The Arkana Mysteries Boxed Set

by N. S. Wikarski

  Cassie nodded uncertainly.

  “That is also a baetyl. Cultures around the world venerated these objects and attributed magical properties to them.”

  “So, I was right,” the pythia persisted. “It is like kryptonite. I mean, they’re both magic rocks that fell from the sky.”

  “Yes, but one of them fell from a comic book sky while the other—” The scrivener halted, noting the pythia’s mischievous expression. “You’re being deliberately outrageous, aren’t you?”

  Cassie smiled impishly. “What was your first clue?”

  “Are you quite finished?”

  “I’m done for now. Go on.” She waved him along airily.

  “As I was attempting to explain, the ancients took baetylae very seriously as objects of awe and worship. The Sage Stone was one of these. No one knows exactly what it looked like, but it was probably black. Most meteorites blacken after exposure to earth’s atmosphere. It may have been cylindrical or oval in shape. Not very large. Perhaps the size of a human hand. In antiquity, it was called by various names but most typically the Speaking Stone, the Sage Stone, or the Voice of Heaven. The Minoans believed it was an oracular stone.”

  “A what?”

  “To a perceptive ear, it was reputed to whisper messages which would then be used for the benefit of the people. The Minoans attributed the many achievements of their culture to messages received from the Sage Stone. Their advances in technology and the arts were all based on the promptings of the baetyl. Until the dark ages came.”

  Cassie frowned. “What dark ages?”

  “The Minoans of Crete represented the final flowering of matristic culture in the Mediterranean region. Their civilization enjoyed two thousand years of uninterrupted peace and prosperity. However, beginning around 1400 BCE, things changed. Along with a series of natural disasters, the Minoans were subjected to a wave of overlord invasions that destroyed their way of life. They believed that the Sage Stone had abandoned them. Their seers could no longer hear the whispering in the rock.”

  “What happened to it?”

  “Ah, that’s where the legend begins,” Griffin said mysteriously. “The Sage Stone disappeared from view. Lost in the swirling mists of time. No one knew what became of it, but there was a prediction. If the Sage Stone ever came to light again, it would presage the beginning of a new golden age.”

  “For the Minoans?” Cassie sounded incredulous. “They aren’t around anymore, are they? I’ve never heard of them.”

  “Not for the Minoans. For the entire world. It would mean equality, prosperity, and, dare I say it, peace on earth. The end of overlord domination of the planet. In short, everything the Arkana has been working toward for centuries.”

  “That’s some rock!” Cassie exclaimed, impressed.

  Griffin shrugged. “Of course, no one actually believes in the prophecy nowadays. But the Sage Stone itself is a rare artifact. A mythical object that really exists. A matristic version of the Holy Grail. For that reason alone, we would want to protect it in our troves.”

  Cassie frowned as a new thought struck her. “Why would the Nephilim want something that ushers in the reverse of the kind of world they like to live in? Equality, peace on earth, and good will aren’t really their thing. Do they just want to get their hands on it to destroy it?”

  Griffin grew thoughtful at her words. “That assumes they actually believe the Minoan prophecy which is highly unlikely. The Nephilim only credit prophecies made by one of their own. To them, the Minoan prediction would be heathen gibberish. No, I think it’s something else.” He paused as a new thought struck him. “Aside from any putative mystical powers, the Sage Stone must have some symbolic meaning to the Nephilim, and that doesn’t bode well. Fanatics tend to commit their greatest atrocities under the aegis of symbols, whether they be crosses, swastikas, or baetylae.”

  “Well, whatever they’ve got in mind for the Sage Stone, I think it’s a good idea if the Arkana gets to it first,” Cassie observed.

  The scrivener nodded solemnly. “I quite agree.”

  The pythia checked her watch again. The Concordance discussion had now continued for two hours and fifteen minutes. “This is never gonna end,” she whispered in Griffin’s ear. “Why doesn’t Faye just shut them all down?”

