“The crystals,” Pete said. He sounded stunned. “I think I can see them.”

Alice stopped. Pete stumbled to a halt beside her. They looked down. At least Alice thought they were looking down. In the disorienting darkness it was impossible to know.

Regardless, she could make out two flat slabs of crystal, each slightly larger than a man’s hand. They glowed with paranormal energy.

“They look harmless,” she said. “Guess I was expecting something more dramatic.”

“A hot stove looks harmless, too, until you put your hand on it.”

“Good point.” She reached out and touched one stone very carefully. A frisson of energy flashed through her but there was no pain. She picked up the slab. “You take the other one.”

Pete did as instructed. “Now what?”

“Now we hang on in here as long as possible to give Drake time to deal with Zara Tucker and Egan.”

“And if he doesn’t come to the rescue?”

“We go to Plan B. If worse comes to worst, we’ll pretend we found one of the stones but that we need a break before we go back in after the second crystal. I told you. It’s all about buying time.”

“Too bad you’re not a real magician,” Pete said. “We could use one of those about now.”

Chapter 38

DRAKE MOVED AROUND THE CORNER AND SAW ZARA AND Egan. Egan looked very different without his disguise, remarkably unremarkable. Zara and Egan were hovering close to the entrance of the crystal pyramid, which was the size of a two-story house. He could feel the energy of the Chamber from where he stood.

Egan gripped the end of a long length of rope in one gloved hand. The cord was stretched taut. It disappeared into a deep darkness at the entrance of the Chamber. Drake was very sure that Alice was on the other end of the line.

He set Houdini free.

“Get him,” Drake whispered. He doubted that Houdini could understand, but with luck he would serve as a distraction.

As if he had sized up the situation and had recognized the primary source of danger in the room, Houdini dashed across the cavernous space, heading straight for Egan.

Sensing that they were no longer alone, Zara whirled around. When she saw Drake, alarm exploded into fury.

“Bastard,” she said. “Kill him, Egan.”

Egan dropped the end of the line he had been holding and yanked the Alien weapon out of his belt. He leveled it at Drake.

Houdini arrived at his target and scampered up Egan’s pant leg.

“Shit.” Egan reeled backward, frantically swiping at Houdini with the weapon.

Houdini bounded off Egan to evade the vicious swipes but he immediately circled to find another opening. Egan brought the weapon up again and fired it, aiming for Houdini. The ray missed Houdini’s tail by scant inches.

“Egan!” Zara screamed.

Egan finally realized he had been paying attention to the wrong threat, but it was too late. Jasper and Fletcher were already moving forward, initiating the strategy they had devised during the trek through the tunnels. Both conjured hot, powerful ghosts that closed in on Egan, driving him back toward a wall.

There was nothing like having a pair of energy storms chasing you to help concentrate your attention. Egan had spent time in the tunnels. He recognized lethal-sized ghosts when he saw them.

“Drop the gadget,” Fletcher ordered.

Egan came up against the wall. There was nowhere to run. He tossed the weapon aside. It rolled across the floor.

But Zara was running and she was not headed toward the nearest exit. She went toward the entrance of the pyramid. For a beat or two Drake thought she was going into the Chamber.

He was wrong.

When she reached the entrance, she bent low, scooped up the trailing end of the rope, and hurled it through the wall of energy that sealed the pyramid.

The line vanished into the darkness.

“Your little MC wife will never find her way out,” Zara said. “Neither will Pete. You can’t possibly come up with a way to rescue them or retrieve the crystals—not in time to keep this whole island from drowning in that damn fog. You and I are going to go together, my love. Isn’t that romantic?”

Chapter 39

THE TENSION ON THE LINE AROUND ALICE’S WAIST WENT abruptly slack.

“Oh, crap,” she whispered softly.

She tucked the crystal under her arm and tugged slightly on the rope. There was no resistance.

“He let go of the rope, didn’t he?” Pete said in the voice of doom. “He might as well have dropped us down a bottomless mine shaft.”

“There’s only one reason why Egan would have dropped the rope,” Alice said briskly. “Drake is out there.”

“Even if you’re right, it doesn’t matter now. No one is going to be able to find us before this place blows.”

“The trick isn’t over yet,” Alice said.

“Got any ideas?”

“It’s up to the magician now,” Alice said. “I told you, I’m just the box-jumper.”

Chapter 40

“KEEP AN EYE ON BOTH OF THEM,” DRAKE SAID.

“No problem,” Jasper said.

He sent his ghost closer to Egan, who opened his mouth on a soundless scream when the fierce energy brushed against him. He crumpled to the ground and lay very still.

“Is he—?” Drake asked.

“Just unconscious,” Jasper assured him. “Easier to keep an eye on him this way.”

“Same treatment for Dr. Tucker?” Fletcher asked.

“No,” Zara shrieked. “You can’t do this to me. You don’t understand. This was important research.”

“Just tie her hands behind her back,” Drake said. “Unless she starts to give you any trouble. In which case, feel free to zap her.”

Fletcher took a length of leather cording out of a pocket and went toward Zara.

“Please,” she entreated. Energy shivered in the atmosphere around her. “You must help me. Drake Sebastian hates me. He wants to kill me. You’ve got to stop him. Together you and I can save this island.”

“Forget it,” Fletcher said. He snagged one of Zara’s wrists and then the other. “I’m married to that guy over there.” He angled his head toward Jasper. “We’re both gay.”

Houdini chortled excitedly, fully fluffed once more with all four eyes still open. He dashed through the entrance of the pyramid and disappeared.

Drake went swiftly to the opening and looked into the thick, impenetrable darkness that barred the way.

“You’re psi-blind,” Zara taunted. “There’s no way you can enter that pyramid. One step inside the door and you’ll be lost. You’ll never find her or those Keys.”

Drake ignored her. He took off his dark glasses and slipped them into the pocket of his jacket. He jacked up his senses and walked through the gate of midnight energy and into a brilliantly lit crystal chamber that glowed with the dark light that came from the farthest end of the spectrum. Dazzling waves of energy stirred his senses.

Somewhere in the distance he thought he heard Zara scream in rage, but he paid no attention. The scene inside the pyramid riveted his full attention.

This was a world lit by the energy of darkness. Walking into it was the equivalent of waking up to a new dawn. The crystal walls of the Chamber were radiant with energy—energy that he knew intuitively he could channel. And when he did focus the currents in the walls of the pyramid, he knew he would see wondrous things.

Alice stood in the center of the Chamber, illuminated in the enthralling light. She clutched a glowing crystal in one hand. Houdini was on her shoulder, chattering happily. With her other hand Alice gripped the fingers of a young man. Pete, Drake decided. The kid looked scared but hopeful. He, too, held one of the crystals.