He knocked on her door. It swung open immediately, as if she had been standing on tiptoe on the other side, waiting for the sound.
“Hello, Daniel.” She smoothed her hair. There was a feverish gleam in her watery eyes. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too,” he lied as he stepped over the threshold. Even though he braced himself, she didn’t throw her arms around his neck and smother him with kisses.
She stood back, appearing flushed and exhilarated but making no move to touch him.
“You wanted to see me?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes, yes, I did.” She bobbed her head. “Please sit down.” She indicated the two chairs at the little table under his portrait. The sight of the picture always made him wince. It was an ill-deserved shrine in his honor.
“I have something very important to tell you.” She pulled her chair closer to his, attempting to take his hands. “Such news. We’re about to be blessed by the Lord.”
“Blessed,” Daniel repeated the word warily. “In what way?”
“He has heard our prayers for increase. I’m going to have a baby. Isn’t that wonderful?”
The news hit him like a punch to the stomach. “Wonderful,” he echoed in a dazed fashion.
She didn’t notice his reaction but kept on talking. “That will make me your principal wife. My sister-wives will have to give way to me. Imagine that, plain little me. Not only the wife of the Scion but his principal wife. Your father won’t dislike me so much anymore. No more evil voices whispering all sorts of blasphemy in my ears. Satan will leave me alone now that I have the Lord’s favor.”
“Yes,” Daniel agreed weakly. “You certainly do have God’s favor.”
She continued to chatter about her plans to settle scores with other wives who had treated her unkindly or make her a laughingstock but Daniel had stopped listening. His head was filled with images of demons wearing the faces of dead people. He had believed he could distance himself from the Nephilim by escaping to the refuge of his research in the city but circumstances were conspiring to draw him back in. As Annabeth prattled on, he once more saw a ghostly face—Hannah’s. “How bad does it have to get before you leave?”
He wondered if, with this last bit of bad news, he wasn’t almost there.
Chapter 48 – Driving Progress
The limousine pulled up in front of the steps of the compound. The driver scurried around to hold the rear door open for the Diviner. He gave a curt nod of thanks and settled himself in the back seat.
The vehicle took off noiselessly down the long gravel driveway. Almost as an afterthought, Metcalf commanded, “Pull over at the gate for a moment.”
The driver silently did as instructed. The Diviner climbed the stairs to the sentry tower. Inside he found four guards at surveillance terminals. Standing above them was Chopper Bowdeen, scowling at one of the monitors.
“Mr. Bowdeen, what progress are you making?”
Chopper flinched slightly at the unexpected sound of Metcalf’s voice. He looked up briefly. “Good progress, sir. I’m having a slight problem with this surveillance camera at the back fence but it’s nothing that can’t be adjusted.”
Metcalf beckoned the mercenary over to the corner where they could speak in private. “How long will it take you to complete the new security feed at the main compound.”
Bowdeen paused to calculate in his head. “I’d guess another week, tops.”
“Good,” the Diviner approved succinctly. “Your next mission will be the North American satellite compounds. The same plan as here.”
“Yes, sir,” Bowdeen assented, a slightly troubled note creeping into his voice.
Quick to catch his misgiving, Abe looked at him sharply. “You have concerns?”
Bowdeen’s face became a mask. “No, sir. None. I should be able to meet your specifications at the other compounds with no trouble.”
Metcalf scowled at the mercenary for a few seconds, trying to read his thoughts. “Fine, then,” he relented and changed the subject. “Has my son Joshua been in contact with you?”
Bowdeen’s complexion blanched slightly. “Yes, sir, he has. He explained your plan to set up an intelligence squad. I helped him select the boys who were best suited for the gig, I mean, task.”
“While you are conducting weapons training at the satellite compounds I would like you to keep your eyes open for suitable candidates to fill the same roles there.”
“You mean you plan to have secret intelligence units deployed at all the other compounds too?” Bowdeen asked in surprise.
