The Lost Chalice (The Relic Seekers Book 3) Read online

  “Did they say how he’s doing?”

  “They don’t know. When they got there, he was gone.”

  Art and Jake were both gasping as Jake opened the door to his room. Marco and Fergus were inside looking very confused. Their faces lit when they saw Jake, but their relief was replaced by alarm as they took in his appearance.

  Fergus hurried over to him, tsking like a parent. Jake felt a lump in his throat that he hoped came from being nearly cooked and not because the butler was worrying over him like a father. “Did you have an accident?”

  “Statues.” Jake stumbled to the bed that, as Art had said, was minus Raphael.

  Marco’s worried blue eyes studied him. “The statues did this?”

  “Whoa!” Art’s eyes were round as marbles.

  “Art. I’m fine now. You can go.”

  Art didn’t look like he wanted to leave, but Jake was worried that he knew too much already. “But I want to hear about the statues.”

  “We can talk later. I need rest. So do you. You have done well.” And it was damned late. Or early.

  “I am kind of tired.”

  “Get some sleep, and don’t tell anyone what happened tonight.”

  Art gave them the Scout’s salute. Marco and Fergus returned it, looking very confused again. If Jake could have formed his burned lips into a smile, he would have.

  Art left, and Marco and Fergus hovered over Jake like nurses, asking what had happened as they checked him over for injuries.

  “I lost my cross.” Jake explained that he’d also found Raphael’s vial.

  Both men looked alarmed, but there was a look in Marco’s eyes that made Jake nervous.

  “You’re sure you had the cross with you?” Fergus asked.

  “Obviously,” Jake said. “Or I would have gotten fried on the way in. I searched the whole place and couldn’t find it. It’s like it vanished into thin air.” His worried gaze met Fergus’s and Marco’s. The cross had vanished, just like Kendall and Nathan had.

  “Marco, how is it possible?” Fergus asked, turning to the older man as if he had all the answers. Squinting, Marco leaned closer, studying Jake’s face. He pushed his hair off his forehead, inspecting him from every angle like a sculptor looking at a lump of clay. He closed his eyes briefly and seemed to be humming under his breath. Marco’s eyes opened, wide with surprise. He pulled back his hand and held it, as if he’d been burned. The hand was shaking.

  “Marco, can you explain?” Fergus asked again. Fergus was patting Jake here and there as if checking to see if his skin was still attached to his body.

  “It’s a mystery,” Marco said, staring at Jake. “A mystery.”

  “We must find Nathan and Kendall,” Fergus said. His voice was strong and determined, but he looked frightened. Nathan was like a son to him, and the butler was very protective of Kendall, not just because she meant the world to Nathan. It was apparent in the way Fergus treated her that he adored Kendall. The cooked feeling inside Jake felt a little soothed knowing that Fergus was also fond of him. Jake rarely inspired affection in people. Women liked him, but that was just lust or misguided thoughts of romance. He kept them, like everyone else, at the distance that suited him. The men on his team and his grandmother had been the only real family to him since Lilly.

  “I assume Raphael hasn’t come back?” Jake asked.

  “No,” Marco said, still giving Jake a bewildered stare. “I wish he would. I’m worried about him. We don’t know what happened when he followed Luke . . . the Reaper.” Marco blinked several times.

  Jake was starting to get nervous. Had the old man sensed something terrible about Kendall and Nathan?

  “He must have been feeling better if he left,” Fergus said.

  “Or desperate,” Marco whispered.

  Jake rubbed his chest. He still hurt like hell. “Can we call him? Does he have a cell phone or does he just fly around and walk through walls?”

  “He does have a cell phone,” Marco said. “But he doesn’t like it. He rarely keeps it charged. I’ve left him a voice mail.”

  “If he’s strong enough to leave, I’m drinking the water.” Jake pulled out Raphael’s vial and opened the cap, but then he found he couldn’t drink it. Raphael could have crawled off somewhere like a wounded animal. This sip of water might be the only thing to save him.

  Marco rubbed his beard, his eyebrows moving together in a worried frown. “This is all very bad. We must think.”

