The Flames of Time (Flames of Time Series Book 1)

by Peter Knyte

  The enclosure was located in a bit of a hollow amongst a few scrawny looking trees and surrounded by a high stone wall, all of which would easily hide our fire light. It was a good place to stop for the night, but if anything, getting to it had taken us a bit out of our way, meaning we’d have a slightly longer walk the following day, going down the mountain to get back to our horses.

  Of course, it didn’t take long once we’d made camp, for Androus and Harry to get the tablets out for a closer inspection. And it was almost like being transported back to that day outside the ruins of ancient Uruk, as we all gathered around to see that first set of tablets that we’d excavated from beneath the city gate. The tablets we had before us now, seemed an almost exact copy. The shimmering shades of aqua and ultra-marine stone, flecked here and there with glints of gold, all inset with perfectly incised cuneiform lettering, row after tiny row, first on one side then the other, a marvel of craftsmanship and beauty.

  We all knew much more about the process and amount of work it would take for Androus to properly translate the huge amount of text the tablets contained. But we still couldn’t resist asking him to do his best and to tell us whatever he could of the message they contained.

  ‘Well I shall attempt to read it for you my friends,’ he began, slipping into his polite professorial manner, ’but you all know that I am far from able to just read them to you as I would the newspaper.’

  After asking first for a few minutes to study the text before he began, Androus settled near to the fire, while we in turn made ourselves more comfortable and tried to stay out of his light, and not to distract him too much while he was concentrating. Our idle chatter abruptly stopping and all of us becoming attentive as soon as he indicated he was ready.

  ‘The writing on the tablets again seems to be divided into the same three sections we saw on the tablets from Uruk. Starting with the journey this particular seeker made to reach the African temple of Ziusudra, then the trials endured once there, and finally a section written by Ziusudra describing the location of his first temple.

  ‘As for the seeker, the first section here, lists his name as Nulayan, or Nula-an. Just as it is written on the scroll, how similar to Nelion it now seems with the benefit of hindsight.’ He mused aloud looking up briefly from the text before going on.

  ‘Again there is a list of titles and achievements, I cannot make much of these, but there seems to a reference to hunting and the slaying of a lion. There is more here, but I would need to study it further.

  ‘Moving on to the story of the journey to the African temple… There seems to be another reference here to the killing of the lion, and a wound received in the process.’

  ‘That could be the scar across Nelion’s shoulder?’ chipped in Peter.

  ‘Yes possibly,’ replied Androus, ‘though I cannot make out the phrase being used to describe the wound location or type. Then there is a reference to visions or dreams, which could be reminiscent of visions received in some of the other scroll accounts.’

  There wasn’t much more that Androus could really translate about the journey to the temple, so loaded was the text with unfamiliar names and descriptions. So he skipped on to the next section, which it appeared was similar in some ways to the account we had on the remaining tablets from Uruk about the tests and trials that were endured before Nulayan succeeded in achieving his goal. But it was the last section that we were all eager to hear more about. This was the section written by Ziusudra directing us to his first temple, the same section that had been destroyed by Luke, when he’d fired his revolver into the bag containing the tablets during the brigand raid just outside Uruk.

  ‘This section will take a lot more work,’ commented Androus, as he tried to find something he could translate for us. ‘Again the temple is described as beyond or away from the African temple, but then it becomes more complex… I think this may be a reference to the rising sun as a direction of travel, which would indicate the east somewhere, and further on there seems to be some mention of water again, and interestingly there is a familiar phrase here, about the source of the waters.

  ‘Now as some of you may recall,’ he explained, looking up from the tablets for the first time, ‘that phrase is commonly used in the description of the Noah or Utnapishtim character who we know from the scroll and the Uruk tablets as Ziusudra. In the later Biblical story of Noah this earlier description is interpreted more figuratively and ‘the source of the rivers’ becomes a mountain top, where of course many rivers were thought to begin.’

  He looked down again to examine the tablets further, and we could all see he was checking them thoroughly for anything further he might be able to translate for us. But eventually, with an apology, he looked up again and confessed himself defeated until he had time to study the text in detail.

  ‘I am sorry my friends, but I really need to sit down and study this much more carefully. This writing is so detailed and precise in its description, that picking out odd words would be as likely to deceive as it would to inform.’

  If we hadn’t all known the difficulty of the task in advance, then it might well have been disappointing not to hear more about the contents of the tablets. But we all understood the process by now, and the amount of work required to give even a basic rendering of the text. So after offering our thanks for his attempt, we relaxed and allowed the conversation to take us where it would, until we were all ready to rest again.

  CHAPTER 24 – INTO THE FLAMES

  The night passed quietly, and the following morning saw us up with the dawn again and heading back to where we hoped to retrieve our horses. We had to move with caution again on this leg of our journey, as it was now that we’d be most likely to run into Selene and her friends. But we were heading down hill and as usual had the eagle-eyed Nbutu leading the way.

