by S. L. Menear
She smiled, nodded, and placed the emerald-adorned crown on her head. It fit perfectly.
The natives cheered, bowed, and then offered her food and drink.
The chief sized up Lance and me. He said two words I understood: “Alpha mates.”
He ordered the guards to place us in a windowless holding cell that bordered the square. Barbi, Carlene, and Lisa were locked in one beside ours.
Alone in our prison, Lance checked the door lock. “Any chance you can find another way out of here like you did in Petra?”
I glanced around the stone prison cell and saw something move in a dark corner. Edging closer, I realized it was a giant spider. I shrieked and climbed onto Lance.
Not one of my finer moments.
“Sam? What’s wrong?”
I pointed behind me. “Monster spider!”
He peered over my shoulder. “Hey, that’s a Goliath birdeater—world’s largest spider. I saw one on the Discovery Channel.”
“Oh God, is it poisonous?” I had my arms wrapped around Lance’s neck and my legs wrapped around his waist.
“It has inch-long fangs, and its bite hurts like a bastard, but it won’t kill you.”
“Screw that! Kill it before it bites us!” I bit my lip and tightened my hold on him.
“Darlin’, I can’t maneuver with you clinging to me.” He pushed my legs down. “Get behind me and I’ll deal with it.”
I scanned the cell, hoping there was only one enormous spider, and hid behind Lance. He eased toward the giant arachnid, and it froze in place.
He tried to stomp it, but it was a fast bugger. Each time he missed, I screamed like a little girl. Couldn’t help it. The beast was really big—its body was at least a foot long. I mean the thing ate birds! And I hadn’t slept, and my nerves were shot from everything that had happened. Maybe I would’ve handled it better if I’d been rested. Maybe.
Lance finally succeeded in his battle with Goliath and scraped his shoe off on the stone floor. “You can stop screaming. The big bad spider is dead.” He turned and looked at me. “Seriously, are you okay now?”
I eyed the somewhat flattened giant arachnid and sucked in a deep breath. “Sorry, Lance, I feel like such a wimp. I guess all the stress finally got to me, and I’ve never been good around big spiders. Thank you for protecting me.” I hugged him and kissed his cheek.
He gave me a quick squeeze. “Okay, but now I need my captain back because we have much bigger problems to deal with.”
I glanced around. “What do you mean?”
“The serpent must be hungry after it puked out Carlene. And I haven’t seen any animals down here. The natives need to do something to appease it. Face it. We’re destined to be snake food. Better find a way out of here fast.”
Twenty-Two
Special Ops Team
“What the hell’s a dragon current?” Oz asked.
Banger raised his hand. “I can take this one. Dragon currents, also known as ley lines, are rivers of electromagnetic energy that flow through the earth and crisscross the globe. Our Chinese friend here is an expert on them.”
Ross was the highest-ranking man on the makeshift team. All eyes turned to him.
“Right, let’s get to it. Move everything off that spot.” Ross began pulling things out of the pallet and stacking them nearby.
The team joined in and had the pallet’s contents emptied and the wooden crate moved in about thirty minutes.
They stood around the perimeter of a strange circle with crystals embedded in the stone. The smooth floor was recessed about four feet below ground level.
Ross and Derek stared at the site and shook their heads.
“Looks a lot like what we encountered in Petra.” Ross glanced at Dragon Master. “Is this an ancient portal?”
The old man nodded. “Atlantis once ruled the world. They had colonies everywhere.”
“What can you tell us about this site?” Mike asked.
“Atlantean Queen activated crystals that made helicopter crash. Also opened portal. I cannot activate crystals to open it.”
“No problem. That’s what this is for.” Derek held up blocks of C-4 explosives. “We’ll have that portal open in a few minutes.”
“Place the charges in the center so we don’t damage the crystals,” Ross said.
The men worked together and had the device rigged in about fifteen minutes. Ross held the remote detonator and waited until everyone had taken cover behind the ATVs.
