by David Wood
And then something was moving toward him. A shadowy figure, little more than a dark outline against the sun-scorched sand. As it approached, the form took on a human shape. Hope welled inside of Maddock. He was too tired and dehydrated to wonder if the person might mean him ill. Maddock raised a hand in greeting, or tried to, but he could not lift his arm. His vision blurred, and an icy cool flowed down his back. Heatstroke. He stumbled to his knees as the figure drew forth. Maddock had only a brief glimpse of a hideous, beastly face before he slumped unconscious to the ground, the silent scream dying in his parched throat.
Chapter 23
The members of the small party picked their way across the narrow spine of rock that led to the top of Angel’s Landing. Jarren kept his gaze fixed steadily ahead, refusing to look at the sheer drop-off on either side. Even the spectacular view of Zion National Park was not sufficient to overcome his touch of acrophobia and the myriad of thoughts that coursed through his mind. He had scoffed at the sign at the trailhead warning hikers of the potential danger this path posed, but now he saw the truth. The long, steep hike, particularly the switchbacks, had been challenging but not dangerous. This stretch was different. The ground seemed to flee from them as they crossed the narrow stone path. He could now see how several hikers a year managed to lose their lives on this perilous course. Why would anyone other than a skilled hiker be foolish enough to try and cross here? It was not that he had any sympathy for them; stupid people simply pissed him off.
A golden eagle circled far above, its lonely call drifting down from the heights. Jarren looked up for a moment too long and found himself struck by a moment of dizziness. He hastily dropped his gaze back to his destination, from which he was now only a few paces away. Angel’s Landing. How fitting that the Lord’s work would culminate in such an appropriately named place. He could scarcely believe it when the Elder told him. What were the odds that the Spaniards, more than a millennium ago, would have chosen a place that would later bear such a name? Zion indeed!
He knew little about what lay ahead. Excitement coursed through his veins. He suspected there still remained much the Elder had not told him. His instructions were clear: allow Ihara to guide them to the treasure, secure it until it could be removed, and then eliminate her at his leisure. It was the other part of the instructions he found most puzzling. If anything blasphemous is found, neither it nor word of it is to leave until I arrive. If that means eliminating your partners, so be it.
He grimaced at the memory of that last conversation. What might they find amongst the temple treasure that could blaspheme the Lord? Was he truly to kill the two men who accompanied him? Since those were his instructions, he was grateful for the small group. Initially, he had thought the concern over a large party drawing unwanted attention to be unfounded. This park did not have so many visitors compared to Mesa Verde or Grand Canyon. But, he supposed, a touch of prudence was not a bad thing though it went against his nature.
He turned his attention to his companions. Thaddeus was solid. He had done a few tours of duty in the army before joining the organization. He was very good with his sidearm and fair with his knife. He was dangerous, but his skill did not rival that of Jarren, nor would he be expecting an attack. If needed, Jarren would eliminate him first.
Jacob, the other member of their party, was a small-town police officer. He was steady, but was best suited for roughing up drunken Utes and the smart-alecky college kids who biked the scenic trails of southern Utah. His most redeeming quality was his zealous dedication to the Elder and to their cause.
As they neared the safe haven of the top peak of Angel’s Landing, he relaxed and let his gaze drift to Ihara’s trim figure. She was a fine-looking woman. A shame she had to die. He forced down the thoughts rising in his mind. Their sacred mission deserved his full attention, untainted by these stray thoughts.
“Almost there,” Ihara called out.
“How is it,” he asked, “that the entrance has been in this place all these years, yet no one has found it?” The question had gnawed at the back of his mind ever since he learned their destination.
“We don’t know for certain that it has not been found,” she said, not looking back at him. “It’s entirely possible that others have found the entrance, but without the instructions we found, I assume you can’t find your way to the treasure. I suspect the Spaniards made it very difficult to find.”
“Maybe the monster ate them,” Thaddeus said.
