The Sage Stone Prophecy (Arkana Archaeology Adventure Series Book 7)

by N. S. Wikarski

  The more Erik considered his predicament, the more he figured it might offer another opportunity to rescue Hannah. He’d play along and go to the meeting. He could pass himself off as a Nephilim from one of the satellite compounds. If questioned about the bullet holes, he could say he’d been shot while trying to avoid being transported to the lab. Metcalf was just superstitious enough that he’d view Erik as divinely-protected. He might not be inclined to ask any hard questions. If Erik’s story wasn’t examined too closely, he might be allowed to stay at the main compound until his recovery was complete. Then, with Daniel’s help, he and Hannah could slip away while nobody was looking.

  “Get some more rest, my friend.” Aboud helped him lie back down. “In two days’ time we will meet with my benefactor. I want him to see you at your best to prove my vaccine worked.”

  “I’ll be ready,” Erik murmured. A whole new world of possibilities had just opened up.

  Chapter 15—Punch-Drunk And Disorderly

  “Silence!” Abraham Metcalf thundered. He eyed his visitors angrily.

  Daniel and Leroy sat in the bucket chairs facing his desk. They had just finished explaining their theory about Joshua’s complicity in Chopper Bowdeen’s assassination attempt.

  Metcalf seemed unconvinced by their argument.

  The Scion tried again. “Father, you can see the blueprint for yourself. The notes are written in Mr. Bowdeen’s own hand.”

  The Diviner glared at his son and then transferred his attention to the papers spread out before him. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for all of this.”

  Hunt piped up. “Boss, there ain’t no other way that Chopper could have got to your office in the dead of night without nobody knowin’. Somebody tinkered with the cams for him ahead of time.”

  Metcalf sighed. “While I’m perfectly willing to consider the theory that Mr. Bowdeen had an accomplice, there’s no proof that Joshua was the man.”

  Daniel opened his mouth to protest. “But his name is written—”

  The Diviner cut him off. “Enough! I cannot believe you would betray your own brother.”

  “Me!” The Scion was about to launch into a heated defense of his personal motives but Metcalf raised his hand to forestall him.

  “Be still. I will discuss the matter with Joshua and see what he has to say for himself.”

  “Yeah, that ought to do a lotta good,” Hunt mumbled under his breath.

  “This conversation is over,” the Diviner said.

  At that moment a knock was heard on his office door.

  “My next appointment is here,” Metcalf informed them. “You two may show yourselves out and let my visitors in.”

  Leroy jammed his hat back on his head. “Yessir,” he huffed.

  Daniel trailed in his wake.

  Nothing could have prepared either one for the sight that greeted them when Hunt swung the door open.

  Daniel blinked. Standing directly in front of him was a short foreign gentleman and Erik, the artifact thief.

  Daniel, Hunt and Erik all shouted in unison, “You!”

  Then all hell broke loose. Hunt leaped forward and punched Erik in the nose. The thief staggered backward as the foreign man rushed to keep him from toppling over. Daniel tugged at Hunt’s arm before he could land another punch. Hunt shook him off and grabbed Erik by the neck, attempting to throttle him. All four men wedged themselves in the doorframe, flailing for space.

  “What is the meaning of this commotion?” Metcalf demanded. “Mr. Hunt, release that man and get over here at once!”

  Leroy unwillingly relinquished his stranglehold and wheeled back toward his employer’s desk. Erik sagged against the wall, rubbing his neck. Daniel ran to his aid. The foreign man scurried over to rebuke the cowboy for his attack.

  While Metcalf was busy giving Hunt a dressing down and the foreign man was doing the same, Daniel used the distraction to whisper in Erik’s ear. “I’ll try to get you out of this. Follow my lead.”

  The thief nodded briefly as he gasped for air. Daniel guided him to one of the bucket chairs. Erik sank into it heavily, obviously too weak to stand. Hunt and the foreign man continued to yell at one another while Metcalf vainly tried to get their attention.

  Finally, the Diviner stood up and pounded on his desk for emphasis. “Both of you, be quiet this instant!”

