“Now I see just six orange images. Just those five guards and Kate.”
“Good. This is easy.” Ryan grabbed a large rifle from a long rectangular case he had brought along. The rifle had a large scope that he attached a battery pack onto.
Lexi couldn’t help but notice the huge size of the bullets in the magazine that Ryan loaded into the rifle. “Is that one of those 50 caliber sniper rifles? The semi auto ones? That thing is huge!”
“Yeah, hopefully I can get close enough and we can get her out now. I will probably have to wait until the guards are close together so this could take a while. I hate to ask you this Lexi, but I need you to come with me. I’ll need you to watch them with that other spotting scope, the one that looks like a telescope while I handle the rifle. The scope on my rifle will be zoomed in too close to keep an eye on everyone.”
“I was planning on going with you anyway. This just gives me a better reason!”
“Just follow me and stay down. Low and slow. From here on out, we don’t say a word.” Ryan placed the rifle in a padded canvas case that had a long strap that he looped around his leg. He crawled on his forearms, dragging his legs and the case behind him. Lexi crawled through the sandy soil behind him. Ryan heard loud voices from the camp and quickly got the rifle out. He watched the events unfold through the riflescope. Lexi set up the spotting scope when they saw the guards gathering close to Kate.
Ryan thought they were about to execute her when he saw them fire a warning shot. It looked like they had forced her down to her knees. Ryan made a risky split second decision. He had to shoot now or it could be too late. Five shots rang out, quickly hitting each of his intended targets in quick succession.
Lexi could only offer her standard remark. “Holy cats!”
They ran down to the camp, as Kate ran toward them. The relieved sisters fell to the ground and gratefully embraced in a tearful reunion. Kate jumped back up to her feet and pulled Lexi up with her. “Let’s go, quick! Run!” Kate dropped down to one knee and grabbed her ankle. “Okay forget the running. I think I sprained my ankle. So let’s hobble! Quickly!”
“There are more?” Lexi asked and Kate nodded her head affirmatively.
“How many more?” Ryan asked.
Kate panted, “Seven old witches. They are in the tents over there. They’re as old as dirt, but I have no idea what they are capable of.”
“They can’t be in there. We looked on infrared. There wasn’t anything alive in those tents. At least nothing warm-blooded. Lexi, take Kate up to Abraham and sit tight. Keep your weapon ready just in case. I’m going to check this out.” Ryan rested his sniper rifle down and pulled out his old long barreled pistol, instead of taking the cumbersome rifle or the pistol he had given to Lexi.
He crept down to the tents and found them empty. One tent held seven large, empty wooden chairs and nothing else. The wind began to blow, the canvas material flapped in the breeze. A whispering sound surrounded him, causing the tiny hairs on his arms to stand at attention. It sounded like multiple voices that were quiet yet abrupt. They seemed like they could be questioning, answering, warning, and worrying as they circled around outside of the tent as if they were being carried on the wind. He went over to the dead guards and assured himself that they couldn’t have been making the whispers that he heard. The sun was now beginning to set, so he hurried back up the ridge to meet the others.
He arrived just as Lexi and Kate reached the place where Abraham was waiting with the rest of the equipment. “Well, there was nothing there. No sign of anyone in those tents.” Ryan said with trepidation. He wondered if he should mention the whispering disembodied voices that he heard when he entered the tents.
“I suppose they must have gotten out earlier. I haven’t seen them today. So Lexi, aren’t you going to introduce me?” Kate swept the unruly strands of hair away from her face and otherwise made an attempt at making a favorable impression on Ryan.
“This is Ryan. Ryan Kidd, and you already know Abraham Pearlman.”
Kate looked over at Abraham. “Hello professor. Wow! It sure has been a while. I can’t wait to talk to you about everything I’ve come across in my research. What are you doing out here?”
“Good to see you again, Kate. Actually, the reason I am here is because of your research, but it is a long story and we can sort it out later.”
Kate turned her attention to Ryan. “Ah, so you are the mysterious Ryan Kidd I’ve heard of. It is a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for saving me back there.”
