The Belial Library (The Belial Series)

by R. D. Brady

  The depictions of elephants alone should convince the skeptics of the ancient nature of the artifacts. Elephants had once existed in South America, but the last known elephant-like creature, the cuvieronius, had been extinct since 10,000 BC. The dawn of the last ice age had been the death knell for the entire species. That meant the artifacts in all likelihood dated from before that time period.

  She sighed. If only there’d been enough carbon in the metal to date, all the skeptics could be silenced.

  Laney took a sip of water, glancing around at the rest of the vault, filled to the brim with gold, silver, and other metal artifacts. She scooted a little to her right, allowing her a view of one of her favorite relics: sheets of gold covered in an undecipherable script. Some argued the artifact was final proof that the Incans had indeed had a written language, but others argued the language predated the Incans by hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

  Together, the artifacts, which filled four vaults, were known as the Crespi collection: objects amassed over decades by a Roman Catholic priest in the mountains of Ecuador.

  The collection had been moved to the Central Bank of Ecuador in the early 1980s after a fire had destroyed the original location and over half the treasure. The source of the artifacts remained unknown, but whoever the civilization had been, they’d been advanced. Highly advanced.

  Laney took another sip of water, unable to believe how lucky she was to be part of this project.

  “I see you’re taking a break in your usual spot.” Jen Witt smiled as she walked out of the vault two doors down.

  Laney returned the smile, knowing Jen was the reason that she was here. When they'd met back in graduate school, Laney had been intimidated by her. Standing six feet tall, with a Korean - American heritage, and an athletic build, Jen was stunning. She was also brilliant, compassionate, and committed to unearthing ancient civilizations that pre-dated known history.

  Jen had contacted Laney almost nine months before about joining the expedition to Ecuador. Needing a change and some research for her dissertation, she’d leaped at the opportunity.

  They were dressed almost identically: khaki shorts, tank tops, and hiking boots. In fact, since she'd arrived, that had been the entirety of Laney’s wardrobe.

  But their clothing was the only thing similar about their appearance. Laney was Jen's physical opposite in every way. Standing just under five-foot-four, with skin so pale it was practically translucent, a riot of red hair, and green eyes, she felt extremely average compared to Jen’s more exotic looks. Luckily, Jen seemed completely oblivious to her beauty, so Laney didn't have to hate her.

  Laney gestured at the gold sheets. “You can’t beat this view. I still can’t believe Crespi gathered all of this without any effort. It’s amazing.”

  Jen slid down the tiled wall to sit next to her. “Well, the Shuar’s thought the artifacts were fitting tributes for the priest who helped them. Still, it does boggle the mind.”

  Laney nodded, amazed even more now by the story as she stared at the unbelievable relics in front of her. Father Carlo Crespi had been assigned to Cuenca, Ecuador back in 1923. The indigenous people of the area, particularly the Shuar tribe, grew incredibly fond of him. In return for his kindness, they began bringing him artifacts, although they never revealed the source of their gifts. By the time of his death in 1982, he’d amassed the largest collection of metal artifacts in all of Ecuador.

  But the people who’d provided him with the treasure had never revealed its source. The tales of the unknown source grew, though, especially the tales of the metal library. It was an incredible collection of books alleged to hold the knowledge of the ancients.

  Giggles from down the hall broke into Laney’s thoughts. An eight-year old girl, her dark brown pigtails and the skirt of her pale blue dress flying behind her, sprinted towards them. Hector the bank guard ran behind her, his large stomach and jowls jiggling, his face an unnatural shade of red.

  Elena Nunink glanced over her shoulder with an infectious laugh, keeping just out of the poor man’s reach. She stopped with a giggle next to Laney. “Lunch time?” she asked in flawless Spanish

  Laney laughed, then tried to wipe the smile from her face as Hector reached them.

  With one arm propped against the wall, he struggled to catch his breath. “Last warning, Elena. No running. Next time, I’ll have to ban you from the bank.”

