“Only if you promise to stop calling me Mrs. Sanchez.” Eva laughed. “We are both grownups, and I’m not one of your school parents.”
“Okay, sure, Eva.” Keith grinned. “Please ask them.”
Talia followed Keith as he continued to explore while Eva talked to the two guides. “It’s been such along time,” she whispered to him. “The people might have cleaned out things that were ruined beyond repair. You’re looking for something that’s hidden, right, something we can put back together and make work?”
“A guy can hope,” Keith replied. “Otherwise we’ve got a pretty room with no purpose. This floor is kinda weird, though. It’s not stone, is it?” He stamped a few times and moved here and there, testing the sections of a large geometric design on the ground. “It’s rubber. It’s a bunch of interlocked rubber pads. What if we could pick them up and see if anything’s under them?”
Eva returned from conferring with the Olmec descendants. “I know they’re doing their best to speak Spanish for my sake,” she said, “but it’s not their first language, and I’m afraid something’s getting lost in translation from their native dialect. I’ll just repeat what they said to me. They say Araña could draw back into the shadows so that no one would know she watched. Those who tried to cheat her or do evil in her name – she would know, and they would never see her wrath coming until she was on top of them. She could hide from them, but no one could hide from her.”
“Please ask them about this flooring,” Keith said. “It’s a bunch of separate rubber panels. I think it’s a covering. Something may be hidden under the pyramid.”
Eva returned to question their guides further. Keith walked to the center of the room and prodded a raised rubber knob with the toe of his shoe. The guides approached with Eva, smiling and nodding.
“I don’t want to start calling you the Chosen One, or anything, Keith,” Eva said, “but they said it was another test, and you passed. Push down on that knob with your full weight, and then everyone step back in a hurry.”
Keith obeyed, heard a distinct click, and all of them scrambled out of the way to the sides of the room. The rubber flooring peeled back as counterweights, gearwork, and other mechanisms lifted something that looked like a smaller pyramid out of the floor. It glittered as it reflected the mirror-enhanced spider web lighting.
“That’s orichalcum,” Keith said. Talia squeezed his arm, digging her nails in until he finally had to say, “Ow!” She blushed and let go. They approached as the four sides opened like a flower, revealing a throne-like seat in the center, above which hung a ruby corundum dome.
Chapter Sixty-nine – Araña and the Pyramid Web
“Go on, see what it does,” Talia urged Keith.
“Not me,” Keith said with a smile.
“What do you mean? You should sit in the chair and figure out how it works,” Talia exclaimed. “We might need this technology.”
“Could be,” Keith replied. “But, remember what I said about the caves at Gondrani? And what you said? I can only duck so far. That thing is built for somebody your size, not mine.”
“Oh …” Talia nibbled on her lip. “But I don’t know what to do.”
“Sit down in the seat, for starters,” Keith said. “C’mon, I’m pretty sure it’s not going to hurt you, There’s rubber insulation under there, so it’s grounded. I can’t really imagine how it would do anything at all. But we won’t know ‘til somebody sits in that chair.”
Talia stepped up on the raised platform and seated herself on the chair. They all held their breath as she sat there, motionless, and waited. The corundum dome lowered slightly and the pyramid-shaped sides that had flattened began to shift position. Small panels separated, lifted, and seemed to make small adjustments. All at once the panels seemed to focus the reflected light of the thousands of mirrors, and the semisphere of translucent red started to show pinpoints of light. Talia scrambled out and into Keith’s arms.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Keith demanded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would do anything. Please tell me you’re okay.”
“Yes. I’m okay.” Talia took a few deep breaths. “The stone heads,” she said finally. “And the balls.”
“What about them?” Naddy asked.
“The heads were Araña’s eyes. Remember how later gods had reflective material in their eyes? When I was under the corundum dome, I could … I could see the heads. … So many of them. But that was all. I think the heads used to have eyes that were the same material as the mirrors. Maybe there was more to the system, or the heads may have been moved around since they were made. Sometimes the reflective materials are hematite, which has magnetic properties. I think … I could see those stone balls everyone wonders about – perfectly round, and nobody knows what they were for – I think they might have had, or even still have, magnetic properties. This pyramid is a control center, Keith.”
“So you’re saying Araña really could watch people, through the eyes of those sculpted heads?” Keith noted that all the activity from when Talia had sat in the seat had stopped and the parts had settled back into their original positions. “This stuff is powered by a combination of solar energy, magnetism, and … well … gravity, for lack of a better description, since that’s what makes the counterweights and gears work. The seat must be pressure-sensitive and everything starts up automatically when a person of the right size and weight gets into it. Everything would have to be so perfectly-balanced, positioned, synced up … how can it still work after all this time?”
“Since Talia seems not to have seen anything of significance, perhaps it not all in sync as it should be,” Sophia suggested. “But you mentioned the balls, Talia, and the possibility of magnetic elements. What was their purpose? Did what you saw suggest anything?”
Talia took another deep breath. “I believe the balls were the instruments of Araña’s … well … our guides mentioned her wrath. If they did have magnetic properties, and could be made to roll in conjunction with – I guess I can call them commands – sent by Araña, they could cause terror, chaos, and terrible destruction.”
