by J. F. Penn
She used her new walking stick to hobble around the grave and back to the path. Jake joined her but he didn't try to take her arm and help. Morgan appreciated his respect for her independence. She was getting treatment for the unusual chemical burns that lacerated her legs but pain still lanced through her every day. Jake had deep wounds from the fangs that pierced his flesh that night, but he had recovered quickly. Whatever had happened in New York had given him some kind of healing ability. Morgan wished she could have some of it. She wanted to run again, she needed to move, but her wounds kept her at this slow pace.
Together they walked slowly back through the city to the Museum of Natural History. They entered the Pitt Rivers Museum and descended into the ARKANE labs beneath the city. Morgan remembered the first night she had come here, when Jake was still a stranger, when she knew nothing of ARKANE. Her family were safe and back home now, so she had come full circle. Perhaps that was as it should be.
They walked into one of the labs. Director Marietti stood up from one of the desks and came over to greet them both.
"I'm so sorry, Morgan. I know Ben meant a lot to you."
Morgan nodded. Marietti shook hands with Jake.
"You did a great job stopping the serpent, and I hope you're ready for a new mission." Marietti turned and brought up the details on screen. "A body has been found in New Orleans, covered in occult markings. It's not the first. ARKANE New York have sent agent Naomi Locasto down there. I know you've worked with her before, Jake, when you were in New York, and I think you'll work well with her too, Morgan."
Morgan took a deep breath. She was suddenly sure of what she needed to do. "I'm not going."
Jake spun around to face her. She saw the hurt in his eyes, but no surprise.
"I'm done for now. I need time to think, time with my family."
Marietti nodded. "Of course." He paused. "But we'll need to rescind your security access. I'll have Martin process your exit."
His words were so clinical, so final. Morgan hesitated. She could still stay, still change her mind. She could be part of the next mission with Jake. They could still be a team. She looked up at the screen. It would be a fascinating case.
But not for her.
Marietti put out his hand. "We'll miss you, Morgan. The door is always open for you to return."
Morgan took his hand and shook it, feeling the reassuring strength in his grip. "Goodbye, sir."
Jake walked out of the door with her, saying nothing as they headed towards the exit, but his mind was in turmoil. He couldn't let her go. As they turned the corner, out of hearing range from the lab, Morgan stopped him.
"I'm so sorry. I just can't keep doing this." She placed a hand on his arm. "I've put my family at risk, and Ben …" A tear ran down her cheek. "I might as well have killed him myself."
"Don't say that." Jake pulled her to him, enfolding her in his arms. "Ben wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself."
She laid her head against his chest and he stroked her hair, trying to soothe the tears that came freely now.
"Please don't ask me to stay, Jake." She pulled back a little and looked up at him. Her blue eyes glistened with tears and the violet slash burned with intensity. "I need time to think about whether this can work. Whether I can work for ARKANE again."
Jake saw the conflict in her eyes and he understood why she felt so torn. He had no family left to risk, and the years as an agent had made him more independent, separated from those around him. Morgan was the closest he had to a friend, Director Marietti and Martin were his family. ARKANE was his stability. When he thought about a separate life, of giving up being an agent, he found he couldn't even consider another option. This life defined him. But Morgan had other options and other people she loved.
He was not her world.
"I understand," he said quietly. He pulled her close again and kissed her forehead gently. "I'll miss you so much."
Jake knew he would go to America and join Naomi Locasto in New Orleans. He could only hope that Morgan would be here when he returned.
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Author’s Note
As with all my books, the plot of End of Days is taken from my own experience and research of real places and events, twisted into an original story. For all the images behind the story, check out: www.pinterest.com/jfpenn/end-of-days
Why snakes?
I first handled a python in the Northern Territory of Australia when I was traveling back in 2000. The weight of its body, the smooth cool skin and the fact that I wasn't scared, all surprised me. Then I went into the desert of the Northern Territory and spent some time camping on the red earth, considered by the Aboriginal people to be the blood of the Waugyl, the creation serpent. I started to look into the mythology of snakes and found it fascinating. I actually bought a mulga wood snake at Uluru and I have it here beside me at my writing desk. I consider the snake to be my totem animal, so perhaps it was inevitable that I would eventually write a book with so many in.
I decided on the title, End of Days, before I had a plot idea. Then, when I read the verse in Revelation about the ancient serpent and discovered Lilith had been portrayed as a serpent in painting, I knew I could work them into a story that would also satisfy those longing for something apocalyptic.