  I was hoping we might just pass them on route, but without either party coming within sight of one another, but about two hours after we set off Nbutu stopped us and pointed out a movement further down and along the slope, and sure enough, when we checked through binoculars it was them. They were a good way off, and probably wouldn’t come anywhere near, unless they spotted us, but they were far closer than I would’ve liked, and far too close behind us for my taste as well. In fact by the time they got to the Singing Stones and back, we’d probably have less than four hours head start on them.

  Of course we had to ensure they didn’t spot us first, and the easiest way to do that was for us to sit still and wait for them to pass, which we did, before once more setting off to reclaim our horses. Because we’d seen Selene and her friends on the way up a we didn’t have to worry too much about checking the site before going in to get our horses and equipment.

  With four hours head start, we decided to risk heading back to the lodge. It would be tight, but it was just enough time to allow us to re-provision and set off again, provided we didn’t run into any delays along the way. We might even be able to disable their truck as well if it hadn’t already been sent back. It was risky, and we were all far too aware of the delays that could slow us down and hand the advantage back to Selene. But if we could get a reasonably good run through the bush then this could be the deciding point. Even if Selene and her friends decided to push things and take a few risks they just couldn’t make up enough time unless we were delayed, at which point we could just bypass the lodge and stay off the main roads anyway.

  The artefacts would only be safe if we could make it to one of the big administrative centres where we could be sure of a strong enough police presence to deter Selene and her friends. From the lodge, Nyrobi as the capital was the safest option, with a good train line that would allow us to easily make it back to Mombassa and thence Jerusalem. If we couldn’t make it to Nyrobi, then Nakura to the north, would be the next easiest place. Though much smaller, it would still be safe enough. |It was heading away from the coast, and without a train line we might still have a risky journey ahead. We were not without other options, if we had to
we could always head south into German controlled Tanzania where we could try and make it to Arusha or Moshi. Both had good train lines, but it was a longer journey, and without a German national amongst us the authorities would obviously be less inclined to help, should we get into a fix.

  I could feel the tension and excitement growing again now. It was a race, but this was our home ground so to speak, and we were starting with a good lead.

  We made good time heading back down the mountain, and managed to get back to the horses with a good two hours of light left. The men we’d left behind had kept as low a profile as they could while we’d been away, and as we approached the camp now, we could see it was almost invisible to anyone not specifically looking for it. We didn’t want to waste the time we’d made on the way down, but in such rough terrain we equally didn’t want to risk the horses by trying to move them after dark. So after talking to Nbutu, through Mkize and discovering there were no obvious places we could reach in the light we had left, we eventually decided to stay the night and head off again as soon as there was enough light.

  We were all aware of the fact we’d probably be giving away some of our lead by not pushing on for another hour or two. But we also knew that this was how mistakes were made, and it would only take an injured horse for us to lose the lead we had altogether.

  It was another quiet and uneventful night. With nobody really being in the mood for conversation, each of us instead preferring the company of our own thoughts. Marlow once again resumed the sunset ritual he’d had to forgo for the past few days, while I took the opportunity to update my journal. I hadn’t gone back yet and filled in the spaces I’d left to correct the propaganda I’d written to deceive Luke. So after finishing a fresh entry to describe my view of events over the last couple of days, I went back and started to correct and add to some of the deliberately inaccurate entries. It was absorbing work, and I hadn’t realised just how much time I’d spent on it until I looked up after finally finishing to discover that almost everyone else was asleep, bar the couple of men who were keeping watch.

  I walked over to offer them both some coffee, and to stretch my back a bit before I turned in. Writing often seemed to invigorate my senses. Almost as though the act of describing somehow gave me a greater appetite to experience, and now, after hours of what should’ve been tiring work by the light of the fire, I found my senses again enlivened and hungry for the sights and sounds of the night.

  Away from the fire, as my eyes adjusted, I could see the sky was clear and the air beginning to get cool, with a bright almost full moon bathing the grove of trees we camped in with a silvery light that seemed to enhance rather than relieve the cold. It put me in mind of Selene as we’d seen her with her friends in the dining room of the hotel in Corinth, the very incarnation of the night in human form. It was a momentary indulgence which I enjoyed, before reminding myself of the ruthless intelligence, power and determination that also dwelled beneath that beautiful visage.

  As much as I’d enjoyed my late night, it was definitely more of an effort to rouse myself the following morning when Peter came over to wake me just before dawn. But eventually I managed to pull myself together and join in the frenzy of activity going on around to pack up the camp ready for the sunrise.

  We’d done as much as we could the previous evening, so were ready to go as soon as the pre-dawn gloom lightened slightly. There was no point in guessing or speculating how far behind Selene and her group might be now, it just came down to us and the time we could make over the next two days journey back to the lodge. It was tough going to begin with, but we’d had over a week in the saddle again now, so as soon as the ground levelled off a bit and the terrain became a little clearer, we were able to mount up and really get going.