  The grin dropped from the little girl’s face, her dark eyes now serious. She wrapped her arms around his knees. “Oh no, Hector. Please don’t do that.”

  He patted her on the shoulder and winked at Laney. “Just no more running, okay?”

  “Okay. No more running.”

  With a wave at Laney and Jen, he headed slowly back to the stairs. That was probably the most exercise he'd had in years.

  Laney opened her arms to Elena, and she leaped into them. This time, Laney didn’t hold back the laugh. No one had more joy for life than Elena. It was contagious. “So, little queen, what have you been up to today?” Laney asked in Spanish.

  “I helped Nana with her vegetables. She made a basket for you. She said to pick it up when you come to dinner.”

  Elena was in town for a doctor’s visit. Laney and Jen had agreed to bring her back to her village tonight. Elena’s Nana was the unofficial leader of the Shuar tribe. Technically, the Shuar were egalitarian, but Nana, more times than not, spoke on the tribe’s behalf in legal and public matters.

  The Shuar had been around since before the Conquistadors, and, if the rumors were true, even back to the ice age. They had a small village a few miles outside of town. They were reputed to be the people who knew where the Crespi collection originated.

  Laney and Jen had first met Elena and her Nana due to the village’s connection to the Crespi artifacts. But now, there was genuine affection there. Laney still hoped they would help illuminate the origins of the collection, but even if they didn’t, their kindness and joy had been a soothing balm these last few months.

  Laney pushed Elena's bangs out of her eyes. "What does Nana want to speak with us about?"

  Elena's face became serious. "I think Nana's worried."

  Laney exchanged a look with Jen. Kids tended to pick up and share everything. If Elena said her Nana was worried, it was probably true.

  "Do you know why?" Jen asked.

  Elena shook her head. "No. But Manuel came yesterday."

  Elena stopped talking, but Laney knew all about Manuel. Manuel Centros was the tribe’s lawyer. Although the Shuar were a small indigenous group, the modern world was very interested in them. In particular, the oil companies. The tribe had been embattled in legal disputes with one oil company after the next since the 1960s. The land they’d called home for thousands of years was apparently resource-rich.

  Laney gave the little girl a hug. "We'll talk to Nana tonight and see if we can help."

  Elena's smile returned. She switched from Laney's lap to Jen's. “What did you find today?”

  Jen pushed Elena’s bangs back from her forehead. “A picture of a dinosaur. Would you like to see it?”

  Elena bounced in place. “Yes, yes, yes!”

  Laney smiled at Elena’s exuberant response. She’d had pretty much the same reaction when she’d found the gold sheet earlier. Logically, she and Jen knew dinosaurs existed well before the age of man. Yet the sheet depicted what could only be described as an Apatosaurus, a large long necked, herbivore. How on earth had this lost civilization known what they looked like?

  Jen glanced at Laney. “You coming?”

  She shook her head. “’Fraid not. I have a Skype date with my uncle.”

  “Tell him I say hi.” Jen stood with an easy grace and picked up Elena, twirling her around. Their laughter trailed behind them as they disappeared into one of the vaults.

  Laney grabbed her backpack, headed down the hall, and up the stairs. Hector buzzed her out at the top with a smile. Laney noted he didn't get up from his chair and was leaning heavily on his
desk. He really needed to exercise more.

  Walking through the bank, she waved at the two female tellers. She pushed open the heavy door, and the warmth of Ecuador enveloped her.

  When Jen had first mentioned the expedition, Laney had pictured the Amazon rainforest - a hot, steamy jungle. She'd been happy to find that while the rainforest was part of the Ecuadorian ecosystem, it was farther east than Cuenca. Cuenca, located in the shadows of the Andes Mountains, was temperate year-round. The summers never went much hotter than eighty degrees Fahrenheit and the nights were cool. It definitely beat upstate New York’s summer heat.

  And with its beautiful homes with red brick roofs, it was incredibly picturesque. After her last year, she could definitely use picturesque.

