Vanished

by S. L. Menear

  “The EME is increasing as we get closer to the temple entrance.” My head tingled as I scanned the temple’s front walls, statues, and the obelisk to the left of the entrance. Too bad the obelisk that had been on the right side was now in Paris. “We might not need to go very far inside. Stay close.”

  Banger eased up to me and leaned in. “I spotted some men in the crowd who look out of place—hard cases.”

  “Maybe they’re waiting to see if we find anything.” Lance stood close to me and searched the crowd.

  A German tour group exited a huge bus and jockeyed with an equal number of Asian tourists from another bus, all rushing toward us and the temple entrance.

  Mike frowned. “Maintain a tight perimeter around Sam when we enter the temple.”

  Too late.

  The crowd swept us inside, pushing and shoving like they thought entering the temple was a competition. The Germans seemed determined to beat the Asians to the front of the line, and they had the size advantage. My blond hair must’ve fooled the Germans into thinking I was with them. They grabbed my arms, separating me from my team, and pulled me down a main walkway lined with giant columns.

  The strength of the electromagnetic energy field decreased the farther I moved from the entrance. I tried to break free and turn around, but the crowd hemmed me in and swept me forward. I’d have to wait until they stopped to look at something. In the meantime, I caught glimpses of men with hard eyes and crew cuts on the crowd’s perimeter.

  Someone behind me grabbed my waist and lifted me up. Banger’s deep voice said, “Relax, I’ll get you away from this Nordic mob.”

  He forced his way out the left side of the tour group and set me down in a stone alcove.

  “Thanks for the save,” I said with a grin. At five-nine, I still had to stand on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

  He studied the people around us. “Mercenaries are lurking nearby.”

  “Any idea how we can lose them and get back to the entrance?” I tugged my shirt down over my hips, readjusting it after my jostling.

  Banger raised a brow. “Having doubts about finding the artifact?”

  I glanced around and lowered my voice. “We already passed it. What we want is near the entrance.”

  His eyes widened. “You saw it?”

  “No, but the dragon current is strongest back where we entered. The crowd swept me away so fast I didn’t get a chance to look for it.”

  “Call Mike on your SAT phone and tell him to gather the team and run interference for us.” He positioned himself so that he blocked me from being seen by Sweetwater’s goons.

  Mike answered on the first ring. “Where are you?”

  “With Banger, about a hundred yards from the entrance in a stone alcove to the left of the main walkway. Mercs are circling like sharks.”

  “Hang tight. The rest of the team is with me. We’ll be right there.”

  I nudged Banger. “Expect the team any minute.”

  It wasn’t long before he waved, and our friends crowded in around us.

  Lance hugged me, relief in his eyes.

  “According to Sam, the item is close to the entrance.” Banger thumbed in that direction. “We need you to keep the mercs away while we retrieve it.”

  Mike glanced around. “All right, Banger will stick with Sam while we fan out and block the enemy soldiers.” He checked his watch. “Meet at the van in fifteen.”

  “Wait.” Lisa grabbed Mike’s arm. “They’re watching us, so let’s pretend to search the temple. Then we’ll act frustrated, argue, and behave like we’re angry that we didn’t find anything.”

  Bryce nodded. “Good idea. We can end by yelling that we should’ve gone to Giza first.”

  “Right.” I looked at Mike. “They’ll think we haven’t found it, and they won’t attack us.”

  Mike paused. “It’s a solid plan. Meet at the refreshment stand near the parking lot, order drinks, and act like we’re arguing about where to go next.”

  Our team fanned out and began their ruse, while Banger and I strolled down a side corridor and pretended to study the stones. As we backtracked, we passed more guys who looked like mercenaries—buff, tattooed, buzz cuts, hard eyes.

  “Keep moving, nice and easy.” Banger placed his hand on the small of my back.

  A steady stream of people poured in as we neared the entrance. The exit was in a different part of the temple along the side. We had to go against the flow to leave through the entry.

