An hour later, Sarah could no longer see the ground or the cardinal. She’d made good time, amazing time. She knew everyone else, including Chen, would have taken a roundabout route, as it was the safest way. But Sarah wanted to prove a point, and going the much harder and more direct path would cut three hours out of the ascent.
Clipping on to another cam, Sarah positioned herself – gauged the distance – then leapt upwards into mid-air.
Her fingers found purchase on the ledge above and with a heave; she hauled herself onto a flat section of rock.
Lying on her back, her chest rising and falling in time with her breath, she saw another climber high above. It was Ruben, the monk still defying convention and wearing his dirty brown habit and white tunic.
As if sensing her watching, he glanced down and paused as he saw her staring back at him.
It was a surreal moment, both of them at the edge of the world, the sunlight bathing the rock face in its warm glow. He acknowledged her with a nod of his head and then he was off climbing again, his progress slowed by his attire. Sarah couldn’t help but admire him for sticking to his code. But surely even a monk was allowed to change his wardrobe when scaling a mountain?
Obviously not, she thought.
She got to her feet, found the next handhold and saw her hand tremble slightly.
She clenched her fist. Not now, she thought. I can’t afford to get sick now.
She was on the home stretch, the hardest section over with, but any climb was dangerous, even the easiest, especially if you weren’t a hundred per cent. You just need to speed up, she told herself, the sooner you’re up, the sooner you can rest. It was hard to argue with such logic and so Sarah redoubled her efforts. If there was one place she didn’t want to have a seizure, it was here.
Chapter One Hundred Forty-Two
‘What do you mean, you saw her?’ the Australian said. ‘Cardinal Cantrell radioed up to the major. She only left two hours ago.’
Ruben shrugged. He’d been as surprised as Chen seemed now, when he’d seen Sarah on the mountain beneath him.
Based on her condition the night before he’d thought he wouldn’t see her again until they returned to base camp. She’d proven him wrong and he wasn’t pleased. When she was around it messed with his head. Women always did. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered mixing with others at all, he was always happier on his own and he always would be, but when the call had come, he’d answered and the rest was history.
I’m here now, he thought. All I need to do is my duty – he looked at Cardinal Zinetti – whatever that might be.
Cardinal Zinetti caught him looking and gave him a nod of his head.
Ruben had been shadowing the clergyman after the cardinal had insisted on making the climb with Chen and her team, with Major Lanter and a large number of his Swiss guards along for the ride. Avery had warned against it, which had been like a red rag to a bull. After that, Zinetti wouldn’t back down and Ruben was forced to leave Avery’s side to keep an eye on him. Not that it bothered him, he was in service to the Holy Father and Mother Church, which meant by association he was in service to all the Vatican’s cardinals, whether he liked them or not. And Ruben would be the first to admit, he didn’t care for the Italian prelate one bit. There was something about the man … he couldn’t quite place it, but something was off. Ruben knew Avery distrusted Zinetti, but the dark-haired cardinal had the ear of the Bishop of Rome, so who was he to question the trust of the man chosen by God?
Ruben was a simple man with simple pleasures, which was just as well, as his vows gave him little leeway in that regard. He wasn’t stupid, however, despite some thinking otherwise. Few words didn’t a stupid man make, and when Avery had confronted Zinetti back in Vatican City, Ruben had gained first-hand knowledge of what Cardinal Cantrell had warned him about. No one inside the hierarchy could be trusted; the Knights of the Apocalypse may have been deceived into committing the Devil’s work in the name of God, but their paranoia about an evil seeking to take over the Holy See from within was not unfounded.