“Yes, is that a problem?”
Again the mercenary denied that it was but Metcalf had the distinct impression that he was lying. “You are to identify suitable individuals and give their names to my son Joshua. He will be responsible for vetting them and organizing the command structure. They will report to him and he will report to me. The archwardens of the satellite communities are not to be involved, consulted, or informed of what you are doing. Always remember that you are to speak of the Order Of Argus to no one besides Joshua and me. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Bowdeen nodded. “No one.”
“Very well then.” Metcalf turned abruptly on his heel and made for the door. “Carry on with your work.”
***
Metcalf climbed back into the limousine and resumed his journey. Miles of cornfields ready for harvest flew past his window. Yes, harvest time was fast approaching, the Diviner thought to himself. Sorting the wheat from the chaff, the worthy from the unworthy. All his plans were falling into place.
The limousine slowed and turned down a dusty dirt road into the middle of a flattened cornfield. A construction trailer stood some distance away. Metcalf’s driver steered the sedan through the ruts and bumps, parking beside the building.
The Diviner entered and found a foreman with a hard hat consulting with Dr. Rafi Aboud—the latter dressed, as ever, in a thousand dollar suit. They both looked up when the Diviner entered.
Aboud gave an uncharacteristic smile.
“Leave us to talk in private for a few moments,” Metcalf told the foreman.
The man nodded wordlessly and left the trailer.
“What do you think of your hole in the ground now, Doctor?” Metcalf asked acerbically.
The foreign doctor smiled again. “I am very pleased. The work is progressing well. The underground complex is nearly complete. The laboratories, the incinerator, just as you promised. I have begun interviewing staff. Within a month, we will have the supplies we need.” He paused and let out a relieved sigh. “At last my work can begin in earnest.”
“Yours and mine both, doctor,” Abraham murmured. “Yours and mine both.”
Chapter 49 – Spirited And Lively
Daniel had been tossing and turning for hours trying to catch sleep. It succeeded in eluding him. Thankfully, he had disentangled himself from Annabeth’s embrace, pleading the excuse of travel fatigue. She had allowed him to spend the night alone in his own chamber. Tomorrow he would invent another excuse to put her off and so it would continue. Soon her attention would be consumed by the pregnancy and she would feel less inclined to pester him.
His mind was a jumble of images. What had happened in the cave on Anboto? Who had died this time? Daniel’s desperate ploy to protect the injured man had failed. The Scion had clearly detected a pulse but then lied about it, hoping to prevent the mercenary from finishing the job. The man died in the hospital anyway.
Hunt was told by the police that it was a tourist who must have been exploring the depths of the cave and was shot by a person or persons unknown. They believed the attacker may have known his victim and wanted to settle a score with him. The explanation was a perfectly plausible one. Nevertheless, another person had just died because of this cursed relic quest. The Diviner’s mad ambition was drowning Daniel in a sea of blood. He was carrying this burden of guilt because of his father’s obsession. Whoever Hunt thought his anonymo
us victim may have been, Daniel had seen a different face in the few seconds when the beam of his flashlight fell across the dead man’s visage. It had been one of the three from Karfi. Not the blond man, not the young woman. It was the tall brown-haired man this time and Daniel recognized his features plainly.
He tried to think of something else to tire himself out. He even recited passages from the Bible. “The Lord is my shepherd...” He felt no conviction in the words anymore. They were a meaningless jumble of sounds, like saying the alphabet backwards. He drifted off before he came to the line about justice and mercy.
Daniel was standing on the hillside at Karfi once again. Nobody else was around. The sun was rising and he was staring down at the rock-choked entrance to the tomb behind which three bodies lay sealed forever. Then, much to his horror, he saw three specters materialize from the other side of the dome. They drifted toward him, their feet hovering several inches above the ground, all three clad in burial shrouds.
The young woman was the first to speak. She stared directly at Daniel with unseeing grey eyes. “A man...” She stopped abruptly.
