Page 81 of It takes a Psychic

He would have collapsed onto the hard quartz floor if she had not managed to control his fall. He ended up sprawled on his side and immediately closed his eyes. He was about to step off the cliff into the darkness when a memory made him pause.

“Forgot to tell you I figured out why someone went to so much trouble to get me to Lost Creek,” he mumbled.

“Let me guess,” she said. “Someone wants you dead.”

“Yep. Thanks to you, they screwed up.”

He stepped off the cliff and fell into the darkness.

Chapter Thirty-Six

She did not expect tosleep, but at some point she slipped into a dream involving a vault that held the answers that she and Molly sought.A dark forest of towering stacks of papers, artifacts, and junk stood in the way. She kept getting lost. She desperately needed to find the right path.

And then she saw the yellow crystal. It glowed in the shadows, just out of reach. All she had to do was follow it to the answers…

She opened her eyes and saw Roxy hovering over her, muttering. She was not sleeked out but there was no mistaking the air of concern.

“What’s wrong?” Leona asked softly.

Roxy muttered again.

Leona sat up slowly, wincing when several muscles protested. She had fallen asleep next to Oliver, whose eyes were still closed. She reminded herself that this was not the first time she had spent a night on the hard quartz floors of the Underworld.

“It never gets easier,” she said to Roxy.

She glanced at her amber-based watch and saw that it was a little after dawn. By rough calculation, she decided she and Oliver had slept about five hours.

Satisfied that she was awake, Roxy bustled to the messenger bag.

Leona pushed herself to her feet. “What’s wrong?”

Roxy chortled—insistent now.

“Got it. You’re hungry and you know there are some energy bars in my bag. I’ll get one for you. Come to think of it, I could use one, too. And some water.”

When she bent down to pick up her bag, Roxy growled. It did not sound like the cheery sound she made when she was anticipating a snack. More like a warning.

“What is it?” Leona looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

When she got no response, she unzipped the bag with some care and peered inside. The pyramid crystal no longer glowed faintly. It pulsed with strong, slow-but-steady oscillating currents of energy.

She reached inside the bag and took out the stone. Now she could feel the energy as well as see it. “I wonder what—”

“The key to Vortex,” Oliver said.

She turned and watched as he levered himself up to a sitting position. He did not take his eyes off the pyramid.

“The enhancing machine you’ve been searching for?” Leona asked.

“Maybe.” Oliver got to his feet and moved to stand beside her. He took the crystal and examined it. “It’s responding to a signal. But there’s nothing in this chamber.”

Leona opened her senses. “It’s directional. Watch.”

She retrieved the crystal and turned in a slow circle. The pulse of energy inside the stone got stronger when she aimed it at the entrance of the chamber.

“You’re right.” Oliver leaned down and grabbed his messenger bag. “Let’s see where it takes us.”

“Wait,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

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