Secrets Of The Serpent's Heart (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 6)

by Wikarski, N. S.

  Chapter 42—Embracing Truth

  Daniel dashed through the library lobby and ran up the escalator to the Reference Department.

  Chris smiled a greeting when he saw the Scion arrive breathlessly at his desk. “Danny Boy! How was your trip? Successful, I hope.”

  The Scion cast an anxious glance around the empty reading room. “I need to speak to you privately. Can you get away for a few minutes?”

  The look on Daniel’s face must have convinced the librarian of the urgency of the matter. He briefly poked his head through the swinging doors leading to the staff area, presumably asking to take a break. When he re-emerged, he said, “Let’s go upstairs.”

  They took the elevator to the Rare Book Exhibit.

  Daniel found himself breathing easier the minute Chris was beside him. He relaxed further still when they entered his favorite room in the building. He immediately walked to the back wall to study the glass-encased illuminated manuscripts. He thought about the monks who had toiled for years on end to create such works of visual and spiritual beauty. He would give anything to be one of them right now, immersed in scholarship and meditation, a world away from his own troubled life.

  Chris walked up beside him. “I know you didn’t want to come up here just to look at the pretty picture books.”

  They both retreated to the circular bench in the center of the room and sat down facing one another.

  “I’m dying of curiosity. How did your retrieval go?” the librarian urged.

  “All things considered, it went well,” Daniel replied distractedly.

  “All things considered?”

  “The thieves I’ve told you about very nearly made off with the artifact but we stopped them.”

  Chris leaned forward. “How? Tell me everything.”

  “Mr. Hunt caught one of them and held her at gunpoint. The second thief offered to let us have the artifact if we would spare his partner’s life.”

  Chris knit his eyebrows. “I don’t get it. Why wouldn’t the second thief just take off with the relic?”

  “Because they care about each other, of course.”

  “But they’re thieves.”

  The Scion failed to grasp the objection.

  “If these thieves are such badass relic hunters, why would they look out for each other?”

  “Because they’re good people,” Daniel concluded simply.

  This bit of news brought Chris up short. “Huh?”

  Daniel waved his hand dismissively. “That isn’t why I needed to talk to you today. I have a much bigger problem. Hannah has been recaptured.”

  “Get out!” Chris exclaimed. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

  “You’ve got an odd notion of ‘better’,” the Scion retorted bitterly.

  “Sorry. Go on.”

  “While Mr. Hunt and I were away in China, my brother Joshua raided the house where Hannah was staying and brought her back.”

  “So where was she?” The librarian, caught up in the story, leaned even farther forward.

  “She had taken shelter with the thieves.”

  Chris shot out of his seat. “What?”

  “She asked for refuge and they gave it. Mr. Hunt seems to think they planned to keep her as a hostage.”

  “So she was locked up?”

  “No, she stayed with them willingly. She went to school like any other teenager in the outer world.”

  Chris rubbed his chin reflectively. He began to pace back and forth in front of the bench, frowning in deep concentration. Eventually, he turned to address his friend. “I’m going to ask you a strange question but bear with me. You’ll see where I’m going with this in a minute.” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “What would have happened if the tables were turned? What if those thieves had thrown themselves on your father’s mercy and asked for asylum? What would he have done?”

  “He would have had them killed,” Daniel answered simply without reflection.

  “That’s what I thought you’d say.” Chris walked toward the illuminated manuscripts and faced the wall, not speaking.

  Daniel craned his neck. “You said you were going to explain?”

  “I’m just having a hard time sorting out the bad guys from the good guys.” Chris continued to gaze at the manuscripts. “And I’m feeling colossally dense right now.”

  “Why?” The Scion peered up at him.

  The librarian reclaimed his place on the bench. “Danny Boy, I got so caught up in the thrill of helping you solve your real-life Raiders riddles that I forgot to ask the most important question of all.”

  The Scion stared at Chris in mute bafflement.

