The Belial Origins

by R. D. Brady

  She turned in her seat and looked back at the rest of their group. Ralph sat quietly, staring out the window. He looked calm, but his hands were curled into fists in his lap. Henry sat near him, but the air between the two was still strained.

  Farther back, Laney’s uncle was sitting with Kati and Maddox. Kati’s presence had been a surprise when Laney had met up with the group at the Las Vegas airport. But Kati had refused to be left behind—and Laney couldn’t blame her.

  Her uncle and Kati sat with their heads bowed, their hands clasped together. Kati was saying something quietly, and even though Laney couldn’t hear the words, she knew the prayer. Hail Mary Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.

  Turning away, Laney closed her own eyes, offering her own informal prayer. God, please take care of Max. He’s just a little boy.

  She opened her eyes and looked out the window, unsure if her plea had had any effect. She knew she didn’t feel any more assured of a positive outcome. You would think that with everything that was happening— all the Biblical tales that were being substantiated—her faith in the existence of God would have increased. But she had a hard time believing He was around when all these horrible things kept happening.

  A hand on her shoulder pulled her from her thoughts. Her uncle sat down across from her and Jake. “Are you all right?”

  Laney sighed. “Not really. How’s Kati?”

  “She’s…” Patrick paused, searching for the right word. “She’s dealing. She knows everyone here will do everything in their power to get Max back. And she’s trying to hold it together. But it’s difficult.”

  It’s difficult. What a simple statement. It had been the motto for Laney’s life since all of this had begun. Laney nodded but didn’t say anything. After all, what was there to say?

  Next to her, Jake had pulled up a schematic of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple on his cell. Laney glanced over, looking for a distraction.

  Jake nodded toward his phone. “So what’s so special about this temple?”

  “Actually, a lot,” Laney said. “In fact, recently it’s received a lot of media attention. Hold on a sec.” She pulled out her own phone and quickly brought up an aerial picture of the temple. It was seven stories high and rimmed in lights. Laney flipped to another view, and the human figures painstakingly carved into each story of the temple became clear.

  “Have either of you ever been inside?” Jake asked.

  Laney shook her head.

  “No. Only Hindus are allowed inside,” Patrick said.

  Jake glanced between the two of them. “You two would love to get a glimpse, wouldn’t you?”

  “Absolutely,” Laney said, looking at the amazing designs that rimmed the building. “For the architecture alone.”

  The temple was considered an incredible example of Dravidian architecture—pyramid-shaped temples made of sandstone, soapstone, or granite that were popular in southern India. It was reported that the temple had incredible murals and a gallery of deities, and that one corridor was supposed to hold 365 intricately carved granite columns.

  Laney might not have ever been inside it, but she had read up. The temple was dedicated to the god Vishnu—the Protector, one of the three main deities of Hinduism. Vishnu was often depicted as having blue skin and four arms, and was usually shown holding a lotus flower. Laney couldn’t help but note the commonality with the statue that was alleged to have been in the cave in the Grand Canyon. It, too, had been holding a lotus flower.

  Laney pointed at the schematic on Jake’s phone. “Beyond the thick walls surrounding the temple lie, among other things, an eighteen-foot statue of Lord Padmanabhaswamy reclining. For centuries, the devout have left offerings to Vishnu there. They’ve been collected in vaults on the temple grounds.”

  “Who built it?” Jake asked.

  Patrick answered. “It was allegedly built by a sage who received a visit from Vishnu in the guise of a troublemaking child. The child defiled a statue, and the sage ran him off. Later, the sage searched for the boy. When he found him, the boy changed into an Indian butter tree. The tree was immense and fell down. It was allegedly eight miles long.”

  Laney remembered when she’d first read of the temple and its origin. “The sage begged for Lord Padmanabhaswamy to shrink the tree—which was an image of the reclining Vishnu—so that he could see him better. A temple was later built on that spot, and within the temple walls is that statue of the reclining Vishnu.”

