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

by N. S. Wikarski

  “Ain’t this a nice get-together?” Hunt commented. “Everybody who’s anybody all in the same place at the same time.”

  The Diviner swept a withering glance over his adversaries. “So this is what your leader sends to confront me—females and children. If he expects me to negotiate more gently as a result, he is mistaken.” He disdainfully eyed the tall figure standing above him on the slope. “And who might you be, woman?”

  “Your worst nightmare if you don’t dial down the uppity, pops.” She flicked a half-smoked cigarette into the dirt and ground it out beneath the toe of her boot. “My name is Maddie. I’m the Chatelaine of the Arkana. That’s a fancy way of saying I’m in charge.”

  “You’re Mr. Big?” Leroy’s voice registered a mixture of amazement and outrage.

  Daniel stifled a smile at Hunt’s reaction.

  “If you mean am I the person who sent you on a grand tour of America, the answer is yes.”

  “You’re the leader of this organization?” Abraham seemed nonplussed by the concept.

  “Second-in-command,” she demurred. “You put our leader in a coma.”

  “Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!” Hunt exclaimed. “That feeble ole granny who was keepin’ tabs on Sister Hannah?”

  “Word up, cowboy!” Zach stepped forward indignantly. “If that feeble old granny was awake right now, she’d kick your buttered butt with her brains!”

  Hunt screwed up his face, apparently picturing the bizarre image Zach’s words had conjured. “I tell you what, young ‘un.” He chuckled mordantly. “That’s one freak show attraction I’d pay good money to see.”

  The tyro winced. Stepping back, he confided to Cassie, “That sounded way different in my head.”

  “Maybe you should leave the trash-talk to the professionals,” she advised.

  The Diviner chose to ignore the interchange and focused his attention on the Chatelaine instead. “Are you saying that the gang of thieves which has repeatedly meddled in my affairs is run by an old woman?”

  “Surprising what an unshackled pair of X-chromosomes can do, isn’t it?” Maddie rejoined.

  “Chief, are you gonna stand here all day trading insults with these guys or what?” Erik broke in. “I’d like to shake my new BFF. His gun is digging into my back.”

  The Chatelaine smiled warmly at her protégé. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. Did they treat you alright?”

  “Good enough.” The hostage shrugged. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “I gotta agree with Blondie here,” Hunt chimed in. “We’re burnin’ daylight.”

  “Would you stop calling me ‘Blondie’ already?” Erik growled.

  Lars spoke up of the first time. “The relic is inside the cave. We moved stones in front to keep people out. The entrance must be cleared before we can go inside.”

  “You men, help him,” Metcalf ordered.

  His guards moved forward along with the Arkana sentries. Cassie, Griffin, Zach and Daniel pitched in as well.

  It took less than ten minutes to remove the pile of debris.

  “Pulling those rocks down was a lot less work than stacking them up,” Cassie said.

  Lars retrieved his LED lantern. “We will need more than one light,” he suggested.

  “We’ve got some in the chopper,” Zach offered. He turned to give Hannah a hopeful smile before loping off to gather the equipment.

  “I want you men to stay out here,” the Diviner told his guards.

  The Argus agents saluted and took up positions beside the seide stone.

  “Commander Matthew, you will accompany us inside and guard the hostage.”

  “Yes, sir.” Matthew pressed his gun more firmly against Erik’s back.

  Maddie turned to her security detail. “You two, keep an eye on those guys.”

  The Arkana sentries walked over to stand beside the gap in the mountain, their faces impassive.

  Zach returned with two more camping lanterns and several flashlights.

  Once the gear had been distributed, Lars led the expedition inside.

  Daniel assisted his father through the winding passageway which overtaxed the Diviner’s limited strength. The old man leaned heavily on his son’s arm, pausing every twenty paces to catch his breath.

  After they’d all assembled inside the main chamber, Lars set his lantern down beside the tunnel entrance. He placed the other two lanterns at either end of the reliquary. Daniel scanned the cavern with relief. Nothing had been touched since their last visit.

