‘And the explorer who spoke in tongues,’ Ruben said. ‘Another gift of speech.’
‘Yes,’ Sarah said. ‘Yes! Which means ...’
Ruben stared out at the landscape. ‘The Anakim knew we would find this place.’
‘Yes, but more than that, they knew we would find the monolith in which they were entombed, which means they knew I would find the pendant, which means they were all-knowing.’
‘Then how did they die out?’
Sarah smiled and shook head. ‘You’re thinking of Sanctuary. Agartha has yet to be found.’
‘You think Avery is right, the Anakim live on?’
‘Why not? If they could predict the future, how could they not?’
‘Unless they predicted their own demise.’
Sarah frowned. ‘And if they believed it were true ...’
‘It would come true,’ Ruben said.
Sarah looked back out at the mountains a few miles away. ‘Whatever the case, they brought us here for a reason.’ She glanced back at the cave. ‘And the way in, is through there.’
‘If it is an entrance, we’ll need the Swiss Guard’s help to find and open it, which means you’ll need to convince Avery and Zinetti about your theory.’
Sarah suddenly had another thought. ‘I won’t need to convince them. I can prove they’re pyramids.’
‘What? How?’
Sarah’s smile broadened and her eyes grew brighter. ‘I’ll show you.’
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty
‘This better be good,’ Zinetti said as he, Avery, Ruben and Major Lanter waited for Sarah to show them what she’d found.
‘She needs to prove her theory,’ Ruben said, ‘and she will.’
Zinetti gave a derisive snort. ‘Pyramids, it’s preposterous.’ His expression altered to realisation as something dawned on him. ‘And Ms Morgan’s miraculous change in mood is down to you, I take it?’
Ruben blushed.
The Italian cardinal looked shocked and turned to Avery. ‘I think your monk might have broken his vows, Cantrell.’
Ruben said nothing.
‘If he has,’ Zinetti continued, ‘his position is untenable. The Holy Father was quite clear on his responsibilities when we spoke.’
‘Ruben?’ Avery said, looking at him in concern. ‘Is it true?’
Ruben didn’t know what to say, but he glared at Zinetti in fury. Why are you surprised? Ruben wondered. The man’s a hypocrite, of course he tried to trip you up. All he needed was an excuse and I’ve fallen into his trap. You didn’t have to sleep with her, he told himself. Avery suggested holding hands, and what did you do? I failed God. He tested your conviction and you succumbed to lust at the first time of asking. What happened to practicing what you preach? Ruben didn’t know, but it wasn’t just Zinetti who was a hypocrite; so was he.
Avery moved Zinetti to one side as he spoke to his fellow cardinal in hushed tones, perhaps in an attempt to save Ruben’s already tenuous position within the Church.
Meanwhile, Ruben tried to block out his guilt and fury and replace it with calm. He thought back to what he’d said to Sarah. If I think it, so it will be. If I think it, so it will be. He kept repeating the mantra in his head, but deep down he knew it would take months, years, to regain what he’d lost: belief in himself.
If it takes years, he thought, it takes years. And if our union helped us get one step closer to Heaven’s Gate, it was worth the transgression. But as Sarah entered the main tent, which was the last to be dismantled, he couldn’t help but recall how good it had felt to hold her in his arms, to kiss those beautiful lips. She caught him looking at her and his face hardened as he also remembered she was possessed, and worse, a potential mass murderer. He wondered why he hadn’t remembered that before he’d slept with her. Because you’re a damn fool, because you’re weak! He thought back to their first kiss, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Zinetti had been right. Am I possessed, too? Did she cast a spell on me? Horrified at the thought, the furrow in his brow deepened.
Sarah began to speak and Ruben realised it was as he’d feared; by breaking his vow, he’d lost a part of himself, and not just that, he’d lost his self-respect and the respect of those around him.
The more he thought about it, the more he hated himself, and worse, as he watched Sarah deliver her news, he knew with sickening certainty, he hated her as well.
