The Mountain Mother Cipher (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 2)

by N. S. Wikarski

  Rhonda nodded. “Yes. I ran the store and we divided the profits.”

  Cassie shrugged. “Why mess up a good thing, right?”

  The older woman seemed relieved. “Honestly, I’d prefer it that way. It would take years for me to buy you out.”

  The girl sipped her iced tea, her stomach calming down a bit. “No worries, then. We’ll just keep it like it is.” She opened the envelope to take a peek at the size of the check. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Wow. You must have had a good month!”

  Rhonda smiled. “Not especially. That’s about average.”

  Cassie couldn’t see a downside to collecting a tidy sum every month for doing nothing, especially now that she had become so deeply involved with the Arkana that the idea of a job was out of the question.

  “I expect you’ll be going back to school in the fall,” Rhonda hinted gently.

  Cassie knew that the older woman was worried about her lack of academic interest. “I’ll be going back at some point,” she hedged. Given her intense involvement with the relic hunt, college wasn’t an option for the foreseeable future.

  “Then what will you do in the meantime?” Her friend sounded mystified.

  “I…uh…well, those people I told you about. Sybil’s friends in the trade. They asked me to help them with something.” It was the closest she dared come to the truth.

  “Asked you?” Rhonda frowned in puzzlement. “Why on earth would they ask you for help?”

  Cassie took a large gulp of tea. “Um…uh…because of some antique stuff that Sybil had at her apartment. I knew some things about it so I was able to give them the history. There are some other things of hers and they want me to help them sort that out.”

  “How well do you know these people, Cassie?”

  The girl avoided eye contact. “They’re OK, Rhonda. Like I said, they’re really nice.”

  Her companion reached across the table and squeezed the girl’s hand. “I’m not going to pry but, whatever you do, please be careful. The antiquities market can sometimes attract a bad element.”

  Cassie smiled weakly. “I will be careful. I promise.” The girl flashed on Leroy Hunt pointing a gun at her head. A bad element. Rhonda had no idea how right she was.

  Chapter 4 – Heavenly Mansions

  Abraham Metcalf turned in a circle to survey the landscape around him. He stood in the center of what appeared to be a dark valley ringed by hills. For some strange reason, he was holding a trowel. A bucket of mortar and a pile of bricks lay at his feet. He picked up a brick and attempted to fit it into a wall that stood knee high. He worked frantically to slap mortar between the layers and stack brick after brick but his wall sagged and buckled. He could barely see what he was doing. It was a moonless night and the stars afforded him scant light to work by. He paused to rest, breathless from his efforts, when he saw something bright approaching in the sky. It was a glowing orb which grew brighter as it drifted near him. It came to a stop and hung suspended above his ill-made wall.

  He shielded his eyes from the glare.

  Unexpectedly, the orb began to speak. “Abraham, I bring you tidings from our Father.”

  Metcalf fell to his knees. He cast his eyes downward, afraid to gaze directly at the light. “What are you?” he asked in wonder.

  “A messenger.”

  Abraham glanced furtively at the glowing orb. It seemed to be metamorphosing into a young man with flowing golden hair. He was dressed in a long white robe and wings sprouted from his shoulders. On his feet were golden sandals.

  The angel spoke. “The Lord Of Hosts bids me tell you that your house needs a firm foundation or it will crumble.”

  The old man gaped open-mouthed at the seraph.

  “Observe,” the messenger instructed.

  Metcalf fixed his gaze upward to see an image of his son Daniel forming in the night sky. Daniel held the granite key in his hands. The key that would lead him to the location of the Bones Of The Mother and give Abraham all he needed to remake the Fallen world in God’s image. The angel floated behind Daniel and lifted a halo above the young man’s head. Then the scene dissolved into blackness.