Next to her the blond man hovered. The one who had died twice—first at Karfi and then again on Mount Ida. He opened his mouth and said, “Cannot serve...”
The third man wafted to join his companions. This was the one whose face Daniel had glimpsed on Anboto. He said, “Two masters...”
The three of them then spoke in unison. “A man cannot serve two masters.”
They hovered above the ground for a few seconds more and then, instead of disappearing, their forms became solid. Their feet touched the earth. Their burial shrouds metamorphosed into hiking clothes. The three linked arms and walked down the hillside away from the tomb. Daniel watched them go in speechless wonder.
He sat upright in bed, heart racing. He clutched at his chest, willing himself to breathe more slowly. He looked wildly around his bedroom to see if the apparitions still shimmered there. No one but him. Nothing but silence. Then a peculiar thing happened. An impression had formed in his brain that refused to go away. He didn’t know why he believed it, but he believed it just the same with a fanatical conviction that nothing could sway. “They’re alive,” he murmured with a sense of awe. “All three of them. I don’t know how it’s possible but I know it’s true. They’re all still alive!”
Chapter 50 – Flight Plan
Cassie paced nervously around her office in the Vault. She was muttering to herself—rehearsing the edited version of what had happened on Anboto. Before they left Spain, she had persuaded her teammates that if they allowed her to get to the Vault first, she could prepare Maddie and Faye for their arrival. No matter how many times she recited her story, she wasn’t sure that she could spin events enough to minimize the shock. She sighed and forced herself to sit down behind her obsidian desk, placing her palms flat against the cool, smooth stone. It had a calming effect. The waterfall panels trickled soothingly. She focused on the soft illumination emanating from the quartz slabs and took a deep breath, then another. She had almost convinced herself that she was tranquil until she heard Maddie’s voice rumbling down the corridor. The Operations Director was talking to someone—probably Faye.
“What’s this all about?” Maddie asked suspiciously. “A mysterious phone call from Cassie asking us to meet in her office. No details. All three of them have been too closed-mouthed lately. Usually you can’t shut them up but I haven’t been able to get more than ten words out of any of them since they planted the fake artifact on the mountain. It’s been a whole week and all Erik says is that they need more time. For what? Another vacation on my nickel? Something’s going on. I can feel it.”
“I’m sure Cassie will be able to explain everything to your satisfaction, dear,” Faye countered.
By this time, the two women had reached the open door of the Pythia’s office.
Cassie sprang up from the desk. “Hi, you two,” she chirped a bit too enthusiastically. “So good to see you.”
Maddie’s eyes narrowed.
“Here, I’ve set up a few extra chairs. Why don’t you both sit down?” She hustled them into seats before they had a chance to ask any more questions.
“How’s Hannah doing?” she asked Faye, pre-empting Maddie’s cross-examination.
“Zachary is visiting with our young charge for the day so I’m quite at liberty. I admit it makes for a nice change to get out of the house on my own to talk shop without fear of saying something she shouldn’t overhear.” She paused to regard Cassie. “I’m so glad that you’re safely back among us, my dear.”
This time Cassie gave a smile of genuine relief. “You have no idea.”
The Operations Director couldn’t rein in her impatience any longer. “Cut the chit chat. Why did you want us to meet here?”
The Pythia winced. “I was hoping for a home field advantage.”
At those words, Maddie pounced. “I knew it! You’re trying to protect them, aren’t you? What did those two pull this time? Was it Erik? Of course it was! It’s always Erik!”
“Nothing. They didn’t pull anything. It’s all good. I came on ahead to, ummm, explain things before they get here.”
By this time, Maddie’s eyes were slits. “Explain things?” she asked in a menacing tone. She reached instinctively for her pack of cigarettes then dropped them on the desk, realizing where she was. “Damn!”
The Memory Guardian eyed her compassionately. “If you want to go to the bell tower for a cigarette break before we listen to Cassie’s explanation, perhaps it might have a calming effect.”