♦
Sarah turned on the screen in the main tent and prepared to deliver her findings. Avery, once again dressed in his black ecclesiastical robes, had given her ten minutes to organise herself, time enough to inject herself with another dose of her blue wonder drug. Thankfully, Avery had also renewed her fast-dwindling supply, although he’d cautioned against using it too quickly. She’d wanted to tell him that she was addicted to it, that she wanted an alternative, but her mind was having none of it. How could she pass up something that was keeping her alive? And besides, they were in the middle of nowhere. Even if they hadn’t been, a drug to treat a condition which caused blackouts and homicidal tendencies wasn’t something you could just get over the counter, especially when it involved seizures and the ever-present shadow of possession.
‘So, Ms Morgan,’ Zinetti said, bringing her back to the present. ‘You think the mountains all around us are pyramids. Let’s see this so-called proof for ourselves, and we’ll be the judge.’
Sarah looked at Zinetti, bedecked once more in his imposing red robes denoting his cardinal’s rank. She then glanced at Ruben, who lurked near the back of the tent, his face, as ever, concealed in shadow. She nodded and typed a search into the computer’s Internet offline archive and brought up a satellite image of Egypt. ‘These are the Pyramids of Giza.’ She pointed at the image. She then brought up another image. ‘And these are the pyramids of Teotihuacán, in Mexico. Both of these satellite images have given rise to claims that three of the pyramids from each complex mirror Orion’s belt, the three stars in the constellation of the same name. There are also claims other pyramids and ancient structures throughout the world follow this same pattern. While cited by the mainstream scientific community as pseudoscience, the theory has persisted for decades. However, when I realised ...’ Sarah paused and looked down at the floor, lost in thought.
‘Sarah?’ Avery said, trying to get her attention.
‘Yes?’
‘When you realised what?’
Sarah’s eyes grew wide. She’d zoned out and hadn’t even realised. ‘Yes, right – sorry.’ Cursing the side effects of the drugs, she cleared her throat and continued, ‘When I saw the Anakim stela in the cave and its vertical script, and remembered the giant in the train had traced a triangle on its chest, I knew why the scroll you showed me in the Vatican archives called this place the Source of Egypt. It was because of the pyramids that were built here. Pyramids: perhaps the most iconic of all Egyptian symbols, and one that would have left a lasting impression on anyone who visited this site – if – they knew what they were looking for. Another factor that backs up my claim is the Anakim sphinx, found in Sanctuary, and the depiction of sphinxes I drew alongside the series of constellations which led us here. However, it wasn’t any of these things which made me realise I could prove my theory. It was this picture, taken by a drone from the previous expedition.’ Sarah pointed at a printout that had been pinned to the tent wall, next to the holographic computer screen. ‘It was this image and its layout that confirmed my suspicions.’
‘Your suspicions of what?’ Avery said.
‘My suspicions that the pyramids at this site aren’t just laid out in a random way. Far from it.’ She looked at the drone image. ‘They’re laid out in such a way as to be an exact match for the constellation of Virgo.’
Everyone looked at the photograph.
‘Are you sure?’ Avery said.
Sarah brought up an image of the constellation on screen and then selected the drone image from the expedition’s computer and placed it next to it. She then superimposed one over th
e other.
There was no doubt; the twelve mountains were a perfect match, each one corresponding to a star within the constellation.
‘Question,’ Zinetti said. ‘How could you possibly know, just by having seen the photo, that it matched the Virgo constellation?’
‘Because Virgo intersects with Libra. And, if I’m right, you will find similar mountains, or pyramids, located in Mexico. Not Mayan, but Anakim, in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, somewhere above Sanctuary’s vast underground expanse.’
‘How do you know all this?’ Zinetti said. ‘It’s pure conjecture.’
‘It obvious, isn’t it?’ Sarah said, not understanding how they couldn’t see it. ‘The pendant I used in sanctuary had a Libra constellation appear on it. It’s a sign. Or a designation the Anakim use for each of their structures. Each underground world that exists will have similar surface structures.’