Ruben was also worried by the inclusion of Sarah Morgan in their quest for Agartha. The woman had made it her life’s mission to discredit the Catholic faith at every turn. Why would she stop now? The answer to his question was that she wouldn’t, regardless of Avery thinking differently. He put too much trust in her, of that there was no doubt, and Ruben knew it was up to him to deal with her if she stepped out of line. It was a hard cross to bear, knowing someone he was attracted to – powerfully attracted to – might need to be silenced should the time come. How that silencing was to be achieved remained to be seen, but when Morgan did break rank and attempt to harm the faith, Ruben would be there to stop her by any means necessary. It is my duty, he thought and then gave an imaginary shake of his head. No – he adjusted the position of the sword concealed on his back – it is my honour.
♦
Sarah reached up and searched another ledge with her fingertips, seeking purchase beyond her vision. Surely this is the final section? she thought, wishing she’d taken up Avery’s offer of a helicopter ride.
As if in response to her thoughts, the familiar sound of rotor blades echoed off the mountains around her. The distant noise grew closer and closer and Sarah ceased her movement to look.
A bright red helicopter appeared beyond a vertical ridge on the mountainside. Higher and higher it rose, and as it drew closer still, Sarah could make out Avery in the passenger seat.
The cardinal waved to her as they flew past and Sarah held onto the rock against the waves of wind which battered her.
Cursing the pilot for flying so close, Sarah tried to ignore her withdrawal symptoms, which continued to worsen, and made one last effort to reach the summit.
She continued moving upwards, and it wasn’t long before someone was leaning over the edge to help her scale the climb’s final obstacle. Hauled to safety, Sarah collapsed onto her back in relief.
As she regained her strength, she stared up at the man who’d helped her.
Ruben the monk stared back at her, his eyes full of mystery.
Someone pushed him aside. ‘You’re a damn fool, Morgan,’ Zinetti said. ‘Are you trying to get yourself killed?’
‘I didn’t know you cared,’ Sarah said, sitting up.
Zinetti helped her to her feet. ‘You’re too useful for me not to.’
That’s more like it, Sarah thought, as the cardinal guided her away from the edge and the dizzying drop below.
Suddenly feeling light headed, Sarah slumped down onto a boulder.
Ruben handed her a flask and she drank her fill.
‘So, you think that proves something?’ someone said.
Sarah looked up to see the explorer, Chen, hands on hips, glaring at her.
‘It doesn’t,’ Chen continued. ‘It just means you’re a damn fool and if you think I’m letting you lead this expedition, you’re as crazy as the stunt you just pulled.’
Sarah took another swig of water and then said, ‘Not bad for a scared little rabbit, eh?’
But if Chen had heard, she didn’t say, as she was already stalking away to rejoin her shady band of tomb raiders.
Sarah knew she had made her point, but the question was, at what cost? If she’d slept as long as Avery had said, it was only a few hours until she could have another dose of her drugs, although if the doctor’s schedule was to be adhered to, she needed to be spreading the doses out, not condensing them.
‘Are you able to walk with us?’ Zinetti said.
Sarah nodded. If she could make the climb, she could walk a bit further. At least, she hoped she could.
She stood up, swayed a little, and sat back down again. ‘I’ll be along in a bit.’ Jason and Trish will have to wait, she thought to herself, regardless of how close she was to seeing them again.
‘I’ll stay with her,’ Ruben said.
Zinetti considered the monk for a moment before leaving them to it.
Left all alone w
ith a man she knew almost nothing about, Sarah decided it was time to try and find something out about Ruben – him and the dig site they’d come so far to see.
‘Have you seen photos of this City of Naphil?’ she said, choosing her words with care.
Ruben considered the question. ‘The City of Giants?’
She nodded and he shook his head.
‘But Avery has,’ she continued. ‘Does he speak of it?’
Ruben didn’t reply; instead, he looked up at the sun and then turned and walked away.
Rude, Sarah thought, as the monk knelt down at the cliff’s edge.
As he sat there without moving, Sarah suddenly realised what he was doing.
When he returned to her side five minutes later, she said, ‘Do you pray every day?’
‘You don’t?’
Sarah shrugged. ‘Sometimes.’
Ruben sat down on a rock next to her. The silence stretched on, and she was just about to speak again when he beat her to it.
