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Page 46 of A Rogue in Twilight (The Whisky Rogues #2)

“W e didn’t find a legendary treasure, but there is some significant geological evidence worth studying,” James said later, extending a hand to help Elspeth enter the larger, outermost cave. “So we accomplished something.”

“There was a wedding too,” she reminded him with a laugh.

“Well worth the journey, my dear.” He settled his arm around her and hefted the leather satchel on his shoulder.

Even if the Goblin Cave only held signs of smugglers and interesting rock formations, he was deeply grateful they had come.

And he planned to return as soon as he could, intrigued by what he could discover for his research.

“We should search the smuggler’s things again before we leave,” Elspeth said. “They might have found something that they hid away.” She took the blue agate from her pocket to turn it in the low light. “Why would my father leave clues that led us to this cave if there is nothing here to help us?”

“We found a cache of rare gems again. But no more talk of geology,” he said, holding up his hands as his bride slid him a glance. “And it is a good thought to take another look before we leave.”

“Your siblings and the rest will worry if we do not meet them soon. At least we have some crystals and agates to show them,” she added. “And we married ourselves.” He looked at her quickly. “Should we tell them?”

“Perhaps not yet. Let’s keep it to ourselves for now, and just tell Grandda.”

James nodded agreement. He wanted her to be happy, wanted to see her smile like sunlight, but he was not sure yet what she most wanted.

The rare blue agate was a puzzle to him, its map-like formation mirroring this cave.

When next he came here, he intended to search for a pocket containing similar agate.

He had a feeling it had originated here.

“I need to sit down and record some information before we go. Do you want to take a few moments to look in the smaller cave, Lady Struan? I can work here.”

She nodded, looking pleased, and hurried to duck through the lower entrance. Sitting on a wide ledge, he rummaged for notebook and pencil and began to jot down his thoughts while Elspeth knelt to look at the wooden crates.

Trap rock lies under all, he wrote. Interior walls primarily limestone with abundant evidence of shell fossils. He glanced up to see Elspeth moving just on the other side of the secondary entrance.

“I should bring my sister here to examine the fossils,” he called. “She is quite knowledgeable about such things. As long as no smugglers are about, it seems safe.”

“Even the fairies are not here,” she called back. “I am a bit disappointed.”

He smiled and continued to scribble his observations. There are traces of granite composite with rock quartz, feldspar, mica, basalt, flecks of crystal formations throughout. Great heat once occurred beneath the limestone layers …

Elspeth stooped to come back, then turned. “Oh! I left my bonnet.” She slipped back into the smaller chamber while James made a few more notes.

Putting his things in the satchel, he walked to the back to fetch Elspeth, bending the enter the smaller, more intimate space. At first he did not see her—then realized she was on her hands and knees in a dark corner.

“Did you find something?” he asked.

“Behind these crates I found some rocks hiding an opening to another wee cave!”

He joined her, dropping to his knees. Elspeth was attempting to remove some rocks that blocked a cleft in the wall. They were the size of bread loaves and puddings, easy enough to move.

“Here, let me,” he said. “These ought to be limestone and shale,” he noticed, shifting them aside. “But these look like mica, schist, and iron ore. Odd. This is not a natural rockfall. These were put here deliberately. Perhaps they hid their finest whisky or some French gold.”

“Gold?” Elspeth looked up.

“Not fairy treasure. New-minted coin that smugglers sometimes carry. What in thunderation is that?” He peered into the crevice. “Where is the candle we had before?”

“We burned it through, husband,” she said with a laugh.

“Lord, we did. There’s an oil lamp tucked on that ledge over there. Light that, if you will, love.” She hastened to do that, returning with the glowing lantern, holding the light high as James moved more rocks.

“Hold the lamp just there.” He crouched on his knees to peer into the opening, which was wider than he expected. Though not high, it was accessible on all fours.

Shining the light ahead of him, he moved into the gap, inching through the rocky threshold. Then, as if the earth gave way beneath him, he nearly fell into blackness down a steep slope even as he managed to keep hold of the lantern.

Elspeth came through behind him, then gasped as she too tumbled downward. Sliding over rough, toothy stone, James reached a level surface and came to his feet. As Elspeth fell against him, he steadied her, holding the lantern high.

“What is this place?” she asked low, her voice echoing.