  We still had to be careful with the horses, and to avoid some of the game and other animals, though at least we could use our guns now without fear of giving our position away. Even with the odd stop to look for our pursuers we still managed to make good progress and effectively reduced the distance we’d have to cover the following day by at least three hours.

  But what we made up for in distance travelled, we sacrificed in our choice of camp site, and were forced to eventually make camp amongst some low rocks on a small outcropping. It was a lot more risky not having somewhere more enclosed. So, again with Nbutu’s help, we did our best to pull the semblance of a thorn fence together to keep the big cats out, and build up a couple of good sized fires to provide more light. But despite our countless scratches and tears, it was far from perfect, and we were all woken more than once during the night, when our watchers were forced to send off warning shots to deter the more curious of the nocturnal predators.

  We got through the night though, and were again ready to set off before first light, albeit a bit more tired than we had been the morning before.

  We started well again, occasionally crossing the tracks that the truck had left as it had pursued and then preceded us on the way out, as well as the site where the rhino had been shot, now picked perfectly clean, bones skin and all. We even managed to avoid the group of rowdy young elephant this time, though they were definitely still in the area.

  By mid-afternoon we were probably only ten miles or so from the lodge and had made good time all the way. I was sure we must’ve beaten Selene and her friends back here. There was no way they could’ve overtaken us. But even so Jean was still urging us to be careful, we could after all still turn aside and avoid the lodge if we needed to.

  It was beginning to look like our caution was unmerited though. We were making a slightly circuitous approach to the lodge, following a thicker line of trees and brushwood that offered us more cover, and then we heard it. It was the truck again. The unmistakable sound of its engine as someone started it up and then began to drive. It was too far away to see, but there was no mistaking it was coming our way.

  There were no hollows to hide in this time, so we just had to do our best with the cover we had, making the horses kneel, and hoping the trees and brush would do the rest.

  We didn’t have to wait long for it to appear, it was obviously being driven at speed, following the more open ground we’d fortunately decided to avoid. All we could do was get our guns ready and hope we wouldn’t need them. But as the truck approached, although we could see it was manned as before, it was also clear the occupants weren’t really looking for us, let alone searching.

  We were a good three hundred yards away from the path they were following. But I could clearly make out the three young women again, one in the cab, and two in the back with their usual abundance of servants. I couldn’t tell if it was still Selene in the front or not, but I could see that Luke wasn’t with them this time, either in the front or back.

  I was just about to comment on the fact that they didn’t appear to be searching for us, when Jean suddenly spoke.

  ‘It is not them,’ he said quite simply but sounding a little surprised, as he studied the vehicle through his binoculars. ‘It is three young women again, and their servants, but it is clearly not Mademoiselles Thea, Miriam and Selene.’ He said handing his binoculars to me.

  ‘You’re right Jean,’ I heard Harry say as I quickly found them myself. ‘Those three young women have all got blonde hair unless I’m mistaken,’ Harry continued before handing his own binoculars on.

  I could see them now, and with the binoculars it was as clear as day. They were certainly of a similar age and appearance to our pursuers, as were their servants, but it took only a moments scrutiny to realise this was an entirely different group of people.

  After waiting a moment or two for the truck to get out of sight, we raised our horses, and lead them off to try and find some thicker cover where we could discuss things.

  We heard another engine and then another as we cautiously moved around the north side of the lodge, trying to find somewhere we could temporarily hide. But we’d travelled almost right the way around to the far side of the lodge before we finally found a
good spot amongst a thick copse of trees behind a small hillock.

  It was Harry who started us off. ‘If that wasn’t Selene and her friends, then who was it?’ he asked looking around at the rest of us.

  ‘Reinforcements?’ suggested Marlow not looking convinced.

  ‘It cannot be a coincidence,’ responded Jean gravely. ‘three young women, with half a dozen identical servants, all carrying rifles and travelling about in the bush like they were born to it, they must surely be working together.

  ‘But then,’ he continued, more thoughtfully now, ‘if there is a second group like the first, then why not a third or fourth, or more?’

  I could feel my mind reeling with the implications. Implications that we didn’t have time to think about, but that we couldn’t just ignore.

  ‘We need more information,’ stated Marlow. ‘If these people are working with Selene and the rest of her group, then we need to act. That first truck that passed us could meet up with Selene at any time, and then even if there are no others, we could be facing both groups within an hour or two. We need to take a closer look at the lodge, and if there’s nobody suspicious around, maybe even have a few words with the manager.’

  We were all agreed, and quickly decided amongst us that Marlow and Peter should scout out the lodge, whilst the rest of us tried to keep a low profile.

  Mkize and Nbutu went with Marlow and Peter, to try and get them closer. Which left the rest of us to sit and stew for a while until they returned.

  They were gone for nearly an hour in the end, though it seemed like an age longer. As soon as they came back into sight we could all see from their faces it wasn’t good news.