“How does he think his own people will survive if he destroys the entire infrastructure? Where will they get food? How will they operate machinery or cars without fuel?” Maddie asked.
“That I don’t know,” Erik admitted. “I’d chalk it up to crazy man logic. God will provide and all that jazz.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Erik heard the familiar click of a lighter and a deeply exhaled breath. He assumed Maddie had lit up a cigarette while she pondered a strategy.
“Any ideas, chief?” the paladin asked hopefully.
“No ideas yet, just a promise. If it’s the last thing we do, the Arkana is going to spoil Metcalf’s party plans for Armageddon.”
Chapter 38—Massif Obstacles
Cassie and Griffin crawled into the back seat of the minivan while Daniel claimed the passenger seat up front with Lars. The pythia checked her watch and groaned. It was barely seven in the morning, and already the sun was blazing overhead. She’d had a restless night since it was impossible to sleep in a land where nature refused to catch forty winks. It seemed as if she’d only shut her eyes for five minutes before Lars came knocking at her door chirping about the need for an early start. He rousted out his three charges in a boomingly cheerful voice which brooked no refusal. After they’d collected their wits, gotten dressed, packed their gear, and stumbled to the lobby to meet him, he hustled them into the van which sat idling by the front door. It jolted into motion the second they were all loaded inside.
Lars had thoughtfully placed a basket of food on the back seat since they wouldn’t have time for a proper breakfast in the hotel dining room. Two large thermoses of hot coffee had also been provided. The scrivener immediately poured a cup for Cassie.
She silently mouthed the words “thank you,” not trusting that her vocal cords were functioning yet.
Griffin leaned forward and passed two breakfast sandwiches to Daniel and Lars before helping himself.
“We have a long way to travel today,” Lars cautioned as he steered the vehicle onto the highway leading out of town. “It will take some time to reach the mountain, and we have much to do once we get there.”
Daniel nodded his assent, his mouth full of food.
Griffin handed Cassie a breakfast bun. She, in turn, handed him an empty coffee cup which he promptly refilled.
Their guide switched on the radio and cranked up the volume. It was playing a musical number that fell into the category of polka acid rock if such a thing existed.
The pythia rubbed her forehead. “Lars, could you turn the radio down a little bit? I need more coffee before I can appreciate that sound.”
“Oh, of course.” He lowered the volume by a single decibel.
Cassie gritted her teeth and sank down in the seat. She wrapped her windbreaker collar around her ears, hoping the fabric would muffle the noise.
They journeyed in a westerly direction until the road veered northwest at Lake Akkajaure and hugged the flat terrain along its northern shore. The man-made reservoir was long and narrow, more like a river than a lake. Its opposite shore was bordered by mountains, their peaks rolling off into the distance before disappearing altogether in the mists beyond. Not a single town or sign of human habitation could be seen. Given the remoteness of the region, the two-lane highway on which the minivan drove was in surprisingly good shape.
For the next half hour, the travelers silently ate their breakfasts and sipped coffee. The only sounds consisted of the bizarre musical mash-up emanating from Lars’ favorite radio station and their guide’s periodic requests for a sandwich. Eventually, calories and caffeine rendered them all lively enough to converse.
“So, today our destination is Ahkka Mountain?” Daniel ventured.
Lars thankfully shut off the radio before replying. “It is the holiest of all places to the Lule Saami.”
“You mentioned the Saami at dinner last night,” the scion recalled. “Reindeer herders?”
“Yes. They have been in Scandinavia at least since 6000 BCE. For eight thousand years, they have been tending the animals in this land. The Saami say they do not count the money in their wallets. They count the reindeer in their herds.”
“I bet they do a brisk business with Santa Claus,” Cassie quipped.
Lars darted a glance in the rearview mirror and smiled. “Oh, Lady Pythia! You remind me of a funny story about Santa and his reindeer.”
“You don’t believe they’re real, do you?” Daniel asked cautiously.
This comment made the guide chuckle. “I know they are pretend, but they are also girls.”
“What?” Cassie and Griffin both sat at attention, fully awake now.
“You know how overlords like to think that males are in charge of everything in the world.” Lars glanced around for confirmation.
His passengers slowly nodded their heads, not quite sure where the conversation was going.
“Well, here is the thing about reindeer. The herds are led by the females who have lived the longest. Both males and females have antlers, but they lose them at different times of the year. The males’ horns fall off in the autumn after mating season is over. The females keep theirs until the babies are born in the spring. That means the females are the ones who defend the herd against predators all winter because they still have horns. And the ones with the biggest antlers of all are the oldest females.”
“I see.” Griffin smiled, getting the joke. “Since Santa’s mythical sleigh ride takes place in December, and all of his reindeer have impressive antlers, that must mean—”
Lars cut in. “That all his reindeer are old ladies!”
Cassie found herself grinning despite her sleep deprivation. “Somebody should break the news to Rudolph, or he’ll have a big surprise coming when he grows up.”
They all laughed, taking a few moments to savor the joke.
“Not to change the subject, Lars,” Daniel hinted. “But you were telling us about the Saami?”
