Arkana Archaeology Mystery Box Set 2

by N. S. Wikarski

  “Here, let me help,” Griffin offered.

  They both tried, but the key refused to budge.

  “That’s not good.” Cassie’s tone was ominous. She stepped back and studied the reliquary. Baffled, she informed the diviner, “That should have done it. I don’t know what’s wrong.”

  “I do!” Metcalf roared. “It’s a trap! You’ve tricked us!” He hobbled back to a position of safety between his bodyguards. “Commander Matthew, Mr. Hunt, you both know what to do!”

  The Argus agent threw an arm across Erik’s shoulders and pointed the gun at his temple.

  Hunt removed his Glock pistol and encircled Hannah’s throat.

  Maddie, Zach, and Lars all drew their guns.

  “It’s not a trap!” Cassie countered anxiously. “That should have worked!”

  “Lay down your weapons, all of you!” the diviner ordered. “If you don’t do as I say, both hostages die this instant.”

  “Hannah!” Zach shouted in anguish.

  “Father, you wouldn’t!” the scion pleaded. “She’s your wife.”

  “Yes, she is my wife, and I love her above all womankind. But I would rather see her dead at my feet than in the clutches of these Fallen devils!”

  “Hold on a minute!” Cassie raised her hands in protest. “Everybody just chill! Let me try to read the artifact before you all end up blasting each other to bits!”

  “What is she talking about?” the diviner demanded of Daniel.

  “Cassie has the ability to read ancient relics, Father. They speak to her.”

  “Witchcraft!” the old man hissed. “The work of the devil.”

  “No,” the scion countered. “Her power does not come from the dark one, and it is quite real. I’ve seen the results with my own eyes. Father, please let her discern what she can. I know you don’t want Hannah to die.”

  “I will let this witch try nothing until her people have surrendered their weapons.”

  The five members of the Arkana team traded uncertain glances.

  Cassie sighed in resignation. “Better do what he says. It wouldn’t take a pythia to predict that nobody gets out of here alive if we don’t.”

  Zach dropped his pistol and then rounded on his leader, looking furious enough to throttle her. “Great plan, Maddie!”

  The chatelaine ignored his outburst and laid her handgun on the floor of the cave.

  Cassie and Griffin followed suit.

  “Lars, you too,” Maddie prompted.

  The guide half-heartedly complied.

  “Daniel, search them and collect their guns,” Abraham commanded.

  The scion reluctantly advanced to check the Arkana agents for concealed weapons. Then he deposited their pistols on the ground beside Matthew.

  “What? No bug zapper this time, Miss Cassie?” The cowboy smirked. “Looks like I might stand a fightin’ chance for once.”

  “We’ve done what you want. Now stop threatening the hostages and let Cassie read the artifact,” Maddie insisted.

  The diviner gave a sign for Matthew and Hunt to lower their guns though both men still kept a grip on the captives.

  Hannah was trembling. She appeared ready to faint.

  Maddie stepped forward to body-block Zach who wanted to run to her aid.

  Cassie retrieved the labrys key from the lock. After scanning the faces around her apprehensively, she closed her eyes and pressed the artifact to her forehead.

  Chapter 52—Parting Shots

  The pythia stood transfixed, apparently listening to voices none of the rest of them could hear. Daniel offered a silent prayer for assistance from her unseen guides. Everyone else marked the time in edgy silence.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Cassie opened her eyes. “There was one last riddle to solve. We got the order of the artifacts wrong.” She held the labrys key toward Griffin. “It’s in the gems. Can you see it?”

  The scrivener seemed perplexed but, after studying the relic for a few seconds, he nodded. “Yes, of course. Every other relic we’ve collected used the color of the jewels to help us solve the next puzzle. This one is no different.”

  “In what way?” Metcalf inquired frostily.

  “We forgot to follow the clue on the key itself,” Cassie said.

  “What clue?” Daniel felt lost.

  Griffin transferred his attention from the labrys in Cassie’s hands to the artifacts resting on the reliquary. “It seems that we need to match each relic to its corresponding scale. The top left is topaz—a yellow stone. That must mean the golden bee goes there.”

  The scrivener hastened back to the reliquary and moved the bee to the leftmost scale.

  “The stone below it is an emerald,” Cassie hinted.

