by Rick Jones
Savage, however, looked at Butcher Boy and Aussie, the men sharing a collective thought: And then there were six.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Western Turkey
Leviticus and his team of Knights landed discreetly in Ankara, and then made their way to Malatya, where they met with their conduits regarding the Semtex.
The person they met with was a portly man of Turkish and Hungarian descent, affable in manner and always smiling. Leviticus had come to learn through experience that such men should not be completely trusted. Mahir Şahin, however, was the exception to the rule.
Inside a broken down warehouse with glassless windows covered with chicken wire, and support beams that no longer looked supportive, the area was the perfect spot for the transfer of explosive materials.
Mahir Şahin was former military who had grown slovenly over the last decade after leaving his unit for the green pastures of the black market. Whenever he laughed, the fatty tissue of his jowls and the bowl of his double chin wobbled. He also possessed the type of paunch that hung far beyond to loop of his belt.
Şahin knew Leviticus by his real name, Daniel Henshaw, so he had called him Danny Boy from days of old when they corroborated intelligence.
“Well, Danny Boy, you’re looking good.”
Leviticus looked at Şahin’s outstanding paunch. “The same,” he lied. “You have what I requested?”
“I have the Semtex,” he answered, smiling. “And payment has already been made to my account.” They walked to the back of the van. The doors were open. Inside sat four blocks of goods with the standing dimensions of 4’ x 4’. Inside were multiple bricks of Semtex.
“Is that enough?” asked Şahin.
Leviticus nodded. “More than enough,” he said.
“It’s the best stuff that money can buy,” he commented. And then he turned to Leviticus. “May I ask why such a large quantity?”
“Demolition,” was all he said.
“Demolition, Danny Boy? Seriously?”
“Demolition,” he confirmed. “No one will be hurt by this, Mahir Şahin. I promise.”
He nodded. “That’s good.”
“And transportation?”
“Two helicopters,” said Şahin. “These bricks will be loaded within hours. And then from Malatya Central you will be flown to your specific coordinates, which will take an additional six hours.”
Leviticus nodded. “Then I’ll ready up my team,” he said.
“Very good.”
Leviticus clapped the man on the shoulder and left the warehouse to gather his team. By this time tomorrow, he considered, the Semtex will do what it was intended to do, and turn that part of the desert and the structure into a glorified sinkhole.
#
Harika had grown detached, mourning the loss Eser, but Alyssa sat close to provide comfort.
About ten meters away, Butcher Boy, Aussie and Hall huddled together, Hall appearing animated as he flung his arms about in descriptive manner.
Savage came up beside Alyssa, asked if the space beside her was free, and accepted her invitation to sit down. She was still clutching the copies of her father’s journal. “Important?” he asked inquisitively, pointing to her papers.
She shook her head. “Copies from my father’s journal,” she answered.
Savage looked at his surroundings, at the dark shadows. “This isn’t turning out to be what you expected, is it? Probably not what your father expected, either. But I don’t think he would have surrendered any of this under any circumstance.”
She was staring straight ahead. “Finding Eden has always been his dream,” she said distantly. “But as long as I carry these papers, then he’s with me. He’s watching.”
“Watching? I thought scientists based their entire lives on fact rather than spirituality?”
“Not all scientists are atheists, you know. There is factual evidence regarding the life after.”
“Really?”
“On a purely scientific level, think about it. Everything is energy. We are energy. And since energy cannot be created nor destroyed, then it has to go somewhere upon our passing. The only question is: When energy passes, does it bring with it the conscience mind?”
“And what do you think?”
She hesitated. “I know what I’d like to think,” she said. “I’d like to think that there is a ‘somewhere’ else. That maybe my father is standing right beside me and I don’t even know it. I’d also like to think that when my time comes, then I’ll get to see him again. And to see Montario and Noah and all the good people that were in my life.”
“Wow.”
“What?”
“Here I am sitting next to a scientist who believes in something beyond this.” He waved his hand briefly to indicate the temple. “Whereas I’m in the employ of the Vatican and have yet to find my faith.”
“Perhaps you should look deeper,” she said. “Perhaps the man with little faith is blind to the fact he needs to lead by the weight of his conscience, rather than by the weight of the commands given by a chief officer.” She looked at him for the first time. “I saw what you did back there.” Her voice was soft and comforting, a tone that placated. “You led your line forward under impossible conditions.”
He sighed. “I lost Eser.”
“You lost Eser because he panicked. The wall was right behind you and closing. But you kept calm. You kept Hall calm. And because of that you turned a situation in which three people should have been killed into a situation where two people survived. You did well, John Savage.” She looked away. Then softly: “Thank you.”
In the distance, Obsidian Hall remained animated as Aussie and Butcher Boy looked on with indifference. Harika was lost and alone, keeping Alyssa close, and Savage found himself gravitating emotionally towards Alyssa.
She was smart and beautiful and moved with graceful economy. She also had audacity and the courage to speak her mind when the moment called for it, often championing the cause for others.