  “Perhaps Raphael woke and went to find the water on his own,” Fergus suggested.

  “I hope,” Jake said. “We need him to help find Kendall and Nathan.”

  “Maybe Kendall and Nathan are somewhere talking,” Fergus said. “They’ve made some startling discoveries, and they have many years to catch up on.”

  As alarming as that thought was, it would have been a relief to Jake. The other options were terrifying. “I’ll go search the tunnel.”

  Fergus’s arms stiffened at his side. “You will not. You need medical attention.” The butler’s mouth was firm. “You are very ill.”

  “I don’t have time to get medical attention. We have to find them now. They could be in terrible danger.”

  “I’ll call Hank and have him bring some of the guards,” Fergus said. “They can search the tunnel.”

  “We need boots on the ground now,” Jake said. “Call the castle and send some guards through the maze. I’ll start at this end, and we can cover more area.”

  “No.” Marco shook his head. “We can’t let outsiders know about the maze.”

  Jake shook his head. Even his brain felt fried. “Kendall and Nathan’s safety is more important than hiding Protettori secrets.”

  “I cannot allow that,” Marco said, sounding less like a frail old man and more like an ancient keeper of a secret brotherhood.

  Jake sighed and rubbed his head. His hair was still sticking up. He tried patting it down. “They could have been taken deeper into the tunnel. We need to search now.”

  “The secrets are too important to reveal,” Marco said.

  “Damn Raphael. Why did he leave? When I see him, I’m gonna knock those tattoos off his face.”

  Fergus cleared his throat and took a step back, his gaze focused on the wall behind Jake. “I believe you now have your chance.”

  Jake turned and saw Raphael standing in the room, as if he’d been summoned. He was a terrible sight—face pale against his tattoos, hair so wild it looked like he had dreads, robes like the Grim Reaper. Glowing, amber eyes locked on Jake like a laser. “Who took my cross?”

  Fergus edged closer to Marco. “What on earth happened to you?”

  “Someone stole my cross,” Raphael said, keeping his eyes on Jake.

  “Nathan took it to the fountain so he could refill your vial with water,” Jake said.

  Raphael’s expression relaxed some, but he still looked like a wild animal. “Give me your cross. I need water.”

  “Mine’s missing too. I went to the fountain to look for Kendall and Nathan, and I lost the cross.”

  Raphael’s eyes—almost normal now—narrowed in disbelief. “How did you get out?”

  “I drank some of the water as I leaped past the statues.”

  The guardian’s singed eyebrows shot up. “You passed the statues without a cross?”

  “Didn’t have a choice. What happened to you? You were unconscious when I left.”

  “I woke up and everyone was gone. I went to the temple to get water. I didn’t realize my cross was missing until my foot touched the sentinel boundary.” He moved his mouth in something resembling a snarl.

  “Tell me about it,” Jake said. “At least you’re alive. How were you going to drink without a vial? Won’t the water harm you otherwise?”

  “I have another one hidden there.”

  Could t
hat be the one he’d found? “Where?”

  “I won’t say.”

  “I need to know,” Jake said, gritting his teeth. He was tired of their secrets. “I found a vial on the floor near the wheel that opens the fountain steps.” He pulled it from his pocket and showed Raphael.

  “That’s not the one I hid.”

  “Then it’s the one Kendall took. Damn.” He handed it to Raphael. “There’s some water left in it.”

  Raphael opened the vial and drank.

  “I think Kendall and Nathan dropped it,” Jake said. “They’re missing.”

  “Missing?”

  “They’ve vanished.”

  Raphael leaned against the wall, and Jake wondered why he didn’t fall through it. “He must have come back.”

  Jake’s heart thudded. “The Reaper?”

  “Who else?”

  “Maybe Brandi grabbed them. The little boy, Art, he saw Brandi following Kendall and Nathan.” Jake hoped like hell it was Brandi and not the Reaper. “The Reaper can’t drink from the fountain without the chalice. Why come back without it?”

  “To get Kendall.”

