Swept Away (The Swept Away Saga, Book One)

Chapter Four

Looking over the papers that lined the table in the office, I smiled faintly to myself. It seemed like so much work had been done here. How was it possible that no one had found anything, yet? Well, that wasn't exactly true. People from previous work companies had discovered things like pieces of chain and markers on the island, none of which could be explained. But, none of it had been worth anything. Surely that would make everyone realize there wasn't anything here? "This is a lot of research," I conclusively said to Dad, who was sitting in the chair at the head of the table.

"It is. There've been a lot of people here trying to figure the puzzle out."

"So, I've gone over it all here, but I want you to explain to me again. Just exactly what's out there on Oak Isle?" Sitting in the chair next to him, I readied myself for another excited retelling of his obsession, hoping to hold on to a few more of the facts than I had when he told me the story in the car this morning.

"Right. So, the year was seventeen ninety-five. A couple of teenaged boys and their sister were out playing on the island when they noticed this huge depression in the ground. Now, that was about the time governments had finished putting an end to piracy and privateering, so these kids, having heard all these wild tales, immediately think of buried treasure, right? They run home, grab some shovels, and start digging. Two feet down they hit a layer of stone, which they pull out with their hands, and they keep tunneling. At ten feet, they hit a layer of oak logs, which had been embedded into the walls of this hole. Same thing happens again at twenty feet, and thirty feet. By then, they realize they're going to need a little more help to get to the bottom. But they never do! Over time, lots of different people come and try to do it themselves. It's been more than two hundred years and not one soul has made it to the bottom, yet. When one company hit ninety feet, they triggered a booby trap and the entire thing flooded. No one's been able to figure out how to empty it or stop the water from flowing into it since."

"And do we know where the water is coming from? The ocean, I presume?"

"You got it. About fifty or sixty years ago they started speculating there was a whole labyrinth of flood tunnels under the island, but we don't know exactly where they are. All of the tunnels might come together into one, and then split into five separate fingers in Pirate's Cove on the east side of the island, but we can't seem to pinpoint the openings to those to make sure." He appeared so excited as he spoke, curiosity burning in his eyes. "Whoever built this would have had to do it at least a hundred years before those kids first found it and started excavating. It's a creation of engineering genius."

"Do you know who built it?" I already remembered the answer, but was still trying to cement it all in my head before the meeting started.

"Not a clue. Though, everyone has their own theory. A few of the guys even have bets on what's down there."

"And your theory?" I hadn't been able to present him with this question, yet, and I smiled as I asked, interested as to what he thought he was searching for.

"Well." He chuckled. "It'll probably sound a bit farfetched at first, but after all of my research, this is the only explanation I can think of—the treasure of the Knights Templar."

"Huh?" I queried, completely thrown off. "I thought that was a mythical thing all on its own."

"It is and it isn't. We know that they had a massive fortune, but no one has ever found it. What happened to it? Where did it go? After all of my research here, I feel pretty positive that this is where it ended up."

"Do you mind explaining that to me?" He was even crazier than I'd thought. What had I gotten myself into here?

"Think about it," he replied eagerly. "The Knights would've had the man power to build something like this. They were said to be protecting a treasure they believed was too great for one man alone. This would have been the perfect place to hide it and keep it from everyone."