“You never know,” Bones said. “I’m already a man in demand.”
“I think it’s light enough to safely make our way down now,” Dane said, taking Jade’s hand. “Are we ready?”
“We need to take it slow,” Amanda said. “By the time we get to the bottom we should probably have a good explanation for the shootings at the hotel. Some of our names are bound to be on the hotel registry, after all.”
“No they aren’t,” Jade said. “Saul always registered us in his father’s name and paid with one of his father’s credit cards. I never thought anything about it. Now, all signs point back to the Elder.”
“The snake bites its own tail,” Bones said. “Maddock, you ever notice how things just seem to go our way?”
“You know,” Dane said as they stepped around a large outcropping and into the light of a new day, “I’m starting to think you just might be right.”
Epilogue
Justin sat at edge of the pond, rocking back and forth, letting his bare feet soak in the cool water. The sun sparkled on its surface, lending a sense of joy to the early morning. He held up his hand, letting the dancing reflections of sunlight play across his palm. It was a favorite game of his, and could occupy him for hours at a time. But not today. Today he was worried about his new friend.
Justin had waited by the pond until almost dark, hoping his friend would come back, but he did not. What if the choo choo’s had gotten him? He hoped not. His friend was nice. He liked Justin’s pictures, and he didn’t seem scared by Justin’s funny eye. He talked to Justin like a regular person.
There still was no sign of him. No footprints around the pond. Nothing. The pond was bigger this morning, which was strange. The water went all the way past his favorite sitting rock and around the pine tree where he liked to get his shade. Probably his friend had found a different way out. He wouldn’t have wanted to walk across the desert again. Yes, that was it.
Feeling much better, he decided it would be okay to leave now. As he stood, something in the water caught his eye. Down at the bottom of the pond, the sun glinted off of something shiny and gold. He had found shiny treasures in the pond before! His friend had liked those too. He waded into the water as far as he could, took a deep breath, and dove. He was a good swimmer — he could swim better than he could walk, anyway.
He reached the bottom and his hand closed around the shiny thing. It was much bigger than he had thought. It wasn’t too heavy though. He swam back to shore, excited at his new find.
Back on dry ground, he held his treasure up so he could see it better. It was long, dark, and shiny, with golden letters that glowed in the sun. There were shiny things on either end, too. He liked it!
“Stick!” he said. There was a note of pride in his voice. This was the nicest stick he had ever found. He wouldn’t show grandma. She always let him keep his sticks for a while, but in the winter she burned them in the wood stove. This stick would be his secret.
Happier than he had felt in a long time, and no longer worried about his new friend, he decided this would be a perfect morning for a long walk- just him and his new treasure.
Under the tenth step entering to the east
Under the black stone at the Western entrance
Above the pillar of the northern opening of the cave that has two entrances
Under the stairs in the pit
On the third terrace in the cave,
on the eastern side inside the waterfall
At the edge of the canal on its northern side
Six cubits toward the immersed pool
In the sepulchre, in the third course of stones
Under the tomb
In the chain platform
This is all of the votive offerings of the seventh treasure, the ten is impure
From the Author
People sometimes ask, “How much of your story is true to life?” Much of this story is real. This tale was initially inspired by two discoveries: Fremont Indian ruins that had been kept a secret for years by the land’s owners, and that of a previously-unknown Spanish outpost in Argentina. You may also visit any of the national parks and historic sites our characters visit.
Obviously, in a work of fiction such as this, I have taken liberties. The clues from the copper scroll are very close to actual translations, though I changed the wording in a few instances. A few of the sites, Rainbow Bridge and Angel’s Landing in particular, are not situated precisely as they seem in the story, but I think you’ll find the discrepancies are, for the most part, minor.
As to the biblical back-story, some of the powers attributed to Moses’ staff in this book actually come from Aaron’s rod in scripture, though many biblical scholars believe the two staffs are actually one and the same. As to the Moses and Akhenaten connection — probably not. The most reliable sources place them too far apart in history to have been the same person, but it is not beyond the realm of possibilities to think that Moses might have been familiar with Akhenaten’s monotheistic beliefs.
Finally, if you’ve never visited the Four Corners area of the United States, I urge you to do so. Places like Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, and Hovenweep are among the most magnificent places I have ever seen. (Just don’t break into ruins looking for hidden clues — It’s just a story, folks!)
As always, thank you for reading! Drop by my website at www.davidwoodweb.com and let me know how you liked the book. Until next time!
David Wood