by J C Ryan
“Well, looks like your wolves have been good Samaritans by taking in this family. Their emaciated condition gives me the impression that they went through some tough times. They look really starved and scruffy,” Carter replied. “I’m wondering how she and her pups got separated from their pack.”
“It’s possible that her pack was killed by poachers or by some kind of culling program,” Mackenzie said. “You think they’ll be okay now that they’re on Freydís? Even if they are kicked out of Loki’s pack.”
“Absolutely.” Carter nodded. “No one is going to bother them here, and there is enough space and food for them.”
They stayed a while longer, and the new wolves did take a few steps closer to them but did not go all the way. The best Mackenzie and the others could get out of the new arrivals were wagging tails and a few soft but friendly sounds, and that was good enough for the first encounter.
Mackenzie looked at the new she-wolf and whispered, “Nadia. It means ‘hope’. Let’s call her Nadia. What do you think?” She exchanged looks with Carter and Liam.
“That’s a nice name, Mom. I like it,” Liam responded.
“I agree with my son,” Carter replied with a smile.
Chapter 21 -
Induction
Hassan’s induction into the ancient mysteries of the Nabateans commenced early the morning of the day after his arrival in Paris. Karimi-Shah knocked on his door at seven a.m. and led him to a meeting room on the same level, where they would have a working breakfast and spend most of the next three days.
The room, carved out of the limestone below the house, was about eight yards square, with an oval oak boardroom table and six luxury chairs. The lavish lighting and air-conditioning inside the room made the absence of windows all but unnoticeable. The floor was covered with elite Persian carpets, and the wall decorations included paintings and rugs displaying ancient scenes and water features, birds, animals, and a center piece depicting all the known marine mammals.
A typical French breakfast consisting of coffee, croissants, pastries, tartine (toast with jam), grillé (toast with butter), and every flavor of jam one could imagine was waiting for them on a small table to the side.
They loaded their plates with the delicacies, poured some coffee, and then took their seats at the boardroom table.
“There are many people who know about the Nabateans,” Karimi-Shah started. “All of them, except for a very small group of selected people, only associate the Nabateans with Petra, that ancient city in the southwestern desert of Jordan. Lately it has drawn a lot of attention, not only amongst archaeologists, but also the public at large — especially since that movie ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’. It has become Jordan's most popular tourist attraction. The Arabic name for the city is Al-Batrā, but the Nabateans called their capital Raqmu. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.”
Hassan nodded. “Yes, I have read some articles about the city and have seen a few pictures, but I’m afraid I haven’t studied it in much detail.”
“Not to worry,” Karimi-Shah said. “I’ve got all the information here.” He started his laptop and connected it to an overhead projector to display the slideshow on the screen hanging on the wall. He provided commentary as he clicked through the slides.
The first slide was a map of Jordan and surrounding countries. “Here is the city on the slope of Jebel al-Madhbah, also known as Mount Hor, mentioned in the Bible. As you can see, it is situated in a basin on the eastern side of Wadi Araba which is part of the large valley stretching from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.
“The city dates back to about 300 BC. And here is the access to the site via that narrow canyon called Al Siq. The place is sometimes also called the ‘Rose City’, which I suspect comes from the pink sandstone cliffs into which the tombs and temples were sculpted.” He brought up a picture of the majestic temple with an elaborate Greek-style façade. “This is probably the most famous feature in Petra — it’s called Al Khazneh.”
“I’m honored to learn that I’m a descendant of the people who built that place.” Hassan grinned.
Karimi-Shah nodded. “I can assure you, over the next few days you’ll hear and see a lot more to be proud of.
“According to modern day historians, the Nabateans were originally nomadic people, but later in their history they constructed, or I should rather say, carved out the city of Petra. The location of the city was strategically selected on the regional myrrh and frankincense trade routes of the time, and it quickly became a major center.
“And it was not just the location of the city but the fact that the Nabateans were masters at collecting water from the barren and hostile desert environment. That meant the travelers and traders on those routes had no choice — they had to go through Petra to get water. The name Nabatean has come to mean ‘they who draw water from the desert.’
“Petra stayed out of the eyes of the western world for almost two thousand years, until it was discovered in 1812 by the Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Since then it has become famous. ‘A rose-red city half as old as time’ as John William Burgon wrote about it in a poem. UNESCO described it as ‘one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage’. It was named one of the new seven wonders of the world, and the Smithsonian Magazine selected it as one of the ‘28 Places to See Before You Die.’”
“This is fascinating!” exclaimed Hassan. “And to think, until a few days ago I didn’t even know these people were my forefathers.” He shook his head and paused for a breath. “But what is the importance of the city of Petra for us today? I mean for the group that I’m about to become part of.” Other than knowing now that he was a Nabatean, he still did not know the name of the organization he was going to belong to.
Karimi-Shah smiled. “I will get to it as I lay it all out for you over the next few days. But for now, just keep in mind what I have shown you so far is only recent history. Our history goes back much further.”
“How much?” Hassan asked.
