Adriana reappeared from the rear of the building and ambled back to the table. She took a seat next to Sean, who looked at her with desperate hope in his eyes.
“They okay?” he asked.
She nodded, relief washing over her skin. “Yes. Papa and Master Miyamoto are fine, though it sounds like they did quite a bit of damage to the property, but they are okay.”
“That’s a relief,” Sean said. He put an arm around her and hugged her close for a minute.
“So,” Tabitha said, after taking a sip from a golden, sudsy beer, “where are you all off to next?”
No one spoke for a second, then Tommy answered first. “Back to Atlanta for us,” he said, squeezing his wife’s leg. “It’s been too long since I had some time alone with this lady. And I am getting real tired of looking at your ugly mug.” He raised a mug toward Sean, who snickered in return.
“Likewise, buddy.” Sean raised his glass, too. “Same here, I think.” He glanced at Adriana, who nodded, though her mischievous smile betrayed another truth.
“I might be able to take some time off for you,” she teased.
“What about you, Dak?” Tabitha asked. “Anything special? Anyone special?”
He shook his head and wiped beer foam from the mustache portion of his beard. “I can’t see my someone special,” he said, his voice trickling with regret. “Not yet. But I have something lined up back home. Getting into your line of work,” he nodded at Tommy and Sean. “Sort of.”
“Anything we might know about?” Tommy asked.
Dak snorted quietly, letting his gaze fall to the table. “I doubt it,” he said cryptically.
Tabitha raised both eyebrows but let it go. “Well, I’m heading back to London. Pretty sure I’ve used up all my personal vacation time. Back to the grind for me.”
Emily looked at her with an appraising gaze. “Well, if you ever decide you want to do something a little more dangerous, and we have an opening, I may give you a call.”
“You know, I think MI6 is just about dangerous enough for me, Director Starks, but I appreciate the offer. Speaking of, you heading back to Atlanta soon?”
“Yes,” Emily said, straightening her pant leg. “Lots to do. I have cleared it with the president to pursue members of the Cult of Thoth, but that will take time and resources. I fear it will be like herding cats. Still, we can’t let those lunatics run wild. I figure if we can take out the regional leadership, the rest will vanish.”
Tabitha nodded. “Yeah, I’m definitely good staying with MI6.”
Everyone at the table laughed.
Tommy stared at Niki for a long time before speaking up again. “I'm curious. What do you have planned now, Niki? Travel? Finding employment somewhere?”
“I could put in a word for you with my division,” Tabitha offered. “You clearly have the skill set they look for.”
“No plans,” the young man said humbly. “Still trying to figure out who I really am, honestly. This has all been really confusing. And painful.”
A somber pall fell over the table, but Tommy didn’t let go of his gaze on the young man. “I was wondering if you would be interested in heading up IAA affairs in Europe. You could set up shop wherever you like.”
Niki looked up from the table, confused and surprised at the same time. “What?”
“Well, we are the International Archaeological Agency, after all. It only makes sense we have an international presence. I need someone who is from Europe, has connections, knows places. Have you ever thought about a career in artifact recovery and security?”
“When you say it like that, it doesn’t sound so exciting.”
Sean and Tommy shared a laugh.
“Usually, it’s not,” Tommy agreed. “Just something to think about. If you’re interested, we can go over the details.”
“Thank you,” Niki said. He grabbed a glass of beer and took a long sip. “I think I’m going to do a bit of traveling, see the world through fresh eyes. You know? But I will keep it in mind.”
Tommy acknowledged with a nod. “It’s there if and when you want it.”
“Are you old enough to drink that?” Sean asked, cutting in.
Niki nearly spat out the lager with laughter. He nodded. “I am on this continent.”
The news anchor switched subjects again, and the table’s patrons heard the woman talking about world leaders disappearing for several days and then gradually reemerging to the spotlight after their cryptic, weeklong silence. CEOs, foreign ministers, billionaires, and thousands of others had, apparently, gone off the grid for several days.
“Looks like you’re going to have your hands full, Em,” Sean said, raising a glass to her. “Best of luck with that.”
“We’ll never get them all. Some, sure, but the world will continue to spin as it always has. The corrupt will keep on being corrupt, and the rest of us will have to be happy living our lives, doing the best we can.”
Tommy turned to Alex and Tara. “I guess it’s back to the lab with you two, huh?”
“Oh, crap,” Tara said, having been silent for several minutes.
“What?” Alex asked, concern stretching across his forehead.
“The FBI agents.”
“What?” Tommy echoed Alex’s question.
“Oh, yeah,” Alex realized. “The agents that raided HQ. What are we going to do about that? I hope Sarah is okay.”
Emily offered them a consoling grin. “I think I can call someone to take care of it. I work for the president, remember?”
The television switched to sports and a different anchor talking about an upcoming soccer match in Oslo.
People walked by the café on the sidewalk outside, carrying bags brimming with gifts for the holiday season.
Sean raised a glass and offered a toast. “Merry Christmas, everyone.”
