by Alex Lukeman
"Good morning, Mister President."
"I just finished a meeting with the Israeli ambassador," Rice said. "He wants to know what we're playing at in Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia. He demanded an explanation."
"Demanded, sir?"
"The Israelis know we're following up on that scroll. The ambassador reminded me that the scroll could lead to the discovery of, as he put it, 'cultural artifacts of the greatest religious significance to the Nation of Israel.' He wanted to know why we're not keeping them in the loop. He all but accused me of having found relics from the Temple and concealing them."
"What did you say to him, sir?"
"I wanted to tell him where he could put his demands and throw him out of the Oval Office. One of the frustrations of this job is that I can't do things like that without creating an international incident."
It didn't seem to require a comment. Elizabeth waited.
"Instead I told him I understood his concerns and reassured him that although we were indeed following up, nothing had yet been discovered. I also told him he would be the first to know if we found anything in Ethiopia or anywhere else."
"Did he happen to mention how he knew we were looking in Ethiopia?" Elizabeth asked.
"He did not," Rice said. "By the way, what are we doing there?"
"Based on a map we found in Saudi Arabia, I used the Onyx GPR satellite system to search for the tomb of Solomon in Ethiopia. As you know, sir, that system is highly classified. The only people who are supposed to know about Ethiopia are myself and my team. If the Israeli ambassador knew we were there, security for Onyx has been compromised."
"Wonderful. I'm sure the Pentagon will be happy to hear it."
"Yes, sir."
"What is the status of your operation, Director?"
"My team is currently on the ground in Ethiopia. They've found a location that may be the tomb. If the body of Solomon or anything from the Temple is there, they'll find it."
"When will you know?"
"They are underground and out of contact. They should be checking in soon."
"Very well. I want to know immediately if they find anything. Or if they don't."
"Yes, sir."
"Elizabeth, this is a delicate situation, as I'm sure you understand. It's imperative that anything found is kept safe. Your team has a habit of blowing things up. I don't want that to happen here."
"Yes, sir, I understand."
Rice changed the subject. "I was sorry to hear about Ms. Willits and her loss. Please convey my wishes for her quick recovery."
"I'll do that, sir."
"Keep me informed, Director."
"Yes, Mister President."
Rice ended the call.
Elizabeth considered what Rice had said. How had the Israelis discovered the team was in Ethiopia? At least this time it wasn't her responsibility. It was an issue for the Pentagon's DIA security watchdogs.
Israeli involvement complicated things. She wouldn't put it past them to send a team of their own to Ethiopia. She'd give Nick a heads up when he was back on the surface.
Elizabeth got up and went over to the coffee set up. The pot was empty. Usually Stephanie made sure there was some on hand, ready to fuel the next hour of insanity. She was as addicted to coffee as Elizabeth, but Joe Eggleston seemed to exist on energy drinks from cans with bright colored graphics on them.
Elizabeth changed the filter, refilled it, replenished the water and turned the machine on. She waited for the coffee to brew and thought about the team. She missed Stephanie. Steph was much more than a deputy, she was a close friend. Really, the only friend Elizabeth had. Losing the baby was a terrible thing to have happen. The doctors had told her she could have another. It was poor consolation. At least she had Lucas to help her through it.
Having Lamont back was a relief, even if it turned out to be temporary. She was feeling optimistic about Sergeant Ramirez. So far he was working out just fine. It was strange to have a new face in the family, for that's what it was.
Her family.
CHAPTER 47
They walked through the doorway of the hidden room and into the past. The beams from their lights danced over a row of wooden chests piled along one wall. At the back of the room stood an altar with an elaborate Coptic cross of gold and precious stones, flanked by tall candlesticks of gold. In front of the altar were two white marble boxes, each about three feet long by two high. The walls were painted with scenes from the Old Testament. The yellow gold and jewels of the cross gleamed in their lights.
"Wow," Diego said.