  “Do you believe that’s true?” Jake asked Patrick.

  Patrick smiled. “Well, the last two years have taught me to have a healthy respect for ancient stories. It is true that the origins of the temple itself are unknown. As to when the encounter between Vishnu and the sage occurred, no one is sure. Some scholars argue that the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple was the Golden Temple referred to in Tamil literature, which would date its origin to possibly as early as five hundred BCE. But others argue that it’s closer to five thousand years old.”

  Jake turned to Laney. “You mentioned it was in the press recently.”

  Laney nodded. “The temple has been under the stewardship of the Travancore family for centuries. In 1750 the family offered themselves to the deity as servants who would take care of the temple.”

  Patrick smiled. “But there have been some concerns raised by different groups that the Travancores have been failing in their duty. As a result, some people called for an audit of the temple and all its wealth. And they found much more than they expected.”

  “Had some of the wealth gone missing?” Jake asked.

  Laney shook her head, and Patrick waved her on. “Actually, the opposite. They found over twenty-two billion dollars’ worth of treasure in two vaults in the basement of the temple.”

  Jake’s mouth fell open. “Twenty two billion? How’s that even possible?”

  “In the Hindu religion, people offer wealth to the deities when they petition them for help. The Travancores have been storing all of Vishnu’s wealth in the vaults. Not to mention the wealth received from neighboring kingdoms,” Patrick said.

  “And it’s all been just sitting there?” Jake asked.

  Patrick nodded.

  “But that wasn’t even the most interesting find,” Laney said. “There was a third unknown vault in the basement.” Laney paused, realizing that it was this third vault that they probably needed to get to. She pictured the vault and the mystery surrounding it. I wonder if…

  “The third vault?” Jake prodded.

  “Right, sorry. They’ve been unable to open it so far.”

  “And some people say they shouldn’t open it,” Patrick added.

  “Why not?” Jake asked.

  “The vault door allegedly has no handles, no noticeable locks. It’s simply a heavy door that no one seems to know how to open,” Patrick said.

  “Can’t they just drill it?” Jake asked.

  “I’m sure they could,” Patrick said. “But even then there are concerns. You see, two entwined snakes are carved into the door.”

  “A warning.”

  “Yes. And people are taking that warning seriously. Even the man who originally sued to have the temple audited died before the door could be opened.”

  Laney chimed in. “Of course, he was in his seventies, so that might be completely unrelated.”

  “People are drawing parallels with the legends of the curses on ancient Egyptian tombs,” Patrick said.

  “So what will happen if the vault is opened?” Jake asked.

  Laney and Patrick exchanged a look. “I’m not sure,” Laney said slowly. “But it’s probably a good idea if we don’t let that happen.”

  CHAPTER 64

  Gerard sat on the plane, sipping a glass of scotch, ignoring the show playing on the screen in front of him. He might physically be sitting in the twenty-first century, but his mind was reliving his life in Greece.

  He had met Kaya when he was out patrolling one day. She had been tending to a herd of sheep. He had never in h
is life seen anyone or anything more beautiful. He watched her for days, trying to find a way to speak with her. Finally, he gathered what wealth he had and presented himself to her father.

  They were married a week later. And he knew a happiness he had never even dreamed of.

  Gerard thought back to when Arya and Peter came along. Even now, the joy at their birth was overwhelming. These two little creatures that were part him and part Kaya had not only taken over his heart, they had made it grow.

  And it was then that he had come to understand why humans fought so hard to protect their families. And so he had lain down his own sword. He could not bring that pain to another family.

  For seven years, he had lived in peace.

  Until Samyaza returned and slaughtered them all.

  Gerard gripped the armrests. He took deep breaths, trying to control the storm raging inside him. It felt as if that day had just happened.

  His eyes scanned the cabin, coming to rest on Victoria. The witch had brought back all this pain. He narrowed his eyes. He should kill her for it. But something held him back.