  ***

  Metcalf twitched awake and heaved himself upright in bed. He clicked on a reading lamp and glanced at the alarm clock. Two-thirty AM. He had awakened for a reason. This dream was a portent. As the Diviner of the Blessed Nephilim, Abraham’s dreams were never ordinary. They were the voice of God whispering in his ear. On this night, the Lord had shouted rather than whispered but Abraham felt frightened at his own incomprehension. What did his vision mean? He dreaded the thought of failing his Master. Rubbing his hands across his face, he tried to clear his mind.

  Metcalf cast a brief glance at the woman slumbering peacefully beside him. She was one of his older wives. Was she his tenth? He couldn’t remember her rank. No matter. His mind drifted as he gazed detachedly at the woman’s face. He noticed the grooves forming around her mouth, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes. She was nearing the change of life. Soon her body would be impervious to his efforts to build the kingdom through her. The thought that female nature could thwart his will so easily annoyed him.

  Abraham fidgeted and pulled the covers around his shoulders. He felt chilled and, for the first time in his seventy-odd years, he felt old. This was no time to fret about his age, he reminded himself sternly. There was great work yet to be done. He was on the brink of laying the entire world at the feet of his Master. The means would shortly be at his disposal. Daniel was instrumental to the fulfillment of his plan.

  Then a troublesome thought struck him. What if he were called from the fray early? What if he were asked to follow the example of his divine brother Jesus in an act of blood sacrifice? Who would carry on the fight after he was gone? Who would finish the job of remaking the world? He snapped to attention.

  “Your house needs a firm foundation or it will crumble.”

  There was the connection. Daniel was meant to be that foundation. Abraham paused to consider the idea. It had been generations since a Diviner had designated a Scion during his own lifetime. When Abraham’s father had died, he was forced to contend with his brothers for the mantle of Diviner. It had cost several years of struggle and confusion in the church hierarchy for him to emerge victorious. Given the plans he was about to set in motion, Metcalf couldn’t afford a lapse in strong leadership. It was distasteful to contemplate his own mortality but there was no help for it. He must name Daniel as the Scion before the entire congregation so there would be no question of who would succeed him as Diviner.

  Another alarming thought followed fast on the heels of the first. Daniel had three wives, each of whom had produced only one child—disappointingly female in each case. This would never do. The Diviner’s dynasty could not be built on such a feeble foundation. Daniel must father sons. Abraham stroked his beard contemplatively. Perhaps to do so, he only needed the right stimulus. The old man smiled and switched off the lamp. He lay down and pulled the quilt up to his chin. He believed he knew exactly what God wanted him to do.

  Chapter 5 – Revelations

  The bell had been ringing for at least ten minutes. Everyone in the compound had heard it. They were all hurrying to the Worship Hall. A nondescript twentyish blond woman named Annabeth scurried along too. She didn’t want to be late. The rule was strict. Every adult member of the Blessed Nephilim who could be spared must answer the summons immediately.

  It had to be something very important for the Diviner to call them together in the middle of the week. She could hear voices around her speculating but nobody seemed to know what this was about. Annabeth tried to catch her breath and smooth her hair when she entered the hall. Nearly everyone but she had already found a place.

  The men in their black suits and white shirts sat together in the forward rows. Behind them sat rows of women clad all alike in grey dresses and white aprons, their hair chastely braided and coiled around their heads. Annabeth dove for the first open seat tow
ard the back of the room. She stammered an apology as she stepped on someone’s toe before sinking into a chair. She didn’t like to stand out. Nobody wanted to be singled out for the Diviner’s attention.

  The whispers in the room all died when he entered. Father Abraham was a daunting figure. With his mane of white hair and carefully trimmed beard, he looked like a patriarch straight from the pages of the Bible. He strode to the pulpit and rested his hands on the stand. Leaning forward, he began to speak. “My children, I called you together today to give you news of great joy.”

  Whispers of speculation rippled around the hall.

  “Before I do, let me remind you who you are.”

  Annabeth didn’t know what the Diviner meant. She looked at the women around her. They were all staring forward blankly.

