The Cup (15 page)

CHAPTER 34

The base at Incirlik hadn't changed much since the last time they'd been there. They were met by a man in civilian clothes who introduced himself by his last name, Monell. His eyes were hidden behind old-style aviator sunglasses. He led them to a blue Chevy suburban parked nearby.

Lamont looked around the base as they drove away from the hangers. "Seems kind of busy."

Monell nodded. "It's the war in Syria. They're flying missions all the time."

"Any problems with the Russians?" Nick asked.

"Every day. Most of it doesn't make the press, but there are always incidents. Some hotshot pilot in an SU-35 will come too close. It's only a question of time before something happens. When it does, all bets are off."

"That's an encouraging thought," Selena said, "that some jet jockey just out of adolescence could touch off World War III."

"Let me guess," Nick said. "Langley sent you."

"I work for the DNCS Monroe," Monell said. "I'm supposed to give this to you."

He handed Nick a package. Lucas Monroe was Stephanie's husband and Director of National Clandestine Services at Langley, responsible for CIA's operations in the field.

"He had good things to say about you," Monell said.

"The feeling is mutual."

Nick opened the package. It contained satellite shots, a detailed roadmap of Turkey, plans and photographs of the monastery. Nick took out one of the pictures and looked at it.

"I don't believe this," he said.

Selena looked at him. "Believe what?"

"See this picture of the monastery? That's the building I saw in my dream last night."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was."

"How could you dream about a building you've never seen?"

"How the hell do I know? Why does my ear itch when the shit is about to hit the fan?"

Monell started to say something and changed his mind.

"What dream?" Ronnie asked.

"I had a dream last night that I was standing in front of the building in this photograph."

He handed the picture to Ronnie.

"That's the monastery?"

"Yep."

"Where I come from, dreams are important. My auntie used to say Spider Woman sends dreams to help us understand something."

"Who's Spider Woman?"

"She's one of our most important benefactors," Ronnie said. "She taught the People how to weave and grow our food. What else was in the dream?"

"There was a voice."

"A voice? What did it say?"

"Pay attention."

"Pay attention? That's all?"

"Yeah. Scared the hell out of me. It was a deep, booming voice, the kind of voice you can't ignore."

"Cool," Lamont said.

"You wouldn't say that if it had been talking to you," Nick said.

"I had a cousin that used to have dreams like that," Monell said.

"You did?"

"Not a lot of dreams, but once in a while this voice would pop up and say something. It was always something important. He had one of those just before he died."

"What happened to him?"

"Well, we'd been planning this trip to the Grand Canyon for a long time. We were getting ready to leave but something turned up and I couldn't make it. The night before he left, he had one of those dreams. The voice told him not to go alone, to stay home. When he told me about it, he laughed it off. The last thing he was going to do was cancel the trip of a lifetime."

"So what happened?"

"He was hiking a secondary trail that leads down from the rim to the bottom of the canyon. It's not used much. He slipped and that was all she wrote."

"He should have listened to his dream," Ronnie said.

"Yeah. I guess so."

Monell didn't say anything after that. They got into the suburban. He drove them to a hangar and stopped by a blue Toyota Highlander with Turkish plates.

"Here's your ride. I'm told it's in pretty good shape. Do any of you speak Turkish?"

"I do," Selena said, "enough to get by."

"You know about baksheesh?"

"Of course."

"Bribes go a long way here," Monell said. "You're going to leave the base by one of our lesser exits. There are guards posted there but it's been taken care of."

He took out a fat envelope and handed it to Nick. It was full of Turkish Lira.

"You'll need this. One lira is worth a little over thirty cents. Thirty-four, the last time I looked." He glanced at his watch. "Time for you to leave. Once you're off  the base, you're on your own."

"How about coming back?"

"No problem there. Go to the main gate. You'll be on the list."

They got into the Highlander. Monell led them to the gate in his suburban.

"Keep your eyes open," he said. "There are a lot of angry assholes out there and some of them don't like Americans much."

"We're used to it," Lamont said.

Monell got into his Chevy and headed back onto the base. They stopped at the gate for a brief conversation with the guards and drove away. One of the guards went back into his shack, took out a cell phone and began talking.

In Raqqa, Abdul Haddad had just returned from a public execution, the stoning of a woman accused of adultery. It was important that the leaders of the movement demonstrate support for the rules laid down by the Messenger. Haddad had cast the first stone.

Haddad's intelligence network had been damaged by efforts to destroy the caliphate but it was still effective and widespread. Now one of his agents called him on the encrypted phone.

"Yes."

Haddad listened and asked a question. He ended the conversation as Nawabi came into his office.

"The Americans are in Turkey," Haddad said. "They were seen at the airbase at Incirlik."

"Are they still there?"

"No, but they're being followed. They went east. The relic must still be in Turkey."

"It can't be at Sumela," Nawabi said. "We searched thoroughly."

"Take your men into Turkey and catch up with them. If they find the cup, take it and kill them. If they don't, kill them anyway."

Map of Turkey Provided by the Central Intelligence Agency

CHAPTER 35

From Incirlik they got onto a highway marked E90 and headed east. The road was in good condition. Selena looks at the map and checked her GPS while Nick drove.

