Map: World of Zion
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ASIN: B01G0YYQ4A
CONQUEST: RISE OF THE FIFTH HORSEMAN
Copyright © 2016 by Richard M. Mulder
Cartography Map © 2016 by Noel Gonzalez
All rights reserved. Except for the use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, no known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author, Richard M. Mulder.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Richard M. Mulder, Author.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book please contact us at [email protected].
www.richardmmulder.com
Printed in the U.S.A.
Dedication
For my dearest Alicia Ann
Thank you for all of the sacrifices you have made
to make this book come to light. I love you.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks goes to my Cartographer Noel Gonzalez; my Story Consultant and fellow Author Lander Allen; and my Beta Readers who gave me countless insight: David Mulder, Nathan Mulder, Charity Mulder, and Jessica King.
Table of Contents
Map: World of Zion
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One: Shadows of Darkness
Chapter Two: Ten Hours Earlier…
Chapter Three: Emergency Extraction
Chapter Four: Strange Dreams
Chapter Five: Internal Confession
Chapter Six: Attorney-Client Privilege
Chapter Seven: Incriminating Evidence
Chapter Eight: False Accusations
Chapter Nine: Vagrant’s Revelation
Chapter Ten: Haunted Memories
Chapter Eleven: Undetermined Fate
Chapter Twelve: Mists of Darkness
Chapter Thirteen: Unbridled Powers
Chapter Fourteen: Unturned Stones
Chapter Fifteen: Interrogation
Chapter Sixteen: Attempted Divination
Chapter Seventeen: Revelation
Chapter Eighteen: New World
Chapter Nineteen: Technical Difficulties
Chapter Twenty: Unlikely Hero
Chapter Twenty One: Unjust Detainment
Chapter Twenty Two: Late Visitor
Chapter Twenty Three: National Security
Chapter Twenty Four: Hunting Season
Chapter Twenty Five: City of the Ancients
Chapter Twenty Six: Dragon Venom
Chapter Twenty Seven: Atlantis
Chapter Twenty Eight: Village of Udom
Chapter Twenty Nine: Genocide
Chapter Thirty: Call to Action
Chapter Thirty One: Unto Dust
Chapter Thirty Two: Spirit Animal
Chapter Thirty Three: Internal Conflict
Chapter Thirty Four: Top Secret Technology
Chapter Thirty Five: Shattered Pangaea
Chapter Thirty Six: Summit Attack
Chapter Thirty Seven: Tower of Babel
Chapter Thirty Eight: Coronation
Chapter Thirty Nine: Warrant for Arrest
Chapter Forty: Rendezvous
Chapter Forty One: Hindu Gods
Chapter Forty Two: Confession
Chapter Forty Three: Rise to Arms
Chapter Forty Four: You’re No Jack Kennedy
Chapter Forty Five: Unexpected Visitor
Chapter Forty Six: Motive Ascertained
Chapter Forty Seven: Wedding Crashers
Chapter Forty Eight: Fresh Fodder
Chapter Forty Nine: Battle for Atlantis
Chapter Fifty: Re-Awakening
Chapter One: Shadows of Darkness
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void. And the Leviathan was upon the face of the deep: the darkness that doth corrupt all life and desireth to obliterate all light...
– Methuselah 3:1 –
The voices in his mind were barely a whisper now, but they were always present. It had taken him hundreds of years to subdue them, and he feared that his true intentions would soon be discovered. Though Timur Demyan had long ago yielded up his soul unto the Leviathan, he still followed his own agenda while he fulfilled the will of his Master.
Timur hid in the shadows of the park, slipping through the darkness from one shadow to the next. His prey walked quickly with eyes darting to each side like a bird weary of predators. A frantic look of desperation was plastered over the man’s unshaven face as he flipped open his cell phone.
“Come on…” he heard Jason Bridger murmur to the phone as he approached the fountain, “Answer already!”
“Allan, this is Jason. I know we haven’t spoken in a long time, but I need your help. I’ve stumbled across some disturbing information that involves one of your firm’s clients. I need to speak with you in private immediately. As soon as you get this, meet me on the east side of Buckingham Fountain. There’s little time.”
The instant Jason ended the call, Timur stepped out of the shadows, “Indeed, you have very little time.”
Jason spun around with his concealed pistol cocked and ready, “Back off, old man!”
“Ah,” Timur limped forward with his cane in his crippled right hand while he brandished a handgun with his left, “Not until you return what belongs to me.”
“I’m not letting you get away with this.” Jason shook his head adamantly.
“This scene is all too familiar.” Timur chuckled as he cocked his handgun and aimed, “This is exactly how your colleague died.”
