“Should I have?”
Julius said, “Around A.D. 1220, Genghis made a secret voyage to the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido, where it is said he met with the Japanese Emperor and his most senior commander, the Shogun.
“Genghis liked the Emperor, but he was even more impressed by the Shogun, who wielded the real power in Japan. Genghis figured, correctly, that it was the Shogun who was responsible for the orderly and dignified running of Japanese society. Given the unruly state of his own empire and the quarrels among his sons over succession, Genghis later wrote that he left with the Shogun ‘the wisdom of my life.’ ”
“A Pillar . . .” Wizard said.
“We think it was the Third Pillar. The Shogun in question, Hojo Yoshi-toki, had a unique carving hewn into his burial headstone: a white oblong with three horizontal lines inscribed on it.”
Lachlan said, “The Shoguns would rule Japan for the next hundred years as a military junta, with a series of puppet emperors, but eventually the Imperial Family regained control of the country and presumably the Pillar.”
“That supports Iolanthe’s story of the Japanese Imperial Family hiding their Pillar from the US at the end of World War II,” Jack said.
“The Americans weren’t the only ones to make a play for it,” Julius said. “One of Genghis Khan’s grandsons, Kublai Khan, tried to invade Japan on two occasions, and failed both times, repelled by the Shogun’s forces. We found a Mongolian record of his campaigns: curiously, Kublai was attacking the remote northwestern coast of Hokkaido, a region known for its high cliffs and violent seas. It has no strategic value at all, yet Kublai attacked it twice.”
“You’re thinking Kublai Khan wanted to get his granddaddy’s Pillar back,” the Sea Ranger said.
“That’s right.”
Jack leaned back in his chair, glanced at Wizard. “It’s good, but . . .”
“One more thing.” Lachlan projected one of their photos of Stonehenge onto the screen:
“You see the coastline with ‘3’ marked on it? Inspired by Genghis’s secret journey and Kublai’s failed attacks, we think we might know where the Third Vertex is.”
Jack leaned forward. So did the others.
“Where?”
“This coastline’s changed considerably over the millennia, which is why it was so hard to deduce.” Lachlan flashed up two new images. “On the left is a close-up of the upright at Stonehenge; on the right is a map from today.”
“As you can see, whole seas have flooded into hollows in the landmass, megafloods that created Korea and all the islands of Japan. And right there is the Third Vertex: situated on the northwest coast of Hokkaido in Japan.”
“THIS IS splendid work, boys,” Wizard said. “But—”
“But a Vertex without a Pillar is useless,” Jack said.
Lachlan said, “It is indeed. We’re not done.”
“My humble apologies.”
Lachlan went on: “In 1226, six years after Genghis’s secret voyage to Japan, messengers from the Shogun came to see him. According to a scroll in the Shanghai Museum, it’s said that they gave Genghis a most peculiar gift: a beautiful glass orb, cloudy white in color, the size of a football, and covered with intricately painted pictures. Of course, such an orb has never been found.
“With the gift came a message from the Shogun intended for Genghis:
“Great Khan, after six long years, the works are complete. A maze of our own devising—a match for the one already there—has been constructed within the temple-shrine to protect your glorious gift to my people.
“It is our honor to present to you this Wingless Dragon’s Egg, found at the temple-shrine during our excavations. It portrays the glorious cliffs above the shrine’s entrance, plus images of five other most beautiful landscapes. Its artistry is beyond compare.”
Wizard said, “So Genghis gave the Japanese the Third Pillar as a gift and the Japanese hid it within the Third Vertex itself. The Pillar is inside the Vertex . . .”
Lachlan turned to Jack. “A Vertex without a Pillar might indeed be useless, but I’d say one with its matching Pillar inside it is pretty frickin’ awesome.”
“Touché.” Jack bowed his head in acknowledgment.
“A Wingless Dragon?” Pooh Bear said. “What is that?”
“The term ‘Wingless Dragon’s Egg’ is very peculiar,” Julius said. “But think about it. What would a wingless dragon look like?”
“Like a dinosaur . . .” Lily said over the videolink.
