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

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Secrets Of The Serpent's Heart (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 6) Page 26

by Wikarski, N. S.


  Erik and Zach skirted the side fence of the Nephilim compound. They had parked their SUV a half mile away and trudged the rest of the way on foot. They wanted the sound of their car engine to be well out of Nephilim earshot and out of the range of their bullets. To make sure they remained unseen as well as unheard, they were both dressed completely in black. Erik also wore a black sock cap to cover his light hair.

  “Are you ready, kid?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” the boy replied shakily. If Erik only knew how unready Zach was despite his swagger when he’d charged into Maddie’s office and demanded that the Arkana do exactly this—storm the gates of the compound and get Hannah back. Like Gamma once told him, “Be careful what you wish for.”

  Despite Maddie’s assurance that they would find a way to save Hannah, Zach had never dreamed he would be included in the rescue party. He was painfully aware of his inexperience but the Paladin had insisted on somebody who knew Hannah personally. That requirement made Zach the obvious choice. Nobody knew Hannah better than he did except maybe for Gamma. His thoughts strayed to a hospital bed in the Vault infirmary. He immediately suppressed the image. That was one place he didn’t want to visit right now, mentally or otherwise. Instead, he shifted his focus to the object that stood between Hannah and her rescuers—a ten-foot chain link fence topped with razor wire.

  “That’s new.” Erik pointed toward the privacy slats interwoven through the links. From the outside it looked like an AstroTurf hedge. “Score another point for us because of Metcalf’s paranoia,” the Paladin remarked. “The slats were added so nobody on the outside could look in. It also means nobody on the inside can see what we’re doing out here.”

  Zach studied the wall of fake pine needles doubtfully. “How are we supposed to get over that?”

  “Not we,” Erik corrected. “Me.” He removed his backpack and took out a lightweight assault ladder. Fastened to one end was a metal grappling hook. The Paladin extended a telescopic pole which fit into a hollow tube on the side of the grappler. He guided the hook over the top of the fence and secured it. “Once I’m up, you put together the ladder in your pack just like you saw me do this one. OK?”

  Zach nodded.

  “I’m going to swing my ladder over to the other side of the fence to climb down. I want you to set up the second ladder on this side, climb to the top and haul up my ladder. The last thing we need is for the Nephilim to notice something dangling from their fence inside the compound. After you do that, stand at the top and keep watch. When I bring Hannah back to the fence, throw my ladder back down so we can climb over. Have you got your night vision glasses?”

  “Right here.” Zach produced the binoculars.

  “Good. You keep scanning the yard and the guard tower by the front gates. If you see anything moving besides me, you send a signal. Got it?”

  “Got it,” the tyro echoed.

  They each held small two-way radios. All the boy had to do was send a call to the other unit and Erik’s radio would receive a silent alert.

  Apparently noting Zach’s worried expression, the Paladin said, “Relax, kid. She’ll be back on this side of the fence before the hour is up.”

  “Thanks, man,” the tyro mumbled gratefully. “I’m gonna owe you bigtime.”

  “You can thank me now by watching my back.”

  “Absolutely. I’m on it!”

  Erik removed the contents of his pockets and crouched down to stow them in his pack which lay on the ground.

  The boy scrutinized his odd behavior. “What are you doing?”

  The Paladin paused. “Rule one. On a mission like this, you never take anything with you that can connect you to the Arkana.”

  “So you’ve done this before.” Zach chuckled nervously. “Someday you’ll have to tell me about your adventures.”

  “I could but I’d have to cut out your tongue afterward.” Erik grinned sardonically.

  Zach winced. He was fairly certain the agent was kidding but he decided not to press the matter.

  The Paladin drew a pistol out of his pack and stuck it into the waistband of his pants.

  “Don’t guns have serial numbers?” the boy asked cautiously.

  “Not this one. It’s homemade. We’ve got people in the Arkana who specialize in making weapons—serial-number-free and completely legal.”

