Wicked Charms

  Devereaux saw it, too.

  “I knew it!” he said. “It’s going to lead us to the treasure.”

  His voice was hoarse and his face was red from the exertion of the climb. His eyes were glazed, his pupils narrow pinpoints of insanity.

  “Do you have the coin on you?” I asked him.

  “Of course.”

  “Is it in anything…like a lead box?”

  “It’s in my pocket.”

  “It’s occurred to me that it might be affecting your behavior,” I said. “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but you’re a little nutso. You’re not really yourself. Maybe you should sit and rest. Catch your breath.”

  “No time for that. Ammon could be following us.”

  I didn’t think he had to worry about Ammon as much as he had to worry about Diesel and Wulf. I was confident that they were on the hunt, looking for me.

  Now that I was on the granite ledge there was no path to follow. It was all rock with patches of scrub forest. I chose a direction at random and the diamond stopped glowing. I backtracked and went off in another direction, and the light returned. We were climbing over boulders and bushwhacking through brambles. I had scratches on my arms where I’d caught thorns, and my jeans were torn at the knee from skidding down a rockslide. From time to time I’d turn and check on Devereaux, hoping he’d fall behind enough for me to escape. So far he was keeping up, trudging along with the gun in his hand, his eyes bright with crazed excitement. I had to stop and backtrack again twice when the diamond went dim, but for twenty minutes now the glow had been getting steadily stronger.

  I approached what at first looked like a dead end, but turned out to be a narrow canyon made by two slabs of granite. The distance between the slabs was three feet at best, and the walls were thirty to forty feet high. I stepped into the slot, looked up at the ribbon of blue sky far above me, and felt a rush of panic burn in my chest.

  “I can’t go in there,” I said to Devereaux. “It’s too narrow. We’ll get trapped.”

  “There’s plenty of room. What does the diamond say?”

  I had the diamond in my pocket, so he couldn’t see it, but the stupid thing was glowing through the denim.

  “There has to be an easier way to get to the treasure,” I said. “We should go back and try a different route.”

  “We’re not going back. We’re following the diamond. Give it to me. Hand it over.”

  I gave him the diamond, and it went cold. No glow. No heat. Nothing.

  “I guess you’re not the guide,” I said.

  “Lucky for you, but that doesn’t mean you’re not expendable. I’ve gotten this far, and I have a map. If you cease to be useful to me I’ll eliminate you and go it alone.”

  “You won’t find the treasure on your own.”

  “So be it, then.”

  I didn’t like the word eliminate. The prospect of being eliminated was even less desirable than threading my way through the slot. I put my head down and walked forward, putting one foot in front of the other. I watched my feet. I didn’t look up, and I didn’t look ahead. The narrow passageway seemed to go on forever, and then suddenly I was in bright sunlight and in an open space that was shaped like a bowl. The rocky sides of the bowl were maybe thirty feet high, and the bowl was thirty or forty feet across. Not huge, but I could breathe easier. Problem was I didn’t see a way out of the bowl other than the way we came in.

  “Now what?” I asked Devereaux.

  “Walk around and see what happens to the diamond.”

  I set off around the perimeter of the pit, and a third of the way the diamond began to pulse with light. Two years ago I wouldn’t have believed any of this, but since Diesel popped into my life I was willing to believe almost anything. And I have to admit it was hard not to get excited about the pulsing diamond. I looked up at the rim of the bowl high above me hoping to see Diesel or Wulf, but there was only blue sky.

  “Keep walking,” Devereaux said.

  I continued picking my way along the bottom of the bowl, and after a couple minutes the diamond stopped pulsing.

  “Go back!” Devereaux said. “The treasure must be back with the boulders.”

  There was an outcropping of loose rock and large boulders in the area where the diamond pulsed. A clump of scruffy bushes and scraggly evergreens grew in the thin soil around the boulders. Mostly there was granite ledge under our feet. No place to bury a treasure chest.

  I kicked through the bushes and found a fissure in the rock wall behind a man-sized boulder. Devereaux took a couple flashlights out of his knapsack. He handed one to me, and he kept the other.

