by Aiden James
As for Jeremy, he looked on reverently. He had become quite familiar with the ‘tree’ during much of the past year. His eyes bore a glint of impishness. It was as if he had a secret he could hardly stand not sharing, but waited for the right moment to spring it on us.
He looked down at Alistair, who was sitting up. We had laid him gently upon the ground before us a few moments earlier, but I hadn’t noticed that he was awake until just then. Alistair’s expression was one of astonishment, even though he still winced from the wound in his abdomen.
“William, help me assist your father over to the stream,” said Jeremy.
“What stream?”
I had been so enthralled with the tree’s impressive height and breadth that I hadn’t noticed the bubbling water flowing near its base. Incredulous that I missed even hearing the water’s gurgle, I was still shaking my head about it as we lifted my son to his feet. He staggered gingerly toward the stream, though eagerly, as if he were a man dying of thirst.
I felt a powerful pull from the tree’s life force as we followed him. I could tell it called to each of us, perhaps to our spirits or souls. All I knew for sure was that I felt completely unable to resist, wanting to dive into the rippling clear blue water and cross over to the crystal’s enormous base. Unlike the frigid pool from earlier, this water carried humid warmth. Like a hot Turkish bath, tiny clouds of steam wafted off the stream’s surface and gently rose into the air.
Jeremy removed his rifle, and the satchel he carried over his shoulder. He then stepped into the stream, seemingly unafraid of what might be lurking in the water.
“Alistair, come here!” he said, his arms opened wide like a new messiah. There was that impish look again. “William and Amy, please join us in the water. Could one of you open his shirt, so I can easily get to his wounds?”
Another ancient memory flashed before my eyes. This one was of my old friend John ben Zechariah—Jesus’ closest family confidante other than his mother—and how he once motioned to me in the same manner while standing in the shallows of the Jordan River. That event transformed a mere spectator of the Gospel ministries into an eager participant. It played no small part in my fanaticism that would later lead to disenchantment when neither John nor Jesus had any interest in overthrowing King Herod and his Roman pals.
Amy gently opened Alistair’s shirt, while my son offered little help or resistance to her. It was the same deal when we guided him into the water, both of us on either side as we steadied his steps and kept him from falling into the water. Soothing warmth moved into my feet and legs, undeterred by my clothing. Amy’s nervous smile told me that it was a similar sensation for her. I couldn’t tell what it was like for my son, since he remained silent. But he wasn’t grimacing anymore.
“May the Lord have mercy on you, Alistair,” said Jeremy, which drew a disdainful look from his sister.
This surely was a side of Jeremy that she’d never seen before. How interesting.... This could lead to some serious fun later on, when the devout agnostic went toe to toe with the nubile religious convert. Save me a front row seat and some buttered popcorn for that one.
Jeremy didn’t seem to notice her reaction, still wearing the bemused expression from earlier. He cupped his left hand and scooped up some water, using his right hand to pull my son close to him. When less than a foot separated the two, Jeremy dripped part of the water on top of Alistair’s head, and then he rubbed the rest into the puncture wounds in his abdomen.
What happened next should not have surprised me. If it had been me and my body, it wouldn’t have. But to see my son’s wounds close and lighten in color, and then become a perfect flesh-tone match with the surrounding skin was astounding. The very first time I’ve seen this transformation happen to someone other than me!
“What in the hell?!” Amy’s voice was barely audible.
She shook her head slowly. I knew right then that her seeing this miracle made an even deeper impression than watching me heal from severe burns less than twelve hours earlier. Surely, it was because of her brother’s involvement. It’s a whole different ballgame seeing someone you’ve known all your life—especially a sibling—do something miraculous as opposed to a relative stranger.
“Pops, Amy...who’s this guy?” Alistair gave Jeremy a wary glance after looking around, completely disoriented. “Where in the hell...wait, is that what I think it is?”