“Fire in the hole!” Ross pressed the detonator.
A loud boom echoed off the mesa, followed by a cloud of smoke rising from the explosion site. When the smoke cleared, the team looked into the hole.
“Too dark.” Mike pulled out a magnesium light and shined it into the pit. “Looks like running water. Probably a fast-moving stream.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t end up in one of those waterfalls shooting out the sides of the mesa.” Ross glanced at the elder. “What do you think?”
“Stream is fast pathway to secret place where Queen went with her people. It would not send them over cliff. We need raft.”
Derek glanced at Ross. “We’ve seen this movie before. We didn’t need a raft in Petra.”
“Sam’s people couldn’t have had a raft here, right Mike?” Oz asked.
“Actually, all their airliners carry survival rafts. They inflate into round rafts with sides and roofs—just the right size to fit on that stone circle.” Mike turned and stared at the ATVs. “We can use the inner tubes from the balloon tires. Could be a long water journey—let’s be prepared.”
“I agree,” Ross said. “Let’s get to it.”
The men worked steadily for an hour. They lashed the inner tubes together in a rectangular raft two tubes wide and four tubes long and secured weapons, ammo, rations, and first-aid supplies to it. The final task was a makeshift rope harness to keep them tethered on it.
“The initial drop may be a bit steep,” Ross said. “We’ll position the raft so we can all jump in together as it falls.”
The team placed the raft beside the gaping hole and rechecked everything.
“Fasten your tether straps.” Ross scanned the team. “Ready?”
Everyone nodded.
“Jump!”
A true leader, Ross jumped in at the head of the raft, followed by Derek, Banger, Dragon Master, Oz, and Mike. They wanted the old man in the center where they could protect him.
“Hold tight!” Ross yelled as the white water swept them downward into a pitch-black nightmare. Their waterproof night-vision goggles provided a limited view.
He glanced over his shoulder past Derek. Banger and Oz each had one hand on Dragon Master’s combat vest, holding him on the pitching raft. Their bodies flopped up and down with the rushing water on the steep, curving stream. Mike was half on, half off the raft, clinging to the tether as they raced downward.
After a few minutes on the turbulent stream, they were ejected onto an underground lake. Their momentum carried them across to the opposite shore.
Ross jumped off and began pulling the raft onshore as Derek did the same from the opposite side. Banger and Oz helped Dragon Master out of the raft, and Mike lifted the aft end of the raft onto the beach.
Bioluminescent plants shined brightly through their NV-goggles.
“What the hell is this place?” Derek asked.
“Never heard of plants like these, and look at the lake,” Mike said. “The fish are lit up too.”
Banger lifted a flap on the airliner’s survival raft. “It’s full of luggage and stuff from the airplane, but nobody’s here.”
“Check out that stone city carved inside the mesa. It looks a lot like Petra,” Ross said.
“Holy shit!” Oz said. “Is that what I think it is?” He pointed at a broad track through the sand that looked like it could’ve been made by a giant snake.
“Uh oh, look at all the footprints. Way more people than were on Sam’s flight,” Mike said.
“No telling who those people are. Could be hostiles. Bring all the ammo we can carry.” Ross shoved magazines into his cargo pockets.
“And that snake track is fresh, heading inland over the footprints.” Banger pointed at the city.
“Bugger!” Ross checked his MP7. “Gear up for combat. Best hurry!”
Dragon Master stood calmly beside the snake trail. “No worry. All creatures under Queen’s command.”
Mike rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right, my sister commands giant snakes. Let’s roll.”
Banger elbowed Mike and whispered, “He’s telling the truth. Sam saved my ass from a sea monster that’s way bigger than that snake.”
“Of course, she did.” Mike shook his head. “When will I learn not to be surprised by anything she does?”
The men checked their gear and jogged into the dark city. It wasn’t long before they reached the point on the path where an enormous snakeskin covered the trail.