  “Look around,” he said. “What do you see?”

  I stuck my head in and flicked the light on. The fissure appeared to form a natural tunnel. From what I could see, it was damp, dark, and no place I wanted to go. It was at best three feet wide, and it was difficult to determine the height. I might be able to stand, but there wouldn’t be a lot of clearance.

  “Well?” Devereaux asked.

  “Looks like a dead end,” I said.

  “No, it doesn’t. It looks like a tunnel. I can see from here. It’s going to lead us to the treasure. Get in there.”

  “No way. Shoot me. I’d rather die here than in that tomb.”

  “It’s not a tomb, you ninny. It’s a treasure trove. It’s the path to immortality.”

  He was very close to me, and the gun was shaking in his hand.

  “This is too important for me to walk away,” Devereaux said. “It’s my destiny. My legacy. And you’re going to help me.”

  “I don’t think so. Take the diamond. Good riddance. Good luck.”

  I heard the wup, wup, wup sound of a helicopter overhead, and a shadow fell over Devereaux and me. My first thought was of Diesel and Wulf, but I looked up and saw AMMON ENTERPRISES written in black and gold on the white chopper. Hard to tell if I was relieved or even more terrified.

  “Bastards!” Devereaux shouted.

  He squeezed off two shots at the helicopter, and it disappeared over the edge of the bowl.

  “They aren’t getting my treasure,” he said, pointing the gun at me. “We have to hurry. Lead the way to the cave, or I’ll shoot you.”

  “How do you know the treasure is in a cave?”

  “It’s always either in a cave or buried. And nothing is going to be buried on this godforsaken piece of rock. I’m counting to three, and then I’m going to shoot you in the foot if you don’t start walking.”

  “How do you know the treasure is still there? It’s been hundreds of years.”

  “Three,” Devereaux said, and he fired off a shot at my foot.

  The bullet caught the side of my sneaker and ripped a hole in it.

  “Damn,” Devereaux said. “Hold still so I can try again.”

  “Stop!” I said. “I’m going in.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I edged my way into the tunnel and cautiously moved forward. Even with the flashlight it was difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. I kept telling myself that the tunnel had to lead somewhere, and that the somewhere would be better than this claustrophobic tube. I could hear Devereaux behind me, sliding on the slick, uneven rock surface. He was mumbling and swearing, and I was worried that he would lose his footing and accidentally shoot me.

  After what seemed like an eternity I reached a fork. One side went left, and the other side was a hole in the ground. I moved left, and the diamond dimmed. I went back and looked at the black hole. It was like an elevator shaft dropping off into the darkness. I played the flashlight beam around the sides of the hole and saw that there were stairs carved out of the rock, spiraling down into the unknown.

  “Go,” Devereaux said. “We have to get to the treasure first. I have to claim it as my own.”

  “That’s not going to do you any good if they come in and shoot you,” I said.

  “I’ll shoot them first. I’ll kill them all. I should have done that long ago anyway.”

/>   This was all Diesel’s fault. My life was just fine until he barged into it. Now look at me. I’m being held at gunpoint by a homicidal maniac who’s getting crazier by the minute.

  “These stairs are narrow and slippery,” I said, “and there’s no handrail. My suggestion is to hide in the part of the tunnel that goes to the left and let Ammon and whoever is with him plunge to their death all on their own. Then we can get some equipment, like rock-climbing stuff, and safely explore the road to hell.”

  “You will go to hell now!” Devereaux said. “NOW!”

  His face was contorted into a snarl, and his eyes glittered in the ambient glow from his flashlight.

  “You’re a little scary,” I said to him. “You should try to calm yourself.”

  “I’ll calm myself when I get my treasure. Now move. I hear voices. The demons must be in the tunnel.”

  “Demons?”

  “Demon worshippers. Might as well be demons. Ammon and his followers. He probably had the helicopter filled with the greedy bastards. They’re all looking for that stupid stone that will turn Ammon back into his true form.”