Without a second’s hesitation, Jason pulled the trigger. Timur fell backwards with the sudden impact that hit him in the face. Seconds later a strange greenish glow surrounded his body, and then he disappeared. Jason’s eyes grew wide, and then a bullet ripped through his abdomen. And then another through his chest. Clutching the wounds, he absently dropped his pistol as he fell to his knees.
Timur reappeared from another shadow and the strange glow around his body began to dissipate. He approached with a silencer affixed to the tip of his handgun and picked up the thumb drive that had fallen out of Jason’s hand.
“As I said earlier, you indeed have very little time.” Timur sneered as he placed the tip of his handgun against Jason’s forehead, “And I might add, your friend Allan has very little time as well.”
Chapter Two: Ten Hours Earlier…
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep and fought back the darkness of the Leviathan. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness…
– Methuselah 3:2 –
Allan Young had been carefully planning this moment for months. He picked up the customized ring from the jeweler hours ago. The restaurant wasn’t too crowded. The table was donned with a setting of tulips, Lily’s favorite flower. Ever
ything was perfect. That is, aside from the fact that the restaurant had run out of her favorite wine. He already gave the apologetic waiter an earful.
When he first explained his intentions to his sister, she was absolutely giddy that he had asked her to help plan the big event. Having described her dream proposal, her incessant texts were starting to get annoying.
Allan glanced up from his phone and jumped out of his seat when he saw that Lily was almost to the table. He tucked his phone away discreetly, and stared in awe. Her sleek green dress stood out in contrast to her curly locks of red hair.
“You look gorgeous!”
“Thanks sweetie.” she blushed, “This place is beautiful!”
“I know.” he placed a careful kiss so as not to smudge her lipstick or rouge, “It was nearly impossible to get a reservation.”
“I love it.” she sat as he held her chair out, “How long ago did you book it?”
“A few weeks.”
“Wow.” she commented as he sat across from her, “What’s the special occasion?”
“Well, I…” he stammered, “I just… I thought you deserved a nice dinner.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but then she got distracted.
“Tulips!” she crooned, “My favorite!”
Allan smiled, “I know.”
A frantic waiter arrived with a bottle of Zinfandel and bowed, “Our finest wine by Ménage à Trois, on the house. Complements of the host.”
Allan nodded knowingly, “Thank you.”
Lily flashed a confused look at Allan as he accepted the expensive bottle of wine.
“Are you ready to order, sir?”
“Yes.” he feigned a shrug at Lily, “I’ll have the Trofie al Pesto.”
“And for you, miss?”
“I’ll have the uhh…” she scanned the menu, “I’ll go with the Tagliatelle al Ragù. And go light on the bolognese sauce.”
The waiter nodded, and then winked at Allan before he turned to leave.
“What was that all about?” Lily queried, pointing at the bottle.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Several distinct chimes could be heard from Allan’s phone in successive order.
“So sorry.” he quickly pulled it out, “Let me silence that.”
“Who’s that?”
“Oh, it’s just Jen.” he waived it off.
“It’s good to see that you two are on good terms again.” Lily smiled, “I swear. Lately you text her more than you text me!”
“Jealous, much?” he smirked.
“Maybe a little.”
Allan couldn’t help but gawk at her alluring beauty. Her lips were plump from the red lipstick, and the rosie in her cheeks made her skin glow. Her hair glowed with a brilliant auburn. He felt like the luckiest man alive. It wouldn’t be long now before this gorgeous woman would be his fiancée.
Lily caught his eye and her face blushed again, “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re starstruck.”
He looked away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She studied him for a long minute until the waiter returned with their entrees.
“Excellent timing.” Allan stammered in the awkward silence, “I’m starving.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes. Allan could feel his phone vibrating with each of Jen’s incessant messages, and it only made him more nervous.
Here’s your chance. Go for it.
His pulse picked up in pace as beads of sweat accumulated on his forehead. The lump in his jacket pocket appeared to be swelling ominously as the minutes ticked by. Lily was distracted with her food, so she didn’t notice the several attempts he made to speak but no words came to his mouth.
“Lily…” he finally croaked as he wiped his forehead, “You mean the world to me. You know that?”
“Yes, of course sweetie.” her eyes lit up.
His throat felt constricted. He took a long drink of water.
“Is everything okay?” her eyes locked with his, “I thought you said you were starving, but you’ve barely touched your food.”
Allan forced himself to stand.
“Lily, sweetie.” he reached into his pocket and knelt down on one knee, “You are my whole world. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Allan felt confused by the disturbed look that crossed Lily’s face.
