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

by N. S. Wikarski

  “You’ll want us to let you out,” Enoch offered.

  “Yes,” Joshua agreed. “I also want you to alert Lieutenant Matthew that something is amiss.

  “It’s Commander Matthew now,” Shem corrected in a whisper.

  Joshua felt momentarily irritated that Matthew had usurped his place. “No matter. You’ll tell him that you saw Brother Daniel on the security monitors sneaking around after curfew. He went to the guest quarters and then to the Diviner’s room before going back to his own. You believe he should be questioned.”

  “And when somebody checks on him, they’ll find him dead,” Lemuel concluded.

  “Exactly,” the spymaster concurred. “I’ll arrive the following morning escorted by Shem and Paul to say that the Diviner summoned me back. He had a change of heart about my banishment and confided that Daniel had succumbed to the ways of the Fallen. Father Abraham wanted to appoint me Scion in his place.”

  “Between your statement and the suicide note, nobody will question your right to the title,” Paul said.

  They all fell silent as they pondered the grim undertaking ahead of them.

  Sensing their mood, Joshua said, “I know this is a great deal to ask of you, my brothers. But remember, the very salvation of our souls is at stake. If my father and Daniel have their way and violate God’s plan for the Blessed Nephilim, we will all be damned. I can’t stand by and watch that happen. Can you?”

  The four stood up straighter, imbued with a sense of their divine mission.

  Enoch spoke up for the group. “No, sir, you’re right. There is no other way but this.”

  “Though blood must be spilled, it is sacrificial blood that will redeem us all. Remember that,” Joshua exhorted them. “Now, let us bow our heads and pray for God’s blessing as we carry out his will.”

  Chapter 47—Waffles For Lunch

  “So this is it, huh?” Chris sat on the circular bench in the Rare Book Exhibit and regarded his friend quizzically.

  “I guess.” Daniel avoided meeting his eyes.

  “The moment of truth,” the librarian persisted.

  “I wish you wouldn’t put it like that.” The Scion shifted uncomfortably, pretending to inspect the contents of his sandwich.

  “OK, I’ll rephrase: tomorrow you leave for Sweden to collect the Sage Stone.” Chris sipped his soda through a straw, waiting for the Scion to respond.

  The two had bought lunch from a nearby fast food restaurant and carried it up to their favorite hideout on the top floor of the library. Given the sensitive topic they were discussing, the best option for privacy was inside the locked exhibit room.

  Daniel changed the subject. “All this waiting. I hate it. We’ve been back from Scandinavia for two whole weeks now. My father wouldn’t commit to a date for the rendezvous with the Arkana until now.”

  The librarian frowned. “I thought nabbing the Sage Stone was your dad’s be-all and end-all. Why do you think he’s dragged his feet this long?”

  “There’s only one reason I can think of.” Daniel heaved a weary sigh. “He needed more time to get his operatives in place. I’m sure he’ll give them the order to dispense the plague virus the minute he has the Sage Stone in his possession. Erik told me all the details of his horrible scheme.”

  “It sounds unbelievable. And you’re sure Erik got his facts straight?”

  The Scion hung his head. “I wish he didn’t but I’ve heard rumors circulating around the compound that say as much. Some of the chosen men can’t seem to resist bragging to their wives about an important secret mission. Besides, Hannah confirmed it independently. My father still comes to visit her. Sometimes he rambles on about their glorious future together. In the process, he’s let slip a few facts about the destruction of the Fallen.”

  Chris popped a handful of fries into his mouth. “Then it’s all up to you.”

  Daniel rewrapped half an uneaten sandwich. He’d lost his appetite. “This is a terrible, terrible situation!”

  “Agreed.” The librarian watched him closely. “But you haven’t answered my question. What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know!” Daniel cried. He leapt to his feet and began pacing. “I realize my father’s plan to destroy the Fallen is utter madness. Allowing him to take possession of the Sage Stone would be criminal on my part.”

  “I don’t see why you’re having such a hard time with this.” Chris wiped the grease from his fingers with a napkin.