  Griffin turned and whispered back, “Because this is a democracy, not a dictatorship. Faye is wise enough to know that everyone needs an opportunity to be heard. In the end, they may not agree with the vote, but they won’t fight the decision. They’ll have had a chance to express their views.”

  “You mean she’s going to sit there and let them yammer on til doomsday?” the pythia asked irritably.

  “A general discussion fulfills a very important psychological purpose. Wait and see. She’ll choose her time, and when they’ve played themselves out, she’ll nudge them in the direction she wants them to go.”

  At that moment, a young Arab man in the top tier of the box seats asked, “How do you know the Nephilim haven’t gotten to the relics already? While we’re sitting here debating, who’s to say they haven’t swept them up?”

  Other voices joined his in asking the same question. The grumbling and objecting sounded like the buzz of angry hornets.

  “I say they haven’t,” Faye observed quietly. Immediately the buzzing ceased as all eyes turned questioningly toward the memory guardian.

  She gave a slight smile. “I would respectfully remind you that the Nephilim are a pseudo-Christian cult. They shun pagan lore because they consider it an abomination. It stands to reason that in order to decrypt the code on the key and find the exact location of the artifacts they would need experts in matristic culture to help them.” She paused for effect and surveyed the faces looking back at her quizzically. “I don’t wish to belabor the obvious, but I believe that all the experts who might be able to help them are sitting in this very room. Is there anyone here who would like to volunteer to assist the Nephilim? Please do raise your hands.”

  It took a second for her words to register, and then everyone started to laugh. The tension in the room immediately eased.

  Faye continued. “While I think through trial and error they will eventually stumble across the information they need, we already have all the necessary resources at our fingertips. We have the skills, the training, and the knowledge to get there first. After all, we’ve been doing this for centuries.”

  Cassie listened to the comments being made within earshot. The voices of dissent were fewer now. Faye had timed her remarks to occur right at the point when everyone was getting tired of the topic and wanted to conclude the debate.

  “You see!” Griffin exclaimed triumphantly. “I told you. I’ve seen her do this before. She’s quite effective at turning the tide.”

  A tall dark-haired woman stood up. She had been seated in the bottom tier of box seats. “I am Xenia Katsouros, the keeper of the Minoan trove on the island of Crete. If anyone had been searching the area for the relics of which we are speaking, I would have heard about it. I am sure the memory guardian is right. The Nephilim have not come to Crete yet. I, for one, favor this expedition and will be happy to assist in the search should a team be assembled for this task.”

  When she sat down, several people applauded her words.

  As Cassie’s eyes travelled around the room, she could see from the expressions on various faces that the majority were now convinced it was a good idea.

  “Is there any further discussion before we put the proposal to a vote?” Faye asked quietly. She paused for a full minute, waiting for the last sound of discord to die away.

  When everyone was still, the Circle cast its vote. The decision was made by a simple show of hands. Four delegates were against the motion and twenty-seven, including Faye, were in favor of it. The motion was carried.

  Cassie smiled to herself at Faye’s ability to sway this fractious crowd. She had grossly underestimated the little old lady’s tactical skills.<
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  The meeting ended shortly afterward. Everyone was invited to a reception in the upstairs conference rooms. As Cassie and Griffin walked toward the back stairs to join the others, the pythia said, “I don’t know exactly how she did it, but Faye got her way in the end. Who do you suppose she’ll send?”

  The scrivener shrugged. “Haven’t a clue, but I expect it will be someone who knows what they’re about. We don’t need amateurs mucking this up. It’s too important.” He gave a sigh of relief. “It’s times like these when I’m glad I work in a library.”

  “Vault,” Cassie corrected with a laugh. “You work in a vault, remember?”

  Chapter 29 – Team Quirks

  Cassie arrived at Faye’s house at eleven o’clock the following morning. She’d been surprised when the memory guardian drew her aside at the reception the night before and asked her to stop by. Faye neglected to say what she wanted to see Cassie about.

