The Last Oracle: A Climate Fiction Thriller (Sam Jardine Crime Thrillers Book 3)

by Christopher Hepworth

  ‘What do you think of my bird?’ Jamal asked.

  ‘She’s a beauty,’ Jack responded, unable to tear his eyes from the bloody scene.

  ‘Did you read the first chapter of the book I gave you yesterday, Jack?’

  Jack blushed. ‘I’m gonna read it next week.’

  ‘But we agreed. I would take you falconing only if you read the first chapter.’

  ‘It were ’ard. I couldn’t understand it.’

  Jamal sighed and rested a hand on Jack’s shoulder. ‘It doesn’t matter. But I’ll tell you what I’ll do. If you read the first five chapters by next week, I will let you keep the hawk.’

  Jack’s eyes lit up at the prospect of owning the beautiful bird that was devouring the rabbit.

  ‘The book is like the bible, but its glory and wisdom will change your life forever. And when you have read it from cover to cover, we will take you on a wonderful holiday to the land of my ancestors. Falconry is a national sport in Egypt and you could become a great champion.’

  CHAPTER 9

  Sam opened his eyes as Sienna finished the story of her abduction. His vivid imagination had taken him deep into the ancient temple and his heart went out to the twelve-year-old girl in her story.

  ‘How did you escape from the temple?’ Sam asked.

  Sienna looked at Sam and sighed. ‘Sam, if you think I needed to escape from the temple, then you have misunderstood the nature of my calling.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Sienna. That was a poor choice of words. I was wondering why you returned to your father.’

  ‘After I was abducted, my mother contacted the police. My story made headlines around the world. News reached my father, who was surprised but delighted to learn he had a daughter. He launched an extensive manhunt but was unable to locate the temple. When I turned twenty-five, I attained the age of enlightenment as an oracle and my duties extended beyond the confines of the Temple of Sekhmet. I often travelled to Sudan and to the source of the Nile in Uganda to monitor the river and invoke the goddess when it was under stress.’

  ‘Did you visit your mother?’

  ‘I went to Luxor twice to check on her in secret.’

  ‘You didn’t speak to her?’ Sam said.

  ‘I knew if I ever made direct contact with her then she would beg me to abandon my duties as an oracle, and I would struggle to resist her pleas.’ Sienna saw the incredulous expression on Sam’s face and leaned over to touch his arm. Her touch sent waves of delicious energy shooting through Sam’s body. ‘Please don’t judge me, Sam. My heart was breaking when I saw my mother from afar, but I was burdened with the responsibility of keeping alive a religion that had existed for over five thousand years. I left her a note saying I was alive and well, but I had accepted my role as the Oracle of Sekhmet and I could not return to her.’

  ‘It’s okay, Sienna. I understand what you must have been through.’ Sam grasped her hand that was resting on his arm and clenched it tight. As he did so, he felt his heart race with desire.

  ‘On the third occasion I returned to Luxor, my mother had a visitor. I knew he was my father, Rex Daingerfield.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I left a note for them to meet me at the Valley of the Kings the next day. It was a joyful reunion, but it rocked my spiritual consciousness to the core. My father tried to persuade me I could do more to help the planet if I had the resources of an international oil company at my disposal than I could as an oracle in a remote temple in Egypt. My mother wanted me to join her in Luxor and return to warm embrace of the Islamic faith.’

  ‘But you chose to follow your father to America?’ Sam inched closer to Sienna so their hips were touching.

  ‘Not immediately. I returned to the temple to think things through. The situation in Egypt had become perilous for people like me when the Muslim Brotherhood swept to power. They were aware of my existence and labelled me a sorceress.’

  ‘That’s terrible. Why didn’t you leave straight away?’ Sam put one arm around her shoulder to comfort her, intoxicated by her exotic perfume, which he assumed to be frankincense.

  ‘I was safe in the temple. It has lain undisturbed for many millennia due to its hidden location deep within a natural rock formation. It also has an aura that dissuades all but the spiritually pure from approaching too close. I had a duty to the few temple devotees who continued to serve the goddess, and I had to make sure the religion could survive my absence.’

