by Melissa Frey
As soon as Kayla saw where he was headed, she gasped, kicking herself for not thinking of it sooner. Grady smirked a little but continued his slow progression downward, stopping on the location both he and Kayla had seen.
Kayla knew when Mandy saw it; she heard a small gasp to her left.
“The Amazon?” Justin asked.
Grady nodded. “Yeah.” He looked up at Kayla. “Makes sense, right?”
Kayla nodded frantically, a wide smile spreading on her face. “Perfect sense. That has to be it.”
CHAPTER 28
Globe
Something was off.
She wasn’t sure why, but as Kayla sat slumped in one of the cloth chairs near the table, gazing vacantly around the room at her friends, she had the unsettling feeling that something was . . . missing. Incomplete.
They were headed for the Amazon—but where? The river spanned the width of the entire continent. How would they know where to look?
She casually glanced over at Justin, who was pacing the floor near the bathroom door, on his cell phone. Kayla assumed he was making their travel plans—who else would he be talking to for so long, and in the middle of the night? Made sense. But where in the world were they headed? He could book them somewhere in South America, she mused, as if that narrowed it down. Kayla would’ve sighed aloud if her body would’ve responded, but her body had settled into a weird non-responsive state not long after they’d discovered the next location—just about the same time she realized she didn’t really know where that next location was at all. She supposed her stoicism was due not only to her frustration over the situation, but also to a keen lack of sleep, the overwhelming weight of the whole situation, and the fact that a large, ruthless group of men wanted them dead. If she weren’t so tired, she might’ve broken down crying again.
She shifted her eyes to Mandy, who was still standing over the map, gazing intently at it as if she could divine something from it. Good luck trying.
Justin tossed his phone on the bed. “We’re headed to Atlanta, for now. From there, we’ll . . .” he glanced at Kayla, briefly, but she still noticed. They all noticed. “Well, we’ll just figure out where we’re going when we get there.” He smiled in her direction without looking directly at her. Kayla appreciated the gesture, but his thoughts were evident. Kayla didn’t like it any more than they did. Probably a lot less.
Kayla forced herself to stand, pushing herself to her feet with the wooden arms of the chair. “We should get some sleep.”
Grady nodded, rising from the bed where’d he been sitting for the past ten minutes or so and meeting her at the door. “Here’s hoping for a good night’s rest.”
Kayla smiled, but as she and Grady retreated to their separate rooms—despite what Kayla’s less cautious side was shouting in her head—she doubted she’d be able to sleep at all.
Much to her amazement, she actually managed to get a few hours of sleep. She woke again with the sun, which was gleaming through the thin curtains covering the room’s one window. For one brief, blissful moment, she imagined what it would be like to wake up with Grady by her side, in her bed, every morning.
Then reality hit, as it always does, and came crashing down on her. She rose from the bed, suddenly grumpy as she stumbled sleepily into the bathroom and flipped on the shower. One of the few nice things about hotels, even this motel—unlimited hot water. Usually. Certainly much better than the four-minute average at the dig. Even in her sleepy state she was no dummy; she was going to let it get good and hot before climbing in.
She turned and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Ugh. I’m a mess. How could Grady have possibly been attracted to this? She untwisted her hair and let it fall around her shoulders, shaking it out as she did. Wow. Even worse. She really was a mess.
She undressed and stepped into the steamy shower, letting the warm water soothe her tired joints. It had been a rough few days, and she was glad for the opportunity to take her time.
She stood there unmoving for a long while, just staring at the water trickling from the shower head. She began to see meaningless patterns in the water as it fell into the tub.
Gradually the patterns seemed less meaningless. Was that the same picture she’d seen in Justin’s book? And what was—wait . . . what was that?
Before her, displayed through the cascading water, was the very clearly defined picture of a rainforest. Her mind started whipping through the possibilities of what the vision could mean. Were they supposed to go back to Belize?
But the picture didn’t seem familiar. In fact, it seemed a little . . . off. Different.
Then, suddenly, she was in the rainforest. It was dark and dank, with very little light. She assumed that it must be nighttime. Why else would it be so dark? As she strained to take in her surroundings in the murky, thick air, she noticed that she was standing right in the middle of a cluster of trees. Her hot shower in the bathroom of her hotel room in Bozeman was a distant memory.
She attempted to move her feet to explore this new world, but they encountered a heavy resistance. Why wouldn’t they move? She had to tell herself not to panic.
She looked down at the floor of the forest, glaring through the little light she had, searching for what was holding her in place. She quickly found what was arresting her legs.
She was thigh deep in water.
What?
She took in the rest of her surroundings, trying to get her bearings. She thought she saw a fading outline of tree-covered mountains off in the distance, through a small break in the dense foliage.
Mountains, flooded rainforest, definitely not Belize. Their location in the Amazon?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, it was the only thing that made sense. She studied the vision more intently. She needed to find this answer, needed to know where they were headed.
Then, without any visible change in the vision, she knew where she was. They already knew they were going to the Amazon—Grady’s assumption was now proven correct. But the place they needed to go—the specific place—was now right in front of her. The next book would be found here.
