Sean ran his feet up the side of the precipice as fast as he could and a moment later felt solid ground underfoot. He dove forward into the tunnel to get as far away from the dangerous ledge as possible, rolling to a stop against the wall.
The other men looked down at him for a moment before Collin offered him a hand.
“Lucky for you we showed up when we did, huh?” Collin asked.
Sean nodded. “Indeed.”
“Guys,” Tommy said, “this place is going to implode, so maybe we can do our thank-yous and all that later?”
“Good call.”
Tommy and Sean grabbed Pablo, who was still bleeding from the bullet wound just below his collarbone. They dragged him upward, following Collin through the corridor toward the surface.
Back in the temple, Lilian Pike watched from the ledge as the men disappeared into the passageway. Behind her, Erika screamed as the lava began to pool around her and eat away at her flesh.
Pike clutched the amulet in both hands. She could feel the heat swelling behind her, but she didn’t dare look back.
“I am immortal,” she said to herself. “I cannot die.”
The lava inched its way closer to her heels. The back of her shoes suddenly caught fire as the material touched the liquid magma. She yelled as her skin burned.
“I am immortal!” she shouted. “I am immortal!”
The lava seeped around her, engulfing her feet first. A moment later, the bones, muscle, tendons, and everything else holding her up were consumed, and she toppled over into the searing liquid.
Chapter 41
Chiapas
Sean, Tommy, and Collin sat by the fire, staring with exhaustion into the flames. They made sure they were a safe distance from the fire pit, having had enough heat to last a lifetime.
Pablo was resting on a cot in one of Jack’s tents. Jack didn’t have a doctor, per se, but one of the men knew how to patch up a bullet wound and declared that the patient would survive.
Sean had used Collin’s phone to call Emily and let her know what happened. No doubt she’d immediately informed President Dawkins about what happened.
There was probably flurry of activity in Washington the second the call ended. A press conference would be organized in a rush. There would likely be a huge memorial service planned. Sean wondered if those responsible for such activities would take the high road and make Pike look like a saint, or if they would paint the true picture of who she really was.
Sean had a feeling it would be the high road. He’d seen it too many times before. A corrupt politician dies, but to save the face of government, the ones left to deal with it usually made the person seem better than they were. No doubt there would be some public building erected in her name later on down the road. Most people would never know what really happened.
Sean shook his head at the thought of the misleading headlines, probably something about an accident while on vacation.
“What are you doing here?” Sean asked after a long silence. He looked over at Collin, who offered a devilish grin.
“A mutual friend sent me.”
“Emily sent you to help us?”
Collin chuckled. “No. She sent me to find Pike and bring her in. Hope I don’t catch too much heat for that.”
“Could you pick a different pun to use?” Tommy asked. “I think we’ve had enough heat for one night.”
Collin nodded. “Flak, then. I hope I don’t catch too much flak.”
“I doubt you will. I’ll vouch for you. And besides, we got the person behind all this, though I have to say I was a bit surprised.”
“Hell hath no fury,” Tommy said. “Pike was a woman scorned. I guess when you go through a loss like she experienced, it changes you.”
His words lingered in the air for a moment.
“Shame we lost the amulet,” Sean said.
Tommy nodded. “We never got to fully understand how it works. That thing could have been the cure to all the world’s diseases if we’d had it a little longer.”
“If I may,” Collin said, “I don’t think we were meant to live forever like this.”
The other two frowned. “What do you mean, like this?” Sean asked.
“We’re sinners. We hurt and kill each other in any number of sick ways. The last thing the universe needs is our species to keep doing that forever. That’s in the Bible, you know.”
Tommy and Sean glanced at each other.
“Genesis,” Tommy said. “When the Elohim said they had to take the tree from the garden lest mankind would live forever in sin.”
“Exactly. Glad to see you two know your scriptures.”
“We’ve flipped through them a few times.”
Tommy and Sean smirked.
Collin didn’t really understand the joke, but he returned their grins with one of his own.
“So, what’s next for you two? Off on another adventure? Maybe a treasure hunt somewhere in the world? If I were you, though, I’d steer clear of anywhere with seismic activity.”
“That’s a good idea,” Sean said.
“I don’t know what’s up next,” Tommy said. “That’s one aspect of this job that makes it so interesting. We never know what’s coming.”
“I know one thing,” Sean said. “I’d rather us skip out on any future privately offered projects. You were right. Working for someone else is murder.”
Tommy snorted a laugh. “I told you so.”
Jack approached from the mess hall with a few plates of food. He passed the dishes around to the men and then crossed his arms, looking down at them.
“You guys sure you don’t need a lift out of here?” Jack said. “I could have one of my men drive you.”
“No, we’re good. Collin’s going to take us out of here.”
Jack nodded. “Your friend Pablo is going to be fine. I think he’s going to join up with my merry band.”
Sean looked a little surprised. “Really? I didn’t think this sort of thing was his cup of tea.”
