Ari shoved the keyboard aside and grabbed her phone. The man at the gift shop had implied Hawkson was pretty cautious. What if he wasn’t answering because he screened his calls and didn’t recognize the caller? She thumbed his number and this time left a detailed message, stating who she was and what she wanted.
Ari leaned back in her desk chair, staring at the budding trees outside the window. A plunge from a cliff top, black magic, an Indian artifact, and a ghost in the caves. Were they related? Or just more of the mysterious things that cropped up in Olde Town on a regular basis? With more than three thousand Otherworlders in the area, it was remarkable there weren’t more unexplained incidents.
She thought about the kids’ story. Luckily, the press hadn’t picked up on it yet. In fact, the reporters were acting restless, as if they were losing interest with the lack of progress on Barron’s death. According to Ryan, a couple of the nationals had already moved on to bigger stories, and with any luck, the rest would soon follow. Maybe, just maybe, the investigation would escape further publicity.
When her phone rang five minutes later, caller ID told her their luck had run out. Eddie West, crime reporter for the local newspaper, The Clarion, was on the line.
“I hear there’s a ghost in our caves,” he began. “Is this linked to Jase Barron’s death?”
Holy crap. Did Eddie have to hear everything? And be smart enough to put the pieces together? She took a deep breath to keep from swearing at him.
She tried for a casual tone, even a little bit teasing. “Come on, Eddie. Don’t tell me you believe in ghosts. It was a kids’ story. How would it be connected to Barron? I hope you’re not imagining he jumped off the cliff to get away from a ghost.”
“Are you saying he jumped? A possible suicide? I heard the cause of death was inconclusive.”
“It wasn’t suicide,” she interrupted sharply when she heard him typing on the other end of the phone. “Don’t go spreading that around. We have enough rumors.”
“Then what was it? Doc’s medical finding sounds suspicious to me, and you have to admit the ghost sighting is rather timely.” He paused, probably waiting to see if she’d add anything.
“Your point?”
“Just saying. Seems odd. I smell a story.”
She tried laughing it off. “I think your human nose is steering you wrong. There’s no story. A couple of kids were scaring each other in a dark cave.”
“Uh-huh. Have you checked it out yet? I noticed the police barricades. Seems like they don’t want anyone around there.”
“I think the reason for the precaution is obvious. Think of the problems we’d have if your media friends started running all over vampire territory.” She gave a half laugh. “Ryan’s already gone into hiding to avoid the microphones.”
“They’re not my media friends, just pushy competition, but Lt. Foster’s attitude doesn’t surprise me. He’s not very tolerant of the press.”
Which was true, as Eddie had reason to know. He and Ryan had butted heads before. It didn’t help that Eddie had once been jailed as a murder suspect when he’d lied to the cops over a vampire killing. At best, the two men had a conditional liking for one another. Conditional upon Eddie not currently printing anything the police didn’t want to read.
She wound up the conversation by pleading a stack of unfinished reports and grimaced as she disconnected. Eddie and Ryan were sure to be at it again. It wouldn’t take Eddie long to run down the two kids. The rest of the press, with nothing more exciting to report, would be all over the story too. Yet another reason to get into the caves today before she had to fight her way through cameras and microphones.
With that thought in mind, she made certain to be sitting in the first-floor recreation room of Andreas’s home when he appeared shortly after three o’clock. One good thing about vampires: she didn’t need to announce herself. He already knew she was there.
“Waiting for me? An unexpected pleasure.” He gave her a quizzical look. “Ah, of course, the trip to the caverns. I did not realize you were so eager to get inside. Has something else happened?”
“Eddie’s heard about the ghost sighting. I’d like to get into the caves before we’ve got a bunch of gawkers.”
“This is certainly not welcome news.” He raked a hand through hair that was still wet from his shower. His black T-shirt and jeans indicated he’d already remembered her request. “The dwarves won’t let them in, but it is a hassle, and we will need to increase our vigilance. We sealed another surface entrance, and I would like to seal the one the boys found too, when you have finished with it.”
“I guess that depends on what we find. Can you go now?” She stood and waved two flashlights at him. “I’m ready.” Even a vampire’s vision could use a little help in the total blackness of a cave.
