Buccaneer

Chapter 15

Dane and Bones drew their Recon knives, extinguished their dive lights, and moved to either side of the passageway that led back to the underground church. Any small ember of hope that the unseen person did not know they were there was doused when something silver flashed through the water and embedded in the limestone wall. Whoever was out there had a spear gun.

Their only hope was to take their pursuer unaware as he entered the chamber. Of course, they’d need to be quick and luck would have to be on their side. The intruder’s dive light cast a faint glow— just enough that Dane could see Bones swim to a spot above the passageway and cling to the wall Spider-Man style. Good thinking. Their adversary was likely to to the sides and down before looking up; an instinct honed by life outside the water.

They waited in near-darkness and absolute silence. Energy coursed through Dane, every nerve on edge. It was amazing how alive he felt when possible death was near. Danger brought everything into focus.

Seconds passed, then minutes. Nothing. The guy was waiting for them to make a move, and who could blame him? He had the projectile weapon and the full length of the tunnel to take shots at them. It would be like a carnival game to him— Dane and Bones were sitting ducks.

Dane glanced up at Bones who shook his head and tapped his pressure gauge. Their supply of air was limited. Right now they had sufficient reserves, but it wouldn’t last forever, and only a fool let his tank get close to empty. They were screwed.

He racked his brain for a possible solution. Going down the tunnel was out of the question unless they had something they could use as a shield, which they did not. He wondered if the top of the altar would work, but dismissed the thought immediately. He couldn’t get anywhere close to it without placing himself in the line of fire. Besides, it wasn’t wide enough to provide suitable cover. What they needed was a way out.

And then he remembered the booby-trapped shaft he and Matt had discovered. If they could get through, they could make their way out to the shore, and to open water. He swam to the blocked shaft, turned on his light, and inspected the space closely.

The shaft was three feet square and sealed off by a solid stone block. He already knew it couldn’t be pried up, but he remembered the iron spike trap they’d encountered and the lever that sprang and released it. Besides, he had to believe that whoever constructed this chamber would have left themselves a secondary exit in the event that the tunnel leading to the temple collapsed.

The ornate bands carved in the wall angled past on either side of the shaft. Dane gave them a close look, all the while wondering when their stalker would show up and start shooting. He pressed on anything that resembled a button, but to no avail. And then his hand passed over a carving of a chalice. This particular image was raised farther than those surround it, and the top of the cup was scooped out. Dane hooked his fingers inside and pulled.

The chalice tilted forward and, with a scraping sound made to seem all the louder by the silence in the chamber, the stone block rose.

He signaled to Bones, who swam over. Dane released the chalice and the stone remained in place. But would they trigger the trap again by swimming through? He inspected the shaft, searching for anything that would spring the trap, but he saw nothing.

Without warning, the block fell again with a resounding crash. Bones held up ten fingers and shrugged. Ten seconds? Keeping one eye out for the man with the speargun, Dane pulled the lever again and watched the stone rise. He counted down and, twelve seconds later, the trap sprang.

So that was the trick. You could open the trap from the inside, but you had twelve seconds to make it through. The shaft was only a couple of feet. They could do it.

Just then, the light in the tunnel winked out, followed an instant later by the pink of another spear against the wall. Their pursuer’s patience was at an end. He was coming for them.

Bones brandished his knife and made to swim for the tunnel to meet the attack, but Dane grabbed him by the arm. Bones understood the reason a moment later when another projectile sliced through the water. The man wasn’t taking any chances.

Dane pointed to Bones, then to the tunnel as he yanked down on the lever. Bones knew him well enough not to argue, but dove through before the stone came crashing down.

Time was almost up. Dane turned out his light, plunging the chamber into inky darkness. He pulled the lever and, relying on instinct and sense of direction, shoved the casket through the shaft as the stone was still rising.

A light blinked on behind him and another spear whizzed inches past his face. He knew it would take the man a few seconds to reload, but he was already on his way through. He felt Bones take hold of his arm and yank him through as the trap fell again. Something yanked at his foot as he tried to swim down the tunnel. For a moment, he thought his foot was trapped, but then he realized his fin was caught. He wasted no time working his foot free and swimming down the passage with the speed and grace of a one-legged frog. Bones, carrying the casket, was well ahead of him.

Dane figured it was only a matter of time before the lever that released the trap was discovered, but their enemies would be waiting for them to emerge in the swamp, not on the shore. He hoped.

A small circle of light swam into view overhead. This was the spot where Charlie’s crew had tried to pump the water out of the tunnel. Charlie’s crew! They had sealed up the end of the tunnel before beginning the pumping. He and Bones had almost found themselves in a dead end.

He flicked his light on and off to get Bones’ attention, and pointed to the opening. It was their only option. Bones stared for a moment, then seemed to catch up with Dane’s train of thought.

Dane went first, wondering what he’d find waiting when he stuck his head out of the hole. He treaded water, listening for any sound that would warn of danger, but he heard nothing, not even the rattle of the drill. Locke’s crew must have stopped working when they became aware of his and Bones’ presence. Figuring there was no time like the present, he hauled himself out onto solid ground.

No one was about. Breathing a sigh of relief, he helped Bones out of the hole and, breathing the sweet, night air, they crept into the trees, moving away from the work site and the swamp.

On the north side of the island, they hid in the shadows beneath an ancient oak tree and assessed the situation before hitting the water. By the time they came ashore more than a mile away from the island, they were both spent.

“It’s been a long time since our training days,” Bones panted as they made their way to the place, far from shore, where they’d arranged to meet Angel and Avery.

“I can’t say I miss the six mile swims,” Dane said. They emerged on a hill overlooking a dirt road. Down below sat Avery’s car.

It was empty.