by David Wood
“Fine, but as soon as they’ve heard my story, I’m coming after you.” Angel slipped out of the car. “Pop the trunk so I can get my share of the climbing gear.”
Dane looked at Bones, who shook his head. Dane hit the auto-lock button, put the car in reverse, and backed out of the space. Angel cursed and punched the driver’s window, though not hard enough to break it; she was a fighter and knew enough to take care of her hands.
“You two better make it back so I can kick your asses!” she shouted as Dane hit the gas and shot down the frozen road.
Chapter 15- Icefall
“I can’t make it.” Jade lay where she had fallen face-down, the warm, salty taste of blood in her mouth and her cheek stinging from its impact with the ice. Issachar had untied her ankles but left her hands tied behind her back. The icefall was difficult enough to traverse without the added handicap. Already they had slid back a dozen times on the glassy surface, and they never knew when the ice would give way beneath them.
“You’ll make it if I have to carry you,” Issachar growled.
She was Issachar’s canary in the coal mine. He made her walk in front so, if the ice gave way, she would be the one to fall. Considering he outweighed her by at least one hundred pounds, she held out hope that they’d cross a place where the ice would support her but not him. Then again, if he fell, she had no doubt he’d take her down with him.
“I need my hands free if I’m going to climb.”
“Not a chance. Now get up.”
“I’m lying face-down on the ice with my hands tied behind my back. How am I supposed to get up?” Fiery pain burst through her skull as Issachar hauled her to her feet by her hair. He pulled out a knife and she wondered if he was going to kill her right then and there but, instead, he sliced her bonds.
“Don’t try anything.” He spun her around and re-tied her hands in front of her. “That’s as good as it’s going to get. Now move it.”
Despite her warm clothing, the icy breeze cut through her and she found herself wishing for a quiet place to curl up and go to sleep. She dismissed the thought as a wish for hypothermia. She didn’t know what sinister plan Issachar had in store, but she was determined to find a way to escape before he put it into effect. To do that, she had to stay awake and alert.
The stone set in the Magi’s crown glowed brighter the higher they ascended. Following the direction the small arrow of light indicated, they found themselves at the base of an overhang. The moment they moved into its shelter, light exploded in the stone, and it shone like a tiny sun, the arrow pointing directly at the rock. Grinning, Issachar took an ice axe off his back and began hacking away at the frozen ground.
Jade wondered if she could get away now while he was down on his knees, focused on his task, but quickly dismissed the idea. He had a gun, a knife, an axe, and two free hands. Maybe she should try anyway. What other chance might she have?
Just then, Issachar broke through the ice, and warm air, at least warmer than the outside air, flowed up from the dark passageway that ran at an angle down into the mountain.
“You first.” He stood, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and pushed her toward the hole.
Dropping down onto her bottom, she slid into the passage and scooted forward until the way leveled out enough that she could get to her feet. Issachar followed behind. He held the skull, gazing down at the compass stone. The light in the stone pointed straight ahead. Issachar gave her a shove and she led the way.
The glow from the stone was sufficient to light their way for a good fifteen paces up ahead, allowing her to avoid several places where the floor had broken through. She glanced down at the blackness and wondered how far a person would fall should they slip.
As he had done on their trek across the ice, Issachar kept a few feet behind her in case she fell through. She considered running away but, assuming he didn’t shoot her immediately, she’d only make it forty feet or so before she’d find herself immersed in total darkness.
They picked their way through the warren of twisting tunnels that split, rejoined, and crossed one another until she was completely befuddled. Had it not been for the compass stone, they would have been lost within minutes. Each time they came to a fork, Issachar would consult the stone and tell her which way to go. They kept going, always another turn, another passageway, and always down.
It went on that way until she found herself wondering if they’d been fooled. What if there was no secret down here? What if they wandered these passageways without ever finding their way out? The thought of dying down here in the dark with no food or water was even more horrifying than her fear of Issachar.
“What do you think you’re going to find down here, anyway?” The darkness had seeped inside her and she longed for the sound of a human voice, even if it was her own... or Issachar’s.
“The treasures of the Magi. One in particular.”
“Gold? Magic dust? Embalming oil? What does the Dominion want with any of that?”
“Idiot! It’s much more than that.” He paused. “The Magi were true Magicians. They had power we can only dream of.”
“Such as?” She actually did want to know what Issachar believed waited for them, but she also wanted to occupy his mind as much as possible. Maybe he would make a mistake.
“The power to bring someone back to life.” His hushed voice rang with reverence and wonder. “How do you think Lazarus was brought back to life? Or Jesus?”
“I thought God did that.”
“It was myrrh. The little bit the Magi left as a gift was enough to resurrect two men, perhaps more! IMagine what I can do when I find their entire store!”
“What you can do?” She frowned. “What about the rest of your Heilig Herrschaft friends?”
“Heilig Herrschaft has its own plan for the myrrh, and it’s an idiotic one. I don’t think it would work for what they want to do and, even if it did, it’s a bad idea. It goes against what the Dominion stands for.”