  Erik clamped the two-way radio to his belt.

  “What about that. Isn’t that traceable?”

  The Paladin gave an exasperated sigh. “If things head south, I’ll ditch the radio where the Nephilim won’t find it. Now hand me the rug.”

  Zach pulled a small piece of carpet out of his backpack and gave it to his colleague. He had no idea why the Paladin had told him to bring it but was reluctant to test the senior agent’s patience by asking for an explanation.

  Erik stood up and walked toward the fence. After climbing the ladder, he scanned the grounds on the other side. Apparently satisfied that all was quiet, he folded the carpet in half and threw it over the barbed wire before straddling the top of the barrier. Pulling the ladder up after him, he reversed the grappling hook so it hugged the opposite side. As he stepped onto the ladder, he threw the carpet back down to Zach. Then he lowered himself into the compound.

  Zach immediately assembled his own set of stairs and clambered up to the top. He hoisted Erik’s ladder back outside the fence and then adjusted the range of his binoculars to check the guard tower at the front of the property. Its floor-to-ceiling windows made it easy to see what its occupants were doing. There were two men seated in front of surveillance consoles. Two others were standing and talking. Each of them carried assault rifles slung over their shoulders. Zach gulped. He scanned the woods at the back of the property but couldn’t detect anything moving, not even Erik. The tyro sighed, hoping that Daniel and Hannah would be able to slip out unnoticed. He knew the next ten minutes were going to be the longest of his life.

  ***

  Hannah could hear the lock on her prison door give a small click.

  A shadowy figure slipped inside and a voice barely above a whisper announced, “It’s time.”

  She looked at the clock. Three in the morning. Well past the point when members of the congregation should have fallen asleep. Only a handful of security personnel at the main gate would be awake. She bit her lip apprehensively, scarcely believing that this was actually going to happen. It was a miracle. Although Zach and Granny Faye cared about her, she hadn’t thought they could do anything to solve her predicament. Apparently, they knew people who could. The ones Daniel called “the three thieves” clearly had some experience with Hannah’s type of problem. That Daniel had agreed to help his enemies secure her freedom was the biggest miracle of all.

  The Scion, who was dressed entirely in black and wearing a baseball cap, handed a sack of clothing to Hannah. “Put these on.”

  She ducked into the bathroom to change. He had brought her jeans, a turtleneck, sneakers and socks—all black. She almost wept with joy at the feel of normal clothing from the real world against her skin. She reached into the sack one more time to retrieve a final item. It was a black baseball cap like the one Daniel wore. The front had been fitted with two rows of what looked like small Christmas tree lights above the visor. She had been told that these battery-powered LED lights would temporarily blind the cameras. If they chanced to catch her on their surveillance feeds, the guards wouldn’t be able to identify her. The lights would create a sunburst effect around her head and shoulders even more effective than a mask. Tucking her blond hair under the cap, she studied the effect in the mirror. Not a trace of the Nephilim remained.

  “Hannah!” Daniel’s voice hissed through the door. “We must leave now.”

  She snapped out of her reverie and joined him. “I’m ready.”

  They cautiously exited her room, taking care to press themselves against the wall.

  “Keep low,” Daniel advised.

  She sank down and inched along a few feet,
finally standing upright when she was slightly behind the camera which guarded her hallway.

  Daniel peeked around the wall of the intersecting corridor then motioned her to follow him. His co-conspirators had identified a way to get out of the building without being detected by the monitors. Hannah followed Daniel and mimicked his posture, first crouching, then pressing herself against the wall to stay out of the range of the cameras. After several tense minutes, they finally arrived at a service door leading to the utility buildings at the rear of the property. They slipped through soundlessly. The cool night air brought welcome relief. Hannah’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point.

  “We need to stop here,” Daniel instructed. “Erik knows the blind spots of the perimeter cameras. He’ll guide you the rest of the way.”

  They waited for five minutes but nobody appeared.

  “Are you sure he’s coming?” she whispered.