“It’s what I do, Kate.” Ryan responded as they shook hands.
Kate ran her eyes over Ryan’s body. “Yes, I really want to thank you personally.” She wasn’t discreet at how her eyes devoured him. Hell it had been a long time since she had seen such a fine specimen. “And you really need to let me thank you properly, once we get out of this desert.” Kate gave him a smile that was dipped in mischief. “I will make it worth your while, Ryan Kidd.” Shocked at her boldness, little did Kate know, the erotic power of Inana still lingered.
Ryan smiled at Kate and thought of how she looked so much like Lexi, except for the lighter hair and a few years older. Lexi quickly intervened. “Umm Kate? I have to tell you that he’s already taken.”
“Oh I’m sure he is Lexi, but I don’t mind. I just want to borrow him!”
Ryan pulled Lexi close and kissed her. He turned Lexi, so that her back was to Kate and he let his hand conspicuously slide down over her ass. He pulled her waist tight against him. When he stopped kissing her, he spun her around to face Kate. He stood behind Lexi with his hands down around the front of her waist. Lexi smiled at Kate, with the smug look of a little girl that had just gotten the last cookie out of the jar.
“Uh, what the hell are you two doing?”
“Getting kissed by my boyfriend.”
“That was more than a kiss, Lexi. And boyfriend? When the hell did this happen?” Without waiting for an answer, Kate continued. “Wow! You move out and go from being the nerdy, boyfriendless, bookworm to this commando chick, with a hunkalicious man—who apparently has no problem sticking his tongue down your throat and grinding you against him, like you were one of those inflatable toys that-”
“Okay, we get it Kate!” The sisters were overwhelmed with laughter. Lexi sat down next to Kate. “It’s so good to see you, Kate.”
Kate started to cry and she feverishly tried to wipe away the tears. “What’s wrong?” Lexi asked.
“Nothing I suppose. It’s just that you’re my little sister, but I’ve always felt like I was raising you, and at the same time I kind of feel like I’m mom. And now look at you. Kate regained her composure and took a deep breath. “You literally traveled around the world to save me. My little sister. It was always my job to look out for you, not the other way around.”
“We have to look out for each other, Kate.”
Kate looked over at Ryan who was busy checking over his equipment. She whispered to Lexi. “I also feel bad because this is your first...he is your first everything. This has been just one hell of a trip for me. I think I’m just overwhelmed.”
Lexi explained about how she had received the letter that was written by Kate, while she was under Jakub’s hypnotic control. After she finished going over the details of her odyssey, Kate was livid with anger.
“Jakub! He had no right. No right to control me like that. He peered into my head, and then manipulated me into drawing you here. To put you in the same danger as me. He sent you here with the amulet that I had done everything to keep hidden from the cult. Do you think for a minute that he was trying to have you bring it out here to somehow stop these crazies and their old ghouls? No, of course not! He must be mixed up with that pack of freaks!”
Abraham cut her rant short. “No, he isn’t and I’ll tell you why. I don’t know if he has a connection with Ben or not, but I know that Ben did not bring the amulet to the camp of those witches. He must have another reason to have taken the amulet.”
“Well, I don’t think any of that matters right now. We’ve accomplished our objective in getting you out of trouble.” Ryan observed.
Kate replied to Ryan with complete disdain. “Look around you, Ryan. Does this look like we are out of trouble? Not really. Now we are all in it together. Those witches are still around somewhere, and they didn’t wait for thousands of years for some special astronomical event just to disappear because you killed their mortal guards. No, they need the amulet. They want to open the portal that will allow them to conjure the evil demons and bring them in to our world.”
“Kate’s right, Ryan. So is Abraham. We aren’t done here. Not by a long shot. We have got to find out where Ben went with the amulet. It’s our duty to stop them from creating hell on earth.”
“Alright Kate, say we try to stop this portal from being opened. How much time do we have?”
“We have until tomorrow night at three a.m., of course. The witching hour.” Everyone became filled with a sense of dread at Kate’s words.