“A pocket cave. Larger than I thought.” She rose beside him, brushing stone dust from her skirts. “My God,” he said. “Look at that.”

The walls were covered in prisms and points of sparkling color. All around, studded in the curving walls and ceiling, crystals and gems glittered in the lamplight like rainbows and stars.

James walked carefully to one wall to run his hand along its glimmering curvature, sharp with crystal points. Taking the lantern from him, Elspeth held it high to look around with him.

“So many stones, so many colors,” she breathed. “Incredible.”

“Clear crystal, rose quartz—this yellow is citrine,” he said in a hushed voice as he ran his hand over the walls. “Blue sodalite, red jasper—over here, green aventurine.” A tiny crystal rod snapped off in his hand, whitish crystal. He handed to her. “And a beautiful cluster of amethyst crystals.”

With an easy snap, a purple wand came away in his hand. That, too, he gave her.

“All these in one place?” she asked. “How can that be?”

“They are various forms of crystals created in bubbles in the earth, growing in the rock bed over eons. Here is beryl…aquamarine…” He named them as he found them, a range of colors and shapes gleaming and sparkling in the lantern light.

“There could be emeralds, rubies, sapphires, veins of gold here too, if it were to be mined.”

“But it is too beautiful to mine it or disturb it.”

“I agree, though it should be examined for science. Just astonishing to find so many in such profusion, though theoretically it is possible.” He moved along. “Watch the sharp points. The break off easily. We should not break or crush them if we can avoid it.”

“They are scattered on the floor already broken away,” she said, bending to pluck up more pretty stones. “It is like a jewel box.”

“The whole cave gleams like a royal ransom.”

“Like a treasure chest,” she said. “James, could this be—”

“It could indeed. Perhaps it was never a treasure chest that was lost, but a chamber, a pocket cave filled with natural gems.”

“Grandda said there is a portal to the Otherworld somewhere in these mountains, so if that is true, this would not be lost to them. I do not understand.”

“This can be explained without fairies, love. It is an exciting geological discovery. And we might find some perfect gems for your wedding ring.” He opened his hand to show her a few gleaming stones—amethyst, aquamarine, rose quartz.

She gasped at their delicate beauty, then looked up. “But this place was hidden deliberately so that no one could find it. I happened to see the rocks there, stacked like a cairn, hiding the entrance.”

He frowned as something occurred to him.

He walked up the ramp a little way to peer at the stack of rocks they had removed.

Then he returned, holding one of the smaller rocks that had been shifted.

“Iron,” he said, holding it out. “A MacArthur ancestor of yours stole the treasure and hid it away, is it so?”

Elspeth nodded. “According to the legend, the Fey have been angry ever since. But it must have been here all along, under their very noses.”

“Iron and iron ore were mixed in that cairn. I read something about it in my grandmother’s manuscript.” He hefted the rock thoughtfully. “Perhaps that MacArthur ancestor of yours was very deliberate indeed, long ago.”

“Oh!” She stared up at him. “Fairies cannot cross over cold iron!”

“So they say. Iron in its natural form, or cold-forged iron, not exposed to heat, are thought to block the power of the Fey. This chunk is natural cold iron.” He hefted it.

“Then they would not be able to come in here,” she said.

“Even more, it might be rendered invisible to them until the iron was removed.”

“Then it was not a treasure they lost. It was access they lost. It vanished, and they could not find it or enter it. And we found it!”

“If this fairy nonsense has any merit. Though anything is possible once we start believing about fairies. Or marrying them,” he added.

“I am so glad you did.” She came to him, wrapping her arm around him in a hug. He bent his head to hers, held her.

“Well, to return this treasure to the Fey and free you and your grandfather from their wicked spells,” he drawled, “we had best move that iron away from the opening.”

A while later, James wiped the back of his forearm along his brow and stood back to survey their work.

The entrance to the sparkling pocket mine was cleared now, and he had moved the smuggler’s goods to the opposite wall.

Then he had carried the iron-bearing stones outside the cave to roll them down the mountainside away from the cave.

Satisfied, he stood in the smaller chamber for a final look and went into the outer chamber where Elspeth stood by the entrance, looking out. The mist had cleared and twilight gathered in purples and pinks, reminding him of amethyst and rose quartz.

“We had best make our way back or they will come searching for us,” he said.

She sighed and nodded. “I hope we have fulfilled the old bargain.”

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