Ihara laughed and shook her head. They had arrived at the summit of Angel’s Landing. She stood looking around, a half-smile belying her oddly sad eyes.
“Something funny?” Jarren asked. He hated being left out of jokes, always assuming them to somehow be at his expense.
“A local legend,” Ihara said. “Some sort of chupacabra creature supposedly lurks around these canyons, killing the occasional goat or tourist. There have been a few disappearances, probably hiking accidents, but locals like to blame it on the monster.”
“They found a body,” Thaddeus said. “Mauled.”
“Coyotes, most likely,” Jarren scoffed. “Superstition is the tool of Lucifer, spreading fear in the hearts of those lacking sufficient faith.” Thaddeus scowled, but Jarren ignored him.
“If you say so,” Ihara replied. She fished into her pack and drew out a notebook. “I want to make sure we get this right. The first clue reads, ‘Pass under the tenth step leading to the east.’”
“Step?” Jacob asked, shielding his eyes from the sun and looking around. “But there are no buildings here.”
“Must be a natural formation resembling steps,” Ihara said, “or steps hewn into the rock in a place that’s not readily visible. In any case, the cave paintings discovered at Orley’s ranch definitely indicate the presence of steps coming down from the peak. Let’s look around.” They made a cursory inspection of the top of Angel’s Landing, and then made their way around the edge, carefully inspecting the steep cliffs below for any sign of the mysterious stairs.
“Tell me,” Ihara said, “why didn’t we come in your helicopter? We could have gotten a better look at the cliffs, then been dropped off up here without the big climb.
“Not worth the risk of notice,” he replied.
“That didn’t stop you before,” she said.
“It was not so great a concern then. As long as we found the missing pieces, it did not matter if others grew curious about why we were there. Once we found what we needed, it did not matter if the authorities poked around. They would find nothing. But this…” his sweeping gesture took in the entire panorama “…this is where the treasure is. We positively do not want undue attention drawn to this place.”
“There’s something else I don’t understand,” Ihara said as they walked along. Her foot slipped and he grabbed her upper arm, steadying her. “Thanks. Anyway, I was reporting in regularly. I was doing the job. Why did your goons keep trying to get ahead of me?”
“That was my decision,” Jarren said. He wondered if Ihara knew that he was one of the “goons.” Likely, she would not care if she gave offense or not. “Initially, I did not know if you could be trusted, so we moved on Chaco Canyon as soon as I learned of your plans. You proved yourself at Chaco when you found what we did not, and you reported in as expected. At that point, I was content to let you continue on your own. Closely monitored, of course. That is until Bonebrake showed up. He had already given us trouble, and we could not take a chance with a wild card like him.”
“You weren’t worried about Maddock?” Ihara asked, shielding her eyes against the intense sunlight and looking down over the edge of the precipice.
“He had shown himself to be loyal to you, so we were content to let things move along as they were. Too bad cutting his rope at Mesa Verde didn’t kill him.”
“Right,” she said, her voice tight. “Wait a minute!” She whirled around to face him. “You recovered the Ship Rock piece, and that was before Bones showed up.”
“What do y
ou mean?” Jarren asked. He suddenly felt cold all over. What piece was she talking about?
“The piece you recovered from Ship Rock.”
“You said you had all the pieces,” he replied.
“I said we had all the pieces. I have five. You have the sixth. Please tell me you brought the translation with you. I was so distracted by… everything I had to do today that I just assumed…”
“Ihara, I don’t know what you are talking about. We did not recover any of the artifacts, and you certainly never reported anything about Ship Rock.”
“There wasn’t time,” she said. “Saul actually figured it out, and by the time he told us about it, you had already…” Her eyes widened in shock. “Oh… my…”
“What?” Jarren was not certain he wanted to hear the answer. He was completely sure, however, that the Elder would not like to hear whatever it was that Ihara was about to tell him.”