  Matthew maneuvered Erik to one side of the tunnel entrance. Hunt moved to the other side, presumably to block any escape attempt, all the while keeping a grip on Hannah’s shoulder. Zach and Maddie claimed a spot along the side wall about ten feet past Erik. Griffin and Cassie took up positions in front of the reliquary. Lars settled himself next to Hunt, folded his arms, and kept a watchful eye over the two men with drawn guns.

  “It’s all yours.” Maddie invited the Diviner to step forward.

  Aided by Daniel, Abraham hobbled up to study the scale arrangement with an exultant gleam in his eye. “After all this time, my prayers have been answered,” he confided to his son. “This is surely a sign of the Lord’s favor—a promise that He shall raise me up in glory above the very angels themselves.”

  The Scion opened the Gladstone bag. “The Sage Stone is concealed in a secret compartment at the base of this wall, father. In order to release it, these artifacts must be placed on the scales.”

  “I will be the one to do that!” Abraham shoved his son aside. “Hand me the relics.”

  The Diviner dragged himself to the scale on the far left. Daniel offered him the lapis dove. The old man promptly placed it on the scale. He then shuffled a few feet to the right. On the second scale, he placed the golden bee.

  As he moved toward the middle scale, Daniel forestalled him. “Not that one, father. It’s for the key.”

  “Very well.” Metcalf moved farther to the right and deposited the serpent statue on the next scale. On the final scale, he laid the bull’s head. Then he turned to Daniel. “Now what?”

  “Now you need this.” Cassie handed the labrys artifact to the Diviner who inspected it closely.

  “You place the key into the slot in the middle dish,” the Scion prompted.

  Abraham retraced his steps to the center of the reliquary. He threaded the base of the statue into the slot and pushed downward.

  “Now turn it,” Daniel instructed.

  The old man tried, scowling after repeated attempts. “I can’t.”

  Daniel stepped forward to help him. They both struggled with the lock for a few seconds to no avail. The Scion turned to Cassie in panicky appeal. “It won’t move.”

  “Hmmm.” A mysterious smile formed on her lips. “That’s too bad.”

  “Gal, what are you playin’ at?” Hunt challenged.

  “We weren’t sure your artifacts would work to release the lock.” Cassie eyed the Scrivener. “Do you want to do the honors?”

  “Gladly.” Griffin knelt on the ground and removed his backpack. Then he withdrew four items which made the Nephilim gasp.

  “In all likelihood, your artifacts didn’t release the lock because their weight is off by a fraction,” he explained. “The reason their weight is wrong is because you don’t possess the original Bones Of The Mother. We’ve had them all along.”

  Several seconds of shocked silence followed this disturbing announcement. The Diviner peered at the collection in disbelief.

  “But how...” Daniel trailed off.

  “We got to all the sites before you did,” Cassie informed him. “We substituted copies so you’d think you had the real ones. It was supposed to keep you off our trail while we searched for the Sage Stone.” She gave a short bark of a laugh. “So much for that plan.”

  Hunt appeared just as stupefied as the rest. “So you’re sayin’ all the preacher’s fancy doodads ain’t worth spit?”

  “They’re not w
orthless,” the Pythia corrected. “They’re still real gold and real gems—just not real old.”

  A slow grin spread across the cowboy’s face. “Then they gotta fetch as much in cash money as the ones you snagged.”

  “Yup,” the Pythia agreed. “But only one set is the exact weight to trigger the release of the Sage Stone.”

  “You lied to me,” the Scion broke in plaintively. “I worked side by side with you and you lied to me.”

  “Daniel, try to understand.” Cassie’s voice was filled with regret. “We couldn’t risk it.”

  “Your loyalties always seemed open to question,” Griffin hastened to add.

  “His loyalties are right where they belong,” Abraham asserted. “With the father who gave him life and to whom he owes absolute obedience. Me!”

  Daniel stared at the Pythia with reproach. “You said you were my friend.”

  “I am your friend,” Cassie declared fiercely.

  The Scion shrank back into the shadows, refusing to meet her gaze.