Ryan checked his watch. “Thirty short hours. We need a plan and this is what I propose. We have little hope of tracking Ben out here, so we have to anticipate where he will be going with the amulet. My best guess is that he will be at Gobekli Tepe sometime before the three a.m. witching hour. We need to get there before he does. That is where we will ambush him to get the amulet back. Then we do whatever you experts think should be done with it to prevent any more of this magic.”
Abraham added. “Sounds good. There is a problem, though. The site will be closed down at sunset and it’s always guarded by security.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem at all. What I call security and what they call security, are likely two entirely different things. It doesn’t bother me one bit. Still, we need to be smart about it. We need to reconnoiter the site. I want to know how many guards will be around. I want to know how far it is from any major population. I want to know the topography. I want to-”
Kate shook her head in disbelief and interrupted. “Reconnoiter? Really? Who the hell talks like that? Couldn’t you have just said you wanted to scope it out? Or scout around? You don’t need to impress anyone here Kidd. You already got the girl.”
Lexi squared her shoulders and confronted Kate. “Damn it, Kate! What is with the attitude all of a sudden? He is doing what he does best, including saving your ass.” Lexi looked back at Ryan and smiled. “Well, one of the things he does best.” She winked at Kate who threw her hands in the air.
“You’ve known this man for what? A week? I was married to a man like him. His friends all popped out of the same mold that produces these cold, vain, womanizing, conceited, puffy-chested narcissists. Trust me...I’m saving you loads of misery little sister. Let me push his buttons a few times and you’ll see exactly what he is really like.”
“Don’t lay your shit on me, Kate. Don’t you dare judge him just because of your experiences with Kurt, or any other man. You’re always the one who is supposedly so open-minded, so liberal, so academic. I’ve got some news for you, all of that stuff applies universally to ALL people. Not just the ones you think are somehow more deserving of an honest and considerate conversation. So get over it. Ryan is a person just like everyone else here. Allow him that much respect. He clearly knows his job, since he just saved your ass. I think you should have a bit more courtesy and refrain from the name calling.”
Abraham and Ryan quietly watched the drama unfold on center stage. When Lexi completed her pointed tirade, Kate got up and walked a short distance away. She turned her back to the others and stood like a silent sentinel gazing over the desert.
“Damn. You guys think about the plan and let me talk to her alone.” Lexi waited a few minutes to allow her and her sister time to cool down. With a deep cleansing breath, she stood up and dusted off her clothes, as if to dust away the negative energy that had seemed to hover over her and her sister.
When Lexi walked over to Kate, she was surprised at how Kate was first to apologize. “Lex, I’m sorry, truly sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me or why I am freaking out, but I suppose it’s because this whole mess is my fault.”
“No, it’s not your fault. This all started because of what happened long before you ever got involved. You were looking for answers. Looking for answers about Kurt and his death. Can you see that no matter how hard you try, no matter what you look for, you can’t ever comprehend any of this? None of us can. I mean that our existence is life, but our fate is always going to be death. Kurt is gone and I don’t know why. Our parents are gone and I don’t know why. I do know that the man over there, Ryan Kidd, is a good man and I love him. We only met and that is true, but I refuse to let my life be defined by death. The death of mom and dad, the death of Kurt. I want my life to be about how I choose to live, and I am going to love every part of it. I have decided that I’m not going to be afraid to dream and to hope. I’ve let death take away life from me too, and I’m not playing its game any longer.”
“You are so right, Lexi. There is one more than one reason that I’m so upset. I did learn something out here. That cult was responsible for Kurt’s death. They wanted the amulet, and he gave his life to prevent them from getting it. He also did it to protect me and you. I’m not a violent person, but God, I’m not going to lie to you. I relished the sight of those evil bastards laying in their own blood back there. I fucking relished it. I am going to make this right. I am going to redeem myself and I am going to stop those witches, just like Kurt would do.”
“Are you looking for redemption? Or are you looking for revenge, Kate?”
“Aren’t they the same thing, Lexi? I don’t even know anymore. I started out on this journey looking for redemption, but I’ve sort of let revenge take the wheel. The problem is I don’t even know how to stop the witches, so I may not be able to redeem myself or avenge Kurt’s death.”