Ari flipped the flashlight on before stepping through the cave entrance. Immediately inside, a middle-aged dwarf wearing blue jeans and a blue and yellow flannel shirt challenged them. He stood in the path, scowling, his short stubby legs planted in a firm stance, an axe over one shoulder, a wooden club resting on the other. Upper arm and chest muscles bulged under his flannel shirt, his whole body tense until Ari and Andreas identified themselves.
“I recognize you now.” The dwarf’s scowl faded. “Nobody else has been around, so I was just doing a little reading.” He walked toward a small lawn chair with a lantern and book laying beside it. He dropped his weapons and grabbed the book, revealing the cover of the latest spy thriller. “It helps pass the time.”
Leaving him to his own pursuits, they continued on the trail Ari had taken before. They walked down around a sharp bend, edged past the drop off, and took two more turns.
“This is where I started back.” She played the light over the rock path ahead. “It looks like the boys went this way.” She pointed to a chalk arrow on the wall.
“Hmm, yes. I can see that.”
His voice sounded odd, and Ari would have turned her flashlight to see his face if it wouldn’t have blinded him. “Something wrong?”
“I am not sure. Let us continue. I will take the lead from here.” Without hesitation he strode down the path with the confidence of someone familiar with his surroundings. Ari hurried to stay with him, her light often shining across his back.
“I take it you know where you’re going,” she said when he didn’t waver from his fast pace.
“I thought that was why you brought me.”
“That’s true. And I like looking at your ass.”
Andreas’s magic flared around her, as his low chuckle echoed. “Keep talking like that, and our search will be short.”
Ari grinned. Since they were climbing rapidly upward, she saved her breath for mastering the path. The floor leveled, and the tunnel opened into a massive cavern as long as a football field, much of it marked by hundreds of jagged protrusions and massive formations.
“We call it the Chamber of Ages.”
“Wow.” Ari’s flashlight revealed eerie forms reaching up from the damp floor and dripping down from the ceiling. Some looked like people, soldiers standing at attention or graceful dancers. In other directions the water droplets sparkled like lights revealing an alien landscape.
Skirting around one of the larger stalactites, Ari spied three openings large enough for a child or adult to pass. She hesitated a moment, then reacting to a pull from her magic, she turned and pointed at the one on the right. “Where does this go?” She started toward the tunnel.
“Just keep going.” Andreas was close behind her.
No sooner had he spoken than Ari stifled a startled yelp and leaped backward.
“What the hell?” Andreas grabbed her before they both went down. But his words weren’t directed at Ari. He stared past her at the misty apparition blocking their path. The thing hovered a foot above the path, misty, swirling, and twisting. Ari righted herself and took a step forward. The ghostly form reacted to her approach by growing cloudy, denser, spreading higher and wider. A loud moaning echoed from the walls. Goosebumps rose on Ari’s arms, even though she’d already realized it wasn’t real.
“It’s a magical spell.” She pulled open the small pouch of spells and potions she kept tied to her waist. “Let’s try a little dispersing powder.” She tossed a pinch of blue dust. The apparition shrieked, dissipated for an instant, then reformed. “Well, damn. More powerful than I anticipated.” She held out a hand in front of her and stepped forward again. Her fingers sparked as she touched an invisible wall. She patted up and down the surface. “It’s an energy barrier.” She turned to Andreas. “I can get rid of it, but I’ll have to invoke a counterspell.”
“Can I knock it down or run through it?”
“No, these barriers grow stronger under physical attack. Any idea what it’s protecting?”
“The magical chamber on the other side, I assume.”
“What kind of magic? Crystals? What?”
“Much more. A magical source that you need to see for yourself.”
“Well, that won’t happen until we get rid of this damned ghost.” She sat down on the tunnel floor, propped up her flashlight, and started digging in her pouch, pulling out packets and spreading them around her. She finally found a tiny notebook and pencil. “Always more secrets,” she muttered under her breath. “You guys make the CIA seem downright talkative.”
“I assume you’re talking about me.” Andreas’s voice held a shimmer of amusement. “I cannot possibly tell you everything I have learned in two hundred years, Arianna. Until now I found no need to reveal this particular secret.”
“Yeah, yeah. Vampire business again. You know how sick I get of hearing that?”
He laughed, but leaned forward as she began to scribble in the notebook. “What are you doing?”