‘Sarah,’ Avery said, ‘it’s not obvious at all. You’re making massive leaps.’
‘And yet, I’m right, aren’t I? The configurations of these so-called mountains,’ – she looked pointedly at Zinetti – ‘match the constellation Virgo, the same constellation Konstantin told me signalled the End of Days and the arrival of the next meteorite.’
‘They do match,’ Avery said, moving closer to the screen.’ He turned to Zinetti. ‘It can’t be a coincidence, surely?’
Zinetti smoothed back his jet-black hair and made a face. ‘If it’s true, this might be how we can locate Agartha.’
‘No,’ Avery said, looking startled. ‘If it is true, if Sarah’s right, Agartha is right beneath our feet.’
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-One
The sun sank lower towards the horizon as night approached, in the Mongolian wilderness. The mournful cry of an eagle drifted down from the sky above. The temperature fell and the taste of summer faded from the day as winter sought to reclaim the night.
Two miles away from the dig site, on a nearby mountaintop, two men dressed in black hooded robes watched as the Vatican expedition made its way up the mountain closest to their partially dismantled camp.
A cold wind swept in from the north, rippling the watchers’ clothing, and one of the men pulled his cloak tighter, his hand wreathed in the tattoos of his order.
The man next to him lowered a pair of high-tech binoculars. ‘They’ve found it.’
The leader of the Knights of the Apocalypse removed his hood and nodded. ‘It was foreseen.’
‘What are your orders, my Lord?’
‘We wait.’ Alexander Konstantin turned and walked away. ‘But our time draws near.’
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Two
‘She possesses knowledge we don’t understand,’ Avery said, as they stood outside the entrance to the cave Sarah had found. ‘Who are we to ignore what she says? Her drawings led us here. She found out about the tunnels behind the frieze. She’s made first contact with an Anakim from the distant past.’
‘And she’s possessed and has killed over a dozen people,’ Zinetti said. ‘Trusting in faith is one thing, trusting a murderer whose only defence is a convenient case of amnesia is quite another.’
‘She remains innocent until proven guilty,’ Avery said.
Zinetti looked at his Irish counterpart in disbelief. ‘She killed Chen and that Malaysian. She had their blood all over her face. Is everyone else blind? Am I the only one who can see it?’
‘You’re not the only one,’ Major Lanter said.
Avery gave the officer of the Swiss Guard a look of admonishment.
‘It doesn’t even look like a pyramid,’ Zinetti said, craning his neck to look up at the peak high above them. ‘It has no sides, it’s almost round.’ He looked behind him at the other mountains. ‘They all are.’
‘Sarah seems to think a million years of erosion would take its toll on even the biggest, most well-built of structures.’
Zinetti grunted. ‘How do we know it’s the right one? If there are twelve pyramids, how do we know which one contains the gate?’
‘We don’t,’ Sarah said, emerging from the cave with a Swiss guard and Ruben following behind her. She glanced back at the soldier, whose finger rested close to the trigger of his rifle. She then looked at Ruben’s frosty expression and knew it was as she’d feared; he blamed her for breaking his vow. She’d burnt her final bridge. No one trusted her now.
‘Then what’s so special about this one?’ Zinetti said.
‘It’s the closest to the dig site,’ she told him. ‘Plus, the star it corresponds to is the brightest in the Virgo constellation.’
Zinetti muttered something derogatory.
‘And,’ Sarah said, ‘the tunnels behind the frieze led straight in this direction.’
Avery looked at Major Lanter. ‘Is she right?’
Lanter nodded and Avery gestured to Sarah. ‘Show us these carvings.’
♦
‘Satisfied?’ Avery said after they’d seen the Anakim stela.
Major Lanter adjusted the screen on the state-of-the-art scanner, which he held against the rear wall of the cave.
Zinetti peered at the image. ‘And you’re sure it’s a void?’
‘If the scanner says it is,’ Lanter said, ‘it is.’