“Alyssa.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For possessing the stupidity and lack of character for attempting . . .”
“To kill me,” she finished.
He was completely embarrassed. “Yes.” She remained quiet. “I hope you can forgive me,” he said, standing.
“Why?”
He began to walk away. “It would mean a lot to me.”
She watched him leave. Though the man had been sent to assassinate her, she could tell that he was a good man . . . but also a man who was completely lost. Nevertheless, she truly believed that he was slowly finding his way back to the Light.
“I forgive you,” she whispered.
#
The creatures gathered at the entrance their quarry had just entered. The way was now blocked.. They were in blood lust, their acute senses picking up the scent of blood and decimated meat, fresh and tender. They clawed at the wall with their raptor-like talons, scoring it the same way a diamond would scratch the surface of glass.
And then as if of a collective mind, they uniformly became as still as stone statues. Their frills went up like antennae, absorbing the tremors coming their way, the footfalls of something larger, faster and deadlier, something that would feed on their hides when food became scarce.
With a piercing shrill, a lizard cried out in warning, causing the others to scatter like rodents in every possible direction.
The creature was heavy on its feet, the walk of an alpha male. More so, it was the advancement of an alpha predator that would not be denied.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
They were down to five lanterns, the light a very precious source that was quickly losing its value. When there were ten lamps, more light; five lamps, less of a circle of light, the radius shrinking.
In Hall’s little group there were three lamps. One was in the possession of Aussie and the other under the control of Butcher Boy. The light only threw e
nough of a circle to cast no more than a protective shield of five to seven meters. Anything could be waiting in shadow beyond those limits.
“How are we going to get out of here?” asked Hall, whining like a child and gesticulating wildly with his arms. “Everywhere we turn . . . those things, the moving walls and floors . . .”
Aussie thought the man was on the verge of tears. “Grow a pair of balls, mate. That bloody Turk over there showed more grit and tenacity than you did. It’s gonna be a shame when I ‘ave to kill ‘er.”
“We’re almost there,” said Butcher Boy. “If we can make it through the gauntlet back there, then we can make it through anything.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Hall said evenly. “You’ve lost two of your own and we haven’t reached our goal yet.”
Butcher Boy drew in a lungful of air and exhaled through his nostrils. The man was right. They were only on the second level with a ways to go before reaching the next. Worse, they were being pursued by something incredibly dangerous and running low on ammo. “We’ll get there,” he finally said.
Hall‘s only reaction was to nervously rake his fingers through his hair.
Standing, Butcher Boy looked at Aussie who shook his head in disgust of Hall.
“We need to get moving,” Butcher Boy said. “That wall is only a temporary barrier. Sooner or later those things will find another way around.” And then: “Ms. Moore!”
Savage was walking away from her when her name was called. Harika sat close to Alyssa, unmoving, but quiet as always.
“Yes.”
“We need to get going,” he said. “And it appears there’s only one direction to take.”
She looked beyond the circle of light and into the darkness, got to her feet, swept her hands across her bottom, and aided Harika into a stance. “She can’t take point,” Alyssa told him. “She’s in shock.”
“Yeah, well, tell her to get out of shock. She’s taking point,” he returned demandingly.
Their gazes held for a moment, and then Alyssa held the lamp high while walking Harika along with a corralling arm.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“What you told me to do.”
“I said for her to take point. Not you. You’re too much of an asset.”
“She can’t do this on her own. She’s in shock.”
“Fine.” Butcher Boy turned the point of his weapon onto Savage. “All right, Savage, you told me you would do things because you’re a decent person and not a soldier. Well, here’s your chance, hotshot. Get in there and replace Ms. Moore at point.”
Though he didn’t like taking commands from Butcher Boy or from anyone else, he was glad to do it if it would take Alyssa out of harm’s way. After relieving her of the responsibility of watching over Harika, he pulled the senior archeologist close while holding the lantern aloft with his free hand.
“Very nice,” said Butcher Boy. “Now move.”
Savage led the way with quite a distance to go.
#
It was almost ten meters in length, or 33 feet, which, even by the standards of Megalania Prisca, exceeding large.
It had been the king of its domain for fifty years. And when meat became scarce, cannibalism was a way of life, and this alpha predator would seek out its own kind and consume their flesh with relish. Once it had its first feed, it knew it would never go hungry again, since their kind was bountiful within the halls of the temple.
But there was a new scent on the wind, something its receptors picked up, something that was wonderfully delicious and had the coppery scent of warm blood, driving it forward.
Whereas most of its kind on average was marginally larger than half its size, this creature stood alone in its kingdom as its subjects avoided this brutal creature with the highest measure of self-preservation.
This taste in the wind was magnetically different and enticing, a new challenge to take down and devour.
As it made its way to the source, the lizard often stopped in its tracks and sent up its frill like the dish of radar, its receptors picking up signals and then conveying them to the creature’s brain, telling it how to follow through.
Knowing that it had no rival, it moved in the direction of its sonar without caution.
