Ivan and Pisco mounted the horses and brought the donkeys to the stone fountain to drink water. They lit cigarettes while waiting for them. There was a lush pasture, and they let them eat for a while. Splashed with water and both men hid in the shade of wild pear. While enjoying the mountain, their eyes closed.
During this time, the workers were digging vigorously. At some point, they reached the anomaly shown by the scanner, which was just a pit storage for grain from the ancients. The Professor, surveying and taking notes, said, “We won’t dig here anymore. Nothing interesting for the moment. Valeri, take the scanner with Vasco and come with me to check the other quadrant because this is not the place.”
The two hunters brought the machine and began to look for another cavity with the professor. About twenty meters west of the rock slope down, an anomaly appeared on the computer.
“This is the next place where we will dig,” said Parlatov and summoned the workers, indicating to them the new spot.
In the afternoon, professor paid the diggers and let them go along with the surveyor. The earthwork was four meters long, three wide and about a meter deep.
Ivan and Pisco gathered the cattle in the paddock, watered, fed and lit a fire to cook dinner. Then they bathed in the makeshift bathroom of tubes on the trees and took their seats at the table. The group drank rakiafor an aperitif as usual with slicedsausage and talked.
“Professor, where are we with the work?” Asked Ivan.
“We started excavations at a new location, maybe we will find something interesting there. I am encouraged that we are on the right track.”
“I sure hope so!” Said Fantomas. “So we can get out of this wilderness soon. I shudder just thinking about what’s lurking around us.”
“Let’s have dinner and go to bed. We will shift in four hours, with two on guard. Pisco and I will watch first,” quietly said the Ninth and sipped from the pot.
Later in the evening, there was a loud hiss, reminiscent of a strong wind in the chimney of a fireplace. The dogs started barking, and the two guards woke up the others.
“Do you hear the noise? Didn’t the dead man write about such a hiss, followed by a snake?”
“Again?” Hearing the word snake, bad memories raided Pisco’s head from the temple of Bastet.
“Dress quickly,” said the professor. “We have to check the sanctuary.”
“The events are repeated as Evgeni described them,” interrupted the Ninth. “You go, and I will secretly follow at a distance.”
“Clever,” Parlatov waved and gestured for the others to follow him.
The four hunters grabbed flashlights and walked up the slope to the rocks and the whistling. It was a full moon, and the shadow of the rock was visible on the slope. Everybody was startled when they saw that the shadow of the sanctuary looked like a huge snake. The effect was accentuated by the sound produced by the wind entering the crack.
“Hah, there is the snake!” Said Valeri. “We have to see where it will disappear. The entrance must be there.”
The group had to wait a long time before the shadow shaped like a serpent reached the second place excavated by the workers and disappeared into it. The researchers rushed into the hole, lit it up and began to dig with the tools which were there.
“Oh,” a scream was heard near them and professor shone the ground to reveal a collapsed person and Ivan hanging over him, tying his legs and arms. The Ninth took his model Makarov gun and smiled to his friend, “It’s good that I am provident. He could have emptied his magazine and we would all be keeping company to Evgeni in that hole.”
“Leave him here and come help us with the spade,” said the professor satisfied. “We will think later what to do with the killer.”
Pisco’s pickaxe suddenly hit something solid.
“Parlatov, here we hit on a rock.”
“Dig beneath it. There must be an entrance.”
So, a three-meter long tunnel that ended with a stone altar slowly appeared before them. On it was clearly visible an overlaid chest. The Professor, trembling, opened the lid, expecting to find the disc, “Mother fucker, there is only a scroll,” the old man pulled out a rolled processed taut skin. “Hold my flashlight,” Parlatov handed it to Pisco and twisted the scroll. “There is text in Cyrillic from the XIV century,” he exclaimed and started reading, "It has been 39 years of the reign of Tsar Ivan Alexander the Blessed. Murad took Plovdiv and Boruy and hung a large Ottoman threat over Alexander’s tsardom. God’s secret is no longer safe. Despot Dobrotitsa is at peace with Murad. There we will hide the secret..."
