by Rai Aren
She sat down at the desk, sipping her drink for a few minutes, willing the immense stress of the day to start dialing down. Finally, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. The alcohol was starting to take a welcome effect.
Feeling newly emboldened, she opened up her laptop. She plugged in her cellphone and began downloading the photos she’d taken of Dr. Khadesh and his group. Figuring out who they were would be a place to start. She looked at them, and felt hatred building inside her. These people had been there when Sebastian and Thomas were killed. She didn’t know what had happened, but they were alive and Sebastian and Thomas were dead. She leaned in close, looking through the photos. She blamed them. They were responsible for obliterating her dreams and ruining her life. She needed to find out who they were. She knew who Dr. Khadesh was, so she was certain there was a way to find out who the rest of them were.
Rosalie topped up her glass. Tears started welling up in her eyes again. She tried to shake it off.
“Focus,” she whispered. “For Sebastian.” She wiped her eyes and gritted her teeth.
She thought of what she’d seen in the bizarre chamber. The vision of the strange glowing object. That seemed like something Sebastian would’ve been interested in procuring for Ares. Sebastian devoured all he could on military research. And if her vision was of true events, whatever it was certainly had weapons potential.
She finished her drink and poured another. She was in over her head. She had no idea what to do about the events in her vision. Another thought occurred to her. What did they know about her? The woman had spoken her name. She shook her head. This situation was insane. “What does any of it mean?” She got up and paced the room in her bare feet, drink in hand. She needed answers, intel.
She stopped in her tracks as an idea popped into her head. “I know who to contact,” she whispered to herself. She set her glass down. “Charles.” She remembered Sebastian mentioning him often. “He’s in Brussels.”
She recalled Sebastian referring to him as his ‘fixer.’ Many times, he’d ask her to reach out to Charles for a private call between the two men, usually when something was going wrong, or when Sebastian needed information he couldn’t get anywhere else. After Charles got involved, she’d noticed that Sebastian’s stress levels would go down, and his problems would either be abruptly solved or at least significantly lessened.
She suspected Charles’ methods were not something she’d really want to know about, but she didn’t see that she had a choice. She had limited information about Ares and couldn’t risk contacting the wrong people, and she certainly couldn’t risk going to the authorities. She knew enough that Sebastian would never have condoned it. If Sebastian would turn to Charles in tense and dangerous situations, then he must’ve trusted both the man’s discretion and his ability to do what was necessary. Not to mention, she couldn’t tell just anyone about what she’d experienced today. She was backed into a corner. She’d have to trust him, too.
Rosalie sat back. She was nervous. Still scared about making a wrong move, and worried about getting involved with a man like Charles. She been around long enough to know that would have consequences. But she owed it to Sebastian to find out what it was that killed him, and more than that, to avenge his death. A cold, hard reality struck her. She truly had no other choice.
The end?
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
—Carl Sagan
Other Works
THE SECRET OF THE SANDS TRILOGY
Hidden deep below the Great Sphinx, and within the heart of the Great Pyramid lie otherworldly secrets...
Hold on for a wild ride! The Secret of the Sands Trilogy is an adventure story in the spirit of Indiana Jones & The Mummy!
Click on the link below to find The Secret of the Sands Trilogy, which is discounted from the cost of the individual books, at your favorite retailer:
The Secret of the Sands Trilogy
THE SECRET OF THE SANDS TRILOGY
SECRETS. DESTINY. REVELATIONS.
DISCOVERY. WAR. REDEMPTION.
From the Great Sphinx to Petra to the Great Pyramid, journey on this epic archaeology adventure, weaving between the past and the present, to uncover hidden ancient secrets and fascinating mysteries about a long lost civilization...
Secret of the Sands
For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx. In present day Egypt, two archaeologists discover mysterious artifacts belonging to an unknown civilization. A frightening and awe-inspiring story unravels as the archaeologists race against time to decipher the dangerous knowledge they hold...
Destiny of the Sands
Some secrets cannot remain hidden... and some cannot be forgiven...
The Great Sphinx of Giza has guarded a secret, both dangerous and incredible, for 12,000 years. Now deadly enemies emerge, and those involved must face startling truths and deep sorrow, in the fight against the forces of tyranny...
Revelation of the Sands
A stunning revelation of secrets and destiny that will change everything...
Complete the epic journey begun in Secret of the Sands...
The mystery deepens. The danger is ever-present. Incredible discoveries await.
The Great Sphinx is not the only ancient wonder that has incredible secrets hidden deep within it. But uncovering these secrets will have life-changing consequences. There will be no turning back. It will take a great deal of courage and the testing of faith, on multiple fronts, to face them...
The final chapter in this archaeology adventure trilogy now unfolds. The characters you’ve come to know are suddenly thrust down a new, completely different, and even more personal path, to a point of no return. Their journey is about take another perilous turn with mysterious and surprising outcomes that will alter the course of their lives forever.
Journey through some of the most magnificent ancient places on earth and join this final adventure in The Secret of the Sands trilogy...
Find The Secret of the Sands Trilogy at your favorite retailer!
About the Author
Rai Aren is the co-author of the award winning, bestselling archaeology adventure novel, Secret of the Sands, and its sequel, Destiny of the Sands. She is also the author of the final instalment of The Secret of the Sands Trilogy, Revelation of the Sands and Lost City of Gold, which was her first solo effort. She looks forward to penning more stories surrounding ancient mysteries for you to enjoy. There are a lot more fun & exciting adventures to come!
Rai has a life-long interest in archaeology and adventure stories and movies. She can usually be found cuddling with her rescue kitties, hanging out with her family, binging on her fave sci-fi & mystery shows, and reading and writing mystery and adventure stories.
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Rai also often tweets about her interests in archaeology, space exploration, sci-fi, books, movies, and more: twitter.com/raiaren You can also visit her at: www.raiaren.com to learn more about her writing, visit her on Facebook: Rai’s Facebook page or send her an e-mail at: [email protected].