  “Get on with it!” the Diviner demanded.

  “Yes, of course,” Griffin agreed. “If you wouldn’t mind stepping back.”

  Abraham grudgingly yielded a few feet.

  The Scrivener stood up and carried the real artifacts to the reliquary. He removed the forgeries and tucked them back inside the Gladstone bag. Once he’d placed the genuine relics on the scales, he signaled Cassie. “Now, if you please.”

  The Pythia returned to the middle scale where the labrys key was still embedded in the lock. She struggled to turn it.

  “Here, let me help,” Griffin offered.

  They both tried but the key refused to budge.

  “That’s not good.” Cassie’s tone was ominous. She stepped back and studied the reliquary. Baffled, she informed the Diviner, “That should have done it. I don’t know what’s wrong.”

  “I do!” Metcalf roared. “It’s a trap! You’ve tricked us!” He hobbled back to a position of safety between his bodyguards. “Commander Matthew, Mr. Hunt, you both know what to do!”

  The Argus agent threw an arm across Erik’s shoulders and pointed the gun at his temple.

  Hunt removed his Glock pistol and encircled Hannah’s throat.

  Maddie, Zach, and Lars all drew their guns.

  “It’s not a trap!” Cassie countered anxiously. “That should have worked!”

  “Lay down your weapons, all of you!” the Diviner ordered. “If you don’t do as I say, both hostages die this instant.”

  “Hannah!” Zach shouted in anguish.

  “Father, you wouldn’t!” the Scion pleaded. “She’s your wife.”

  “Yes, she is my wife and I love her above all womankind. But I would rather see her dead at my feet than in the clutches of these Fallen devils!”

  “Hold on a minute!” Cassie raised her hands in protest. “Everybody just chill! Let me try to read the artifact before you all end up blasting each other to bits!”

  “What is she talking about?” the Diviner demanded of Daniel.

  “Cassie has the ability to read ancient relics, father. They speak to her.”

  “Witchcraft!” the old man hissed. “The work of the devil.”

  “No,” the Scion countered. “Her power does not come from the dark one and it is quite real. I’ve seen the results with my own eyes. Father, please let her discern what she can. I know you don’t want Hannah to die.”

  “I will let this witch try nothing until her people have surrendered their weapons.”

  The five members of the Arkana team traded uncertain glances.

  Cassie sighed in resignation. “Better do what he says. It wouldn’t take a Pythia to predict that nobody gets out of here alive if we don’t.”

  Zach dropped his pistol and then rounded on his leader, looking furious enough to throttle her. “Great plan, Maddie!”

  The Chatelaine ignored his outburst and laid her handgun on the floor of the cave.

  Cassie and Griffin followed suit.

  “Lars, you too,” Maddie prompted.

  The guide half-heartedly complied.

  “Daniel, search them and collect their guns,” Abraham commanded.

  The Scion reluctantly advanced to check the Arkana agents for concealed weapons. Then he deposited their pistols on the ground beside Matthew.

  “What? No bug zapper this time, Miss Cassie?” The cowboy smirked. “Looks like I might stand a fightin’ chance for once.”

  “We’ve done what you want. Now stop threatening the hostages and let Cassie read the artifact,” Maddie insisted.

  The Diviner gave a sign for Matthew and Hunt to lower their guns though both men still kept a grip on the captives.

  Hannah was trembling. She appeared ready to faint.

  Maddie stepped forward to body-block Zach who wanted to run to her aid.

  Cassie retrieved the labrys key from the lock. After scanning the faces around her apprehensively, she closed her eyes and pressed the artifact to her forehead.

  Chapter 52—Parting Shots

  The Pythia stood transfixed, apparently listening to voices none of the rest of them could hear. Daniel offered a silent prayer for assistance from her unseen guides. Everyone else marked the time in edgy silence.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Cassie opened her eyes. “There was one last riddle to solve. We got the order of the artifacts wrong.” She held the labrys key toward Griffin. “It’s in the gems. Can you see it?”