  “Because giving the relic to the Arkana might be even worse!”

  The librarian glanced up from his lunch, puzzled. “How can you possibly think that?’

  “They’re a covert organization too. They’ve never told me the scope of their operation but Leroy Hunt believes they may well be even more powerful than the Nephilim. The only reason they haven’t moved against us so far is because they need us. We hold four of the artifacts necessary to retrieve the Sage Stone. Once that leverage is gone, the Arkana may decide to exact revenge. My father certainly deserves their hatred. On his orders, Cassie, Griffin, and Erik were sealed in a crypt and left to suffocate to death. Cassie’s sister was murdered. Hannah was abducted from the home of an Arkana agent who’s now in a coma. Erik was riddled with bullets and then injected with plague. Any one of those atrocities perpetrated against a Nephilim would have been met with swift retribution by the Brotherhood.”

  “I think you’re shifting blame to ease a guilty conscience,” Chris observed softly. “I have no doubt your father would avenge himself the way you describe but do these Arkana people really remind you of the Diviner?”

  Daniel stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the librarian. “They couldn’t be more different.”

  “Then stop projecting your old man’s barbaric eye-for-an-eye values onto innocent people!” Chris hesitated, pondering a new thought. “There might be another way for you to solve this crisis you’re having. It’s silly for me to tell you to choose the group that you trust most since you don’t trust either one completely.” He rubbed his chin, considering. “Maybe you need to ask yourself which group you distrust the least.”

  The Scion wavered and gave a despairing laugh. “I’m not sure I can even tell that much.”

  The librarian transferred his attention back to shoving empty food wrappers into a paper bag. “I guess you won’t know whose side you’re on until push comes to shove so here’s my last piece of advice on the subject. I’ve told you this before. Pay attention to people’s actions, not their words. That’s how you’ll know who to distrust least.”

  The suggestion calmed Daniel. He felt himself relaxing slightly until a new notion sent him spinning. “It just hit me. This is a very dangerous mission and I may not come back from it alive. Today could be the last time I’ll ever see you.”

  Chris stood up and shook Daniel gently by the shoulders. “Hey, nobody is going to die. You’re letting your imagination run wild. You won’t—”

  Daniel abruptly threw his arms around Chris and kissed him.

  It was a kiss which the librarian seemed more than willing to return.

  When their lips parted half a minute later, Chris gasped. “Gotta say, I did not see that coming. Not that I minded, of course.”

  Daniel hugged his friend more tightly. “No matter what you say, it’s possible I might not return from this trip. Today may be the last chance I’ll ever have to let you know how much you mean to me.”

  They held one another for several moments before Chris drew back and peered into Daniel’s eyes intently. “Listen to me, Danny Boy. You’re going to come back alive.”

  “Maybe,” the Scion agreed diffidently. “If I do—”

  “When you do!” Chris corrected sternly.

  Daniel gave a melancholy smile. “If I do... We should plan on having that talk about the birds and the bees and the fairies.”

  Chapter 48—Simply Revolting

  The black sedan pulled up quietly to the compound’s iron gates. Just as quietly, the gates swun
g apart, allowing the vehicle to proceed unchallenged by the sentries in the guard tower. Joshua glanced at his watch. 2 AM. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

  He drove the rented sedan up to the main steps where Paul and Shem stood waiting to meet him. Both were carrying pistols. Joshua took up a position between the two men as they marched him up the stairs and through the foyer. In the unlikely event someone was moving about, the three needed to look like two guards escorting a prisoner.

  No one spoke. They all knew the plan by heart. They walked quietly down a long corridor to their designated dispersal point. The three paused there a moment before going to their assigned locations.

  Shem reached into the waistband of his pants and produced a pistol. Handing it to Joshua, he whispered, “Here’s yours. It’s been modified just as you ordered.”

  Joshua nodded curtly and accepted the weapon. “Good hunting,” he murmured to his men as they went their separate ways.

