by Dan Arnold
He looked over at Ruben and smiled.
Even as dark and dirty as he was, Ruben looked pale in the glow from the reflected light of the flashlights. Jake started to hand him his knife, but Ruben held up a hand.
“Keep it. I have another. Man that’s some clever work, I didn’t really see anything.”
“Morty set that trap many years ago. The weight of the soil eventually caused the canvas to sag a little. That’s what you saw. It was the subtle way the light reflected back differently. You have a good eye, Ruben.”
“How are we going to carry the Ark back across that?”
Very carefully, there’s more than a foot of solid ground on each side. We’ll just have to straddle the opening. It’ll be alright.”
Ruben blew out a breath.
Jake chuckled.
“Relax, Ruben. The important thing is you saw it. Now, there’re only two more traps ahead of us.”
Jake turned and waived the other members of the team forward. When they saw the pit they shook their heads in disbelief.
“Who does something like this?” Lorenzo asked.
“Pretty much anyone who ever tried to protect something which could only be accessed by a narrow path,” David answered. “This is the way it was always done.”
“I’ll be glad to walk in daylight again,” Lorenzo said. “How far underground do you think we are?”
Jake answered him, saying, “Were only around forty feet under the surface here. I think we’re right below the edge of the Temple Mount. I hope you’ve brought some kind of food with you. Let’s take a few minutes to eat and drink something before we move on.”
Ruben didn’t seem to like the idea. Maybe almost falling into the pit had taken away his appetite. Looking at the others he finally held his hands up, indicating capitulation.
Within minutes MREs were being consumed. As they ate, they talked.
“David, you seem to be interested in history. Has protecting your great uncle enhanced your curiosity?” Jake asked.
Swallowing a bite of his beef stroganoff, the younger man answered.
“Actually, I have a degree in history from UCLA. After graduation I served in the IDF for four years. Now that I’m assigned to his protection detail, I’ve enjoyed being close to the professor at Tel Aviv University. I have access to the library and every department on campus.”
“The IDF? That’s the Israeli Defense Force, right?”
All three men nodded.
“Tell me, Ruben, How did you come to be on the protection detail?”
“After my military service, I spent seven years with Shin Bet. Are you familiar with that organization?”
“The Israeli Security Service? Isn’t that something like our FBI?”
Ruben shrugged and said, “Magen veLo Yera’e.” Seeing the baffled look on Jake’s face, he translated the statement for him. “It means; the unseen shield.”
“That sounds like something a spy agency would call themselves.”
David laughed.
“You’re probably thinking of Mossad. Now, those guys really are spies and stuff.”
“Anyway,” Ruben continued, “When the opportunity to transfer was offered, I took it.”
Jake nodded and turned to the next man.
“And you, Lorenzo?”
“My story is similar to Ruben’s, only I don’t have his level of experience dealing with hostiles.”
“Hostiles, what do you mean?”
“Hamas, Hezbollah, the PLO, among others, Israel has murderous enemies both inside and outside our country. Ruben was part of an elite anti-terrorism task force. Tell him, Ruben.”
“Let’s just say I prefer what I’m doing now. There’s much less bloodshed and chaos.”
Jake nodded.
“I understand, Ruben. Some of the Islamic countries in the region want to see Israel annihilated. Palestinian factions living among you are also dedicated to the destruction of Israel. Many of them are used as pawns in multifaceted disputes and political manipulations by both sides. There may never be a mutually agreed resolution. When any enemy won’t be satisfied with anything other than seeing you totally eradicated, there can be no meaningful negotiation. In such conflicts there are horrific consequences for both sides.”
Ruben sighed.
“Tell me about it. I was a part of the horror for almost twenty years. They fire missiles at Tel Aviv; we knock down whole city bocks trying to stop further attacks. They kill our people with homemade bombs; we drop bombs in air raids. Enough is enough. I’m done with all the political nonsense. These days my mission parameters are clear and they probably won’t include taking lives. That’s fine with me.”
“Politics is never easy or clean. Speaking of your mission, with the three of you down here, who’s protecting Morty?”
“Our agency is large and our detail has more than a dozen agents assigned to him providing protection day and night. Officially, the three of us are on vacation, but other agents are on duty. You didn’t see them, but they’ve been watching you from the time you arrived in country.”
“So, you monitor his communications? Is that how you knew I was coming?”
Ruben chuckled.
“No, we don’t invade his privacy. He told us he was sending for you.”
“How long ago did he tell you that?”
“I guess it was probably a couple of weeks ago, but when he tried to reach you, he learned you were in hospital in South Africa.”
“Did he tell you why I was in the hospital?”
“He said something about a helicopter crash.”
“Our chopper was shot down. My friend, the pilot, was killed.”
“Yes, so he said. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Doesn’t it strike you as odd that we were attacked by assassins?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you provoked someone at some point in your research.”
“Or maybe someone who knew about the Ark, also found out Morty was planning to contact me.
Ruben stiffened.
“Are you suggesting we were involved?”
“No, Ruben. I’m not suggesting anything. Have you considered the possibility someone else might be monitoring his communications or listening in to his private conversations? Perhaps even in his home, his office or his car?”
Ruben and the other two men looked at each other.
“No, we stopped worrying about that long ago. He’s been silent on the subject of the Ark for all these years. Why would anyone suddenly start doing that?”
“Maybe it wasn’t sudden. How long have you been working on the plans for this particular mission?”
