none looked back in our direction.

  Whew!

  The next worry was getting on the train without delay and without being recognized by anyone else.

  “Come on… come on!” I whispered impatiently, my knees weary from crouching. Marie and Ishi had given up that part of the charade. But as the tallest one among us, I feared being picked out from afar, and giving away our vulnerable location.

  “What happens if we don’t make it?” asked Ishi, after the latest wary glance over my shoulder.

  “Well—”

  “We have no choice! We better make it, you guys,” said Marie, focused on boarding the train, with an eye to ending the suspense. “Scotland awaits!”

  Surely, there are those wondering why we simply didn’t resort to the amulet again. I wish I had a good answer as to why we didn’t. It certainly would’ve saved the anxiety, and we might’ve got a better seat by sneaking onto the train, picking out a place to our liking, and then…. Then what? Abruptly reappearing in a half-full car? Yeah, that would’ve definitely gone over well.

  And, wouldn’t you know Yassir Ali’s five stubborn henchmen suddenly appeared next to the train. Fortunately, we had just boarded, and watched in relief as our persistent menaces moved past our car with no indication they had seen us. Still, it wasn’t until the car began its northern trek to Edinburgh, and they were still searching in the crowd, that I relaxed.

  “Looks like we’re going to make it after all!” beamed Marie, as she leaned in close. “That was too close for comfort back there, wasn’t it?”

  She smiled like we had just stepped off a thrill ride at an amusement park. Girl likes a hefty helping of danger, for sure! Ishi graciously let her have the window seat, and this time I sat in the middle, with Ishi on the aisle. We had purposely taken an open row in the very back of the car. For the moment, the area was mostly vacant, with the closest passenger several rows away. Conversely, the front of the car was fairly packed. At least we could stretch out during our near three-hour trip.

  “So, when are you planning to fill us in about why it’s crucially important for us to risk our necks by prolonging our stay in the UK?”

  It sounded harsher than delivered. Trust me, I was almost an angel at first, since we could ill afford for her to clam up. I wanted clear details about what to expect next.

  “I know you’re dying to find out why we’re headed to Scotland, instead of the States,” she said, releasing a low sigh, like she didn’t want to talk about it—despite her earlier promise. “Even though the Ambrosius Amulet is one of five amulets ascribed to the ancient druids, it stands alone in what it can do…. We’re headed for the Scottish Highlands to look for the largest cache of gold and jewels anywhere in the British Isles. The amulet will help us find it.”

  “You sure you don’t want to visit the Tower of London instead? I’ve heard they give daily tours, which is a far easier way to get to them,” I quipped. She frowned. “But your not talking about those jewels, are you?”

  “You’re such an incredible bastard sometimes,” she said, shaking her head. But there was laughter in her eyes, and love. “It’s Papa’s ‘Secret of the Loch’, which he discovered while researching the life of King Richard the First.”

  “The old Lionheart, huh?”

  “He never made it to old age,” she said, not q
uite as amused. I did my best to pull back my latest smirk. “Remember what I said about his betrayal? You’d be wise to take it very seriously, Nick. Richard should’ve lived many years as England’s most beloved king, but he lost his life before his forty-second birthday.”

  “And it has something to do with the Ambrosius Amulet?”

  Ishi sounded excited as he said this. Ready to believe anything… careful, little buddy.

  “It has everything to do with the amulet,” she replied, her tone hushed, almost reverent. “Papa said Richard had heard of the vast treasure hidden in a cavern, and that it once belonged to Britain’s ancient druid nations. Apparently, the cavern holds additional troves of gold, silver, and jewels from when Rome tried to purchase the loyalty of the Picts.”

  “Bet that went over well with the proud native peoples who once resided here,” I said, thinking back to my brief study of Rome’s failed takeover of the British Isles—an event believed by some to have marked the beginning of the end for the Romans’ unquenchable thirst for conquest beyond Italian soil.