  And he looked at that something curled up next to her: Max. The boy’s words echoed through his mind. Your path is not set.

  I have a side, Gerard thought stubbornly, but even in his mind his words sounded hollow.

  “And what are you looking so pensive about?” Elisabeta said, taking the seat next to him.

  Gerard forced a smile. “Nothing. Just trying to think of everything that could go wrong. Foresee any problems.”

  “You have always been a good soldier, Gerard. Looking for the problems before they appear.”

  He inclined his head toward her. “Well, I have learned from the best.”

  She leaned toward him. “Yes, you have.” Without blinking, she plunged a syringe into his arm and then leaped out of his range.

  Gerard stared at her. “What are you doing?” His words came out slurred.

  She gestured for two men to restrain him. “I’m doing exactly what I taught you to do: taking care of problems before they become problems.”

  CHAPTER 65

  Laney stared out the window at the landscape below. She’d never been to India. All she knew of it was what she’d seen in movies, where it was depicted as a colorful country with great joy for life despite an inordinate amount of poverty.

  As she stared at the skyline, however, it was hard to reconcile that movie image with what she was seeing below. To be honest, from this altitude, it looked like any other city that she had flown into.

  They would be landing at Trivandrum International Airport, which was only a few miles from the temple. At least we have that in our favor. With a country the size of India, she had worried they’d be in for a long drive.

  Jake leaned over and placed a hand on Laney’s shaking leg. “We’re good, Laney. They’ll be okay.”

  She shook her head. “We don’t know that. They could have come and gone from the temple already.”

  “Then we’ll deal with it.”

  Laney took his hand, but she didn’t share his optimism—not this time.

  Her cell rang and she snatched it up, glancing at the number before answering it. “Matt?”

  The SIA agent’s voice was rushed. “Laney, I’m still about an hour away, but I managed to get some of my operatives into the area. They’re already at the temple site.”

  Laney closed her eyes and let out a breath. “Good. That’s good. Any sign of Victoria and Max?”

  “Not yet. I’ve also set up the safe house. I’m sending you the coordinates now.”

  Laney’s phone buzzed as a text came through. “Okay, good. We’ll be landing in a few minutes. I’m going to send my uncle and Kati ahead to the safe house.”

  “I’ll let the agents there know to expect them.” He paused, and Laney could hear voices in the background. “Hold on a sec.”

  Laney opened her mouth to say okay, but Matt was already gone.

  Jake looked at her, an eyebrow raised. She shook her head, feeling the beginnings of fear.

  Matt came back on the line. “The Fallen have been spotted. They just landed and disembarked.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “We have visual conformation of Max, Victoria, and Elisabeta Roccori.”

  Laney started. “Elisabeta? She’s here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “Getting into a car.”

  Laney did the math. “It’ll take us at least twenty minutes to get there. We won’t make it in time.”

  “My men are at the temple site and ready. What do you want us to do?”

  Laney stared into Jake’s eyes. He gave her a nod; he was leaving it up to her.

  Laney knew that Matt’s men were well trained, but still, she couldn’t trust them with Victoria’s and Max’s lives. They would prioritize making sure Elisabeta and her cohorts didn’t escape. Laney couldn’t risk it.

  “Tell them to do nothing. Just observe. We’ll get there as fast as we can.”

  CHAPTER 66

  Elisabeta strode down the aisle toward the open door of the cabin. Hakeem walked over and gestured impatiently. “Get up.”

  Victoria stood, then helped Max to his feet.

  Hakeem had been put in charge of them after Gerard had been incapacitated. Gerard was now bound and gagged in the back of the plane, his arm attached to a drip. Some sort of sedative, no doubt.

  Elisabeta must have found out, or realized, that Gerard remembered. Victoria had hoped, if push came to shove, Gerard might be pulled in their direction. She looked down at Max. Or at least Max’s.