“Saul figured out the Ship Rock clue and took off without telling us. He came back and said that you had beaten him to it. He must have kept the piece himself. I’ll kill him!”
“I imagine that has already been taken care of,” Jarren said, relaxing a little. By now, Saul, Bonebrake, and the woman would be long-dead.
“We need to find out whether or not the missing piece was among Saul’s things.”
Jarren grabbed his walkie-talkie and called down to Ian who was waiting near the trailhead.
“I need you to contact the team. Have them search Saul’s and Bonebrake’s possessions. There should be a small stone artifact…”
“Sir,” Ryan’s voice came back fuzzy but discernible, “the team has not yet reported in.”
“What?” Jarren checked his watch. Too much time had passed. Something was wrong. He quickly turned over the possibilities in his mind. Notify the Elder? No, that was the last thing he wanted to do. He needed to be certain before he told the Elder anything. There had been too many failures already. He couldn’t hike back down and investigate it himself, and he certainly didn’t want to sit atop this rock while he waited.
“You’re going to have to go there,” he told Ryan.
“Sir? My instructions were to remain here and…”
“Your instructions have changed. Get there and back as quickly as you can. You won’t be able to communicate with us once we’ve found the entrance. Leave Jedediah to man the post, find out what happened to the team, and get back here as quickly as you can.”
“What should I tell the Elder?” Ryan’s voice quavered.
“Should the Elder contact you, which he will not, tell him that the last update you received from me was that everything was proceeding as planned. Otherwise, play dumb.” Shouldn’t be a problem for him, Jarren thought.
“Something wrong?” Ihara asked.
“Nothing you need to worry about. Let me ask you; do you believe we can find our way to the treasure without the missing clue?”
“I don’t know.” Ihara shrugged. “I assume every clue is important, but I don’t see that we have any choice. Even if it was among Saul’s things, we’d have to get it translated, and I don’t relish waiting that long, do you?”
“Definitely not. We’ll begin our search, and in the meantime, the others can work on searching for the piece. Worst case, we are unsuccessful and have to start again with the additional information.”
“Suits me,” Ihara said. She led them on a circuit around the top, before coming to a sudden halt, her eyes gleaming with triumph. “The solstice!” she exclaimed. “I’ll bet they would have chosen a location that caught the sun most of the day. Somewhere where a rock formation could have cast a shadow…” She did not complete her thought but hurried toward the edge and lay down flat, her head hanging over the edge. She looked for a minute, and then cried, “I see it!”
Jarren joined her on the cliff edge and lay flat on his stomach, his head hanging over the edge. He could see why no one had discovered it before. Down below them, the rock receded into a deep overhang. A deep cleft wound through the rock and vanished into the shadows of the rocky ledge. No one would be able to see this from anywhere other than where he lay. The floor of the cleft resembled large stairs. This was definitely the spot. They wasted no time in working their way down. Ihara did not wait for them but counted down ten steps as her translation instructed, dropped to her knees, and began brushing away dirt and loose rock. She drew a long-bladed knife from the sheath on her belt and began probing the area.
“See anything?” Jarren asked, moving in behind her.
“Not…. wait a minute!” Her knife had caught in something. She carefully worked it to and fro, and then drew it back toward her in a straight line. “I think I’ve found an edge. Get your knife and help me.” Soon they had uncovered a slab roughly three feet square. With Thaddeus’s help, they pried the stone loose, and upended it to reveal a tunnel descending at a sharp angle and curving out of sight.
“What’s this carved on the bottom of the stone?” Thaddeus asked. A shamrock with a cross in the center had been scratched into the underside of the rock.
“It’s Fray Marcos’ sigil!” Ihara gasped. “If we needed further confirmation, this is it. We are in the right place. Follow me!” Without another word, she thrust her legs into the hole, scooted forward, and slid out of sight.
