The Cursed Coin of Pompeii: Dr Byron Willoughby Mysteries, #3

By Penny BroJacquie

A rollercoaster ride of magic, mystery, and mind-blowing revelations

Banished from the Obscure Archaeology Society, Amy and Dr. Byron Willoughby embark on a daring quest to retrieve an ancient necklace from a mobster's extravagant villa. But things take a wild turn when Byron gets captured and Amy gets stuck with a mystical coin in her hand.

Soon Amy uncovers the coin's secret: it holds the souls of hundreds, keeping a tyrant alive.

Now, she not only must save her biological dad from Mafia's hands, but she must also get rid of the darn coin, and release the trapped souls from inside of it. To set them free, she has to go head-to-head with all sorts of crazy creatures and gods, and follow cryptic clues to find the key that'll let them escape.

Along the way, she'll encounter two familiar faces. Are they allies or foes? Or maybe a delightful mix of both?

The true identities and the hidden agendas of these two men will be revealed, When Amy is whisked away to a mysterious realm.

But when this adventure comes to a close, a family secret will come crashing down on Amy, shattering her world and everything she thought she knew about her own flesh and blood.

Embark on an epic quest filled with mind-bending puzzles, epic battles, and enigmatic clues. The quest begins now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penny BroJacquie
• Release date: Nov 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223213468

Book preview

Chapter 1

The silence in the conference room of the Society of Obscure Archaeology was deafening. My heart hammered against my ribcage as I sat on a chair next to Byron, our eyes fixed on the elegant yet imposing figure of Dr. Rosamund Woods.

The walls were lined with ancient artifacts collected from around the world, covering every inch of space like a history book come to life. The only light came from an old glass hardwired pendant ceiling hanging above us, casting an eerie glow on everything.

Dr. Woods loomed before us, her back straight and her face stern. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, revealing sharp cheekbones that seemed to glow in the low light. Her piercing blue eyes surveyed us with an intensity that made me feel uneasy.

None of us dared to break the silence, for fear of what might ensue if we did.

Finally, Dr. Woods spoke, and her voice carried across the room like thunder.

Welcome back, Dr. Willoughby and Miss… She paused, her gaze settling on me with a measure of coldness. Is it still Miss Abernethy or do you go by Willoughby now?

Amy Abernethy, ma’am. As I uttered my name, my heart raced. I had kept the surname of my stepfather, never considering changing it to that of my biological father. It had not occurred to me what Byron thought about this until now.

It doesn’t matter what name you are using right now, she said as she turned her gaze to some documents she was holding in her hands, I have heard enough to know that your decisions had a large role in the failure of your mission, she continued without glancing at me.

Although I bowed my head in shame, I had not been expecting this. Sure, we had failed in our mission to ensure that the Mayan calendar we had discovered in Yucatan was in good hands. However, we were able to recover the Golden Leaf from the hands of Elkay and his Black Raiders.

"We have failed, Byron, my biological father, said, emphasizing the word we". We as a team. It wasn’t Amy’s fault.

As Rosamund looked at Byron, her face took a stern expression.

Byron, she said, I had warned you that the Council of the Society of Obscure Archaeology had given you one last chance to clear your name from your previous failures. And now, I regret to inform you that you’ve lost that chance.

My heart dropped like a stone, and a wave of nausea washed over me. Byron had been so sure that he could redeem himself this time. However, it had all started with me losing the Golden Leaf in the first place, so yes, it was all my fault.

What do you mean, I’ve lost my chance? Byron asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.

Rosamund let out a sigh, her gaze softening slightly. The Council was willing to overlook your past mistakes if you could prove yourself this time. But your latest mission has turned out to be a disaster.

Byron’s face fell at Rosamund’s words.

I’m sorry, Byron, she said sympathetically, but they have lost their patience with you... I really hoped that this wouldn’t happen. But the Council has made their decision, and it’s final.

Byron slumped in his chair, his eyes fixed on the floor. What... what will happen to my team now?

Dr. Woods sighed. I’m afraid your membership in the Society will be revoked, and you’ll be barred from participating in any future expeditions or research projects. Your reputation as an archaeologist will be irreparably damaged.

Byron looked up at her, desperation in his eyes. Surely there must be some way to fix this. Some way to redeem myself…

Dr. Woods shook her head. I’m sorry, Byron. There’s nothing that can be done. The Society has made their decision, and it’s final.

As Byron sat there, feeling his world crumble around him, I could not help but feel a pang of guilt. It was my fault that we had failed. If only I had been more careful, more vigilant, we might have succeeded in our mission.

But now, it was too late. The damage had been done, and there was no going back.

As the meeting drew to a close, Dr. Woods left the room, leaving us alone.

We sat there in silence for a few moments, both lost in our own thoughts.

Finally, Byron spoke. I’m sorry, Amy. I’ve let you down.

I shook my head. No, Byron. It’s not your fault. I should have been more careful. I should have seen the signs.

Byron looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and admiration. You’re too hard on yourself, Amy. You did everything you could. We were just up against a stronger force.

