Worlds Without End: The Prophecy (Book 3)

by Shaun Messick

  Macaria pulled herself out of her hypnotic gaze and turned her stoic gaze back to Koroan. “How long until the entire fleet arrives?” she asked.

  Koroan turned and looked at one of his colonels, manning one of the twenty-five communications stations on the bridge. “Colonel Yeatlee . . .”

  The colonel, a strong Gnol with dark, striking features and piercing green eyes, turned his chair away from his computer station and faced Koroan. “Yes, my Lord.”

  “How long until the rest of the fleet arrives?”

  “We just received an encrypted message from General Oradune. His fleet has just passed through the wormhole. Their estimated time of arrival is in three Earth days.”

  “Very well,” Koroan replied, nodding his approval toward Colonel Yeatlee. He turned his attention back to Macaria.

  “Good,” Macaria said. “With the number of battleships and cruisers already in orbit, undetectable, that will give us over one hundred thousand ships, not to mention more than enough fighters and soldiers to finally conquer this planet. Is Dorange ready?”

  “Yes, my Queen. He and his team have set up a base of operations near the location of the gold plate,” Koroan replied. He then paused for a moment before continuing, “Once we find the child and he has possession of the relic, the invasion will begin.”

  Macaria turned and looked at her henchman incredulously. “I sense hesitation in your voice, Koroan? This is a joyous occasion. One that you should be grateful for. Everything we have worked for is finally coming to fruition. Soon, we will have in our possession the three relics and the chosen one. But most importantly, Koroan, my master, the true god of this galaxy, will be free.”

  Koroan did his best to hide his apprehension, turning his stunned gazed away from Macaria’s piercing eyes. As he stared at Earth, he couldn’t help but worry what it meant for him once the dark master was free.

  Macaria continued to keep a stern gaze upon him, undoubtedly reading his thoughts.

  *****

  Pyramid of the Sun Ruins, Teotihuacan, Mexico . . .

  Skip was ecstatic. He hadn’t been this excited since his discovery of the writings within the ancient temple on Terrest. In addition to his joy, he was also relieved. Ever since he kissed Nichelle, his relationship with Ariauna was deteriorating. Even though he had tried to make amends, she became more aloof and bitter toward him. This was a great time to be away from both women and to sort out his feelings.

  For a month now, he, along with Eli Jacobson and his team, searched for clues, giving them any indication of the existence of a gold plate hidden within this holy sanctuary. Even though the text on the bottom of the Olmec colossal head had stated this precise location, they had yet to turn up any clues.

  Eli cursed again, a habit that was becoming more apparent the more he searched. He and Skip were within the Pyramid of the Sun itself, dusting away fine dust from ancient Aztec writings. Unfortunately, the writings covering the interior walls did not mention anything about ancient gold plates, let alone plates that were written in the pure language of God. Eli let another curse word fly and threw his brush at the wall. “It’s no use, Skip! It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.”

  Skip was about to say some words of encouragement when Jennifer, Eli’s assistant, came running to them. Her skin glistened with sweat and her hair that was pulled up in a tight bun was a mess. Other parts of her skin were covered in cakes of mud, a result of dusting in another room of the pyramid. “Professor!” she said with urgency, trying to catch her breath.

  “What is it!” Eli responded, concerned, as he jumped from the small stool from which he sat.

  “W-we’ve found something.”

  “Where.”

  “Follow me,” she said, turning and running the other way.

  Eli snatched up his brush and took off after Jennifer. Skip followed.

  After running down the narrow hallway, they turned right and jogged down another hallway. Skip glanced at the walls. There weren’t any more writings, just stone. Jennifer slid to a stop with Eli right behind her. Skip, not paying attention, collided into Eli’s back. Then Eli bumped into Jennifer. Eli reached out and caught her before she crashed down on the pile of stone rubble at her feet.

  “Sorry,” Skip said, embarrassed.