  ‘So what made you decide to join your father in America?’

  ‘My father understood my views that the world is at the tipping point to climate catastrophe. He said if I joined him, he would diversify his company into renewable forms of energy.’

  ‘But Rex doesn’t believe in manmade climate change.’

  ‘That’s not true. He just doesn’t believe the tipping point is imminent.’

  ‘You can’t know for sure the world is at that point. It’s only speculation.’

  ‘Sam, as the Oracle of Sekhmet, I have access to some of the oldest climate records known to mankind. The temple was founded by people who were fleeing the drying of the Sahara. Ancient Egyptian civilisations rose and fell based on minor climate fluctuations. They were obsessed with recording every aspect of the weather and the height of the Nile. If you had access to the data in the temple and an oracle’s gift of enlightenment, you would know.’

  ‘Why don’t you hand over the temple’s records to the authorities?’

  Sienna looked horrified. ‘The Oracle is sworn to protect those records. There are those who would destroy them to protect their narrow-minded interests.’

  Sam looked at Sienna and wondered if her childhood abduction had affected her mind. He released her hand, but regretted it as he saw the hurt in her beautiful eyes. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to doubt you.’ He clasped her hand once more. ‘What would you like me to do?’

  ‘It’s okay, Sam. Even my father thinks I’m crazy.’ She managed a weak smile and patted his knee with her free hand.

  ‘Why did you choose me to run your company, Sienna? There are hundreds of people more qualified to run a renewables company than me.’

  ‘Because it’s not just about business success, Sam. One small company will not make a difference. I was looking for someone with a social conscience and the guile to protect the company from the ferocious attacks of vested interests. It will be economists rather than scientists who will save the world from environmental catastrophe.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘The only way to win this battle is to prove there is more money to be made from renewable resources than from fossil fuels. Only then will the world close the coal-fired power stations and abandon their diesel-powered SUVs that are destroying the planet.’

  ‘That seems to make sense,’ Sam agreed.

  ‘But it is not as simple as you might think. There are those who will fight you to the bitter end and there is so little time left.’

  ‘When do you believe this tipping point will come?’

  ‘There are certain things I can do as an oracle to delay the inevitable catastrophe, but if we are lucky, we may have two years.’

  Sam was about to argue, but he felt the passion burn from her eyes. ‘When I agreed to take on the job, your father said that you had other duties. What did he mean?’

  ‘I’m returning to the temple tomorrow.’

  ‘What? You can’t. It’s too dangerous. You said so yourself. You are putting your life at risk for a religion the world abandoned two thousand years ago.’ Sam was shocked at her revelation and felt betrayed. He had developed strong feelings for this strange and exotic woman, and he knew once she returned to the temple he would lose her for good.

  ‘Things are much safer in Egypt now, Sam. I have responsibilities I cannot ignore and I have realised I cannot fit into Western society. I can tell even you have concerns about my state of mind.’

  ‘That’s not true, Sienna. I can’t let you go.’ He gripped her hand ti
ghter. ‘Does your father know you are returning to the temple?’

  ‘We agreed I would stay with him for three years and the time to return has now come.’

  ‘Sienna, I only accepted this role because of you. You can’t walk away from me now.’

  ‘I will be watching over you while you are in Egypt, Sam, but you will have no further contact with me after tonight.’

  Sam looked into Sienna’s eyes and pleaded with her to change her mind. But as he did so, her image receded and he found himself drifting into a state of altered consciousness between sleep and wakefulness. Images of ancient civilisations filled his mind. He saw deserts and monuments, bronzed workers in loin cloths tilling the banks of the mighty River Nile, and ancient priests ministering to their followers. Then all images vanished, and he fell into deep, restful sleep.