I nodded, appreciating his kind words. Still, I can’t help but feel like I’ve caused all of this.

Byron leaned towards me and placed his hand on my shoulder. It’s not just your fault, Amy, he said, comforting me. We are a team and we failed together. Now, we’ll just have to find a way to pick ourselves back up and start again.

Feeling grateful for his words of encouragement, I smiled. You’re right. We’ll find a way to redeem ourselves and come back stronger than ever.

As we left the meeting room, a sense of determination started rising within me. We may have failed this time, but it was not the end. I knew that with Byron by my side, I could face anything.

It had been days since our appointment with Dr. Woods. Byron and I were still processing the fact that we were no longer members of the Society of Obscure Archaeology.

Dr. Byron Willoughby had been a longtime member of the Society. Tall and thin with spiky brown hair and blue eyes that seemed to look through you, he was a true rock star in his field.

He was a man who had seen too much of the world. He had traveled the globe, hunting down magical ancient objects. But due to my weakness, he had messed up twice, one time in the Golden Leaf case and then, in the Yucatan mission where we had allowed the Black Raiders to decipher the secrets of the ancient calendar of the Mayas.

As a result, he was now expelled from the Society of Obscure Archaeology, stripped of his titles and any privileges that came with it. He was essentially an outcast in the field where he had once thrived.

Despite his expulsion from the Society, Byron remained passionate about hunting ancient objects. It was his life’s work, and he was not ready to give it up just yet.

He tried going back to regular archaeology, but he found it boring compared to the thrill of hunting ancient objects.

So, he came up with an idea; start a new business of his own, hunting ancient objects by commission. And he wanted me to be his partner.

I know it’s a lot to take in, Amy, he said, looking at me with a serious expression. But I need your help. We can make a living doing this, and we can do it together.

I was hesitant at first. I did not want to let him down again. But there was something about my biological father’s passion and determination that was contagious. And I wanted a chance to redeem myself.

It was our shot at proving that we were still capable of uncovering the secrets of the past and making important contributions to the field of archaeology.

Okay, I said finally. I’m in.

Dr. Willoughby smiled, relieved. Great. Our first mission is to recover an ancient necklace in Rome, he said. A wealthy collector named Donato Lupo is searching for a necklace that belonged to a noblewoman in ancient Rome and he’s willing to pay top dollar for it.

We spent the next few days preparing for the mission. Every morning, I would wake up early, have breakfast and then work out in the workshop in Byron’s luxurious apartment. Later in the day, Byron would show me how to use a whip and a handgun just like in the movies and how to stick to the shadows and creep around at night.

While I would practice how to spin his heavy bullwhip around my body and slice through the air with a slash, Byron would get something to drink and silently sit down on a folding chair. After an hour or so, he would say something like Good job today signaling the end of the training.

Then, he would go into the kitchen to cook our dinner while I would take a long shower to wash away all the dirt from working out. We would have dinner in his lavish dining room and before we would call it a night, we would collect information on the ancient necklace and plan our course of action.

It was not long before we were on a plane to Rome, ready to begin our first mission as a duo.

As we landed at the Leonardo da Vinci airport, Byron turned to me with a serious expression.

Amy, remember, this is dangerous work. You need to always keep your wits with you. And if anything goes wrong, stick to the plan.

I nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. I felt more determined than ever.

I am ready for this, I said.

A young man wearing jeans stood at the curb awaiting our arrival, holding a sign in his hand with Byron’s name proudly displayed. When asked if he worked for Donato Lupo, he said he was only a taxi driver booked to take us to our hotel in Rome. After a one-hour journey, he dropped us off at our destination.

Byron and I checked into the five-star hotel feeling relieved to have finally arrived safely. The lobby was grand and luxurious with a chandelier that sparkled like diamonds. The receptionist greeted us with a smile and handed us our keys.

The suite was breathtaking, with two separate bedrooms, a balcony overlooking River Tiber, and a shiny chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

After we placed our luggage in our bedrooms, Byron and I sat down on the couch, both feeling exhausted from the long journey, but also eager to hear from Donato Lupo.

As time passed, I began to feel restless. What were we supposed to do now?

All of a sudden, there was a loud knock on the door. I jumped up to answer it, but when I opened the door, there was nobody there. Instead, a brown envelope lay on the floor.

I picked it up and read the note inside. It was from Donato Lupo. He instructed us to be ready by 7 am sharp. His men would be waiting for us in the hotel’s lobby to pick us up and take us to our destination.

Byron grinned. That means that we have all day to do some sightseeing in Rome.

As we walked through the streets of Rome, admiring the ancient architecture and soaking in the atmosphere, my senses were on high alert. Every sound made me jump and I could not help but feel like we were being watched.

We were strolling down Via del Corso when Byron noticed my unease and placed a comforting arm around my shoulders.

Hey, it’s okay, he said softly. We’re here to do a job, and we’ll do it together.

It was at that moment when something strange occurred. A weird symbol illuminated in the sky and people around us started yelling in fear.

The symbol resembled a complex pattern of illuminated lines that formed something like a star. Tourists