“Way before Adam and Eve — could be over one hundred thousand years . . .”
“Wait!” Hassan’s eyes were wide in shock. “Before Adam and Eve, you say? But the Holy Koran and the Torah and the Bible—”
“Are religious books,” Karimi-Shah interjected. “Not history or science books.”
“But the Holy Koran—” Hassan tried again to make his point.
“Hassan!” Karimi-Shah interrupted him resolutely. “Listen carefully. I told you right from the beginning we are not a pious organization. Religion is no reason for why we can’t serve together for the greater good. If you are not comfortable with our areligious views, then you’d better tell me now.”
The full implication of the man’s words slowly dawned on Hassan— it was for life — he had committed to that by agreeing to come to Paris. Slowly he nodded. “My apologies, Alireza. It’s just that religion has been so ingrained in me since my birth . . . I guess it will take a little while to unlearn the habit of seeing everything through religious colored glasses.”
Karimi-Shah nodded as he watched Hassan’s face carefully for any signs of hesitation before he continued. “That doesn’t mean we are disbelievers, agnostics, or atheists. Everyone is permitted to believe what he or she wants. But we will never allow any religious dogma to influence our group — never.”
Hassan got the message, loud and clear, particularly the emphasis on the word “never.”
“Amongst this group there are Muslims,” he pointed to Hassan and himself, “like us, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics, atheists, Christians — and hold onto your chair for this one — even Jews.”
Jews! Hassan almost exploded but managed to keep his mouth shut and nodded as calmly as he could. Serving with Jews! How can Allah ever forgive me? But he remained quiet.
His tutor was silent, watching him with raised eyebrows to see if he was ready to continue. He knew all too well that the news about having to pull in the same yok
e with Jews would have been a bitter pill to swallow.
“Please continue,” Hassan said softly.
“No doubt or hesitation?”
“None whatsoever.” Hassan managed to muster a slight grin.
“Good. Let’s continue then.
“Our history goes back more than seventy-five thousand years, and some data indicates it could be as far back as two hundred fifty thousand years. Obviously, there are big gaps in our knowledge of prehistoric times prior to Adam and Eve. After Adam and Eve, although still a bit haphazard until Abraham and Ishmael, when data became more accurate, and kept on improving in exactness up till now.
“As I’ve said before, many people know about the Nabateans of Petra in a historical sense, but very few know of those who are progeny of our forefather Nebajoth, and are aware of their lineage.
“The providence of modern-day Nabateans settles in the hands of a secret council of twelve, the Council of the Covenant of Nabatea — in existence since 106 AD. Hassan, note the emphasis here is on the word ‘secret’. We work in secret; we are a shadow, a phantom, our work known only by the selected few on the council. You are about to become one of those selected few when you take the place of your benefactor, the late Xavier Algosaibi.”
Hassan’s squinted. Another fact I thought only I knew about. “Is there anything you don’t know about me?”
“I’ll be very disappointed if there is,” Karimi-Shah said matter-of-factly. “We have the best information collection system on the planet, bar none. Yet we fly so far below the radar that whatever footprints we leave are all but invisible or effortlessly wiped away. Only Council members know how large the Nabatean community is, how wide our influence reaches, and the technology we have at our disposal.
“Our members and influence have spread to every corner of the globe — all in positions of power in governments, businesses, media, science, technology, even criminal activities from time to time. Any industry and study discipline you care to name, we’re in.
“We’re almost certainly the only group in existence where not only the two major Muslim sects, Sunni and Shi’a, peacefully coexist, but also the other religions I’ve mentioned before.”
“What’s our aim?” Hassan asked.
“What’s our aim?” Karimi-Shah repeated and grinned. “What everyone wants. Power, money, control of world events.”
Hassan nodded as if he understood, but his face betrayed his confounded mind. “Yet you have no army, no country, no nation, no visible followers. How is it possible?”
“With power of the magnitude we have, human politics and religion become irrelevant. In 106 AD, the elders of Nabatea decided to hand over their empire to the Romans without a fight, and everyone believed their distinctiveness had disappeared. But that is what historians believe— ‘their distinctiveness disappeared’. The Nabateans only vanished from the public eye, not from the earth. We are still very much alive and here. But nobody knows, and that’s how we are going to keep it.” Karimi-Shah ended that last sentence on a higher note — a questioning tone accompanied by raised eyebrows.
Hassan got the cue and nodded. “Absolutely.”
“In the beginning, and I am referring to the time after ‘capitulating’ to Rome, the Nabateans formed the Council of the Covenant of Nabatea and started infiltrating every aspect of the Roman society like termites. They were motivated by the desire to restore the glory of their kingdom, and that remains our goal to this day. That’s why we want power, money, and control of world events. In the early centuries, if only in small ways, their infiltration and invisible influence were successful and gained momentum and continued to this day. I will tell you more about that shortly.
“However, as you can imagine, world power has shifted several times, new religions, wars, conflict and strife, new cultures, countries, languages, and technology had made the original goal, to return to Petra, obsolete. I doubt it very much that any one of us would want to go back to Petra to live in the Jordanian desert anytime soon.”