“You know, Jakub found out the same thing, Kate. He was filled with the desire for revenge. I think later he tried to redeem himself, but he never could shake off the bitterness or hate he carried. That’s precisely why he got rid of the amulet. It didn’t matter. Years of carrying around that kind of hatred changes a person. Even if you try to tell yourself that you are going to change, it will still haunt you. Don’t be that person, Kate.”
“What should I do, Lexi? Really. Tell me. Because at this point, I really don’t know.”
“Then trust in Ryan. Give him a chance. Give US a chance. We are all in this together, and we will get out of this together.” Lexi sincerely begged for Kate to return to the group and renew their plans for a nighttime visit to Gobekli Tepe.
“Ryan, I want to apologize to you. I really didn’t mean what I said earlier. Really.”
“Hey it’s okay. I understand, if anyone deserves to-”
“Have a meltdown?” Kate replied.
“Ha! Let’s just say that it’s understandable. You have had one hell of a day, or week, or months.”
Kate went up to Ryan, wrapping her arms around him and in a quiet voice gave him a warning meant for his ears only, “Just be good to her Ryan. She is all that I have left.”
“I intend to, Kate.” Ryan then directed his voice to the others. “Abraham and I have thought about this and we’d like to hear what you ladies think. We propose that we take a tour of the site. After all, we have some pretty esteemed archaeologists that can claim to be visiting the site. Lexi and I will be the assistants or interns. We should all keep our eyes open, but I think Abraham and Kate can look over the place for any sort of structural evidence that may let us know something more about this whole spiritual portal. Lexi and I will be looking at the security measures and-”
“Reconnoiter!” Lexi shouted and the others laughed.
Chapter Eighteen
Lexi pointed out that their vehicle still had four flat tires, and they were now on the Syrian border far from anyone. Everyone checked their phones, but found they had no service at all.
Ryan stepped closer to Kate.
“Kate, how did that cult get you here? Do you know if they have any vehicles nearby?”
“They came in trucks, but the trucks left after they set up the camps. It was in the middle of the night, so I don’t even know which direction the trucks went when they left.” She answered.
“Okay then we have no choice but to stay here with our vehicle tonight. Kemil said that his team was going to be making a sweep along the border tomorrow. We’ll flag him down, that’s how we will get out of here. We can have them take us up to Urfa. It’s a pretty good sized city, only six miles or so from Gobekli Tepe.”
The sun set as the group gathered at the disabled Range Rover which was far from the main highway. “I think our best option is for all of us to stay inside the vehicle tonight. I would rather nobody be outside wandering about or making any noise. We can’t say for certain that someone else involved with that cult won’t come looking for us. We can keep it locked up, and I’ll stay up so the rest of you can get some rest.”
“And we don’t know where Ben went to either.” Lexi added.
Everyone agreed with Ryan’s plan to stay confined to the shelter of the vehicle. Ryan and Lexi took the front seats, while Abraham and Kate settled into the rear seat. Before long the two in the back were sound asleep. Lexi curled up next to Ryan and they talked under the starry sky. It was just past midnight when Lexi finally succumbed to sleep.
Ryan’s training allowed him to maintain an alert state even as the night wore on. Just after three a.m. a wind picked up. A gust blew with the strength to gently rock the vehicle. Ryan was certain he heard the same whispering that blew though the tents earlier in the day. He picked up the night-vision goggles and repeatedly scanned the area, but didn’t see anything.
The wind stopped as suddenly as it started. A voice spoke louder than a whisper. It seemed like a woman’s voice, but the words were not any language he could recognize. Ryan strained to find where it came from and repeated his night-vision scan once more. The voice seemed to dart about as if it were on one side of the vehicle and then suddenly on the other side. He shook Lexi. “Lex, Lex! Wake up. I think we have visitors.” Lexi sat upright and retrieved the gun that she stashed in the center console. Ryan had already readied his pistol. The activity from the front seat woke up Abraham and Kate.
Conjuring Darkness Page 21
