by Summer Lee
“Stay here!” Sam ran down the hall and into his bedroom, leaving a confused Achava behind. He came back a few moments later carrying a small ring-sized box. He smiled, as he opened it in front of her.
She gasped, as she saw the beautiful box that was just that. It was empty. “It is beautiful!” Tears rolled down her face.
It was Sam’s turn to look confused. “You…understand the meaning?”
“How could I not,” she said, as she embraced him. “Plus we share a mental bond now. The point is, it is wonderful. You are giving me a promise box, in the hope that you will be able to find me a ring that will be worthy of our bond.”
A single tear rolled down his cheek. “You do get it. Yes. I had a ring already picked out, but I wanted it to be something symbolizing not only who we are together, but what we’ve gone through to get to this point. I’m glad you like it.”
Achava gently kissed him on the lips. He closed his eyes and felt the fire of their love burning deep within him. She was his soul mate.
Achava’s golden eyes, shined brightly. “Even if you never find that perfect ring, we will always be together, Sam. There is one more thing you must do for me.”
“Yes!” he said. Whatever she wanted, he would do for her. “Just ask. That’s all you have to do.”
She looked down the hall. “You must promise that you will get some rest, before you see this Artemis Kieleg. Get as much rest as your body requires, strengthening you for the mission ahead.”
He laughed. “Of course! Ha ha! I am spent! I’ll notify Artemis. You have to get some rest as well. I don’t know how much older than me you are, you still need to rest. You take my bed and I’ll take the sofa. Deal?”
She could not help but smile. “Deal.”
“One question. What do you have on under that bathrobe?”
“Nothing.”
“I made a bad choice to sleep on the couch.”
Chapter the Fifth
SAM WAS GLAD that he listened to Achava, about getting rest. Once he hit the sofa, he was out for a good day and a half. He felt refreshed when he finally awakened.
Of course, Achava was already up.
“How long have you been up?” he asked, as he yawned.
“Suffice it to say that it has been awhile, Sam. I don’t need as much time to rest as mort…most people. I have had time to research more about Artemis Kieleg. It concerns me that there isn’t more information other than what you found.”
“Yeah, I thought about that,” he said, as he got off the sofa and headed into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. “You made coffee?”
She smiled. “It wasn’t hard. I’m not going to be domesticated or anything like that, so don’t get any of those ideas, like a complete human!”
“Nice word usage,” he replied. “I’ll stop giving you a hard time about that. Sorry. Thank you for making coffee.” He poured himself a cup of coffee. Eagerly, sipping the coffee, he immediately spit it back out. “That coffee is strong enough to put hair on a man’s chest.”
“I’m still working on how many scoops of coffee go into the machine,” she said, nonchalantly.
“Not nearly that much,” he said and smiled.
She frowned, with a pout on her lips.
He raised his right hand. “Hey! At least you tried!”
“That’s more like it.”
“I need to know something,”
“Okay.”
“ Achava, will you explain soul merging to me.”
“It is a gift of transporting from one place to another.”
“What I mean is how did you get the gift?”
“It is a supernatural gift. We have a family blessing, passed from one generation to the next. God blesses to the thousandth generation. It is because Caleb and Achsah were close to God.”
“Does it go all the way back to Achsah?”
“Yes it does. But we have to believe we have it or it won’t work.”
“Hm-m. You live by faith.”
“Yes, we do. What time are we to meet with Artemis Kieleg?” Her tone turned serious.
Sam looked up at the wall clock in the kitchen. “Wow! We meet him in about two hours! I have to shower and shave and such! What about…?” He was about to ask her if she needed to get dressed, but he saw that she was punctual, and was ready to go, dressed in black leather pants and a bright yellow silk shirt. She must have been awake almost as long as I was asleep.
“Almost,” she replied, as she winked at him. Achava wore her denim jacket and black athletic shoes.”Ready,” she said.