  “So, that would mean the next scale holds...” He paused to consider. “The dove with emeralds on its back.” He switched the location of the bird sculpture. Moving to the right, he asked, “Now what?”

  “A sapphire.”

  “That would be the bull with blue stones spangling its neck.” Griffin moved the artifact into its proper place. “By process of elimination, that must mean the ruby-hearted serpent goes on the final scale.” He made the necessary adjustment. “Let’s give the key another try, shall we?”

  Cassie advanced to the middle plate and placed the key in its slot. She easily moved it a quarter turn to the right.

  The diviner watched in greedy anticipation.

  For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, from behind the cave wall came a groan of protest as metal began to grind against metal. Cracks formed in the clay seal beside Cassie’s feet until it shattered completely from the force of an object being thrust outward. The pointed end of a metal trough appeared first. Resting inside was a covered box emerging from three thousand years of darkness.

  The pythia knelt down beside it. “I’m sensing something. I might be able to get a message, but you all need to stand back!”

  Surprisingly, Abraham didn’t object. The pythia’s ability to decipher the key had obviously impressed him. “Hold your positions,” he instructed.

  Cassie removed the lid from the box. Her face was immediately bathed in an unearthly glow. She reached inside and lifted out a cone-shaped object, about a foot high and nine inches wide at the base. Rising, she held the relic aloft. Both her hands and the artifact were suffused with a hazy green nimbus which shot off reflective sparks in the lantern light.

  The pythia’s eyes took on a dazed quality. In a deep voice that sounded nothing like Cassie’s own, she said, “Behold the Sage Stone.”

  The spectators in the cave seemed mesmerized.

  “What is that thing?” Hunt asked guardedly.

  “A meteorite of molten iron,” Cassie replied in a faraway tone, still under the object’s spell. “It fell from the sky at the beginning of time.” Her eyes glazed over completely. “The voice of one called Jedediah Proctor comes to me through this stone.”

  “What?” Metcalf quavered. “The founder of the Blessed Nephilim?”

  Daniel leaned in to explain. “Cassie can hear the voices of the dead as well as read objects. I’ve seen her do this before.”

  “Out with it, girl,” the old man prompted. “Speak forth the message of our beloved forefather.”

  The pythia closed her eyes. “There is a prophecy concerning this relic.”

  Metcalf listed to the side. When Daniel caught him, he could feel his father’s arm tremble.

  Cassie continued. “‘And in the end times shall arise a mighty leader. He shall rule the Blessed Nephilim and set their feet upon the path of righteousness. His name shall be called Abraham for he shall be the father of his people as it was in the beginning. And he shall cleanse the world with pestilence and plague. He shall grind the Fallen to dust beneath his feet. But let him be mindful of the Bones of the Mother. For whosoever shall lay hands on them will claim the Sage Stone and receive the power to change the world forever.’”


  Daniel stared at the diviner. “Father, is this true?”

  “Every word,” the old man gasped, obviously astonished by the revelation.

  The pythia pointed at Metcalf, her eyes open but still unfocused. “diviner, you have been led astray by your ambition.”

  “What?”

  “Take heed. Jedediah Proctor now speaks: ‘I am mightily offended with thee, Abraham Metcalf!’”

  The diviner reeled as if he had been struck. “No, that can’t be. I have done as the angel Phanuel commanded—as the Lord himself commanded.”

  “You are deluded,” the pythia channeled in a merciless voice. “It was Satan who whispered in your ear, tempting you to overreach yourself. As the first prophet of the brotherhood, I received God’s immutable mandate. The Blessed Nephilim were to live in seclusion and never mix with the Fallen. You have led your flock from the path ordained, and it will surely go hard with you on Judgment Day.”

  Abraham struggled to breathe.

  Daniel glanced over his shoulder. All the blood had drained from Matthew’s face. Hannah and Erik both gaped open-mouthed. Even Leroy Hunt seemed befuddled. The Arkana team appeared no less shaken than the rest. Maddie had thrown a protective arm around Zach. Griffin stared at the pythia in dismay. Lars was mumbling an invocation in Swedish.

  The diviner rallied unexpectedly. He pushed Daniel aside and stood alone. “These are lies, witch! All lies. It is my destiny to possess the Sage Stone. Mine alone!”