  Banger eased me in front of him as he planted himself in one side of the entrance, forcing the crowd to go around him. In seconds, we were outside the temple.

  We glanced back. The crowd had closed our exit hole, and no one had followed us.

  I felt tingling and a pull to my right.

  The obelisk hummed with energy.

  I examined the back side. Approximately six feet above the ground, faint carvings of tridents, partially eroded by time, surrounded a large eye carved into the surface.

  I elbowed the big guy. “Cover me so no one will see what I’m doing.”

  He turned around and backed against me, watching for anyone sneaking toward us.

  I reached up and placed my right palm over the eye, my fingertips tingling as they touched several of the tridents.

  A small block of stone slid outward, and I reached inside it.

  The block was hollow and open at the top, like a tiny stone box. A leather pouch lay inside. I grabbed it, and the stone box slid back flush with the obelisk.

  Gold writing in Atlantean adorned the leather. Thanks to the triplets, I knew what it said and slipped the pouch down the front of my pants. The item in the sack felt solid and about four inches long, three inches wide, and two inches deep. I tied the ends of the drawstring to a belt loop and pulled my shirt down so it would cover the slight bulge.

  “Mission accomplished.” I gave Banger a nudge. “Time to go.”

  Sweetwater’s Hideout

  After Ross and Derek had finished their meager meal of stale sandwiches, guards tossed them into a tall, eight-foot-square cage surrounded by penned-in lions. They reclined on the dirt floor. A high metal fence topped by barbed wire confined the beasts, and a narrow fenced-in pathway with electronic gates connected the men’s enclosure to the area outside the pen.

  Sweetwater’s voice blared over a speaker blasting from a high corner in their tiny prison. “I’d hate for you to get lonely here, gentlemen. Enjoy the view. As you can see, your neighbors are rather thin and eager for fresh meat.” His cruel laugh filtered through the open air.

  Weak from dehydration and brutal beatings, Ross and Derek were left with their hands and feet free.

  A large male lion rubbed against the cage and sniffed at them.

  “Nice kitty.” Derek lifted his head from a prone position.

  Ross groaned and sat up. “I hope Sweetwater isn’t using us as bait to lure Sam here.”

  Derek struggled into a sitting position. “Maybe she’ll sneak in with an SAS regiment—teach that slimy bastard a thing or two.”

  Ross watched the pride of lions circling their cage. They growled and pawed at the bars. “He wants that power diamond, and he might need Sam to find it.”

  “Those big cats are looking for a way in.” Derek tugged on a vertical bar. “I hope this cage is sturdier than it looks.”

  The speaker blasted Sweetwater’s voice again. “Some entertainment for you. Watch what happens to those who fail me.”

  One end of a double gate in the lion enclosure opened, and two guards dragged a terrified white man with shackled feet through the outer gate. The prisoner jerked back and forth against his captors, struggling to break free. Naked, so the lions wouldn’t choke on his clothes, tattoos covered his arms and torso, and his biceps bulged against the strain of having his wrists bound behind him. Red rivulets ran down his chest and abdomen where shallow wounds had been carved into his flesh. In his mid-thirties with a buzz cut, he had the hard look of a mercenary. The guard
s shoved him inside and exited.

  The first gate closed, and the second gate opened automatically. The prisoner backed against the outer gate and struggled to open it with his fingers, but it was locked.

  The rattling metal attracted the lions’ attention. Growling and baring their teeth as they eased closer, the hungry pride crept up to the open inner gate. The male shook his shaggy mane and roared, waiting for the alpha lioness to bring him the prize. She leaped at the trapped man. His screams ended when she closed her jaws over his head and dragged him to her mate.

  Ross and Derek stood, backed up a few feet, and gasped, their eyes wide and their skin prickled with goosebumps.

  The huge male sank his teeth into the helpless man, shook him like a rag doll, ripped a large chunk out of his torso, and left the rest for the four females. Snarling, the lionesses tore into the body, tugging in opposite directions, each retreating with a shredded portion of flesh. Blood from the grisly attack splattered onto the nearby Scotsmen.