"From Incirlik to Mor Gabriel is about four hundred miles. The roads look good. It shouldn't take more than seven or eight hours, but the monastery will be closed by the time we get there. We can stop in Midyat overnight. That's nearby."

"Wake me when it's time for lunch," Lamont said.

He settled back against the seat and pulled a cap down over his eyes. In a minute he was asleep. It was something you learned in the service, how to sleep anywhere, anytime you could.

Ronnie sat watching the Turkish countryside slide by. They pass through villages but mostly it was farmland dominated by fields of wheat, now in winter mode. Groves of fruit or nut trees broke up the flat monotony of the fields. Turkey wasn't quite a Third World country but it wasn't Kansas either. This was an ancient land, farmed for thousands of years. Every town they passed featured the tall, needle shaped tower of at least one mosque.

"Those towers look like missiles," Ronnie said. "Where that guy does his thing five times a day."

"The muezzein," Selena said.

"Yeah, him. Hey, Nick, I've been thinking about that dream."

"What about it?"

"When you hear a voice like that? It's a good idea to pay attention to it."

"Very funny, Ronnie."

"No, I'm serious. The question is, what are you supposed to pay attention to?"

"I haven't a clue."

Selena said, "That's what Count Mercurio said to Elizabeth: 'pay attention.' He was talking about why the Grail is important."

"It's important because ISIS can make trouble if they get their hands on it," Nick said.

"Do you really think that's the only reason? What about the legends? The Grail is a sacred object. It symbolizes healing through Spirit and the mystery of Christianity."

"Mmm."

"What about that manuscript we found, the Book of Simon?"

"It could be fake, something made up to attract pilgrims. I know you think it's real but it hasn't been tested to verify the age."

"Don't you feel any excitement about it at all?"

"Some. I never thought I'd be looking for the Grail for real. I read all the King Arthur stories when I was a kid."

"You were a kid?" Ronnie asked. "I thought you hatched out of an egg at Quantico."

Nick ignored him. "I used to imagine wearing shining armor and carrying a magic sword like Excalibur. I wanted to be Galahad, fighting monsters and seeking the cup that would heal the King."

"And the land," Selena said. "Remember? The land was blighted and dying. Arthur was wounded in the groin and the only thing that could heal him and the land was the Grail."

"Lots of symbolism there," Lamont said. "Sounds almost X-rated."

"Sex always makes for a good hook in a story," Ronnie said. "Don't forget Guinevere and Lancelot."

"Sex, betrayal, revenge and heroic deeds," Nick said, "not to mention Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake. It's a soap opera."

"Everything revolves around the Grail," Selena said. "Without the Grail, there's nothing to hold the story together. I think that's what you're supposed to pay attention to."

"The Grail? I thought that's what I was doing. Why we're here."

"I don't mean the physical cup. It's what it symbolizes that's important."

"Redemption?"

"And healing. Just like in the myth."

Halfway through the drive, Nick handed the wheel over to Ronnie. He moved to the back and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the tires on the road and the drone of the engine. He fell asleep and hoped he wouldn't dream.

CHAPTER 36

It was dark when they reached Midyat. The monastery was about a half hour away. Selena used the GPS to guide them to a hotel, where Nick reserved rooms for two nights. Maybe they'd go back to Incirlik tomorrow, maybe not.

Nick's dreams were filled with dark shadows and flashes of light. The next morning they had breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

Selena looked at the menu. It was in Turkish.

"Shall I order for all of us?"

"Go for it. Just so long as it tastes good and it's hot," Lamont said.

"Coffee," Nick said.

Selena surprised the waiter when she ordered in Turkish. Soon after, a steaming pot of black coffee appeared. Not long after that the waiter brought a large tray with several platters and a basket heaped with bread.

Ronnie looked down at a round metal dish in front of him. Steam drifted from the surface.

"What's this?"

"
Menemem,
" Selena said. "It's a combination of eggs, tomatoes, spices and peppers. Probably has some onions, garlic and oregano. It's a common dish here for breakfast. Try it."

Ronnie tasted it. "Not bad. Like an omelette. Or a pizza without the crust."

"How can you have pizza without crust?" Lamont said.

"I didn't say it was a pizza, I said it was like a pizza, only without the crust."

"There's no pepperoni either."

"Pizzas don't always have pepperoni."

"Mine do. Better that way."

After that conversation the table was quiet except for the sounds of eating. By the time they left the hotel it had started to rain, a cold drizzle falling from a featureless, gray sky.

They got into the Toyota. Nick started the car and turned on the heater.

"What's the plan?" Ronnie asked.

"First we get gas. I saw a station last night, when we came in. Then we head to the monastery."

"And?"

Nick pulled out of the parking lot.

"I don't have a specific plan. We have to take it one step at a time. They give tours. We'll do a little recon first. I'm hoping something will give us an opening to ask about the Grail."

"You expect them to tell you they've got it?"

"Not at first. We're going to have to convince them that the secret is out and the bad guys are coming after it."

"How will they know we're not the bad guys?" Lamont asked.

"Selena will handle it," Nick said.

"I will?"

"You speak the language. You know the history. You're our best bet."

"What am I supposed to tell them?"

"You'll think of something."

"Even if the Grail was here, it could have been stolen or lost or moved."

"You can ask them about it. After you convince them we're on the side of the angels."