Appalachian snake handling churches and venom as a hallucinogen
There are some fascinating videos on YouTube from churches that handle snakes, in accordance with the Great Commission of Mark 16:18. I wrote Lilith's scene based on reading about actual experiences of believers.
Some snake venom can be hallucinogenic, but it's likely to kill you first, so don't try this at home! Mithridatism is a real practice of self-administering venom in non-lethal amounts to build up tolerance over time.
Moses and the graven serpent
I have always found the story of Moses and the graven serpent strange. The snake is used as a symbol for evil in the Garden of Eden, and yet in Numbers 21:9, it becomes a bronze idol with healing powers and then in John 3:14, it's used as a metaphor for Jesus. These types of theological mysteries are where I often find story ideas.
When I visited Salisbury Cathedral and found the window above the altar, which is just as described in the story, I knew I had to use it somehow.
International locations
The Temple of Hatshepsut is real but as far as I know, there's no escape tunnel into the Valley of the Kings. Although if you look on Google Maps, it's definitely possible. The Laocoon is in the Vatican Museums and the replica stands in the castle at Rhodes. The Delphi site is as described.
Israel.
I first visited Tel Megiddo in the 1990s and after reading James Michener's The Source, the area really came alive for me. I revisited in November 2016 and it was amazing to see the layers of history revealed at the dig. You can find all the pictures from that trip here: www.jfpenn.com/israel-pics
We also took some video of the trip, which you can view on YouTube:
A Walk in the Old City of Jerusalem: www.jfpenn.com/old-city-jerusalem
Behind the scenes of my research trip. Difference locations in Israel: www.jfpenn.com/israel-arkane-research
I did take some artistic license with the location. Most of the artifacts from the dig are in the Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem and other places away from Megiddo itself.
The Old City of Jerusalem continues to evoke my imagination and when we visited last, it was awesome to go down into one of the cisterns under the Holy Sepulchre, one of the few able to be accessed. The cistern used for the resurrection of the serpent may actually exist, although of course, let's hope that the sarcophagus is still deep in the Mariana Trench …
What's next
for the ARKANE series?
While Morgan takes a well-earned rest, I'll be focusing on the United States of ARKANE. Jake heads to New Orleans to work with Naomi Locasto, who also featured in One Day in New York. In the last nine books, I've mostly focused on European history, so now I'm turning my gaze further west. Expect more ARKANE adventures to come!
More Books by J.F.Penn
Thanks for joining Morgan, Jake and the ARKANE team. The adventures continue …
Stone of Fire #1
Crypt of Bone #2
Ark of Blood #3
One Day In Budapest #4
Day of the Vikings #5
Gates of Hell #6
One Day in New York #7
Destroyer of Worlds #8
End of Days #9
If you like crime thrillers with an edge of the supernatural, join Detective Jamie Brooke and museum researcher Blake Daniel, in the London Psychic trilogy:
Desecration #1
Delirium #2
Deviance #3
If you enjoy dark fantasy, check out:
Risen Gods
A Thousand Fiendish Angels: Short stories based on Dante's Inferno
More books coming soon.
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About the Author
J.F.Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author. Her ARKANE thrillers have been described as 'Dan Brown meets Lara Croft,' and her London Psychic crime thrillers as 'the love child of Stephen King and PD James.'
Joanna has a Master’s degree in Theology from the University of Oxford, Mansfield College and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology from the University of Auckland. She lives in Bath, England but previously lived in New Zealand, Australia and London.
She is a PADI Divemaster and enjoys traveling as often as possible. Joanna is obsessed with religion and psychology and loves to read, drink Pinot Noir and soak up European culture through art, architecture and food.
You can sign up for Joanna’s newsletter, with giveaways and the latest releases, here:
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For writers:
Joanna’s site, The Creative Penn, helps people write, publish and market their books through articles, audio, video and online courses. Joanna writes non-fiction for authors and is available internationally for speaking events. Joanna also has a popular podcast for writers.
Connect with Joanna
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Dedication and Acknowledgments
For Jonathan.
Thank you for being by my side in Israel.
Thanks to my editor, Jen Blood, for her help with the book, and my proofreader, Wendy Janes. Thanks to Jane Dixon-Smith for the cover and interior print design. Thanks as ever to my readers, and especially the Pennfriends, for the supportive emails and enthusiastic reviews. You keep me writing!
Copyright Page
Copyright © Joanna Penn (2017). All rights reserved.
www.JFPenn.com
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is fictionalized or coincidental.
Published by Curl Up Press
www.CurlUpPress.com
For any inquiries regarding this book, please email:
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.