She grinned widely as the vision ended. The feeling that something was wrong—the one she’d been feeling since Grady’d made the connection on the map—was suddenly gone. In its place was a calm assuredness, the certainty Kayla had needed.
She quickly finished her shower and hurriedly dressed, then ran to find Grady. She had to tell him about her vision. They had to finalize their plans.
She already knew they were headed to South America. But now she knew where.
Belize Rainforest, South of the Mercenary Camp
Holun opened his eyes, then winced. For a fleeting second, he imagined ways he could get out of telling Na-um what he’d just seen—a fake seizure, perhaps? Or a real one? Or he could use the machete sheathed around his waist on his hand, cut it off . . . that’d distract him . . .
Holun shook his head to no one but himself, halting his macabre thoughts. He was being ridiculous. Na-um would be angry, sure, livid even, but Holun had never really been scared of him. Right?
Holun looked around for his superior. Great. Na-um was right in the middle of a training exercise with his men. Holun knew his boss hated to be interrupted while he was training, but he feared what Na-um would do if he found out Holun had held something back.
So Holun got up and walked toward the group of soldiers. “Na-um?” Holun hated how timid his voice sounded.
Na-um raised his hand to halt the exercise, then turned. Holun had to force himself to stand his ground, not shrink a few feet back like every muscle in his body was telling him to do.
Na-um led Holun a few feet away from the men, then raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
Holun swallowed. Hard. “I’ve been watching the Americans, trying to follow their moves. It is a little easier since I’ve seen them before, but I’m still only getting bits and pieces.”
Na-um growled a “yes” through his teeth. Holun moved on quick
ly.
“The Americans have found the third location.”
Na-um looked as though he would have thrown anything he could have gotten his hands on. Fortunately, there wasn’t much of anything out here, except . . . Holun took a step back. Then one more, just to be safe.
Without meaning to, Holun started babbling. “I was looking for the Elders again. Nothing new with them, they are still going forward with their plans. So I checked the Southern Detachment, and saw the Americans there.” Holun swallowed again. “I am not certain that they will survive their attack.” Holun squeezed his eyes shut and shrunk back a few inches without moving his feet.
When he didn’t feel Na-um’s hand strike his cheek, or clutch his neck, he ventured a look at his superior. What he saw in Na-um’s face scared him so much more than Na-um’s anger ever did.
Na-um was grinning ear to ear, and nearly snickering. There was something sinister about the smile, something almost . . . evil. Holun stared, his wide eyes never leaving Na-um’s face.
“Good,” Na-um began, the same wicked smile still stretched across his face, “if the Southern Detachment succeeds, our plans here may not be needed.” Na-um crossed his arms, and Holun could’ve sworn his chest puffed out a good ten millimeters. “But we will still prepare, in the unlikely event that they fail.”
Holun nodded absently. Na-um was even more scary than he’d been when Holun had defied him to his face, less than a day ago, and Holun was afraid of how Na-um might react to a dissenting opinion now.
Holun had never seen his superior like this, and wasn’t sure he even recognized the leader he once revered. It had been there earlier, under the surface, but only now did Holun realize it, now that it had come to the surface and taken Na-um over. It was as if his leader was possessed; his visage and even his personality had changed. And the look in his eyes, like a lion stalking his prey, or a demon stealing someone’s soul . . .
Holun had come to know Na-um as careful, calculating, and fearless, but compassionate. Never calloused. Never indifferent to the killing of innocents—and he seemed almost excited now!—despite his order to attack the Jeep leaving the dig a few weeks ago. Na-um had been visibly remorseful, but he’d said those men had been casualties of war—and Holun had almost understood his logic. But this? Where was the logic in this?
As Holun slunk back to his innocuous position away from the older, stronger men, he wondered if the Na-um he knew was ever coming back.
Na-um returned to his men, the grin still emblazoned on his face, as if it were stuck there. He wanted so desperately to remove it, to be able to talk to someone about how much all this was tearing him apart . . . but that would be a sign of weakness, and would undermine his leadership. The Elders had done enough to undermine his leadership already. His plans—the plans he’d made to stop the Americans—were nearly fool-proof. He should have been elated; he would, in all likelihood, win this war.
But instead he was worried, afraid, and more troubled than any other time in his life. Why, when he was only a few short steps away from victory, was he falling apart?
He was born for this. His entire life had been devoted to it. He knew what he believed, what the Clan had taught him from birth, what he had taught others himself.
The Secret must never be revealed.
And yet, as he continued training his men with the outward confidence every great leader should have, every fiber of his being was screaming, desperately pleading with his conscience to stop; something was extremely and utterly wrong.
Lamanai Archeological Dig
“Hey, Jack. Was that Grady checking in?” A voice called from just outside.
Jack set the satellite phone down, then smiled at the pretty grad student from his perch in front of the communication trailer’s only desk. “No, that was Kayla this time. They’re headed to South America.”
Jackie’s eyes widened as she stepped inside the trailer. “Cool.” Her eyes glazed over and what looked to Jack like a dreamy expression came over her face.
