Into The Jaws Of The Lion (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 5)

by N. S. Wikarski

  “No...” the old man hesitated. “It seems unlikely she’ll be moved again during the next few months. We have more urgent business at hand.”

  The change of direction took the cowboy by surprise. “Sir?”

  “You need to prepare for a trip overseas.”

  “So your boy’s ready to hit the road, is he?” Leroy assumed that Somebody would be interested in that bit of news as well. No doubt, the word would trickle down to Miss Cassie and Company that it was time for them to saddle up too.

  “How quickly can you get back here?”

  “I maybe could catch a plane early tomorrow. This airport don’t have but one flight a day that’ll get me back to Chicago.”

  “Very well. Plan on leaving for India in two days. I’ll send a courier to your apartment with your instructions.”

  “OK, boss. I’ll be ready.”

  The line went dead.

  Leroy realized he would have to hustle if he was going to fly back in time to make his travel connections. He almost welcomed the distraction of the relic hunt since his alternative was spending days in front of a computer trying to crack one shell corporation after another. The fact that he would jump at the chance to take an overseas trip with hangdog Daniel proved one thing. He’d go to any length to avoid paperwork.

  Chapter 37—Doubleheader

  Cassie yawned and rubbed her eyes. She raised the shade covering her airplane window and gazed out at the landscape below. They appeared to be flying over a wide valley now. “Kathmandu,” she murmured.

  “What was that?” Griffin glanced up from the book he’d been reading.

  “Kathmandu. I never get tired of saying it. I love the sound of that word.”

  The Scrivener peered at her. “We aren’t going to have an unfortunate repeat of the ‘Psychro’ episode, are we? As I recall, it took six months to dislodge that word from your head.”

  “It could be eight months this time,” she replied impishly. “I’m getting really attached to it—Kathmandu.” She glanced out the window at the plateau of the same name. “And speaking of Kathmandu, I think it’s directly below us. We should be landing pretty soon.”

  “Right then.” Griffin locked his tray table and stowed his book. “Our contacts will be meeting us at the terminal exit.”

  “This all feels weird to me.” Cassie turned toward him earnestly. “Doesn’t it feel weird to you?”

  “Any change in routine is bound to cause a feeling of disorientation,” he agreed cautiously.

  “It was always the three of us. Like a waltz. One, two, three. One, two, three. And now the timing is off. It’s one, two, stumble. One, two, trip. One, two, crash.” She gave him a bleak smile.

  He patted her arm consolingly. “Never fear. It will get better. We’re bound to establish a new cadence with Erik’s replacements.”

  She sighed dubiously and leaned back. “I hope he’s alright.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine though I don’t expect he’s sparing a thought for your welfare.” His voice held the slightest note of sarcasm.

  “Why are guys so weird when they fall in love?”

  “I beg your pardon.” Griffin stared at her sideways.

  She swiveled around to face him. “Why is it when a girl falls in love, she acts like she just won the lottery? When a guy falls in love, he acts like he just slipped in a pile of cow manure.”

  Griffin chuckled at her observation. “I say, that’s rather hard on us fellows, don’t you think? Not all men treat love as something to be avoided. Certainly a man of Erik’s temperament might react as you’ve described. But I can assure you that if I were in love with someone who returned my affection, I would give an excellent impression of a bloke who’d just won a sweepstakes prize.”

  “So you don’t buy the theory that all guys are alike?” Cassie’s tone was skeptical.

  “Most assuredly not!” Griffin protested.

  “That’s good to know. There might be hope for your kind after all.” She sank back in her seat and switched her attention to the scenery.

  “Do you love him?” The Scrivener’s question was barely audible.

  “What?”

  “You said when a girl falls in love. I assume you meant yourself. Forgive me for asking such a personal question but are you in love with Erik?”

  “That’s a tough one.” Cassie folded her arms and paused to consider. “Right after he left, I convinced myself I was in love with him. You’d think I would be, right? I mean, he’s got the hair and the eyes and the muscles and...” She gave a dreamy smile. “He’s the total package. But—”

  “But?” Griffin rejoined alertly.

  “But if you’re asking me if he’s The One, I honestly don’t know. Now that I’ve gotten a little perspective on the situation, there’s something... ” She scowled, searching to pinpoint the source of her reservation. “It’s just that... Well, he’s sort of...” She shrugged helplessly. “The truth is that I don’t know how I feel about him.”

  Griffin seemed to brighten at her reply. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. There’s no need to rush to a hasty conclusion.” He settled back and lapsed into silence.

  Cassie studied the gently rolling hills which seemed to be rushing upward to meet the airplane. “It’s so green here,” she remarked in amazement. “We’re in the Himalayas. I expected snow. Lots of snow.”

  “Kathmandu is located in a valley surrounded and protected by mountains. Consequently, the climate is much more temperate than one might expect. It doesn’t snow in the valley at all, except every half century or so.”

  As that moment, the captain came on speaker to announce their final descent and to inform the passengers that the local temperature was a balmy eighty degrees.

  Cassie gave a short laugh. “We’re up in the highest mountain range in the world and the weather in Kathmandu is still better than Chicago.”

