Unearthly Power (17 page)

They heard the muted footsteps fall from the hallway behind them as Silas Chandler walked into the room and closed the door. He walked in front of their chairs and turned around to face them. Dee paid close attention to every detail of the man standing before them. His image would be burned into her memory. He finally looked into the eyes of each of the women before he began to speak.

“The reason I engaged your father for this expedition,” he said, looking at Tori, “was because of his knowledge of ancient history, specifically Roman and Jewish history. I enlisted his services once before, on a minor matter, and found his attention to detail and expertise more than satisfactory.” He stopped as if to allow for a response, but continued on when there was none.

Instead of standing in front of them, he began pacing across the width of the room as he talked, looking at neither woman as he spoke. “The wreck Miss Rylan’s brother reported some months back peaked
my interest for several reasons, all of which were connected to an ancient artifact that is both highly sought after, and almost as highly discounted as ever having been in existence. Considering the events surrounding the discovery, I have reason to believe that it is not only genuine, but by all accounts it is in fact a treasure beyond value.”

“What event
s are you talking about?” Dee asked, confused by his speech.

He stopped in mid-stride and looked at them once more. His face was unreadable but it was clear that he was in the middle of processing the statement.

“But of course. You were not involved with the final dive, and you were not aware of what it is you were there to find,” he said in understanding.

“What were we there to find? Father just told me we were going diving for treasure. I don’t remember seeing anything other than some
old storage containers and other commonplace items, certainly nothing that looked like it was worth the kind of importance you seem to be implying. And what
final dive
are you talking about?” Tori asked.

Instead of answering her questions, he continued on as if he had rehearsed his speech and was going to deliver it intact. “When General Titus sacked Jerusalem in 70 C.E. he destro
yed the second Jewish Temple. Before doing so, he removed all the treasures from Jerusalem and the Temple itself. With his approval, they sent every valuable item they found back to Rome. One of those items was the Ark of the Covenant. Those treasures were more or less forgotten as they were stored away in secured vaults.”

His pacing began again as he picked up his next line of thought. “The ark sat undisturbed, and unknown, for over fourteen-hundred year
s. During this time, different Orders and societies developed within the membership of the Church. While they were known openly by name, some of the activities within its membership became a concern and eventually a threat to the hierarchy within the Church itself. They set about to disband some of the Orders, while the others they placed under the authority of people whom they could trust. While they did their best to control any wayward activities, the secret societies remained.

“A highly placed member of one such society properly identified the ark in storage while cataloging other relics. He kept this discovery to himself, failing to list it with the rest of his data, and alerted other members he could trust with his discovery. It was decided that they would liberate the ark and move it to where their Order was concentrated in Lisbon, Portugal. Somehow they managed this. In the process of doing so, they too had those who could not be trusted in their ranks. One such influential individual used his authority to relocate the ark yet again. This time it was coming to the New World. Why he did this, no one knows. And those who know this story have been unsuccessful in coming to any general consensus for a reasonable answer. It may have been spite,
or it may have been hatred of the Church, of the Jews, of his superiors; we just do not know.” He stopped speaking but continued his pacing as if readjusting his line of thought.

“A ship was hired to transport this cargo, and a message was sent to delay the voyage of the flotilla led by Columbus. This fourth ship eventually joined them as they sailed west toward what we now know as the Bahamas. Mysteriously, this ship exploded two days short of their first landfall. They were not under attack, and there were no reported survivors found by the other ships after the explosion. In fact, their logs specifically mentioned that no debris from th
e ship was found, and that it sank within minutes. They continued on and the rest of their journey is well-known history.”

He stopped pacing and stood looking out a window.

“So you think the wreck my brother located was this mysterious ship carrying the Ark of the Covenant?”

He turned to look at her and smiled. It was a look of satisfaction, nothing more. 

“It sounds like a nice story, but I went down to that wreck. I didn’t see any fancy ark, and I think this sounds like an attempt to chase ghosts more than anything,” Tori said.

“I can see why your father didn’t mention to you what it was he was searching for,” Silas Chandler replied.

“If he would have, I wouldn’t have been on that pleasure ride. I can tell you that much,” she replied hotly. She was upset with her father now because he had included her in some silly scheme. It wasn’t like him, and she was disappointed in him. She was also upset by the silly old man standing before her with this ridiculous story.

As he read the differing expressions on his guest’s faces, he walked over to the canvas covered object in the corner. He removed the cover and let it drop to the floor. He stepped to the side so
that they would have a clear view. The women’s eyes were locked involuntarily as they saw an intricately designed gold covered chest. On its top was what appeared to be two men with wings bent over covering the length of the chest. Two golden poles, of equal length, ran along its sides. Not able to help themselves, they got out of their seats and walked over to the fascinating display. They ran their hands over it as if ensuring that it was real.

“You said this was from the wreck we searched? I never saw anything like this down there,” Tori challenged as she turned to face him.

“Of course not. Finley found it, as I had made him fully aware of its description, and he and Marcel returned for it after your last dive.”

“I heard once that the ark was held in a museum in Ethiopia,” Tori said returning her gaze to the exquisite piece.

“I’ve heard the same thing. What makes you think this is the genuine article?” Dee asked.