  * * *

  Sam woke up in the dead of the night. He was in an unfamiliar bedroom that he assumed was in Sienna’s flat. He looked to his left in the murky half-light and saw his clothes had been folded and placed on a side chair. He turned his head to see if Sienna was lying next to him, but the sheets were crisp and untouched. He decided to find Sienna and confront her about her plans to return to the temple, but he could not move a muscle below his neck. He felt the first stirrings of panic.

  The temperature in the room suddenly dropped and his teeth chattered with the cold. He was lying on top of the bedsheets, naked and vulnerable. A black shadow fell across the bed and Sam became aware of the presence of another being in the room. For a moment, he dared to hope Sienna had come to make love to him in the middle of the night, but the manifestation had a malevolent element to it. He smelled the aroma of damp fur like that of a cat, but he knew the creature was large and powerful as he heard it pad around the room. He felt a fetid breath on his face and twisted his head away from the source, but he was powerless to protect himself. Then the creature was inside him. It scoured his soul looking for evidence of evil intent and delved into his mind, trying to read his thoughts and ascertain his motives. For several terrifying minutes, he succumbed to the creature’s scrutiny, knowing it would kill him without mercy if it found him wanting.

  Then, feeling and movement returned to his limbs and soft, feminine fingers ran down his torso. The room warmed and a delicate fragrance filled the air. The soft touch of gossamer fabrics brushed his skin and moist female lips and tongue pressed against his inner thighs, moving ever closer to his groin. With arousal surging through his body, Sam knew he had the ability to move away, but he was filled with desire unlike any he had ever experienced.

  Sienna? he whispered hoarsely, reaching out with trembling, hopeful hands.

  And then, nothing – except the gentle hum of an air conditioner and the lingering smell of frankincense.

  CHAPTER 10

  Garden City, Cairo

  Sam was running late for his own welcoming party at the Egyptian headquarters of Daingerfield Oil. He hurried along the Nile Cornish in the Garden City district of Cairo. In comparison to the chaotic markets and bustling traffic of the Cairo downtown district, Garden City was an oasis of quiet, twisting, tree-lined streets, beautiful gardens and elegant ornamental palaces. It was also the preferred location for Western embassies and businesses.

  Sam had lingered at the Cairo Museum longer than he realised. An interest in Egyptian history and society had been piqued by his intense but unconsummated relationship with Sienna, who had disappeared from his life like a chimera. He had remained in the London office much longer than he had intended, scrounging sufficient funds to sustain the new solar division for six months. He had also struggled with the Egyptian embassy in London as he battled the bureaucracy needed to set up an Egyptian-based subsidiary of an American fracking company. He had worked many late nights with Martin Kincofu until the appropriate funding, visas and paperwork had come through.

  Sam stopped gazing at the luxurious cruise ships moored along the banks of the Nile and picked up the pace. He had just fifteen minutes to shower and change at the Semiramis Hotel before heading to the reception in the adjoining Daingerfield building. His staff had organised a mini trade show on the ground floor auditorium to showcase the new Sirius Solar Power division. All Egyptian-based employees had been invited to the launch, along with a cohort of local politicians and wealthy Cairenes. Sam had his speech prepared and his staff had encouraged him to take the afternoon off before the grand opening event took place.

  Twenty minutes later, he was striding up the steps of the impressive Cairo offices of Daingerfield Oil.

  ‘Where have you been?’ asked Kincofu, who had been tasked with intercepting Sam at the reception desk. ‘I’ve been trying to get you all afternoon.’

  ‘Sorry, I was distracted at the Tutankhamun exhibition,’ Sam replied.

  ‘They have already started.’

  ‘Is everything ready?’

  ‘Yes, but there’s been a slight change of plan.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Sam felt the first stirrings of panic.

  ‘Colin Jenkins’ full-scale clay model arrived from Munich this afternoon. He’s made it the centrepiece of the trade show.’

  ‘Damn. It wasn’t supposed to arrive until next month and they were going to deliver it to our Luxor factory.’

  ‘It caused an almighty kerfuffle with the Cairo facilities management team. It weighs over two and a half tonnes.’

  ‘Good grief, how did they even get it in here?’