  Daniel nodded.

  They both squinted anxiously into the darkness but saw and heard nothing.

  Hannah happened to glance toward the compound fence off in the distance directly across from her. She saw something gleam. It was an object reflected by the yard lights. The girl kept her eyes fastened to the spot. It was too far away for her to make out the shape of the object but she knew it must be near the top of the fence. She had been told Zach would be acting as Erik’s lookout. It had to be him. His binoculars must be the glint she’d seen. She was filled with a flood of relief. She had truly thought she’d never see him again. Surely, he’d seen her as well. She wondered why he didn’t give her a signal that he was waiting to take her home. “Zachary!” she murmured. Without thinking, she took a step forward.

  “Hannah, no!” Daniel gasped. He jerked her back against the side of the building and put a hand over her mouth.

  They waited. It only took a minute before they both heard the sound of boots clattering down the metal stairs of the guard tower by the front gates.

  “You must have been caught on-camera,” the Scion whispered. “They can’t see your face but they know somebody is out here who shouldn’t be. We need to go back. If they find us here, they’ll shoot to kill.”

  Hannah remained frozen with horror at what she had done. The next thing she knew, Daniel was dragging her inside the building. She followed numbly, allowing him to guide her back to her own room and lock her inside as if nothing had happened. She prayed Zach would be alright.

  ***

  The tyro could hear men shouting near the front of the compound. He trained his binoculars on the guard tower which was now buzzing with activity. Something had gone wrong. He ducked below the razor wire and immediately sent a call to Erik. Where was he? How fast could he get back to the ladder? Trying to stay out of camera range now was the least of his worries. Zach saw a small object fly over the fence directly above his head. With a sense of dread, he realized it was Erik’s radio. The agent said he’d ditch it if things went wrong. Apparently, things were going very wrong. Raised voices were rapidly approaching the section of the fence where Zach stood on his perch.

  A gunshot erupted from somewhere off in the woods. Erik must be trying to draw their attention away from his rendezvous point. Then he would circle around to reach it before the guards realized he was no longer near the back fence.

  “Over there,” one of the sentries cried.

  Four armed men ran in the direction where the shot had been heard. Without hesitation and without taking aim, they fired wildly into the thicket. Bullets went whizzing everywhere. The noise they made sounded like dull pops instead of explosions. Zach was surprised that the guards were using silencers but he had no time to ponder why. He covered his head even though he realized that a turf-covered fence offered no protection at all. He couldn’t leave because Erik would need him to throw down the second ladder when he circled back. The tyro had no choice but to stay glued to the spot and hope that a stray bullet wouldn’t strike him.

  “We got him, sir!” one of the guards shouted in triumph.

  A man who was clearly in charge was striding across the open field from the main building.

  Two other guards were dragging a body out of the brush.

  With a sickening sense of dread, Zach forced himself to look. He trained his binoculars on the group of men and the object they were hauling between them. There could be no mistake. It was Erik. Even though they stood some distance away, they spoke loudly enough for Zach to catch every word.

  “He’s dead, sir,” a fourth guard called proudly to his superior.

  “Well, that’s inconvenient,” the man in charge said. “I would have liked to question him.”

  “What should we do with the body?” the leader of the night patrol asked.

  Zach had heard enough. As silently as he could, he clambered down the ladder, retrieved Erik’s belongings including the two-day radio and ran back to the SUV. He didn’t want to think about how he would break the news to the others.

  ***

  Joshua stared down at the dead intruder, puzzling over his identity. His sentries clustered around, waiting for further orders. He turned to his lieutenant. “Did this disturbance awaken any of the community?”

  “No sir,” the lieutenant replied. “As you ordered, all the men on the night watch use weapons fitted with silencers. There was only one shot that might have been heard as far away as the main building. If the brethren are at rest as they should be, no one will know.”

  The spymaster nodded. “Very good.”

  “Sir, look.” His second-in-command directed his attention to someone emerging from a service door at the side of the building.