  “I forgot to ask whether it’s a good thing to give your father what he wants. Once they’re all assembled, what’s he going to use these artifacts for?”

  Daniel shrugged helplessly. “He won’t tell me.”

  “That, all by itself, is suspicious. A person who’s starting an art collection usually wants the world to know about it. A person who’s building a nuclear bomb usually doesn’t.”

  “What nuclear bomb? You’re being absurd.”

  “OK, maybe that’s a bad example but have you noticed anything strange going on with the brotherhood since your father first sent you chasing these relics?”

  The Scion paused to consider the question. “There are rumors. Nothing that pertains to what I’m doing.”

  The librarian crossed his legs, interlacing his fingers around one knee. “So tell me about the rumors.”

  “It’s said that my father has ordered secret facilities to be built near the main compound and at all the satellites where hand-picked men are given weapons and combat training. And then there’s the lab.”

  “The lab?” Chris’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “Again, it’s nothing but hearsay,” Daniel demurred. “A secret lab was supposedly built several miles from the main compound. A foreign doctor works there on a project for my father. Some of the rumors have grown to ludicrous proportions—that this doctor is creating a lethal substance and that my father is sending malefactors to the lab to be used as test subjects. They’re never seen again.”

  The librarian studied his friend in stunned silence. “Danny Boy, connecting the dots isn’t your strong suit, is it?”

  “You think all these facts are related?”

  “Like a polygamist who marries his first cousin,” Chris countered scornfully. “I can’t believe you don’t see it.”

  The Scion’s gaze slid away. “You have to understand the way I was raised. Among the Nephilim, the greatest sin is disobedience. From the time we’re small, we’re taught to follow the commands of our parents without question. And that rule applies even more strictly when one’s father is the Diviner— God’s voice on earth.”

  Chris didn’t seem swayed by Daniel’s explanation. “I thought you dropped all that nonsense when you dropped your black suit and tie.”

  The Scion shook his head sadly. “Those beliefs run deep. Lately, I’ve been studying the subject of psychology and I’ve learned about a hidden part of the mind called the unconscious. Maybe that’s where my compulsion to do as I’m told is lurking. Even if I don’t rationally think that blind obedience is a virtue, the urge to please my heavenly father and my earthly father is still alive at the core of my being.” He rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Maybe that impulse forced me to suppress glaring evidence that my own flesh-and-blood could be guilty of horrible crimes. And yet...” He trailed off as he contemplated a new idea. “Some part of me knew and resisted. I’ve been waging a war with myself ever since this dismal relic quest began.” He laughed sardonically. “The thief named Cassie told me so a year ago. She said I had to get off the fence and pick a side.”

  “And this woman is your enemy?” Chris’s tone was incredulous. “She sounds more like a friend offering you a piece of good advice.”

  Daniel gave him a stricken look. “What do you think my father’s goal is?”

  Chris
raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know how the artifact hunt factors into it but I think your father wants to start a war. Maybe he’s waiting to collect the last relic before he fires the first shot.”

  “But the Nephilim are a peaceful sect. Our scriptures instruct us to bear up patiently under the corruption of the Fallen World until the Final Judgment is at hand.”

  Chris smiled wryly. “As I’ve observed before, your father isn’t the patient sort. He probably got tired of waiting and decided to bump up the schedule on Judgment Day.”

  “And you think he’ll launch some sort of attack once the Sage Stone is in his possession?”

  The librarian nodded somberly.

  Daniel leaped to his feet. “I can’t allow that! Innocent people would die. Not just the Nephilim. Thousands among the Fallen.” He could feel a wave of panic rising in his throat.

  “Whoa, hold on there.” Chris’s tone was soothing. “You can’t quit cold turkey. Do you remember what we discussed that day we took our walk in Grant Park?”

  The question curbed Daniel’s dark imaginings. He temporarily switched his focus from bloody visions of Armageddon to the peaceful stroll with his friend in the Beaux Arts Garden. “We were talking about the big picture,” he murmured, recalling the scene.

