“Griffin, snap out of it.” The pythia shook him lightly by the shoulders. “You need to calm down. I haven’t seen you this jumpy since the vault cafeteria installed that free espresso machine.”
He took another deep breath in an effort to quiet his nerves and tried again. “During our various field missions, we’ve become close, haven’t we?”
“Of course.”
“I flatter myself in believing that you and I have forged a special bond.”
“I’d be lost without you,” she confessed simply.
“And I, without you. “He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Yes, well, that being the case, I thought I should... um... that is...” He exhaled in exasperation.
“Why don’t I stop you right there.” Cassie placed a cautionary finger on his lips. “Are you trying to tell me you love me?”
“Yes, thank you!” He beamed with obvious relief. “You’ve hit upon the very conversational precipice I was inching towards.”
Cassie laughed. “That’s not news. I care about you too.”
“You do?” He searched her face eagerly.
“Absolutely.” She gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. “Everybody at the Arkana matters to me—Faye and Maddie and Zach and Hannah and maybe even Erik, a little. But you most of all.”
Griffin sighed. “No, love. You don’t understand.”
She blinked at his choice of words.
“What I’m trying to say is that I’m in—”
“Hey, stop dragging your feet!” Maddie’s voice bellowed from the porch. “We’re all waiting for you!” She gave the door several thumps with her fist for emphasis.
“On our way,” the pythia called out. Turning to Griffin, she said, “Hold onto that thought, whatever it is. We’ll have plenty of time to talk when we get back home.”
She clutched her abdomen in alarm. “Oh, wow. My stomach is doing flip-flops. Who knew I’d get butterflies just because death is staring me in the face.” She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. “For luck,” she whispered before jumping up and running to the door.
“Right! Brilliant! All the time in the world to get our relationship sorted out,” the scrivener remarked bleakly as he followed her to the waiting helicopter. “Assuming this isn’t our last day on earth.”
Chapter 51—Lives in the Balance
The Arkana helicopter touched down on the heath plateau below the cave entrance. Cassie saw Lars emerge from his tent and shield his eyes as he observed their approach. He’d been camped on the mountainside for two weeks now, keeping constant vigil over the Sage Stone’s hiding place.
Once they’d all disembarked, the guide headed straight for Maddie with outstretched arms. “Greetings, Madame chatelaine!”
Cassie and Griffin exchanged a knowing glance, expecting Maddie to quash his enthusiastic welcome. Much to their surprise, she allowed the hug and gave him a hearty back slap in return.
Lars settled for an all-inclusive wave to acknowledge the rest of the party.
“Any trouble during your watch?” the chatelaine inquired.
“No trouble. Not even a lost hiker. Everything has been very quiet.”
The group gathered beside the diamond-shaped seide to wait for their adversaries. They were all armed with pistols just in case matters took a bad turn. Cassie mentally assessed their odds of survival in a firefight. Maddie and Griffin were poor shots. She and Zach were better than average. Lars was the wild card in the deck.
She walked up to the guide and asked, “Can we talk for a minute?”
He nodded, his curiosity piqued.
She drew him aside and smiled tentatively. “Lars, I wanted to make sure you understand just how dangerous this mission is. It’s one thing to ask you to stand guard over a site. It’s something completely different to ask you to risk your life against bad guys with real guns. I mean, you might not be as experienced with firearms as we are. We’ll totally understand if you want to take a pass.”
“Lady Pythia, walk with me,” the giant suggested cryptically.
“Um, sure.” Cassie darted him an uncertain glance.
They moved down the slope about a quarter mile away from the others.
“Do you see that large stone?” Lars pointed to a boulder protruding from the earth fifty feet away from them.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Wait here.” The guide strode down to the boulder and picked up a small rock lying nearby. He balanced it on top of the boulder and returned to where Cassie stood.
Next, he withdrew a pistol from a belt holster and took aim. Firing without hesitation, he sent the small rock flying off into space.
“I had no idea you could shoot like that!” Cassie exclaimed.
Lars chuckled. “I am often alone in the mountains, and sometimes curious bears like to visit.”
“So, you kill them?”
“Oh, no. Never!” His face grew owlish with concern. “I fire over their heads to make them go away. I learned to shoot well so I could avoid hitting what I do not want to hit. You understand?”
“I get it.” Cassie chuckled. “Good to have you on the team.”
They ambled back up the hill to join the others.
“What was that all about?” Maddie asked.
“Lars was just demonstrating how not to shoot a bear,” Cassie said.
Before anyone could pose a follow-up question, the sound of an engine cut through the air. They all looked skyward to see a second helicopter nearing the plateau.
Maddie took that moment to light up her fifth cigarette of the hour. “If I don’t make it through today, at least nobody will be able to say that smoking killed me.”
***
Daniel peered out the window as the Nephilim aircraft prepared to land. The Arkana party was assembled near the cave entrance. He recognized Cassie, Griffin, and Lars. The tall, dark-skinned woman with burgundy hair was unknown to him. She was accompanied by a teenage boy. The scion assumed this must be Hannah’s sweetheart Zach. Two armed sentries with automatic rifles stood grimly behind the rest of the group.