At that moment was heard a stranger’s voice coming from the outside, “Gentlemen, come out to talk.”
Startled and unprepared, the hunters came out of the tunnel. Outside, three armed men with big hoods covering their faces made them a sign to move in the direction of the camp. The captive was loose and sitting on a chair in the tent.
“Come sit beside him,” said the main figure shrouded with a large hood.
The group sat around the table. The leader of the strangers continued, “No need for concern. If we had wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. For your reassurance, we need you alive. We are informed that your man in New York, Tiberius, managed to get the sacred disc from the Arabs. You no longer need that scroll. Our Order has what you are looking for. The Jew gave you wrong information. There isn’t a second disc. There is a stand for the first one. I guess you already know what will happen when the two parts come together?”
“You will unlock the secrets of the universe?” The professor calmly asked.
“You’ll see when you come,” handing them a card, the man continued. “Come to this address with the disc in three days.”
“And if Tiberius does not agree?” Asked Ivan.
“There is no way. It’s in his interest. Hide the entrance before you move out. No more excavations will be done here.”
The uninvited guests left the big tent. Fantomas broke the silence, “Did Tiberius know that we were not seeking a disc?”
“Makes no sense! Anyway, if we had found it, we would understand that it was something else. I think the Jew was in the dark on the subject. Now when he learns the truth, the shaman is right, he will agree to go to the meeting. Are we gonna call him now?” Asked Parlatov.
“Let’s close the camp first and then I’ll call him,” answered the Ninth.
During the night, the hunters clogged the tunnel. In the morning, when the workers arrived, Parlatov instructed them, “Fill all the holes that we dug. We have finished with the excavations since the scanner indicates that there is nothing here. To show gratitude, I’ll leave you the tent, the donkeys, and the horses.”
The laborers were euphoric and willingly undertook to complete the work. Ivan rode one of the horses to the village to take the Hummer. He parked it beside the road near the fountain and loaded the expensive technologies. Gathered in the large vehicle and in Kochovo, part of the group transferred to the pickup.
The archaeologist stopped near Shumen in some place to eat, and Ninth called the Jew, “Tiberius, we are done with the excavations.”
“Why? What happened? Are you giving up?”
“Get on the plane and come to my villa as fast as you can. It is not for the phone. You will be happy with the news.”
“Okay, I’m on my way.”
Chapter XII
The Order
In the evening at the villa, already gathered all together started to unravel the situation.
“So you say a secret order?” Asked Tiberius already informed. “I wonder if it is a trap?”
“I don’t know, but their leader never showed his face. Apparently, he did not want us to know who he was. But they knew details about you and the Arab.”
“The address they gave you is in Brasov, Romania, in the Carpathians.”
“Aaa, wasn’t that the territory of that vampire Vlad Dracula?” Asked creepy Pisco.
“Something like that. The offici
al version is that Brasov was established in 1211 by the Teutonic Order, which built the settlement but the truth is that it was a Bulgarian settlement. Nowadays, it is a tourist destination known for its natural beauties. The descendants of the shamans seem to have moved there because it has never been under Ottoman rule. Wallachian and the Transylvanian voivode only paid taxes. Many Bulgarians live there.“
“Parlatov, I like what a walking encyclopedia you are,” joked Fantomas.
The professor pulled his ear pleased.
“So it seems we have no choice. We’ll have to go to the meeting. I’ll take my personal security with me,” added the Jew. “Risks of the profession. Otherwise, if we act with force, we can’t be sure whether we will manage to get the other part of the disc. In the day after tomorrow, I will come get you.”
“What happened to the Russians?” Asked Valeri.
“If you are asking about Natasha, she is still in obscurity!”