  “Perhaps they considered tossing it all into the ocean,” Marie agreed, nodding thoughtfully. “But, perhaps for future considerations, they hid it away instead.”

  “Near a loch, right?” asked Ishi.

  “Yes, definitely near a loch,” said Marie. “But, determining which one may take a week or so to figure out.”

  “What? Dear old dad didn’t leave behind a map to lead you to it?”

  Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

  “He did leave a map… and Uncle Leo has it. Or, he had it at one time. It hasn’t been seen for years.” She turned away, looking at London’s northern suburbs through the window as we sped northward.

  “Then why in the hell are we doing this?” I persisted, feeling my ire heat up. “Please tell me we’re not going to scour the Scottish hillsides with a divining rod!”

  “I have the coordinates of a bluff not far from the loch and symbols to confirm it’s the right one!” she said, returning her attention to me. Our heated gazes met. “Uncle Leo stole the map many years ago, but Papa had already memorized most of the details. He determined the location involved one of three lochs: Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, or Loch Morar. He shared everything he could recall; testing me to make sure I had all the details straight in my mind. Once we visit the right location, I’ll know it.”

  “Wait a minute… so your father’s intent for the Ambrosius Amulet was to find buried treasure? Can you tell me where the procuring of it for a museum fits in with that notion?”

  “You think I lied to you, Nick?”

  “Maybe not intending to lie, but withholding important details can certainly make things look a bit dishonest. Don’t you agree? Besides, won’t Zeus and the rest of the ancient pantheon take issue with their precious amulet being used for selfish gain?”

  The golden flecks seemed to swirl inside those cobalt eyes ablaze from anger. Maybe I should’ve worded things more gently, or better yet, held my tongue. Tough to do when I’m pissed.

  “Surely you mean Aengus, the Celtic entity. And, as to your other accusation, the intent to deliver the amulet to the museum always remained my father’s priority!” she said, biting off harsh syllables—surely to keep from drawing attention to our little corner of the train car. “Papa had spent nearly all of his and my mother’s savings on other projects. So, he did something similar to what you would do, Nick. He agreed to help a very rich aristocrat here in the UK to locate the amulet and then find the legendary treasure. If my mother hadn’t contracted a rare strain of pneumonia during their initial trip to England, he would’ve succeeded in finding both the amulet and the hidden cavern three years ago. But they returned home, and Mom died of complications shortly thereafter. Then Uncle Leo took care of Papa…. My father’s last wish that we discussed was for me to ‘find the Ambrosius Amulet and claim the treasure hidden in the Scottish Highlands’. He trusted me, and with or without you, I’m going to fulfill his dying wish!”

  Marie didn’t say anything else. She had already asked us to trust her, and only Ishi had given his faith, though blindly. Even now, Ishi’s look of childlike fascination told me he was willing to see this wild goose chase through to either a joyful or bitter end.

  As for me? I needed a few minutes to consider everything; including cutting my losses and heading back home to America. But I couldn’t leave the woman I had unfortunately fallen for. Nor could I leave my Tawankan pal to dangle in the winds of fate.

  “Sorry for the hard time, babe…. Count me in,” I whispered, drawing a relieved smile from Ishi and a soft sigh from Marie.

  For better or worse, we’re headed for the Scottish Highlands.

  Maybe we’ll get lucky and find this latest treasure.

  Maybe I’ll live long enough to write about it, too.

  Stay tuned.

  Nick.

  The End

  The Nick Caine Adventures will return in November 2014:

  Secret of the Loch

  Nick Caine Adventures Book 5

  Available now:

  The Dragon Coin

  The Judas Chronicles, Book Four

  (Please read on for a sample)

  Getting out of Podgorica proved easy enough, and we were on the main highway by four-thirty that Monday afternoon. Traveling by train would’ve been quicker, but having a car as a possible getaway source seemed to be the wiser choice. Besides, if Roderick wasn’t correct about Dracul’s residence being in or near Budva, a car gave us more immediate options to rectify that potential problem.