  “Kendall?” Jake’s insides felt worse now than they had from his encounter with the statues. “Is she his daughter?”

  Raphael frowned in confusion, which in his present condition was both comical and terrifying. He seemed steadier after the drink of water, but he still looked like he’d been struck by lightning. “I don’t understand.”

  “She still believes the Reaper could be her father, that he’s changed so much he wouldn’t be recognizable now.”

  “The statues would know,” Raphael said. “But she needn’t worry. I believe his child is a son. The Reaper will want Kendall, but it’s for her sixth sense so he can find the Holy Grail.”

  Of course. Just like Nathan did. “Do you know who the Reaper’s child is?” Jake asked.

  Raphael glanced at Marco. “No.”

  Marco must know something. Jake turned to the old man. “Do you?”

  “He could be anyone,” the old man said.

  Jake didn’t have Kendall’s gifts, but he usually knew when someone was lying to him. Or at least not telling the truth.

  “Jake needs rest,” Marco said, giving Raphael a strange nod that seemed more of a command.

  Raphael’s hand moved toward Jake, and the room disappeared.

  CHAPTER SIX

  FERGUS HELPED RAPHAEL move Jake into a more comfortable position on the bed. “He looks terrible.” He turned to Raphael. “You look quite ill yourself. You should rest before you pass out.”

  “I have to search for Kendall and Nathan,” Raphael said. “I think I know where—” The guardian’s eyes fluttered. “Marco, what did you do . . .” Raphael’s eyes rolled up in his head and he fell onto the bed on top of Jake.

  “Very impressive,” Fergus said, staring at Marco’s outstretched hand. “I didn’t know you could do that too.”

  “Yes.” Marco looked proud of himself. “Raphael forgets sometimes that I’m still capable of many things.”

  “I don’t suppose you could teach me how to do that.”

  “I’m afraid not,” Marco said. “Now, help me move Raphael over. He won’t be happy when he wakes up.”

  “Neither will Jake,” Fergus said, pulling at Raphael’s arm. “My, he’s heavy.”

  “Yes, but we must move them apart or else they may kill each other when they wake.”

  They worked at separating the two men and making them comfortable. “Move Jake’s arm,” Fergus said. “It’s touching Raphael’s dagger. On second thought, perhaps we should remove the dagger and put it somewhere else.”

  “Very wise.” Marco took the dagger and placed it on a table across the room, while Fergus continued arranging the bodies like a funeral director.

  He moved Jake’s arm, made a few more adjustments, and then stood back, studying the two men lying side by side on the bed. “There.”

  Marco nodded and tugged his beard. “Very nicely done. I do hope they don’t hurt each other when they wake. Come now, we have much work to do.”

  “We’re leaving? But . . . Raphael and Jake?”

  “We’ll leave them a note. There is something I need to do,” Marco said.

  “We’re going to find Kendall and Nathan on our own?” Fergus asked. Marco’s abilities were remarkable at times, but he was still an old man. They needed young people with muscles and strength. And weapons.

  “We’re going to find the Reaper.” Marco’s eyes narrowed under his white brows. “I’m afraid he has Kendall and Nathan.”

  Jake opened his eyes and saw something in front of his face. He cursed and jumped, thinking it was Raphael’s hand, the last thing he’d seen. But it wasn’t the guardian’s hand. It was a note stuck to his forehead. He pulled it off and turned it over.

  Fergus and I will meet you at the castle, Marco

  Even more distressing than the note was the fact that he wasn’t alone in bed.

  Raphael sat up, his face red with fury. “Marco!”

  Jake glanced at Raphael’s dagger sheath, glad to see the weapon wasn’t there. “They’ve gone to the castle.” He handed Raphael the note. “I assume he did the same thing to you that you did to me. Not as much fun when the shoe’s on the other foot.”

  Raphael jumped out of bed, staggering only a bit, and looked at the window where the sun was shining behind the curtains. “It’s afternoon.”

  “We need to get moving. We’ve lost too much time. Do you feel up to searching the tunnel?” Jake asked. That was the logical place to start. He still felt fried, but not as bad as he had before.