  ‘The facilities staff had to remove and replace several doors. They are threatening to complain to Rex Daingerfield. And then there was a massive row with the German design company, who wouldn’t let anyone go anywhere near the model in case they damaged it.’

  ‘Germans? What on earth are they doing here?’

  ‘They are complaining that no accommodation has been arranged for them. They want to know where they are staying.’

  ‘How many are there?’

  ‘Fourteen.’

  Sam raised his eyes to the heavens. He had planned his limited budget to the last cent. Sirius Solar Power needed to be selling fifty panels a day within six months for the business to become viable.

  ‘Put them in the Semiramis tonight and then they are on the next flight out of here. I’m not paying for them to swan around the pyramids and cruise the Nile for the next two weeks.’

  Kincofu steered Sam towards the auditorium, where a smartly dressed Egyptian handed him a name tag.

  ‘Ah, Mr Jardine. What an honour to meet you,’ he said. ‘If you hurry, you will be in time for the unveiling of the Sirius solar-powered vehicle. We are so proud this beautiful car will be built here in Egypt.’

  ‘What the hell has Jenkins been saying?’ Sam said to Kincofu as they walked into the auditorium.

  ‘He still thinks Rex Daingerfield will fund the Sirius once he sees the full-sized model.’

  ‘Not a chance. The last thing he said to me on the phone before I got on a plane to Cairo was to ditch the car.’

  Sam was struck by the huge turnout. The trade show was supposed to be a low-key event, but there were over three hundred people crammed into the auditorium, including several journalists and cameramen. They were jockeying for position in front of the raised stage upon which Sam’s management team of Bradshaw, Wingfield and Jenkins were standing in front of the shrouded clay model of the Sirius. A young Egyptian woman, elegantly clad in a fitted black dress that set off a string of Kailis pearls, and wearing eye-catching gold Manolos, clutched a corner of the white silk cloth that covered the Sirius. She smiled at the audience as she waited for the music to reach a crescendo. An excited buzz filled the auditorium.

  ‘Shall I tell them to wait for us before they unveil the model?’ Kincofu asked Sam.

  Sam shook his head. It would take them several minutes to work their way through the crowd to the stage.

  ‘Where did you get the young woman from? She’s perfect for the unveiling.’

  Her image was projected onto the auditoriu
m’s large screen. Unusually for an Egyptian she had fair hair and large, light honey-coloured eyes. Her poise was graceful and she radiated energy and good humour.

  ‘That’s Cantara Sharif. I’m surprised you have not met her yet. She’s the country manager of the Egyptian oil business and your new boss while you are based here.’

  Sam studied her more closely and decided he liked her. She had an easy rapport with the crowd and it was clear she did not take herself too seriously. As the music climaxed, Cantara pulled the silk cloth from the clay model. An audible gasp echoed around the room and the crowd broke into spontaneous applause.

  Sam had paid a small fortune to spray-paint the clay model in the most exclusive design studio in Germany and the car gleamed like polished silver. The studio had added real wheels, authentic glass and chrome trim so the model could have graced any showroom in the world. Jenkins had done a stunning job in redesigning the vehicle for the mass market. He had retained the elegant racing lines of the original design, but had toned down its aggressive stance and added practical touches so it would appeal to the car-buying public. But the hint of raw power and exotic beauty remained.

  Cantara dropped the silk cloth and walked to the microphone. The employees applauded once more. Sam could feel the genuine affection the staff held for their general manager.

  ‘Today marks a day when our firm makes the transition from an oil and gas business to a diversified energy company,’ she said. Sam noticed she had a slight Australian accent to her otherwise impeccable English.

  ‘Our founder Rex Daingerfield, who did so much to disrupt the industry twenty years ago, has once again displayed his vision by taking the first step into the renewable energy sector. The clay model you see here is symbolic of the journey our society must take to a sustainable future. Our company is at the forefront of that journey and we are proud Rex Daingerfield has decided to launch his new solar division here in Egypt.’