He paused, glancing up from his reading, as if to see if they were impressed.
“And this I found on an ancient Sumerian cylinder seaclass="underline"
“The knowledge of the Annunaki is hidden in an underground place, entered through a tunnel, its entrance called Hawara, hidden by sand and guarded by a beast called Huwana, his teeth as the teeth of a dragon, his face the face of a lion, is unable to move forward, nor is he able to move back."
He closed his notebook with the solemnity of a liturgist.
“What’s the Annunaki?” Engrossed by Krueger’s tale, Willis had left his post by the window and now stood behind Avery. “I never heard of them.”
“Mesopotamian deities,” Sofia said. “Their name means, ‘royal blood,’ or ‘princely offspring.’ In the Epic of Gilgamesh, they are the seven judges who punish the world before the storm.”
“Wait a minute.” Avery sat up straighter. The connections were rapidly coming together. “The Epic of Gilgamesh is a flood story. And your translation of the codes indicates that the Atlanteans, for some reason, decided to flood their subordinate cities.”
“Precisely!” Kruger said. “It all connects. And when I saw the inscription on Herodotus’ tomb, I was convinced he’d had a life-changing experience at, or perhaps somewhere far below, the Sphinx.”
“What was the inscription?” Willis asked.
“Herodotus, the son of Sphinx.”
They lapsed into silence, with only the low hum of an engine somewhere in the distance to disturb the quiet.
“So, you think there’s a door at Hawara that leads to the Hall of Records?”
“I know there is,” Krueger said. “In fact, I found the entrance to the hall.” His smile vanished in a blink, alarm spreading across his face. “Oh my God. They found us.”
Chapter 33
“We’ll have to turn back soon.” Matt took a gulp of fresh air from his supplementary supply. “Maybe the cavern’s not here.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Joel asked. “We’d prefer the Dominion not find it.”
“If our group discovers it, maybe there’s something we can do to stop them in their tracks. If the other group finds it…” He left the rest unspoken.
“I think I’ve found something!” Up ahead, Logan stood at the edge of a five meter wide fissure. A single, meter-wide crystal spanned the yawing chasm, ending at the entrance to a cavern.
The others moved to join him, all training their lights on the cave.
“But the crystals in there are white, like the others.” Bill gestured with his flashlight.
“Not the ones on top. See how that one cluster in the ceiling is transparent with a touch of blue?” Logan pointed. “They look like the crystals Robinson showed us.”
“I think you’re right. Truly, the Lord blessed you this day. You have found what He needs in order to continue his work.” Robinson looked at the gathered group. “Who wants the honor of being the first to enter the chamber?”
“I found it,” Logan said, and Matt could see zeal gleaming in his eyes. Or was it a touch of madness brought on by the heat? “I’m going in. It’s God’s will.”
“We need a safety rope. The surface of that crystal has got to be…” Matt’s words were cut off by a scream as Logan took two steps, lost his footing, and tumbled into the gorge.”
“…slick.”
They shone their lights down into the fissure. Logan lay impaled on a crystal spike, the blood pouring from his mouth redder than his hair. Perkins turned away at the sight, and Bill retched.
“A sacrifice for the Lord is the noblest sacrifice of all. We must soldier on.” Robinson dug into his pack and pulled out a rope. “I wish Brother Logan hadn’t been so hasty. Your idea,” he leveled his gaze at Matt, “was a good one.” He secured the rope to a stout crystal and handed the other end to Matt. “Lead on.”
Matt’s first instinct was to attack. Perhaps take Robinson by surprise and drop him into the cavern alongside Logan. But then he realized the man had already drawn his weapon.
“What’s that for?”
“Times like these are when men tend to lose faith. Our task is too important for fear to take hold. Now, show us the way.”
Grimacing, Matt secured the rope around his waist and moved out onto the crystal. The surface was slick as ice, and he had to choose each step with care. Once, his foot slipped and he teetered above the ten meter drop, arms flapping like a bird in flight, before recovering his balance. Finally, he made it to the cave and climbed inside.
The cave was about five meters deep, and the same across. The floor and walls bristled with tiny, white spikes. A few lay broken, presumably by the man who had originally discovered this place. Choosing his steps carefully, he moved to the center of the cavern where the transparent crystals hung from the ceiling. Somehow, perhaps through minerals leaching down through the bedrock, a distinctive type of crystal had formed here. It was a small cluster, enough to fill his backpack and no more.
“I’ve got this,” he called. “It shouldn’t take me long.” He heard a rustling noise, and turned to see Bill, his face pale despite the heat, entering the cave, with Perkins right behind him.
“What’s going on?” Matt asked.
“It’s Robinson,” Perkins whispered. “He’s got your brother.”
Matt peered through the cave opening to see Joel on his knees, hands behind his head. Robinson held his pistol at the base of Joel’s neck.
“Insurance!” Robinson shouted. “Bag up the crystals and toss them to me and I’ll let him go.”
“I won’t do it until you let him go.” Matt knew the threat was empty, and Robinson did too.
“Fine. If you prefer, I’ll shoot all of you and retrieve the crystals myself.”
Matt glowered at him, vowing to kill Robinson the first chance he got. Why had he come without a weapon of his own? Foolishness. Rage burning inside him, he set about chipping away at the crystals. In a matter of minutes, he had filled his backpack.
“Walk out onto the bridge,” Robinson said when Matt poked his head out of the cave. “Just a few paces.”
Matt did as instructed.
“Toss the bag over there.” He indicated a place off to the side. “If you attempt to distract me by tossing he bag directly at me, or if you do anything other than follow my instructions to the letter, your brother dies. And you’ll be next.”
Matt could see no way around the situation. Robinson was armed, and Matt had only a rock hammer and a crystal spike. Reluctantly, he tossed the bag of crystals onto the ledge near where Robinson stood.
“See how easy that was? Now, back into the cave with you.”
“Let him go.”
“When you’re in the cave.” As Matt backed into the cave, Robinson sidled away from Joel, keeping his pistol trained on the kneeling man. It was clear from the way his eyes kept flitting about that Joel was looking for an opening to attack, but saw nothing more than Matt did. Robinson was being careful, and he held his pistol like he knew how to use it.
True to his word, Robinson did not shoot Joel, but sent him across the crystal bridge and into the cave. He had just clambered inside when Robinson snatched something from his backpack, hurled it toward the cave, and ran. Matt saw the object over Joel’s shoulder as it flew toward them.
“Grenade!” Matt shouted.
It seemed to happen in slow motion. Joel leapt out of the cave, catching the grenade in midair. His eyes met Matt’s as he fell into open space. Matt hit the floor as the world turned to fire and ice.
Bill and Perkins barely had time to scream before razor-sharp shards of crystal shredded them like tissue. Pain like a thousand needles stung Matt’s back, but, shielded by the low wall beneath the cave’s opening, the worst of the blast passed over him.