"It's a shrine. Those marble chests are ossuaries." Selena shone her light across them. "There's writing on them. It should tell us who's inside."
"What are they for?" Diego asked.
"Bones."
"Like a coffin?"
"Sort of. Back then they buried the body in a temporary grave until it decomposed. Then they put the bones in chests like these. You can fit several people into one of these. It took up less space that way. No need for a sprawling cemetery using up good farmland."
"Not the kind of job I'd like. Collecting bones."
Selena knelt down by one of the chests. She traced her fingers along the writing.
Nick squatted down next to her. "What does it say?"
"This is Biblical Aramaic, an old form. It's a quotation from the Old Testament, from the Song of Solomon."
I am black but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
She looked at him, eyes wide. "I think the Queen of Sheba is in here."
"How do you know where the quotation is from?"
"My uncle made sure I was familiar with the Bible. It wasn't hard, I loved the stories. It's got everything. Romance, adventure, war, sex, betrayal, you name it. Not to mention plenty of food for thought."
She turned to the other chest. Nick waited as she worked through the Aramaic in her mind.
"It's another quotation, although it's a little different from what I remember. It's from Kings."
As the Lord spoke unto David, my father, did I build a house unto his name.
"David is supposed to have been Solomon's father," she said. "This inscription is as much proof as anyone is ever likely to find that he was. That's enough to get everybody excited. According to the Old Testament, God told David that his son would build a house for Him. That would be the First Temple, the one destroyed by the Babylonians."
"Then Solomon is in there?"
"It would seem so. What's left of him, anyway."
While they were looking at the ossuaries, Diego went to one of the wooden trunks and pried loose the primitive lock holding it closed. He lifted the lid.
"Whoa," he said. "Wait till you see this."
They gathered around him. The chest was full of gold coins. Selena picked one up. She studied the face and writing stamped upon it.
"That's Herod Antipas. He ordered the death of John the Baptist and was king when Christ was crucified."
"Different from the other guy?" Diego asked.
"Yes. There were several kings named Herod back then."
"What's this?"
Ronnie had pried open another, larger trunk. It contained a structure of gold that looked like a small house with two doors. The doors were closed.
"I think that's a Torah Ark," Selena said. "There's probably a Torah scroll inside. Don't open it."
"Why not?"
"Well, because. This comes out of Judaism's holiest site. Only a Rabbi is supposed to open it and we should honor that. If that holds the Torah scroll from the Temple, the Israelis are going to be ecstatic when they get this back."
"If they get it back," Nick said.
"Why wouldn't they?"
"It's as much political as it is religious. Rice might decide to use it in the big game. It's a powerful bargaining chip."
"You think he'd keep it from the Israelis?"
"I don't know. That's not my call. When politics gets involved what'
s right tends to go out the window. Even Rice has to answer to people who don't always make good decisions."
"Are we going to take any of this with us?" Lamont asked.
"I don't think so. That ark is made of solid gold and heavy. I don't see us carrying it or any of these chests down those steps even if we wanted to. It's amazing someone managed to get all this gold up here."
"What do you want to do with it?"
"Leave it right where it is, along with everything else. We found what we were looking for. Now we go home and let somebody else worry about it."
"I know you're right but I don't like it," Selena said. She gestured at the ossuaries. "We should make sure there are actually bones inside before we go."
"Good idea. Give me a hand, guys."
They lifted the heavy lid covering Solomon's ossuary and rested it against the wall. Inside were the bones of a single skeleton. The empty eye sockets of the skull seemed to look at them. A small, wooden box made of cedar lay next to the bones. Nick reached down and lifted it out. He opened the box. Inside was a large gold ring with a raised design of the six pointed star with writing around it. He took it out and shone his light on it.
Selena drew in a breath. "My God. I think you just found the seal of Solomon. I always thought it was a myth."
"What does the writing say?" Nick held his light on the ring. "Weird. It feels warm to the touch."