***
Sam dressed in new blue jeans and a black t-shirt, because he wanted to be comfortable. That way he was more relaxed around Achava and more at ease in his own skin. He put the robe in a shopping bag and looked at Achava. He put on his leather jacket. “Let’s do this.”
She nodded and gave Sam a look of satisfaction. She was proud to be with him. I’ll Soul Merge us to a place that is not public. We can then walk to the meeting area from there.”
Sam nodded, as she clasped his arm. They were transmitted immediately on their way.
They appeared in a bathroom stall. Sam looked around in a panic. “Man’s or woman’s?” he asked, quietly.
She smiled and looked around. “Woman’s.”
Stepping onto a toilet seat in the stall, he motioned for her to go first. “Make sure the coast is clear.”
She exited to the washroom nonchalantly and looked out the door to make sure the hall was empty. “It’s clear, Sam.”
Sam bolted from the stall, rushed out of the bathroom and down the hall, with Achava close behind. He looked around in shock. “We’re in the Dallas Convention Center! That was a very public Soul Merge, Achava!”
“I know.” She couldn’t stop laughing. “I’m sorry, Sam. It worked. Didn’t it?”
He had to agree to that. It did work.
They exited the convention center and stood off to the side of the entrance, so as not to block it. It was the middle of the day and there were people everywhere.
“Samuel Godfrey?” A booming male voice came from off to the side.
They both turned and saw a man in his mid-40s. He was about 6 feet tall and had salt and pepper hair on the sides of his head, extending to his sideburns. The rest of his hair was dyed black and greased straight back. His brown eyes appeared empty. He was dressed in a dark colored suit and red tie. His face was smooth and free from scars and facial hair. The left corner of his mouth was turned up in an attempt to smile. “Mr. Godfrey?” He looked at Achava, while addressing Sam.
“Yes,” Sam replied, feeling uncomfortable, watching Kieleg staring at Achava. “Thank you for rescheduling.”
Kieleg moved his eyes to Sam. “I was concerned that you were going to cancel. Most leads that I get, end up leading nowhere.” He had a strong German accent, that he wasn’t too concerned about trying to conceal. “I understand why you want to meet in a public place, but I assume we will not do our talking here or on the mall.”
“Of course not,” Sam replied. “Mr. Kieleg, I would like to introduce my fiancé.” Sam thought for a moment, as to whether he should call her by her given name or not. “Ally Balil.”
Achava obviously contained her surprise, but Sam knew she understood why he chose an alias for her. She nodded. “I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Kieleg.”
Kieleg took her hand and gently kissed it. “Please, call me Artemis. It is my extreme pleasure to make your acquaintance. There is a coffee shop on the next block. Perhaps, we could go there for an espresso and some lively conversation?”
Sam and Achava both nodded in agreement.
Kieleg looked around. “Where did you park?”
“We, a-a-a, took a taxi.” Sam added, “Let’s walk now. We enjoy walking.”
As they walked along, Kieleg made sure to be by Achava’s side, while Sam was on the other.
“Forgive my imposition, but you appear to be of Israeli descent, my dear,” Kieleg said, as
he squinted his eyes trying to figure out more about Achava.
She smiled. “That is accurate. You are observant Mr. K…Artemis.”
“In my line of work, you have to be.”
They entered a small coffee shop. Sam made it a point to find a table near the large bay window. Kieleg sat across from the couple.
“Please, let me pay,” Kieleg insisted.
“We’ll see,” Achava responded with a smile.
“Oh! She’s a feisty one!” he replied, while chuckling. “Alright then. We shall see.”
A waitress approached the table and each person ordered. Once she left with the order, Sam placed the bag on the table.
“I found it interesting that you had a robe on your website,” Sam said, with confidence. He pulled out the robe and then slipped it back into the bag. “This one, to be exact.”
Kieleg’s eyes lit up. “So you do have the robe.”
“What can you tell us about it?” Achava added.