“No,” Maddie waved her hand irritably. “With my luck, they’d get here the minute I walk away.” The serene burbling of the waterfalls was lost on her. She stood up abruptly. “You know what? On second thought, I will go have a smoke.” She snatched her pack of cigarettes from Cassie’s desk. “Murphy’s Law dictates that the minute I leave the room they’ll show up and I want to hear the story from them, not Cassie’s sugar-coated version. Maybe if I leave they’ll get here faster.”
Faye chuckled indulgently. “Oh, Maddie. You really must learn to relax.”
“Serenity is not in my wheelhouse,” her companion muttered as she stomped toward the door. No sooner had she reached the threshold than she stopped dead in her tracks. “What the hell!” she exclaimed.
Faye half-rose out of her chair. “What is it?” she asked with some concern.
“It’s just the guys,” Cassie rushed to block the doorway, positioning herself between Maddie and her teammates. “No worries.”
“No worries!” Maddie echoed, craning her neck to see around the corner. “Why is Erik limping? Why is Griffin in a wheelchair?”
“A wheelchair! Good heavens!” Shocked, Faye sank back down into her seat.
Maddie was about to lunge forward to interrogate the new arrivals but Cassie spread her arms across the doorway blocking the Operations Director’s path.
“Hold on, Maddie,” the Pythia said. “The guys have been beat up enough already on this mission and they don’t need the third degree from you right now, so back off.”
The Operations Director shook her head in bafflement—like a bull after charging a red cape that turned out to be a brick wall. She glowered down at Cassie. “I could brush you aside with one hand tied behind my back.”
The Pythia returned the Amazon’s stare. “You’re welcome to try,” she replied evenly. “And while you’re doing that, I can show you some of those slick new fighting moves you ordered Erik to teach me. It took his ribs three weeks to heal. I think it’ll take yours longer.”
Cassie could hear Griffin gasp. Erik, choking with suppressed laughter, developed a sudden coughing fit. Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie saw Faye’s hand fly to her mouth to hide a smile. The Pythia maintained a deadpan expression.
The two women studied one another in silence for several moments. Maddie was the first to break eye contact. She snorted in disgust and ended the impasse by stepping back a few p
aces.
Only then did Cassie drop her arms and allow her teammates to enter the room.
As Erik wheeled Griffin past her, he gave Cassie a conspiratorial grin and whispered, “Rock on, tiny terminator, rock on.”
Limping forward, Erik told his superior, “Everything’s OK, chief. Chill.”
Her face turned purple. “Do the three of you think I’m handing out insubordination vouchers today? Remember who signs your paycheck, kid.”
Erik winced but made no reply as he positioned Griffin beside the desk.
Maddie flounced down next to Faye while the Security Coordinator sank into the last chair.
“Griffin brought his own seat,” Cassie quipped, hoping to break the tension as she resumed her own place.
The two older women traded concerned looks but remained silent.
After giving the newcomers a few moments to get settled, Maddie finally said, “OK, let’s hear it.”
The men glanced at Cassie. She shrugged helplessly. “You guys got here too soon and they didn’t give me a chance to explain.” Turning to Griffin, she said, “You might as well tell it.”
“Right then.” The Scrivener sighed. “I was shot.” He lapsed into silence.
“Shot!” the two older women cried in unison.
“He had a little scuffle with Hunt on the mountain,” Erik elaborated.
“But Griffin’s going to be OK,” Cassie added cheerily. “The bullet missed all the vital organs and the bump on his head is a lot better than it was.”
“Bump?” Maddie echoed.
“Yeah, when he jumped out and tackled Hunt. They were fighting and his head got slammed into a rock,” Erik offered. After noticing the stricken looks on his listeners’ faces, he tried to back pedal. “I mean, he only blacked out for a couple of hours.”
The Dragon's Wing Enigma (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 3) Page 27