Hassan had a hint of a smile. “Yes, I can see that, but what, then, is it we are after in the present-day?”
“What are the two most important, most valuable commodities today?” Karimi-Shah answered.
“Mm . . . gold and oil?” Hassan responded hesitantly.
Karimi-Shah shook his head. “You want to try again? Think about it carefully. In today’s society, what would be as vital as the water of the Nabateans was to the traders traveling through the desert in ancient times?”
Hassan stared at him for a while, his brain working overtime. “I am tempted to say, computers and electricity, but I am not sure.”
“Close, very close indeed.” Karimi-Shah chortled. “It’s information and energy. In today’s world, if you don’t have information, you might as well live in the dark ages. Information is knowledge, education, science, technology, computers, progress — it’s everything — information is power. The one who has the right information at the right time wields the power. Remember this — no information, no power.”
“I can see that,” Hassan replied slowly, deep in thought. “What about energy?”
Karimi-Shah stood and walked to the array of switches on the wall and flipped them all off. The darkness in the room was absolute. “Need I say anything more?” he asked after a minute of silence as he turned the switches on again.
Hassan started laughing. “You’ve illustrated that point so well, Alireza, how can I ever forget it?”
There was a protracted silence as Karimi-Shah took his seat and studied Hassan’s beaming face. In the silence, Hassan slowly poured his tutor and himself another cup of coffee and said, “Please tell me more. I want to know everything . . . if I’m allowed.”
Karimi-Shah chuckled. “You’re a Nabatean, Hassan, from a noble bloodline, about to become a member of the Council of the Covenant of Nabatea, the highest order in our society. Of course, you’re allowed to know. It’s your duty to know.”
“How much of the world’s information and energy do the Nabateans control or can they control? Surely, we can’t physically take control of all the oil, coal, and gas fields of the world. Can we?”
“No, of course we can’t. You’re right. But we can destroy all or most of it and replace it with our own.”
“What . . . how . . . ah . . . say again? How will you do that?”
Karimi-Shah held his hand up for Hassan to relax. “Are you familiar with the concepts of quantum physics?”
Hassan slowly nodded. “I’ve only a layman’s knowledge about it. I’ve read a few articles, but don’t I understand much of it. I know Einstein gave up on the quantum theory and once said ‘God does not play dice with the universe.’
“Nevertheless, it remains a fascinating concept — the idea that a particle can be in different places and states at the same time reminds me so much of the omnipresence of Allah.”
Karimi-Shah replied. “Yes, to some it has the fingerprints of a higher power. However, despite Einstein’s reservations about the theory, he was man enough to acknowledge the extraordinary empirical successes of the quantum theory.
“However, don’t let me mislead you into thinking I know much about the subject either.” Karimi-Shah smiled. “For that part of your induction I’ll bring in one of the world’s top scientists in this field. For now, just accept that it is as NASA has said ‘the most precisely tested theory in the history of science.’ Its predictions and projections have been substantiated over and over again with eerie accuracy.
“It is said that close to thirty percent of our modern economy hinges on our current comprehension of quantum physics. Think about computers, cell phones, lasers, and such.”
Hassan looked surprised. “Am I to understand from what you are saying the Nabateans have developed or have control over quantum technology so advanced it can manipulate the world’s information and energy?”
“Yes and no — ‘no’ because we have not yet achieved one hundred percent of what we wan
t. And ‘yes’ because we have already achieved so much, and we are so close we can almost smell it. What you will learn over the next few days will blow your mind away.”
“What is holding you back?”
Karimi-Shah went quiet for an uneasy long spell while contemplating how to break the next bit of information to Hassan without causing another religious temper tantrum in the man.
Finally, he spoke. “Hassan, my friend, what I’m about to tell you is going to rock your boat. So please hear me out before you respond. Okay?”
Hassan nodded agreement.
“Human history has been distorted beyond recognition by religion, historians, scientists, evolutionists, zoologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and the like. All in an effort to fit in with their ideologies. Many people believe the human species has only existed for about six thousand years since creation — Adam and Eve. Despite unquestionable evidence that humans have been on earth for much longer than that.
“Others believe in evolution and that we are related to the apes. Their view is hominid creatures originated from a bunch of apes who one day about two hundred fifty thousand years ago, got it into their heads to leave the jungles and go and live in the grasslands. What a sad goodbye that must have been. And when those deserters arrived on the savannah, they decided it was time to change a few things. They decided it was time to walk on two legs instead of four. Shed all their body hair, which would have protected them from the glaring sun in their new habitat. Maybe because they thought they would look sexier with no body hair and a nice tan. Then they decided to make themselves tools and weapons to hunt and fight, and just for kicks, they changed their diet from herbivorous to omnivorous.
“And while they were at it, they said ‘you know what? We need to teach ourselves how to speak a proper language. This ape language is no good. And just to set ourselves apart from those idiots who didn’t join us, let’s increase our brain size and become more intelligent than they are.’”