“Of course,” their guide agreed affably. “The Saami tribes came from Siberia like all the gatherer-hunters in the northern lands. Their shamans practice many of the same rituals. You can think of them like your Native Americans. The Saami even live in what you call teepees.”
“Do they look like Native Americans?” the scion asked. “I mean Asiatic.”
“No, they are Caucasian—pale skin, light-colored hair, and eyes. But they were treated just as badly as your Indian tribes.”
Griffin picked up the narrative. “When the Battle-Axe Culture first arrived in Scandinavia around 3000 BCE, the glaciers had receded enough to uncover more ground in the polar region. This opened up additional grazing land for reindeer, so the Saami simply moved out of reach of the invaders. The overlords had little use for gatherer-hunters or herders. They were primarily interested in conquering tribes of farmers who could be enslaved to work the land. Consequently, the Saami kept their distance in the northernmost tier of the Norse countries as well as the Kola Peninsula of Russia.”
Lars continued. “The Saami homelands are called Lapland and span all of northern Scandinavia above the Arctic Circle. The overlords carved up that territory anyway and added it to their domains which meant the herders fell under their control. After Christianity arrived in this part of the world, the overlords became eager to make the Saami behave like everybody else. By the 1700s, the herders were forced to convert to the Lutheran religion. The drums of their shamans were seized or destroyed. The people were forbidden to live in their traditional dwellings or keep reindeer herds. They were commanded to send their children to overlord schools and even banned from speaking their native tongues.”
“I seem to recall reading that a few Saami languages are completely extinct and several more are endangered,” Griffin said.
“That is so.” Lars sighed. “The governments are not mistreating the tribes anymore, but nowadays the problem is mining and logging. Often there is a profit to be made from
the lands where the Saami graze their herds.”
“Yeah, we’ve heard that story before,” Cassie noted gloomily. “From all over the planet.”
“I suppose we should be grateful that modern overlords aren’t quite as barbaric as their predecessors.” Griffin’s tone was sarcastic. “Ancient overlords would simply have slaughtered the people and taken their land.”
“There’s no need to resort to violence in this day and age,” Daniel said. “Now interlopers can accomplish the same thing with the stroke of a pen instead of a battle-axe.”
His offhand comment made both Cassie and Griffin glance at one another in surprise. Neither one chose to point out the overlord tendencies of Daniel’s own cult.
Just then, a snow-capped mountain loomed into view on the opposite side of the lake. “What’s that?” Cassie cried abruptly, pointing out the window.
“That is Ahkka Mountain,” Lars informed her. “She is also called the ‘Queen of Lapland.’ The word ‘Ahkka’ means both ‘old woman’ and ‘goddess’ in the Lule Saami language.”
“I suppose that tells me who the supreme deity of the Saami is,” Daniel said.
“Yes,” the guide agreed. “They say Grandmother Ahkka created everything. Of course, there are many other goddesses and gods in Saami belief too.”
“The Saami religion is animistic with a reverence for the spiritual energies of all life,” Griffin said. “In that respect, it’s quite similar to the philosophy of Japanese Shinto.”
“This is impossible!” Daniel broke in.
“What is?” Cassie asked.
“Look at the size of that mountain. It keeps getting bigger the closer we get.”
“Ahkka isn’t a single mountain,” Griffin told him. “I’ve done some additional research and discovered that it’s a massif with twelve peaks and ten glaciers. The range contains the eighth and ninth tallest peaks in Sweden at roughly 6,500 feet. Its highest peak also has the steepest vertical drop. The distance to the lake below is over 5,200 feet.”
Daniel turned around in his seat to stare at the scrivener. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”
“You must not fret, Mister Daniel,” Lars said soothingly. “We will go first to Stortoppen. That is the tallest peak, and there is a special place high up where we may find what you are seeking right away.”
The scion frowned, apparently not convinced that the Queen of Lapland would reveal her secrets quite so easily.
They drove on until the van was directly in line with the mountain. With each succeeding mile, Cassie’s smile broadened.
Griffin noticed her expression. “Are you sensing something?”
“Bigtime. The Minoans were here. I’m sure of it.”
“That’s something, I suppose,” Daniel grumped.
A few minutes later, they arrived in the small village of Ritsem which was little more than a supply station for tourists.
Lars unexpectedly pulled the minivan into a gravel parking space next to the water. “We are here,” he announced happily. “Everybody out.”
They exited the van and stood contemplating their whereabouts with some confusion.
“I thought you said we were going to drive to the mountain,” the scion commented. “It’s across the lake.”
“We cannot drive to Ahkka Mountain,” Lars said. “There are no roads in Stora Sjofallet National Park.”
“What!” Cassie and Daniel both exclaimed in unison.
“Do you expect us to hike?” the pythia asked in disbelief. “It looks like it would take days to reach the top of that mountain from here.”
“Oh, yes,” Lars assented. “It would take days of walking and climbing.”
“Then how are we supposed to get there?” Daniel’s voice held a note of desperation.
Griffin turned the scion around so that he was facing a helicopter sitting on a tiny asphalt pad a short distance up the shore. “I believe Lars intends us to fly.”
