Veil of the Goddess by Rob Preece Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rob Preece
was operating the Predator kept that drone circling over the farmhouse until the militia arrived, then set it off in widening search patterns. It hovered over the gully where she and Herrera had hidden, then continued on.
"Maybe it can sense the Cross,” Herrera suggested.
Ivy nodded, then flung herself down in a rare patch of grass. “Maybe. Or maybe it's something a lot more mundane."
"Like..."
"Like the briefcase.” She took the case from Herrera, jerked it open, yanked out the cash and papers, then stared at the Cross that Smith had used to douse for the True Cross. “Can you think of any reason we should take this with us?"
Zack took the dousing cross from her. “Find more holy artifacts?"
"You're joking."
"Only partially. This land is full of Biblical history. Mosul includes the ancient city of Nineveh where Jonah lived and where the ten lost tribes were taken after the destruction of Israel. Further south is Babylon where the Bible was actually compiled."
He waved a hand toward the snow-covered peaks ahead of them. “In the mountains not far from here is the peak where Noah's ark came to rest. Peter preached all around here before coming to Rome. We're only a couple of hundred miles from where Saul was transformed into Paul. Fifty miles past that and you're in Nazareth where our Lord was born. Just imagine what we could find. Wit a relic-finding tool that actually works, we could unveil some of the most important mysteries in the history of the world."
And it could get them killed. “I've got all the relic I need."
Zack set aside the douser. “I guess you're right. And you're also right that it would also be a good place to hide a tracking device. So, this Cross stays, along with the case itself."
"Just a second.” Ivy pulled out her commando knife and slit at the leather inners of Smith's briefcase.
A handful of gold coins and a plastic bag with a few sheets of paper inside rewarded her effort. “I thought Smith was sneaky enough that he'd have something hidden. Too bad we didn't have time to search his body more completely."
"I don't think I could have made myself slice him up with to find a few more gold coins.” Herrera looked around, scooped the papers and money into the ample pockets in his uniform pants, and stood. “We'd better get a move on."
Five minutes later, another missile flash told them that they'd made the right call. That peaceful glade where they'd dismantled Smith's briefcase erupted into an inferno. Of course, making the right decision only meant that they were temporarily still alive. Alive but stuck in an inhospitable mountain range, surrounded by people whose dreams for independence completely relied on the CIA, and hunted by a mysterious Foundation that seemed able to use magical means to hunt for the Cross.
It wasn't a happy situation.
* * * *
Zack's foot skidded from beneath him as he hit a patch of loose rock that growing shadows of twilight had hidden from his tired eyes. They'd been on the run for hours now, but they hadn't thrown off their hunters. With nightfall, they would be at an even greater disadvantage compared to the militiamen who had hidden in these mountains for decades in their eternal rebellion against the central authorities in Baghdad, Istanbul, Damascus, Constantinople, Rome, or Persepolis.
Running wouldn't help. They were just as likely to be running toward their enemies as away from them. If he and Ivy were to survive the night, they would need help.
The sun descended abruptly behind tall mountains to the west. They'd been going uphill for hours, climbing toward the mountains that formed the border between Turkey and Iraq. High as they were, it was still hot, but Zack guessed that it would cool off quickly now that the sun had set. Unlike the Iraqi lowlands, the thin air of the mountains would hold little warmth.
A soft curse told him that Ivy too had stumbled in the increasing darkness.
"Getting too dark to see,” she admitted. “I'm not
"Maybe it can sense the Cross,” Herrera suggested.
Ivy nodded, then flung herself down in a rare patch of grass. “Maybe. Or maybe it's something a lot more mundane."
"Like..."
"Like the briefcase.” She took the case from Herrera, jerked it open, yanked out the cash and papers, then stared at the Cross that Smith had used to douse for the True Cross. “Can you think of any reason we should take this with us?"
Zack took the dousing cross from her. “Find more holy artifacts?"
"You're joking."
"Only partially. This land is full of Biblical history. Mosul includes the ancient city of Nineveh where Jonah lived and where the ten lost tribes were taken after the destruction of Israel. Further south is Babylon where the Bible was actually compiled."
He waved a hand toward the snow-covered peaks ahead of them. “In the mountains not far from here is the peak where Noah's ark came to rest. Peter preached all around here before coming to Rome. We're only a couple of hundred miles from where Saul was transformed into Paul. Fifty miles past that and you're in Nazareth where our Lord was born. Just imagine what we could find. Wit a relic-finding tool that actually works, we could unveil some of the most important mysteries in the history of the world."
And it could get them killed. “I've got all the relic I need."
Zack set aside the douser. “I guess you're right. And you're also right that it would also be a good place to hide a tracking device. So, this Cross stays, along with the case itself."
"Just a second.” Ivy pulled out her commando knife and slit at the leather inners of Smith's briefcase.
A handful of gold coins and a plastic bag with a few sheets of paper inside rewarded her effort. “I thought Smith was sneaky enough that he'd have something hidden. Too bad we didn't have time to search his body more completely."
"I don't think I could have made myself slice him up with to find a few more gold coins.” Herrera looked around, scooped the papers and money into the ample pockets in his uniform pants, and stood. “We'd better get a move on."
Five minutes later, another missile flash told them that they'd made the right call. That peaceful glade where they'd dismantled Smith's briefcase erupted into an inferno. Of course, making the right decision only meant that they were temporarily still alive. Alive but stuck in an inhospitable mountain range, surrounded by people whose dreams for independence completely relied on the CIA, and hunted by a mysterious Foundation that seemed able to use magical means to hunt for the Cross.
It wasn't a happy situation.
* * * *
Zack's foot skidded from beneath him as he hit a patch of loose rock that growing shadows of twilight had hidden from his tired eyes. They'd been on the run for hours now, but they hadn't thrown off their hunters. With nightfall, they would be at an even greater disadvantage compared to the militiamen who had hidden in these mountains for decades in their eternal rebellion against the central authorities in Baghdad, Istanbul, Damascus, Constantinople, Rome, or Persepolis.
Running wouldn't help. They were just as likely to be running toward their enemies as away from them. If he and Ivy were to survive the night, they would need help.
The sun descended abruptly behind tall mountains to the west. They'd been going uphill for hours, climbing toward the mountains that formed the border between Turkey and Iraq. High as they were, it was still hot, but Zack guessed that it would cool off quickly now that the sun had set. Unlike the Iraqi lowlands, the thin air of the mountains would hold little warmth.
A soft curse told him that Ivy too had stumbled in the increasing darkness.
"Getting too dark to see,” she admitted. “I'm not