The Crystal's Curse (13 page)

“Oh, yes, thank you for your concern.”

Coming out of the cave, Erik surveyed the site. “Where is he? I didn’t see him around.”

Sam waved a hand. “He was unhappy, and since we were closing the site, we sent him on ahead.”

“Where is home for you folks?”

Maria answered. “Oh, you know how it is we move around a lot. We will be in Washington, D. C. for awhile to write up our findings, and then Sam is scheduled for a lecture tour that will take us around the country.”

“So you sent him to Washington?”

“Why do you ask?” Sam’s tone was less cordial now.

“Just curious,” Erik said lightly.

“I’m afraid any arrangements we made for our son is strictly a private family matter,” said Sam coldly.

“Yes, of course, I didn’t mean to pry. Thank you again for showing me the site.” He got into his Jeep and left.

Watching him drive away, Maria said, “That man is either an idiot or knows a lot more than he is letting on.”

“I think he was just playing the idiot. His questions about Joshua concern me,” Sam said frowning. “I am more anxious than ever to wrap this up and get out of here.”

Chapter Twelve

“Field agent Erik to Watcher One. Come in, please.”

“This is Watcher One. Have you found the portal?”

“Yes, it is on the archeological site. I believe that the archeologists stumbled upon it. According to them, the room it is in had been sealed up and buried.”

“Then they must have activated it. Did you find the power stone?”

“No, they claim they think the portal is a native ceremonial site. My scans show that the parents had no contact with the stone.”

“What about the missing son?”

“They claim to have found him. But he was not on the site and they were very vague about his whereabouts.”

“What were the settings on the portal?”

“Impossible to say. They had changed them.”

“Do you think they know where the son is?”

“Yes, they did not seem worried about him.”

“We need to locate the son to make sure he does
not have the power stone. You have permission to take whatever steps you think are necessary to find him. However, keep the damage to a minimum.”

“Word in the village is that the crew will be leaving shortly and the parents are staying
behind for a couple of days. I will let you know when I think it is safe to proceed. Could you have two agents available to assist me?”

“Affirmative, Watcher One out.”

Chapter Thirteen

After all the artifacts were labeled and shipped, the crew backfilled the village and cave, but left the steps to the room clear. Now that they knew Joshua was safe, Ricardo left with the crew. Sam and Maria hadn’t decided what to do about the room yet. It would have to be sealed again at some point to preserve the carvings and to appease the Quiche, but they were reluctant to backfill it. Maria felt she was close to finding the key to the translations, so they decided to stay on for a couple of days. Sam spent his time working on the site description.

One afternoon, Maria came running out of the cave to the tent where Sam was working. “Do you know the longitude and latitude for Boston?” she asked breathlessly.

“Actually I do,” he said. “I don’t know why it sticks in my mind, 42.22 degrees north by 71.04 degrees west. Have you found something?”

“I think so. Come with me, and let’s see if it checks out.”

Sam got up and followed her through the cave and on into the room.

“I discovered not only do the stones recess, but the metal rings around them can be rotated. We thought the marks around the edges of the stones were decorative, but now I think they serve a purpose. If you look closely, you can see that the metal rings around them have tiny little grooves as well. By rotating the rings, it’s possible to match up the grooves on the stones and the grooves on the rings. Remember I told you that I thought these glyphs are the four directions, well, I think that the ones in between represent degrees of longitude and latitude. You said 42.22 north.” She counted over four stones from the north stone and twisted the metal band on it. “Now 71.04 west.” She counted seven stones over from the west stone and twisted that band to the appropriate line. “If I am right, then this should be exactly how it looked when Joshua disappeared.” Sam and Maria looked at the photographs they had taken just prior to Joshua’s disappearance.

“You’ve done it!” Sam exclaimed.

Maria was all smiles. They embraced. “Now if we only had the right rock, we could test it to see if it really is a transporter,” Maria said thoughtfully. She looked up at Sam. “It’s nice to know what the glyphs mean, but it really doesn’t help us prove or disprove anything, does it? I can’t even enter these translations into our work up without
sounding ridiculous.”  She realized for the first time that without being able to prove her calculations were correct, she'd wasted all the time she had spent on the translations. She looked deflated.

“I think you’re wrong. I think we can put your translations in our work up, with the theory that the Maya were able to calculate longitude and latitude. We just can’t postulate that they are here as a means of transportation.”

“I would still have a difficult time proving that, but I’m too tired to think about it right now. I know I’m right, and for now, that’s all that counts.” She smiled and took Sam’s arm. “Let’s go stir up something for dinner.”

They only got as far as the mouth of the cave. Erik and two other men holding guns stepped in front of them blocking the exit.

Sam stepped in front, pushing Maria behind him. “What’s this all about? All the artifacts are gone. There’s nothing left here to steal.”

“We’re not here to steal anything. We just want information,” Erik said. He poked the gun into Sam’s chest, forcing him back into the cave. “Let’s go back inside where we can have a nice quiet conversation.”

Sam and Maria backed into the cave. Erik waved them on into the recess room, falling in beside them. “Ari, guard the entrance and make sure no one interrupts us. Con, secure the woman.”

Con grabbed Maria around the neck
and pulled her close to him.

Sam whirled around. “Take your hands off her.”

Erik stepped between them, sticking the gun in Sam’s chest again. “Let’s not do anything stupid. She’ll be fine as long as you cooperate. Now, I want to know where your son is.”

Sam stayed where he was. “Why? What do you want with him?”

“We believe he may have something of ours.”

