Shadows on the Aegean by Suzanne Frank Read Free Book Online Page B

“No way. This is unbelievable.”
    Jon chortled. “You’d think that even Renfrock would realize no one would buy this story.”
    “
An Egyptian leather pouch, containing two stones that Holmes believes are ‘telecommunication devices with God—’”
    Cammy resisted laughing—it hurt too much.
    “
‘The pouch is circa 960 B.C.,’ Renfrock said. ‘This may be the same pouch the priests used to carry the stones when they fled
     the invading Egyptians.’”
    “Did Egyptians invade Israel in 960 B.C.E.?” Cammy asked.
    “Keep reading.”
    She slogged her way through a poorly written paragraph in which Renfrock claimed that “
through electromagnetic impulse”
the Egyptians had used the stones to build the Pyramids. Cammy couldn’t help it; despite the pain she hooted with laughter.
    The article concluded with Renfrock’s challenge to establishment archaeologists to “
have faith”
and “
believe in the truth of legends.”
    “Wasn’t there a legend about some stones the Hebrews had?” she asked, flipping idly through the rest of the paper.
    “Yes. They were called the Urim and Thummim,” Clyde said. He had a general Near Eastern background, as opposed to the strictly
     Egyptian dynastic education the rest of the team shared.
    “Strange names,” Lisa said.
    “In Hebrew, ‘im’ is plural. They mean Justice and Mercy. Or Lights and Perfections, depending on the translation,” Clyde said.
     “According to legend, David’s high priest used them to learn what battles he would win.”
    “David?” Brian asked.
    “King David? The guy who slew Goliath? Did any of you go to Sunday school?” Clyde asked with a smile.
    “You’re saying he could talk to God?” Jon asked. “What a load of bullshit.”
    “How did the stones work?” Cammy asked.
    “Well,” Clyde said, his cadence slowing, “no one knows how exactly they were used, but the high priest carried them around
     in his ephod, that jeweled breastplate he wore, and they kept Israel out of a lot of trouble.”
    “What happened to them? I’m assuming, since I’ve not heard of them in any museum or collection, that they were lost,” Lisa
     said.
    “The Bible doesn’t mention them after the dividing of the monarchy, i.e. after the death of Solomon in 930 B.C.E.”
    “So Renfrock got his dates wrong,” Jon said, shaking his head in disgust.
    “When did they come into being?” Brian asked.
    “They’re mentioned biblically with Moses and Aaron, though that could be anachronistic. It’s rumored that Saul had a pair
and
David had a pair. Heck, there are legends that say Noah had ‘em on the Ark and one of his sons took ‘em,” Clyde said.
    “Noah? His sons?” Jon asked.
    “Even I know this,” Brian said. “Noah had three sons: Ham, Shem, and Japheth. All the peoples of the world—”
    “The world as seen by the Hebrews,” Lisa said. “I don’t think Asia or Australia were included.”
    “Nah, I doubt they were,” Brian said. “Shem became the father of the nations called Semites. Arabs and Jews, et cetera. Ham
     was father of Egypt, Canaan, Libya, and Ethiopia.”
    “Most of Africa, then,” Cammy said.
    “Japheth is credited with the northern peoples: his offspring populated the land from the Caspian Sea to the Greek Isles.”
    “Actually, Greece was fathered by Japheth’s son, Noah’s grandson Javan,” Clyde said. “In Hebrew the word for ‘Greece’ actually
     is ‘Javan.’”
    “So one of Noah’s sons stole the stones?”
    Clyde shrugged. “It’s just a legend. No verification anywhere.”
    “So Noah allegedly called God for a weather report using these stones?” Cammy asked with a chuckle.
    “One would hope
that
weatherman would be more accurate,” Jon said.
    “ ‘The forecast calls for rain,’” Brian said. “ ‘A lot of rain.’ ”
    Lisa chuckled. “ ‘Rain to last for weeks. Don’t plan on gardening, there won’t be any ground.’”
    Cammy wondered: Was it possible that Renfrock had