  It was the Diviner. He was wandering aimlessly across the grass like a man who had lost something.

  Joshua needed to think quickly. In a low tone, he commanded, “Stay here and say nothing. I’ll handle this.”

  The spymaster hastily ran across the field to intercept the Diviner. “Father, what are you doing out of bed at this hour?”

  Abraham passed a weary hand across his forehead. “I have had a restless night.” His voice sounded thick, almost as if he were in some kind of stupor. “I rose to take another sleeping draught when I thought I heard a commotion outside.” His face bore a baffled expression. “It sounded like gunshots. Has someone tried to escape?” He squinted hazily in the direction of the sentries.

  The spymaster immediately stepped into his sightline. “No, father. Nothing you need to be concerned about. A wild animal was rummaging through the garbage dumpsters, that’s all. My men detected activity around the back fence. It sometimes happens with security equipment as sensitive as ours is. Unfortunately, the guards grew overzealous and began shooting before they’d identified the threat. It was nothing more serious than a raccoon.”

  Abraham searched his son’s face.

  Joshua tensed. His father could usually tell when a person was lying but the Diviner’s perceptions had been impaired of late. The spymaster didn’t know the reason but he was grateful for these recent vagaries. He smiled blandly and touched Abraham’s shoulder, gently turning him in the opposite direction. “Father, please go back inside. You need your rest. It was a trivial matter. I’m sorry it disturbed you.”

  “A trivial matter,” Abraham echoed dreamily. “Very well. Carry on.” Without protest, he did as he was bidden and tottered back toward the building.

  Joshua remained stock-still until he was sure the Diviner was safely inside. Then he motioned his lieutenant forward.

  The man registered confusion. “Sir, why didn’t you bring your father to view the body? It would surely have pleased our Diviner to see the prowler we apprehended.”

  “Would it?” the spymaster asked coldly. “If you think that, you don’t know my father very well. It’s far more likely that he would berate us for having allowed anyone to infiltrate our property. Given the sums he has spent on security equipment and training, he might feel that his money was wasted. He might even wish to vent his spleen on the men he’d app
ointed to protect the Nephilim. I don’t know about you but I don’t much care for the idea of being demoted.”

  The lieutenant appeared mortified. “I never thought of that.” In a wary tone, he asked, “Is that the reason why the night guards have standing orders to use silencers on their weapons?”

  Joshua smiled wryly. “Given tonight’s incident, I would say those measures were justified, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes, sir,” the lieutenant readily agreed. “I will direct my men to say nothing about what happened.” He cast a glance toward the body lying on the grass. “Who do you suppose he is?”

  Joshua ambled back to examine the remains at close range. “I have no idea. I’m sure my father has made many enemies amongst the Fallen. Have you searched him yet?”

  One of the guards bent down to turn out the dead man’s pockets. He looked up helplessly at his superior. “Nothing here, sir. No identification at all.”

  Joshua sighed. Once again he turned toward his lieutenant. “You say you caught him on a security camera by the side entrance?”

  “Yes sir. We couldn’t identify his face. Only a figure dressed in black but we’re quite sure it was him.”

  “I see.” The spymaster silently contemplated the corpse for a while longer. “If I were to posit a theory, I would say this intruder was employed by the Fallen boy that Sister Hannah seduced while living in the outer world. He must have been hired to steal the girl away from her lawful husband. Given our trespasser’s demise, we’ll never know for sure. Since he is one of the godless, a missing person’s report might be filed with the Fallen authorities. That’s just the sort of pretext that would allow the local police to meddle in our affairs. We can’t give them a reason to suspect our involvement.”

  In a louder voice, Joshua instructed his men, “Search the perimeter. If you find a vehicle, dispose of it immediately. And remember that all of this must be done with absolute secrecy.”

  “Yes sir.” They all saluted.

  His lieutenant asked, “How do you want to get rid of the body? The same procedure as the mercenary who tried to kill our Diviner?”

 

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