Conjuring Darkness

by Melanie James

  “Lexi, Abraham, meet my friend, Kemil. He is with the Turkish—well he is with some agency. I’m not even sure which one.” Kemil greeted Lexi and instantly recognized Abraham as he shook his hand. “Doctor Pearlman? Wow, it is a small world. You don’t know me, but I was at one your lectures in Ankara a couple of years ago. I had you autograph my copy of your book. I hope we get a chance to talk more later on.”

  Abraham was delighted to find someone else who was interested in his archaeological theories. “I’m always glad to meet a fellow enthusiast. Let’s see now, ah yes I remember. That was the lecture on my theory of how extraterrestrials guided Noah into creating a self-sustaining floating biosphere in preparation for the destructive deluge they were planning. Fascinating theory to contemplate, isn’t it?”

  Lexi looked over at Abraham. “Wow Abraham, I didn’t realize you were THAT far out on the scientific fringe!”

  “Don’t begrudge a man from making a little money, my dear. Armchair archaeology, great stuff there. After all, it is just having a discussion about theories. No limits and no academic criticism. Sometimes mainstream science needs a good solid kick in the pants and a shot of imagination to spur it along. Plus, it gets people interested in learning as well as appreciating history and archaeology. I’m hoping someday to find someone that will help me produce a TV show.”

  Kemil laughed and said. “Oh, I don’t know about that Doc, you don’t quite have the hair for it.”

  Kemil spoke directly to Lexi. “Don’t worry about the guys in that boat. They were just making sure nobody followed you in. So you are Ryan’s girlfriend? Some guy huh? Takes his girlfriend out on a mission to catch a thief. Who does that?”

  “Hey, that’s my sister you’re talking about! She’s not a thief!”

  “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to disrespect your family, Lexi. When Ryan contacted me, I was just going to go out there and bring her in. But as a favor to my friend, I am letting him get her out of there, and keep her out of any trouble.”

  Kemil looked at each of them and continued. “Once you guys clear out of there, we’ll be coming in after that group she has been seen with. I have a good feeling they are moving both arms and artifacts across the Syrian border. I can only promise you guys twenty-four hours to get her out of the way. Okay? If she is mixed up with those people when my guys go in, then she will be locked up in some unpleasant place for quite a while. The dig site at Gobekli Tepe is perfectly safe up that way. You can do whatever you want up there, but this area where she is at, is right on the border and I can’t have any of you in there. Ryan, if you go into Syria and get into any trouble, I can’t promise anything. My men can’t cross over officially, but I owe you one and I’ll do what I can. Just try to stay on this side of the border if you can. Sorry, but when you look at the big picture there is too much at stake.” Kemil smiled and looked at the three visitors. “Once this is over, I invite you to come to my house. Ryan, you have to come visit. We haven’t seen each other in maybe five years now? I’m married now and we have two boys. You better bring your friends.”

  “I’ll do what I can, Kemil. Married? Two Boys? Wow!”

  Kemil laughed. “I know, it seems like yesterday, when you and I were out on the town and I brought those girls-”

  Abraham interrupted him with a loud cough, trying to remind Kemil that Lexi was listening. “Don’t worry Lexi, it was just a story of how I got myself in trouble when some jealous guys came after me. Ryan stepped in, pulled me out of a jam. He wasn’t up to anything. He’s like Mister America. Anyway, you can use that white Range Rover, I have a driver in the other one to take me back, and now I really have to get going. Good luck!” Once Kemil had left, the group loaded their gear into the vehicle and prepared for the last leg of the trip.

  Lexi slapped Ryan’s firm butt and said, “Come on Mister America, time to go find my sister.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  They drove through the night, switching drivers as needed so they could each get some rest. Lexi couldn’t catch much sleep on the drive. More than once, she noticed the fleeting glimpse of an owl’s wings fluttering in the air above where the headlights led the way. She felt like the owl that had followed her before, had managed to track her down once again. The sunrise was a welcome sight to Lexi as she scanned the dry and rocky landscape for any sign they might be closer to their destination. It was Abraham’s turn behind the wheel and Ryan looked over a map that he had marked with the coordinates for Kate’s last known location, based on the information he received from Ben’s contact.

