The Belial Library (The Belial Series) (9 page)

“When did they come?”  Jen asked.

“Right before the great flood,” Nana said.

Laney looked at Nana in shock.  No.  That couldn’t be right.  “There was a flood in Ecuador?”

Nana smiled  “Not just here.  Everywhere.  The world flood.”

A look of shock crossed Jen's face and Laney was pretty sure her face held an identical one.  All cultures across the globe speak of the great flood.  And they each speak of a different way in which the knowledge of the people before the flood was saved. 

In Hindu mythology, the Satapatha Brahmana tells the story of Manu, the savior of mankind, and the boat he used to save knowledge, seeds, and animals.  The story of Manu is almost identical to the story of Noah, which is almost identical to the story of Gilgamesh.   In fact, there are over six hundred flood myths across the globe.

Despite the similarity of the tales, scientists had argued for years that there had never been a cataclysmic world flood.  The closest thing would have been the melting after the last ice age, which would have been a much more gradual process. 

Yet recent research had indicated that cataclysmic flooding could indeed have occurred during the melting from the last ice age due to the creation of ice dams. 

“That was at least twelve thousand years ago,” Jen said quietly, her voice conveying her awe.

Nana nodded, her thoughts seeming to be a million miles away.  “I’m not sure of the exact time the Teachers came to us, but I do know we’re responsible for keeping their knowledge safe.  I have known, though, that the time would come soon when the cave would have to be introduced to the world.  The world is encroaching closer and closer.” 

She looked back at Jen and Laney.  “I’d decided you two would be the first outsiders shown the cave.  I had hoped you could help us preserve what’s inside.”

Jen nodded.  “We would have, Nana.”

“I know.  But it’s too late for that now.  I should have demanded the tribe allow me to tell you.  But we have always been an equal society, even if . . .”  She sighed.  “We needed to all agree on the next course of action.  Maybe, though, if I’d told you sooner, this could have been avoided.”

Laney shook her head.  “I doubt that, Nana.  These men are serious.  I think if you told us sooner, this would have only happened sooner.”

Jen nodded.  “Laney’s right, Nana.  The only blame here belongs to the assholes responsible for this.  But now we need to deal with what’s happening.  Who are the Guardians you spoke of?”

“Farther back than any of us can remember, our tribe split in two.  One group would stay attached to the world, to learn if there was danger to the cave. The other would stay with the cave as its protectors.  We would meet twice every year to renew our bond to each other.  I fear what will happen to them. ”

Nana glanced through the back of the truck, her voice gravely serious.  “We’re getting close.  You two must stay near me and Elena when we arrive.”

Minutes later, the truck slowed and came to a stop.  Doors slammed. 

Two men appeared at the tailgate.  One raised his machine gun as the other opened it.  “Out.”

Elena and Jen scooted out of the truck with Nana and Laney following behind them.  Laney looked around, her hopes plummeting.  They were in the middle of nowhere and there were at least thirty heavily armed men.  How the hell were they going to get out of this?

Warren was nowhere to be seen.  No doubt he’d gone for medical attention.  But the Safari's-R-Us man appeared, his khakis beginning to look limp in the heat, with sweat rings around his neck and armpits. 

Laney took a perverse satisfaction in his discomfort.  He looked like the type used to air-conditioned lecture halls, not the rigors of the field.

He walked up to Nana, wiping his brow with a stained handkerchief.  “Now, Lucia, where are these Guardians?”

Nana looked him straight in the eye.  “All around us.”

The trees erupted with screams.

CHAPTER 17

Baltimore, Maryland

Jake paced along the wall of windows in Henry’s office. His mind was a scramble of horrific images, with Laney center stage. 

Damn it.  He hated standing around twiddling his thumbs, waiting for information.  He already had equipment moving into place, but before he stormed into a foreign country, doors needed to be opened. 

He glared at the image of the destroyed village frozen on a computer monitor. 
Little good diplomacy was going to do for those poor bastards.
 

Needing a distraction, he watched Danny at the conference table. Danny’s eyes were glued to his screen, his eyes flying over the keyboard.  Danny had provided Laney the only protection he could, a computerized guardian angel.  Jake could more than handle himself in the physical world, but Danny was the warrior in the electronic one.

Jake walked over to Henry as he disconnected his call. 

Henry’s face was serious.  “I just spoke with the U.S. Consulate.  They already knew about the attack.  An unknown group hit the village late last night and then followed the villagers to the church where the survivors had taken refuge.”

“Where were Laney and Jen?” Jake asked.

“They were camping down the hill from the village.  They apparently rescued a young girl from the village who was about to be -” Henry paused with a quick glance at Danny.  He lowered his voice. “abused.  They took out three or four armed gunmen in the attempt.”

Jake felt the kernel of hope bloom. 
That’s my girl
.  “Where did they go after that?”               Henry met his eyes.  “The church.”

Jake’s stomach plummeted.  “Are they all right?”

Henry looked away, his tone more guarded.  Danny came to stand next to him.  Henry reached down and pulled him close.  “They tried to escape at the church, but were caught.” 

Henry took a deep breath.  “There were reports that one of the American women was shot.  I don’t know which one.  The eyewitness reports conflict.  The two Americans were then bundled along with the village’s leader and her young granddaughter into a truck, and disappeared to the north."

The memory of Laney bleeding into the ground in Montana flashed through Jake’s mind.  This couldn’t be happening again. "What size of a force was it?"

Henry shook his head.  "There aren't any reliable reports on that."

Jake nodded, knowing eye witnesses often weren’t much help in these situations.  "I read that the oil companies were making a play for the lands around the village.  Any chance it’s them?"