  “And his true form would be…”

  “Mammon, of course. The God of Greed.”

  I blew out a sigh. Diesel was missing in action and I was going to have to save the world all by myself. I couldn’t stand by and let the God of Greed get the stone. I carefully tested the first couple steps, keeping my shoulder pressed to the rock wall. They weren’t as slippery as I’d originally feared. If I took my time and didn’t lose focus I thought I’d be okay. I counted as I crept down the steps. Twenty-six, and I still couldn’t see the bottom. I paused to gather myself together, and Devereaux prodded me with the gun barrel.

  “Move,” he said. “They’re getting closer. I hear footsteps.”

  His hearing was a lot better than mine. I couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of my heart. I was in a cold sweat from the fear of falling and the exertion of controlling my panic. I went down four more steps and realized Devereaux was holding back. He was turned slightly, looking up at the shaft’s entrance, his flashlight in one hand and his gun in the other. I suspected he was going to shoot whoever stuck their head over the edge. Not something I wanted to think about. My focus was on the next step and the step after that. I directed my light down for a moment and was able to see the bottom of the pit. That was a good sign, but I still needed to stay vigilant.

  High above me a spotlight blinked on, lighting the entire staircase. Devereaux fired a shot at the spotlight, lost his footing, and stepped off into space. His arms windmilled out like a cartoon character’s, he found nothing to grab, and he plunged straight down. I closed my eyes and didn’t open them again until I heard him hit bottom. I fought back a wave of nausea and took another step. Get to the bottom, I thought. One thing at a time. If I could get to the bottom I might be able to find Devereaux’s gun. I might be able to hide somewhere. If I could evade Ammon long enough, Diesel might find me.

  I had maybe twenty steps left, and I heard a rope drop. Moments later the first man rappelled down. A second rope dropped, and two more men descended. By the time I reached the last step and was on bedrock, there were four men in total. Three were dressed in black fatigues, and they were all armed. The fourth man was Rutherford. He was also dressed in black fatigues, but he looked uncomfortable in them, smoothing them out when his feet touched ground. As far as I could see he wasn’t armed.

  Devereaux lay motionless on the ground. No one paid any attention to him. Just beyond him was a gaping black hole that I suspected was the entrance to another tunnel.

  “Someone should check on Professor Devereaux,” I said.

  One of the men went over and took a closer look. “Dead,” he said.

  “Really?” Rutherford asked. “Are you certain? Well, then, I suppose we should move on. After all, Mr. Ammon is waiting.” Rutherford turned to me. “Mr. Ammon is very excited about this. This is a holy mission for him. Yes, yes. Actually for all of us who serve him.”

  “Serve him? You mean as his assistant.”

  “Yes, yes, of course. But also as a disciple. Mr. Ammon feels that he holds the sleeping beast within him. Once he has the Avaritia Stone and the ceremony is performed, Mammon will finally awaken and rule the earth.” Rutherford wiped his sweaty palms on his fatigues. “It will be glorious. Glorious.”

  “So you believe in Mammon?”

  “Very definitely. Mr. Ammon feels very strongly about Mammon. It came to Mr. Ammon in a vision shortly after he inherited the diary. He believes Mammon has been lying dormant in the males of his family for eons. Can you imagine? And when you examine everything it becomes obvious. The ruthless ambition. The relentless acquisition of power. Mr. Ammon’s whole family history is a rogue’s gallery of notorious villains. It’s very impressive. If you have the opportunity you should ask Mr. Ammon about it. I’m sure he would enjoy telling you his history. It’s fascinating. Fascinating. Mr. Ammon is quite taken with you, you know. He speaks of you often.”

  “Because I have the ability to identify the Avaritia Stone.”

  “No, no. Mr. Ammon is certain he’ll recognize the stone once it’s uncovered. Although you were helpful in finding the various pieces of the coin. I must admit we couldn’t have done that without you. And goodness, it wasn’t as if we hadn’t tried.” Rutherford rocked back on his heels, smiling wide. “Here’s the fun part of the equation. Mr. Ammon is a big fan of your cupcakes.”