As the helicopter touched ground with a slight bump, Hannah recoiled in alarm.
“Everything is going to be fine,” Daniel assured her with more confidence than he felt.
She stared at him bleakly, still pretending to be mute.
His father scowled at them both. During their days of travel, the diviner had repeatedly exhorted his wife to have courage. He assured her he would never turn her over to the Fallen. This assertion made Daniel uneasy. It implied his father didn’t intend to honor the bargain he’d struck with the Arkana. The scion impatiently dismissed his paranoid forebodings and reminded himself to focus on matters at hand.
Father Abraham rose tremulously to his feet. The two Argus guards sprang up to help the diviner disembark.
Before exiting, Abraham turned to Daniel. “You will carry the artifacts for me.”
His son nodded.
Once the initial group had descended, Hannah followed meekly. Daniel glanced out the window in time to notice Zach lunge forward at the sight of the girl. The tall woman grabbed the boy by the collar and pulled him back. She muttered something in his ear, probably a warning. The boy shrugged off the restraint and scowled resentfully but otherwise held his peace. The scion relaxed slightly. Any overt display of affection between Hannah and Zach might provoke a jealous reaction from his father. The last thing this already combustible situation needed was more fuel added to the fire.
Matthew rose next and removed a gun from his holster. He motioned Erik to precede him but jammed his weapon against the hostage’s back as a deterrent to escape. Leroy Hunt trailed them, keeping a protective hand clamped over the crown of his hat. Last to exit the craft was Daniel. He picked up his father’s Gladstone bag and drew in a deep breath, bracing himself for whatever new disaster this confrontation would inevitably bring.
Once the scion was out of the aircraft,
the diviner signaled his faction to advance up the hillside. The two guards propped Abraham up on either side, helping him over the rock-strewn incline. They had to lift him entirely off his feet in more than one spot to do so. The Nephilim group came to a halt a few feet from where the Arkana team waited.
“Ain’t this a nice get-together?” Hunt commented. “Everybody who’s anybody all in the same place at the same time.”
The diviner swept a withering glance over his adversaries. “So, this is what your leader sends to confront me—females and children. If he expects me to negotiate more gently as a result, he is mistaken.” He disdainfully eyed the tall figure standing above him on the slope. “And who might you be, woman?”
“Your worst nightmare if you don’t dial down the uppity, pops.” She flicked a half-smoked cigarette into the dirt and ground it out beneath the toe of her boot. “My name is Maddie. I’m the chatelaine of the Arkana. That’s a fancy way of saying I’m in charge.”
“You’re Mr. Big?” Leroy’s voice registered a mixture of amazement and outrage.
Daniel stifled a smile at Hunt’s reaction.
“If you mean am I the person who sent you on a grand tour of America, the answer is yes.”
“You’re the leader of this organization?” Abraham seemed nonplussed by the concept.
“Second-in-command,” she demurred. “You put our leader in a coma.”
“Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!” Hunt exclaimed. “That feeble ole granny who was keepin’ tabs on Sister Hannah?”
“Word up, cowboy!” Zach stepped forward indignantly. “If that feeble old granny was awake right now, she’d kick your buttered butt with her brains!”
Hunt screwed up his face, apparently picturing the bizarre image Zach’s words had conjured. “I tell you what, young ‘un.” He chuckled mordantly. “That’s one freak show attraction I’d pay good money to see.”
The tyro winced. Stepping back, he confided to Cassie, “That sounded way different in my head.”
“Maybe you should leave the trash-talk to the professionals,” she advised.
The diviner chose to ignore the interchange and focused his attention on the chatelaine instead. “Are you saying that the gang of thieves which has repeatedly meddled in my affairs is run by an old woman?”
“Surprising what an unshackled pair of X-chromosomes can do, isn’t it?” Maddie rejoined.
“Chief, are you gonna stand here all day trading insults with these guys or what?” Erik broke in. “I’d like to shake my new BFF. His gun is digging into my back.”
The chatelaine smiled warmly at her protégé. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. Did they treat you alright?”
“Well enough.” The hostage shrugged. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I gotta agree with Blondie here,” Hunt chimed in. “We’re burnin’ daylight.”
“Would you stop calling me ‘Blondie’ already?” Erik growled.
Lars spoke up of the first time. “The relic is inside the cave. We moved stones in front to keep people out. The entrance must be cleared before we can go inside.”
“You men, help him,” Metcalf ordered.
His guards moved forward along with the Arkana sentries. Cassie, Griffin, Zach, and Daniel pitched in as well.
It took less than ten minutes to remove the pile of debris.
“Pulling those rocks down was a lot less work than stacking them up,” Cassie said.
Lars retrieved his LED lantern. “We will need more than one light,” he suggested.
“We’ve got some in the chopper,” Zach offered. He turned to give Hannah a hopeful smile before loping off to gather the equipment.
“I want you men to stay out here,” the diviner told his guards.
The two Argus agents saluted and took up positions beside the seide stone.
“Commander Matthew, you will accompany us inside and guard the hostage.”
“Yes, sir.” Matthew pressed his gun more firmly against Erik’s back.