‘Why couldn’t it detect the void behind the frieze?’ Zinetti said.
Major Lanter frowned. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Because the frieze was made of an unknown metal alloy,’ Sarah said, walking over to look at the digital display. ‘The equipment is only calibrated to penetrate known materials and geological deposits.’
‘Is that true?’ Zinetti said, looking around for someone to confirm the claim.
Avery sighed. ‘She’s a seasoned archaeologist, I think she knows what she’s talking about.’
Zinetti scowled at her, but Sarah didn’t care what he thought. She had to find a way through the wall. But how? That was the question.
‘If I’m reading this right,’ Avery said. ‘There’s ten feet of rock between us and whatever’s on the other side. How do we get through?’
‘We have explosives,’ Ruben said. ‘Or we wait for special equipment to be flown in.’
‘Wait?’ Zinetti said, his tone scathing. ‘We’ve lingered here long enough. For all we know it’s just a natural break in the rock.’
‘Sarah,’ Avery said. ‘What do we do?’
Sarah didn’t answer. She wandered away to search the cave, which was lit up by two large floodlights they’d brought with them from the camp.
Avery turned back to the wall in frustration, while Sarah remained apart, her own private Swiss guard following her around to make sure she was a danger only to herself.
The cave itself looked different now it was fully lit. At eighty feet across, the opening itself had long ago succumbed to the elements and it looked little different from the loose scree that covered the rest of the mountain. The interior, however, was a different matter. Solid rock dominated the walls, ceiling and rear of the cave. A few fissures, like the one containing the Anakim inscriptions, sliced down through the walls at various intervals, while sharp boulders littered the floor, having fallen from the cave roof over thousands of years. There appeared to be no access to what must lie beyond and Sarah wondered if she’d been mistaken. The stars match the position of the mountains, she thought. I can’t be wrong.
She recalled what Ruben had told her about listening to her heart and she closed her eyes to listen.
Her breathing deepened and heart rate slowed. The whistle of wind outside sounded louder now, as the voices of Avery and Zinetti echoed through the cave, interrupted occasionally by those of Ruben and Major Lanter as they continued to discuss their limited options.
The distant sound of an eagle’s cry made her turn her head.
The soldier behind her shifted his position, his armoured footwear grating on stony ground.
As she stood there concentrating without thinking, she thought she heard someone whispering to her, as if sp
eaking from the beyond. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself looking directly at the fissure that contained the Anakim carvings. She walked over to it and manoeuvred herself inside. The Swiss guard shone his light over her, and she was about to thank him when she realised the light was attached to his gun, which was now trained at her head.
She turned to look back at the inscriptions and searched for something she might have missed, while at the same time trying to ignore the soldier, who was doing his best to disturb her calm.
Her gaze was drawn upwards to a section right at the top. A depiction of a star’s light shone down onto the image of an Anakim warrior, who knelt in prayer, one hand extended to the ground while he looked up at the star above him.
The light in the fissure grew brighter and Sarah looked past the soldier to see the entire cave brighten with golden light. The sun was setting and shining directly into the cave.
She worked her way out of the fissure, shielded her eyes against the sun’s glare and turned to look at the rear wall.
Light shimmered through the dust that covered its surface, reflecting off polished stone beneath.
As the sun continued to set, a shadow created by the cave mouth crept down from the ceiling towards the floor.
Sarah ran forward and the soldier behind her shouted in warning.
Major Lanter swung round with his gun raised, as did two other Swiss guards either side of him.
‘Don’t move!’ Lanter said. ‘Or we shoot!’
‘Avery!’ Sarah said, having stopped dead in her tracks. She pointed at the wall. ‘The sunlight, clear the dust, we haven’t much time!’
Avery gestured for Lanter to lower his gun, but the Swiss guard didn’t obey.
‘If she moves …’ Zinetti said. ‘Don’t miss.’
‘Zinetti?’ Avery said. ‘What are you doing?!’
‘She’s dangerous. I’m no longer prepared to let her get within striking distance.’
Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2) Page 112