  “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” Lexi joked from the back seat.

  “Almost there. We have been off the main highway since before dawn. I’d like to stop about a mile from where Kate was seen at the border. From there we can snoop around a little. There are no marked roads to get to that area, so we will have to do a little off-roading.” They continued on the highway for a few more minutes before Ryan directed them to the point where they would turn off. “There! See that little road, Abraham? Take that one. We’ll go south from here.”

  Lexi peeked over Ryan’s shoulder to see the map in his hands. “I don’t get it. If they are staying on the border area, they are doing more than just crossing it. What could be there?” Her face was so close to Ryan’s that she could feel the heat from his skin and couldn’t resist giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Good question, Lex. Abraham, is there anything of any archaeological significance in that area?”

  Abraham glanced quickly at the map. “Well, nothing in particular that I’m aware of, but this whole region is rich with undiscovered treasures from many different eras. I wouldn’t be the least surprised if they found a place to dig up artifacts.”

  The lonely rock strewn landscape flew past Lexi’s window and it blurred together every subtle shade of tan and brown. Lexi wished they would just get there, she was anxious to see her sister again.

  The small road became more of a dusty trail and Ryan started to notice something flying in the distance. It crossed over their path and then above them.

  Ryan shouted over the noise of the vehicle that bounced and rattled over the rough terrain. “Stop!” Abraham stopped the Range Rover and Ryan lifted up a pair of binoculars.

  “Odd time for bird watching isn’t it, Ryan?” Abraham asked.

  “You saw it too then. Something fairly big flying around. Probably just a hawk, but I want to rule out any possibility that it was some sort of UAV. There!” Ryan adjusted the focus of the binoculars. “Yep. A hawk or eagle. Actually it kind of looked like an owl. Anyway, let’s just get moving again.” Abraham shifted back into gear and they sped down the trail.

  Lexi pulled herself up on the back of the front seat. “An owl? I saw an owl fly past us a few times during the night. I swear that the damn thing-” Her words were cut off by the muffled hammering sound from under the vehicle. Abraham started to slow down.

  “Now that’s a coincidence. Four flat tires all at once.” Abraham remarked.

  Ryan shouted at Abraham, “Don’t stop! Give it all you can. It’s not a coincidence, it’s an ambush! Lexi have your weapon ready and get down!” Ryan looked on both sides of the trail for any sort of movement. “There, see how the terrain slopes down on each side of us? Someone wants us to stop here, so they can come out from behind the little hill over there. Keep on going Abraham!”

  The vehicle became difficult for Abraham to control. The flapping sound of the wrecked tires were deafening. Pieces of shredded radials littered the haphazard road behind them. The route ahead dipped down and they could see a truck blocking the path ahead. Abraham forcefully pushed down on the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped.

  “Listen, we are going to have to run for it. Whoever is out here, will be coming from the sides or behind us. Run straight toward that vehicle and listen to me the whole way. Ryan reached around behind him, grabbing his short carbine rifle while Lexi loaded a magazine into the pistol she was holding. She was br
eathing through her mouth to maintain her composure as adrenaline pumped through her body. Abraham was completely bewildered and couldn’t seem to grasp what was happening.

  Lexi caught their attention when she noticed somebody walking toward them from the vehicle that was blocking their path. “Hey! Ryan! Isn’t that your buddy Ben?”

  “Yeah it is. Good! Maybe he found out that somebody was trying to ambush us and he stopped them.” Ryan leaned out the window and called to his friend. “Ben? What are you doing here? What’s going on?”

  Ben smiled and walked up to the vehicle. “Hey Ryan. There was a problem. Somebody was trying to stop you from going to the border, but I took care of it.” He walked around the driver’s side and leaned in. “Hi Lexi!” There was a metallic clicking sound, a gush of fear swept over Ryan as he saw Ben place a pistol next to Lexi’s head. “Now be a good girl and give me the amulet.” Lexi glanced at Ryan with a pleading look.

