by J. F. Penn
They didn't deserve to touch the sacred objects. They were his by right.
He began to text back, his decision made.
"Ssstop." Lilith's voice was soft but strong. "Let them find the others." Sam turned abruptly to see her standing right behind him. He started at how close she had gotten without him realizing. She had become quieter since they had returned from the deep and Sam felt a rising concern at her growing powers.
But Lilith was not the only presence now.
Her green eyes were empty, the pupils dark and slitted like the snake she had wrapped around her neck, one of the rock pythons from his terrarium. She stroked it with gentle fingertips. Had she gotten to the vial of venom? He needed to be more careful and control her trance states.
"We will take the ssseals when it is time, Samael."
Sam nodded, unsure to whom he spoke. But for now, he could bide his time.
He deleted the text he'd starting writing to Krait.
Lilith stared at him intently, as if she could read his doubts about her.
Sam typed a new message. Let them find the seal tonight and then follow them.
Lilith smiled and slipped away, her body undulating back to the stairs of the vault as she headed back down to the sarcophagus. He imagined her lying across it, her flesh against the cool stone. Part of him wanted to go down there and take her against the casket. He would show her what was real life and what was still just dead stone.
But what if she was channeling the Great Serpent even now?
He banished these darker thoughts and turned back to the pictures of the two ARKANE agents. He would let them find the next few seals, but in the meantime, he would find out who they were … and who they loved. He would not leave the next phase to chance.
Megiddo, Israel.
The moon was in shadow when Jake heard the light tap on his door. He was ready to go in dark clothes, with a small pack containing a head-torch and tools in case they needed them. He opened the door to see Morgan standing outside, her beautiful face alive with excitement, and he smiled at her enthusiasm. For all their missions together, she still made him feel alive.
The last time they had been in Israel together, he had been poisoned by snake bites in the salt caves of Mount Sodom. His phobia was like another life now. The experience underneath New York really had changed something within. Call it a miracle or merely some kind of psychological shift, it didn't really matter, Jake thought. The result was the same. He could be a worthy partner for Morgan again, and for that, he was grateful.
They walked out into the dark together, easy in their silence, and padded out past the kibbutz towards the Tel. They didn't dare drive in case the noise brought the guards, but Morgan was confident they could pass the night security on foot. This was her land and with her training in the Israeli Defense Force, Jake trusted her to get them back into the archaeological dig without a hitch.
It crossed his mind that Morgan didn't really need him; that she could do all this alone.
But then she reached for his hand in the dark, a moment of connection while the night hid their faces. There was something between them that went beyond just ARKANE partners, something they had come close to acknowledging a number of times, but a relationship was impossible with their dangerous lifestyle. Perhaps they really did need each other, though – not just to watch each other's backs, but to keep the other grounded. After all, the things they saw on ARKANE missions would make the sanest person a little crazy. He squeezed Morgan's hand back, hoping that she could feel what he could never say.
They walked together through the olive groves and onto the road. The air smelled of lemon thyme. Clouds covered the moon. Once they reached the perimeter of the kibbutz, they jogged to the Tel site, slowing as they reached the outer gate. The guards weren't in sight, so Jake swiped Rachel's pass and they went inside, heading straight for the research center that they had skipped past earlier.
At the door, Jake tried the pass again. The light flashed green.
Morgan exhaled with relief and they pushed the door open.
Even though the shutters were closed, they put on head-torches with bulbs dimmed, so as not to attract the guards. It was organized chaos inside, a cornucopia to be explored, much like the dig itself. A number of white plastic boxes were piled on top of one another, each with a separate object inside. Rough handmade clay vessels, each a smaller size as they nested inside one another like an ancient Russian doll. Delicate gold earrings next to a seal ring with a fish etched into it. Rows of tiny beads made of gold, silver and carnelian.
"Hmm." Jake bent to one of the boxes. "There are labels on all these, but they're in Hebrew. I have to admit that mine is a little rusty."
"We can't pull all the boxes apart," Morgan said. "It will be obvious that someone has been here." She looked around at the piles. "But I don't see any other way to find the seal unless there's some kind of index."
"Probably computerized. We could get Martin to hack in?"
"No time," Morgan said. "I guess the other option is just to make it really obvious someone was in here. They're going to discover the seal is missing anyway – if we find it – and the longer we're here, the more chance of discovery." She glanced over to Jake. "Let's just not break anything. There's some serious history in here."
They took half the room each and methodically worked through the trays, moving each out of the way to see into the trays beneath. Jake noted that Morgan was slower than he was, distracted by the interesting objects she uncovered. When she had first joined ARKANE, she had been an academic and if he was honest, he hadn't considered her an appropriate partner for missions.
But here they were.
He had underestimated her back then. Now he watched her lean closer to one tray, her fingers reaching out as if to touch something. Her blue eyes, the right with a brilliant violet slash, fixed on the object. Then she felt his gaze and turned to him.
"Have you found something?"
"No." Jake shook his head. "I just like watching you."
A smile played around her lips.
"No time for that now," she said softly. "But come look at this. I think this might be it."