  Eli and Jennifer ignored him. Eli knelt down, examining the rubble on the ground and then looked up intently into the darkness of a void where a stone wall had been. “I thought this was a dead end.”

  “Apparently not,” Jennifer replied, smiling. “Tim thought it sounded hollow after he banged on it. He broke it open with a sledgehammer, then he went to get a spotlight.”

  “What’s in there?” Skip asked as he clicked on his flashlight, stepped over the rubble, and pointed the flashlight into the darkness.

  “A staircase.”

  Skip stepped into the void and shined his flashlight downward. Sure enough, a staircase led down ten feet. It ended at another platform. He walked slowly down the steps with Eli and Jennifer waiting above in anticipation. After stepping off the final step and onto the first wood platform, his flashlight revealed another set of steps leading downward. “It zigzags down. Not sure how far,” he said, pointing his light back into Eli’s and Jennifer’s eager faces.

  “Well, no time to wait for Tim to come back with that floodlight,” Eli said, clicking on his own flashlight and making his way down the steps. Jennifer followed closely.

  Once together, all three walked down the zigzag staircase cautiously. After they walked down the staircase for another twenty minutes, they ended up in a small ten-foot-by-ten-foot room with a stone floor and stone walls, and with no other way out.

  Eli pointed his flashlight upward, astonished. “I counted thirty-five flights of stairs. This room is thirty-five stories beneath the pyramid!”

  “Unbelievable,” Jennifer acknowledged.

  Eli then turned his flashlight toward each wall and cursed again. “It’s a dead end.”

  “No, wait,” Skip said, shining his light on a portion of the far wall that Eli had quickly passed over.

  Skip held the light on the wall as Jennifer and Eli made their way to it. Looking closely, they vigorously rubbed away the centuries-old dust caked on the wall. Soon, flecks of gold began to reflect the light. Skip rushed forward, still holding the light, and clawed at the dirt as well. After a few more minutes, they were all covered in filth but stood back, amazed. Each one of them smiled, white teeth gleaming from darkened faces.

  “It’s solid gold,” Skip uttered.

  Eli stepped forward, rubbing his hand over two solid gold doors. They were only able to rub dirt away from what they could reach above their heads. They estimated each door to be twelve feet in height and six feet in width. Made in what appeared to be solid gold, it would take a team of men to pull the doors open. But there was another problem; there were no knobs or handles with which they could pull the doors open.

  Eli leaned in closer, pulling out his brush, and began to brush away the dust on the left door. “Oh my gosh.”

  “What?” Jennifer asked, stepping next to him on his left.

  Skip joined him on his right.

  “There are writings here, b-but they’re not Aztec.”

  Skip peered in closer and spoke in an audible whisper, blown away with what he saw. “Reformed Egyptian.”

  Jennifer was flabbergasted. “How can that be possible? The Aztecs had no knowledge of ancient Egyptian.”

  “You’re right,” Eli pronounced, looking around. “The Aztecs must have built this pyramid over this sacred site.” He then turned his attention back to the inscriptions in the gold door. “I’m fluent in ancient Meso-American languages and can decipher some regular Egyptian, but this . . . Any idea what these say, Skip?”

  Skip shook his head and chuckled. “Without a Urim and Thummim, or a seer stone . . . no.”

  Eli smiled at Skip, appreciating his humor, and then turned back to the writings. All three of them examine
d the writings that covered a two-foot-by-two-foot section in the door. Eli traced his hand along the inscriptions and stopped at more carvings caked with dirt. He brushed away the dirt and traced his fingers along the finely cut lines. “Oh my . . .” He trailed off.

  “Orion’s Belt,” Skip said firmly.

  Jennifer stepped in closer. “Orion’s Belt? I don’t understand.”

  “This is a carving representing the star constellation of Orion’s Belt,” Skip replied, now tracing his fingers over the engravings.

  “Okay, so?”