“Sonofabitch! This has to be over forty feet—which means the snake is even bigger now.” Oz held up a portion of the shed skin.
“We’d best find it before it finds Sam and her people.” Ross rushed up the path.
City Center
Lance’s suggestion about us becoming snake food made me forget about the spider. I searched for a way out. There was a six-inch opening running along the tops of the walls letting in air and light, but it wasn’t wide enough to crawl through.
Lance lifted me up. “See anything out there?”
Before I could answer, natives rushed in and dragged us out. They put us in a viewing box overlooking the altar. It was similar to box seats in a theatre. We were above and to the side of the throne, facing the altar. Guards flanked us. Barbi and Carlene were dragged in and seated in front of us.
I nudged Carlene. “Where’s Lisa?”
She shivered and pointed downward. Guards were shoving Lisa into the altar cage. They barred the door and bound it with twine.
Lance gasped. “Why’d they put Lisa in there?”
“She’s a redhead. They probably assumed the snake doesn’t like blondes since it spit out Carlene. That rules out Barbi and me.”
“I wonder how they signal the snake,” Barbi said.
“Uh oh, it looks like they expect Tiesha to place her hands on the throne’s crystals and make them light up.” I glanced around and spotted a crystal in the rock behind our seats. “If she touches them and they don’t light up, we’re toast.”
Lance leaned into me. “What’s your plan?”
“Distract the guards. I’ll reach back and touch the one behind us at the same instant Tiesha touches the ones on the throne and hope it works.”
“Are you crazy? There’s no telling what will happen!” Lance gripped my shoulders.
“If I do nothing, we’re dead meat. Get ready. She’s about to touch the crystals.”
Lance yelled and pointed at a dark area leading to the square. The guards stepped forward and looked in that direction.
I turned and touched a crystal the moment Tiesha placed her hands on the ones embedded in the throne. I prayed they were all interconnected to the city’s electromagnetic power grid.
Instantly, the center square was bathed in the brilliant light of thousands of crystals throughout the stone city. The inhabitants settled in upper seats behind the throne.
Silence covered the gathering like a shroud. Distant waterfalls provided a soothing backdrop, concealing the approaching horror.
Minutes ticked by in silence.
Loud gasps from the crowd heralded the arrival of the monster.
It slithered up to the cage and sniffed Lisa through the wood bars. It must’ve liked her scent because it reared up above her.
I yelled, “Lisa, sing!” I wasn’t sure I had time to connect telepathically with the snake—or if I ever could.
Her secret-agent nerves of steel kicked in, and the lovely rhythmic tones of her voice singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” reverberated off the stone walls.
The snake swayed back and forth, mesmerized by her song—apparently too mesmerized to hear my commands in its head.
As she sang the lyrics, “and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true,” I struggled to connect with the monster.
Nothing.
What would it do if she reached the end of the song, and I failed to take command?
Tiesha, like most women, was terrified of snakes. At first, she froze in place like she was welded to the throne. Then she looked around at all her frightened subjects, and her sense of regal responsibility took over.
She stood, drew her Glock, took aim, and emptied the entire magazine into the anaconda’s massive head.
Lisa stopped singing.
The monster crumpled into a heap beside the altar.
The square became deathly silent. Would the natives be angry or happy?
Loud cheering filled the square. Guards released Lisa from the altar cage.
The populace surrounded Tiesha’s throne and bowed before her.
“Release my people!” She pointed at us.
Guards led us down to her.
“Lead us up!” Tiesha pointed at the ceiling.
The chief nodded to a guard, and he led us to partially hidden stone steps carved into the rock.
The guard’s wide eyes telegraphed fear as he slowly started up the dark steps with Tiesha and the rest of us following him.
I wanted to believe fate had taken a turn in our favor, but I couldn’t help wondering if something even more terrifying than the giant anaconda might be lurking in the shadows up ahead.
Had the native chief rewarded us or tricked us?