“He’s just a kid. What could he possibly have?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Erik growled. “Your son is not here, and he didn’t leave here by truck or plane. No one passed through the village. There’s no other way to the airport. The only other way he could have left here is by using the portal. So let’s not waste anymore time pretending. I want the power stone. Don’t bother lying to me. I know that someone activated the chamber. That takes a power stone. I know that neither of you did it because touching it leaves traces. Therefore, your son must have done it. I also know that he called you, so you must know where he is. Just tell me, and I’ll go get it from him. I don’t want to hurt either one of you or your son. I just want the stone.”

Erik’s calm assurances didn’t convince Sam. He tamped down the anger. Unarmed, facing two men with guns, he had no choice but to stall and hope for some kind opening, or information that he could use to bargain. “I don’t know what you are talking about. What stone?”

Erik rolled his eyes. “The stone that powers the portal, of course. The one your son used to leave here. Now where is it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” insisted Sam.

Eric walked casually over to Maria. He ran his hand gently down her face. “Such a pretty face.”

Sam’s hands balled into fists.

Erik casually turned away and then viciously backhanded her across the mouth, snapping her head to one side and drawing blood. When Sam growled and rushed him, he pointed his gun at Sam. Cold hard eyes dared him to make a move. “Come on, I only need one of you.”

Maria wiped the blood from her mouth, sending Sam a warning look.

Knowing any action he took now would only further endanger her, Sam stayed where he was. He shook with the effort it took to stand still. With the blood pounding through his veins, he forced his voice to sound natural. “As far as we know the stone burned up during the transport.”

Eric shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. The crystal transports with you.”

Sam needed time, time to understand what was going on, time to decide if there was any way to protect his family. “If I tell you where he is, why should I believe that you’ll leave any of us alive? I’m sure you don’t want any witnesses.”

Eric laughed, a short bark without real amusement. “Witnesses to what? Who are you going to tell? What exactly are you going to tell them? Do you honestly think anyone will believe that three men held you up at gunpoint to steal a rock that operates a time and space portal?” Erik waved his gun at the niche. “Without the power stone, this is just ancient graffiti. I don’t need to kill you,” he said calmly with an evil grin.

Stubbornly Sam crossed his arms. “Why should I believe you?”

“Good point,” Erik said lifting one eyebrow. “Okay, I was hoping I could convince you, but I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.” He walked
over and sat down on the stool Maria had been using while studying the glyphs. “I’ll make this easy for you. Either you tell me what I want to know or I shoot your wife,” he said calmly. “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t kill her, then you would just play the hero and die yourself to save your son. Maybe just a kneecap. Of course, if you lie to me, I’d have to come back and shoot some other part of her until you told me the truth. All this time, she’s laying there bleeding and in pain. Seems messy and unnecessary to me. One more thing, even if you both decide to die, I can still track down your son. It’ll just take more time and I’m in a hurry. So you see, you really have no choice. One way or the other, I will find your son and retrieve the stone.” He waited patiently allowing them time to absorb the hopelessness of the situation.

Hearing a noise in the cave, they all tu
rned. The man Erik had told to guard the entrance stuck his head through the door. “Sir, you have a call from command, they say it’s urgent.”

Erik nodded and then spoke to Sam. “Lucky you. You can have some time to discuss this.” He told the other guard, “Release the woman, but keep an eye on them.” He strode out of the room.

When Con let Maria go, she ran to Sam. He put his arm around her. Holding her close but still watching the guard, he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently wiped the blood from her mouth. They could hear Erik’s footsteps as they receded.

Con relaxed his stance, but continued watching them. He was thin but well muscled. He cradled his gun on one arm. Sam assessed his chances of escape. Erik had made it clear that he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot them. Even with only on
e guard, Sam could see that any move he made would only put Maria in even more danger. His only option was to continue to stall, hoping for some opportunity.

He looked down at his wife, wanting to reassure her. Before he could say anything, a
nother man appeared out of nowhere right behind the Con. Without a word, the man reached out, and Con collapsed on the ground without making a sound. The man picked up the gun. He looked at Sam and Maria and put his finger to his lips to caution them to keep quiet. Then he dragged the guard outside the entrance of the room.

When he came back, he checked the settings on the portal, quickly walked over to them, thrust a crystal into their hands, and whispered, “I’m here to save you. Do exactly what I tell you. Both of you step into the portal. Hold on to each other tightly. Put this crystal in the top hole. I’ll be right behind you. I’ll explain everything once you’re safe.”

Sam considered his options. He didn’t know this man or his intentions. He’d seen him disable the guard without a sound, which could make him a formidable enemy. On the other hand, Erik had made his intentions clear and Sam didn’t want to think about what would happen when he returned. Wherever this new man took them, they couldn’t be worse off than they were now. Sam decided to take his chances. He nodded to Maria. They crowded into the portal. Sam placed the crystal in the top hole. There was a bright light and they disappeared.

The man placed a small device at the foot of the portal, stepped in. He took another crystal from his pocket and placed it in the top hole. With a bright flash of light, he too vanished. Seconds later, there was a loud explosion. The portal disintegrated spewing rock and sealing the entrance to the room.

Erik ran back into the cave, cursing when he saw the unconscious guard and the sealed entrance.

Chapter Fourteen

Sara and Joshua returned to her house after the movie. Sara wanted to make a plan for the next morning. “Meet me at The Peabody Museum of Archeology on campus around ten a.m. tomorrow. It has one of the most comprehensive Mesoamerican collections. I want to see if we can find any references to this stone or the recess that your parents uncovered. Also can you make a sketch of the room you found?” Sara asked.