“I was informed about the weather and water conditions in the immediate area of the wreck from the time you got there. Do you recall them?”

“Yes,” they both said remembering the strong currents and the dark gry skies in the middle of the serene scape outside of where they were working.

“Please
have a seat,” he suggested before he went any further.

They did so at his request, in anticipation of hearing the full story. What they did not see, or hear, was the return of their guard who was now standing inside the doorway.

“It seems that the cover of the ark was not completely closed. Once Marcel and Finley had it secured back in place, they reported that those conditions immediately improved. When they returned to the boat the cloud cover was breaking up.”

“I still don’t understand. When did they report this to you?” Deidre asked.

“As soon as they were finished raising the ark.”

“Wait a minute. You said Marcel and Finley went down again after our second dive? When was that? I don’t remember any other dives and I’m sure Sean wouldn’t have approved one without his supervision,” Tori said in confusion.

“Of course you would not remember. Marcel and his men are working for me, as was your father. They were making daily reports to me from a satellite phone. Your father too was making reports, but from a device in which he could only send texts. In this way, I had two separate sources to provide me with information but each source was unaware of the other. Your father knew what it was I was in search of. He could provide positive identification and any other necessary technical assistance. Finley, as you may recall, went off on his own while you were at the wreck. He discovered the ark, informed Marcel once he was back on board, and they made arrangements to serve you dinner,” he concluded with a smile. In this instance it was one of personal indulgence.

“We were drugged?
” Dee said as soon as the idea came to her.

He gave an imperceptible nod in reply.

“Why?” Tori asked.

He didn’t answer. He stood there looking at the two women expecting them to furnish their own answer.

Dee looked at Tori and then back at their host. “We weren’t supposed to come out with the treasure!” she said in a tone of accusation.

“You were going to kill us?” Tori asked in shock.

“No. Not you. You and your father were to be returned and left at a hotel where you would have awakened to find pay for your services, and tickets to take you home.”

“What about the rest of us?” Dee asked.

He did not respond.

“Where is my father? Where are
Sean and Alex now? Did you kill them?” Tori asked anxiously as it was the first time the thought had entered her mind. Dee, however, had been silent as the idea had come to her sooner.

By now there were two men standing by the sides of the chairs the girls were sitting in. Dee saw this, while Tori was staring with worry at their host.

“I’m sorry to say, Miss James, that your father is indeed dead. He betrayed me when he had the opportunity to return with you.” He said this without the least trace of emotion.

Tori broke down in tears. Her head was in her hands as she wept without restraint.

“What about my brother? And Alex?” Dee asked in unmasked anger.

“That, Miss Rylan, is the only reason the two of you are still with us. It appears, through some miraculous act, that they are still alive. At least they were a few days ago. Your brother has something I must have. It was discovered on the wreck as well. I am waiting to hear from him, or about him, as we speak. You will return to your room now and we can continue this discussion at a later time.”

The last remark he made,
about him
, made Dee uneasy. Hearing the entire account was disturbing enough. To see the ruthless unconcern from the man who had delivered it was even more unnerving. Dee had never witnessed such cold-blooded calculation before. She had thought about Sean since their virtual imprisonment, hoping he would somehow be able to help them. He had always come to her rescue in the past; at least that was how she viewed it, even in matters as trivial as running interference with their mother. Now she would have to think of anything she could possibly do to help him. But without even knowing where he was, or where they now were, she was at a loss. She held Tori close to her, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, as they were escorted back to their room.

The boys woke up late the next morning. A full meal, plenty of fluids, and the peace of mind consequent on being rescued from their lifeboat allowed their exhaustion to take over and command the necessary rest they required. The Carters did their best not to disturb them, which included remaining anchored where they were until they decided where they would eventually drop off their passengers.

The smell of freshly cooked bacon was persuasive enough to finally bring them out of their slumber. Rosie was finishing off the last of the scrambled eggs in the bacon drippings when they walked into the miniature kitchen.

“Glad to see you two are still alive. I was about to send Sam back to check on you.”

“I guess we are a bit worn out from our ordeal,” Alex said as if in apology.

Ignoring his reply she smiled and said, “I hope you two are hungry. I made enough for a small army.”

“Hey, there you two are. Glad to see you among the living,” Sam said as he walked in from the opposite end of the room.

“I probably would have slept all day if it wasn’t for the bacon,” Sean said with a grin.

“Well, have a seat,” she instructed the boys. “Can you pour the coffee, honey?” she asked her husband.

After they took their seats in the tight fitting quarters, they waited while Rosie served them plates full of eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes. Sam poured their coffee and set a bottle of orange juice on the small table. They waited until everyone was seated before eating. Sean looked at a clock hanging on the wall and saw that it was 10:45. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so late, especially on the water.

Breakfast was a little awkward at first, being in the company of virtual strangers, but Mrs. Carter seemed to be happy that the boys enjoyed her cooking. They were practically done before her and her husband finished buttering their toast. Alex looked up in realization of this as he attempted to excuse their manners.

“I’m sorry. I guess our appetites are a little unbalanced from the last few days.”

“No need for an apology,” Sam said. “I can imagine what I would be like in your situation.”

“I can always make more if you are still hungry,” Mrs. Carter offered.

“No ma’am. It was great. I’m starting to feel normal again,” Sean said.