  It took a moment for this to compute in my head. I’d pretty much forgotten about the cupcakes.

  “I can see you’re surprised at this,” Rutherford said, doing a lot more smiling. “Mr. Ammon is multifaceted. He’s a shrewd businessman, and he knows a good product when he sees it. True, he inherited much of his wealth, but he also made many, many excellent deals on his own. And he has his eye on you. You’re a lucky woman. I suspect you’ll get rich and famous under the Ammon brand. Of course, it will be necessary for you to embrace our lord Mammon, but I’m sure you’ll find that quite painless. We’re a happy, fun-loving group. Though, now that I think about it, there’s the possibility of a sacrifice…but, again, that shouldn’t be too painful.”

  Someone whistled from far above us. “We’re sending her down,” they shouted.

  I looked up and was blinded by the spotlight. I shaded my eyes and saw something descending, dangling from a rope. It was something in a short pink tutu-type skirt, black motorcycle boots, and an orange thong. It was Glo.

  “We thought she might be useful,” Rutherford said. “We understand that you have a special ability to find the stone, but this one seems to also have strange powers. There’s a rumor that she can cast spells and see into the future.”

  Double oh boy. Glo had a book of spells that never worked as they should and a Magic 8 Ball she got at a yard sale. She was strapped into a harness that was attached to the rope. Her tote bag was slung over her shoulder. Broom was tucked into the tote bag.

  “What the heck?” she said when her feet touched granite and she was able to stand.

  I thought What the heck? about summed it all up. Beyond that I didn’t know what to think.

  “They kidnapped me when I wasn’t looking,” Glo said. She glanced at the body sprawled on the floor of the cave. “Whoa.”

  “It’s Devereaux,” I said. “He slipped and fell.”

  “He’s not moving.”

  “It’s a permanent condition.”

  “He’s paralyzed?”

  “He’s dead,” I told her.

  “Bummer,” Glo said. “Do you want me to say some words? I’m an ordained minister. I even have a certificate.”

  “What church?” I asked her.

  “The Church of the Barley Goddess.”

  “I don’t think that’s a real church.”

  “They have a website,” Glo said. “The World Wide Web wouldn’t allow them on there if they weren’t real.”

  “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” I said.

/>   “I’m sure Mr. Ammon wouldn’t mind if we took a moment,” Rutherford said.

  Glo bowed her head. “We commend the spirit of Quentin Devereaux to you, Great Old Ones and New Sprouts. Give him safe passage to the afterlife and if there’s reincarnation we hope he doesn’t come back as a snail or a spider because they’re icky.”

  Everyone said “Amen,” and looked to Rutherford for direction.

  “Now that we have that solemn task behind us we can move forward,” Rutherford said, going into jolly mode. “Mr. Carter can lead the way.”

  Mr. Carter tentatively stepped into the downward-sloping tunnel, and we all followed single file. Everyone but Glo had a flashlight. The tunnel was tight, and the man in front of me had to stoop. I had the diamond in my jeans pocket and could see its glow through the denim fabric.

  We shuffled along in the dark for what seemed like forever, and then almost like a mirage there was light in front of us. Not enough light to make me believe we were going to be standing in an open field, but enough light to make me think we were coming to the end of the tunnel. Minutes later we stepped out into a massive cavern with a vast underground lake. Vents in the rock ceiling high above us beamed down shafts of sunlight.

  Wooden pilings and a few rotting boards jutted out into the water, the remnants of an old dock. Beyond the boards I could see an outcropping of rock and the tip of another dilapidated structure. The diamond was blinking and flashing in my pocket, and I could feel the heat it was generating.

  “We’re close,” Rutherford said. “My goodness, this is a thrill.”

  I walked along the edge of the lake to the small mountain of rocks and stopped. The diamond had begun to hum, but I was at a dead end.

  “It’s on the other side of this jumble of rocks,” Rutherford said to me. “Climb up on it.” He gestured with his hands. “Up, up, up.”