  Before anyone could react, Metcalf drew a pistol from his pocket and fired twice.

  The spectators, too shocked to move, watched the pythia stagger and clutch her chest.

  “No!” Griffin sprang to catch her before she hit the ground.

  She collapsed against his shoulder, the Sage Stone still gripped in one hand. Her eyes were shut, and she had stopped breathing.

  “Cassie!” The scrivener cried in an agonized voice as he lowered her gently to the earth, searching desperately for any sign of life.

  The diviner raised his gun in the air. “All of you, bear witness! This is the fate that awaits those who would keep me from what is rightfully mine.”

  Abraham stepped forward, intent on wresting the artifact from the pythia’s hand when he froze in his tracks.

  Cassie’s eyes flew open. She sat bolt upright, her lungs expanding to draw in a huge breath of air. Turning toward the scrivener, she registered surprise. “Griffin, I’m alright. I wasn’t hit.”

  He crushed her in an embrace of frantic relief.

  She murmured, “Don’t worry. I really am OK. See, there’s no blood. Just help me up.”

  Mystified but reassured, the scrivener raised her to her feet. “Are you quite sure you can stand?”

  Cassie nodded and motioned him back, swaying unsteadily until she caught her balance. Then she stared down in wonder at the bullet holes in her jacket. “Will you look at that?” Eyeing the diviner, she gave an arch smile. “If the Sage Stone really does belong to anybody, preacher, I’m willing to bet it isn’t you.”

  Abraham recoiled. “This is impossible.”

  “You didn’t let me finish Mr. Proctor’s message,” the pythia said reproachfully. She seemed her usual self as she glared at the old man. “And BTW, rudest way to pull somebody out of a trance ever!”

  “Impossible,” Metcalf said once more, the gun now hanging limply from his fingers.

  “I’m alive because the Sage Stone transferred its power to me. I’m the one who touched it first, just like your prophecy predicted. Just like I was meant to!”

  “The Sage Stone belongs to me!” the diviner thundered.

  “Does it?” the pythia challenged. “Nothing in that prophecy names you as the boss of the artifact. Maybe you need a dictionary to look up the word ‘whosoever.’ The Arkana retrieved the Bones of the Mother and brought them to this cave. We assembled them in the right order and opened the lock. We unearthed the Sage Stone, and I touched it first. Your prophecy has a clear Finder’s Keepers clause.”

  “Boss, I can take care of this little problem for you right quick.” Leroy aimed his gun at Cassie. “In fact, I’d consider it a courtesy if you let me. No charge. This hit’s on the house.”

  Metcalf seemed to waver on the point of consent.

  “Father, you can’t!” Daniel entreated.

  “If you let him shoot me, you’ll never hear the rest of Proctor’s message,” Cassie warned. “And it would be the biggest mistake of your life not to hear it. Eternity in hell is a long time to mull over shoulda, woulda, coulda.”

  “Stand down, Mr. Hunt!” The diviner told him sternly. “Let the witch speak.”

  “Gal, I’ll give you this much. You got grit. If I had my druthers, wouldn’t be nothin’ left of you but a bitty pile of grit.” Leroy shook his head in disbelief and lowered his gun. “Go on and speak your piece.”

  The pythia focused on the diviner. “Because you cut my connection to the guy in the sky, I’ll have to paraphrase the rest of what he wanted you to know. For starters, prophecies are tricky. They’re a minefield of double meanings. Yours predicted a war against the Fallen, but it never guaranteed you a victory. Just the opposite, in fact. On the night you ordered the granite key stolen and got my sister killed, you set your own doom in motion. Those crimes pulled me into the Arkana and pulled the Arkana into your quest. We never would have known about your secret plan otherwise. Ironic, isn’t it? You made us believe the Sage Stone was real and pointed us at the one object that could defeat you. Right here! Right now!”

  Cassie gripped the Sage Stone with both hands and crushed it between her palms. The surface of the baetyl crumbled and trickled through the pythia’s fingers. Its sparkling green glow dimmed and died out completely. All that remained was the black slab at its core. She held it up.

  “See? Now it’s just an ordinary rock. The Sage Stone was never fated to help you win your war. It was fated to stop you dead in your tracks.”

  Abraham stared stupidly at the mound of sand on the cavern floor. He seemed incapable of comprehending what had just happened.