Jake walked closer, aware of her slight curves next to him in the semi darkness. Her head-torchlight played over a grey lump of what looked like hardened clay, the color of storm clouds over water.
With gentle hands, Morgan picked up the clay piece and turned it over. There was a round seal set inside the lump. The carvings were faint, but Jake could make out the undulations of a serpent, a different design from the one they'd found in Benin, but similar enough to be related.
"It certainly looks like the other one," Jake said. "It seems strange that the seals are so far apart, though."
"I love how they're part of a diaspora, just like the Jewish people." Morgan smiled. "These ancient objects are passed down through families who move across the face of the earth, taking their most precious possessions with them. It's not so strange. There's been a trade route into Africa for millennia, and there were great kingdoms there long before Europe rose to power. Remember the Pentecost stones, handed down by the Keepers and spread from Iran all the way to America?"
Jake nodded.
"I think the seals will be spread out, too." Morgan ran her fingertip across the clay around the seal. "If you take Revelation as only part allegory, then someone bound the serpent in a pit. Someone sealed it and then presumably made sure the seals were hidden."
"You really think there's some kind of real serpent in a real pit."
Morgan shrugged. "I didn't believe in the literal Gates of Hell until I saw them with my own eyes. Sometimes that night seems like a dream, like it didn't happen, but in my nightmares I still see the dark wraiths."
Jake thought of what he had seen under New York. "I know what you mean," he whispered. "Let's get out of here."
Morgan wrapped the lump of clay containing the seal in a jersey she'd brought with her and put it in her backpack alongside
the other one.
Two down, Jake thought. Not a bad start. The question now was where they would look for the next one.
They left the research hut and headed back through the dig, careful to avoid the guards. Once they were out of hearing range, they could talk freely again.
"I think we should just get up and leave early," Morgan said. "If we go tonight, it will raise suspicion."
Jake nodded. "But if we leave before breakfast, we can say goodbye in a civilized manner and be at the airport by the time the research team gets to work and discovers the seal is gone. Good plan."
They headed back to the kibbutz across the fields.
As they crossed the olive grove, Morgan's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to see Martin's number on the screen.
"Strange that he'd call this early," she said, answering the video call.
His face was haggard, his features drawn, his eyes wide with concern.
"Morgan, I'm so sorry. Your family has been attacked."
11
Megiddo, Israel.
Morgan's hand flew to her mouth, tears springing to her eyes.
No, please not Faye. Not Gemma.
After her sister and niece had been abducted during the hunt for the Pentecost stones, she had sworn never to endanger their lives again.
"What happened, Martin?" Jake said, taking control as Morgan sank to the ground in shock.
"It's been quite a night, but don't worry, they're safe now."
"Damn it," Morgan exploded with anger, grabbing the phone back. "You scared me, Martin."
"Sorry. I thought you'd want to know straightaway. We installed a special alarm at the Price's house in Woodstock after the Pentecost stones were retrieved. We have something similar in place for the families of all our agents. It was triggered earlier and countermeasures were successfully deployed."
Morgan looked sideways at Jake when she heard the words, but by his raised eyebrows, he clearly didn't know what Martin meant by countermeasures either.
"Several of the intruders were injured," Martin continued, "but Faye and David, and of course, little Gemma, all escaped unharmed. They're staying in the visitor quarters at ARKANE in Oxford until we can ascertain who attacked."
Morgan remembered her first visit to the labs there, buried deep under the Pitt Rivers section of the Museum of Natural History. It was a fascinating place, and she imagined little Gemma walking wide-eyed through the exhibits at night. But then she thought of her sister Faye, who had survived once before. The sisters didn't speak of any lasting trauma, but it had to be there.
"It looks like we might have disturbed the viper's nest," Jake said. "It has to be Samael and the Brotherhood of the Serpent. They must know of us."
Morgan nodded.
"Are you sure no one can get to my family now, Martin?"
"Of course, we have extra security in place. Don't worry."
She sighed with relief. They were safe for now, but Morgan felt the weight of guilt bear down on her. She considered herself to be independent, beholden to no one except maybe her cat Shmi, back in Oxford, who even preferred the neighbor these days. She and Jake took risks with their own lives for ARKANE, but she had thought her family would be safe. But the night she had seen Faye on top of a pyre, about to be burned as an offering at Pentecost, still haunted her nightmares.
Now her choices had put her family at risk again.
The truth hit Morgan hard. How could she continue at ARKANE when she placed those she loved in danger?
"We've had word from an ARKANE source in the Philippines," Martin continued, breaking into her thoughts. "A deep-sea scientific vessel reported bringing up a large sarcophagus from the depths of the Mariana Trench."
His words cut through Morgan. Could the deepest part of the ocean be the pit described in Revelation? Could the sarcophagus really contain the Great Serpent? The scientist part of her would have laughed at something so crazy not so long ago, but now she wondered.
"If Samael has the sarcophagus," she said, "he will definitely want the seals." She looked out into the darkness. Suddenly her land felt threatening, as looming clouds covered the moon. "We have to get out of here."