“Ihara!” Jarren called, but she did not answer. “Hell,” he mumbled. “We’ll have to follow her. Jacob, you come down last and be certain to replace that stone before you follow.” Gripping his flashlight in his left hand and his pistol in his right, Jarren took a deep breath and plunged into the darkness and out of sight.
Chapter 24
“Angel’s Landing. Strenuous climb. Narrow route with cliff exposures. Hazardous during…”
“Bones, I know how to read,” Amanda snapped. “I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve got you with me.”
“If you say so,” Bones said. “Of course, it’s not so much the climb, but who might be waiting for us at the top that worries me.”
“Then you’ll just have to look after me that much more carefully.” She smiled, took his hand, and led him up the trail.
The trek thus far had been strenuous, though nothing either of them could not handle. Truthfully, Bones was more worried about Maddock than Amanda. The few times he had gotten cell phone coverage, he had tried to call his friend but failed to reach him. He had spoken to Jimmy, who had not heard from Maddock but had managed to translate the final clues from Saul’s piece of the scarab.
“One other thing I wanted to tell you,” Jimmy said, “is that I made a mistake translating a piece of the artifact. Instead of ‘the tenth is impure,’ I’m fairly certain it should read ‘the ten is impure.’ Doesn’t make much sense, but there you go.”
Bones didn’t have time to think about the subtle nuances of language. He wanted to find out what had happened to Maddock. Tough as he was if Jade had surprised him by delivering him directly into the hands of the Dominion…”
“It might be all right,” Amanda said, reading his thoughts. “You’ve told me before he’s the toughest, most resourceful guy you’ve ever known. Besides, it might not be what you think. She seems to care about him. Maybe she’s double-crossing the Dominion and he’s helping her.”
“I don’t know,” he said. He didn’t know what to think. He just wanted to find his friend.
A young park ranger appeared from around a bend farther up the trail. He approached them, an easy smile on his face.
“Afternoon,” the ranger said. He was short and stocky with light brown hair and a faint splash of freckles across his sunburned nose. He removed his ranger’s cap and fanned his face. “Enjoying your hike?” he asked, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
“It’s beautiful,” Amanda said, “but tiring.”
“Walter’s Wiggles,” the ranger said knowingly, nodding in the direction of the steep switchbacks they had climbed a short while ago. “It’ll do that to you.”
“We’re trying to catch up with som
e friends,” Bones said in what he hoped was a friendly tone. “Did you pass anyone on your way down? We’re pretty sure they went on ahead of us.” He gave a quick description of Maddock and Jade.
“Sure!” the ranger said. “I definitely saw the girl. She’s hard to miss! She was with, like, three guys, though.”
“Was one of them my friend?” Bones asked, every muscle tense.
“Probably,” the ranger said, shrugging. “I just noticed the girl.” He arched an eyebrow at the sound of Amanda’s muttered curse but did not comment. “They’re probably up at the top by now. Even if they don’t wait around for you, you’ll definitely pass them on their way back down. There’s no other way off this rock.”
“That’s great,” Bones said. He stood, ready to resume their hike, when a glint of gold on the ranger’s chest caught his eye. “What’s that you’re wearing?”
“Oh, this?” Hanging from a leather necklace was a heavy gold cross with a wide loop at the top. “It’s an ankh,” he said. “Pretty realistic-looking isn’t it?”
“It looks very old,” Amanda said, leaning in for a closer look.
“Yeah, but I’m sure it’s not,” the ranger said. “I found it in a stream here in the park. A visitor must have dropped it. Kept it in the office for a year and no one ever called about it, so they let me keep it.”
“It’s pretty cool,” Bones said. “Well, we’d better be going. Nice talking to you.”
“You too,” the ranger said. “By the way, I wouldn’t stay too long. I think there’s a storm coming. I can smell something on the wind. It’s going to be a big one.”
“We won’t dawdle,” Bones said. He and Amanda shook hands with the ranger and continued up the path. When they were out of earshot, Bones turned to Amanda and said, “Well, what do you know about that?”