  “Jedediah Proctor wants you to go home, diviner. Destroy your weapons,” the pythia instructed. “Pray for forgiveness before it really is too late. This is your last warning.”

  “None of this is real.” Abraham shook his head in fearful denial. “It can’t be. Annabeth is playing tricks on me again.” His shoulders sagged. “She torments me from the shadows when I am weakest. For all I know, she has assumed the guise of this seer to sow doubt in my mind.” Panic-stricken, he searched the faces around him. “How can I even trust my own senses? Are any of you really here?” In that moment, the overbearing prophet of the Blessed Nephilim dwindled into a muddled old man. He bowed his head in an attitude of defeat and the Arkana team relaxed by a hairsbreadth.

  A split second later, Abraham raised his arm and shouted, “No more, Annabeth! I will silence your lying tongue once and for all!” He fired his gun at the pythia again.

  Quicker than thought, Cassie raised the stone shard to protect her face. The bullet ricocheted off the iron meteorite and reversed direction.

  No one registered what had happened until they all saw Abraham Metcalf reel backwards and fall. A small red dot directly between his eyes showed where the bullet had entered his brain and ended his life.

  “Father,” Daniel dropped to his knees, checking feverishly for a pulse. In a stunned voice, he announced, “He’s dead. The diviner is dead.”

  “Aw, hell no!” Leroy Hunt bellowed in outrage. “I am done with y’all!” He raised his pistol and fired across the cavern in a wide arc.

  Daniel watched the scene unfolding around him in numb horror. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion and all of it at once. As bullets whizzed over the scion’s head, Cassie twisted sidewise—struck twice in the ribs. Griffin lunged to pull her down out of the line of fire, a shot hitting him in the arm as he did so. A barrage of projectiles explo
ded against the reliquary wall, the sound reverberating in the enclosed space like a jack hammer. Lars charged at Leroy and tackled him. Now released from Hunt’s grasp, Hannah sank down, covering her head. Zach ran to protect her.

  The entire cavern began to shudder. Deep cracks sprouted from the ceiling, shaking down debris on the combatants. Maddie grabbed the Gladstone bag and dashed to the reliquary. She scooped up the original artifacts and threw them inside along with the rest, dodging falling rock as she went.

  Matthew wavered, not knowing whether to assist Hunt or subdue him. Taking advantage of his hesitation, Erik elbowed the Argus agent in the face and grabbed his weapon. Matthew escaped through the tunnel, presumably to summon reinforcements.

  Erik rushed to aid Lars who was still wrestling Hunt for control of his gun. The cowboy managed to squeeze the trigger one last time just as Lars forced the barrel upward. A short round of three bullets burst from the chamber, exploding through Leroy’s jaw and shattering his skull.

  “We have to clear out of here,” Maddie commanded as more rocks pelted down from the ceiling. “And I mean now!”

  Zach pulled Hannah to her feet and out the tunnel. Cassie helped Griffin cross the chamber. His sleeve was soaked in blood, but the pythia seemed miraculously unharmed. She handed the scrivener off to Lars and Erik who hastily dragged him through the exit.

  Cassie crouched beside Daniel. She shook him by the shoulder. “You have to hurry before it’s too late.”

  “In a minute,” he said in a vacant tone. “You go on ahead.”

  “No more than a minute.” She kicked a spare flashlight toward him before darting through the passage to join the others.

  The scion glanced at Abraham’s face—the eyes staring up at him in dull surprise. Daniel closed them. “Goodbye, Father,” he whispered. A large rock fell from the ceiling, missing his shoulder by inches. Daniel shook himself out of his stupor and fled for safety.

  He had no sooner exited the cavern than he heard an enormous crash behind him signaling the collapse of the reliquary chamber. Another loud crack overhead portended that the roof of the tunnel was splitting as well. The scion kept running and squeezed through the gap in the mountain just as the corridor behind him buckled entirely, blowing particles of dust and rock fragments out into the open air. He doubled over and coughed in an effort to clear his lungs, realizing that his skin and hair were caked with dust. Once he straightened up and rubbed the dirt out of his eyes, he saw Matthew and his guards pointing their weapons at the Arkana group. The two Arkana sentries were aiming their rifles at the Nephilim.