Two days later, the private jet of Tiberius landed at the airport in Brasov. The group got two taxis and traveled to the address. The cars stopped in front of a tall wall with an iron gate, and the seven men got out. The guard of the Jew was ably looking at the place. They stood before the large door, which had only an iron lion’s head with a latch. Ivan grabbed it with his hand and tapped. A small gap opened and somebody looked at him, “Password?”
The Jew took the card and read, “Bulgar!”
A noise of bolts was heard, and the door opened widely.
“Enter gentlemen, you are expected,” prompted the man with the hood. He took a hand-held metal detector and checked them. None of them was armed.
Passing near the stone walls in the deathly silence, Pisco noticed the ornaments of terrible Gorgons and Demons. Chills crawled over his body, and he thought, "Will we manage to get out of here alive?"
They passed under a stone archway and entered a tunnel lit with torches. The group came to another iron door, and the man with the hood knocked. It opened and the hunters went into a huge stone hall built in the XVII century style, ornamented with large crystal chandeliers clinging on ropes, purple curtains, antique weapons, and statues. The long oak table was lit only by candles and torches in the corners. In the large fireplace, heavy oak stumps were burning. Nine figures shrouded in hoods stood awaiting. In one corner dressed as a proto-Bulgarian shaman, a tall man was rhythmically beating on drums. Great portrait of an unknown figure hung over the fireplace.
The newcomers looked the scary scene in disbelief. The drum stopped.
“Put the disc on the table,” said in a thick voice the sinister figure at the end.
The group took the vacant places around the table, and Tiberius took the disk from the suitcase, putting it ahead of him. The drum started beating again. From the dark part of the hall, a man dressed in leather and with a mask on, a spear in one hand, from whose end was hanging a ponytail, leaped in а shamanic dance with a wild cry. On a low altar stood a tied rooster. While dancing, the shaman suddenly pierced the animal and lifted it into the air. Blood ran down his weapon and head. On a special tray by the fireplace was a big silver bowl full of wine, ritually prepared. With guttural cries under the blows of the drum, the terrible man leaned the rooster over the bowl. Drops of blood mingled with the wine. He threw the spear and the dead animal aside and with both hands raised the silver vessel high above his head, issuing mysterious sounds. Only now did the hunters notice that the ceiling was painted with scenes of sacrifice.
In a trance, the shaman handed the bowl to their leader, who drank and gave it to the next one. So everybody drank the wine.
Member of the Order approached an object covered with silky turquoise canvas. With careful movement, he removed the cloak and revealed the figure of a golden cat beneath him, on whose flat back was placed the other part of the disc. The drum stopped again, and the shaman fell into a trance on a bear skin near the fireplace.
The leader of the Order took the initiative, “We keep the covenant of our ancestors. Tradition says that a day will come in which the two parts will come together, and the humans will acquire the Knowledge. It is time to keep the ritual. We have both parts now,” he rose up, walked to Tiberius and pointed at the disc before him.
The Mason nodded in agreement and the man lifted it gently with both hands. He stood before the golden cat and...
Chapter XIII
Grand Finale
Natasha locked the thick iron door in the basement of the house in Nové Zámky, Slovakia. She took all the artifacts, pulled the fake notebook hidden in a stash in the old table, and quickly left the building. On the road, a car with a driver from the Russian intelligence was waiting for her.
In Moscow, the Russian Countess gave everything to her handler and made a full report. After minor plastic changes on her face and a new identity, she was reallocated to another mission under the name Elena.
General Grubak pushed the direct line button to his secretary, “Tell Stepan to bring the report!”
The man walked into the office and handed the folder, “This book has nothing to do with what we seek. This is the personal diary of the Butler of Baron Hirsch, and there are writings that are not of interest inside. We have sent a cleaning group in Slovakia. They will dispose of the dead bodies from the basement and search the house for the real journal.”
“Colonel Zhukovsky, you know that heads will be cut if you don’t find the right book. The top is pushing me!”
“We’ll find it, sir. I need a little more time.”