  “Apparently,” Griffin agreed.

  “So Erik was lying about snow in October around these parts?”

  “Not precisely though I am convinced he did exaggerate the risk. Kathmandu is only a mile above sea level. Mount Kailash is three miles higher still. We can anticipate the weather there to be far less pleasant.”

  The Pythia edged closer to the window to get a good view of their descent. The rolling hills gave way to clusters of houses. These appeared in increasing numbers, stacked more closely together until they formed a sizeable city. Most of the buildings were no taller than three or four stories. They all seemed to follow the same boxy architectural style with carved embellishments around the window frames and doorways. The roofs were either flat or shallow-pitched pagodas. In the jumble of structures that constituted the heart of the city, modern buildings stood alongside ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples.

  Cassie’s scrutiny was cut short when the wheels of the plane hit the tarmac with a slight bounce. Unlike the mega-airports back home, Tribhuvan International Airport was small and it took only a matter of minutes for them to taxi to the gate.

  When the pair stood up to deplane, the Pythia gave an elaborate stretch. “This has been one long day in the air.”

  “I quite agree.” Griffin reached into the overhead compartment for their carry-on luggage. “It already felt like a full day simply flying from Bhuj to Mumbai and that was before the seven hour flight from Mumbai to Kathmandu.”

  The pair shuffled off the plane and patiently endured the time-consuming process of claiming their baggage and clearing Customs.

  When they finally emerged from processing and turned to face the outer doors, Cassie scanned the exits worriedly. “I hope we recognize our contacts. Do you know what they look like?”

  “I don’t believe they’ll be hard to find.” Griffin’s tone was unaccountably wry as he studied something off in the distance.

  Following the direction of his gaze, Cassie understood his comment. Standing several yards in front of them were two young men—each one gripping the side of a placard that read “ARKA
NA” in bold, black letters.

  The Pythia stared at the sign and then at its bearers. She blinked. “Is it my eyes or...”

  “No. No, it isn’t.”

  Their new contacts were two twenty-something Asians who were identical twins. Both were of medium height and muscular build. They shared the same flat features, high cheekbones and almond eyes of the native people of the Himalayas. They’d even cut their hair in similar styles. They could only be distinguished from each other by their shirts. One wore a Chicago Cubs jersey—bright blue with a red team emblem. The other wore a White Sox jersey—black with a white team emblem.

  They waved their free hands in unison when they saw the couple approaching them.

  “This is surreal,” Cassie murmured to Griffin as they ambled toward the men. Then in a loud, slow voice, she asked, “Do you speak English?”

  The twins exchanged a look and chuckled.

  “We’re really not from here,” said one in a midwestern American accent.

  The other added, “Born and raised in San Francisco. Based in Chicago now.”

  “My name’s Rabten.” The young man in the blue shirt shook hands with Cassie and Griffin.

  “And mine is Rinchen,” offered the one in black, also shaking hands with them. “Nobody can tell us apart when they first meet us, so—”

  “—we decided to put on different shirts until you can tell that I’m the smarter one—”

  “—and I’m the better looking one.”

  They both burst out laughing.

  “Maybe we should swap shirts,” Rabten confided to his brother. “That way everybody will think we’re both smart—”

  “—and both good-looking,” Rinchen added. They beamed at their new acquaintances.

  Griffin eyed them with perplexity as if they were an odd new species he’d never encountered before.

  The Pythia’s reaction was more pragmatic. “Guys, it’s been a long day and we’re already confused enough. I think maybe you should both keep your shirts on. I promise that Griffin and I will think you’re each the smartest and the best looking, OK?”

  “Deal!” they agreed simultaneously.

  Chapter 38—Brotherly Love

  The twins shepherded Cassie and Griffin into their car which was parked right outside the terminal.

  “We figured we’d take you to your hotel to get checked in. It’s almost dark and we’ll be flying out first thing tomorrow,” said Rinchen. “It’s too bad there won’t be time for you to see more of the city.”

  Since their hotel was situated on the perimeter of the airport, the ride took less than five minutes.

  The twins waited in the lobby while Griffin and Cassie registered, stowed their bags in their rooms and returned to join their new associates for dinner.

  Rabten and Rinchen led them to the elevator, explaining that the hotel dining room was located on the top floor of the building. They also mentioned that the restaurant itself rested on a revolving platform.

  When the elevator doors parted, the group was treated to a spectacular vista of snow-capped peaks silhouetted against the setting sun.

  “I think you were wrong about no time for sightseeing,” the Pythia remarked. “We’re getting a bird’s-eye view of the whole city without ever having to leave the building.”

  A waiter seated them immediately and handed out menus. A quick scan told them that the entrees included a number of standard western dishes. Neither Cassie nor Griffin seemed inclined to sample anything exotic nor did the twins. They all ordered steaks and settled back to await the arrival of their food.

  “I must admit, I’ll be sorry not to visit the palace of the living goddess,” Griffin ventured. “But our schedule won’t allow it.”

  “Living goddess?” Cassie asked. “That must mean Nepal follows some sort of matristic religion.”

