“A magnetic ore,” Sharyn whispered.
Laurent nodded. “The niche also matched the dimensions of the book. Once my grandfather set the tome inside and opened it there, the doorway unlocked, employing some alchemy of magnetism. A section of wall dropped away, revealing a tunnel that led to the hidden vault.”
Duncan frowned. “I don’t remember seeing any such niche down here.”
“But many of the walls are bricked over,” Sharyn reminded him.
Archie groaned. “Many? It’s like half this place. If that alcove is hidden behind one of those walls, it’ll take months to break through them all.”
“And that’s assuming it’s even here,” Duncan sighed.
“And not accidentally destroyed,” Sharyn added.
“Or we could be wrong about this spot entirely,” Laurent finished.
A low growl drew their attention from the fire. Past the tower’s threshold, Russo reappeared with her flashlight, leading Katch, who looked anxious to return to the warmth—or maybe the cat simply wanted to get out of the shadowy depths of the bunker.
Russo confirmed this as she rejoined them, lifting her plastic container. “Could only get him to eat a few pieces. Between the wailing storm and his edginess in this confinement, he’s not in the mood for dinner. I shouldn’t have tried to take him down a level.”
Archie shifted farther away as Katch shoved inside. The cat kept to the wall, his eyes on the doorway out of the tower.
“What’s got him so nervous?” Sharyn asked.
Russo shrugged. “Ask him. He’s always been a bit temperamental. I wouldn’t read too much into his behavior.”
“Or maybe, like I said before, he senses one of those witches you told us about.” Archie tried to make it sound like a joke, but he was not convincing.
Russo didn’t help matters. “It could be. Theanguanaare said to guard many caves up in these mountains.” She then cast their group a hard look. “Especially if such a cavern should hold a great treasure.”
Duncan winced. “You overheard us?”
“Acoustics underground are tricky.”
Laurent eyed her. “Is this going to be a problem?”
Russo opened her container, pulled out a cube of meat dripping with blood, and tossed it on a hot pan still sitting at the edge of the fire. She then spun a finger next to one of her ears. “I think you’re allmolto pazzo. But if not, the species repopulation effort in these mountains could use a large boost in funding.”
“I’m sure we can work something out,” Laurent acknowledged. “If we find anything, that is.”
Sharyn sighed softly, still staring off into the darkness beyond the firelit tower. “Those stories of witches...” she mumbled.
“What about them?” Duncan asked.
He was surprised Sharyn was giving any credence to such tales. She had never struck him as superstitious, especially for someone enrolled in a postgrad program on witchcraft.
She faced the fire and shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
Duncan frowned, noting the pinch to her eyes as she gazed into the flames. Something was clearly troubling her.
Before he could press her about it, Laurent stirred to his feet. “We should all try to get some sleep. We’ll rotate shifts. To keep the fire stoked.”
Duncan knew this wasn’t the only reason. He turned toward the outer bunker door, where the blizzard continued to blow outside. He remembered the helicopters descending into San Vito and accepted a hard truth.
Witches aren’t the only dangers in these mountains.
48
8:22 p.m.