“That’s just what we think,” Lachlan nodded. “We figure this Wingless Dragon’s Egg is actually some kind of petrified dinosaur egg, or a glass version of one, that was decorated with painted images.”
Jack turned to Wizard. “Max? Any famous eggs we should know about?”
Wizard said, “Only the most famous. In the late 19th century, the Russian tsars commissioned fabulous jeweled artworks in the shape of eggs from the master craftsman, Peter Carl Fabergé. I mention them in my summary sheet.
“Fabergé Eggs are beautiful, rare, and practically priceless. One such Fabergé Egg—made of gold and lost during the Bolshevik revolution—apparently depicted landscapes such as the twins describe. Given the Russian royal family’s links to the Machine, I have often wondered if that Fabergé Egg was created as a replica of an object related to the Machine. If there was an Egg found at this Vertex, there might be other eggs at other venues, eggs which the royals already possess.”
“If the royals have one, it would explain some of Iolanthe’s superior knowledge,” Jack said.
“It certainly would.”
Jack said, “Well, whatever it is, this Dragon’s Egg is central to everything. If it depicts the landscapes around the entrances to this and all five of the other Vertices, we have to get it.”
At that point, Diane Cassidy chimed in. “There were pictures of a sacred orb such as you describe among the carvings of the Neetha tribe. If Jack’s father is still traveling with the Neetha warlock then it’s likely he knows about this Egg, too.”
“We have to assume Wolf is doing exactly what we’re doing,” Wizard said, “researching and planning. Likewise the royals, especially if they have the Fabergé replica.”
“I’ve got someone keeping track of my father,” Jack said, somewhat enigmatically. “According to my guy, Wolf’s been hunkered down at the American base at Diego Garcia for the last two weeks. If he knows about this, he hasn’t gone after it yet.”
Alby said over the videolink: “According to the Shogun’s message, this Dragon’s Egg was found inside the Vertex, which would mean the ancient builders of the Machine left it there.”
“Which means we’re going to need Lily to decipher it.” Jack turned to the computer. “Looks like you’re back in the game, kiddo.”
“Yay,” Lily squealed over the videolink.
Jack turned to the twins: “But let me guess, no large intact dinosaur egg has ever been found, either in Japan or Mongolia?”
Julius shook his head. “No. Never.”
“So let me get this straight,” Zoe said. “You’re saying that if we find this Egg, and combine the images on it with the knowledge we have of the Hokkaido coast, we can find the Third Vertex and the Third Pillar?”
“Yes,” Julius said.
“Yes,” Lachlan said.
“So we find it,” Jack said resolutely. He turned to the twins: “Okay, my Mongolian experts, where did it go? Where do you think this Wingless Dragon’s Egg ended up?”
AIRSPACE OVER WESTERN CHINA
FEBRUARY 28, 2008, 0800 HOURS
12 DAYS BEFORE THE 3RD DEADLINE (2008 BEING A LEAP YEAR)
“GENGHIS KHAN’S Arsenal,” Lachlan’s voice said over the speaker-phone in the main cabin of Halicarnassus. “That’s where the Dragon’s Egg ended up.”
“His arsenal?” Jack said.
Jack, Lily, Zoe, and Wizard were soaring over central Asia, heading toward Mongolia. Guessing that the Egg lay somewhere in Genghis’
s former empire, they’d headed here while the twins had researched the matter further.
On the way, they had picked up Lily in Perth. When they’d collected her, however, Alby had mentioned something about a discovery he’d made regarding the Basin of Rameses II—and so Pooh Bear, Stretch, and the twins had been dispatched to, of all places, England. Diane Cassidy had gone home to America, to rebuild the pieces of her life and put together all her research so she could help from there.
Sadly for Lily, Alby couldn’t come on this trip. After he’d arrived home from their last adventure with his arm in a sling, his mother, Lois, wasn’t letting him out of her sight.
Julius’s voice said, “While reading the Secret History of the Mongols, we found a few odd references to something called ‘the Lost Arsenal of the Khan.’ Apparently, it was a secret redoubt of Genghis’s, a last refuge, and also the place where he kept all the treasures he’d acquired on his many conquests. Not even his sons knew where it was, which pissed them off immensely. Its location is one of history’s greatest mysteries.”