  Eli spoke before Skip. “The great pyramids here at Teotihuacan were built in perfect geometrical alignment with the stars of Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak in Orion’s Belt. The Pyramid of the Sun lines up perfectly with Alnilam. This is remarkable because the Great Pyramids at Gaza line up the exact same way. It’s called the Orion Correlation Theory. What’s even more astonishing is the fact that two completely different civilizations, separated by half a world and thousands of years, built similar pyramids.”

  “Wow,” Jennifer replied, bewildered.

  Skip stepped back, getting a better look at the writings. “That’s all well and good, Professor. But what does Orion’s Belt have to do with this supposed gold plate we’re looking for?”

  Eli shook his head. “I’m not sure. Perhaps the answer lies behind these doors.”

  Skip searched the doors for any possible way to pry them open. He then moved to the right door and began to brush away the dirt. Jennifer and Eli joined in as well. After a few more minutes and getting caked with dust again, all three stepped back, astounded at yet another discovery. Nobody said a word as Skip was the first to step back to the door. He traced his hand carefully along the imprint. It was about the size of the gold plate of Gnolom that Adrian had in his possession. There was roughly a two-inch indent in the gold, enough depth for the plate to sit flush with the surface of the door if it were to be inserted. What was even more amazing was the fact that the same symbols, representing the Pure Adamic Language, were carved into the gold within the indentation.

  “What do you make of it?” Eli asked.

  “I’m willing to bet my life that one of the gold plates opens this door,” Skip said, turning to look at Jennifer and Eli with glimmering eyes. He turned back to the carving. “These symbols inside of this impression match perfectly with the symbols on the gold plates of Gnolom and Terrest.” He turned his attention back to his two counterparts. “I need call Adrian.”

  Before Eli or Jennifer could respond, Skip bolted for the staircase. Just as he was about to leap up the first step, he collided with Tim. Tim dropped the floodlight he was carrying and fell to the floor.

  “Sorry!” Skip apologized as he bolted up the staircase without turning around.

  *****

  Scott Air Force Base, Missouri . . .

  “Scan the skies again.”

  “Yes, sir,” said the young private who sat at one of the computer terminals within the war room.

  “I want every available satellite image on the monitors.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  John watched as the large monitors flickered on. Since the Gnols’ first attack and with the world in complete chaos, there weren’t many satellites left orbiting Earth. There were just enough available to the United States to communicate with forces spread throughout the world and to gather any intelligence regarding an impending Gnol invasion. He stared at the monitors for a long few minutes. The cameras on the satellites only showed starry space, nothing out of the ordinary.

  General Peterson and Ashley, who were working nearby, stopped what they were doing and joined John as he continued to gaze at the monitors closely.

  “You still think they’ll attack, don’t you?” Ashley asked, an uneasiness in her voice.

  John turned his attention to the Ashley. Her long blond hair hung loosely over her shoulders and her usually bright blue eyes were nothing more than a dull gray. She was dressed in a military issue green t-shirt and camouflage bottoms. She looked exhausted, working tirelessly by her husband as his personal secretary. “It’s not a matter of if they will attack,” he reiterated. “It’s a matter of when.” He then turned his attention back to the monitors.

  Chris stepped forward to get a closer look at the monitors and pointed. “Did you see that?”

  John stepped closer as well. “What?”

  “Play the last twenty seconds of footage back in slow motion,” Chris ordered the private.

  The private punched the commands on his monitor. The footage played back at a snail’s pace. John cocked his head slightly to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him.

  “The image is distorted,” Ashley said, confused.

  John nodded his head. “It’s a cloaked ship.” He then looked urgently at the young private. “Put the base on high alert and notify the president at Mount Weather! The Gnols are here!”

  *****

  Marshall Islands . . .

  Adrian continued to rock in the rocking chair with his head back and eyes closed. He was in the state between sleep and consciousness, completely aware about what was going on around him, but totally at peace. Calum was sound asleep. The only sounds were the crashing of waves upon the shore and the slushing sound of Calum sucking on his thumb. He heard the front door of the bungalow open and laughter.