  The two men abruptly ceased their dispute and traded chastened looks.

  “That’s better,” the old man muttered. The effort of summoning everyone to order had cost him. Breathless, he collapsed back into his chair. Focusing on the foreign man, he said, “Doctor Aboud, have a seat.”

  Daniel made a mental note of the man’s name.

  Transferring his attention to the cowboy who remained standing, the Diviner said, “Let’s begin with you, Mr. Hunt. Tell me why you attacked my visitor without provocation.”

  “Cause he said the next time he saw me, he’d kill me. I figured I’d jump him before he got the chance.”

  “So you two have a personal history? Where could you possibly have met before?” The Diviner sounded mystified.

  Hunt did a double-take. “Boss, don’t you know him? That’s Blondie!”

  Metcalf regarded him sourly. “Unless you have a general aversion to light-haired men, you’ll have to be more specific.”

  “He’s one of them thieves who been doggin’ us since Day One. There’s Miss Cassie and the limey named Grif and Blondie here.”

  “My name is Erik,” the thief rasped, twisting his head to relieve the tension in his neck.

  The Diviner drew in a sharp breath, clearly shocked at the news. Hunt was on the point of elaborating when Metcalf cut him short. “Wait a moment. This is a confidential matter.” He turned to the foreign man. “Doctor Aboud, is this the man you told me about? The one who... uh... survived?”

  “Yes, Mr. Metcalf. Just as I said. You can ask him yourself.”

  “But how on earth did he come to be in your lab?”

  The doctor shrugged. “He was riddled with bullet holes and dumped on my doorstep in a body bag by your son Joshua.”

  “Joshua!” yelped Daniel and Leroy.

  “You see, Mr. Metcalf, it’s like we told you,” the cowboy insisted. “That boy’s been holdin’ out on you. You best ask him about this business.”

  “I intend to.” The Diviner’s face was grim. “At a later date.” Transferring his attention back to Aboud, he asked, “Bullet holes?”

  The doctor raised his hands helplessly. “I have no idea why he was shot but since he was as good as dead, I thought I might be able to use him in my—”

  Metcalf hurriedly preempted the explanation. “You and I will discuss the specifics of that issue separately. Would you please wait outside until I sort out a few things with these gentlemen?”

  “You said you wouldn’t harm the survivor.” Aboud sounded a trifle suspicious.

  “I have no plans to harm him no matter what Mr. Hunt’s intentions might be. Please do as I ask and wait outside until I call you.”

  “As you wish.” The doctor rose, shot Hunt a dirty look and let himself out of the room.

  Daniel slid into the vacant chair next to Erik.

  Metcalf stared at his three remaining visitors frigidly. “I intend to get to the bottom of this business. Right now!”

  Chapter 16—Good Cop, Bad Cop, Cross Examiner

  “Your name is Erik?” Metcalf began his interrogation.

  The thief nodded. “That’s right.”

  “How did you end up getting shot?”

  “Your son Joshua’s thugs caught me on your property after hours. They decided to shoot first and ask questions later.”

  “So you were an intruder,” Metcalf pounced. “What were you doing on our grounds?”

  Erik hesitated, sliding a glance toward Daniel.

  The Scion piped up. “It’s obvious, father. He was trying to rescue Hannah.”

  Leroy backed him up. “Just like I told you, boss. Them
thieves wanted to keep your little bride for leverage.”

  Erik cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. We thought she’d come in handy if we got into a tight spot with you.”

  “And you just presumed you could walk into a heavily-guarded compound and lead her out by the hand?” the Diviner asked archly.

  “Of course not. I had the layout of the place and I knew where the cameras were set up.”

  The Diviner’s eyes widened. “How in heaven’s name did you get that information?”

  Hunt piped up. “Dollars to donuts, it was Joshua.”

  “If you mention my son’s name one more time, Mr. Hunt.” Metcalf’s tone was ominous.

  “OK, boss. I’ll zip it.” Leroy wandered to the window ledge and propped himself against it.

  “Who gave you the plans?” Metcalf persisted.