  “More than two hundred years ago Jedediah Proctor was granted a vision. A vision of God’s plan for the Blessed Nephilim. If we kept ourselves blameless in his sight and waited patiently for the Day of Judgment then we would be restored to the ranks of the angels from whence we sprang.”

  Annabeth could see some of the men in the front rows nodding in agreement.

  “My children, you know you are God’s chosen ones. Set apart. Pure. The only bright light in a vast sea of darkness.”

  “We are the chosen ones,” they echoed approvingly.

  “Two hundred years ago God’s will for us was revealed.” The Diviner paused to stare out at the congregation, holding his eyes locked on theirs. “But two centuries, my brethren, is a very long time.”

  A hush fell over the crowd.

  The Diviner stepped in front of the podium and began to pace. “For two hundred years we have suffered the scorn of the Fallen in our efforts to keep ourselves sinless.”

  “That’s right!” A few of the men muttered.

  “Two hundred years we have watched as the world became ever more corrupt, yet we kept the faith.”

  “Yes, we did,” other voices affirmed.

  “You know how we have been mocked by the ungodly. Made to appear foolish in the eyes of men for what they call our outlandish beliefs. Where is the savior of the Nephilim? They laugh at us and claim he is nowhere to be found!”

  “Speak Diviner!” another male voice shouted.

  “It must have seemed to many of you that the Lord has forgotten his promise to us. I know how you have prayed that God would give us a sign that he still remembers our plight.”

  Annabeth stirred uneasily in her seat. She couldn’t see where all this talk was leading.

  “I am here to tell you, my children, that the Lord has answered your prayers!”

  The congregation sat forward, their curiosity piqued. Annabeth had to crane her neck to see the Diviner.

  “Do not believe the whispers of the outside world, my children! They spread lies. I bear witness that the Lord has not forsaken us!” Father Abraham punched the air with his fist for emphasis. “Indeed, he has not! I have received a sign from above that the Lord is with us still.”

  “A sign. A sign!” Dozens of voices chanted.

  The Diviner nodded and paused until the chanting died down. “Yes, my children. A sign! A sign as sure as the signs which God gave to the prophets of old. As sure as the signs He showed to our founder, Jedediah Proctor all those long years ago.”

  The murmurs rose again.

  He raised his hand for silence. “Last night, the Lord granted me a revelation. He sent an angel to me in a dream.”

  Annabth’s attention was caught by the woman seated next to her who was rocking forward and back in her chair with eyes shut, a secret prayer on her lips.

  “The angel showed me clearly that the Lord has prepared a glorious future for the Blessed Nephilim. His works are mighty and he is mindful of his children. Let us praise his name!”

  “Praise his name! Praise his name,” they echoed, filled with the spirit of the Lord.

  Annabeth watched several women fall to their knees, whispering prayers of gratitude.

  “The Blessed Nephilim shall be raised high in glory above the heads of the Fallen. This mighty day will come long before the Final Judgment, my children. I have God’s word that the Nephilim are meant to lead the world through the darkness of the next millennium. In preparation for that glorious time of our ascendency, the Lord has selected my successor to carry our pure faith forward unto the next generation. Today I name him. My son Daniel is God’s own choice as Scion of the Blessed Nephilim.” Father Abraham pointed to the back of the room. “Let all here present bear witness that he will ascend to the title of Diviner once I have gone to glory.”

  In a state of shock, Annabeth swung around in her chair to regard a rumpled man in his early thirties who had been slouching against the rear wall. Her husband Daniel was to be the Scion! People stood up to get a better look at where the Diviner was pointing.

  Daniel’s pale face flushed in embarrassment at the scrutiny of the entire congregation.

  The Diviner forged ahead. “The Lord has commanded me to give Daniel a new bride that he might ensure a firm foundation for our faith.”

  Annabeth’s shock was rapidly turning to horror. A new wife! She cast a glance toward her husband to see how he was taking the news. Daniel’s flushed countenance had drained of color.

  She looked back toward the pulpit to see the Diviner’s eyes scanning the room for a different face. “Rise, Hannah Curtis. You are to be elevated to the rank of Consecrated Bride. You will be my son’s next wife.”