  “Sure, no problem,” the pythia agreed, secretly wondering what hoops the old woman was going to make her jump through this time.

  When she pulled into the driveway of the farmhouse, two other cars were already parked there. Cassie didn’t recognize them and wondered what other company Faye might have.

  The old woman greeted her at the door and ushered her into the kitchen at the back. Two people were seated at the table. Cassie smiled to see Griffin. And then to her horror, she noticed Erik sitting across from him.

  “What’s… sh…. he... doing… here!” Their voices clashed in mid-sentence.

  Griffin looked in dismay from one to the other.

  Faye chuckled. “Calm yourselves, my dears. Cassie, please sit down and help yourself to some banana nut bread. I just made a few loaves fresh this morning. There’s tea if you like.”

  The thought of food was the last thing on Cassie’s mind. She sat down at the end of the table, moving her chair slightly away from Erik’s side and closer to Griffin’s.

  They continued to scowl at one another though neither spoke.

  Faye drew up a chair for herself at the opposite end. “I believe you two got off on the wrong foot,” she began. “That’s unfortunate since you’ll need to work closely together on your new recovery mission.”

  “What recovery mission?” Erik asked suspiciously, never taking his eyes off Cassie. “She hasn’t come up with anything yet, has she?”

  “Why don’t you ask me yourself?” Cassie snapped. “I’m sitting right here.”

  “Well, did you?” the blond man demanded.

  “No, as a matter of fact, I didn’t. I’m still in training,” the pythia said primly.

  “That’ll take a couple of years,” Erik muttered under his breath.

  “Am I missing something here?” Griffin interjected hesitantly.

  “I think these two are going through a period of adjustment,” Faye said mildly. “That’s all.”

  Out of respect for Faye, neither one of them contradicted her. They just seethed in silence.

  Ignoring the tension, Faye sliced a piece of nut loaf and handed it to Cassie, thereby redirecting the pythia’s attention.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering why I called the three of you together,” she began.

  “I am now,” Erik commented sotto voce.

  “I should think it would be obvious, given the outcome of last night’s meeting.” The old woman glanced around the table.

  The three visitors looked back at her blankly.

  She smiled briefly. “Apparently not as obvious to you three as it is to me.” She took a deep breath. “My dears, I have chosen you to be the team which will retrieve the Bones of the Mother.”

  They all sat thunderstruck. If she had just announced that she intended to take up a career as a professional wrestler, the trio couldn’t have been more shocked.

  “I beg your pardon,” Griffin said, probably thinking he had misheard her.

  “What?” Erik asked flatly.

  “Huh?” was Cassie’s eloquent contribution.

  Faye seemed to be enjoying their consternation. She laughed. “Oh my, this isn’t going to be easy, is it? Yes, you all heard me correctly. I don’t see why any of you should be surprised. All of you have unique skills that will prove invaluable in recovering these artifacts.”

  The three of them started babbling at once, protesting their unfitness for the job. No single voice could be heard above the general rumble of discontent. Faye let them complain for a few minutes and then raised her hand for silence. “I think we might make better progress if each of you spoke in turn. Griffin, dear, why don’t you start?”

  It took the scrivener several seconds to catch his breath and assemble his thoughts. He sounded panic-stricken. “Faye, surely you can’t be serious. I’ve never gone on a field mission in my entire life. My skills, as you call them, are of the bookish variety.”

  “Exactly,” she concurred. “My dear, you carry an encyclopedia in your head. It’s very impressive.”

  “At cocktail parties, possibly,” he admitted. “But I hardly think it will be useful out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Don’t you?” she asked gently. “On the contrary, that’s precisely where your knowledge would prove to be the most useful. This mission won’t allow the luxury of a portable library or a reliable internet connection. Thinking quickly on one’s feet is what will be required.”

  “But what about the central catalog? I am its director, after all.”