  “Nobody,” Erik hedged, glancing furtively at Daniel. “We’ve been keeping tabs on your people for a long time.”

  “He’s lying,” the Scion challenged.

  The thief peered at him worriedly.

  “His people must have been surveilling Mr. Bowdeen. It would have been quite easy to break into his apartment and copy his blueprints.” Daniel transferred his attention to Erik, willing him to agree. “Tell the truth. That’s how you did it, isn’t that so?”

  Erik blinked. “Uh, yeah. He’s right. That’s what we did.”

  “So you snuck over the fence in the dead of night intending to abduct my wife,” Metcalf surmised. “But my sentries intercepted and shot you.”

  Erik nodded. “I don’t know what happened after that on account of being half-dead and all but the doc said Joshua dropped me at the lab.”

  “I wonder why my brother took it upon himself to decide the best course of action,” Daniel speculated in an innocent tone. “I should think any breach of security would have been reported immediately to the Diviner.”

  Metcalf registered concern at this observation. In a softened tone he said, “You’re quite right. I will question Joshua about his conduct. Perhaps you both were correct to bring the blueprints to my attention.”

  Hunt darted a smug glance toward Daniel but otherwise held his peace.

  The Diviner leaned forward over the desk and fixed Erik with a piercing stare. “I’ve been informed that you’re part of a vast organization. Where are your headquarters?”

  The thief shrugged coolly. “We operate on a need-to-know basis. Me and the rest of my team didn’t need to know.”

  “Then who gave you your orders?” Metcalf persisted.

  Erik hesitated. “An old woman named Faye.”

  Leroy slapped his knee. “I knew it. I just knew it!”

  “Please enlighten us, Mr. Hunt,” the Diviner said dryly.

  “Well, sir, it was like this. When I was spyin’ on little Hannah, I seen her livin’ in a farmhouse with a nice old lady. I figured maybe that granny knew more than she was lettin’ on.”

  “Faye was in contact with the higher-ups. She told my crew what to do and we did it.”

  “Where is this woman now?” Metcalf asked.

  Erik snorted. “In a coma, thanks to you.” The thief glared at Hunt.

  The cowboy raised his eyebrows. “What you talkin’ about, boy? I was over in China gettin’ fleeced by some bandits when that went down. It musta been...” He hesitated, obviously remembering Metcalf’s injunction against mentioning Joshua’s name. “It musta been the boss’s other son.”

  The Diviner knit his brows, clearly troubled. “Joshua made no mention of harming an old woman during the raid.”

  “Yeah, well he did,” Erik insisted. “The night Hannah was carried off, Joshua or one of his goons pushed Faye down a flight of stairs. The powers-that-be whisked her off to a private hospital someplace and now she’s in a coma. That’s all I know.”

  “He would have done far better to bring her along with Hannah so we might have questioned her. It was a valuable opportunity lost.” Metcalf uttered the words more to himself than his audience.

  “Father, it seems you’ll have a number of topics to discuss with my brother next time you see him.” Daniel made the comment as inoffensively as possible but the pointed remark wasn’t lost on Leroy, who chuckled quietly.

  “This Faye might have led us to Mr. Big,” the Diviner murmured, still thinking out loud.

  “Who?” Erik squinted at him.

  The cowboy intercepted the question. “The brains behind your operation, boy. The head honcho. The guy who’s been jerkin’ me around like a puppet on a string for nigh on a year now. I come to call him Mr. Big.”

  “As far as I know, there’s no man in our organization like your Mr. Big,” Erik said.

  “You’re lyin’.” Hunt stalked across the room and leaned over Erik’s chair.

  The thief gave him a relaxed smile. “Look me in the eye and see if I am. I tell you there’s no such man as Mr. Big.”

  The cowboy searched Erik’s face for a long moment. He straightened up. With a sense of wonder, he announced, “I do believe he’s tellin’ the truth.” He swung toward the Diviner. “But that don’t mean he don’t know more than what he’s sayin. C’mon, boss. Let me spend a little time tearin’ up them stitches and I’ll make him sing like a mockin’ bird in springtime.”