He suddenly gasped, while his eyes followed the height of the fabulous crystal formation in front of us. Apparently the expression on his face earlier had nothing to do with his conscious awareness. He started to move toward the ‘tree’, but slipped and fell into the water. Jeremy and I quickly pulled him back to his feet. The toxins might not have been thoroughly eradicated from his system yet. At least his mind seemed fully alert.
Meanwhile, Jeremy’s playful confidence had faded slightly, as a trace of confusion slipped into his expression. Amy beat me to the punch in trying to explain why the older man in the group had addressed me as his parent.
“We have a lot to discuss, Jeremy,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll end up with as many questions about these two as I have about you and what has changed—Oh, my God!”
She suddenly reached up and ran her hand against his cheek. She next looked over at Alistair. At first, I was just as lost as Jeremy looked right then...until I noticed something odd about my son. He looked rested...really rested. Like he had finally gotten enough sleep to erase the dark circles under his eyes. But then I noticed that the lines and wrinkles around his eyes and along his forehead were a little less noticeable than they’d been just minutes before.
“I knew you looked different when I first saw you earlier!” Amy exclaimed, and her excitement continued to rise. “Somehow, you’re younger! Ali just got younger—Look, William sees it too!!”
“Is it something in the water?” I deadpanned.
Yes, what just happened surprised me. But after centuries of surprise, it doesn’t last long anymore. Five to ten minutes, tops, and I’m normally on my way back to my preferred mischievous persona.
The look that Amy cut me so reminded me of Beatrice long ago, right after Alistair was born. It’s never a great idea to be a smartass with a Celtic woman—especially a direct descendant of the mercurial Pixies. “If it’s not a time for jokes, don’t make one,” she’d say. “You look like a boorish jackass, William!”
From the look Amy gave me just then, apparently it’s the same deal for a temperamental Native American descendant.
“He’s close to the truth about this place,” Jeremy advised. “The healing comes from the crystal—Dad’s ‘Tree of Life’ that he spent the last twenty years of his life looking for. Then it’s carried by the water, since the crystal’s base touches the stream.”
It made logical sense to me.
“All I know is I feel different...actually better than I did before I got hurt,” said Alistair, before crossing to the other side of the stream. His gaze again traversed the full length of the crystal tree and beyond. “In fact, I haven’t felt quite this good since I was his age.”
He pointed at Jeremy, adding a warm chuckle.
“I assume you are the illustrious anthropologist, Dr. Jeremy Golden Eagle,” continued my son. “How did you end up down here?”
“Similar to you three, I was running for my life after Ethan was murdered. Zoran and his people hid me from Petr Stanislav and the leader of his army, Viktor Kaslow,” he said. “I knew the Garden of Eden had to be inside one of the mountains surrounding the village, but I couldn’t find it until Zoran anointed me and made me worthy of the discovery. When Stanislav’s men overran Zoran’s village last year, Zoran and his high priests brought me to the mouth of a small cave and told me how to find this place. Here I am.”
“I am sorry about what happened to Dr. Langford,” said Alistair. “I met him once at a Middle East conference nearly six years ago.”
“I believe he mentioned you to me around that time,” Jeremy told him
, his eyes misting. “And I’ve read a few of your essays myself, Dr. Barrow.”
While it was marvelous to see my boy and Amy’s celebrated brother forge a bond, this was hardly the place to share academic accolades. For the past few minutes, I had felt uneasy, as if we were running out of time again. Out of time for what, this time? I wasn’t sure. But as I mentioned before, my deep gut feelings are usually quite accurate.
“Guys and Amy, we need to get moving.”
All three looked at me as if I’d just sprouted horns and a tail. I joined Alistair beneath the magnificent crystal tree—this Tree of Life that seemed to send waves of goodwill and sweet peace through me, enough to threaten the effectiveness of my survival instincts. I determined right then to ignore anyone’s resistance as well as stick with what my mind knew was best for us. We needed to leave right away!
“Jeremy, what’s the quickest route to get back to the surface?”
He looked totally confused for a moment, like my question itself didn’t make any sense—at least not in this place. But after I repeated my query with a little mustard on it, he gave me an answer.