  “Do it now! Nobody will get hurt.” Ben demanded.

  Ryan quickly gauged the risks of their options and decided that Lexi was in an incredibly dangerous situation. “Give him the amulet, Lexi! Ben, why the fuck are you doing this?”

  Lexi pulled the amulet from her bag and briefly wondered if she could somehow zap him with its magic. Ben quickly snagged it from her hand. His pistol was still pointed at Lexi with his free hand. “I’m doing all of you a favor. Get out of the vehicle and start walking back to the main road. Get out of here!”

  Without waiting for a response, he disappeared behind the vehicle and then he bolted over the hill, just as Ryan aimed his rifle at him.

  Ryan scowled and lifted his rifle back up. “I should have shot him in the back for that.”

  Lexi watched Ben dash through dust at a superhuman speed. “Holy fucking cats!”

  Abraham tried to steady his hands long enough to reach into his pocket. He pulled out a small silver flask and gulped down three swallows of brandy. “You have some interesting friends, Ryan.”

  “Interesting to who?” Lexi asked tersely. “And what did he mean when he said he was doing us a favor?”

  “I don’t know, but one thing is for sure. The Ben I know would never do that, not in a thousand years.”

  “So what do we do now?” Abraham pondered.

  “We’re close enough now to do what we originally came here for. We are going to get Kate and get the hell out of here. I’m afraid that this whole thing was a ruse to steal the amulet.”

  “Ryan, if the amulet falls into the wrong hands it could be disastrous. We have no idea what it could be used for.” Lexi added and Abraham nodded.

  “You’re right, Lexi. I agree with her, Ryan. As much as I would love to avoid any more trouble I know in my heart that we have to prevent the amulet from falling into the wrong hands.”

  “Well, if we’re going to do anything at all we need to get our gear out of this vehicle. Maybe we can use the truck that is blocking the road. At least it has four good tires. Hopefully it runs and has fuel.” Ryan said.

  They walked over to the roadblock and found that it must have been towed or pushed into position. The interior had been completely gutted. It was nothing more than a hulk of useless junk. “Well, it looks like we aren’t using this vehicle either. Now, we travel by foot to that hill right there.” Ryan pointed to a small hill covered in dry grass and rocks. “We can see if we are close enough to Kate, to at least get her out of any danger.”

  “Then what? How do we get out of here without a vehicle?” Lexi asked.

  “Unfortunately we will have to wait for Kemil to come through here tomorrow with his guys.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The sun crept away from its zenith, but the heat of the day was still intense. Kate lifted her floppy, khaki safari hat from her overheated head and pulled back the stray blond strands that clung to her face. Before confining them back into their ponytail, she looked at the long locks and begged for their forgiveness. “I promise if I get out of here, I’ll treat you to a day at that new salon.” She took a drink of water from her canteen and went back to the armed group of people that were watching her at the dig.

  How long can I fool these idiots into thinking that the amulet is out here somewhere?

  They seemed like such an odd group to be in the desert. Seven of them were very old women that wore long black robes with black veils over their faces. They stayed in the canvas walled tent that had been erected upon their arrival. She had seen them only once when she had been brought before them by an armed escort. The guards treated them with the respect that a subject would give to a feared ruler. When Kate dared to look at their faces all she could see above their veils was a small patch of dry leathery skin that reminded her of a mummy. Kate had an eerie suspicion they were nothing more than dried corpses that had been propped up in chairs. That is until she heard their crackling voices.

  They spoke to the guards in an ancient language that shocked Kate. The language of ancient Sumer. Outside of a handful of researchers like herself, she had never heard of anyone that knew the language. The guards referred to them as the Eternal Ones, and Kate had no doubt that these were the fabled witches. They had asked where the amulet was and told the guards to threaten her with death, if she did not produce it.