  The Scrivener seemed perplexed but, after studying the relic for a few seconds, he nodded. “Yes, of course. Every other relic we’ve collected used the color of the jewels to help us solve the next puzzle. This one is no different.”

  “In what way?” Metcalf inquired frostily.

  “We forgot to follow the clue on the key itself,” Cassie said.

  “What clue?” Daniel felt lost.

  Griffin transferred his attention from the labrys in Cassie’s hands to the artifacts resting on the reliquary. “It seems that we need to match each relic to its corresponding scale. The top left is topaz—a yellow stone. That must mean the golden bee goes there.”

  The Scrivener hastened back to the reliquary and moved the bee to the leftmost scale.

  “The stone below it is an emerald,” Cassie hinted.

  “So that would mean the next scale holds...” He paused to consider. “The dove with emeralds on its back.” He switched the location of the bird sculpture. Moving to the right, he asked, “Now what?”

  “A sapphire.”

  “That would be the bull with blue stones spangling its neck.” Griffin moved the artifact into its proper place. “By process of elimination, that must mean the ruby-hearted serpent goes on the final scale.” He made the necessary adjustment. “Let’s give the key another try, shall we?”

  Cassie advanced to the middle plate and placed the key in its slot. She easily moved it a quarter turn to the right.

  The Diviner watched in greedy anticipation.

  For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, from behind the cave wall came a groan of protest as metal began to grind against metal. Cracks formed in the clay seal beside Cassie’s feet until it shattered completely from the force of an object being thrust outward. The pointed end of a metal trough appeared first. Resting inside was a covered box emerging from three thousand years of darkness.

  The Pythia knelt down beside it. “I’m sensing something. I might be able to get a message but you all need to stand back!”

  Surprisingly, Abraham didn’t object. The Pythia’s ability to decipher the key had obviously impressed him. “Hold your positions,” he instructed.

  Cassie removed the lid from the box. Her face was immediately bathed in an unearthly glow. She reached inside and lifted out a cone-shaped object, about a foot high and nine inches wide at the base. Rising, she held the relic aloft. Both her hands and the artifact were suffused with a hazy green nimbus which shot off reflective sparks in the lantern light.

 
The Pythia’s eyes took on a dazed quality. In a deep voice that sounded nothing like Cassie’s own, she said, “Behold the Sage Stone.”

  The spectators in the cave seemed mesmerized.

  “What is that thing?” Hunt asked guardedly.

  “A meteorite of molten iron,” Cassie replied in a faraway tone, still under the object’s spell. “It fell from the sky at the beginning of time.” Her eyes glazed over completely. “The voice of one called Jedediah Proctor comes to me through this stone.”

  “What?” Metcalf quavered. “The founder of the Blessed Nephilim?”

  Daniel leaned in to explain. “Cassie can hear the voices of the dead as well as read objects. I’ve seen her do this before.”

  “Out with it, girl,” the old man prompted. “Speak forth the message of our beloved forefather.”

  The Pythia closed her eyes. “There is a prophecy concerning this relic.”

  Metcalf listed to the side. When Daniel caught him, he could feel his father’s arm tremble.

  Cassie continued. “‘And in the end times shall arise a mighty leader. He shall rule the Blessed Nephilim and set their feet upon the path of righteousness. His name shall be called Abraham for he shall be the father of his people as it was in the beginning. And he shall cleanse the world with pestilence and plague. He shall grind the Fallen to dust beneath his feet. But let him be mindful of the Bones Of The Mother. For whosoever shall lay hands on them will claim the Sage Stone and receive the power to change the world forever.’”

  Daniel stared at the Diviner. “Father, is this true?”

  “Every word,” the old man gasped, obviously astonished by the revelation.

  The Pythia pointed at Metcalf, her eyes open but still unfocused. “Diviner, you have been led astray by your ambition.”

  “What?”

  “Take heed. Jedediah Proctor now speaks: ‘I am mightily offended with thee, Abraham Metcalf!’”

  The Diviner reeled as if he had been struck. “No, that can’t be. I have done as the angel Phanuel commanded—as the Lord himself commanded.”