The Mahogany Ship (Sam Reilly Book 2)

by Christopher Cartwright

  Back at the Mahogany Cavern, a wireless receiver waited for the information. It might take days, but he would have his answers.

  Sam reached the entrance to the mine shaft by the early afternoon, landing right next to their sleeping tents. He switched off the mains, letting the rotary blades settle, and then stepped out of the helicopter.

  Frank walked towards him, and asked, “How did you go?”

  “Good,” Sam said as he grinned like the owner of a winning hand at cards. “And, I’m pretty certain I know where we’re going to find the Mahogany Ship.”

  *

  “What’s taking so long, Frank?” The pitch of his voice betrayed Rodriguez’s impatience. “This was supposed to be over two weeks ago – we have a timeline to keep!”

  “There’s a lot of tunnels to explore, it’s going to take time, sir.”

  “Yes, but couldn’t you give him a hint?”

  “And risk him catching on? No way – he’s a bright man. He could ruin this whole thing if we try and rush him.” Frank coughed. Years of smoking left him with a perpetual chest infection. “He thinks he knows where she is.”

  “Really, and is he right?”

  “Yes, but it beats the hell out of me how he came up with it, after spending the day in the air, sightseeing in a helicopter.”

  “Did he now? That’s interesting. Keep me informed.”

  “I will Mr. Rodriguez.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Billie looked at the collection of images on her second laptop, unable to find exactly what she was after, swiped the screen to the left and began her search again. By the eighth one of these, she heard Tom’s annoyingly cheerful voice.

  “You seemed pissed off about something,” he said.

  “No, just unable to find what I’m looking for. For the most part, this tomb is precisely how I’d imagine it. But then, when I look closely, I discovered that something’s wrong.”

  “Like the presence of the Master Builders?”

  “Yes, but it’s more than that,” Billie said, enlarging an image of the room, taken from the floor. “Look at the picture. What do you see?”

  Tom laughed, “I’m a helicopter pilot by trade, and an expert cave diver, but art was never one of my specialties.”

  “That’s fine. All the more this will make sense to you. So, what do you see?”

  “I see a turtle floating in an ocean, surrounded by thousands of stars, and a giant tree strangling the entire universe.”

  It was Billie’s turn to laugh. “All right, an interesting interpretation. I see what you mean about art not being your strong point. All the same, you spotted what basically appears to be a number of Mayan depictions.”

  “Really. Were they on drugs at the time?”

  “No. The Mayan people pictured a universe consisting of heavens above and underworlds below, with the human world sandwiched between.” Billie enlarged a simplified diagram of the Mayan world. “The heavens consisted of 13 layers, stacked above the earth, and the earth resting on the back of a turtle, floating in the ocean. Four brothers called the Bacabs, possibly the sons of Itzamná, supported the heavens. Below the earth lay a realm called Xibalba, an underworld in nine layers. Linking the three realms was a giant tree whose roots reached into the underworld and branches stretched to heaven. The gods and the souls of the dead traveled between worlds along this tree.”

  “And the king was at the top of the 13 layers of the heavens?”

  “No, this room depicts the king at the bottom, having just left the lowest rung of the earth based ladder.”

  “You look like you know a lot about this stuff.”

  “I’ve read a little. I’m no expert on the Mayan belief system, but for the most part, this seems to be in keeping with Sam’s original theory that this was a Mayan tomb. There’s just one thing I don’t understand.”

  “What’s that?”

  “There’s a lot of references to non-Mayan symbolism.”

  “Could they have been drawn from the Master Builders?” Tom suggested.

  “It’s unlikely. If the Master Builders did exist, they have never mixed more than one culture in their projects. The only image that carried across from the African relics, Egyptian pyramids, and other ancient sites is that of the Master Builders themselves. In this case, it almost appears as though the Mayans, themselves, have collected the information.”

  “Could the Mayans have traveled that far?”

  “Around the world?” Billie drew back from her monitor, and paused for a millisecond. “Anything’s possible, but highly unlikely. Such a statement would be akin to saying that the Vikings were the first to sail around the world.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I need to get some more pictures. Actually, I’m going to need hundreds of them. If I can feed them into my computer system, I have a deciphering program that may be able to come up with an explanation.”

  “Do you have any ideas?” Tom asked.

  “Yes, but none of them are possible.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it suggests that the Mayan people once had something more powerful than we have today.”

  “And what’s that?”

  Billie grimaced, like she was about to say something ridiculous. “The ability to actually travel between their realms of life, death, and the heavens. Some of these images show cultures that weren’t even developed a thousand years ago.”

  “That is crazy.”

  “Yes, it is. I just don’t have a more plausible answer – yet.”

  *

  In front of her, Billie’s computer hummed as it tried to crunch some very complex algorithms. Despite being one of the most advanced laptop computers in existence, it was having trouble resolving the data that she had input. Billie had taken more than three hundred pictures of the pictographs and hieroglyphics inside the King’s Chamber. Having charted the information on her laptop, she now tried to decipher what it all meant.