  Nothing remained of the man but a mess of blood, bones, and guts. Birds dived in to snatch bits of flesh while the lions gnawed on pieces of his skeleton. In minutes, most of him was gone.

  Ross wiped blood off his arms and looked at Derek. “Sweetwater is one sick sonofabitch.”

  Four

  Luxor

  We strolled to the refreshment stand and bought cold bottles of water for the team. Banger and I sat at a table for six, and our comrades trickled in one at a time. We sipped water and gazed around at the grounds.

  “The mercs are circling,” I whispered. “Now would be a good time to have a loud argument about where to search next.”

  Mike jumped right in. “What the hell, Sam? You said we’d find it here.”

  Lance pounded the table. “What are we supposed to do now?”

  Lisa glared at me. “I told you we should’ve gone to Giza first!”

  “I’m sorry, okay? I really thought it was here.” I hung my head like I was sulking.

  Bryce glanced at his watch. “It’s only nine in the morning. We have plenty of time to fly to Cairo and keep searching.”

  Banger stood. “Let’s go.”

  We followed him to the parking lot, all of us grumbling as we walked.

  The van driver seemed surprised to see us back so soon. He dropped the paper he’d been reading, jumped out, and opened the doors for us.

  I didn’t see any suspicious-looking guys nearby when Lance slid in beside me in the back seat, and Lisa followed him. Mike and Banger settled in the middle seat, and Bryce sat in the front.

  Bryce turned to the driver. “Take us back to the airport.”

  Mike pulled out his satellite phone and called our pilots. “We’re coming. Wheels up in fifteen.”

  The driver pulled into the morning traffic where cars and trucks jostled for position on the busy road.

  I looked out a left side window, searching for the men we’d seen earlier as horns honked, noisy engines rumbled, and loads rattled and clanked on nearby trucks.

  Banger scanned the area ahead and on the right. “If they attack, it’ll be soon.”

  “They won’t wait until we’re at the airport.” Lisa looked out the back window. “Too risky.”

  The driver braked. “Traffic jam ahead. Probably an accident.”

  “Take a different route,” Bryce instructed, looking around for possible attackers.

  The driver checked traffic. “No opening to turn off.”

  Bryce pulled out his pistol and racked the slide. “Make one.”

  Too late.

  The windshield cracked into a spider-web pattern on the driver’s side a nanosecond before the cabbie slumped onto the steering wheel, a bullet in his head.

  Everyone ducked.

  Bryce reached over the dead man, opened the door, and shoved him out. He slid into the driver’s seat and threw the van into reverse. Stomping on the accelerator, he rammed into the car behind us, forcing it back.

  Bullets shattered windows on the left side, covering Mike and me with broken glass. Bryce shifted gears and turned onto the sidewalk, scattering pedestrians. He zoomed down the block and turned right on a side street.

  We sped off and turned left, trying to get back on course for the airport. An SUV screeched around a corner and accelerated toward us. Seconds later, our back window shattered, showering Lisa, Lance, and me with tiny shards.

  We racked our Sigs and blasted the approaching vehicle with a barrage of bullets while ducking return fire. When Bryce zigzagged through traffic, we stopped firing. Too many pedestrians nearby. I expected local police to show up any minute, but so far, we were on our own.

  A flatbed truck entered the road from a side street and pulled between us and the shooters. Someone in the SUV shot the truck driver.

  Big mistake.

  In seconds, the long vehicle swerved and flipped onto its side, blocking their path.

  Bryce took advantage of their delay, made the first turn back onto the road to the airport, and sped away.

  In minutes, our van slid to a stop in the parking lot, and we rushed into the terminal to clear security and get to our airplane.

  Banger stopped us. “Take a few seconds and brush off the broken glass.”

  We helped each other tidy up and then strolled through the checkpoint. I didn’t breathe easy until we were airborne.

