Free Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers) by Anita Clenney Page B

curiosity about the place. Were there others in the order besides this guy? He didn’t look like a monk or a knight, more like a warrior or a guard. It wouldn’t be easy getting past him, but they had to get inside. She was certain the box was here.
    She flexed her sore feet as the shadows lengthened around her. She might as well call Nathan and give him an update. She pulled out her phone. No signal. She walked a few feet and tried again. Nothing. She heard a sound, and when she looked up, she saw a robed figure move behind one of the statues.
    “Hello?” she called softly. “
Salve
?” It was probably her imagination or her senses playing tricks. She looked toward the garden. Jake’s back was turned as he examined the maze. She hurried toward the nearest statue. It was at least nine feet tall. Some kind of warrior. She looked behind him, but there was no robed figure. The only things she saw were the other statues lining the castle grounds as far as she could see. The robed figure must have been her imagination, or perhaps her sixth sense. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference.
    She studied the statue again. He wore a garment similar to the ninja monk’s. He had a sword clasped in his hand and his face was coldly handsome. She touched the stone, letting the texture settle against her hand. The images rushing through her head startled her. Places and faces that felt more like human memoriesthan the impressions she usually got from an object. The stabbing pain in her stomach startled her even more. She grabbed hold of the sword to keep from falling and put her other hand on her stomach, expecting to feel blood.
    She wasn’t bleeding. She heard a low voice and realized it was Jake and the ninja monk returning. Shaking off the effects of her vision, or whatever it was, she started back to the spot where they had left her, but the ninja monk was already looking around, his face pulled into a fierce frown.
    “Where is your wife?” he asked, his hand settling over his dagger.
    Jake looked over the man’s shoulder and saw her. His face went taut. Call it bad timing or karma, but a crash sounded behind her. She whirled, expecting an attack and saw the statue’s sword lying on the stone walk.
    A soft roar had her spinning back around to see the ninja monk racing toward her, a look of horror and fury in his eyes. Jake reached for his gun as he ran after the monk, but he came up empty handed. His face was every bit as fierce as the ninja monk’s. Kendall knew why he’d left her the gun. He didn’t need it.
    Kendall tried to get the gun out of her waistband, but it was stuck on her belt loop. The ninja monk advanced on her, his face set like stone. “Who sent you?” he demanded.
    Jake slipped between her and the monk, his hands turned up in submission. “I apologize for my wife. She loves exploring.” His fierce look was gone, yet his jaw looked tight enough to shatter his teeth.
    Kendall bent to pick up the sword but couldn’t lift it. “I’m sorry. I was just looking at the statue and the sword fell.”
    The monk wasn’t looking at the sword. He was staring at Kendall’s cross, which had slipped free of her shirt. He looked pale now, his tattoos harsh against his skin. He slowly stretched out his hand and touched Kendall’s cross. “Where did you get this?” he whispered, turning it over.
    “A friend gave it to me.” She put her hand on the chain, afraid he might try to take it.
    “We’ll go now,” Jake said. “We’re sorry to have troubled you.”
    “It has begun,” the ninja monk said, still mesmerized by the cross. He shook his head. “No. You must stay.”
    Jake’s whole body stilled, but there was tension running through him, like an arrow just before it was released.
    The ninja monk let go of Kendall’s cross and folded his hands in front of him. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
    Kendall exchanged a blank glance with Jake. Had Nathan already found the castle and told this man they