Kathy Reichs - Seizure

“Every town needs a prison. Long before the Provost Dungeon was established, dangerous criminals harried the streets and waters of old Charles Town.”

“Pirates,” Sallie whispered.

“From its founding, pirates plagued the city,” Chris said. “Blackbeard. Stede Bonnet. Ruthless marauders captured dozens of Charles Town vessels and held their occupants for ransom.

“At the urging of terrified merchants, the colonial governor finally commissioned privateers to end the reign of terror. In October of 1718, Stede Bonnet was captured.”

“And brought here.” Sallie’s flame spluttered as she arced her candle in the blackness. “The dungeons of Half-Moon Battery became Captain Bonnet’s new home.”

He’s not the only one .

“Bonnet and his crew were tried and sentenced to death,” she continued. “On December 10, 1718, they were hanged at White Point on the Battery.”

Theatrical pause, then the Fletchers led the group back to the staircase. I hung to the rear. Tried to melt into the shadows. The other Virals did the same.

I blocked my candle by cupping the flame with one hand. As the others clomped up the stairs, the chamber went darker and darker, eventually black. We were alone.

Now or never. If Bonny was down here, we have to find some evidence .

We’d agreed. To search the dungeon, we needed our abilities unleashed. It was time to test what our powers could do.

“Burn,” I whispered.

In the darkness, four gleaming orbs suddenly appeared. Eyes of golden fire.

Hi, always quickest. And Shelton, tapping his fear of the dark.

SNAP.

Almost instantly, the flare tore through me, washing my innards with ice and fire.

From deep within, my powers emerged and stretched their legs.

Beside me, Ben cursed. Then, “No go. I’ll watch the stairs.”

I heard rubber soles on hard-packed earth as he headed to the door.

“Spread out,” I hissed. “We only have seconds.”

Hi and Shelton nodded, their faces distinct. With my hypervision unleashed, the candle lit the room like a bonfire.

Seeing a wall a dozen yards ahead, I fired in that direction, senses casting a wide net. Searching.

Shelton’s voice stopped me short. “Hear that?”

The tour group was gone. Even flaring, I heard nothing but the sounds of our own breathing and movement.

“There.” Shelton crossed to the rear wall, crouched, and tapped the stones. “Listen. Hear that trickling?”

I hurried to his side. Yes! My wolf-ears pulled in a faint whistling, underscored by a soft murmur. “Incredible.”

“Moving air.” Shelton squeezed his eyes shut. “Or maybe running water?”

“Let me look,” Hi urged.

The wall was constructed of roughly shaped stone sealed with crumbling mortar. Ancient, but solid looking.

“Bottom row,” Hi pointed downward. “At your feet. The mortar looks different.”

I squatted and peered at the base of the wall.

“Hi’s right,” I said. “This stone has darker mortar, with more cracks. Like it was sealed at a different time.”

Ben’s whisper cut through the darkness. “Hurry.”

Something velvet brushed my face. The slightest touch.

I froze.

My glowing irises spotted a dancing wisp of light. A silvery curl that reached out and stroked my cheek, then drifted away.

Ghost stories flashed through my mind. My breath caught. I was about to scream when my higher centers reengaged.

Spiderweb. One single strand. I watched the tendril puff away from the stones, relax, then settle back into place.

A draft! Air was circulating from somewhere behind the wall. Without my powers, I’d never have noticed.

“It’s here!” I said. “There must be open space behind these stones!”

“Someone’s coming!” Ben hissed. “Move!”

I jumped to my feet and shot to the stairs. Marlo’s feet were descending the steps.

Averting my eyes, I tried to douse my flare. For a panicky moment, the power wouldn’t fade. Then the sensory doors slammed shut.

SNUP.

I stumbled into Shelton, who steadied me. Spittle clung to the corner of his mouth, but his pupils were human. A quick look confirmed that Hi had also shut down.

“What’s going on in here?” In the light of his small flame, I could see Marlo’s frown. “Ya’ll getting high or something?”

The charge was so absurd, I laughed out loud.

“Sorry,” Hi stuttered. “We, uh, dropped our candles and couldn’t see.”

“All of ’em?”

Hi shrugged. “We’re extremely clumsy.”

“How come that one’s lit?”

“There you are!” A yellow glow preceded Brincefield down the steps. “Everyone’s waiting outside. Sadly, I think the tour is over.”

“On our way.” Slipping by Marlo and Brincefield, we raced up both sets of stairs, passing Tree Trunk on the way out.

“That way guys.” Chris pointed to the exit. “We ran a little long. Time to call it a night.”

“It was great.” Thrown over my shoulder. “Thanks so much!”

Outside, I gulped fresh air. Divine.

The others emerged quickly, and we hustled across East Bay.

“Don’t be a stranger!” Sallie called.

I gave her a five-finger wave good-bye. Chris was padlocking a sliding iron gate while chatting with Brincefield. Beyond them, Marlo and Tree Trunk were shuffling away down the sidewalk.

“Man, I hate basements,” Shelton whined as we hoofed it up the block. “Nasty, stinking graves.”

I checked my watch. Five past ten. Five minutes past curfew.

“Crap! I’m late.”

“Me too,” Hi said. “My mom’s gonna rip me a new one.”

“I found something right before—”

Ben cut me off. “Let’s talk aboard Sewee . For now, we haul ass.”

As we hurried to the marina, my mind was already testing excuses.

GROUNDED.

Kit bought none of my explanations.

“I said ten.” He pointed to the mantel clock. “What does that say?”

“Ten forty. But the tour ran long!”

“Did you call?”

“I couldn’t interrupt the guides.”

“Text?”

“They, um, had a no cell phone policy. Plus, we were underground.”

“Not good enough,” Kit said. “Two weeks. Lockdown. End of story.”

I groaned. Kit arched a brow, daring me to continue. Defeated, I stomped to my room, Coop on my heels.

“You gave me no choice,” Kit called after me.

“We’ll see about that,” I muttered.

“Change of plans,” I said. “We go tonight.”

“It’s always midnight break-ins with you!” Hi pulled his hair in frustration. “You’re like a Colombian drug lord!”

I’d called an iFollow conference. The boys were not cooperating.

On the ride home, I’d told them about my air-behind-the-wall discovery. Everyone got excited. Nevertheless, we’d decided on a cautious plan of attack. No big risks.

Yet there I was, not thirty minutes later, pushing for another high-stakes gamble.

“Why not just visit the dungeon again?” Shelton whined. “Take the official tour. See if we can sneak away like earlier tonight.”

“That was the plan,” Hi tapped finger to palm. “The plan to which you agreed.”

“Won’t work,” I said. “I’m grounded now.”

“How long?” Ben asked.

“Two weeks. We can’t afford to wait.”

“Bonny’s treasure has been missing for three hundred years,” Hi said. “It can sit tight another fortnight.”