  And this meant differentiating between the Mayan texts, Egyptian symbols and Master Builder markings.

  She had remained at the original site, gathering as much information as she could, before word of its discovery reached them. Billie knew what would occur when that happened, and if she was going to get any further in her search, she would have to have it all mapped out before they came.

  A pinging sound could be heard coming from her computer.

  That was quick.

  Billie sat down and looked at her computer screen. Its advanced program, designed specifically to develop answers about the theoretical race known as the Master Builders, had discovered something about the room, but what, she had no idea.

  Do you wish to read the report now? Y/N?

  She clicked yes, and instantly several pictures of the roof of the chamber began filling the screen. The emphasis of each image appeared to be the blue glowing light at the center. It resonated from a ball, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but capable of resonating enough light to allow them to see throughout the entire pyramid. The same unexplained light source radiated down from the inside of what must have been the pyramid’s capstone, and then passed the missing scepter on the king’s sarcophagus, and then through the narrow shaft that extended eight levels below, to the bottom of the pyramid.

  Yes, I already know there’s no logical explanation for the light.

  Billie flicked through the slideshow. Slowly at first, and then faster, before she spotted it. Something was changing in each slide, but it wasn’t until she had clicked through more than a dozen that she realized what it was.

  Holy fuck – somebody’s been watching us.

  At the center was the source of the blue light, and where the perfectly round, blue crystal sparkled like a diamond, stood a shadow. The shadow formed and then moved throughout a number of slides, as though someone – or something – had been watching them.

  “Tom, we’ve got trouble.” She shouted the words without thinking about who was
listening.

  Tom walked across the room, his camera still in his hand, and replied, “What have you found?”

  “Just look at these pictures.”

  She watched him flick through four or five images, and then stop. Pointing at one of the little shadows over the stone of light, he asked, “Does that look like something inside keeps moving?”

  “Yes. Someone’s been watching us while we work!”

  *

  Opening the black bag strewn on the floor next to the laptop, Tom withdrew a chisel and hammer. Climbing on top of the enormous sarcophagus, he said, “Whoever they are, their camera’s going to be destroyed in a second.”

  “Wait!” Billie said.

  “What?”

  “Is that wise? I mean, won’t they know that we know they’ve been watching us?”

  “Maybe. Or maybe they’ll just see that the lens has been destroyed. Either way, I’d rather them not follow what we’re doing here.”

  “What if they come for us?” she asked in no more than a whisper.

  “Come for us? We’re nearly 300 feet deep. We have our own dive team manning the diving pod at the entrance of the pyramid. They’re going to notice if someone comes down here.”

  “Sure, but what if they’re already here?”

  “No way. Did you see any secret hiding places? I mean, we’ve just spent the last two weeks studying this place. It’s all granite. The only way in here is from below the pyramid, the way we came. If someone comes, we’re going to have the upper hand.”

  She nodded her head and then said, “You’re right – get rid of it.”

  Tom examined the round blue ball, which, now that he really looked at it, appeared similar to the lens of a camera. Without studying it further, he took the hammer and chisel, and struck the corner hard.

  Nothing happened.

  Tom studied the object again, before striking it with the hammer alone. Nothing, not even a crack. “I’ve got no idea what they made this thing out of, but it’s strong as a rock.”

  “Try the masonry behind it. Whoever put it there, probably used a protective cover,” Billie suggested.

  He struck it again, but even the masonry seemed firm.

  By the fifth attempt, Tom stepped down.

  “Here, try this. It’s a diamond tipped chisel. Should slice straight through whatever that is.”

  “Thanks,” Tom said, as he picked it up, angled it right at the crystal ball, and struck it with the hammer.

  Again, nothing happened.

  Tom placed his eye right up to the lens of the crystal. Not even a scratch could be found. Staring at it, despite the light that the ball was emitting, he noticed that it appeared dark inside, giving him the slightest doubt that it even was a camera lens.

  “Come on up here. See if you can get a better look at this thing, will you?”

  Billie laughed. “Sure. You want me to show you how to break it?”

  “I’m not sure you’re going to want to, once you’ve examined it. I mean, the thing looks pretty old. I don’t see it being a camera so much as a looking glass.”

  Below him, Billie, started to climb up the sarcophagus. “Whatever it is, there are few materials in existence that can withstand the tip of that chisel.”

  Tom stared at the glass again, and then said, “Whoa!” nearly falling backwards off the sarcophagus. “What did you just touch?”

  “Nothing. Why?”

  “It wasn’t nothing. And it just changed the view inside the ball!”

  “What the fuck do you mean, changed the view inside the ball?” Billie said, her nostrils flaring as she tried and failed to climb up to see it.

  “I mean, someone’s been watching this place, all right – and for a very long time!”

  Chapter Twelve

  Billie’s fingers, unable to reach the top of the enormous sarcophagus, slipped as she tried to climb up its sharp walls.

  Tom shuffled down, and asked, “Want a lift?”