Special Ops Team
Ross led his men down the main path into the city. Normally, he would’ve moved with caution, checking every hiding place for hostiles. He feared time was running out as he rushed forward, doing his best to spot potential enemies lurking in the stone structures.
His team had covered about a mile when they were blinded with bright light shining into their night-vision goggles. They stopped, flipped up their goggles, and crouched behind a stone wall while they waited for their vision to recover.
After several minutes of silence, distant gunfire echoed off the rock walls.
“Rapid fire!” Derek said. “Hard to tell where the shooters are. This place is like an echo chamber.”
“It just stopped,” Mike said. “Couldn’t have been much of a battle.”
“Maybe they shot the damn snake,” Oz said.
“We should be so lucky,” Banger said in his usual sarcastic tone.
“If everyone’s good to go, let’s move.” Ross noted their nods and set off in a jog.
Loud cheering echoed throughout the stone city.
Ross held up a fist, and the team stopped.
“They’re celebrating something. Could be their guard is down. Hurry, but don’t shoot unless fired upon.” Ross rushed forward.
The team moved through the ancient city with efficient speed and stealth, slowing at curves in the path and speeding up where the view was clear. They swept their infrared scopes at surrounding plants and buildings, checking for hidden attackers.
All the while, the cheering grew louder, masking their approach.
Ross signaled a pause at a small rise in the path. He peeked over a low stone wall. “There’s a huge gathering of natives in the center square.” He pulled out his binoculars for a closer look.
“Well, I’ll be damned! Somebody shot the snake.” He pointed at a huge heap of flesh coiled beside what looked like a cage-enclosed altar.
Mike raised his binoculars. “Yep, the snake’s head is full of holes, but there aren’t any spears or knives stuck in it. Must’ve been killed by the gunfire we heard.”
Derek scanned the crowd. “I don’t see any firearms.”
“Where are Sam and her people?” Ross focused his binoculars. “Maybe they’re locked inside one of the stone buildings.”
“Looks l
ike the buggers outnumber us,” Derek said. “But we’ve faced worse. How do you want to handle this?”
Dragon Master stepped forward. “Queen killed snake to win natives’ trust. Do you have photo of her?”
Ross pulled out photos of everyone on LIA flight 515. He shoved the picture of Renaldo into a pant pocket and handed the rest to Dragon Master.
“With your permission, Captain, I will hold Queen’s picture.” He handed Tiesha’s picture to Banger. “Perfect mate for you.” He held out the remaining photos. “Each man should hold one picture.”
Mike took Lance’s picture. “I know him.”
Derek said, “I’ll take the redhead. FYI, she’s undercover for MI6.”
Ross raised a brow at Derek, then took Barbi’s picture, leaving Carlene’s for Oz. He asked the old man, “What’s your plan?”
“Approach leader respectfully, bow in greeting, and show him pictures. Behave as though we come in peace, and he will help us.”
“It’s worth a try, but keep your weapons within easy reach,” Ross said.
“I look harmless,” Dragon Master said. “Allow me to lead.”
Ross waved him forward. “Let’s go. Slow and steady.”
When they stepped into view of the natives, the cheering stopped and the people froze.
“Hold pictures in front of you so they can see them,” the old man instructed.
The team fanned out and waited as the chief approached. He stopped in front of Banger, recognized Tiesha’s picture, and fell to his knees.
“Mighty warrior king…your queen…up.” The chief pointed at distant stone steps.
Twenty-Three
Stairway to Heaven
We struggled up what seemed like endless stone steps carved into the mesa. Steep and slippery with moisture, the steps were dark and curving. A handrail would’ve been nice. Small crystals every hundred feet provided dim light between the long shadows.
Lance stayed behind Carlene. With his strong hands firmly holding her waist, he did his best to help her up.
Everyone gasped for breath after about an hour of climbing.
“How much farther?” Carlene asked. “My dogs are howlin’.”