Everyone else raised a glass to meet his. “Merry Christmas,” they echoed.
Thank You
First of all, I want to thank you for reading this story. I had a great time creating it, and I hope you enjoyed every minute.
There are millions of books you could have chosen to spend your time and money on, and you chose mine. So I appreciate that.
Thank you so much.
Visit ernestdempsey.net to get a free copy of the not-sold-in-stores short stories Red Gold, The Lost Canvas, and The Moldova Job.
You’ll also get access to exclusive content and stories not available anywhere else.
While you’re at it, swing by the official Ernest Dempsey fan page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/ErnestDempsey to join the community of travelers, adventurers, historians, and dreamers. There are exclusive contests, giveaways, and more!
Lastly, if you enjoy pictures of exotic locations, food, and travel adventures, check out my feed @ernestdempsey on the Instagram app.
What are you waiting for? Join the adventure today!
Also, be sure to check out the author’s notes on the next page if you want to know a little more about this story.
Ernest
Fact Vs Fiction
Hello again, reader friend. Welcome to the part of the story where we distill the truth from the imagined.
As always in fiction, liberties are taken, places, people, and events are altered or concocted. I know I always like to learn what was real and what wasn’t in a book like this, and I hope you find it enlightening as well.
Let’s start at the beginning, where Jani Beg Khan is met by a mysterious intruder. While the great Khan of the Golden Horde was real, as were the siege and subsequent assault on Kaffa, the assassin sent by the Cult of Thoth was my invention. It is certainly possible that such an interloper visited the great leader and advised him, though there is no substantial evidence to prove it happened.
Jani Beg did, in fact, launch his dead soldiers over the walls of Kaffa, which accelerated the spread of the plague when the Genoese merchants fled in their ships back to Europe. We all know what happened after that.
If
you want to visit Kaffa today, it goes by the name Feodosia, and still contains many historical landmarks to explore.
One of the legends I mention in the story refers to mysterious robed figures people reported seeing outside of towns and villages a few days before the plague struck. These reaper stories are fairly common in regards to not only the Black Death, but also other tragic events that take place throughout history. While I cannot validate eyewitness accounts or urban legends, I can tell you that these details exist as, at least, a form of evidence. So, was the assassin in my story one of these reapers? Could they have visited Jani Beg to jump start what the order knew would be a mass extinction? I leave that up to you.
The mysterious cities of Sarai are a fascinating study. No one is sure where they were located, and archaeologists continue to search for evidence that could shed light on the subject. The fact that these cities were some of the largest population centers in the known world makes their disappearance all the more mysterious.
We do know that the cities were located in the vicinity of the city now known as Volgograd, near the river, and that to this day, the Golden Horde is still considered a scourge by many locals.
Plovdiv is a beautiful city in Bulgaria, and everything I mentioned in the story is as accurate as I could make it. The ancient town, or old town as some call it, is one of the best kept historical secrets I’ve encountered. Visiting Bulgaria has been on my list for some time, but I didn’t know much about it or Plovdiv until I started writing this story.
Another fascinating place in the story is Svalbard, the Island of Spitsbergen, and the town of Longyearbyen. This remote location offers snow swept mountains and a variety of unique wildlife, along with the international seed vault I mentioned in the story. That’s right. The seed vault is very real, placed on Spitsbergen in case of a cataclysmic event. The bunkers containing the seeds are huge, and I truly enjoyed learning about how the location was determined, along with how it is shared and maintained.
The pyramid on Spitsbergen was concocted by me, as far as I know. But it seems that more and more pyramids, or structures like them, are being found around the world. I’ve detailed a few of these, both real and true to life, in some of the other stories in the Sean Wyatt series.
Of course, that was the plan all along. And it only took twenty stories to get there. (Insert a mischievous smile here).
But I wanted to build something that spanned the globe, and human history, connecting dots along the way until it culminated in an epic showdown with an all-powerful evil organization.
Regarding the shadow caste, or what some call the deep state, I cannot say if it is real or not. The Hermetic Cult of Thoth was real, and it’s possible the order is still around, manipulating global events. The Ahnenerbe and the Thule Society were real enough, and it’s widely known that Heinrich Himmler was an active member. Everything I mentioned in the story about the cult’s history is as accurate as possible, though the hierarchy featuring Odin and other umbrella secret societies is purely from my conspiratorial imagination.
That said, I find it difficult to not believe in a shadow caste such as this. We see the course of human events take bizarre, inexplicable turns now and then that are often blown off by people with the loudest microphones or the largest followings. Does that make their statements fact? Or does it simply mean those who listen to them are blinded by blissful ignorance?
One must wonder.
Are we having the wool pulled over our eyes? Is there a shadowy power controlling everything, pulling strings with unseen fingers?
Clues are there throughout history, and the power players involved can be found if you know where to look with open eyes.
The question is, what will you do with the truth if you find it?
