Page 162 of In the Pursuit of Haven
Brecker stared down the jagged hole through the planks. “He’s gone!” He grabbed a rope swinging from the rigging to brace against any more mishaps. “There aren’t any pulleys or chains under the chest,” Brecker reported. “The traps might be trigged by a weight system. If the treasure is lifted, it sets off a deadly chain reaction.”
“So, what do we do?” Hunter asked. “Lasso the treasure and then heave it all up at once?”
That was ridiculous. The creators of this challenge didn’t have a problem with releasing the treasure to us, only that they didn’t want it to get into the wrong hands.
“There has to be a way around it,” I said. “We need to find a clue—something that tells us what to do in order to prove that we’re the legit nine.”
Eight… that better not be a problem or we’re already doomed.
“What are we looking for exactly?” Jessie asked.
“Directions… somewhere…” I was pulling ideas out of my imaginary sateen black magician’s hat because, honestly, I was out of ideas on how to solve this new problem.
Abby threw her hands behind her back and twisted to stare around us as if the instructions on how to avoid certain death would magically appear. “Wait.” She pointed over at the cobbled wall. “Is that it?”
Apparently, the answerhadmagically appeared.
Turning, I noticed that the fire had blackened the walls around us, except for one phrase that was beginning to take form, the filthier the stones became:“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”
Once again the unseen was seen.
Gulping in deep breaths, I tried to figure out what this clue meant before Luther ordered us to follow in Gideon’s lumbering footsteps.
My eyes veered to the valuables that had been set above us. They were plainer and more understated than the glittering treasures on the deck below, though they still held historical significance. Earlier, I’d assumed that they were up there because there wasn’t any room below, but now in light of this new message, I wondered if the placement had a purpose. Were these not treasures in heaven?
“If this is a weighted system,” I said, “then we can’t grab the treasures sitting against the deck… we can only get the ones propped above us.”
“Treasures in heaven,” Brecker said. He nodded in agreement.
Hunter groaned. His eyes moved to Luther. “I’m afraid she’s right.”
Luther moved back, inspecting a vase dangling over his head. He scowled. “I don’t like the look of these treasures up higher.” There were plenty to choose from—more than nine, even—and yet to the naked eye, they were unimpressive. “The real valuables are down below,” he said.
“And we can’t get to them,” Jessie argued.
“Yet!” I hurriedly corrected. Luther had to see reason or he’d force us to put our lives at risk. “The ones who put together this obstacle course want to see the nine working together and being smart.”
“There aren’t nine of us anymore,” Hunter interjected.
“Yeah, but…”
Luther sighed loudly. “Yeah, but…” he mocked my voice. “So thisisn’tgoing to work.”
How had he had the patience to play the kindhearted museum director for all these years? I turned to him, shaking with indignation. “We join or die… what’s it going to be?”
Before Luther could answer, Brecker made our decision for us. His hands landed on a brass hand mirror dangling above him.
The next instant, he was entangled in rope. A loud grating noise followed. He shot into the air to the sound of a snapping pulley. The cavern shook as he landed in the rigging above us.
He was good and stuck in his net… but alive, and he still had the treasure. That had to be a good sign, right?
“You okay?” Abby called up to him.
“Yeah, yeah, just taking a joy ride.” He was definitely breathless.
Glancing over to the side, I noticed that the entrance we’d come through had narrowed ever so slightly. The whole structure inside the cavern had turned on itself to close off the entrance. That was the shaking we’d felt. Soon, we’d be stuck in here. Would the creators of these challenges open up another way for us?
There was only one way to find out. I stepped closer to a beautifully decorated hourglass set atop a jolly boat.