Maddie turned to her security detail. “You two, keep an eye on those guys.”
The Arkana sentries walked over to stand beside the gap in the mountain, their faces impassive.
Zach returned with two more camping lanterns and several flashlights.
Once the gear had been distributed, Lars led the expedition inside.
Daniel assisted his father through the winding passageway which overtaxed the diviner’s limited strength. The old man leaned heavily on his son’s arm, pausing every twenty paces to catch his breath.
After they’d all assembled inside the main chamber, Lars set his lantern down beside the tunnel entrance. He placed the other two lanterns at either end of the reliquary. Daniel scanned the cavern with relief. Nothing had been touched since their last visit.
Matthew maneuvered Erik to one side of the tunnel entrance. Hunt moved to the other side, presumably to block any escape attempt, all the while keeping a grip on Hannah’s shoulder. Zach and Maddie claimed a spot along the side wall about ten feet past Erik. Griffin and Cassie took up positions in front of the reliquary. Lars settled himself next to Hunt, folded his arms, and kept a watchful eye over the two men with drawn guns.
“It’s all yours.” Maddie invited the diviner to step forward.
Aided by Daniel, Abraham hobbled up to study the scale arrangement with an exultant gleam in his eye. “After all this time, my prayers have been answered,” he confided to his son. “This is surely a sign of the Lord’s favor—a promise that He shall raise me up in glory above the very angels themselves.”
The scion opened the Gladstone bag. “The Sage Stone is concealed in a secret compartment at the base of this wall, Father. In order to release it, these artifacts must be placed on the scales.”
“I will be the one to do that!” Abraham shoved his son aside. “Hand me the relics.”
The diviner dragged himself to the scale on the far left. Daniel offered him the lapis dove. The old man promptly placed it on the scale. He then shuffled a few feet to the right. On the second scale, he placed the golden bee.
As he moved toward the middle scale, Daniel forestalled him. “Not that one, Father. It’s for the key.”
“Very well.” Metcalf moved farther to the right and deposited the serpent statue on the next scale. On the final scale, he laid the bull’s head. Then he turned to Daniel. “Now what?”
“Now you need this.” Cassie handed the labrys artifact to the diviner who inspected it closely.
“You place the key into the slot in the middle dish,” the scion prompted.
Abraham retraced his steps to the center of the reliquary. He threaded the base of the statue into the slot and pushed downward.
“Now turn it,” Daniel instructed.
The old man tried, scowling after repeated attempts. “I can’t.”
Daniel stepped forward to help him. They both struggled with the lock for a few seconds to no avail. The scion turned to Cassie in panicky appeal. “It won’t move.”
“Hmmm.” A mysterious smile formed on her lips. “That’s too bad.”
“Gal, what are you playin’ at?” Hunt challenged.
“We weren’t sure your artifacts would work to release the lock.” Cassie eyed the scrivener. “Do you want to do the honors?”
“Gladly.” Griffin knelt on the ground and removed his backpack. Then he withdrew four items which made the Nephilim gasp.
“In all likelihood, your artifacts didn’t release the lock because their weight is off by a fraction,” he explained. “The reason their weight is wrong is because you don’t possess the original Bones of the Mother. We’ve had them all along.”
Several seconds of shocked silence followed this disturbing announcement. The diviner peered at the collection in disbelief.
“But how...” Daniel trailed off.
“We got to all the sites before you did,” Cassie informed him. “We substituted co
pies so you’d think you had the real ones. It was supposed to keep you off our trail while we searched for the Sage Stone.” She gave a short bark of a laugh. “So much for that plan.”
Hunt appeared just as stupefied as the rest. “Then you’re sayin’ all the preacher’s fancy doodads ain’t worth spit?”
“They’re not worthless,” the pythia corrected. “They’re still real gold and real gems—just not real old.”
A slow grin spread across the cowboy’s face. “Then they gotta fetch as much in cash money as the ones you snagged.”
“Yup,” the pythia agreed. “But only one set is the exact weight to trigger the release of the Sage Stone.”
“You lied to me,” the scion broke in plaintively. “I worked side by side with you, and you lied to me.”
“Daniel, try to understand.” Cassie’s voice was filled with regret. “We couldn’t risk it.”
“Your loyalties always seemed open to question,” Griffin hastened to add.
“His loyalties are right where they belong,” Abraham asserted. “With the father who gave him life and to whom he owes absolute obedience. Me!”
Daniel stared at the pythia with reproach. “You said you were my friend.”
“I am your friend,” Cassie declared fiercely.
The scion shrank back into the shadows, refusing to meet her gaze.
“Get on with it!” the diviner demanded.
“Yes, of course,” Griffin agreed. “If you wouldn’t mind stepping back.”
Abraham grudgingly yielded a few feet.
The scrivener stood up and carried the real artifacts to the reliquary. He removed the forgeries and tucked them back inside the Gladstone bag. Once he’d placed the genuine relics on the scales, he signaled Cassie. “Now, if you please.”
The pythia returned to the middle scale where the labrys key was still embedded in the lock. She struggled to turn it.
Arkana Archaeology Mystery Box Set 2 Page 87