“Of course it is,” Jack said drily.
“It was reputedly built by 25,000 Kwarezmi slaves—only when it was finished, they were all executed, so they couldn’t reveal its location,” Lachlan said.
“Effective way to keep a secret,” Wizard said.
“So how are we supposed to find it?” Zoe asked.
Lachlan said, “Artifact thieves have been searching for the Lost Arsenal for years. All we can do is what we’ve been doing: connect some otherwise-random dots and hopefully get an idea where to look. For instance, there are reports in Mongol literature that after a long campaign, Genghis would go off to the distant village of Unjin in the lands of the Uyghurs to meditate and recuperate—”
“Or to go and deposit extra special booty,” Jack finished for him. “Like the Egg.”
“Exactly,” Lachlan said. “Now, Unjin still exists and the ancient lands of the Uyghurs correspond to the modern Mongolian province of Bayanhongor; it’s in the southwest of the country and incorporates a large section of the Gobi Desert. It’s remote, hard to get to, and the northern half of the province is perpetually covered in permafrost.”
Julius added, “There’s also a curious land feature about twenty miles to the west of Unjin: a desert plain at the base of the Altay Mountains which is pock-marked with meteor craters, some big, some small, about thirty in total. Dotted all around these craters are burial mounds, dozens of them, some as small as haystacks, others almost as big as the pyramids.”
“Sounds like a good place to start looking,” Jack said. “Keep at it, Cowboys.”
“Jack.” Sky Monster emerged from the cockpit and handed Jack a printout. “Just came in from Pine Gap.”
Pine Gap was an ultrasecure communications station in outback Australia, not far from Alice Springs. Jointly owned and operated by the Australian and US militaries, the facility was used by the US to coordinate its satellite communications in Asia and the Middle East. What the Americans didn’t know today, however, was that an Australian operator at Pine Gap was surreptitiously monitoring their transmissions.
“What is it?” Zoe asked.
“My guy keeping track of Wolf.” Jack scanned the printout. “Thirty minutes ago, Pine Gap picked up some encrypted radio chatter on a US Navy satellite frequency. My man didn’t have authorization to decrypt exactly what they were saying, but he could see where the signal came from: southwestern Mongolia, got the GPS coordinates here.”
Jack punched the coordinates into a plotting computer.
“Son of a bitch, he left Diego Garcia.” A map came up on the screen. “And he’s now in Bayanhongor Province, Mongolia, ten miles west of the village of Unjin. Damn it!”
Zoe said, “The Twins were right . . .”
“They were,” Jack said. “Only we were too slow. We’re behind. Wolf is following the same lead and he’s already there.”
“Jack, there’s more,” Sky Monster said, holding up a second printout and handing it to him.
Jack read it quickly . . .
. . . and this time his face went ashen white.
“Oh, no . . . no . . .”
“What is it?”
Jack looked up. “Pine Gap just picked up a second cluster of encrypted transmissions coming from the exact same area an hour after the US Navy signal. Only these transmissions could be decrypted, because they weren’t American.”
“And?”
“The encryption algorithms matched those currently used by the special forces section of the Japanese Defense Force,” Jack said. “Two messages were decoded. The first:
“TELL THE GARRISON AT YOMI
TO MAINTAIN THEIR POSITION INSIDE
THE HALL OF OROCHI.”
“Yomi?” Jack looked to Zoe. “My Japanese geography is kinda rusty.”
“You’re not going to find Yomi on any map,” she said. “Yomi is the name given to the underworld in Japanese mythology, like Hades or Tartarus . . .”
“And the Hall of Orochi?”
“Orochi is a gigantic eight-headed serpent, also from Japanese mythology. But I’ve never heard of a hall dedicated to him.”
Jack nodded. “Okay. The second message is less cryptic:
“OUR ENEMIES HAVE FOUND THE
ARSENAL OF THE KHAN.
IMPERATIVE THAT THEY DO NOT
ACQUIRE THE EGG.
DO WHATEVER IS REQUIRED.”
“Tank and the Blood Brotherhood are going for the Arsenal,” Jack said. “Damn, this could get very crowded.”