‘The art of prayer,’ he said, his polished English accent as husky as ever, ‘is not what you think.’
He’s definitely from Scandinavia, Sarah thought, noticing the inflection she’d heard before, but where, exactly? Sweden? Finland, maybe? ‘And what’s that?’
‘Prayer is a direct connection to Our Lord.’
‘And?’ she said, knowing he wanted to say more.
‘And it is available to anyone, anywhere, at any time.’
Wondering where this was going, Sarah tried to think of something to say, but she was captivated by his presence and so instead, she waited for him to continue.
‘What many don’t realise is that God speaks to us each and every day. He loves us all equally, good or bad, sick or healthy, rich or poor. His love for us knows no bounds.’
Sarah wanted to say something, but she didn’t want to stop him talking and so held her tongue.
More moments passed, but Ruben remained silent, staring out into the sunlit mountain range and the Gobi Desert beyond.
If Sarah hadn’t seen such breathtaking vistas before, she would have been in awe of its rugged beauty; as it was, she just accepted it for what it was, a humble privilege. Has he seen such sights before? she wondered, glancing at his rapture.
A distant screech made them both look up.
An eagle soared high above them on a thermal. It let out another poignant call, the sound transforming the moment from the mundane to the magical.
They continued to watch the winged creature conduct its aerial display before a second eagle joined the dance, the two birds mirroring each other’s movements in perfect synchronicity.
‘Even out here, amongst this barren land, love finds a way,’ Ruben said, entranced, as the eagles moved off into the distance.
‘You mean life finds a way.’
‘Love is life.’
Sarah stared into his piercing green eyes; her strength was slowly returning after the gruelling climb.
His expression hardened and he looked away.
‘How does God speak to us?’ Sarah said, trying to win back his confidence.
‘God speaks through our heart when we pray, but you must mean what you say, you must want what you ask for, without falsehood. God sees all.’
‘Through our heart?’
‘Another misconception is that God speaks to us with words. While he can communicate that way, it is far more common to experience his guidance through the sensations we feel.’
Sarah frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’
He pointed at the eagles that continued to soar towards the horizon. ‘If I shot one of those birds with a rifle, what would you feel?’
‘It would depend on why you did it.’
‘If I did it for my own enjoyment.’
‘I’d be angry.’
‘That’s not what I asked.’ Ruben held her gaze. ‘What would you feel? What would you feel in your body?’
Sarah considered the question and saw the scenario unfolding in her mind’s eye, watching as the eagle fell to the ground, dead, all for the sake of someone’s pleasure in killing. Her stomach clenched at the thought and she instinctively touched the area with her hand.
‘You felt it, didn’t you?’
Sarah nodded. ‘In my gut.’
‘If God created all things,’ Ruben said, ‘whether you think that’s by evolution or creationism, although some say they are one and the same, then it stands to reason he would have also created a way in which to communicate with the fruits of his labour.’
‘Or she would have,’ Sarah said.
He gave a nod of his head. ‘Or she. Although God is neither and both, the feminine and masculine as one.’
‘So, what you’re saying is, our instincts and intuition are the word of God?’
‘Yes, and anyone who says otherwise is misguided, or worse, seeks to deceive and control.’
‘Then how do you explain all the shit in the world?’
Ruben looked at her, his eyes sorrowful. ‘Because we’ve forgotten how to listen.’
Sarah had no answer for that. ‘And when we pray,’ – she touched his arm – ‘how does he speak to us then?’
He shied away from her touch and glanced behind them, as if fearing they’d be seen together.
He stood up and Sarah glimpsed a red cross on the white tunic beneath his brown robe. He drew the habit closed, concealing the mark of Christ beneath it. ‘Are you able to walk?’
She nodded.
He pulled up the cowl over his head and looked at her from within its shadows. ‘Sarah,’ he said, his use of her name sending tingles down her spine, ‘I know you hate my religion—’
She started to speak, but he held up his hand.