  “Yeah,” she replied, wishing she didn’t need his help.

  “Not a problem,” Tom said, lifting her onto his shoulders.

  His hand, she noticed, slipped, catching her butt for support – remaining there a moment longer than it should have. And then he quickly removed it before she said anything. Billie reached further, and caught the top of the stone block, allowing her to climb up.

  For a second, she wondered if Tom had meant to place his hand there. The minor indiscretion was soon lost in her desire to see the looking glass.

  She stepped up onto her tippy toes, so that she could place her eye right up to the optical lens. On the other side, Billie could see a room. It was similar to the one that she was already in, and at its center, another sarcophagus – only this one didn’t appear Mayan at all.

  Forgetting about Tom’s actions, she said, “Do you think that whoever’s been watching us is in the room directly above us?”

  “No, I think they’re farther away than that,” Tom replied.

  “Farther away? What are you talking about? Now that I’m up here, I can see that this thing is only a few inches long, and clearly shows the room above.”

  “That’s not possible. I’ve already done the basic arithmetic, and a few feet above us is the entrance to the pyramid. There’s no way there’s another room. Besides, didn’t you notice that wherever that looking glass seems to end up, it too, looks down upon a room, not up?”

  “You’re right,” she said, chiding herself for letting her nerves affect her usual circumspection. “Before, when I was climbing, you said that I did something to change the image here, is that right?”

  “Yes, I don’t know what you did, but whatever it was, the ball went from a dark, impenetrable blue, to this clear, window into what appears to me to be another tomb.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Okay, help me down, I’m going to retrace my steps and see if I can change it again.”

  “You’re the boss,” he said, without wiping the grin off his face.

  Ordinarily, she would have sworn at him for his behavior, but she was too enamored with their discovery to even think about him. He had an attractive face, and was mostly harmless.

  She climbed down and then up the base of the sarcophagus a number of times. “Any changes?”

  “Nothing,” he replied.

  “There must have been something,” she said, and then saw it. Along the base of the cradle for the missing scepter, stood a small wheel, with a number of jagged edges, giving it the appearance of the cog on a bicycle. She counted the edges. There were thirteen in total. She gave it the slightest of turns, and the largest of the twelve stone spikes now pointed in another direction. “Anything?”

  “Yes, what the hell did you do?”

  “Not much. I just rotated this stone dial. Why, what do you see?”

  “It appears to be a giant cave. There are markings on the walls, but nothing that means anything to me.”

  “Interesting,” she said, turning the dial again, “and now?”

  “Another tomb.”

  “The first one we saw?”

  “No, this one seems smaller. And the markings are different.”

  Suddenly, she no longer saw the wall of the sarcophagus as a number of indiscriminate pictographs, from seemingly random places and cultures throughout history. Now, it appeared as though it were a map, with the power to see different parts of the world.

  She quickly examined the other images on the wall. There was a petroglyph of the Congo River, the pyramid of Giza, and a Siberian rune with an inscription.

  Rotating the stone again, she asked, “What do you see?”

  “Another room. Only this one is definitely bigger. It appears to be the final resting chamber of three separate kings.”

  Her eyes then spotted a pair of Atlantean rings and bar.

  She turned the dial again so that the stone spike and the image perfectly aligned. “What about now?”

  “You’re not going to believe this,” Tom sai
d.

  “Try me.”

  “It appears to be the remains of a ruined city... and the city is submerged. The water is clear, and appears shallow, the sunlight from above sprinkling through, as though from the ripples of the waves on the surface. There are structures in the distance and they’re covered in –”

  “An orange metallic material,” Billie finished the sentence for him.

  “Yeah, how’d you guess?”

  “Because I just pointed the dial towards Atlantis.”

  *

  Billie took a step back and then ran at the sarcophagus. With two nimble paces, she was standing on top of it and said, “I have to see it!”

  “See what?” Tom asked.

  “Atlantis!” she screamed.

  “I thought you weren’t interested in Atlantis?”

  “No, I said that I wasn’t searching for it, which is very different than not wanting to see it when it literally appears before you.”

  She moved closer towards Tom, trying to get as close to the looking glass as possible. On the tips of her toes, her hand gripped his for balance. She felt his other arm instinctively wrap behind her.

  Closing her left eye so that she could focus on the looking glass, she saw the little blue light. At first it was opaque, but then her eyes began to make sense of the turbid vision on the other side.

  A ruined city appeared.

  It was submerged by water, and appeared close to the surface, as though it had remained hidden all these years in no more than thirty or forty feet. Glimmerings of light from the ripples of the ocean above could still be seen. And on the walls of the remaining structures, an orange metal.

  “My God – it is Atlantis!” Billie said, and then, kissed him on his lips.

  “What was that?” he replied, an attractive smile, bordering on absent confusion, radiating fondly.

  She was still holding on to him and noticeably let go before explaining, “See this orange material?”

  “Yes… it looks kind of like bronze and copper.”

  “Only it’s not. It’s Orichalcum!”