Zoe said, “Jack, you said these messages were encrypted with systems used by Japanese special forces. You think Tank might be getting some unofficial help from inside the Japanese military establishment?”
Jack gave her a look. “I don’t know. It’s a possibility. Either way, once again we’re bringing up the rear. Sky Monster, get us there, now.”
THE HALICARNASSUS rolled to a halt on a windswept plateau twenty miles north of the remote Mongolian town of Unjin. Stretching away to the south of the plateau was the vast emptiness of the Gobi Desert.
For most of the year, the Gobi was a land hostile to human existence—desolate, dry, and brutally cold—but in late February, hostile was an understatement.
Snow fell. A layer of permafrost blanketed the landscape in gray. Biting winds swept across the plain, penetrating to the bone, lowering the daytime temperature to –22 degrees. The combination of temperature and altitude prevented any kind of helicopter activity—rotor blades could not get any lift in the thin, cold air. Without ultralong landing strips, jets like the Hali struggled; indeed, this was why they’d had to land so far away.
As the big black 747 stood parked on the remote clifftop, two small dots sped away from it, racing out across the desert floor: a pair of all-terrain quad-bikes.
Jack drove one of them, with Wizard riding pillion and Lily sitting on his lap. Zoe drove the second bike, with Sky Monster as her passenger. Not used to traveling under someone else’s command, the big hairy-faced Kiwi pilot was terrified and he rode with his hands gripping Zoe’s waist tightly. Zoe grinned at his discomfort. All of them wore heavy-duty snow gear—parkas, hoods, goggles, gloves.
As they crested a low hill, Jack scanned the terrain through some digital binoculars.
They were in the foothills of the Altay Mountains, which ran in a long line from west to east, providing something of a northern boundary to the Gobi. The desert beyond the hills was huge: it stretched away to the southern, western, and eastern horizons, flatter than flat, vaster than vast. Jack could see a narrow, dirt road heading east for thirty miles without a bend or a turn.
Everything—mountain, road, plain—was covered in permafrost.
But then he spotted something in the distance . . . on the dirt road . . . something moving.
A large white-gray dust cloud.
And it was advancing toward them.
Zoe saw it, too. “What is that . . . ?”
&n
bsp; Jack was about to say something about a sandstorm when he zoomed in with his binoculars and saw what lay at the head of the dust cloud.
Eight main battle tanks.
Chinese Type-90s. And behind each of the lead tanks was a column of more armored vehicles, vehicles that were no doubt filled with Chinese infantry troops.
Jack couldn’t guess how many troops were coming toward him: it might have been as many as fifteen hundred men. With 1.6 million soldiers, China had the largest land army in the world. Deploying a battalion of them to the Gobi Desert was not a major challenge.
Was Wolf, with his Chinese ally, Colonel Mao Gongli, leading that massive force?
For a moment, Jack felt elated at the thought that he might have leapfrogged Wolf and would get to the Arsenal of Genghis Khan first.
From his hilltop position, Jack could see down a long narrow valley flanked by low mountains and bearing perfectly formed meteor craters all the way along its length, every one of them covered in a layer of the white-gray frost. Interspersed among the remarkable craters were conical earthen mounds—primitive burial mounds, some eight feet tall, others fifty or even a hundred feet high.
Jack scanned the isolated valley through his high-tech binoculars.
Beside one of the larger mounds—a towering frost-covered mass nestled close to a mountain—he saw a cluster of military vehicles, troop trucks and jeeps, all bearing red stars on their sides. They were parked beside a very narrow tunnel that appeared to burrow into the base of the giant mound.
An advance team, he thought. Damn. Wolf did get here first. He must have led a smaller, lighter team here, to be joined by the larger Chinese force later—
But then, panning over the scene through his binoculars, Jack saw that nobody was moving near the parked vehicles, not even sentries standing guard. In fact, there appeared to be no one at all stationed with the cars.
Curious, Jack increased his magnification and a horrific image appeared in his viewfinder.
Beside the Chinese Army vehicles were bodies, about ten of them, all lying with their heads facedown in star-shaped pools of blood.
The Five Greatest Warriors Page 8