“You have 24 hours!”
The colonel’s phone rang. He looked at him and said, “My agent is calling me from Slovakia.”
“Talk with him.”
“Alo, report,” the man heard the report and ordered. “Search the house and leave the place!” Then he hung up. “The group of the Ninth escaped through a secret tunnel leading to the estate of the Baron.”
The general leaned back in his chair thoughtfully, “I want to know when they lie down, when they get up, when they go to the bathroom, everything. Send the group of Major Kropotkin to monitor them.”
“Yes, General Grubak.”
Andrey, dressed as a hobo, scrambled into a trash bin in front of Ivan’s house when the Jew landed with his helicopter in the yard. The headset in his ear was streaming the whole conversation from the dining room. At the moment, he realized that the real diary was with the hunters, he pulled his phone and dialed the colonel to inform him.
“Continue to follow the group. When they find the disc, remove them and bring it back in Kremlin. Be very careful not to reveal yourself. You know that Ivan was in the specialty group in the army.”
Day after day, Andrey’s brigade watched every movement of the group.
At the evening during the excavation of the sanctuary near Kochovo….
“Sergey, spray us with wolf smell or the dogs will come in our direction and discover us.”
Spraying around, he replied, “Now they won’t come.”
After a while, they noticed how the Ninth was dangling after the dogs in the woods. Not long after, he disappeared from their field of vision. Sergey tapped his night vision glasses, “I think the technology might be outdated. I can no longer see him.”
Shouts were heard, and the Russians realized that he had fallen into a hole. Overhearing the subsequent conversation of the hunters after they drove out Ivan from the hole, Major Andrey Kropotkin’s brigade realized that they were not alone in the forest.
“I wonder how we haven’t detected that killer?” Asked Sergey.
“Apparently, he is gone now. What do we do when he appears? Are we gonna remove him?”
“Depends on the situation, but for now, he will be useful with information,” the Major whispered.
The next night, the scouts who were on duty closely watched the archaeologists that were digging the entrance to the tunnel. Their colleagues from the day shift slept in the dugout a hundred meters from them. Andrey’s group consisted of chosen, most
elite fighters from Spetsnaz. Concealed all in halm and branches, the Russians were merged with nature. They noticed the killer approaching the sanctuary and Ivan who waylaid him in the back and made him sleep on the ground with a quick hand movement.
One whispered, “This Bulgarian is worthy of beeing in our group. He is as quiet and quick as a panther. Too bad he has to die.”
In time, the archaeologists dug the entrance to the tunnel. Sergey whispered, “It’s time to act. I’ll go call the others.”
He was about to get up when the hand of Andrey stopped him and pointed to the left. Three figures crept into the sanctuary. One pulled out a knife, bent and cut the ropes of the killer. Made him a sign to go down to the camp.
During this time, the unknown men and the archaeologists went into the tent. Kropotkin listened to the whole conversation. Already fully informed, he went away and reported the news to the Colonel by the satellite phone, who in turn called the general.
“Continue to follow them until you get the two parts. Do not leave any witnesses.”
“Yes, General Grubak.”
At the airport in Brasov on the third day, the private plane of Tiberius landed. With a nondescript bus, the Russians followed two taxis to the estate. They stopped fifty meters away on the corner in the next street. The hunters entered the mysterious house of the Order.
“I lost the signal. They have a jamming device.”
“Park the van from the western side of the fence. We’ll wait a bit and enter! Our orders are to leave no witnesses. Shoot of meat.”
Ten Spetsnaz came out of the vehicle. Two stood, propped up on the wall with spread arms and carried right leg, and the rest ran over them, jumping over the wall. The last one pulled them one by one, while his colleges killed all the guards in the yard with knives.
The leader of the Order placed the disc in the other part. At this point, the crows flying over the estate began to fall dead over the Russians. Storm clouds appeared, and lightning cut the sky with a loud bang...
Secrets Of The Shaman Page 6
