Gift of Fire

I was blinded when you opened the door. I thought it might be Slade.” Verity lifted her head, her eyes wide. She was blinking rapidly. “Jonas, Spencer’s nearly killed Maggie. She’s at the other end of the tunnel, unconscious and bleeding. We’ve got to get her out. Then we’ve got to do something about Slade.”
    “I’ve already taken care of Spencer. I found him making a try for the boat. He panicked, thinking he’d killed Maggie and sealed both of you in the tunnel. I gather he lost what was left of his nerve at that point and decided it was time to vacate the premises. I don’t know how far he thought he was going to get in this storm.”
    “But where is he? What did you do with him?”
    “He’s tied up outside. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m sure you’ve had enough of this tunnel to last you a lifetime.”
    “We’ll have to get Maggie out. We can’t just leave her there.”
    “I’ll take care of it,” Jonas said gently. He urged Verity out into the bedroom. She was shaky but in control of herself. That was the thing about tyrants, he told himself with pride. They were tough. Then he saw her looking down at something she had just pulled out of her pocket. “What have you got there?”
    Wordlessly she opened her palm and displayed an egg-shaped piece of green crystal.
    Jonas took a step closer, awed by the realization of what she had found. “Where the hell did you get that?” he asked softly.
    “It’s Maggie’s. She had it on that chain she always wore around her neck. Digby must have given it to her. I found it when I checked her throat for a pulse. I must have grabbed it when I heard Spencer returning. Funny, I didn’t even realize…” She looked up at him, her aquamarine eyes questioning. “It’s the right one, Jonas. It’s the crystal you’ve been looking for, the one you think will unlock the vision.”
    Jonas’s gaze went from the ugly green crystal to her serious face. “Spencer says that all he or Hazelhurst ever found were the stiletto, that chunk of sword hilt, and a ruby ring. But he’s convinced the rest of the treasure is still buried here somewhere.”
    “And so are you,” Verity concluded quietly. She looked down at the crystal. “Do you believe in curses, Jonas?”
    “No, but I have great respect for the intricate workings of the Renaissance mind. And a psychic Renaissance mind boggles the imagination. I don’t think there’s a curse on the treasure but I do believe that someone has locked it up very carefully. Hazelhurst believed that crystal was the key, and I think he might have been right.”
    Verity looked at him, her expression unreadable. “You’re going to try it, aren’t you? Sooner or later, you’re going to try to unlock that frozen vision.”
    “If I don’t, I’ll probably wind up as nutty as Hazelhurst or as insane as Spencer,” Jonas said harshly. “I have to know the truth about it, Verity.”
    She nodded. “Yes. I can see that.” She carefully repocketed the crystal. “When the time comes you’ll need my help.”
    Jonas was startled. “What makes you say that?” he demanded as she started to turn away.
    She glanced back, her mouth softening slightly. “I can tune this crystal to the one on the desk in the vision.”
    He took a long stride forward and caught her by the arms. “Verity? What are you saying? Are you sure?”
    “Unfortunately, yes. I’m fairly certain I can do it. Don’t ask me how Jonas. I really don’t understand it myself. And if you want my professional opinion as your business manager, I suggest we forget the whole project. But I know you don’t want my professional opinion.” She turned away again and went into the bathroom to wash the dirt and blood off her hands.
     
    After a little fiddling with a screwdriver he’d located in the kitchen, Jonas managed to open the torture chamber entrance. Spencer had been too panicked to do a thorough job of jamming the mechanism.
    Inside the passageway Maggie was still unconscious. Jonas managed to get her upstairs to the salon, where he put her on the couch. She didn’t awaken but her breathing seemed steady and the bleeding had stopped. Verity left her tucked under a quilt and went outside with Jonas to retrieve Slade Spencer. They locked him in a spare storage room.
    “What are we going to do with him?” Verity asked as she followed Jonas upstairs.
    “There’s nothing we can do until Warwick and Crump get back with the launch. We’re sure