  A pretty blond girl of about fourteen gasped and covered her mouth. She rose uncertainly at his command, looking around in dismay at the faces gawking in her direction.

  “Wives. Go and greet your sister wife,” Father Abraham commanded.

  Annabeth felt as if she were sleepwalking. She rose on cue with Daniel’s other two wives and scurried over to the bewildered girl. Each one kissed her on the cheek and led her to the back of the room where her husband-to-be stood.

  “My children, I give you leave to offer your congratulations.”

  The rest of the congregation rose and filed toward Daniel and his newly-betrothed.

  Annabeth stood with her sister-wives behind the new girl. Her mind was racing. She saw all her hopes evaporating. No more than a month ago, the Diviner had berated her for her lack of offspring. He had called her a disobedient wife. Not worthy of the name of Consecrated Bride. In terror of being cast out of the kingdom, she had pleaded with Daniel for more children. Male children. Her husband had promised her they would try to have more. He even went so far as to suggest she lie to the Diviner about the state of their relations if she were questioned too closely. She had agreed but her husband had never come to her since that day. What chance did she have now? The newest wife was always the favorite and this pretty little girl was fourteen. Annabeth was twenty and already an old story. She bit her lip in frustration. She needed the Diviner to know it wasn’t her fault. She had tried to be a good wife. Perhaps there was still a way. She would wait and watch. Perhaps God would give her the proof she needed.

  Chapter 6 – Tripping

  Three days after her lunch with Rhonda, Cassie Forsythe received an urgent phone call. It was Griffin. “Faye called an emergency meeting. We need you at the vault right away.”

  Without hesitation, she jumped into her car and left the city behind. She drove through fields of ripening corn far beyond the last stretch of urban sprawl. Out here, progress had managed to slow its inevitable march. Farmhouses looked much as they had a hundred years earlier.

  She maneuvered her car down the dirt road that led to an old schoolhouse set off by itself in a clearing in the woods. Cassie smiled to think how innocent the structure looked from the outside. The secrets it protected from an unsuspecting world. This was the Arkana’s Central Catalog, often simply called the vault. The unassuming nerve center of the entire global operation.

  She parked and trotted up the now-familiar stairs to the front door and let herself into the deserted schoolroom.
A room that had been abuzz with life only a month ago when she had witnessed her first assembly of the Concordance. Their decision to pursue the mysterious relics known at the Bones Of The Mother had changed her life.

  She crossed the room, her footfalls echoing, and entered the vestibule at the back. Swiping her keycard, she waited for the hidden elevator. The fact that she now had a keycard of her own was a sign of trust. Why shouldn’t they trust her? She had risked her life helping them track down the first clue they needed to find the relics.

  The elevator door opened. Swiping her card again, she descended to the vault below. Every time she entered this space, she was struck by the ingenuity of the design. Everything was meant to remind the occupants of the natural world above. An underground ceiling that mimicked sunlight and moonlight. A ventilation system that created gentle breezes from different directions. Waterfalls trickling at the corners of the room and, oh yes, the animals.

  A Springer Spaniel came racing toward her when she exited the elevator. She bent down to rub his ears as he bounced up trying to lick her face. “Hey Ralph. How are you doing today?” Having greeted her, the dog trotted back to a desk halfway down the row where his guardian was filing some paperwork.

  Cats slept on desks or curled in chairs. Birds squawked from cages. The occasional iguana crawled across the top of a computer monitor. It was the most exotic office space Cassie had ever seen—one where flora and fauna were welcome. Without asking for directions, she made her way to a door marked “Scrivener’s Office.” She knocked briefly and then let herself in.

  “Griffin, how’s it going?” she asked.

  A lanky young man with curly brown hair swung around from the book case where he’d been examining the spines of several volumes. “Oh hullo, Cassie.” He spoke with a precise British accent. “Did you happen to see Faye on your way in?”