“Could this be true of a woman seeking to protect and share God’s Word?” Naddy asked. “Is it possible to serve the true God, yet justify invasive surveillance and use of violence?”
“I’m sure it was used for defense, or a last resort,” Keith said. “Like the ax of Britomartis, or the nuclear capability in Harappa. Man, this is exciting, just finding something where this much is still intact. It might give us insights into what’s missing at the sites we’ve been to. You know what, these could have had completely different applications when they were created. Sonic waves, nuclear capability, even surveillance and the potential to move big objects. We might want to stop thinking about destructive capability and think of constructive applications for these technologies.”
“Still, the idea of having any kind of protection, and a chance to see the enemy coming, is appealing,” Talia admitted. “If Jenny Kaine’s attack-helicopter friends show up again, getting a warning would be great.”
“That’s true,” Keith said. “What if we test that theory, that the giant heads need reflective eyes? Can we go around replacing those? Will we get in trouble with the authorities?”
We might not really need to use the heads themselves,” Talia replied. “We could learn the right kind of reflective materials. We’ll try to place them near where the heads are. Could there be a way to make slight adjustments to this system to compensate for moving the ‘eyes’ of Araña?”
“We are going to need to respect the keepers of these secrets,” Naddy said, nodding toward their guides. They had been talking anxiously with Eva. “They are nervous about our plans, clearly.”
“I wish I knew what our plans are,” Keith sighed. “So far no hint about where any tablets might be. They’ve always been in another location, and something has always gotten us to that location. I sure wish there was another holographic map, or a tour guide to take us to that o
ther place … or whatever the right course of action is this time.”
“I should get back in the chair,” Talia said. “It scared me, when those images started rushing at me, but I need to see if there’s more I can learn.”
“Is that okay with the guides, Eva?” Keith asked as the conversation in Spanish seemed to falter and die. “Are they okay with us testing this out some more?”
“They are asking a lot of questions,” Eva said. “I tried to explain what you have been talking about – what Talia says she saw. They have oral traditions about this pyramid, but no one among their people has ever sat in the chair, or has any personal experience with its capabilities. They don’t see any problem with Araña watching and taking action, even violent action, if it was necessary to protect her people or what she cherished. I heard Dr. Ramin talking about respect, and I think that’s what we still have to prove to them. I just don’t know how to tell you how to do that.”
“Well, perhaps we should take a break, anyway,” Sophie said. “It’s been hours since we returned to the camp, and you and Keith and Talia just arrived. Tell them how grateful we are to be allowed to see and experience this, and that we’ll wait for them to give us permission to study it again.”
That evening they sat around a large campfire. Cindee, Eva, Talia, and Sophie had made a huge pot of stew out of some goat meat they had bought from a nearby farmer. Poor people came shyly into the circle of light to get a bowl of food and a round from Talia’s stacks of flatbread.
“What is in this bread?” Keith dipped some in his stew. “It’s like … I dunno … manna or something. A little sweet, a little crunchy, a little savory. This is so good.”
“People all over the world have been making bread since the beginning of time,” Talia said. “Everyone puts a little something different in it, depending on what they can get where they live. Americans want plain and white and soft and … nothing. In this bread there’s honey, and olive oil, and this time I tried a little toasted fenugreek seed, because it’s so nutritious, and these people need that.”
“Fenugreek? I never heard of it,” Keith said.
“It’s supposed to be one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world,” Talia replied. “People use all the parts – for all kinds of things. Leaves, seeds, sprouts, roots – people make amazing claims for it. I love it any way I can get it.”
“But you’re not eating the bread,” Keith observed.
“Well … it’s got an interesting side effect that I don’t need right now. Later on, though, I’ll be eating a lot of it.”
“Oh, Talia!” Sophie exclaimed, jumping up to hug her. “How long have you known? And why didn’t you tell us?”
“Known what? Tell us what?” Keith asked.
“Dr. Ewing wanted to give me a checkup before we came down here, to make sure everything was all healed up,” Talia said.
“Yeah, I remember. You saw her right before Dan arrived, and Eva, and Jiggly, and we hardly had time to say hi to each other from then on. So, what’s fenugreek got to do with Dr. Ewing giving you a checkup?”
Talia stared around at the crowd of people. Then she slid closer to Keith. “We’ve hardly even been by ourselves except to sleep,” she said. “And you go to sleep so fast. I didn’t get a chance to tell you that I’m pregnant. Fenugreek can cause contractions, but it’s also good for milk production. So none now, but lots later. See?”
“Pregnant?” It was Keith’s turn to look around at the crowd. He lowered his voice. “But you’re okay? Everything’s fine with you and … with both of you?”
“Yes. Dr. Ewing said yes. Perfectly fine.” Talia put her arms around Keith’s neck and kissed him on the nose.
“Please tell me you did not keep this from me just so you could get to go in this trip,” Keith said, pulling back and staring into her eyes.
Talia nibbled her lip. “You would have tried to make me stay home, right?”
“Yeah, I would have. For sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck very hard.
“But I’m fine. The baby is fine too.”
