The 5th Amulet
Page 34
Archer could not stop laughing even after Katherine hit him in the arm repeatedly.
‘That is brilliant. Can I share that one?’
‘If you do I will have Debra shoot you.’
‘Well because I love you, it can be our secret.’
‘You love me?’
‘Of course. I’ll be back soon.’
They kissed again, longer this time, with intent, and then Archer went to his mother’s bedroom to watch the message. The layout was unchanged since she left. Jacob had tidied up, but not altered anything, and Archer knew that he never would.
Qaanaaq had not changed since Jacob was last there, the houses up on short legs to stop them sinking into the thawed land, the poles showing the roads, for when the snow storms arrived. He loved the tranquil simplicity that it offered, and the lack of hustle compared to the rest of the world. Here the climate and nature dictated the pace, and you just went with it, which was more conducive to his personality.
He could see the bergs out in the bay near Thule Airbase, the most northerly US facility in the world. The tug was out dragging the icebergs away from the end of the runway, it was the only airbase in the world with a tugboat, but it had to for safety to keep the runway clear.
Jacob greet his old friend, ‘Aleqatsiaq Daorana been a long time.’
‘It has Jacob, I expected you a few weeks ago, what delayed you?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘Well Jacob, if you put on this headset inside your helmet, we can chat on the way to my house.’
Jacob obliged and got comfortable on the skidoo, and recounted his story from the iceberg in Canada to the complex in Ecuador. When they arrived at Qaanaaq, Aleqatsiaq had some news for Jacob.
‘That amulet that did not fit into the cylinder, where is it now?’
‘I have it, thought you might want it.’
‘And why would you think that Jacob?’
‘Because I researched the glyphs on the amulet, and the style of writing is similar to Inuit scripts, specifically Northern Greenland.’
‘Really? I think we need a detour.’
Aleqatsiaq turned the skidoo to an ice cave near to Qaanaaq, above the glacier, and Jacob saw something familiar.
Anita’s dressing table was neatly arranged, and the seashell jewellery box he had made her in school took pride of place. He remembered gluing every one down, and there were still bits of his fingers under the shells from when the glue-gun had burnt him. He opened it up and saw what he was after, what his father had told him. He placed the memory card into his laptop and opened the file, his mother’s face smiling back. Archer began to smile and cry simultaneously, the joy at seeing her, the sorrow at losing her.
He clutched the necklace to his chest, the locket that the memory card had been stored in. He watched the video clip, savouring and storing every word, etching it into his mind. He thought the clip had finished, when she turned back to camera, ‘I almost forgot, goodbye my son, I love you, look after my amulet and your father for me.’
Jacob saw the outline of blue light around a rectangle in the wall, and Aleqatsiaq placed his hand on it.
‘Does this look familiar Jacob.’
‘Very, how did you know?’
‘I had a letter from an Osvaldo Roderigo Moreno Borboa he told me you may call by.’
‘Did he really, the sly old dog. Then I have something for you.’
Jacob took the fourth amulet from his rucksack, and passed it wrapped in the Chinese cloth to Aleqatsiaq.
‘You know what is inside here don’t you?’
‘I can tell you where you found it, what it was inside, and something you don’t know, why it was there.’
‘Now that I am intrigued by, but I did not give you all the details. I bet you cannot guess where exactly it was found?’
‘Ah a bet my friend, well what shall we wager?’
Jacob paused, thinking what would entice Aleqatsiaq more intently, ‘If you get it exactly right, and I mean every detail I will buy you a new skidoo.’
‘There is nothing wrong with this one, but okay you’re on.’
‘And if I win, you come to Canada to help me with these other articles?’
‘Done.’
Jacob sat down on the skidoo while Aleqatsiaq stood up to outline what he knew, ‘You found the amulet in a Chinese ship, one of the Treasure ship fleet of Zheng Hu. Inside the captain’s cabin was a wooden box sealed in the wall, with the Chinese symbol for archer on the front. Inside the Captain’s stomach were wax balls with instructions.’
Jacob was flabbergasted, ‘has one of my team put you up to this, because there is no way you could know all that.’
‘I know because my ancestors told me.’
‘How is that possible the Chinese were bringing that amulet back to Greenland?’
‘Yes and no, they took it from us, and were going to use it in what is now Ecuador, with our blessing. Then return it later. They never made it.’
‘So the amulet was given to them?’
‘Yes, they informed us that one of the amulets in Ecuador was missing, or destroyed, so we sent a replacement as our complex was buried under the ice.’