  That was my opinion, anyway.

  We checked into the Hotel Astoria shortly after six o’clock, and after a quick dinner overlooking the beach we headed downtown. Standard logic wouldn’t necessarily help in determining the layered illusion supposedly waiting for us from Dracul. But we went with a version of common sense anyway, visiting the oldest part of the city first. A place that preceded my existence by more than five hundred years.

  The locals refer to this area as ‘Old Town’. In truth, it has always been Budva’s trademark, and is a sandy peninsula that once was an island. Legendary even when Roderick and I first visited this area of the Adriatic coast eighteen hundred years earlier, it remains the biggest tourist attraction in the area.

  The ancient walls of this section are a huge draw, and have survived at least two major earthquakes, in 1667 and again in 1979. The walls form the cornerstone for the labyrinth feel of the place, because of the braided streets, squares, bulwarks and towers. No wonder Dracul chose to be close, since this certainly fit his taste.

  “Do you think he would be so obvious as to set whatever trap he has in mind for us in the citadel?” I asked, as we approached the city’s oldest standing structure. It appeared deserted and locked up. “I see it’s a theater now, one that’s apparently closed on Mondays.”

  “Hard to say,” said Roderick, looking around warily. I felt a cold chill traverse along my spine. “He’s watching us.”

  “He feels close.”

  “Yes, he does,” he agreed, turning away from the citadel/theater. He began walking back to where the car was parked. “We’re wasting our time here. I could almost feel him laughing at us.”

  He was right, that’s exactly how it felt.

  “Then where is he? Or, better yet, where does he want us to go?” I said, getting increasingly irritated. Yeah, I know...like I should be in such a hurry to die, right? “Is this part of the game?”

  “What, like foreplay?” Roderick chuckled and picked up his pace. “I just received an image of an immense dark castle, somewhere near water. No, that’s not quite right…the place is surrounded by water, lots of water.”

  “Could be another dead end,” I said. “Especially if he knows you are getting mental images, this might be nothing more than another session of ‘fuck with the druid’.”

  He laughed, shaking his head as he continued to move back to the parking garage where we left our rental.

  �
��I’m serious!”

  “I know, “ he called over his shoulder. “You might be right, Judas. But one thing is for certain. He isn’t here.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “Because the images of the castle are getting stronger…as much as I would like to not follow them, I feel it will be worse for us if we don’t hurry to try and find this place. Somewhere on the coast, and if we go now, we’ll still have plenty of daylight.”

  Roderick’s sense of urgency won the battle over my desire to stay longer and have a better look around in ‘Old Town’. Unlike our casual pace from Pedgorica to Budva, and from the hotel to the older section of the city, he drove the Camry we rented with near abandon, and almost ran down a pair of bicyclists on the main road back to the beach. Following his inner voice, he took us further south and let up on the gas as he became calmer. Then, without warning, he pulled the car over and parked in front of one of the many scenic beaches the area is known for. At the moment, it appeared to be crowded with tourists and local sun-worshipers alike.

  “So, are you looking for some cryptic clue beneath a sunbather’s umbrella that will lead us further on this wild goose chase?” I asked, smiling wryly.

  “Shhh! Let me listen for a moment.” He stared out the windshield as if expecting such a clue to suddenly appear among the beach tenants, or the rising tide sending deeper swells toward the shore. Only a handful of surfers braved the bigger waves, and other than a few sailboats in the distance, the sea sat empty. The shoreline, on the other hand, was teeming with swimmers in the shallow depths while couples walked close to the water. “Come on, let’s go have a look.”

  He exited the car, and without waiting for me, hurried toward what looked like an abandoned pier from long ago. The structure was missing most of its planks, and only the rusted steel supports remained. An ancient dingy was tied to the end of the pier, roughly two hundred feet from the shore.