“It’s behind the taller waterfall on the right side of the crystal,” he said. “There’s a path that encircles the cave and winds all the way up like a corkscrew until you reach the top of the waterfall. A hidden doorway hides a short tunnel that leads back to the surface, exiting out through the southwest side of the mountain.”
“I don’t see why we have to rush out of here, Pops.” Alistair stroked his beard thoughtfully while touching the amazing crystal surface of the tree. Lightning- like plasma traveled through the tree and touched his fingers. Although no harm came to him, touching the energy surge seemed to tickle his fingertips, he later told me. “We can stay here for a day or two, I’d say!”
“But we’ll be sitting ducks if we do that. The longer we stay the less chance we’ll have of gaining the upper hand on Stanislav.”
I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but that feeling of dread was getting stronger by the moment.
“I’m not ready to go—”
“Damn it son, we need to go now!”
Definitely a moment of karma, since the exchange and Alistair’s whine were the sort of things I missed by exiting his life when he was just a pup. What an inopportune time to be dealing with such shit now!
“I think William’s right, Ali,” said Amy, and her tone sounded uneasy. “We should leave...as soon as possible we need to be on our way!”
Woman’s intuition plus my own apprehension should have made this an easy triumph. But it didn’t.
Alistair shook his head defiantly, like he truly was a young teenager again. He looked over at Jeremy for support, who shrugged his shoulders.
“If you think you’re staying here, Jeremy, you’ve got another thing coming!” I could tell from Amy’s worried tone that she thought this was exactly what he intended to do. “Well?? Are you both going to make this difficult and waste precious time, or can we please get going?!”
“I’m not going anywhere,” said Jeremy, quietly and with even more defiance than my boy had responded with. “I’m never leaving this place!”
“What?! You must leave since it means being safe!!”
Amy was on the verge of uncontrolled hysterics. As much as my gut told me trouble was right around the corner, her instincts were more on top of the situation than mine were.
“Let me settle this right now!” I said, taking charge while eyeing my son solemnly. My thinking at that moment was if I could get Alistair on board, then the Golden Eagle boy would be an easier target to manage. “We’re leav—”
The rest of what I had to say was drowned out by a sudden, huge explosion. At least, that’s what it sounded like at first to my mind. I wasn’t prepared to watch solid rock dissolve before my eyes. One of the cave walls dissolved into thin air as a pair of bluish FGR beams appeared to our left. All at once, the real sunlight I had so eagerly longed for flooded this world, where it hadn’t reached for many thousands of years.
And just like that, a world ruled by bioluminescence was now threatened by an omen of wanton destruction....
The end, so it seemed, had come for the Garden of Eden.
Chapter 19
In under a minute, nearly one hundred Russian mercenaries poured into the open wound in the mountain where the Garden of Eden laid hidden for many more millennia than I’ve been in existence. Behind them were several Jeeps equipped with rocket launchers and one oversized loader. These were in addition to the trucks carrying the immense FGRs, actively employed right then.
More and more of the mountainside disappeared until enough material had been displaced to allow the vehicles unhindered access into the cave. Layers of precious gems briefly appeared in the disintegrating cave walls and then vanished, leaving only a tiny memory of their existence with anyone fortunate enough to witness this disturbing phenomenon. Namely our little group. The Russians scarcely noticed any of this. Nor were they concerned with the unique ecosystem they were carelessly destroying under their oversized tractor wheels.
For that matter, their entire fleet of vehicles and infantry moved across another meadow toward us with resolute purpose. Their lone focus was the Tree of Life. We now had firsthand knowledge of its healing powers. Especially the healing powers of a living stream that flowed close enough to the magnificent crystal structure to capture its essence.
We only had a minute or two to seek cover, since they approached from the other side of the crystal tree.
“Everyone stay low and follow me,” I said, quietly, while motioning for Alistair to stick with me. Jeremy and Amy followed close behind. “We’ll need to hide somewhere in the woods, until we can figure out what to do next.”
