"You're worried about dust?"
"Not exactly." I glanced at the west wall. "Do you know how you got sick?"
He shook his head.
"I was thinking this pyramid might be responsible."
"Oh?"
"You've probably heard of King Tut's curse, right? Well, it's just a myth. There was no curse inscribed inside the tomb. And most of the people who worked on it lived long lives. Still, the financial backer, Lord Carnarvon, died less than five months after Howard Carter opened the tomb."
He stood silently, waiting for me to continue.
"Old tombs are a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria. And mummies and leftover food attract funguses. Those things wouldn't be enough to kill a normal person. But they could cause a little sickness and maybe even kill off a person with a weak immune system. Some people think that explains Lord Carnarvon's death."
He opened his mouth to reply. But at that exact moment, the skies opened up, unleashing torrential rain.
I tilted my head upward. The rain continued to pour. It neither abated nor strengthened. It just fell.
My forehead scrunched up. There was something else about the rain, something I'd missed. I formed my hands into a cup and held them out in front of me. Water splashed into them.
Surprise came over me as I studied the rain. It wasn't normal rain. It was thicker, gooier. And its color …
It was red.
Blood red.
Chapter 49
The gooey red rain splashed against my face as I ran through the marsh. It oozed down my cheeks, slipped down my neck, and vanished into my shirt. I didn't understand it. Hell, I didn't want to understand it. I just wanted out of it.
Pacho started to lag behind. I slowed my pace and offered him my shoulder. Then we continued running.
We climbed out of the marsh and veered under the dome tent. I released Pacho and fell to a knee, breathing rapidly.
Others joined us. Nervous whispers and anxious questions rang out.
A strong wind swept across the canyon, turning the red rain sideways. It made for an incredible sight.
"I can't believe it," Beverly said softly.
"Ever seen anything like it before?" I asked.
She shook her head.
There was something about the rain that captivated me. It was an ancient, almost mystical rain. It fell with a certain grace that gave it substance and a life of its own.
I watched it for a long time, entranced by its force and beauty. Part of me was eager for it to end. I was sick of rain, sick of being wet. But the other part of me wanted it to go on forever.
"Have you ever heard of Kerala?" Beverly asked.
"Sure," I replied. "It's in India."
"Red rain fell there in the early 2000s."
"It did?"
"There were a whole bunch of theories at the time. For example, an exploding meteor. Supposedly, the material mixed with the clouds and fell to the ground as rain over a period of months. Other scientists suggested heavy winds had kicked up dust from Arabian deserts. As I recall, the official report blamed it on lichen spores in the atmosphere."
"That makes sense."
"A couple of scientists analyzed the rain. It consisted mostly of carbon and oxygen with trace amounts of other things. It also contained biological matter that gave the rain a certain thickness. Some people considered that evidence of the panspermia hypothesis. That's the theory that—"
"That life exists in outer space." I glanced at her. "What are you getting at?"
"Nothing yet. But I think I'll gather a few samples. Who knows? I might find something interesting."
"Go for it." I paused. "By the way, did you get a chance to analyze the pyramid samples yet?"
She shook her head. "I spent most of the afternoon helping Dutch search the summit shrine tunnel. Hopefully, I'll get to them later tonight."
Our conversation died off. So did the other conversations. Silence overtook the dome tent as we stared at the red rain.
Deep down, I knew the red rain wasn't random. It hadn't come from a meteor, desert sand, or a bunch of spores. The red rain had come from somewhere else, somewhere very close.
My gaze drifted to the pyramid. I didn't understand it.
And yet, I knew it was true.
Chapter 50
Miranda held out her hand as she stole into the jungle. Drops of rain splashed against her fingers. They were clear. But it didn't make her feel any better. Unlike Tum, she didn't care much for nature.
That wasn't to say she didn't care about the environment. She drove a hybrid vehicle. State-of-the-art solar panels were installed on the roof of her mansion. And she kept a constant eye on her carbon footprint. She just preferred people to animals, fundraisers to camping trips, and dinner parties to grueling hikes.
She crossed behind a large tree. Then she leaned out and studied the camp. It was late. Almost everyone else had fallen asleep hours earlier.
Her heart thumped wildly as she glanced at the fire pit. Reed and Graham stood guard just beyond it. They kept a close eye on the southeastern jungle, searching for the mysterious cat that had killed Yohl Ik’nal.
Miranda pulled the satphone out of her pocket. So far, no one had noticed its absence. Even Pacho, who had returned to his tent, hadn't mentioned it.
A grimace crossed her face as she thought about Pacho. She'd talked to him shortly after he'd left the clinic. He claimed not to recall anything from the last couple of days. But it didn't matter. He still possessed knowledge that could destroy everything she'd built so carefully over the years.
She opened the satphone and quickly disabled the parental control measures. Then she dialed into her voicemail.
She cringed as Votan's disembodied voice screeched in her ear. Quickly, she turned down the volume.
"Your terms are satisfactory," Votan said. "Call me with the time and place. Just one question though. You've made no monetary demands. What exactly do you want in exchange for your cooperation?"
The line clicked.
Miranda stared at the satphone for a moment. She felt the familiar wrenching guilt. She could scarcely believe what she was about to do. And yet, she had no choice. Far too much depended on her actions.
She dialed Votan's number and waited for the familiar clicking noise. Then she cleared her throat. "We've tracked the Library of the Mayas to the Eastern Mountains. I'll call with the exact location when we've found a way to access it. Make sure you're in the immediate vicinity. And to answer your question, I don't need money. I just need you to help me seize the library." She paused. "And then I need you to help me destroy it."
Chapter 51
Sweat dripped into my eyes, but I didn't blink. Raindrops, no longer red, soaked my clothing. I ignored them. Wind howled at my ears and caused my clothes to flap. But I didn't move a bit.
The shadow emerged from the southeastern jungle. Cautiously, it crept toward our camp.
It measured about seven feet from its nose to its swishing tail. Its shoulders stood about three feet off the ground. Its head added another foot or so to its height. I couldn't see its coat or its facial features. So, I wasn't sure if it was a jaguar or a cougar. But it was definitely a cat.
I aimed my pistol at the creature. My finger touched the trigger.
Abruptly, loud barking rang out.
The cat, momentarily startled, froze in place.
I adjusted my aim and squeezed the trigger. The pistol recoiled in my hands as a bullet streaked out of the barrel. It soared across the muddy earth.
The cat roared as the bullet streaked through its right shoulder. It twisted toward me and I got a good look at its startling eyes. I knew the sapphire color meant it had an extra layer of tissue behind its retinas. This tissue, known as the tapetum lucidum, provided it with enhanced night vision.