"I don't know what it says. It's in a language I've never seen before."
"I don't think I've ever heard you say that. What's the big deal about this anyway? Every king has lots of jewelry."
"Not like this," she said. "This ring is supposed to have magical powers, given to Solomon by God."
"What kind of powers?"
"The power to control the wind was one of them. He's supposed to have been able to call upon the wind if he needed to defeat his enemies. It would be a handy thing in the desert against an invading army. You could bury them in a sandstorm. He could talk with animals. The ring also gave him the power to control the jinn."
"Okay," Diego said. "Who are the jinn?"
"Not who, what. They're beings who live in a different dimension and interact with humans."
"Like angels?"
"No, the jinn are different. In Islam there are a lot of stories about them. Remember Aladdin and his magical lamp?"
"With the genie?" Ronnie said.
"Genie and jinn are the same thing. Solomon was supposed to have enslaved them with the ring. There's a story in Islam about Solomon's death. He dies leaning against his staff, which keeps him propped up. All the jinn think he's still alive so they keep doing the things he told them to do. Then God sends a worm to gnaw through the staff until Solomon falls down. That's when the jinn realize they're free. As I recall, they were a little pissed off about it."
"I guess they weren't very smart," Lamont said.
"I suppose not," Selena said. "Can I see that?"
She took the ring from Nick. "This is like finding King Arthur's sword, except it's real and not just a story."
"Maybe it's not the seal," Nick said.
"What else could it be? There's no reason to put it with Solomon's bones if it isn't."
"Maybe we should try calling up a genie," Lamont said. "One who's good-looking, like in that old TV show."
"It's not something to joke about," Selena said. "A lot of times there's something real behind a legend."
"Come on," Diego said. "You don't believe in genies, do you?"
"Maybe not in genies," Selena said. "There are physicists who will tell you there are other dimensions existing right along with ours. There might be beings who live in them. There could be some part of the legend with a basis in reality."
"You been smoking something, Selena?" Lamont asked.
Selena ignored him and handed the ring to Nick. She took out her phone and began taking pictures of the writing on the ossuaries.
"I'm going to keep the ring as physical proof, Nick said. "We've seen enough. Time to let Harker know what we've found."
He climbed back up to the top level and into the front room. After the darkness of the tomb, the light outside was blinding.
Nick stepped into the bright sun. He squinted and held the ring up to look at it.
"I'll take that," a voice said.
CHAPTER 48
Al-Bayati and a half dozen men carrying AK-47s were positioned on either side of the entrance. A seventh man held a grenade. He looked as though he should be playing in the ugly man basketball league. He was almost seven feet tall, with a jaw like a crocodile and crooked eyes. Standing next to him was a man Nick recognized as the former MI6 agent, Addison Rhoades. Rhoades smiled.
Al-Bayati reached out and took the ring from Nick's hand. Rhoades took his pistol.
"Raise your hands. Call the others out."
"Al-Bayati," Nick said in a loud voice. He raised his hands. "You're a surprise. What others?"
"Please, show some respect. I know who you are and I know the rest of your team is with you. Tell them to come out with their hands up," Al-Bayati said, "or Badr will toss that grenade into the cave. Your friends wouldn't like that."
He gestured at the ugly man. Badr grinned at Nick, showing a mouthful of rotten teeth. The others heard Nick say Al-Bayati's name and the threat as they entered the front room.
"There's a room farther in, down a flight of steps on a lower level," Nick said, keeping his voice loud. "That's where I got the ring. The others are down there, looking through the rest of what we found."
"What did you find? Solomon? Gold?"
"Well," Nick began," yes, Solomon's down there. So is Sheba. There are wooden trunks. Lots of gold coins..."
Nick kept talking, stalling for time. Inside the tomb, the others huddled where they couldn't be seen from the entrance.
"We've only got one shot," Ronnie said. His voice was barely a whisper. "They can't see us back here in the dark. We stick to the walls until we get to the sides of the doorway. Then we come out shooting."