Chapter 39—Artifact Retrieval on a Large Scale
Daniel and Cassie gawked at the helicopter positioned a short distance away from their vehicle. Lars had already gone ahead to speak to the pilot.
“Flying to the top of the mountain certainly makes the most sense,” the scion admitted.
The trio unloaded their gear, stocking fresh bottles of water from the picnic basket.
“Lars must spend a lot of time in caves studying rock art.” Cassie held up a flashlight from among several scattered in the cargo area of the minivan. “Do you think we should bring these?”
“If past experience is any indication, I imagine so,” Griffin advised.
The pythia distributed lights to her colleagues.
The scrivener studied the mountain’s snow-capped peaks. “I’d also recommend another layer of clothing. It’s going to be cold up there.”
“After Mount Kailash, this little hill will be a piece of cake,” Cassie countered.
“A frosted piece of cake, nonetheless. Even in mid-summer, the temperature at that altitude will be barely above freezing.” Griffin donned a sweater followed by a lightweight jacket.
The pythia removed a cardigan from her pack and slipped it on underneath her windbreaker.
Daniel swatted at his neck. “I hope the mosquitos won’t be this bad away from the shore.”
“Here’s some bug spray just in case.” The pythia tossed him a small bottle.
After dousing his clothing, Daniel tucked the spray into his own pack.
By this time, Lars came jogging back to join his companions. “The pilot is ready to go when we are.” He quickly loaded his own backpack with necessary items, grabbed an LED camping lantern, and locked the van.
Cassie regarded the chopper quizzically. “Does the pilot just hang around here like an air taxi waiting for fares?”
“Oh, no,” Lars said. “I had to call to make special arrangements. His company has many helicopters that carry hikers and fishermen during the summer season. They land and take off in marked places in the mountains, so people know where to wait. But where we are going...” He faltered, searching for the right idiomatic words. “It is off the beaten path, as you would say.”
They ducked down under the chopper’s blades and climbed into the cabin which was big enough to seat six passengers plus the pilot.
“Everybody, this is Einar.” Lars introduced the pilot who tipped the brim of his cap and smiled.
Cassie and Griffin were experienced helicopter passengers thanks to their Botswana trip, but Daniel needed coaching on the proper use of seatbelts and headsets. Once they’d gotten him squared away, the chopper lifted off.
It rose over the sparkling waters of Akkajaure and crossed the lake, moving in a slow arc toward the southwest. The view ahead consisted of a series of low rounded peaks attesting to the great age of the mountains in the region. Lars told them they were traversing four national parks which adjoined one other. The area was called Laponia—the largest remaining tract of unspoiled nature in all of Europe. In the summer, hikers flocked to the parks to trek the “last wilderness.” In the winter, snow sport enthusiasts hauled their gear to the tops of the mountains in order to ski down the glaciers. There were no roads through the park lands and only a few cabins for shelter. Camping in Laponia was strictly a rustic affair.
As the chopper reached the opposite shore of the lake, Daniel craned his neck to catch a glimpse of something below. “What is that?” he asked.
Cassie looked out the window in time to see a lumpy brown object hurtling through the forest at breakneck speed.
“Is that a bear?” the scion demanded in a shocked tone.
“Oh, yes,” Lars said matter-of-factly. “A brown bear. There are many of them in the parks. We are still flying low, and so maybe we scared it.”
“You didn’t say we’d have to defend ourselves against wild animal attacks,” Daniel accused.
Their guide grinned. “You do not bother them, and t
hey will not bother you. Besides, there are none where we are going today. Too high up. Nothing for them to eat.”
“Except us!” the scion retorted.
“You worry too much, Mister Daniel.” Lars patted him on the shoulder.
The scion crossed him arms and lapsed into a fretful silence.
The terrain changed gradually as they rose to higher elevations. The clumps of trees which had been plentiful along the water’s edge thinned out. Eventually, only a lone sapling here or there clung to the mountain slopes. Lars informed them that birch was the only tree capable of surviving at high altitudes but even these spindly specimens finally gave way to an undergrowth of low-lying shrubs which their guide called “alpine heath.”
The helicopter continued its climb up the face of Ahkka Mountain until they were so high above sea level that nothing would grow at all. The ground was covered by shards of loose rock which would have been a challenge to navigate even for experienced hikers. They could see a dusting of snow on the tallest peaks and on the glaciers which appeared as rivers of ice running down broad ravines.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the pilot lifted the helicopter above the mountain’s crest and kept on going. He didn’t begin to make his descent until they had cleared the peak. Cassie glanced out the window to see a plateau of green heath below them which she assumed would be their makeshift landing pad.
The chopper touched down long enough to allow its passengers to alight. Up the hill from them lay bare rock. Fortunately, this side of Stortoppen rose upward at a gentle incline, unlike the vertical drop on the side facing Lake Akkajaure. As they moved out of range, the helicopter immediately took off again.
“The pilot is coming back for us, isn’t he?” Daniel asked tensely.
“Yes,” Lars assured him. “I told him to return here in two hours. That will give us plenty of time to look at what I brought you to see. It is only a little ways from here. Come.”
Arkana Archaeology Mystery Box Set 2 Page 80