Kieleg showed complete surprise. “You are in possession of the robe and you ask me about it? Ha ha! Seriously, this must be a joke or a riddle! Am I on one of those secret camera televisions shows? Ha ha!”
Sam and Achava looked puzzled at each other. “That’s why we came to you,” Sam said.
Kieleg stopped laughing. His eyes turned black with anger. “You make fun of Kieleg! I was not born yesterday, Samuel Godfrey! If you own the robe then you have two of the Shekels of Tyre! Hah! That is what I know!”
“You need to explain how you know about the Shekels!” Sam held his anger, and did not let it get control over him.
Kieleg frowned like he was trying to figure Sam out. He calmed himself down. “Alright, I will go along with you. How did you come into possession of this robe? That is important to me.”
Sam didn’t know how to respond. He also didn’t know when he lost control over the conversation. “There are a lot of important factors. We do need to get answers about the Shekels as well.”
“It appears we are at an impasse then,” Kieleg said, as their drink order arrived. “Or we could be at a mutually beneficial juncture.”
The waitress left and Kieleg took a sip of his half-caf cappuccino. “Inform me of where you got the robe, and I will tell you all about the Shekels.”
Sam sighed, trying to decide what to do. He noticed that Achava was abnormally calm.
She adjusted herself in her chair, as she took a sip from her water. “Do you mean that you will inform us about the nameless monk, who hand sewed the robe in the mid-1700s. He was supposedly in possession of all of the 30 Shekels of silver.”
Both Sam and Kieleg were impressed.
“Why do you need me, if you already know about the Judas Coins?” Kieleg added with disdain. “It amazes me how people mistakenly call them coins, but most people don’t know the history. The 30 coins that Judas Iscariot was paid to betray his savior, Jesus the Christ. He is not my god, so I do not recognize that story as anything but folklore.”
“With the Shekels actually existing, that kind of changes things. Doesn’t it?” Sam said, with a smirk. He reminded himself to ask Achava about her knowledge of the robe later.
“The existence of the Shekels is only proven with proof,” Kieleg said. He was fishing for information and Sam knew it.
“You said we had two Shekels because we had the robe,” Sam replied. “Now we can do this all day, or you can come clean with what you know and why you posted that picture of the robe. You knew someone had it. You, also, know the Shekels exist.” He sighed. “So-o.”
Kieleg huffed out a sigh as well. “Fine. Yes. I did all of that. I didn’t know who had the robe, but I knew someone did.”
“How?” Achava queried.
Kieleg smiled again. “I don’t believe that the how is as important as the why. Why was that mysterious man at the perfect location at the perfect time? Have you asked yourself that, Mr. Godfrey?”
“Every day since it happened.”
“Then you have been brought into an age old battle, my friend,” Kieleg responded.
“We work for our Father in Heaven,” Achava interjected. “The creator of the universe.”
“Then you already know who the other player is,” Kieleg said, as he sipped some more of his cappuccino. “You must find the other 28 Shekels in as many days. What day of the month was it that MAN gave you the robe?”
Sam went pale. “On the first.”
“Then you have until the end of the month to retrieve the rest of the coins of the betrayer.”
“What happens if we don’t?” Achava asked, showing concern.
Kieleg finished the rest of his drink and pulled out a twenty and a ten and placed them on the table. He then stood up. “It has been a great pleasure meeting you both. I am sorry that you got suckered into finding the Shekels, but the die is cast and you must finish what you’ve begun. I would appreciate it, if you do not contact me again unless you have completed your task. In answer to your question, my dear…if you do not find the remaining 28, then all hell will break loose. You may take that literally or figuratively. Either way, it is the same. By taking the robe, you are now part of the endgame. It is now the 2nd and there just so happens to be 30 days in this month. You have 28 days to find the rest of the shekels.”
“Or else.”
“You don’t want to know.” He turned away. “Good luck.”
Chapter the Sixth
The End of Day Two
ACHAVA DID THE physical research into the robe and the Shekels, while Sam was diligent on the internet.
