Read The Lost Treasure Map Series Online

Authors: V Bertolaccini

Tags: #adventure books, #mystery suspense, #mystery detective, #classic horror, #national treasure, #quadrilogy, #classic bestsellers, #science fiction classics, #ancient lost treasures, #fantastic journeys

The Lost Treasure Map Series (5 page)

BOOK: The Lost Treasure Map Series
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What had grabbed
Robert
’s
attention had been that the tomb, of William Randall, had
been the oldest. It had been what he had been looking for, as it
was where his ancestor who had built the castle had been
buried.

There were mentions of William Randall
on surrounding tombs, of immediate descendants

with haunting mentions of
him

many
years later, as if he had been still around to read
them.


Do you get any of
it?

James
pleaded to Robert, after he had stayed watching him crouching in
front of the tomb for an unbearably long time.

Robert pointed at the final
words.

It
’s
that part of it that
’s
interesting:
where sanctuary dwells for the
last
,

he mumbled.


Does it refer to him as being one of
them?

James asked.


It doesn
’t
! It doesn
’t
explain ... That
’s
what
’s
wrong
...!


Perhaps Sir Richard just put the
money in it?


I
’m
trying to discover what
it
’s
referring to!


So we
’re
at the same place as
before.

The whole event confused Bryson, and
it was turning to disappointment. It had made him happy
though

at
its simplicity. And there it was sitting out here.

Robert moved away, looking slightly baffled,
as well as tired, but thinking of it; and James started copying
down the words. Bryson was able to take a close look, from next to
him. But he knew that they would be lucky to find anything.

What sort of person had he been though?

He decided to take another look at the other
tombs, which had been his immediate descendants.

However, by the lack of anything that could
suggest any insight, and by the behavior of James, he knew that the
chances of finding it there were vanishing. And he could not think
of what to do to put them back on the trail.

For a long time, Bryson went from tomb
to tomb, and Robert and James did likewise

continuing to read
them

until it was obvious that it was the only clue.


So, shall we look
then?

Robert muttered, moving over to the tomb, examining the lid,
which obviously was made solid and heavy.


How would Sir Richard have opened
that?

James uttered, staring at it.

Bryson touched its surface, feeling
crumbling bits of stone, dirt, and rotting vegetation spread over
it, considering what they were doing.

There were no signs that anyone had
already opened it

which Sir Richard ought to have done
entering it. Had he had people and equipment to help him though?
Yet would he have had trusted anyone, and given away that it was
there.

He played with bits of vegetation, like
moss.

He gave it a quick shove, pushing enough to
check if it would move easily sideways, but it seemed firmly fixed
in position, and would need much more force to shift it. The lid
had to have been there since they built the place.


Look!

Robert explained, going around it,
at the other side.

It has marks on it

at this side.

Bryson saw that someone had entered it
after all. The people who had buried him would not have had opened
it with a crowbar

besides the marks were more
recent.


Why would Sir Richard have hidden the
money in a grave?

Bryson asked, seeing his
reactions.


You may be correct! I know he
was

eccentric

, but I don
’t
believe that he would have opened
a tomb, to leave his money there

all those years ago

out here. And
where some grave robber could get his hands on it
...


Let
’s
just open it,

James responded.

We can search for
clues! It shouldn
’t
take long, and we can lift it easily
together.

Bryson moved over to the opposite corner
from James, and Robert briskly went to the middle.

It being almost stuck together, combined
with its weight, made it difficult, but they managed to budge it,
so that it was balancing against the end.

As Bryson rested, his sight finally fell on
a skeleton, and he reacted to having the privilege of encountering
his great ancestor.

There was little dampness, apart from in the
dirt that had fallen from the edges.

William
’s
height had been roughly the same
as his.

Traces of hair on his skull showed that he
had had similar looks too.

Robert poked under it, to see if there was
anything under there, but it was solid.

Bryson looked for anything that he had not
acknowledged, and, as he had predicted, he spotted something.

A pendant buried

hidden away out of
sight

between his remaining ribs.

His fingers probed through the bones to
fetch it.

The pendant had to be valuable: it was made
of gold, with tiny jewels embedded in it. Mostly diamonds!

He wiped it, and fitted it in his pocket.
Then Robert and James started moving the lid back around.


We
’ve
the words on the tomb,

James stated, holding the
bit of paper.

The three of us may find something with some
time ...

He tapped it with his finger, perhaps
considering if they could.


We can have a copy of it
each,

Robert replied.

And started upstairs.
“And
it
’s
too dark and dingy here to
concentrate ...