‘I know you hate all things Catholic, and maybe you have reason to. The house of God has not always been managed as our Lord would have liked. But despite its failings, you must understand the faith must be protected, and anyone that tries to destroy or harm it will be met with fierce resistance. People have killed for far less. Do you understand me?’
Sarah’s expression turned grim. ‘Are you warning me, Ruben?’
The monk gave her a meaningful look and then strode away without another word, leaving Sarah wondering what had just happened.
Did he just threaten my life? The tingling she’d experienced previously had vanished. Only an ominous sense of fear remained, accompanied by an uneasy feeling that permeated her bones.
She thought back to what she and Ruben had just been discussing and wondered if the creator was warning her against the very man teaching her his wisdom.
The thought scared her. Ruben scared her. God’s messenger had spoken, in more ways than one, and Sarah was listening as best she could. She thought back to Sanctuary, when she’d experienced the same sense of dread. Once more she was in an unknown land, surrounded by strangers, mystery, and a man who aroused her deepest desires. Her life was repeating itself and it wasn’t a coincidence. God was trying to tell her something. She just didn’t know what. All she knew was, her life, as it always had been, was in a state of flux and if a higher power really was at work, its message was clear: it was a message of danger.
Chapter One Hundred Forty-Three
After Ruben had left, Sarah continued to question her motives for being where she was, for doing what she was doing. But, as always, the same questions remained: Where am I going? What am I doing? What is my purpose?
You’re looking for a new Sanctuary, she told herself, the Source of Egypt. At least, that’s what the Golden Scroll, shown her by Avery in the Vatican vault, had intimated. She still couldn’t believe the prophet spoken of was Adam, the Adam. It was hard to believe, impossible even, but it begged the question: if the Adam the scroll referred to was the same as the one mentioned in the Bible, then did Eve exist, too? It was a tantalising and fantastical prospect, although the more she thought about it, the more questions it raised.
A sharp pain lanced through Sarah’s chest and she gaspe
d.
She held out a trembling hand and then rummaged in her clothing in search of her drugs. Where are they?! she thought, her anxiety spiking. She felt in another pocket. They aren’t there! Did I drop them on the climb? Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her throat tightened and her movements became frantic until her hand closed on the pouch she’d been seeking. With shaky hands, she unfurled the roll and withdrew the needle. Moments later the syringe’s plunger depressed and Sarah felt the same relief as before. Her tremors lessened and a flood of pleasurable sensations swept through her body.
As she relaxed back onto a boulder, her thoughts returned to Ruben’s warning. Had the monk threatened her?
Or is he referring to Zinetti and the Swiss Guard? She tried to shake off a sense of dread, but the feeling persisted until the infusion of drugs relaxed her mind, as it had her body.
Invigorated after the climb and her little pick-me-up, Sarah gathered herself and set off in pursuit of everyone else, leaving the mournful cries of the eagles behind her. There was no more time for musings, she had places to be, things to do, and most importantly, people to see.
♦
Sarah strode across the top of the escarpment and down through a small path that wound its way between a parting in the rocks. Emerging from the shadows a minute later, she blinked against the sun’s glare and soaked up the wide expanse that greeted her. They really were on top of the world. The plateau on which she stood stretched out before her, the flat terrain reaching to the horizon and a cluster of distant snow-capped peaks beyond. As had happened at the base camp, a covering of snow had melted away, leaving patches of the white stuff scattered among a hard, stony deposit. Off to the right and left, smaller mountains dotted the sandy coloured landscape and enclosed the desolate plain at their centre.
It was an unusual collection of natural formations and Sarah couldn’t help but wonder why it was the Anakim had decided to locate a city here, of all places. It was certainly defendable, but it was more like the location of the Nazca Lines in Peru than somewhere she’d expect to find an ancient city. Although considering it wasn’t humans that had created the recently discovered lost metropolis, perhaps normal thinking had to take a back seat. If it was here, there must have been a reason for it. What that was, maybe she was about to find out.
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