  “Mr. Hunt, be quiet and let me think!” Metcalf was rubbing his temples.

  Leroy stomped back to the windowsill, crossed his arms and fumed in silence.

  The Diviner gazed at Erik. “Your presence here is an act of Providence. You survived multiple gunshot wounds in addition to Doctor Aboud’s best efforts to kill you. His viruses—” He caught himself. Apparently, what happened in the doctor’s lab was meant to be a closely-guarded secret, even from Daniel and Hunt. “In any event, it’s clear the Lord has preserved you for a purpose. I just don’t know what that is.”

  “Perhaps I do, father.”

  All eyes turned to Daniel.

  “Think how much more incentive it would be for our new allies to find the Sage Stone if they know we have their associate.”

  “New allies?” Erik asked carefully.

  “Yes,” Daniel informed him. “Several days ago your friends contacted us to strike a bargain. They agreed to give the Nephilim the Sage Stone in exchange for Hannah as a temporary hostage.”

  “I guess I missed a lot during my stint as a drugged lab rat,” Erik admitted ruefully.

  Daniel turned toward the Diviner. “Think about it, father. Even with the promise of Hannah, these people might still be tempted to take the treasure and run. After all, she’s nothing to them but a bargaining chip which might be abandoned at any time. Erik is one of their own. We can be doubly sure of their loyalty by promising to deliver both Hannah and Erik to them once the Sage Stone is found.”

  Metcalf steepled his hands, considering the plan. “That’s a very good idea.”

  “Of course, we’ll need to produce him intact at the end of the quest.” Daniel focused on the cowboy. “I don’t believe it would be wise to allow Mr. Hunt to pummel him in the interim.”

  “I agree,” Metcalf nodded. “Do you hear that, Mr. Hunt? Hands off our hostage.”

  “Yessir,” the cowboy muttered resentfully.

  “It might also be a good idea if you allowed me to oversee arrangements for our captive,” Daniel added as an afterthought. “This Erik has a history with Joshua. I would hate to think my brother might want to take matters into his own hands and finish what he started a few weeks ago.”

  “You think Joshua might try to kill him?” The Diviner sounded appalled.

  “Honestly, father, I don’t know what to think. Joshua has certainly failed to bring other significant facts to your attention.” He trailed off with a helpless shrug.

  Metcalf frowned and tapped his index finger on his desk. “Very well. You will be solely responsible for the prisoner. Joshua will not be informed of this man’s presence among us.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Daniel replied humbly. He cast a glance at Er
ik who seemed to be studying him with newfound respect.

  “I think the visitors’ wing would be the best place to keep him,” the Scion suggested. “I’ll put him in the room next to Hannah where he’ll be away from prying eyes.”

  “Whoa, hold on a minute there, Brother Dan’l,” Hunt objected. “You ain’t thinkin’ things through. This is the same feller who tried to carry off Miss Hannah and now you want to give him the room next door. Son, that’s like buildin’ a lean-to on a hen house and rentin’ it to a fox.”

  “Mr. Hunt, really.” The Scion eyed the cowboy dismissively. “Look at this man. In his current condition, he can barely walk much less stage an abduction. It will take him months to recover from his injuries. By the time he’s fit again, we’ll have retrieved the Sage Stone and the point of escaping will be moot. He knows as well as we do that his best option is to remain with us until the hostage transfer is complete.”

  Erik nodded solemnly. “Scout’s honor, I won’t give you any trouble.”

  “There, you see,” Daniel said flatly.

  “I believe that concludes our business,” Metcalf announced. “Mr. Hunt, you will escort Daniel and our guest to his new quarters.”

  The thief did his best to stifle a grin as the Scion helped him rise unsteadily from his chair. The cowboy grumbled under his breath but moved forward to assist Daniel with the prisoner.

  “You may now send in Doctor Aboud,” the Diviner called after them. “We still have a matter to discuss.”

  ***

  Aboud had apparently been hovering right outside because no sooner had the other three departed than he bustled into the office and took a seat.