  But as she was hustled out of the plane and to a waiting Mercedes SUV, that hope died. She climbed into the back with Max; Hakeem entered from the other side, careful to not to touch her. Victoria wrapped an arm protectively around Max.

  She fingered the sari she had been instructed to put on while on the plane. It was a deep green that sparkled when the light hit it. It was truly beautiful. In fact, all the members of this horrific ensemble were now wearing native Indian dress, even Max. Although with Max being so young, he had been given a pair of plain linen pants and a simple shirt, not the traditional dhoti that men usually wore.

  The wardrobe change gave Victoria a little hope. The clothes were clearly intended to help them blend in—which meant, perhaps, that Elisabeta intended to reach the vault with subterfuge rather than force. And more innocent people wouldn’t have to lose their lives.

  Max had told them that the book they needed was in the unopened vault in the subbasement of the main temple. Victoria had never been there, but she knew that the vault was locked in such a way that no one had yet been able to figure it out.

  She squeezed Max’s shoulders. Elisabeta would expect the boy to be able open it. Victoria hoped he was up to the task.

  And she was terrified of what would happen if he wasn’t.

  Victoria ran through dozens of possible scenarios to at least get Max away from the Fallen. Their best chance would be causing a scene at the temple entrance. Victoria knew it was well guarded, but she also knew Elisabeta would think nothing of taking out innocent bystanders. And none of the forces at the temple were prepared to take on the Fallen.

  Victoria looked out the window. She had been sure Henry and Laney would be waiting for them. She glanced back over her shoulder, hoping to see a car trailing them. She couldn’t spot one.

  Doubt began to creep over her. What if they didn’t know where they were? What if they didn’t reach them in time?

  Max squeezed her hand. She looked down into his solemn blue eyes. “They’ll find us,” he said quietly.

  “What was that?” Hakeem demanded. Like all of Elisabeta’s men, he was muscular and no-nonsense. But also like the others, he had a fear that Victoria could sense—fear of Victoria and Max. It tended to make the men even gruffer with their two prisoners.

  “Nothing,” Victoria said. “He just needs to go to the bathroom.”

&n
bsp; “He should have gone on the plane.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Victoria said.

  Hakeem scowled and stared out the window.

  Victoria could feel Max shaking. She pulled her arm tighter around him, and he leaned into her. Victoria put her chin on top of his head. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get out of this. But on her life, she was going to get Max out.

  The city of Thiruvananthapuram flashed by as they sped along the highway. Motorcycles and mopeds dipped in and out between the cars. Hyundais and Kias made up a large portion of the cars driving by; most were older models, but occasionally a new car zipped through and disappeared in a flash of shiny color.

  It’s all so different, she thought, recalling the last time she was here.

  With a shock, she realized that it had been almost two hundred years—back before cars, skyscrapers, and planes. She looked around. She didn’t think India had benefited from the modern age. Truth be told, she didn’t care for big cities. Too many people crammed into too few buildings. Humans were not meant to live like this.

  Before long, Victoria could see the temple in the distance, looming over the skyline. As they approached, the crowds and traffic grew thicker, and stall vendors lined the sides of the roads. The car slowed, and she could smell curry-flavored dishes even through the closed windows.

  Victoria said a silent thank-you for the delay. The more time it took them to get there, the better chances they had of Elisabeta’s plan failing.

  A police car pulled in front of them, its lights blaring. Victoria’s hopes rose. Maybe Henry and Laney had been in contact with the police, or the SIA.

  But then Victoria realized with dismay that the police car was carving a path for them through the crowd. Elisabeta must have paid off the cops. Too soon, they were at their destination.

  Following the discovery in the vaults, the government had taken over security at the temple. Everything within one hundred feet of the temple was designated as a security zone and was surrounded by a police barricade. The five to ten thousand pilgrims who visited daily had to go through metal detectors and submit to patdowns, and armed commandos in camouflage ringed the site.