"What about Nick?" Selena asked.
"It's what he'd do," Lamont said. "Al-Bayati can't let us go. We give ourselves up, we're dead. Nick knows that. He knows we have to try."
"He's right," Diego said.
Selena nodded. They split and moved to the front and took up positions on either side of the door.
"Enough." Al-Bayati cut off Nick's running monologue on the treasure of the Temple. "Call for your friends, or the grenade goes in."
"You do that, you'll bring down the rock and seal it all up."
"It's a chance I'm willing to take," Al-Bayati said. "I have what I came for."
He placed the ring on his finger.
"Tell me something," Nick said. "Are you the one who sent people after us in Virginia?"
"That was my operation," Rhoades said. "Too bad it didn't work out or you wouldn't be in this nasty situation, would you? You should have left it alone, Carter."
Nick's ear began itching and burning.
Showtime, he thought. His heart began pounding as adrenaline rushed through his body.
Al-Bayati's Skorpion pointed at Nick's gut. The muzzle was too close, the kind of mistake an amateur might make, or someone who was overconfident. Nick knocked the gun sideways in a hard, sweeping motion and shouted at the same time. Al-Bayati's finger was on the trigger and the gun fired, sending a three round burst into one of his henchmen. Nick drove his elbow into the side of Al-Bayati's head. Pain exploded in his arm.
Selena, Ronnie, Diego and Lamont burst from the doorway firing their pistols. Al-Bayati's men weren't wearing armor. Three went down with the first shots. Al-Bayati lay where Nick had knocked him to the ground. Selena's gun jammed as she fired at the ugly man. Badr snarled at her, stepped forward and slammed a huge fist into her face. She went down as if she'd been hit with a hammer.
The ledge was chaos. Everyone seemed to be shooting at once. Selena was on the ground, Al-Bayati on his knees. A round seared Nick's leg, hot and b
urning. He saw Rhoades aiming at him.
"Bye," Rhoades said.
There was a shot. Rhoades got an odd expression on his face. He looked down at a red blotch spreading across the front of his shirt. He stumbled backward, trying to raise his rifle. There were two more shots. Rhoades staggered and took another step back.
It was a step too far. He went over the edge and disappeared. His scream lasted for what seemed like a long time before it suddenly cut off.
Nick turned back and froze. Badr held Selena upright. Blood streamed from her nose and down over her shirt. She looked dazed. Al-Bayati hid behind Badr with his gun pressed against her head.
"Stop or I kill her," he shouted.
Ronnie and Lamont stood in the doorway of the tomb with their pistols pointed at Al-Bayati. Diego lay on the ground between them in a widening pool of blood. He wasn't moving.
"Ronnie, hold it," Nick called.
"Put the guns down," Al-Bayati ordered.
"I don't think so," Nick said. "Looks to me like a standoff. You shoot her, you're a dead man and your buddy too."
"I'll do it."
Nick shrugged. "Go ahead. You're not leaving here if you do."
Al-Bayati looked at Lamont and Ronnie, their pistols pointed at him. Their faces were grim. He licked his lips.
"I'll make you a deal," Nick said. "You let her go, we let you go. You've got the ring. It's what you wanted, right? She's hurt and I have a man down. They're my priority, not you."
"You really think I'd trust you?"
"I don't see as you have much of a choice," Nick said. "You kill her, we kill you. Simple. She's in no shape to go down those steps. I can't leave her and Diego here like that and come after you. Take the ring and leave and let me take care of my wounded. You'll be long gone by the time I do that."
"I'll take her with me."
"She'll slow you down," Nick said. "And if she should slip and fall off, I won't rest until you're dead. I promise you that. You know who I am, don't you?"
"Yes." Al-Bayati spat the word out. "I know who you are, Carter."
"Then you know I mean what I say. I promise that if you let her go, I won't follow you down the steps."