Jack cocked his head to the side. “I guess you made an impression.”
Sean nodded. “I guess so.”
The men ate their food while they discussed the plan to get back to civilization. When they were done, they set their plates on the ground and looked up into the night sky. Billions of stars sparkled in the velvety blue blanket above.
“I wonder what the girls are doing right now.” Tommy said, breaking the silence.
Sean chuckled to himself. “You know, I almost forgot all about them the last day or so.”
“Me, too,” Tommy confessed. “I mean, is that a bad thing?”
“I don’t think so. We needed some guy time.”
“Yeah, but maybe next time we have guy time without all the lava.”
Sean laughed. “That would be nice.” He saw a shooting star fly across the sky through the hole in the forest canopy. “I’m sure the girls will tell us all about their shopping adventures when we get back.”
“Adriana would kick your butt for saying that.”
Sean laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Thank You
I do this at the back of all my books, but my appreciation is always sincere. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for choosing to spend your time reading my work. I put one of these little notes at the end of all my books because I know that you could have spent your money and time on something else, but you chose this book.
I am honored and hope you enjoyed it.
Please swing by one of your favorite online retailers and leave an honest review. Those reviews help authors because they let other readers know if the book is something they might enjoy. Plus, reviews help readers decide on what to read next. It's a win-win.
So thank you once more for reading me. I appreciate it and look forward to entertaining you again.
Oh, and if you’d like to find out where the Sean Wyatt series began, CLICK HERE to get some of my earlier books for free.
Ernest
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Author’s Notes
Lots of people, myself included, love to find out what was real versus what was imaginary in stories like this. In fact, I get emails all the time from readers who thank me for the notes at the end of the story—and even a few complaints about stories where my notes were omitted. (Insert apologetic laugh here).
So, here are the notes about this story to help give you a better picture about what was real and what was made up.
The Fourth Prophecy
The fourth Mayan prophecy is very real, although the meaning and accuracy of it is left to interpretation or imagination. Many people know about the Mayan prophecy pertaining to the end of the world in 2012, which we all know didn’t happen. However, the other five prophecies don’t get a great deal of attention, so I thought it would be interesting to delve into one of them.
Specifically, the fourth prophecy talks about a cleansing of the world through some kind of mass destruction. While it is ultimately a doomsday prediction, it’s also one that gives a bizarre sense of hope.
Locations
While Washington is obviously a real place, I changed the names and descriptions of certain places to fit the story. One of the action scenes takes place on a street like several I visited in Georgetown. The murder scene by the river was a location I passed after my friends and I took a wrong turn and went all the way across a bridge before we found a place to turn around. Maybe it wasn’t a wrong turn since I was able to use it in this story. Ha!
Every location as far as the cities, countries, and jungles are very real. Tulum is a pretty little town on the coast that is home to many expats from a variety of countries. Same goes for the other villages and cities I mentioned.
Other locations were a figment of my imagination. An example of this is Devil’s Falls. While you might not find that place in Mexico exactly where I put it, there are many rivers and waterways that lead to falls similar to that one.
The jungles in the story can be extremely dangerous places. While the wildlife can be beautiful, the rain forests host a number of creatures that could harm humans in a variety of ways. On top of that, the raging drug war in Mexico makes the area a violent and perilous place to be.
The cartels are renowned for their disregard for human life and look to make an example of anyone who crosses them.
While they generally don’t venture into the resorts along the Mexican coasts, one wouldn’t have to go far to see some of the trouble they can cause.
The temple that is featured in the story is based on what many believe to be an actual place where a Mayan temple previously existed, though no one has been able to confirm or deny. Part of the problem of getting a closer look at the location is due to the many dangers mentioned previously. As a result, many questions remain about how broad the Mayan empire’s reach truly was and what they may have accomplished.
It’s always fascinating to think about the possibility of ancient ruins being hidden in a jungle somewhere. What secrets could such structures hold? What might we learn about their history and about our own?
That is why I write these kinds of stories. Because even though our world is small, there is so much left to discover.
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
Adriana Villa Adventures:
War of Thieves Box Set
When Shadows Call
Shadows Rising
Dedication
For my mom. Without her I’d never be able to share these stories with the world.
Acknowledgments
None of my stories would be possible without the great input I get from incredible readers all over the globe. My advance reader group is such an incredibly unselfish and supportive team. I couldn't do any of this without them.
My editors, Anne Storer and Jason Whited, must also be thanked for their amazing work and guidance in crafting these stories. They make everything so much better for the reader.
Last but not least, I need to give a big thank you to Elena at L1 Graphics for the incredible cover art she always delivers, along with beautiful social media artwork.
Oh, and thanks to my stylist, Monica, for always being such a good sounding board while cutting my hair.
The Fourth Prophecy is a work of fiction. All names, characters, events, and places are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright ©2017 Ernest Dempsey
Ernestdempsey.net
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States of America by Enclave Publishing.
Created with Vellum
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