Changeling by David Wood, Sean Ellis Read Free Book Online Page A

ghosts. Somehow, he knows .
    She glanced over at Professor, wondering how much to reveal. “Pretty much. I haven’t had time to conduct a survey. There’s no evidence that the Paracas used the sinkhole or even knew about it.” She thought about the smooth walls of the chamber and the precision of the tunnel leading out into the bay, and knew that was not strictly true. “But even if they did, I would imagine that two thousand years of immersion in salt water would have destroyed anything they might have left.” She paused a beat. “What’s your interest? This doesn’t seem like your usual thing.”
    “Everything is connected, Dr. Ihara. The Changelings have been among us longer than all of recorded history. However, I will confess to a particular interest in the Paracas and Nazca cultures.”
    “Ah. Let me guess. The skulls aren’t aliens, they’re Changelings.”
    Roche gave a patient smile. “I took the name ‘Changeling’ from faerie mythology. Are you familiar with it? According to the legend, the faeries would sometimes steal human infants from their cradle and leave a fae shape-shifter child behind in its place, like a sort of supernatural sleeper agent. How would you know if your child had been taken?”
    He reached out and let his hand caress the oblong skull resting on the desk. “I believe the Paracas—and many other civilizations that practice extreme body modification techniques—did so as a way of ensuring the humanity of their children. The Changelings might be able to alter their appearance, but bone structure would be more of a challenge.”
    He raised his eyes to Jade. “That’s my hypothesis in any case, but I’m no expert on American cultures. That’s why I hired you.”
    “ You hired me?”
    “My foundation is sponsoring your work here.”
    Jade shot Professor an accusing glance. “Is that true?” It had been his job to vet any potential employers to ensure that a job offer was not some kind of trap to lure her into the open. “How did you miss that?”
    “My involvement in the foundation is a closely guarded secret,” Roche went on before Professor could respond. “For my own safety. If they knew…” He shook his head and left the ominous statement hanging. “I wanted you here, Dr. Ihara, because despite the unpleasantness of our previous encounter, I knew that you were the one person I could trust.”
    “You’re not making any sense, though I suppose that’s par for the course with you. Oh, by the way, I quit.”
    “Dr. Ihara, please hear me out.” The fear she had noticed earlier in his eyes was back. “The noose is tightening. I may not…” He took a deep breath. “I may not survive this. I have to tell someone.”
    Professor laid a hand on her arm. “Jade, let’s hear what he has to say. What could it hurt?”
    A dozen rejoinders popped into her head but she knew Professor was right. The curiosity that had brought her to this meeting remained unsatisfied. “Fine.” She stabbed an emphatic finger at Roche. “But I don’t trust you .”
    Roche gave her a relieved smile as if distrust was her most compelling personality trait. He sat up straighter. “Have you ever heard of Phantom Time?”
    Jade almost groaned aloud. “Phantom time?”
    “Actually,” Professor said, almost before Jade had finished. “I have.”
    She threw him a sidelong glance. “Why am I not surprised?”
    Long before finishing his first PhD, Professor had earned his nickname with his almost encyclopedic knowledge of trivia.
    But still…phantom time ?
    “Is it as bad as it sounds?” she asked. “Because it sounds like the name of a really bad science fiction movie.”
    “Even worse,” he replied. “The Phantom Time hypothesis is a conspiracy theory first advanced by Herbert Illig and Hans-Ulirch Niemitz, which—in very broad terms—posits that during the early Middle Ages, the Church added an extra three hundred years to the calendar.”
    Jade’s forehead creased in a