Gift of Fire

it?” Jonas asked quietly. “Is that why you’ve been acting so distant lately? You’ve sensed the link between us getting stronger, and you’re not sure you want that?”
    “I haven’t been acting distant,” Verity said forcefully. “I’ve just been doing some thinking, that’s all. Now tell me exactly what happened this evening.”
    Jonas folded his hands behind his head and regarded her for a long moment. “I found the place where the crystal was hidden. The hiding place was empty, which was no surprise. But the booby trap that had been left to guard it still worked just fine.”
    “Oh, my God. What kind of booby trap?”
    A stiletto sunk between two stones in the floor. Pressure on the hollow stone where the crystal had been triggered the spring mechanism that activated the blade. It was designed to strike the intruder in a very sensitive part of his anatomy.
    Typical Renaissance mind at work behind the design—clever and brutal.”
    “A spring mechanism? And it still functioned after all these years?”
    “Luckily Hazelhurst’s diary mentioned it. Apparently old Digby was so delighted with his discovery that he oiled the mechanism and got it working again.”
    Verity groaned. “What a nitwit Hazelhurst must have been.”
    Jonas looked annoyed at her lack of understanding. “He wasn’t a fool. He was just a scholar who was really into his subject. I can see why he did it. I might have done the same thing. There’s a certain thrill in making a four-hundred-year-old gadget work again.”
    “Nonsense. The booby trap should have been destroyed once and for all,” Verity said resolutely.
    “Obviously you have the sort of mind that’s incapable of appreciating the esoteric joys of true historical scholarship,” Jonas said with grand condescension.
    “Really? What sort of mind do I have?” Verity retorted with an artificially sweetened smile.
    “A feminine mind.”
    “Like I said, Jonas. One of these days...”
    “Promises, promises.”
    “You’ll see,” Verity said benignly. “You’re going to regret everything. One of these days, I’ll have you begging for mercy. Now tell me about that brief flash you had when you got too near the hidden stiletto. I caught some of it, just enough to get the feeling someone had died there. Was that what you saw?”
    Jonas nodded, frowning. “Yeah, but the impression I got was that it happened a long time ago. Maybe a couple of centuries or more. It wasn’t anything recent.”
    “There have probably been other treasure hunters going through this heap over the years, trying to find the missing gold, or jewels, or whatever they think was hidden in here.” Verity scowled. “You know, Jonas, I may have made a teensy mistake when I negotiated your fee for this job. I elected to take a flat rate, figuring there probably wasn’t going to be any real treasure left after all this time. But what if we find something? It might have been smarter to negotiate for a percentage of the treasure in addition to the consulting fee for the authentication report.”
    Jonas chuckled at her concerned expression. “Ah, the stress and worry of higher management. Sure glad that all I have to do is the physical labor.” He sat up abruptly and tossed aside the covers. “I’d like to know what happened to that crystal,” he remarked, yanking on his jeans. He walked across the room to the tapestry hanging on the wall. “Hazelhurst makes it clear in his diary that he considered it the key to finding the treasure.” He reached out and lightly touched the frayed, woven wall hanging. Then he pushed against the tapestry, touching the wall underneath.
    Verity felt the air around her shimmer slightly. She got out of bed and pulled on her robe. “Okay, master historical scholar. What’s with that section of wall?”
    “I’m not sure yet. Whatever it is, it’s not enough by itself to trigger a trip into the psychic corridor. But there’s something here. Let’s take a look behind this tapestry.” He lifted the old fabric carefully and peered at the wall. “You with me?”
    “I’m here.” She walked over to stand near him.
    “All I’m getting are a few faint vibrations. I can keep them under control.”
    Verity nodded and sucked her lower lip between her front teeth. She could feel herself beginning to perspire again.
    Jonas put his hand at on the wall and moved it slowly along the stone surface.
    “Watch out for booby traps,” Verity muttered.
    “I think