Page 48 of The Lord's Compass
Eric had to stop himself from nearly jumping up and down as she paused, and then when she finally turned to him, holding the piece out toward him, she wore a large grin on her face.
“Look for yourself,” she said.
When he did, he was taken aback by what lay before him.
“It’s Castleton,” he said, leaning back, his mouth dropping open.
“It has to be,” she agreed.
He replaced his eye, shifting the piece slightly. It changed the colors of the painting which was, in actuality, a map, as the glass added layers of texture to the painting, showing the topography as well as Castleton itself upon it.
“This piece from the necklace…” he said, holding it up in front of him in awe, “it is more than a clue. It is an instrument that changes everything and… I think it might be a compass.”
“A compass?”
“Yes,” he said, turning it one way and then the next to better inspect it. “It must be. I think, Faith, if we return to Castleton with it, it will show us exactly where we need to go to find the next clue – or even the treasure itself.”
“How could this have found its way here, to Spain?” Faith asked, to which Eric shrugged.
“We will have to ask Ashford and his sister. Perhaps they have more knowledge than we do about their great-grandmother.”
“If only there actually were journals,” Faith lamented. “Then we might have a better understanding.”
“Speaking of that,” Eric said. “You better pack. It is time to go home.”
* * *
Faith had nearly finished preparingher bags when there was an urgent knock on her door – and not the door that connected her to Eric.
“Sí?”she called out before the door opened, and she jolted in surprise when Abello walked into the room, shutting the door behind him rather furtively for a man of his size.
“Lady Faith,” he said in English, “you must go. Now.”
Eric must have heard his voice for he was soon striding in from the other room.
“Abello?” he said, his brow furrowed as he looked from Faith to Abello and back again. “Were you our midnight visitor?”
“Midnight visitor?” Abello repeated, continuing in English as he shook his head. “No. But that would explain everything.”
“Explain what?” Faith said, her heart pounding fast as they had obviously been found out. “And why did you call me Lady Faith? And are speaking to us in English?”
“We do not have time to discuss that now,” he said in his heavily accented speech. “You must leave beforeDonRaphael returns.”
“Where did he go?”
Abello was already crossing the room, removing the map from the wall. He threw it face down on the bed, removing it from its frame as Faith and Eric watched with mouths open in surprise.
“He went to find soldiers to come and arrest the two of you as English spies.”
Faith gasped as Eric placed his hands on his hips.
“You cannot be serious.”
“I am, unfortunately, very serious. You must be gone by the time he returns.”
“But how?—”
“He knows you are English and not who you say you are. He must have found something, heard something, I don’t know. Did you find the clue you were looking for?”