  A man dressed in black carrying an AK-47 shouted at Kate. “Hey! Get back into the dig, and find it. You’ve got until sundown.” There were several people removing rocks from a pile of debris. They were looking in between crevices and cracks for the amulet. Each one was dressed in black and carried a gun. Kate used as little energy as possible, reminding herself the amulet was securely locked away in her safe at home.

  When she first went to visit Jakub Meier to find out what Kurt had been involved in, she knew it had been a mistake to discuss her research on the old Sumerian magic. She never figured there would be a modern day cult that had kept alive the memory of the original seven witches, who wished to open a portal to an era of darkness and demons. This cult didn’t seem to be aware of Jakub’s history with the amulet. They only knew of Kurt’s.

  Kurt. His death was no suicide. Kate was convinced now that it was a well-designed murder by this cult who had tried in vain to get him to hand over the amulet. They practically confessed to her what they had done. He had told them it was in the Syrian Desert and had left them clues that misled them far from their little safe in Virginia. He paid for his deception with his life and now it was Kate’s turn to play along.

  No matter what, she would not allow the amulet to fall into their hands. She knew the witches would be able to use it to open the spirit portal at Gobekli Tepe. They would become possessed by seven ancient demons and their combined force would be unstoppable.

  Kate carefully pulled a few rocks out of the way, when she noticed a glimmer in the distance. It lasted for a second, but to Kate it was a gift of hope. She felt exhilarated by the thought that perhaps someone was looking for her.

  An idea crept up that perhaps it was nothing more that the sun hitting a shiny rock or maybe just a mirage from the afternoon heat. She kicked the negative thought back down with every bit of positive thinking she could possibly muster. Within an hour she spotted something else. High above her, something circled around. It was so small that perhaps it was just a bird, like the birds she used to watch while lying in the grass of her backyard. It circled around and around and that seemed odd since only larger birds of prey would act like that. This thing was very small. She looked up and for no special reason she took off her hat and waved it to the little bird as if to say, “I’m here! Please go get help!” The little bird zipped away and Kate felt her eyes welling up with tears. “Go little bird.”

  One of the guards noticed Kate rubbing her eyes. He kicked sand at her, yelled for her to get back to work. She was suddenly filled with a complete disregard for her own safety and stood up. “Fuck you, dumbass! Fuck you and your dumbass old hags! And fuck your stupid little cult! Assholes!” The guard closest to her pointed his rifle at
her while the others came over to see what was going on. They jeered and laughed at her. One of them fired one shot into the air and it frightened Kate so that she tightly covered her ears and fell to her knees. She had enough.

  Then something strange happened. One after the other, in rapid succession each of the guards heads exploded. They flew apart like watermelons that had been hit with a sledgehammer. Kate’s hands dropped to her sides and she stood up. Her mouth hung open, as she looked at the carnage before her. All that she could say was, “Holy cats!”

  On a distant ridge, neither Kate nor the guards had been aware of what had transpired up to that point.

  Lexi, Ryan, and Abraham had only a short walk with some of Ryan’s gear to the high point he had selected to start scouting for Kate. The group was stealthy with the exception of Abraham who had taken another swig from his silver flask, until Ryan swatted the shiny object down.

  “Put that thing away it’s like a beacon out here.” He whispered.

  Just as the coordinates promised, they noticed a couple of tents in the distance. Ryan took out a small remote controlled aerial vehicle that was no larger than the size of a pigeon. It was equipped with a high tech surveillance camera. He asked Lexi and Abraham to set up the viewing monitor that resembled a small e-reader or tablet. In minutes, Ryan had the UAV soaring high above the tents. He ensured that it stayed at a high enough altitude so it couldn’t be detected while it provided a live video feed.

  “There she is!” Lexi shouted. “There are guys with guns by her, though.”

  “How many?” Ryan asked.

  “Five that I can see.” Lexi replied.

  “Okay good. I’m switching the feed to infrared now. Count all of the bright images you see. It will also let me know if there are others we didn’t see, including anyone inside the tents.”