“You’re nuts.” Jade meant it. She’d expected this mystery to reveal something unusual. She thought the compass stones might point toward a deposit of the stone from which they’d come, or something with at least some foundation in science, but an embalming oil that restored life?
“You had better hope I’m right.”
“What do I care if you’re right or not?” Up ahead, she spotted a sunken place about the width of a man. Cracks ran across it like cobwebs. Could this be her chance? She needed to keep him talking. “Take your oil and bring back whoever you like. Just let me go.”
Issachar laughed. “You still haven’t figured it out? I thought you were smart, Ihara.”
Ten more steps.
“I have to make sure the oil is going to work before I take it back to the Herrschaft.”
Jade missed a step. She turned and gaped at Issachar. He’d taken off his wraparound shades when they descended into the tunnel, and his scarred face was even more ghoulish in the glow of the compass stone.
“Look who finally caught up. I was going to used one of the two Herrschaft idiots, but it will be much more satisfying to choke the life out of you.” He grinned. “Look on the bright side. If it works, you’ll be the first person in two thousand years to be resurrected. Maybe you can start your own religion.” He gave her a shove to get her moving. “Then again, I might just kill you twice. Double your pleasure, double your fun.” He threw back his head and laughed.
Jade stepped as close as she dared to the edge of the depression, and then stepped across without breaking her stride. She closed her eyes and prayed. Please, please, please...
Issachar’s laughter cut off into a yelp of surprise as the limestone beneath his feet shattered.
Jade looked back, expecting to see a gaping hole in the floor, but instead she saw Issachar stuck up to his armpits in the hole. He was frantically trying to push himself up and out, but he was wedged in tight. He bellowed and thrashed about, but lapsed into silence when his movement caused him to sl
ip a centimeter. He looked up at her, his eyes shining in bewilderment.
“Get me out of here.”
Now it was Jade’s turn to laugh. He had dropped the skull when he fell, and she scooped it up– an awkward task with her bound hands. She looked at the tunnel behind him. There was no way she could get past him, and even stuck as he was, he was strong enough to hurt her. She would have to find another way out.
“It’s been fun, Issachar, but I’ve got go. Don’t bother to write.”
“You help me, Ihara!” he cried. “Help me!”
Still too unnerved to laugh, she hurried down the passageway, his cries ringing in her ears.
Chapter 16- Sternspitze
“They were definitely here.” Dane kicked at the chunks of ice that had been cleared away from the tunnel entrance. “Somebody’s hacked this up. You can tell by the marks.” He indicated the cuts in the frozen surface.
“Maybe it was Krampus.” Bones winked. “Relax, Maddock. We’re going to get her back.”
“I’m not tense; I’m focused.” Dane didn’t look at Bones. His friend would see the lie in his eyes. “Let’s move.”
The passageways beneath the Sternspitze icefall were just as Adler has described– a confusing, twisting, turning mess that was sure to baffle even the most skilled spelunker.
“It’s like walking through Swiss cheese,” Bones said, running his hand along the pale limestone walls.
“Well, we are in the Alps, though not in Switzerland.”
They each carried a skull and followed in the direction indicated. The stones had, so far, proved to be excellent compasses.
“Keep an eye out for holes,” Dane said. “This place doesn’t seem very solid.”
“Dude, I’m busy trying not to bash my head on the low ceiling. I can’t win.”
They picked their way through the eerie silence. Bones managed to avoid cracking his head, though he frequently complained about his sore back. Dane suspected the complaints were his friend’s way of keeping Dane’s mind off of Jade. It didn’t work but he appreciated the effort.
“Cover the stones. Quick!” Bones whispered.
The world was doused in black and Dane as Bones put their hands over the glowing compass stones. Dane looked all around, all his senses alive.
“What was it?”
“I saw a flash of light down that side passage. It’s gone now.” Bones exhaled slowly. “Think we should check it out?”
Dane frowned. He was sure Issachar had the other skull, which meant he was probably following its compass stone. He felt their best bet was to follow wherever the stones led. That was where he hoped to find Jade, and the truth behind this mystery. He explained his thinking to Bones, who grimaced.
“But what if they’ve already gotten there and are on their way back out.”
“They’d run into us, wouldn’t they?” Unless they made a wrong turn, he thought. “Fine, let’s check it out.”
They crept into the tunnel, each cupping a hand over their compass stone to permit only a minimum amount of light to come through. They moved forward like shadows, alert for any sound or sight that would alert them that someone– or something– approached.
And then Dane heard it. It was a clicking sound, like a deer skittering across pavement. They froze, dousing their lights. Dane’s heart pounded and he stood, nerves tingling, ready to draw his weapon and start shooting. The noise grew louder and then ceased. He caught a faint whiff of a musky, animal scent, and then the sound faded into the distance.
“What the hell was that?” Bones muttered.
“Maybe Adler really did see something.” Dane set his jaw. Whatever it was hadn’t tried to mess with them. That was a good sign.
“Go a little farther?” Bones asked.
“A little.” Dane glanced down at the compass stone on his skull, which was pointing back the way they had come. “Good thing this isn’t a talking GPS.”
“Make a U-turn now,” Bones mimicked. He looked like he was about to continue, but his features froze.