“We’re not going to let these assholes come in here and desecrate the one honest-to-God sacred shrine in existence, are we?” Alistair’s tone was filled with disdain that I knew could easily escalate into full-blown anger at any moment.
“Until we can come up with a foolproof plan to stay alive, that’s exactly what we’re going to do!” I urged everyone to make a beeline for the large tree where the panther had been perched earlier. The tree was empty at the moment. “These guys won’t give a rat’s ass whether we’re dead or alive—I damned well guarantee it!”
“I can stay behind and try to pick off as many as possible,” Jeremy offered, checking his rifle as he prepared to head back to the crystal tree that was growing darker. Its dominant color had changed to purple, almost amethyst, as if the structure itself understood the gravity of our present predicament. “I’ll meet up with you guys once I take a few shots at that bastard, Stanislav!”
“What?! Why in the hell are you in such a hurry to die?”
Amy stomped back toward him after she said this. I couldn’t hear the exact conversation, but she and her brother traded a few more statements made in anger that were followed by her desperately trying to grab the weapon from him.
“What in the hell is up with you two?” I hissed in anger.
The two most educated people in our foursome were acting like a couple of spoiled brats. Livid, I hurried back to them. We were losing precious minutes—even seconds—with this bullshit.
“Stanislav and his men will be here at any moment!!”
“You’re wrong once again, Mr. Barrow!”
Before a troop of Russian mercenaries closed in on us from all sides, I heard an older Glock pistol being cocked from nearby, just a foot or two behind my right ear. The rich smell of Cavendish drifted toward me, and I immediately recognized the gun, tobacco, and the thick Russian accent of the voice. The sibling Golden Eagles’ angry expressions from a moment ago were now wholly subdued, and fearful. Even their matching brilliant emerald eyes appeared muted.
“We are already here!”
The chuckle that followed was sardonic, and I turned my head slowly to face my longtime nemesis. Viktor Kaslow. I couldn’t believe I didn’t hear or even feel his stealthy ap
proach from behind me. Anger tends to dull my senses.... I genuinely hate it when I get pissed off!
Dressed casually, except for the black riding boots he’s always favored, Viktor pulled out his cigar and tapped away the ashes that passed dangerously close to my face. He grinned maliciously, and I could tell he intended to milk my current predicament and presumed demise for as long as possible. Like I’ve stated, I never worry for me—not ever. But right then I was scared shitless. Scared for Alistair’s welfare, as well as for Amy and Jeremy. Two pups with the vast majority of their lives still in front of them, and the kid I couldn’t bear to part ways with.
“This is between just you and me.” I was unsure how to proceed against my longtime enemy. He truly had the upper hand at the moment. “Let the others go, and I’ll give you no trouble.”
His grin widened to a contemptuous smile—one that lacked any sign of warmth, though his eyes bore a mirthful glint. Not a good combination when dealing with this asshole. So many close calls with death in the past.... I had survived Viktor Kaslow’s knife attacks, grenades and rigged explosives, machine gun fire—you name it—during the past twenty-some years. From Istanbul to Moscow to London, and once in New York, never had he succeeded in inflicting a mortal wound. I regretted more than ever not erasing him from this life when I had the chance in Athens fourteen years ago. Mercy then needed to be repaid now, and I implored the Almighty in silence to spare three lives and only take mine if it came down to it.
“Ah, yes, my dear William.... I expected you to seek their protection,” he said, his tone scornful after he secured the bonds that held my hands behind my back. “Unfortunately, they will all play roles in the celebration of the discovery of what we’ve come for...the Tree of Life!”
He motioned for the soldiers closest to him to move in and disarm Jeremy. Jeremy and Amy both resisted, fighting and cursing the Russians who fell upon them. But the soldiers soon prevailed, securing them both. My son was still too disoriented to offer even slight resistance, and as my hands were held tight a sickening feeling filled my stomach. Visions of being forced to watch Alistair, Amy, and Jeremy tortured to death filled my frightened mind. Then it would be time for Viktor to decide the manner in which he wished to dispatch me.