  “Right.” The librarian stood and placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. In a gentle tone, he continued. “You remember I told you it would be worse if you didn’t continue the quest. That if it wasn’t you, your father would pick somebody more ruthless to take your place.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” Daniel asked helplessly.

  “You’ll play along. Pretend to cooperate. Maybe you can form an alliance with those thieves. You have to keep your father from getting the Sage Stone but not let him know he’s not going to get it.”

  The prospect of such a scheme accelerated the Scion’s panic attack. “It’s too much! It’s all too much! First, Hannah comes back and I could be exposed as her accomplice any second. My brother watches me constantly, looking for a weakness, waiting for his chance to strike. And now this! Pretending to search for the Sage Stone and sabotaging my father’s plans while Leroy Hunt tracks my every move. I can’t do this alone.” He was nearly hysterical, throwing himself into Chris’s arms, he began to sob.

  The librarian held him until the fear subsided. He stroked his hair. “It’s OK, don’t worry. Everything is going to be alright. You’re not alone.”

  Daniel raised his eyes to meet Chris’s. “Really? You’ll help me?”

  “Every step of the way. We’ll plan this together.”

  The Scion smiled tremulously. “I’m so grateful to have a friend like you, Chris.”

  The librarian’s eyes glowed softly. He held Daniel’s face between his hands. “Oh, Danny Boy. After all this time in my world, you’re still just a babe in the woods.” He leaned in gently and kissed Daniel on the lips.

  For a few seconds, the Scion fell into that kiss and, for the first time in his life, basked in the sensation of being cherished. Then his eyes widened in shock. He pulled back abruptly. “What are you doing?”

  Chris smiled sheepishly. “Taking a shot.”

  Daniel shoved him away and ran toward the door. “I have to go. Right now!”

  “Wait!” the librarian shouted after him.

  The Scion pelted down the stairs and into the lobby, all the while wondering if it was Chris he was running from or yet another unconscious part of himself.

  Chapter 43—Aftershock

  Even after he left the library and fled down the street, Daniel was still reeling from his encounter in the Rare Book Room. It had never once crossed the Scion’s mind that his beloved friend might be a sodomite. Even more shocking was the notion that Chris considered him one too. Such an abomination was strictly forbidden among the Nephilim. An offender would be banished from the brotherhood and cast out of the celestial kingdoms for all eternity. It was unthinkable that one guilty of such a sin could ever be the son of a Diviner. God would surely never allow it. Had Chris forgotten that the Scion was a married man who had sired three children? Daniel brushed aside the contradictory memory of his own unwillingness to consummate his marriages and quickened his pace.

  His car was parked in the garage of an office building two blocks away. It was dark and quiet in there—the perfect refuge. His thoughts still churning, he ran toward the underground lot like a fox diving for its burrow. Once past the dim entryway, he spotted his car and immediately made a beeline for it. Fumbling for his keys, he managed to drop them on the ground beside the driver’s door. Only when he stooped to pick them up did he realize someone had glided up directly behind him.

  “Hey, buddy. Long time no see.”

  Daniel jumped up and wheeled about. The face that confronted him almost made him faint dead away. “You!” He backed up and bumped into the side view mirror.

  “The name’s Erik.” The blond thief had the audacity to extend his hand.

  Daniel didn’t return the greeting. Instead he asked, “What do you mean to do? Kill me?”

  Erik chuckled. “Now why would I want to do a crazy thing like that?”

  “Because you ARE crazy!” the Scion retorted. “You and your two friends. Why won’t you leave me in peace?”

  “Your life is anything but peaceful. Besides, we have mutual interests that I’d like to discuss with you.”

  Erik took the car key out of Daniel’s limp hand. He pressed the fob and unlocked the doors. “Get in,” he commanded as he walked around to the front passenger side of the vehicle.