Jack grinned. “Did you have something for me?”
“Oh, yes,” she replied, blinking a few times. “We are finished cataloging the artifacts from the cavern. All three hundred plus,” she added with a smirk.
“Good work.”
Jackie beamed. “Anything else I can do here?”
Jack pursed his lips. “Well, I . . .” He paused, looking her over. “Okay, but this has to be kept quiet.”
Jackie grinned conspiratorially. “Of course.”
Jack leaned down, reaching under the desk. Jackie moved to his side, eyes sparkling.
Jack slid a cardboard box out onto the open floor.
“What is this?” Jackie ventured.
“This, Miss Jackie,” Jack started with a theatrical flourish, “is something Kayla found that first day in the cavern.” He leaned down and slowly—one at a time—opened the four cardboard flaps.
Jackie leaned over the box and peered inside.
What was that?
The interior of the box was bathed in a subtle yellow light. What was causing it?
She looked closer, squatting down and pushing aside the foam peanuts blocking her view of the object. The light brightened.
What—was it glowing?
She carefully reached inside the box to retrieve what she saw to be an intriguingly luminescent sphere. What was making it do that?
She slowly lifted the globe from the box, drawing it up to eye level. The area around the ball was illuminated with the yellow light emanating from its interior. Jackie just stared; her eyes danced in the soft light.
Jack smiled. “Cool, isn’t it? I need you to find out everything you can about this globe without damaging it. No cutting, no samples. Think you can find anything?”
But Jackie wasn’t listening. She just kept staring at the object she held in her hands.
“Jackie?” Jack reached out and touched her shoulder.
The light touch caused her to jump slightly, shaking her out of her reverie. Fortunately, though, she still managed to maintain her careful grip on the sphere. “Oh! Sorry.” She offered him a placating smile. “This really is very intriguing.”
Jack withdrew his hand and nodded as his face relaxed. “Well, you’re the best grad student here. I figured you were the right one for the job.” He returned her smile. “But you’ll keep this quiet? Kayla doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Jackie nodded and gingerly replaced the object, then lifted the box and headed for the door. “You don’t have to worry, Jack. I can keep a secret.” She flashed him a final wide smile as she opened the trailer door, box on her hip. “You can trust me.”
CHAPTER 29
Amazon
Just Outside Leticia, Colombia
“It isn’t here!” Kayla growled to no one in particular from where she was kneeling at the base of a large tree. After over twenty-four hours of flights—and precious little sleep—she was exhausted. Her feet, coated with mud from the damp ground, were sore, but as she leapt to her feet, angrily wiping at her mud-stained knees, she barely noticed. She did notice however that her neck and shoulders were sore—probably from all the sitting in the uncomfortable coach seats on the plane—er, planes—and that leaping to her feet like she was throwing a temper tantrum didn’t help matters any. Not that she cared. She was breathing hard and felt like punching the tree in front of her, but had fortunately retained the presence of mind to stop herself from badly injuring her hand. Instead, she glared at the acres of greenery around her, looking for anything, seeing nothing.
Kayla was standing just outside a mid-sized town in southern Colombia called Leticia—a cozy hamlet nestled on the banks of the mighty Amazon. Grady’d easily found a clean hotel where they’d checked in quickly and dropped off their luggage. They’d ventured a small distance into the nearby rainforest a short while later in hopes that Kayla would be able to get a better idea of where they were supposed to be going the next morning.
Now the rest of the gro
up was staring at her—unintentionally, she supposed, though it didn’t feel that way—waiting for her to divine a more specific location. She could almost feel their expectant gazes boring into her. Now she really did want to hit something. Why was she always expected to find the next clue? Couldn’t any of the others pull their weight at some point?
She sighed, deflated. That wasn’t fair. She really needed to learn how to get her temper in check.
Kayla saw Justin look over at Grady, then, after a moment’s hesitation, whisper something in his ear and leave with Mandy. Grady never moved, his eyes staying locked on her. If she didn’t care about him so much, she would probably have yelled at him.
She chastised herself.
How could she be so angry? None of her companions really expected her to deliver good news at every turn. Sure, they all hoped for it, hoped that the next vision would be sooner rather than later, but they knew she was human—she could see the understanding in their eyes. There was only hope, pure and simple, no demands. Which meant she was really only angry with herself. And for what? For not knowing how to control her visions? Hmm. Maybe.
Grady came up beside her, his brow furrowed, eyes questioning but nonthreatening. “Kayla, honey, what’s wrong?”
She slumped to a nearby moss-covered log, shoulders hunched forward. “I don’t know. I was so sure that Leticia was the place.” She leaned over, resting her elbows on her knees, and stared at the muddy ground. This up-and-down emotional rollercoaster was really wearing on her. “Now I’m not getting anything. I don’t have a clue where to look.” She dropped her head into her hands, covering her face.
Grady sat down beside her and pulled her to his side. He kissed the top of her head lightly but didn’t let go. “You’re putting too much pressure on yourself, Kayla. We can look tomorrow. No need to rush it.”