‘Your complex?’
‘I am a member of the group that protects this place, have been all my life.’
‘Like Osvaldo Roderigo, you protect a complex?’
‘Yes I do Jacob, protecting a planet; you need more than one bow to shoot down falling suns.’
‘So the Chinese got trapped leaving the bay?’
‘They left when the bay was beginning to freeze up, and we warned them to wait, but their ships were sturdy, and they had reached us, which no other explorers had at the time.’
‘They were the first?’
‘Despite many claims yes, they were the first for many centuries.’
‘And the complex?’
‘That was here long before us, before the ice came, buried now, I suspect that the energy it would require to punch through the ice is beyond its capability, but perhaps with all the amulets replaced it may succeed.’
‘Oh believe me Aleqatsiaq you would be surprised at what this place can do.’
‘Well I see that your help would be invaluable, and about our bet?’
‘What colour Skidoo would you like?’
Aleqatsiaq laughed and slapped his friend on the shoulder.
‘Lead on, I think I know what to expect, but I never mind being surprised.’
Their laughter echoed in the ice and rock of the ancient cave, concealing its secret far below the feet of men.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Firstly to you the reader for choosing and finishing this book, thank you.
If you would like to leave a review on amazon or goodreads,
thank you for taking the time to do so.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0096QYCJY
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0096QYCJY
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0096QYCJY
To complete this novel and include the huge amount of factual and technical information which was required was a challenge.
With many e-mails, web searches and phone calls, I gathered the background information required to give the depth and authenticity to the story.
Any errors or omissions are purely my own.
All the people who have helped me complete this journey, I thank you.
All the people who gave me the moral and emotional support to continue.
You know who you are.
As I write this my author facebook page has been viewed in 46 countries on all 7 continents, which is amazing.
I have been able to connect with authors all over the world and learn from them.
I thank them for their help and integrity.
LIST OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This is all the contacts that helped me with the technical and language challenges I faced when creating this novel.
My deepest thanks goes out to them all.
United States Mar
ine Corps, Sniper Training Unit,,
Diplomatic Security Service, New York,
United States Army 75th Ranger Regiment,
NYPD Aviation Unit, New York,
Jason Jeandron, Archaeological Prospectors Canada,
Capt. Phil LeBlanc Safe/Sea Marine Rescue,
United States Secret Service, Washington DC,
Hawk Tolson, Maritime Heritage Consultant,
Saki Daorana and Aleqatsiaq Peary, Qaanaaq, Thule, Greenland,
Raul Arias de Para, Canopy Tower, Panama,
US Navy Washington D.C.
US National Park Service, Governors Island, New York,
Ecuador Tourist Board, Quito, Ecuador,
AFHSO Research, USAF Pentagon.
Marc S Kaufman, Washington Post.
Nick Schaaf, US Navy
N Sierra, Spanish Advisor.
Alexander Henao, Spanish Advisor.
All GS
CHANGES SINCE 2008
This novel was originally written in 2007.
Since it was written Ecuador has gone through some major political changes and the Manta Airbase no longer belongs to the US Air Force.
Somalia is still going through many changes but as yet no safe haven exists.
Technology has advanced and the fictitious Svelte Drone that I included looks remarkably like the X47B UCAV currently being tested by the US Navy.
The ability to scan through dense foliage is now in use, but was just a future guess on my part.
The most surprising event was the meteor exploding over Russia on the 15th February 2013, which injured thousands of people and caused some deaths.
This is almost a copy of the scenario of Tunguska I wrote about.
Even though ‘The 5th Amulet’ is a work of fiction it seems a miracle that we have not had a major impact during modern times. The number of air burst and near misses in the past 200 years is in double figures.
Is someone protecting us?
You decide.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This is my first novel and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of creating it.
Writing is a solitary occupation, yet I can reach so many people indirectly, which is wonderful.
I hope that you enjoyed the book and the adventure it took you on. I write stories that I would like to read myself, fast paced that draw you in with character, plot and setting.
I do a great deal of research, contacting many people to ensure as much of the factual information is accurate. Their generosity cannot be measured.
More information is available on the links below.
For my author profile and list of other books visit the author page http://www.amazon.com/SJ-Hailey/e/B00973OZ1Q
For more information please visit
www.facebook.com/sjhaileyauthor
This eBook novella is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed therein are creations of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
An eBook Original 2012 Copyright © SJ Hailey 2012.
SJ Hailey asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of SJ Hailey.
SJ Hailey 2012.
Thanks Mum and Dad.