They marched speedily up the stairs,
as it became clear t
he
darkness was completely engulfing the outside.

As they prepared leave, Bryson tapped the
floor with his foot.

It was almost absurd! He dismissed the idea,
and looked at the dark windows.

Pieces of material had fallen to the ground
from curtains that had been at their sides.

He contemplated being buried there, out at
the haunted castle.

Chapter 13

 

From the Depths of
Hell

 

The pale
sunlight had vanished under the horizon. Then the black winter
night had rapidly engulfed them, and they had lost their way, as
they had briskly returned.

Thick snow
shrouded everything, creating a mind-bending landscape, which
Bryson was too exhausted to attempt to recognize.

It was
shocking how easily they had got lost. They should have stuck to
the corridor, but, in the blackness and snow, it had turned
indistinguishable – from the other gaps leading into the outer
wood. But they knew the general direction, and they were too
exhausted to go back.

A peculiar
whistle from an unknown place shadowed them, driving him insane,
trying to identify it.

Their legs
almost became stuck in a deep bog of stinking vegetation, which
resembled quicksand as it grew in depth. But Robert insisted that
it was not, and continued to take them on through it, as if it only
were another small obstacle.

Then, out of
nowhere, a light emerged from the undergrowth.

Its radiance
pulsated, like a living thing, magically illuminating the snow and
trees.

While
they silently observed it, loud pounds of something of immense
weight rushed out
-
at them
-
causing them to scurry away.

They furiously
moved their legs in and out of bogs, shifting away to hard
ground.

They ran
almost blindly, up and down, over humps and rough ground, rushing
through thick trees and snow.

The heavy
beast sounds furiously chased them.

It was like a
strange nightmare!

They were
breathless, and their legs could not take them fast enough, and the
thing was closing in on them.

The shape of
the castle was blissful from the black wood.

Its
lights
radiated the colossal tomb shape, through the
wood, and they forced their legs to go faster.

The appearance of the hideous place, out of
the night, amidst the jungle of vegetation, was staggering!

It was like a phantom castle, out on
the edge of realism, on the bounds of what lay beyond
-
and that they
were falling into the depths of hell, trying to return there
-
to
reality.

The place looked static, with supernaturally
glowing walls.

Branches broke to pieces as they ran through
them!

The trees looked as if they were ready to
fall to dust, but for the forces of something supernatural.

As though it were suspending the
place
-
within reality!

Behind him, within shifting lights, darting
about, through the wood, he saw ghost images of creatures, shifting
too, doing hideous things.

Yet all his looks showed him nothing
of the heavy monster thing, rampaging towards them
-
of clearly a
hideous nature
-
as well as proportions.

Their minds conjured up hiding demon
creatures, as they entered the edge of the wood
-
as they were ready to
leave it
-
and they looked for ways to avoid them.

And they rushed across to the castle,
and
staggered to the
doorway; where James banged at the solid wooden doors, almost
bruising his knuckles.

A deep thud appeared from somewhere inside,
and the door wearily creaked out.

Bryson swiftly recognized Sir
Richard
’s
cousin, as he moved out from behind the door. And he studied
his hunched elderly figure, and round glasses
-
glaring at him.


Come in! They
’re
waiting on you
...!

he
explained, angrily
-
not even noticing their appearances, or
anything!

Chapter 14

 

A Hideous Death

 

The bright light in large dining room made
their eyes bulge as they entered, making him look around.

Two men and a woman were sitting silently,
while curiously watching them.

Their weary faces showed no recognition of
them.

Sir Richard
’s
cousin pointed Bryson out to
them.

One of the men, the youngest and
tallest of them, removed a notepad and pen, and the young woman sat
upright

and both got ready to help the older man in the
middle.


You
’re
Thomas Bryson!

he exclaimed, writing
something.


Is everyone here?

Bryson asked, examining
their official clothing (that of plain clothed
detectives).


They
’re
up at their
rooms,

the
older man answered authoritatively, showing that he was in command,
and the man and woman with him were there to help him
out.


They’ll
all be back down soon,” the woman replied, helping him to
explain.

At that point, the older man, in one swift
movement, entered the center of the room.

He stood firmly, with his hands gripping the
top of the pockets of his trench coat, covering his suit.


They
’re
present,

he explained.

That is ... Except for one
of the servants

Molly!

Bryson made two attempts to identify him,
but he was positive that he had not seen him before.


Who
’re
you?

Robert finally asked, after
resting.


I
’m
Detective Inspector George
Bailey.

BOOK: The Lost Treasure Map Series
7.53Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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