  Celeste and Jake had just come in. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Jake asked.

  “Only every day,” Celeste replied, giggling.

  Adrian, with his eyes still closed, heard his son and daughter-in-law enjoying themselves. He smiled, knowing they deserved this. It was the honeymoon they never really had. He heard them kiss and then go through their bedroom and onto the back porch. Opening his eyes, Adrian saw the sun setting in the west. It was one of the most breathtaking sights he had ever seen. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky dazzled before him in a brilliant orange hue.

  “Oh . . . sorry, Dad.”

  “I’m not asleep,” Adrian responded, opening his eyes.

  Jake, dressed only in his bathing suit, walked around to face him. For a moment, Adrian was caught off guard with how truly strong his son had become. Jake stood over him, smiling. His features were nearly perfect and his frame was absolutely chiseled. Celeste made her way around, hair still wet and dressed in her bathing suit as well. Her beauty took Adrian’s breath away. If this is what we are going to look like as resurrected beings, then I can’t wait, he thought as he looked down at his aging hands still caressing his grandson.

  “So how have you two enjoyed your afternoon together?” Celeste asked, reaching for and taking her son.

  “Oh . . . you know. We’re tight,” Adrian said, crossing his fingers.

  “You got him to laugh again, didn’t you?”

  Adrian looked at his son. Jake had a look of disappointment on his face. “Hey, don’t worry. With a face like this,” he said, pointing to his face, “who wouldn’t laugh?”

  All three laughed, causing Calum to squirm.

  “Well, I think it’s time for this little guy to eat,” Celeste said, nuzzling her nose into Calum’s neck, awakening him.

  Seeing his mother, he cooed with delight and said the only word he knew so far. “Mama.”

  Celeste smiled and left the room. Adrian stood slowly and rubbed his back. “Oh! Don’t get old, Jake.”

  “I don’t think I have to worry about that anymore.”

  Adrian looked at his son. “I was being sarcastic. What I wouldn’t give to have the gift that you and Celeste have been blessed with. All those years of war have taken their toll. During the time, I just never recognized it. But since I’ve had time to relax here, my body has reminded me that I am sixty-six years old.”

  Jake didn’t respond, following his dad to the railing. Both men leaned on it, staring out at the beautiful scene before them. Words didn’t need to be said. They were in paradise and they just needed to enjoy the present. How long would it last? They weren
’t sure.

  Adrian turned to his son and gathered up the courage to ask what had been on his mind ever since his son’s miraculous rise from the dead. Since that time, they hadn’t had much time to talk. “Son, um . . .”

  “Yeah, Dad,” Jake responded, turning his attention to his father, his blue eyes sparkling from what little sunlight remained.

  “Um, I’ve wanted to sit down with you and Celeste to discuss this, but it never seemed to be the right time. I just need to know. In that time after your death and when you were brought back, are you sure you can’t remember anything? You didn’t have any sort of near death experience? You didn’t see your mother, Doc, or any other of our dear family and friends?”

  Jake’s expression turned serious and he looked back at the horizon, causing Adrian to question his timing for this discussion. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, Jake spoke, “Something happened. I mean, when I sleep, I have flashbacks. Celeste has them too. We talk about it sometimes. They’re just images really. We both can remember the physical agony of dying. Celeste even remembers seeing her mother, Ciminae. But like I said, they’re more like faded memories.”

  “Hmm,” Adrian said, looking at the sunset as well.

  “Why do you ask?” Jake questioned, turning his attention back to Adrian.

  Adrian shook his head. “I-I don’t know. Maybe it’s just for my own sanity. Everything, this entire sequence of events that we have been a part of, just seems just too outrageous. When I think about it, there are times when I don’t even believe it. I guess . . . I guess I’m just trying to make sense of it all. My human mind keeps wanting a scientific explanation.”