“Nay,” snapped Daniel. “He’ll bring the MacCurrans down upon my head. He stays.” He looked around. “Where’s the tomb?”
Isabail swallowed. She had no intention of revealing the tomb’s whereabouts to Daniel. In his current state, he wouldn’t hesitate to disturb the final resting place of the unnamed Pictish king. And who knew what he would do with the crown and sword?
“The tomb holds only a dead body,” she said. “This room is where the necklace will be.”
“Do you think me a lackwit?” he sneered. “No ordinary tomb is protected by such an elaborate trap as the one you described. This one surely contains a treasure, making it the perfect place to hide the necklace. Show me where it is, or I will kill the lad.”
Daniel de Lourdes had lived with her brother for more than five years. She knew him well. He was a gentle scholar—an herbalist of some renown—not a warrior. His expertise lay with the quill, not the sword. He was not capable of killing Jamie. “You will not kill him. I know you, Daniel. Let the boy go, and I will help you search for the necklace.”
A humorless smile rose to Daniel’s lips. “You do not know me at all, Isabail. You’ve no idea what I’m capable of. I loved John—that much is true. Indeed, I loved him more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. But I’m also the one who killed him.”
Isabail’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”
Daniel’s face twisted. “It was an accident, of course. I did not mean for him to die. I brewed a potent poison, to which he was exposed. The moment I realized what had happened, I wished with all my heart that I could take his place. But it was too late. By the time I found him, the poison was already making him delirious.”
“Nay,” denied Isabail, clutching her chest. In all her wildest imaginings, she would never have believed Daniel would kill her brother. “It’s not possible.”
“I’m afraid it is,” he said coldly. “So, you see, your belief in me is unfounded. Open the door to the tomb, or I will kill this boy as surely as I killed our dear, sweet John.”
Isabail swallowed the bitter lump in her throat.Danielhad killed her brother. Not Ana Bisset. Not Aiden MacCurran. Daniel. The man she believed had entered the MacCurran camp to rescue her was a charlatan, a liar, and a murderer.
“Open the tomb, Isabail.”
With eyes blurred by a sudden onset of tears, she saw him draw Jamie against his chest, the arm about the boy’s neck tightening like a drawstring—squeezing, choking. Jamie’s face reddened, and he began to flail, kicking Daniel’s leg and clawing at his arm. But Daniel did not waver.
His eyes met Isabail’s as he slowly but surely strangled the boy before her eyes.
“Cease,” she cried. “I will show you.”
“Hurry, Isabail. The boy doesn’t have much time.”
She dashed to the twin barrels and squeezed between them. Then she scrambled up the flour sacks. “The door opens with a winch. It will take me time to wind it. Please let him breathe.”
As she reached the top of the sacks, she heard Jamie gasp for breath. Fearing that Daniel would permit him only one, she dropped to the winch below and began to turn the crank. Six turns of the crank and the winch locked into place, just as it had done before. And just as she had recalled, the clink of the lock was followed by a harsh grind of rock on rock.
Isabail climbed over the flour sacks. Jamie was breathing in short, raspy draws.
“Show me,” Daniel demanded.
She led the way to the flat wall at the end of the tunnel. Daniel stared at the symbols engraved on the slab for a few moments, then waved the dirk again. “Open it.”
Remembering the entirety of her ordeal in stark clarity, she placed both palms over the boar and pushed with all her might. The big granite slab pivoted, opening into the tomb chamber.
“There,” she said. “You can search the tomb yourself. Nothing but the withered bones of an old corpse inside.”
Daniel sheathed his dirk and snatched a torch from the wall sconce near the entrance to the tomb. “I haven’t forgotten your tale, Isabail. You lost your way inside and were trapped for hours.” He released Jamie, handed him the torch, and shoved him toward the opening. “Search diligently and bring back everything you find that looks valuable. Go.”
Jamie stumbled forward, one hand on the wall and the other on his throat. His legs were obviously weak.
“Stop!”
Isabail halted Jamie before he could step on the tile that would close the door and seal him inside. “I’ll go with him.”
“Only one of you goes,” Daniel said, grabbing Isabail’s arm. “Tell him what he needs to know to succeed. And if you’re wise, you’ll not give him incorrect instructions. The longer we wait for him to return, the shorter my temper will get.” He pinched her arm until she whimpered. “And believe me, you will not enjoy my company if it comes to that.”
Isabail shared a look with Jamie. “Leap over the tiles in the floor near the door. The tomb is around a bend in the tunnel ten paces ahead.”
Jamie nodded, then advanced into the tunnel.