  She headed for the stucco fountain across from the bank. The motto of the city was engraved in its base: Primero Díos, Después Vos. First God, Then You. A fitting place to chat with her uncle.

  Setting up her laptop in a shaded spot, she hit the power button. Waiting, she looked over at the snow-topped Andes in the distance. A chill came over her as she remembered the last time she’d been near a mountain range. She’d barely escaped with her life, her uncle as well. If not for Jake, . . .

  She closed her eyes, shutting down that train of thought. For the last three months, he’d been working his way into almost every thought, and each time was a little more painful than the last.

  Her computer beeped, letting her know the connection had gone through. She shook her head, trying to push the emotions away. Her feelings hadn’t changed, and neither had his. Only their geography had.

  “Impossible to deny and impossible to maintain,” she murmured.

  A man with red hair, striking blue eyes, and the white collar of a Roman Catholic priest flashed onto the screen. Father Patrick Delaney smiled, the few wrinkles he had showing at the corners of his eyes. “Hi, sweetheart.” His Scottish brogue sounded more pronounced through the computer.

  Laney smiled, in spite of the pang of homesickness his image elicited. “I’m good. But I miss you. And Kati and Max.” And Jake, a voice whispered in the back of her mind.

  “I just spoke with Kati a few minutes ago." Kati Simmons was Laney’s best friend. She shared a home with her and her son Max. It was hard to be away from them. After a rough childhood, Laney appreciated how important it was to have people you cared about in your life.

  "They’re doing great, but Max keeps asking when you’re coming home.”

  Laney smiled at the mention of her housemate’s son and her heart ached just a little bit more. He was four, and growing up so fast. She hated missing any of that time.

  “He keeps asking me if you’ve found your gold yet. He thinks you’ve become a pirate.”

  She chuckled. She’d told Max she was looking for buried treasure. And in a way, she supposed she was. Cataloguing Crespi’s artifacts was the official explanation she and Jen had put on their grant application, but they were really looking for the source of the artifacts.

  “Well, we did find some incredible artifacts hidden in the back of the vault today. One depicted a dinosaur.”

  Her uncle’s brow furrowed. “A dinosaur? How’s that possible?” Her uncle was an archaeologist for the Church. She knew his brain was already trying to sort out any practical explanation for the unusual find.

  “Maybe its finally proof for the Texas footprints,” she joked.

  While research by alternate archaeologists had convinced Laney that the date for the origins of civilization had been underestimated, she was only willing to move that date back thousands of years, not millions. Early in the twentieth century, rumors began to speculate about the existence of the fossilized footprints of man and dinosaur together along the Paluxy River in Texas. In 1968, researchers began the first of a series of investigations into the authenticity of the tracks.

  By 1982, the argument that the fossils were proof that man and dinosaur had co-existed was debunked. But a few groups, mainly conservative religious groups, continued to argue that man and dinosaur roamed the earth together at some point.

  “Or maybe its proof that some dinosaurs actually survived beyond the 65 million mark,” Patrick mused.

  Now, that argument she wasn’t completely against. Some native groups even reported seeing dinosaur-like creatures in remote areas. “Are you trying to justify Nessie again?”

  “Well, I did race with her when I was younger. Of course, I let her win. She’s an awfully sore loser.”

  Her uncle had raised Laney since she was eight. One of his favorite stories was about how he’d befriended the Loch Ness monster as a child. She’d believed the stories until she was a teenager.

  Laney smiled. “I swear, Uncle Patrick, each day has been one amazing discovery after the next.”

  “Any luck finding the source?”

  “No, not yet. We know the Shuar people are the ones with the most connection to it, but they haven’t shared that information with us. But we’ve been honest about the fact that we’re looking for it.”

  “Was that wise?”

  “If you met them, you’d understand. They’re good people. I have a feeling this source is their most guarded secret. The only way they’ll trust us is if we’re honest with them. And I wouldn’t feel right getting the information any other way.”