  “Yes. Let’s go.”

  “You gonna walk around looking like that?” Jake asked. “You look like a burned rump roast.”

  Raphael scowled. “I don’t have anything else here.”

  Jake walked back to the dresser to get his bag. Kendall’s lay next to it. Where are you? He glanced at the bed where he and Kendall had made love, and his heart ached. He had to find her. He rummaged through the bag and pulled out some pants and a shirt. “You can borrow these,” he said, handing them to Raphael.

  The guardian held them up. “You want me to wear these?”

  “They’re sweats. They’ll grow on you.” Jake had bought them in the gift shop near the abbey after he, Kendall, and Nathan had fallen through one of the Protettori’s damned portals and ended up in England, dirty and tired, with Kendall still in her pajamas.

  “I doubt it.” Raphael grimaced at the clothing and disappeared into the bathroom. He returned a moment later wearing the sweats. Jake struggled to keep his face blank. Raphael was a big dude, probably thirty pounds heavier than Jake and a good three inches taller—definitely bigger than the sweats. He looked kind of like the Hulk, except he wasn’t green and his pants weren’t as short, and the Hulk didn’t have singed hair and a sweatshirt with “Glastonbury, England,” straining across his chest. But even in the odd getup, he still looked like a badass.

  “If we don’t find Kendall and Nathan, we’ll take the maze to the castle,” Raphael said. “I need more water.” He ran his gaze over Jake. “So do you. A lot more.”

  “You have water there?”

  “Some. We keep it for healing and ceremonial purposes.”

  “We can’t risk losing more time. There’s something wrong with that tunnel. We lost an entire day in there the first time.”

  “I know where I’m going.”

  “Then you search the tunnel, and I’ll look for Brandi. The boy said he saw her. I’ll find out if she knows anything about their disappearance.” Jake paused, feeling the bite of fear. “If she didn’t, we’ll know the Reaper has them.”

  “We should stay together.”

  This was odd coming from the mysterious guardian. “Why, you need my help?”<
br />
  “I think you need mine. You’re wounded.”

  “It’s not the first time. If we’re sticking together, let’s get a move on. We have a lot of ground to cover. Do you have something to pull your hair back?” Jake asked. “You look like Attila the Hun pretending to be a tourist.”

  Raphael’s face darkened. “No. And don’t ever call me that again.”

  Jake found a hair tie in Kendall’s things. A blond hair was still attached. His throat tightened as he pulled the strand of hair free and gave Raphael the tie. “Let’s go then.” Tucking the strand of hair carefully in his pocket, Jake walked toward the door.

  The drive to the Tor was tense, not only because both men feared for Kendall and Nathan’s safety, but also because Raphael criticized every turn Jake made, every tap on the vehicle’s brakes. “Do you want to drive?” Jake asked.

  “No.”

  “Then shut up. A man who can walk through walls shouldn’t be so intimidated by a rental car.” He probably shouldn’t badmouth the guardian, but Jake was too worried about Kendall to fear what unspeakable things Raphael might do to him. Luckily, all Jake got for his tirade was a frown.

  Jake and Raphael searched the entire tunnel, but there was no sign of Kendall or Nathan. “Maybe they went through the maze.” Jake didn’t know why they would have with Raphael waiting for them to get back. “Should we try it?” Jake’s head already felt like mashed potatoes, but he was willing to try about anything.

  “Not in our condition. We’re both weaker than we realized. I’m afraid we’d never make it. You have to be strong to use the gateways. We’ll have to get to the castle another way.”

  They exited the tunnel the same way they had come in. The trip was much faster with Raphael than it had been when Jake was with Kendall and Nathan. “I wish you’d been here when we fell through the maze. It felt like we wandered in circles.”

  “You probably did. The tunnel is . . . unusual.”

  No kidding. “How does it work?”

  “I don’t really know.”

  Jake hadn’t expected more than stony silence or a grunt in reply. Even this short admission was a surprise. “You didn’t build it?”