  The spymaster took the corridor that led to Father Abraham’s chamber. He crept along cautiously, listening for sounds emanating from the rooms he passed. Apparently, everyone was asleep. His father’s quarters were at the end of the hall. Rank had its privileges. Both the Diviner and the Scion occupied suites set apart from everyone else. Taken together with Hannah’s isolation in the guest wing, this ought to make it possible for the three conspirators to carry out their assignments unheard.

  He stealthily unlocked the door and slipped inside. A single lamp burned on the table next to his father’s easy chair. The Diviner sat fully dressed, his head back and eyes closed.

  Joshua raised his pistol, aiming it at his father’s heart.

  Abraham opened his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  The spymaster hesitated.

  The old man heaved himself to his feet. “I didn’t want to believe it was true—that you would murder your own father in cold blood.”

  “You left me little choice,” Joshua countered. “You’ve exhibited very poor judgment of late. Instead of leading the Blessed Nephilim with a firm hand, you’ve been wasting your time doting on unworthy miscreants like Hannah and Daniel.”

  “And you think I should have doted on you instead?” Abraham asked wearily.

  “You should have made me Scion instead!” Joshua spat back, pulling the trigger. He braced himself for the recoil but nothing happened. He fired again with the same result.

  “Your associates betrayed you,” the Diviner informed him coldly.

  “Enoch and Lemuel? That’s impossible!”

  “No, Commander Matthew has taken those two into custody. It was the other two—Shem and Paul. Apparently, they feared that murdering God’s own prophet might carry a heavy penalty in the afterlife.”

  Joshua stared at his pistol stupidly. “I trusted Shem to load this for me.”

  “Trust,” the Diviner murmured. “You’re a fine one to complain of treachery. Mr. Bowdeen trusted you and you shot him in the back.”

  “I had no desire to betray Mr. Bowdeen. His death was simply a matter of expediency.” Joshua’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. “I learned that lesson from you, father. You taught all your sons the value of expediency. Do you know how many of us there are? Can you even remember our names? We were never family to you—just interchangeable pawns on a chessboard. You only took the trouble to notice us when we proved especially useful. My spineless brother should have remained nameless as well but you needed a bookish soldier in your campaign against the Fallen. I was superior to Daniel in every respect—more clever, more ruthless, willing to execute your orders without hesitation. The perfect weapon. But no matter how perfect I was, Daniel proved to be a better-fitting cog in your war machine.”

  He laughed grimly. “By choosing him, you taught me that expediency trumps all. I didn’t betray you, father. You betrayed me. You’re entirely to blame for what happens next.” He threw his gun to the floor. “Maybe I can’t shoot you, but I can still choke the life out of you!”

  He lunged forward but before he could reach the spot where Abraham stood, the spymaster felt a bullet tear through his chest. Then another. Joshua choked on the blood filling his lungs and fell to the ground.

  ***

  Abraham lowered the pocket pistol in his right hand. Almost immediately, his door flew open and Commander Matthew entered with two other men. “Sir, are you alright?”

  Instead of replying, the Diviner swayed slightly on his feet.

  One of the sentries ran forward and took his gun.

  “You should sit down,” the commander urged, trying to guide him to his chair.

  The Diviner shook him off. “No. I wish to stand.” He gazed down at the body of his dead son and noted the blood pooling around his corpse. “Everything happened just the way you said it would.”

  “Yes, sir,” the commander affirmed uncomfortably.

  “Are Hannah and Daniel safe?” he asked.

  “Yes. Shem and Paul told us what to expect. No harm has come to them.” He paused and cleared his throat. “What do you want to do about the conspirators, Enoch and Lemuel?”

  Abraham sighed heavily. “Let them share the fate of the man who led them astray. Execute them tonight then take their bodies to the lab for disposal.” He glanced down at Joshua. “Along with this one.”

  The commander opened the door and peered outside before ducking back in. “It’s a wonder that all of this didn’t wake the community.”

  “The people are to know nothing of what happened. I’ll tell the families of the condemned men that they have left the compound.”