Footsteps were coming their way and moving fast. They covered their lights and drew their pistols. Up ahead, the bend in the passageway began to glow with a faint light that grew brighter as the sound of someone moving grew louder. Now Dane could hear the person breathing, like a runner at the end of a race. He tensed.
“Make sure Jade’s with him,” he whispered to Bones. If Issachar was alone, they’d have to try to overcome him without killing him– at least until they found out what happened to Jade.
But it was not Issachar.
“Jade!” Dane called out when she turned the corner.
Jade screamed and dropped the skull she was carrying. The bronze crown clanked when it hit the floor. She recovered her wits instantly.
“Maddock?” she breathed.
“And his better-looking amigo.” Bones uncovered his compass stone as Dane rushed forward and clutched Jade in a tight embrace.
“Are you all right?”
“Fine. Just banged up and worn out.” She pressed her cheek to his chest and he stroked her hair.
“Where’s Issachar?”
“He fell into a hole in the floor and got stuck. I took the skull and ran.” Her breath came in gasps. “Had to try and find a new way out. I’ve just been doing the opposite of what the stone told me to do.”
“You’re headed in the right direction, but it’s a long way back,” Bones said.
“I’m just glad you’re all right.” Dane didn’t want to let her go.
“Maddock, there’s a branch of the Dominion in Germany.”
“I know. You can fill me on the way out. Let’s go.” He took her hand and turned to lead her back up the tunnel and was surprised when she held him back.
“Are you kidding me?” She looked from Dane to Bones and Back to Dane, a disgusted look on her face. “I travel across Germany, get kidnapped, all to solve a stupid mystery and you don’t want to see it through to the end?”
“Jade...”
“Don’t ‘Jade’ me. You two are here now. I’m safe. Let’s finish this.”
Dane hesitated. Of course he didn’t want to stop now.
“You do what you want,” Jade said. “Bones and I are going. Come on, Bones.” She brushed past Dane and headed down the tunnel.
“You attract the stubbornest chicks, Maddock.” Bones clapped him on the shoulder. “We might as well go with her.”
Shaking his head, Dane drew his gun and followed Jade.
As they went along, Jade recounted Issachar’s belief that he would find the Magi’s gift of myrrh, and that it could resurrect the dead. Dane remembered what Ulrich had told him about Heilig Herrschaft’s plan, and was about to fill her in when Jade came to a sudden stop. Right in front of her a deep hole barred their way.
“Good catch.” Dane put a protective hand on her arm. “Wouldn’t want to step into that.”
“He was here.” She knelt and shone her light into the hole. “This is where Issachar was stuck. I’m sure of it.”
Dane and Bones added their light to hers. All they could see was darkness.
“Nothing we can do about it now. We’ll just have to keep an eye out.” Dane stood and hoisted Jade to her feet. Now he was even more alert, he took the lead as they moved deeper into the labyrinthine tunnels.
With each step, the compass stones seemed to shine brighter, and the tunnel filled with a bluish-white glow.
“I don’t think it’s the compass stones doing this,” Dane said. The glow was coming from the end of the passageway. They turned the corner and stopped dead in their tracks.
Dane looked at his friends and then at the sight that lay before them.
“I don’t believe it.”
Chapter 17- Beneath the Spike
They stood on a ledge overlooking a yawing cavern so wide they could scarcely see the other side. Floating in midair down below them was a glowing blue-white orb. Its surface pulsed and sparkled, bathing the jagged rocks of the cavern
in a pale glow. The light had an odd quality . Though Dane sensed an intensity to it, he could look on it without so much as squinting. And though the cavern was a comfortable temperature, the thing was obviously not giving off heat.
“What’s keeping it up in the air?” Bones asked.
Dane shook his head. He had never seen anything like it. It seemed to be a self-contained ball of pure energy. “I want to know what fuels it. It can’t just burn perpetually, can it?”
“Guys, look at this.” Jade held up the skull she was carrying. The stone gleamed with a light the exact color and quality of that which burned below. “It’s the same.”
“All along, these compass stones weren’t pointing to a pole.” Bones scrutinized his own Magi skull. “They were pointing to this place.”
“Jade, what’s the German word for light?” The pieces were falling together in Dane’s mind.
“Licht,” she said, mesmerized by the pulsing ball of light.
“Remember what the dying priest said? ‘Ewige l...’ He wasn’t saying ‘eternal life,’ he was saying ‘eternal light.’ He meant this light.”
“Whoa.” Bones took a step back. “Like how we thought the stones were making their own light! If this is a source of perpetual light...” He looked at Dane.
“A limitless supply of clean energy without the need for fuel. Unless we’re way off base.” He took a deep breath, trying to iMagine a nation harnessing such a power. Even if it was not put to any sort of military use, it could give a country’s economy such a boost that it could re-allocate massive resources to its military. It would be a treasure far beyond the rumored gifts of the Magi.
Jade suddenly tugged at Dane’s wrist. “Maddock, you remember the story Adler told about the star the Wise Men followed being hidden underground! Do you,” she swallowed and her voice became very small, “do you think this is the Star of Bethlehem?”