The temple was essentially a puzzle with open slots and recesses to be filled when the temple came alive by the movement of balances and weights. As one passage closed, another would open, thereby providing opportunities to move from one place to another freely.
When the temple walls shifted, a massive doorway opened, which allowed the creature access to new hallways and warrens.
So it hastened its way to meet a new challenge. The footfalls of its nearly two-thousand- pound body shaking the floor as it raced to meet its game.
#
They were moving to the center of the pyramid at a pretty good clip with Savage leading the way. Though they moved in silence, Alyssa was quite aware of her surroundings.
There were markings on the walls, ancient script, barely decipherable, but the general idea was that the temple was more than just a place of worship. It was also a library with the black silica panels serving as the pages of a book marking untold years of history onto mineral walls.
She was entranced as the ‘scientist’ in her lost focus to the dangers that were in pursuit or lying ahead.
“You look enamored,” said Hall.
She refused to dignify him with a response.
After a forty-minute march into the heart of the temple, they came upon what appeared to be a mausoleum entrance, suggestive of a baroque style with flowing designs and decorations. It had sweeping lines with bas-relief carvings surrounding the door. The bull, the lizard, the bear were all in perfect form. Surrounding the mausoleum entrance were several colored gem tiles with each one bearing a unique symbol.
Above the mausoleum door was ancient scripture:
∑ыбарতাসভ্যতার
স্থাপনা সমূহকেФіў,дра цоўলিকাএক টিতালিকাданьнеьайвыдаকটিপ্রাচীনকালেসালের ейшых паэтаў, філёзафаў, палкаводцаў, অবশ্যই вялікіх цহেলেনীয় ароўяк цтва
Alyssa stood looking upward, her mind working.
“Problem, Ms. Moore?” asked Hall.
“You could say that,” she said, pointing at the ancient writing. “It’s another riddle.”
“Can you decipher it?” asked Butcher Boy.
“I’m trying.”
Hall began to meander about looking at the stepping stones that led to the mausoleum entrance. Green for emerald, red for ruby, blue for sapphire—the tiles having unique and archaic designs on them.
“Don’t get too close, mate,” said Aussie. “’Aven’t you learned your bloody lesson from last time?”
Hall held his hands up in surrender and backed away.
“Well,” she finally said. “It’s definitely a riddle.”
“Can you decipher it?”
“Hopefully.” She stepped closer, but sensible enough to stay away from the colored tile. A lantern was raised to read the text. “Upon the thrones of a magnificent kingdom sit the three Kings of Man’s Self: Truth, Lie and Wisdom. The King of Truth always told the truth; the King of Lies always told a lie; the King of Wisdom sometimes told the truth, but sometimes told a lie. However, the three kings look exactly alike, so that no one could determine one from the other. In order to enter the Chamber of the Primaries, the riddle determining the three Kings must be decided by the answers to three questions. When the King sitting upon the throne on the left is asked: “What throne does the middle King sit upon?” He answers ‘I am Truth.’ When the King sitting upon the throne in the middle is asked: “Who are you?” He answers ‘I am Wisdom.’ When the King sitting upon the throne on the right is asked: “Who is the middle King?” He answers ‘I am Lie.’ Should you choose your answer and path wisely, mo
ve forward and the Primaries you shall see.”
“Are you serious?” said Hall. “How are we to figure that out?”
“With patience,” she answered. Truth, Lie and Wisdom, the three components of Man’s Self.
“All right, so what do we know thus far?” she asked in general.
Savage stepped forward, his eyes focused to the writing above the door. “We know the king on the left said that the king in the middle was Truth”
“And that means?” led Hall.
“It means that if the left King said that the middle one is ‘Truth,’ then the left King cannot be ‘Truth’ because there can’t be two ‘Truth’ kings,” said Savage.
“That’s right,” returned Alyssa. “So if that’s true, and if the middle King said that he was ‘Wisdom,’ then he cannot be ‘Truth.’ Therefore, that leaves the right King as ‘Truth.’”
Savage nodded. “And according to the right King, the King of ‘Truth,’ then the middle King is ‘Lie’—”
“So that leaves the left King as ‘Wisdom,’” she interrupted.
“Correct.”
Alyssa made her way to the colored tiles and noted the symbols on them. “So what do we have?” she asked rhetorically. “We have ‘Wisdom’ on the left, ‘Lie ‘in the middle and ‘Truth’ on the right”
She stared at the tiles. There were several on the left, but only one that read: The King of Wisdom.
She stepped on an emerald tile, the green overlay descending about an inch. Nothing else happened beyond that. That’s a good sign, she considered.
Behind her, everyone was holding their collective breath.
In the middle sat several ruby tiles. Only one, however, read: The King of Lies.
She took an immediate sidestep until she stood pat, another good sign when it lowered an inch and nothing happened.
That left the ‘King of Truth’ on one of the sapphire tiles to the right.
Three of the tiles, however, were difficult to interpret.
“Is everything all right, Ms. Moore?” Butcher Boy took a step closer.