"Agreed." Jake stood looking out into the fields around them and Morgan could see that he sensed a heightened danger too. "Where should we go next, Martin?"
"Follow the snake motif through history. You need to head to Greece, to the Pythia."
"The Oracle of Delphi," Morgan whispered. "Of course."
"I'll sort out the flights so you can be on your way as soon as possible." There was a tapping on the line. "I can get you out of Haifa tonight. It's only forty-five minutes' drive."
"Can you get Marietti to give the Tel Megiddo authorities a call?" Jake said. "It might help avoid an incident over taking the seal."
"Sure," Martin said. "Safe travels."
Morgan hung up the phone and sat for a moment, breathing deeply to calm her concerns. Her family was safe inside the ARKANE compound. There was no need to worry about them. She could speak to Faye in the morning, so why did she feel so jumpy?
"Are you OK?" Jake hunkered down next to her, his face a map of concern.
She smiled. "Not really, but we have to get going. I'd like nothing more than to fly back home and cuddle my niece, but we have to finish this. If Samael really has the sarcophagus, we have to hurry."
She stood and they walked back towards the kibbutz together.
"I know you're worried, but aren't you also curious to see what's in that sarcophagus?"
Morgan laughed. As ever, Jake was able to dissipate her fears. "You're right. If it really has been buried for over a thousand years, I want to see inside. It's probably just a pile of dust."
Back at the guest accommodation, they packed their things quickly and left the kibbutz. As time ticked towards dawn, Jake drove them towards Haifa airport in the west while Morgan called Faye on the video phone.
Her sister answered within two rings. Faye's blonde hair was loose about her face and her blue eyes were ringed with dark shadows. The twins had inherited opposite features from their parents, Morgan's dusky features from their Sephardic Jewish father, and Faye's Celtic looks from their Welsh mother. But their eyes were both blue, the unusual slash of violet in Morgan's right eye and in Faye's left the only thing that made them look related.
"Oh, Faye, I'm so sorry. Are you alright? How's Gemma? And David?"
Faye smiled a little. "We're fine. I know you want to be here but none of us are hurt, just a little shaken. David was so paranoid after Pentecost, so Director Marietti at ARKANE helped us install safeguards. I'm sorry we didn't tell you but I didn't want to worry you any more than I know you already do."
"For good reason, clearly." Morgan sighed. "I wish I was there."
"I'll hug Gemma for you. She misses her Auntie M."
"I'll be back soon, I promise. Maybe we can go away for a holiday or something together." Morgan knew she sounded desperate, that she was clinging to an ideal of family life that didn't represent their true relationship. There was so much of the past unsaid and unacknowledged, but Gemma was the real bond between them. A murmur came from beyond the screen and Faye turned her head to mouth something over her shoulder.
"We need to sleep now, Morgan, and we'll be fine here. Gemma loves the ARKANE lab, so it will be like an adventure. Stay safe now."
"OK, sleep tight."
The screen went black and Morgan stared at it for a moment. She was relieved to see her family, but bereft to be so far from them. Not for the first time, she felt a twinge of jealousy at the security of Faye's marriage and the love for her daughter.
Was she fated to run around the world trying to stop bad things happening to people who didn't even notice the darkness around them? Would she spend her life chasing demons, only to die alone in some forgotten corner of an ancient ruin?
Jake put his hand on her arm, glancing over from his focus on the road.
"They're alright?"
> Morgan nodded. "Yes, they're fine. Let's finish this so we can go home."
Jake shifted gear and they accelerated into the night towards Haifa airport.
Grand Canyon Snake Valley Retreat, USA
Lilith loved it down here, curled up on the cool stone of the sarcophagus in the darkness of the sanctuary. Although she had to go upstairs every few hours to bathe in the warmth of the sun and renew her strength, she preferred the chill down here. Layers of deep-sea growth had now dried on the casket, giving it a spongy texture and she lay on top of the softness, still and silent.
Waiting.
Listening.
But as much as she tried, she couldn't hear his voice clearly unless she was in a venom trance. Samael said she must wait and he kept the venom close to him, rationing it, keeping her on edge.
Lilith sighed and dangled one hand over the side of the sarcophagus, touching her fingertips to the indentations. Sam had promised the seals would be delivered in time but she felt an edge of unease, a tension in her spine that could only be released by the opening of the casket.
She longed to see what was inside.
Sam did too, but she sensed his distance now. When she had been just a girl coming out of the church that first night, he had been the one with all the power. He had drawn her, hypnotized her as the serpents within the church had. She had felt languid in his arms.
But now … now he watched her when he thought she wasn't aware. And his gaze was more clinical, as if she were a specimen that he should keep in a case, like his reptiles in the viewing room upstairs.
She heard footsteps on the stair and she froze.
Sam entered the chamber, his gait wary. Lilith slid off the sarcophagus and crouched behind, peering around the end. He narrowed his eyes and squinted in the half-light, unable to see her.
"Lilith?"
She could see him clearly in the dark, but his eyes had not adjusted. For a moment, she saw fear in his expression. Fear of where she might be … Of what she might be.