  Daniel mutely complied even though he wondered at his own willingness to cooperate. If Erik was going to kill him, the thief would surely want to stage the attack inside Daniel’s car where the garage’s security cameras couldn’t detect the crime. Nevertheless, the Scion obediently slid behind the wheel and closed the door.

  Erik climbed into the passenger seat and did likewise. He turned to face Daniel. “The Nephilim must be slaying a whole herd of fatted calves this week.”

  Daniel squinted at him uncomprehendingly.

  “You know. The return of the prodigal daughter and all that jazz?”

  “H... Hannah. You mean Hannah.”

  “Yup. I bet your father is jumping for joy.” Erik studied Daniel’s face appraisingly. “You don’t look too happy about the reunion though. What gives?”

  Daniel hesitated before answering. He had to get his thoughts off of Chris and onto what was happening in the present moment. The thief was asking him about Hannah. He needed to make sure he didn’t betray too much information. “It’s obvious she left because she was discontented with the Nephilim—discontented with her marriage to the Diviner. She should have been allowed to go her own way. My father is interfering with her happiness by bringing her back.”

  Erik folded his arms and cocked his head to the side, considering. “So you’re not even a little bit worried that she’ll rat you out?”

  The Scion gulped. “What?” He forced a laugh. “What could she possibly have to say about me?”

  The thief shrugged casually. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe that you helped her escape in the first place?”

  “You couldn’t possibly know that unless—”

  Erik cut in. “Unless she’d told us so herself.”

  “Then it’s true.” Daniel let out a gasp. “She was being held by you three. I thought Mr. Hunt was lying.”

  “Hey, she wasn’t being ‘held’ by us.” Erik made air quotes. “She found Cassie on her own and asked for shelter. We simply provided it.”

  “I see.” Daniel grew somber. “I wish I’d known.”

  “If she’d tried to contact you, Hunt would have found her in a matter of weeks.”

  The Scion frowned in concentration. “He said it wasn’t just the three of you who helped her.”

  “Huh?”

  “Mr. Hunt said you’re part of a much larger operation. Are you?”

  Erik faltered, obviously taken ab
ack by the question.

  Daniel pounced. “Then it really is true! Who are you people?”

  The thief darted him a wary glance. “Better if you don’t know. We like to fly under everybody’s radar—especially the Nephilim’s.”

  “It’s too late for that.” Daniel shook his head regretfully. “My father knows about you now. He’s ordered Mr. Hunt to find your leader and to destroy your organization so you can’t interfere with the quest for the Sage Stone.”

  “That’s just great!” Erik threw his hands up in disgust. “Like we didn’t have enough plates to spin already.”

  “You should protect yourselves. Go into hiding,” the Scion urged.

  “It’s not your concern,” Erik retorted dismissively. “You and I have got other things to discuss today.”

  Daniel rubbed his head distractedly. Chris was intruding on his thoughts again, as if this day weren’t already bad enough. “What do you want from me?” he asked in resignation.

  “A little information. A little help. We want to rescue Hannah.”

  The Scion sat up straight and turned to stare at the thief. “Are you insane?”

  Erik smiled derisively. “You already called me crazy so why would you even be surprised?”

  “The Nephilim compound is run like a prison these days. There are guards at the gates. Guards with guns.”

  “I’m well aware of that, chum,” Erik countered.

  “There are also security cameras set up around the outer walls and inside the hallways of the main building. It would be impossible to get Hannah out of there.”

  “By yourself maybe,” the thief retorted. “But with a little help from us...” He trailed off.

  The Scion still couldn’t follow Erik’s train of thought. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that if we join forces, we might be able to pull it off.”

  The thought had never occurred to Daniel before but these thieves had shown remarkable ingenuity in the past. Knowing that they had a pool of resources from which to draw actually gave him some comfort. Perhaps they and their associates could find a way where he could see none. He permitted himself a faint glimmer of hope. For the first time that afternoon, his attention was entirely riveted on Hannah’s escape. “How would we go about it?”