She had performed, any and all experiments on the Shekels, that she could think of. She tried rubbing them together, placing them each in her palms heads up and then tails up, breathing on them, and she even went so far as to submerge them in different kinds of liquid.
Nothing.
She went to the office, where Sam was on the computer, with a disappointed look. “I am sorry, Sam. I cannot find any way to activate them.”
“I know,” he replied, sympathetically. “I’m glad you ruled out the possibility that the Shekels may have to be activated, like just about everything else we have found recently. I keep thinking about what MAN told me.”
“After what Kieleg told us, MAN may not be who you originally thought he was.” Achava tried not to be pushy, but still needed to express her concern.
Sam reluctantly nodded in agreement. “I think you’re absolutely right, Achava. Although, I can’t say that I’ve found anything to back up Kieleg’s claim that we have 30 days to gather all 30 Shekels, or else it’ll be the end of the world. I’m still wondering what his game is. He gave us more information than we gave him.”
“Not necessarily,” Achava added. “Perhaps, he was content in simply knowing that we had the robe and Shekels.”
Sam typed furiously on the keyboard, regarding what he did know. “Whoever MAN was, something he said, keeps haunting me. He said he was impressed with my ability to find things out. I believe that I need to focus more on the robe.” He got up from the dining room table and grabbed the robe from the sofa. He examined it carefully, while Achava stood behind him, watching.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
Sam squinted his eyes, so he could see better. “I’m not sure. Something is out of place. Either that or there is a hidden clue that will help us find out more about the puzzle.” He stuck his hand in one of the robe’s pocket and searched carefully, then the other.
Achava held out her hand. “May I see it?”
“Sure,” Sam answered. “I hope you can find something, because I don’t know what else to do. The only place online with any information about the robe is Kieleg’s website and there really wasn’t anything we didn’t already know.” He handed the robe to her. “You look for awhile.”
She took the robe and turned the dimmer switch, on the lights, up all the way. It was as bright as if could get.
She examined around the edge of the robe. When she couldn�
�t see anything, she closed her eyes and gently ran her fingers along the edge. When she did, her fingers had a golden radiance. Her face glowed with a broad smile.
The stitching started to unravel. It continued to straighten out as soon as her fingers passed over a section. About four feet of stitching came apart, before she opened her eyes.
Sam was in awe. As usual.
She opened up the fabric and looked closely. “There appears to be some kind of old drawing. It’s part of the fabric, so whoever constructed it, put it in there on purpose. What do you suppose it is, Sam?”
Sam took the cloth and examined it. He moved it around to get a better angle with the light. His eyes widened when he realized what it was. “Achava. Can you see what it is?”
“No. That’s why I gave it back to you.”
He held it up to the light so that she could see it, then he pointed out things as he spoke. “Right there, it looks like four legs. I think they may be wooden legs. Over here, you can see that there’s a basket or something similar being held up by the legs. I can’t make out exactly how the legs and the basket are connected, but there is a connection. Now look at the basket here. It looks as if there are bars or maybe even wooden dowels. If you look even closer, you can see that the connection may be a loose one, between the legs and the basket.” He tightened his lips in a grin.
“You are amazing, Sam!” Achava exclaimed, in surprise. “I see it now! It looks as if the basket is able to…rock back and forth.” She realized what she said, before she finished her statement.
He had a Cheshire grin. “Just like a cradle.”
“A cradle. You are right.” She couldn’t believe how easy it was to see, since Sam brought it into light. “Now tell me. What does that have to do with the Shekels or the robe?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s definitely a strong lead,” he answered. “It’s a cradle and we’re looking for coinage that Judas was paid to betray Jesus. Put two and two together and you have a Judas Cradle.”
Achava shook her head. “And?”
“Wow!” He was shocked that he knew something, that Achava didn’t. “I could have sworn you would have heard about the Judas Cradle in your travels. Well, anyway, it’s an ancient torture device.”