  “And you have a very capable staff who can fill in until you return,” the old woman suggested helpfully.

  He didn’t appear convinced but was at a loss to come up with any further objections.

  “And what about you, Cassie?” the old woman focused her attention on the pythia. “What is your principal concern about making the journey?”

  “Me?” Cassie asked in astonishment. “I only signed on less than a month ago, and now you want to send me overseas? Even army recruits get more time in boot camp than that!”

  “I never thought I’d say this,” Erik admitted ruefully. “But the kid is right.”

  “I’m not a kid!” Cassie rounded on him.

  “Yeah, you’re a veteran.” The blond man rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.

  Cassie turned her attention back to Faye. “Besides, I don’t know what help I could be. You’re expecting to find a code chiseled into stone somewhere, right? It doesn’t take a pythia to decrypt that. Griffin should be able to crack the code with no problem. He’s incredibly smart.”

  “Please stop helping me, I beg you,” Griffin protested weakly.

  “To tell the truth, we can’t be sure what you’ll encounter when you get to Crete,” Faye countered. “It may very well be that the skills of a pythia are exactly what is needed.”

  “You really think she’s up to it?” Erik looked at Faye curiously.

  “I’ve seen her telemetric abilities firsthand. I can assure you; she’s quite adept.”

  “Huh, go figure.” Erik seemed genuinely amazed at Faye’s glowing endorsement of Cassie.

  “I hope the shock of knowing I’m competent doesn’t kill you,” Cassie commented acidly.

  “It just might,” the blond man said with an impudent smirk.

  Cassie was about to go at him again, but Faye preempted her. “Erik, dear, what possible objection can you have for going on this expedition? After all, you love field work, and you’ve had plenty of experience.”

  Erik let out a long sigh. “It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s these two.” He jerked his head in the direction of his companions. “I know what I’m doing, and I can handle whatever gets thrown at me. But I’d have to watch out for them every step of the way. It would be like letting toddlers loose in a mine field.” He shrugged. “I know I’m only the security guy, and I can’t actually find the artifacts. But I can think of five people in the Arkana right off the top of my head who could, and it isn’t these two. You should lis
ten to them, Faye. They’re both telling you they’re not up to it.”

  “Now just a minute, old man,” Griffin protested. Apparently, it was one thing to downplay his own experience but to hear Erik’s dismissive opinion was too much of an insult.

  “You know what?” Cassie shot back at the blond man. “I’m suddenly feeling really up to it. If I don’t do anything other than make your life miserable for a couple of weeks, then I’ll die happy.”

  “‘Die’ being the operative word,” Erik retorted.

  Faye shook her head and laughed. “So much sound and fury signifying nothing. Please try to trust my judgment, my dears. I wish you could see yourselves as I do. I have very good reasons for choosing each one of you.”

  They glanced at one another dubiously, trying hard to imagine what shining qualities Faye could see.

  She continued. “This mission is unlike anything the Arkana has attempted before. The circumstances are unique. We don’t know the location of the message which the key unlocks, nor do we know what artifacts we’re searching for. We don’t even know how many of them there are. On top of that, we’re very likely to run into dangerous competition for those relics. This is a highly unorthodox retrieval mission, and I believe it calls for an unorthodox team to bring it to a successful conclusion.”

  She peered at them all earnestly, willing them to understand the point she was trying to make. “This mission can’t be conducted by the book. Seasoned experts often grow complacent, and complacency would be fatal in circumstances where you need to be especially on your guard. The project requires flexibility and ingenuity—a new perspective that comes from a fresh set of eyes.”

  Cassie and Griffin smiled at one another. Their shared naïveté created a bond. Neither one had ever considered lack of experience to be an advantage before. It was a comforting thought that there might be a strategic benefit to it after all.

  “So, you’re saying greenhorns are good?” Erik asked incredulously.

  Faye tilted her head to the side, considering the question. “Yes, I suppose I am. For this particular mission anyway.”