  “You mean that they were excommunicated?” the commander asked.

  “Yes. That’s all anybody needs to know.” Abraham rubbed his head wearily. “Now leave me and take this mess with you.”

  The two sentries had come prepared for their task. One of them produced a body bag. Joshua’s corpse was zipped inside and carried from the room.

  The commander dropped to the floor and rolled up the blood-stained rug. “I’ll dispose of this too,” he offered.

  “Come to my office for a debriefing at ten in the morning,” Abraham instructed.

  “Yes, sir. Goodnight.”

  The Diviner stood in the doorframe watching the three men recede down the hall with their ghastly cargo.

  While a disaster had been averted, Abraham couldn’t help but think that the devil had won another victory tonight. His own son had betrayed him. Tears streamed down his cheeks unheeded. He dashed them away impatiently and re-entered his quarters, shutting the door behind him.

  As he was walking toward his chair, a dark shape loomed up in his path, stopping him dead in his tracks. He blinked, knowing he was wide awake. He hadn’t taken any medicine tonight in anticipation of Joshua’s visit.

  “Hello, father.” He recognized the familiar mocking tone.

  This wasn’t happening in his head. He had distinctly heard a female voice with his own ears. “Annabeth!”

  “In the flesh,” she replied, reaching out to touch his arm.

  He recoiled and staggered backward.

  She advanced a few paces. Annabeth was attired as she had been in life. The grey dress and white apron of a Consecrated Bride, her hair bound neatly around her head. “I told you we’d chat again soon.”

  “The devil is behind this!” he exclaimed.

  She laughed humorlessly. “It wasn’t the devil who shot your son in the chest.” She put her hands on her hips and wagged her head. “Blame the devil, not yourself. Another son drops from the shelf.”

  He lumbered toward his seat, shoving her aside in passing, but she evaporated so that his hand waved through empty air. Abraham sank heavily into his armchair.

  A split second later, Annabeth rematerialized, as solid as before. She leaned over him, her hands clamped to his forearms. He felt her weight sinking into the armrests.

  “These things come in threes, you know.” She gave a malicious grin. “Two sons fallen, one to go.”

&
nbsp; Abraham turned his head aside and shut his eyes. A second later when he opened them, she was gone.

  Chapter 49—Cabin In The Sky

  In a rural area outside of Tokyo, the first rays of dawn colored the sky. Sunrise signaled the end of a night-long vigil held by two men in a parked car. The driver was using binoculars to scan a paved lane climbing up a wooded hillside. The road terminated in front of a pair of tall iron gates with a familiar Chi-Ro cross insignia. He glanced briefly at his companion who was slumped against the passenger side window, snoring loudly.

  The driver snapped to attention as he saw headlights looming behind the gates.

  “Hey, wake up!” he jostled his companion.

  The passenger coughed and snorted as he sat upright. “What is it?”

  “Somebody’s leaving,” the driver informed him.

  “Huh?” the passenger was fully awake now. He checked his watch in disbelief. “It’s only four-thirty. We’ve been staking them out for two weeks now and the Nephilim never scurry out of their rat hole before morning prayers.”

  “I know,” the driver agreed ominously. “It’s peculiar.”

  The iron gates parted and a dark sedan eased through them.

  The driver raised his night-vision binoculars again to scan the sedan’s interior as it came down the hill. “There’s only one guy inside.”

  His companion sat forward. “They usually travel in packs. I guess this must be it.”

  “But they’re hours ahead of schedule,” the driver pointed out. “Instructions from the Vault said to be on the lookout for activity sometime around noon Central European Time. That’s when Maddie estimated Metcalf might give the kill order if her people couldn’t stop him.”

  “She also warned that we’re dealing with a bunch of fanatics led by a crazy man. Logic might not apply in this situation.”

  The driver shifted the car into gear and pulled onto the road, intending to follow the Nephilim vehicle at a safe distance. “You better alert the security division back at HQ. Tell them they need to get the word out to the rest of our surveillance crews in all the strike zones. The Argus agents are on the move.”