“Home? But where’s home?”
Tommy’s head turned back and forth slowly. “I have no idea. But look at this boat, if that’s what it is. Why would a boat be sitting in the mountains unless… ”
“Unless what?” Sean stared at him awaiting the answer.
“It can’t be. That’s impossible.”
“What’s impossible? Stop doing that.”
Tommy looked over at his friend with wide eyes, like he’d seen a ghost.
“What?” Sean prodded.
“The Ark of Noah.”
THANK YOU
First of all, I want to thank you for reading this story. I had a great time creating it, and I hope you enjoyed every minute.
There are millions of books you could have chosen to spend your time and money on, and you chose mine. So I appreciate that.
Thank you so much.
I’d appreciate it if you’d swing by your favorite online retailer and leave an honest review. Those reviews help other readers decide whether or not they should read a book or not. And they help authors, too. It only takes a few minutes for you to help.
Also, be sure to check out the author’s notes on the next page if you want to know a little more about this story.
AUTHOR’S NOTES
I had a blast writing this story, and I hope you had just as much fun reading it.
If you’re new to my Sean Wyatt series, you might be wondering why the story ended so abruptly with a cliffhanger.
That’s because this story is a prequel to The Secret of the Stones, the first novel I published.
If you’re interested in reading that story, you can get it for free by joining my VIP Reader list. Just visit ernestdempsey.net/vip-swag-page/, enter your email, and you’ll get The Secret of the Stones and three other books totally FREE and on any ereader device.
As I mentioned in one of my other stories, I do not look to put Arabs or Muslims in a light that makes them all look like terrorists. Not all people from those groups are terrorists or hate America, or Israel. It only takes a short look at history to find that most terrorist attacks that have happened in America were done by Americans.
There are some radical Arabs and Islamists, however, who are terrorists. At the time of writing this book, those groups are more prevalent than others. Someday it might be a different ethnic and religious group. As an Irish-American, I’m well aware of the terror the Irish Republican Army spread through the United Kingdom for so long. So terror can come from anyone and anywhere. I would never want any group to think I’m singling them out and certainly don’t want anyone to believe I think all people from a certain group are evil. They aren’t. I’m proud to have several Arab/Muslim friends. They’re good people and should be respected.
Okay, enough about that. Just wanted to clear the air.
The timeline for this story takes place a few years after the horrific events of September 11, 2001.
Going back in time to make sure the technology was correctly used in context was tricky, but I tried to put in my due diligence.
Cell phones were much different back then, and that alone was a challenge to remember while writing the tale.
As far as the locations are concerned, Tanzania is one of the most stable countries on the African continent. It is home to the vast Serengeti National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro, the largest mountain in all of Africa.
While the character of Baku Toli was fictional, there have been warlords who have committed the same atrocities I outlined in this story. The most notable was a man who operated in Uganda. His name is Joseph Kony, leader of what became known as the Lord’s Resistance Army. Between 1986 and 2009, over sixty-six thousand children were abducted for use as child soldiers or as sex slaves.
So you can see why I had to kill a character like that in this book.
Kony is purported to be in the Central African Republic but could be in one of the other nearby countries. He is on a number of international watch lists but to date has evaded capture.
The nerve gas and the missile type I describe in this story are entirely fictional, though I did a good deal of research regarding various types of missiles and nerve gasses.
The temple archaeological site in Tanzania was a figment of my imagination… sort of.
There is an identical site to it far to the north in Turkey. It is believed to be over ten thousand years old. I essentially modeled the temple in this story from that one.
Perhaps you could find a little mystery about that site.
While my wife disagrees with me on this point — since she loves BMWs — the Ducati 999 sport bike could reach a maximum speed of 170 mph, which gives it a faster top speed than most of the BMW lines of automobiles except for perhaps some from the M Series.
The conflict that seems to be going on perpetually in and around Israel is indeed tragic.
I have spoken to people on both sides — Palestinians and Israelis alike. It’s sad for both sides. And the irony is that their origins are traced back to the same founding father, Abraham from the Bible.
While I do not engage in political expression in my books, I do believe it’s important that I mention that Omar Khalif’s statements — while misguided in many regards — are the thoughts behind many Palestinians or ancestors of those who were forcibly moved after the war.
It is my hope that someday these nations of brothers and sisters can come together in peace.
DEDICATION
For my Arden bean. You can’t imagine how much you light up my life.
OTHER BOOKS BY ERNEST DEMPSEY
THE SECRET OF THE STONES
THE CLERIC’S VAULT
THE LAST CHAMBER
THE GRECIAN MANIFESTO
THE NORSE DIRECTIVE
GAME OF SHADOWS
THE JERUSALEM CREED
THE SAMURAI CIPHER
WAR OF THIEVES TRILOGY