A thrill of relief splashed through Lucy. “That’s mine. The bride gave identical necklaces to all of the bridesmaids. After Otis showed up with the first pizza delivery, it occurred to me that someone might notice the necklace and follow him down here. I gave it to him.”
Gabriel nodded appreciatively. “It was a good plan. It worked.”
“I couldn’t think of anything else to do. I was trapped in this room. The kidnappers took my handbag, my wrap, and every piece of nav amber that I had on me. They didn’t bother with the necklace, because it wasn’t amber. How long have I been gone? I’ve lost track of time.”
“The wedding reception was three nights ago.”
Lucy glanced at the stack of empty pizza boxes. There were five of them. “That’s what I was estimating. Otis arrived soon after I crashed in this chamber. I’ve been waiting for the effects of the drug to wear off before trying to follow him back to the surface. But every time I think I’m coming out of the fog, I get hit with another wave of hallucinations. The visions are absolutely unbearable when I get close to the entrance.”
Gabriel dropped the necklace back into the pocket of his jacket and studied the arched opening in the quartz wall. With the slice of pizza in hand, he walked to the doorway. He moved out into the hall and then returned.
“Nothing,” he said. He took a bite of the pizza.
Lucy contemplated the doorway. “Damn.”
“You said you were drugged?”
She massaged her temples with her fingertips. “They caught up with me when I ran into the ruins. Shot me full of some kind of hallucinogen. I was taken down into the tunnels. I managed to escape, but I barely made it to this chamber before I collapsed. Maybe I’m going through withdrawal?”
“Any idea why you were kidnapped? Your father and stepmother said there have been no ransom demands.”
She could tell from his neutral tone of voice that he was trying not to agitate her further. The kid-glove treatment was irritating. Also scary. How badly screwed up were her para-senses?
“No, I have no idea why I was grabbed,” she said. “My memories are blurry. I remember a bunch of creepy men in khaki and leather. At first I thought they were ghost hunters, but I decided at some point they were probably ex-Guild men who had gone rogue.”
“It happens,” Gabriel said. “The Guilds are changing. Hunters who are considered problems are being let go. There are a lot of them out on the street these days. Can you describe the ones you say grabbed you?”
“No, I was really out of it because of the drug. It distorted everything, including faces. But aside from the khaki and leather, I’m almost certain that at least some of them wore pendants set with stones that glowed a deep, dark blue.”
There was a long silence while Gabriel finished his pizza.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” she said.
“I believe you think you were kidnapped. What I know for sure is that the atmosphere down here can generate a lot of weird visions and hallucinations, especially if it’s combined with drugs.”
She nodded, resigned. “I knew it. You don’t believe me.”
“What do you say we get back to the surface before we try to figure out exactly what happened to you?”
She eyed the arched doorway. Just thinking about getting through the Alien nightmares was enough to make everything inside her go ice-cold. Her pulse kicked up, and not in a good way. But, damn it, if a ghost hunter could get through the doorway, she could, too.
“Can’t wait to get out of here,” she said. “I’ve spent enough time in hell. Good to know there’s pizza delivery here, though.”
She went back to the throne and picked up her black stilettos. She hesitated before she put them on.
“How far to the nearest exit?” she asked.
“It will take us about an hour,” Gabriel said.
She elected not to put on the very high heels. The quartz floors of the tunnels were smooth and pleasantly warm. It would be easier walking out of hell barefoot.
Gabriel did not head toward the entrance, however. Instead, he went toward the back of the chamber and studied the sparkling, crystal clear water flowing from an ethereal green quartz fountain. The water splashed into a quartz trough and disappeared into a concealed opening.
“You had water,” he said.
Lucy watched him for a moment. “Yep, running water and pizza. All the amenities.”
Gabriel pulled out a small gadget and dipped it into the bowl of the fountain. After a moment he raised the instrument and examined the reading.