Henry shook his head.  "I can't see how.  The courts were turning in their favor.  Everybody believes it’s only a matter of time before they're granted access to those lands.  I think this is somebody else.”

Jake stared at the satellite images Danny had enlarged on the overhead screen.  The village had been annihilated.  It would have been possible to do that with a small, efficient group, but his gut told him the group was probably much larger than that.

"We're going to have to go in small," he mumbled. 

If it were up to him, he'd call on the entire Chandler group security force and every friend he had in the military and rain down hellfire on these assholes.  But he knew they had to tread lightly.  A large force would draw attention.  

They needed to stay under the radar, at least until they found Laney and Jen.  They didn't have time to sit in a bunch of government offices filling out forms about the intention of their visit.  Besides, he was pretty sure explaining he intended to kill quite a few people while in their country wouldn’t go over well.

"I agree," Henry said.  "So besides the two of us, who else do you want?"

Jake looked up at Henry.  He never ceased to amaze him.  Brilliant, rich, and never afraid to get hands dirty when it counted.  "The Witt's, of course.  Yoni, and maybe one or two more. We need to be able to move quick."

Jake stood up.  “When can we leave?”

“Wheels up in one hour.”

“We need to call Jordan.” Jake had held off calling Jen's family, hoping he’d have some good news to share.  The Witt’s were extremely close.  This news was going to terrify them.  But Jake also knew there was no way Jordan would be left behind.  Or Mike, either, for that matter.  “I’ll assemble the team.” 

In his mind, he raced through all the operatives in the field and off-duty, making sure he hadn't overlooked anyone.  A name flashed through his mind and he stilled.  He looked at Henry, his voice low.  “Patrick.”

Henry nodded.  “I’ll call him.”

“No.  That’s my responsibility.”  Jake turned away and headed for the empty conference room down the hall.  He wanted privacy for this conversation. 

He’d sat with Patrick at the hospital the last time Laney had been shot.  The man’s deep love and fear for his niece had been a palpable thing.  He knew this news was going to devastate him.

Closing the conference room door behind him, he knew there were a thousand last minute details that needed to be addressed.  But certain responsibilities took precedence.  With a heavy heart, Jake pulled out his phone and dialed.     

CHAPTER 18

North of Cuenca, Ecuador

The first of the arrows flew through the air. 

“Get down!” Laney yelled.

Nana scrambled under the truck, Elena next to her.  Laney and Jen dove in after them just as two men collapsed next to the truck, arrows in their chests.

Caught unaware, their captors lost precious seconds to inaction.  Laney saw another two drop.  But soon, the men who'd kidnapped them gathered themselves and returned fire. 

A knife was attached to the belt of the fallen man nearest Laney.  She tugged it free of its sheath. 

Nana held out her hand.  “Give it to me.” 

She handed it over.  Nana made quick work of the ties that bound Laney’s wrists, before doing the same to Jen's.

Laney and Jen quickly deposed the two fallen men of all of their weapons.  Between them, they had one M16, a Beretta, and two knives. 

Gunfire and war cries continued to erupt around them.  Laney caught her first glimpse of a Guardian as he leapt from a tree.  Wearing little more than a loincloth, with dyes covering most of his body and feathers piercing his nose, the Guardian buried an ax in the neck of one of the gunmen before being shot by another. 
             

Others battled from the trees.  Still more were locked in hand-to-hand combat.  She noticed they used guns and rifles as well.  The arrows had just been the first, silent wave of attack.

Laney’s head swiveled back and forth, looking for a safe avenue of escape through the fighting.  The battle raged everywhere at once.

“Jen, you see a good route out of here?”

“No.  Every time a spot opens, it closes up again.  I don’t – what the hell?”

Laney followed Jen’s gaze.  A boy, no more than eleven, stood on the edge of the fight.  He was dressed like a Guardian, but his skin remained smooth, unblemished.  And he looked familiar. 

“Eddie,” Elena cried.

Laney looked at Elena and then back at the boy.  It all clicked.  The two groups had remained in connection through time not by yearly visits, but by family.  Her eyes found Nana's.  “He’s your grandson, isn’t he?”

Nana nodded.  “This is his first year with the Guardians.  He was to return to us in two months’ time, at the fall solstice.  Then he’ll be with them every other year until he turns eighteen, when it becomes permanent.”

“And he’ll lead them.”  Jen looked back at Elena.  “As Elena will one day lead your people.  ‘Little queen’ isn’t her nickname.  It’s her title.”

Nana nodded.   “Yes.   To the world, we’re an equal society, but there is a ruling family.  For security reasons, we have never revealed that.  Not to anyone.  One female from the ruling family leads the people of the village while a male leads the Guardians.  It’s how it has always been.”

Eddie motioned for them to come to him.  He pointed up at the trees. 

Laney saw the Guardians perched there.  “I think Eddie has an escape plan.  Let’s move.”

Her sling now lying empty, Jen picked up the Beretta with a grimace. 

Laney eyes flicked to Jen’s bandaged arm.  “Can you shoot that thing?”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

“You take lead.  I’ll cover your run.”

Jen nodded. 

Laney looked at Nana and Elena.  “You two follow right behind Jen.  Got it?” 

Both nodded, their eyes darting out into the clearing.

Laney looked at Eddie and put up three fingers. 

He nodded, signaling to the men in the trees. 

Laney tapped Jen on the shoulder.  “On three.  One, two, three.  Go!”

Jen burst out from the truck, weaving past prone bodies.  A gunman saw her and let out a yell. 

Before he could bring his rifle around, Laney dropped him.  She jumped to her feet as Nana and Elena took off at run, surprised at how fast Nana ran.