“He called us together a couple of months ago. He told us he was being directed to find a discrete and clandestine way to retrieve the Ark and secure its safety. He told us he couldn’t do it himself without arousing suspicion, so he was sending us with one other person. He was thinking of you. We checked out your qualifications and background at that time and began making preparations. ”
“Morty told me there was some sort of security breach, regarding the Ark. Gentlemen, I believe there’s also a leak in your agency. None of us are safe, not even Morty. Is there some way you can warn him?”
“We’d have to go through channels. That involves informing our superiors of the potential threat and explaining how we determined there is one.”
“Maybe you should do that. There’s no time to waste.”
“We can’t do it from down here. We have no mobile phone signal. Our radios won’t reach the transmittal towers, either. One of us will have to go back through the tunnels to the outside.”
“I’ll go,” David said.
Ruben shook his head.
“I don’t think that’s the best plan of action. He has a security detail. They’re just as well trained as we are. Let them handle any threat they encounter. We need to stay focused on our mission. The sooner we secure the Ark, the better. We have to pick up the pace. Let’s get to it.”
/> Jake reluctantly nodded his agreement.
“Be careful, Ruben, we’re nearly there. There are two more traps ahead. One is just outside the bend in the tunnel you can see from here. The other is right around the bend. I’ll tell you when to stop.”
“Alright, we’ll spread out the same as before. We may have company before this is over. I’ll look to the danger in front of us, David, you and Lorenzo have our six. Weapons free.”
The two men nodded and dug into their back packs. In a moment both men had side arms and carried compact automatic assault rifles. Extra magazines were secured to their vests. Now they were soldiers, ready for combat.
For his part, Jake felt the old pre-combat jitters that come with the rush of adrenaline. He wished he was armed as well.
As though reading his mind, Ruben handed him a holstered handgun.
“I imagine you know how to use that. If you believe in some sort of God, you’d better start praying. From here on we don’t know what to expect.”
Jake clipped the holster to his belt, pulled the pistol out, removed the magazine, checked the load, slid the breach open to look for a chambered round and then replaced the magazine. He holstered the weapon, cocked and locked, and said, “I’ll tell you, Ruben, I’ve been praying since Morty told me why he sent for me. I still believe were serving God’s purpose. We’re in His hands. That’s the safest place I can think of.”
Ruben smiled a crooked smile.
“That from a man forty feet underground in a booby trapped tunnel, seeking a relic that could kill us all, while unknown enemies wait for us where we can’t see them.”
Jake smiled back and chuckled.
“Well, when you say it like that…”
Ruben shook his head and began walking up the tunnel.
***
This has been an excerpt from Dan Arnold’s archeological thriller: The Ark Approach
A note from the author
Thank you for reading CIRCLES OF STONE. I would love to hear from you. You can contact me at my website ~ www.danielbanks-books.com or follow me on facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/DanieiRolandBanks.books or on Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10798086.Daniel_Roland_Banks
I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I did writing it. If you liked it please tell a friend - or better yet, tell the world by writing a book review on the book’s page on Amazon, or on Goodreads.com.
Even a few short sentences are helpful. As an independently published author, I don’t have a marketing department behind me. I have you, the reader. So please spread the word to the folks you meet.
Writing a review is easy. Go to the book’s Amazon page and look for the “write a review” prompt. Then, just say what you liked about the book, the story line, the characters, or perhaps something you learned or thought about. You can look at the other reviews to get an idea of what to write.
And, to make it a little more fun, if you write a review, e-mail me and I’ll send you an excerpt from one of my works in progress along with a little note from me, maybe even a free e-book.
Thanks again.
All the best,
Dan
Non nobis, Domine, non nobis; sed Nomini Tuo da gloriam
Books by Dan Arnold/Daniel Roland Banks
Fiction
CONTEMPORARY THRILLER
Angels & Imperfections Special Agent The Ticking Clock
WESTERNS
Bear Creek Alta Vista
Riding For the Brand Yellow Horse
About the Author
I’ve led a colorful life, fueling my imagination for telling stories, fabrications, and fiction.
I was born in Bakersfield, California and abandoned by my parents in Seattle, Washington. After living in the foster care system for some years I was eventually adopted. I’ve lived in Idaho, Washington, California, Virginia, and now make my home in Texas. My wife and I have four grown children of whom we are justifiably proud, not because we were such good parents but because God is good.
I’ve written several westerns and an illustrated book on the training of horses, in addition to authoring and/or contributing to numerous technical manuals and articles in various publications and periodicals.
As a horse trainer and clinician (I trained performance horses for twenty five years), I had occasion to travel extensively and I’ve been blessed to work with a variety of horses and people in amazing circumstances and locations.
I’ve herded cattle in Texas, chased kangaroos on horseback through the Australian Outback, guided pack-trips into the Sierras and the Colorado Rockies, conditioned and trained thoroughbred race horses, galloped a warmblood on the bank of a canal surveyed by George Washington, and spent uncounted, delightful hours breaking bread with unique characters in diverse parts of the world.
At one (brief) point I was one of the 3% of fine visual artists who earned their entire income from sales of their art. I’m a painter, sculptor and writer.
Under the name Daniel Roland Banks, I write contemporary thrillers. I’m a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Western Writers of America.
My book ANGELS & IMPERFECTIONS was selected as finalist in the Christian Fiction category in the 2015 Reader’s Favorites Book Award contest.
In 2013, after 40+ years of searching, I found and got reacquainted with my half-brother and a host of relatives from my mother’s side of the family.
I can’t sing or dance, but I’d like to think I’m considered an engaging public speaker, an accomplished horseman and an excellent judge of single malt Scotch.