  “I feel terrible about our driver getting killed.” I looked down at the receding city on the Nile. “And I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to come back to Egypt.”

  “Our diplomatic passports had fake names, which we’ll never use here again, and MI6 will compensate the driver’s family.” Lisa shook her head. “I know money is no substitute for losing a family member, but it’s better than nothing.”

  As soon as we leveled off, the team gathered around me.

  Mike arched his brows. “Well? Show us what you found.”

  I reached under my shirt and pulled out the leather pouch. After untying the drawstrings from my belt loop, I loosened them and peeked inside.

  “Uh oh, I’m not touching this while we’re in the air.”

  “Why not?” Lisa stared at the pouch. “What is it?”

  “It might be a weapon, and my touch could activate it.” I pulled the drawstring tight.

  “Seems kind of small to be a weapon.” Bryce peered over the seat back.

  Banger tilted his head, looking at the gold lettering. “Can you translate that for us, Sam?”

  I nodded. “It means Eye of Atlantis.”

  Banger’s eyes widened. “If that’s anything like the eye I found in the upper chamber of the obsidian pyramid, don’t mess with it here. Wait until we’re on the ground back at the base. We’ll put you in a windowless room and evacuate the building while you figure out what it does.”

  “Lucky me.” I bit my lip.

  Lance squeezed my shoulder. “Babe, trust your instincts. Remember, you’re the one who insisted we go to Luxor and find that thing.”

  “Yes, I did, and now I’m reminded of that old saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’”

  Camp Baledogle

  Mike led me into a windowless room. “Be careful, sis. We’ll wait for you in the conference room.”

  When the door closed behind him, I loosened the pull-tie on the pouch and let the Eye of Atlantis slip out onto the metal table without touching it. Finding it had been the first test. It was beautiful, sparkling under the fluorescent lights. The clear crystal eye had an aquamarine iris flecked with deep blue and emerald green, like my eyes, and the pupil looked like a black diamond.

  I took a deep breath and exhaled, steeling myself for what might happen when I touched it. The instant I held the Eye in my hand, it filled with bright light and beamed a hologram into the room. The image spanned several rock-hewn buildings whose roofs were even with ground level. Each of the spacious structures had been carved downward into solid bedrock. The symbols chiseled into the roofs looked medieval, and I had a vague memory o
f reading about a place like that in Ethiopia.

  Using my other hand on my cell phone, I described the place in a Google search. An image of Lalibela, a village in the mountainous Amhara Region of Ethiopia, filled the screen. It matched the hologram. The rock-hewn buildings were monolithic Christian churches, and their multistory subterranean construction was described by experts as scientifically inexplicable. Legends claimed that in approximately AD 1200, angels carved the structures at night while the villagers slept.

  A strange voice whispered in my head, “Pass tests in Lalibela.”

  As I stood in silence, the hologram vanished, and I wondered what the tests would entail.

  I dropped the Eye into the leather pouch, and its inner light extinguished.

  Time to meet with the team and decide our next move.

  Lisa spoke the moment I closed the door. “What happened with the Eye?”

  “When I held it, it projected a hologram of the rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia.”

  “How many are there?” Lance picked up an atlas of Africa that was on the table.

  I pulled out my cell and Googled Lalibela. “Eleven churches carved downward into solid rock. Their roofs are at ground level, and tunnels or trenches connect most of them.”

  Lance grinned. “Sounds promising. Sam’s good at opening doors hidden in rock walls.”

  “So, we search the churches, find the Blue Dragon, and then it will somehow show us Ross and Derek’s location.” Banger spread his hands. “Easy peasy.”

  “Maybe not.” Lisa looked at her cell. “Lalibela is a protected UNESCO World Heritage holy site with lots of rules and regulations. Many areas prohibit women.”

  Everyone turned to me.

  “Lisa and I will disguise ourselves as men.” I shrugged and glanced at the team. “Google says the majority of visitors are Christian pilgrims. We’ll pose as a religious contingent from America.”