Other Books By Ernest Dempsey
Sean Wyatt Adventures:
The Secret of the Stones
The Cleric's Vault
The Last Chamber
The Grecian Manifesto
The Norse Directive
Game of Shadows
The Jerusalem Creed
The Samurai Cipher
The Cairo Vendetta
The Uluru Code
The Excalibur Key
The Denali Deception
The Sahara Legacy
The Fourth Prophecy
The Templar Curse
The Forbidden Temple
The Omega Project
The Napoleon Affair
The Second Sign
The Milestone Protocol
Adriana Villa Adventures:
War of Thieves Box Set
When Shadows Call
Shadows Rising
Shadow Hour
The Relic Runner - A Dak Harper Series
The Relic Runner Origin Story
The Adventure Guild:
The Caesar Secret: Books 1-3
The Carolina Caper
Beta Force:
Operation Zulu
London Calling
Paranormal Archaeology Division:
Hell’s Gate
Acknowledgments
As always, I would like to thank my terrific editors for their hard work. What they do makes my stories so much better for readers all over the world. Anne Storer and Jason Whited are the best editorial team a writer could hope for and I appreciate everything they do.
I also want to thank Elena at L1 Graphics for her tremendous work on my book covers and for always overdelivering. Elena definitely rocks.
Last but not least, I need to thank all my wonderful fans and especially the advance reader team. Their feedback and reviews are always so helpful and I can’t say enough good things about all of them.
Hidden Chapter
Atlanta
Mr. Ellerby steered the car into the neighborhood as the sun peeked over the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east.
After getting word from Sean and Tommy that the cult and its leader had been wiped out, Tara and Alex alerted the Ellerbys that it was okay to take the kids home. Helen had already been up making biscuits and gravy, fried potatoes, and eggs.
Once the group finished their breakfast, they thanked Helen and Mack for their hospitality, and left to head back to Atlanta.
When the two-car convoy arrived, the kids’ parents were standing in the driveway waiting. Relief and exhaustion wore on their faces from worrying about their kids. Despite the fact the Ellerbys had been with them all along, Maria and Rick were completely drained.
Corin and Diego climbed out of the car and ran up the driveway, each embracing a parent for a long, tight hug.
“What in the world did you two get into?” Maria asked, pulling back from her son to look him over.
Diego shrugged, casting a sidelong glance at his step-sister. “It’s a long story,” he said with a hint of mischief.
“I’m sure it is,” Rick agreed.
Desmond walked up the driveway behind Corin and Diego. He stepped in between them, a broad grin streaked across his face. “You two should be proud.” He clapped his friends on the shoulders. “Your kids helped save the world.”
Rick and Maria shared a confused look.
“Oh, is that right?” Rick asked sarcastically. “Well, I’m sure we’ll get to hear all about it. For now, I know a couple of kids who need to eat breakfast.”
“We already ate at the McElroys’ cabin,” Corin chimed.
“Well, if it’s okay with you, Desmond, we’d like to spend a little time with our children. I’m sure your parents feel the same way.” Rick waved to the car. The Ellerbys raised their hands in the same silent greeting.
“Yes, they can play with you later today, Desmond,” Maria echoed.
The kids rolled their eyes at the insinuation that all they did was play. They were, after all, kind of heroes.
“Okay,” Desmond said. “I’ll catch up to you two later.” He waved goodbye and then returned to the car.
When the two vehicles disappeared around the corner, Diego and Corin led the way
back into the house with their parents in tow.
They spent the next hour spilling all the details about what happened and how they’d helped foil a global conspiracy. Maria and Rick listened with feigned interest at the fiction their kids laid out. Both had to admit the details were pretty good, but in the end they blew it off as nothing more than kids exaggerating things. Still, the parents knew something happened for Corin and Diego to be gone so long without permission.
The kids had been with the Ellerbys, though, so all was probably okay. Maria and Rick would simply have to get the real story later.
After a long conversation, the kids went upstairs to get cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes.
When Corin finished getting dressed, she slid into her office chair and flipped open the tablet on the desk. She tapped the email icon and scanned over the first four emails in her inbox.
Three of the messages were from school teachers reminding her about Christmas Break reading assignments and what to expect when they returned to school in January. She rolled her eyes at the reminder that their vacation would be over as soon as it began, and instead focused on an email from an address she didn’t recognize.
At first, Corin suspected it was some kind of spam email, but when she tapped on it, the preview on the right side of the window displayed a cryptic, almost threatening message.
She read through the text, eyes growing wider with every line she consumed.
“Hey, Diego?” she half-shouted down the hallway.
Diego opened the door to his room and poked his head out. “Yeah?”
“Did you get a weird email this morning?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged.
“I think it’s copied to both of us,” she said.
“More teacher emails?”
“No. This is different. Come here and look for yourself.”
Diego sighed at the inconvenience, but emerged from his room in a T-shirt and jeans. He walked down the corridor and into her room, stopping near her as she held up the tablet for him to read the email.
The Milestone Protocol Page 43