“That’s not the point. You almost got killed in Pakistan. And now there’s two of you to go well-jumping, or cave-in dodging, or whatever. I can’t – I want to take you home right now.”
“The place where Jenny Kaine had the easiest time finding us was home,” Talia replied. “The school. The grocery store. Anywhere in town. Even the city. We were in more danger there than here.”
“We have more security on this trip,” Naddy insisted. “David and other pilots are flying reconnaissance twenty-four-seven. We have men surrounding this camp, and us, wherever we go, Keith. Talia is my treasure, as well as your wife. I swear everything possible is being done to ensure everyone’s safety.”
“And they know they have to protect everybody, right?” Keith demanded. “No Keith is the Chosen One stuff this time. Someone is going to have to knock me unconscious or kill me before we get separated again.” He pulled Talia in tighter.
“We were very careful not to let any information slip about where we really are,” Cindee insisted. “Even the kids in your classroom won’t be able to say anything beyond Veracruz and Tabasco. And you know our camp, and that pyramid, and everything we’ve been surveying since we got here – all that is a long way from anyplace anyone could give away.”
“We have deliberately taken information from our guides bit by bit, day by day,” Sophie said. “We did not know about that pyramid until this morning. We will not know what they choose to reveal to us tomorrow, if they reveal anything, until they decide what we should know. This is our best security. They do not rely on those two guides alone. We have met many different people, each of whose knowledge is compartmentalized. We believe these people have been extraordinary stewards of the secrets of this daughter-in-law of Noah. They are a great defense all by themselves. But we have many more defenses. Many more.”
“Nobody answered my question,” Keith pointed out. “Naddy could have died too. Have we got a doctor close by someplace? And do you understand that I won’t do anything else to help this quest until you promise me everybody is going to get equal protection? In Syria, those security guys said Naddy and Sophie weren’t the priority. In Pakistan, David tells me he’s got to protect me when Talia’s running the other way in the lull of a helicopter gun battle. You people have made my life crazy and wonderful and I love doing this, but please tell me I can count on equal protection.”
“Yes, you can.” Drew Summers walked into the circle of light. “Mr. Bradley, I guarantee that all my people have been told, as a condition of their employment on this detail, that nobody is expendable. Nobody is going to be overlooked. They are all here to watch over all of you. As God is my witness, the only thing that is even going to cause a blink of uncertainty is who happens to be carrying the biggest load of orichalcum tablets if all hell breaks loose.”
“Last time, that was David Sharon,” Keith said with a grin. “Thanks, Mr. Summers. I know you’re a man of your word. And I hope you heard that this one needs twice as much looking after, because she’s adventuring for two now.” He rocked Talia in his arms and kissed the top of her head.
“Congratulations,” Drew Summers responded. “And that concern is noted for future reference. Have a good evening, folks.” He disappeared into the night.
Chapter Seventy – Strangers Come to Call
“Talia, you speak Spanish, right?” Cindee whispered against the flap of Keith and Talia’s tent the next morning. Keith sat up as Talia jumped out of his arms.
“Yes, of course,” Talia answered as she grabbed clothes.
“We got new native people. At least, none of us remember seeing them before.”
“Where is Eva?”
“She’s in the shower, and these people look like they’re ready to cut out,” Cindee said. “We tried to give them some breakfast but they already scarfed it down. Didn’t look hungry in the first place. They look like … well … I don’t know. Different. Maybe
it isn’t Spanish they’re speaking, even. The guards are making them really nervous, I think. Can you hurry?”
“Hurrying.” Talia hopped around, pulling on her hiking boots. Keith hurried to dress as well.
Talia and Keith followed Cindee to the edge of the camp where Drew Summers and David Sharon stood guard personally over four small, coppery-skinned people wearing colorful cloth wraps and many strings of beads. Talia said something to them in Spanish and they looked blank.
“Uh-oh,” Jiggly said, joining them. The strangers backed away from his metal arm holding a hunk of bread, and he beat a hasty retreat. “Good luck with the language thing,” he called.
Five minutes later, Talia stopped trying to talk. “I have no idea what they’re saying,” she said. Eva had joined them, but the Spanish variations she knew produced no reaction, either.
“I’m sorry I can’t help translate,” she said. “I feel so useless. And I wish I could go adventuring with you, but it seems like I hurt my back somehow yesterday. I tried to loosen it up in the shower, but, oh my! I’m going to have to stay in camp. But I can fix breakfast. I’m sure you’ll have time to eat a little something before you figure all this out.” Eva walked stiffly away.
“They came here for some reason,” Keith said. “It wasn’t just food, because Cindee said they only took a little stew just to be polite. What are we supposed to do? We should ask Eva if she has any contacts she can call who might be able to come and talk to them.”
“We’ve been telling everyone not to use the phones here in camp. As hard as we try to secure them, it could give away our location,” Drew said. “Look, if these people were part of the group that’s been helping you here, they’d have some way of letting you know that. Since they set up camp down here, everyone else who’s showed up here brought something or said something or in some way satisfied the Drs. Ramin that they were here about the Olmecs. These people – I’m no anthropologist, but they are some completely different tribe, or group, or whatever they are.”
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