  He smiled. “You’re honest to a fault. It’s undeniably one of your best qualities.”

  “Okay, you’re making me sound like a saint.”

  “Well, you're also stubborn, single-minded, forgetful–”

  “Gee, that’s much better.”

  “Just makes you human.”

  His turn of phrase gave her pause. “Speaking of human, any signs of our new friends?”

  Her uncle was overseeing a dig in Montana. Last year, they'd help uncover the site that pre-dated the Fertile Crescent by thousands of years. It held startling information about a group of superhumans, with incredible abilities. The two they’d run into had been hell bent on destroying the world, and one had almost succeeded.

  He shook his head. “Happily, no. Although the site does have some intriguing information to provide. It looks like when they’re born, the Fallen aren’t necessarily aware of who they are. Awareness only dawns later.”

  “Huh,” Laney said, digesting the new information. “That’s interesting.”

  Patrick crooked an eyebrow. “I know that look. What are you thinking?”

  “Well, it opens the door to the possibility that they’re not all evil. It’s the nature versus nurture debate. Hypothetically, one of them could have been born to a good family, raised with morals, a conscience. If that’s the case, they might potentially not be like Gideon or Paul. They could be good.”

  She shook her head. “But that’s only a theory. Who knows? Maybe they’re all born psychopaths.”

  Gideon and Paul had been truly without conscience, and more powerful than anyone had a right to be. She shuddered at the memory. Time for a change in the conversation. “So, tell me about how your research is going. Last time we talked you were preparing to announce some of your findings.”

  He smiled. “We’re already getting pushback from the established groups. History will have to be re-written. I’m looking forward to the coming debates.” He paused. “I hear Jake’s getting back from the Middle East today.”

  “Subtle, Uncle, real subtle.”

  “What? You’re both good people, stubborn, but good.”

  She sighed. “Uncle Patrick, Jake and I are fine. We’re just having some communication difficulties.”

  She kept her tone light. She didn’t want to talk to her uncle about Jake. She and Jake were fine, sort of. They just hadn’t spoken since before she’d come down here. Before she left, he’d been out of the country. Two different continents, different time zones, both enmeshed in work. Trying to cram a relationship into that kind of schedule just didn’t work.

  The last time they’d spoken, they’d agreed to keep their relationship light.
Laney had even suggested they take a small break. She had hoped he would say he didn’t want one. But instead, he agreed it was a good idea. God, that had stung.

  “I don’t think so, Laney. I saw you two together. You don’t throw that kind of thing away. It was just bad timing –”

  Laney cut him off. “And now I’m in South America. So even if I was interested, the timing isn't any better.”

  Patrick sighed. “Fine. I’ll drop it, but I still think you’re being stubborn.”

  “Noted,” Laney replied, irritation slipping into her voice.

  Patrick raised his hands. “Okay, okay. Let’s switch topics before you disown me. Tell me more about the Crespi collection. Is it everything you thought it would be?”

  Laney took a breath, trying to tamp down her annoyance. She rarely got to speak with her uncle these days and she didn’t want to ruin it. Besides, she knew he was just looking out for her.

  With a deep breath, she expelled her resentment. “It’s even more than I thought. Descriptions and pictures simply don’t do it justice. It’s impossible to look at these artifacts and not wonder at the skill of the artists. Even without the source, there’s enough work with what Crespi has collected to keep us busy for a while.”

  Her uncle's face dropped. “A while? Are you going to extend your trip?”

  “No, but I’ll be coming back here sooner than I planned. I thought I might see if Kati and Max want to come. Maybe I can even talk Henry and Danny into coming down. Although we’d have to make sure there was a committed internet connection. Danny would never survive without his computer.”

  Henry Chandler was the CEO of the Chandler Group, an international think tank. Danny was his colleague, although considering Danny was an emancipated thirteen-year-old genius, “unofficial son” might be a better characterization.

  Patrick smiled. “Maybe I could join you guys. The dig here’s going well and I think I could spare the time.”