  “Only indirectly,” the Scrivener countered. “The practice of venerating a pre-pubescent girl as the living embodiment of the goddess Durga started as a Brahmanic ritual in historic times. In some branches of Hinduism, Durga is considered the source of all creation and she is believed to incarnate in the body of a female child. There are many living goddesses found throughout Nepal but the one in Kathmandu is the most important. She is called the Royal Kumari. ‘Kumari’ derives from a Sanskrit word meaning ‘virgin’. A child from a specific caste is chosen when she is very young—sometimes only three or four years old—and she continues in that role until she reaches puberty and another takes her place. The selection process is quite rigorous. The Kumari of Kathmandu lives in a palace in the city where she receives visits from people seeking blessings or healing. Believers gather in the courtyard of her palace hoping to catch sight of her because even the barest glimpse of a Kumari is supposed to bring good fortune.”

  “You said this started as a Hindu practice,” Cassie remarked. “Is a Kumari in India as big a deal as in Nepal?”

  Griffin shook his head. “There are festivals in India where a Kumari is honored for a day or two, sometimes only an hour or two. However, in Nepal she’s a permanent fixture.”

  “Then why is she so important here?” the Pythia persisted.

  The Scrivener paused to consider her question. The twins remained silent during this interchange, listening intently.

  “I suspect the importance of the Kumari to the Nepalese may stem from the importance of the divinity she represents. Although Durga is the name of a Hindu deity, her origins can be traced back to an ancient mountain goddess worshipped by the tribes who inhabited the Himalayas.”

  “Wait a second.” Cassie stopped him. “I remember you saying there was a sky goddess who lived at Mount Kailash and that she was older than Hinduism and Buddhism.”

  “Well spotted.” The Scrivener smiled approvingly. “The sky goddess Sipaimen of the indigenous Bön religion is said to dwell at Kailash. In all probability she is the prototype for the Hindu Durga. Since the people of the Himalayas already viewed the source of creation as female, that tradition continues in their reverence for the Kumari.”

  Griffin’s lecture was interrupted by the appearance of their waiter bearing a tray of salads. Hands flew in all directions as condiments and plates of bread and butter were passed around the table. After that, conversation was suspended while the quartet gave their undivided attention to their food.

  As they ate in silence, Cassie carried on an internal debate regarding the qualifications of her new associates. She liked the twins but they both exuded an air of innocence and joviality that made her question whether they were up to the challenge of a relic hunt, especially one as dangerous as the pursuit of the Sage Stone. She realized she was the last person who ought to discount them simply because they were young. The Pythia remembered her own resentment when Erik dismissed her as incompetent without even giving her a chance to prove herself on their first mission. Still, she felt that somebody ought to vet the twins before she and Griffin trusted the newbies with their lives.

  When the waiter returned to clear the plates away, Cassie folded her arms on the table and leaned forward to scrutinize the twins. “You say you’re from California? When did your family come to America?”

  “Some time after World War Two,” Rinchen replied.

  “They were the lucky ones,” Rabten remarked. “Our grandparents on both sides of the family lived in Lhasa. They were prosperous enough to afford to leave when they saw the way the political wind was blowing. Right before the Chinese invaded Tibet, they made themselves scarce.”

  “Then where does the Arkana connection come in?”

  “Our parents met while they were both studying at Berkeley,” said Rinchen. “The Tibetan-American community on the west coast is pretty small so everybody knows everybody else. Our dad majored in archaeology and mom was an anthropologist. Both of them ended up as professors. Eventually, the Arkana found them and they were recruited—”

  “—when we got old enough they told us about their work and offered us a chance to join. We decid
ed that the family business sounded pretty interesting.”

  “But why did you guys get picked to work with us on this retrieval?” Cassie still couldn’t see an obvious reason for their involvement other than ethnicity.

  Rabten looked at Rinchen. They seemed to hesitate.

  “I’ll start,” offered Rabten.

  “No, you always get to start. I’ll start,” Rinchen countered.

  “Fine.”

  Rinchen, the twin in the black shirt, began the narrative. “We were doing research interviewing villagers in some of the more remote parts of the country where polyandry is still being practiced. It used to be the norm throughout the Himalayas.”

  “Polyandry,” Cassie repeated. “You mean one wife with multiple husbands.”

  “Yes,” Rabten agreed. “But in these cases, it’s usually fraternal polyandry meaning all the brothers in the family marry the same woman.”

  “I always thought polygyny was screwy enough where one guy marries a dozen women,” the Pythia observed. “But why would anybody think polyandry is a good idea?”

  “Allow me to explain,” Griffin interjected. “Polyandry is a natural form of birth control. It limits population growth. Whereas polygyny can produce a frightening number of offspring, polyandrous families are limited to the breeding capacity of a single woman. In geographic regions like the Himalayas where resources are scarce, polyandry prevents the land from becoming overburdened with excess population. Fraternal polyandry, where all the brothers in one family marry a single wife, is also very useful in preventing squabbles over property.”

  “But how do they know who fathered each kid?” Cassie protested.

  “The mother always decides,” Rabten answered.

  “Of course, the eldest brother is called ‘father’ by the whole family and all the younger brothers are called ‘uncle’,” Rinchen said.