“Please…” Lily whispered as several other diners stopped to gaze at them, “don’t do this here.”
It was too late to backpedal. He gritted his teeth and pushed onward.
“Lily Thatcher, will you marry me?”
She stared at him for a long minute. His confidence was waning as her hesitation lingered.
“Please get up.” she spoke under her breath as they attracted the attention of more diners, “Let’s talk about this.”
He stumbled awkwardly as he stood, “Does that mean no?”
“I don’t know what it means yet.” she winced, “I’ll have to think about it.”
“But…” Allan stammered as he returned to his seat, “I don’t understand.”
“I think we need to slow down…” she hesitated as her cell phone began to vibrate, “Hang on. I need to take this.”
Allan felt his stomach drop as she stood to answer the call. He opened the box and stared at the ring in shock.
Lily covered the mouthpiece, “I’m so sorry Allan. I need to take this. Let’s have a serious conversation later.”
Allan wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find any words before Lily had already exited the lobby. The waiter then returned with a bucket of ice and a corkscrew.
“Would you like me to wait for your lady friend to return before I pop the cork?”
“No.” he shook his head with a heavy sigh, “Go ahead. And can you bring me the check?”
“Yes, sir.” the waiter nodded, “Would you like some boxes too?”
“No thanks.” Allan hung his head low in defeat, “I’ve lost my appetite.”
Chapter Three: Emergency Extraction
And God made the firmament. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the light from the darkness, that they might ward off the darkness of the Leviathan and give light unto the earth: and it was so…
– Methuselah 3:3 –
Lily Thatcher stood and answered the call from the unknown number, “Hello?”
“Agent Wilson,” Commander Arlington addressed her using her real name and title, “I’m sorry to disturb you, but it’s an emergency.”
Thank goodness.
She covered the mouthpiece and turned back to Allan, “I’m so sorry Allan. I need to take this. Let’s have a serious conversation later.”
Lily turned and addressed the caller as she walked back to the lobby, “What’s the problem?”
“One of our agents was out on assignment gathering intelligence when he accidentally triggered the security system. Now the whole building is on lockdown and he’s trapped inside.”
“What kind of intelligence?”
“It’s regarding the surveillance of Motif Global Encryption.” he spoke with a hurried voice, “The police are on their way. You’re the only one skilled enough to get him out of there before they arrive. I’ve got transportation zeroing in on your location right now.”
“I’m on it.” she recognized the unmarked van through the window of the lobby and waved to Agent Miller in the driver’s seat.
She rushed outside feeling relieved. Agent Miller smiled as he punched a button on the dashboard to automatically slide open the side door, “My, my! Don’t you look fancy today?”
“I had a date tonight with one of my assignments.” she stumbled as she nearly tripped on the uneven pavement, “He proposed.”
“Oh boy, that’s awkward.” he leaned out the window, “Did you accept?”
“Of course not.”
She slid the door shut as they took off
with a screech of the tires. The van swayed as Agent Miller dodged traffic. She threw on the headset and began tapping away at the keyboard while her eyes dodged between all six computer monitors. Despite the swaying of the vehicle, she worked at a rapid pace while several programs ran simultaneously.
Streams of coding poured onto the screen as she accessed the back door that she had long ago created to bypass the company’s security program. Most of the screens were still running live video feed from multiple cameras hidden throughout the headquarters of Motif Global Encryption. On each screen she could make out flashing red strobe lights going off in alarm.
“This doesn’t look good.” she murmured.
“Brandi?” a familiar voice called over the headset.
“It’s Lily now.” she corrected as her eyebrows furrowed, “Jason? Is that you?”
“Yes.” he muttered, “But I go by Brian now. I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
“Where are you?” she began flipping through the surveillance footage.
“I’m in Timur Demyan’s office.”
She located the live video feed, “What’s with the scraggly beard? You look terrible.”
He jerked his head around in surprise.
“I’ve got the whole building rigged with hidden cameras.” she explained.
“How soon can you get me out of here?”
“I’ve almost finished bypassing the security program. I’ll have you free in two minutes.” she paused, “Thanks for freeing me from my date.”
“A date, eh?” he interrogated her, “With who? Is it serious? Do I know him?”
“I told you, save your breath. We’ll catch up later.”
“Now you’re being evasive.”
“Now I’m saving your life.” she corrected.
“And also being evasive.”
“It’s nothing serious.” she rolled her eyes, “Details later. For now, just shut up.”
Lily continued to hammer away at the keyboard as she felt the speeding van violently swaying through traffic. A few minutes passed before Jason finally broke the silence.
Conquest: Rise of the Fifth Horseman (The Fifth Horseman Series Book 1) Page 1