The Jewels of Jezebel (The Reluctant Hero Series Book 2) Read online

  She stood up and walked toward Daniel. “Of course I’m scared. Actually, it’s a mixture of fear and fascination. The historian side of me wants to see more.”

  “I’ll bet the human side of you wants to run,” he said, turning away from the stairs. “I know I do. I’ll admit it. I’m freaking out! This is beyond crazy!”

  “There is no need to be afraid.” The familiar voice came from the second floor. Adana appeared and walked down the stairs. She was followed by several figures. Other figures also descended the stairs all around the room.

  All of the figures wore full-body, gray robes. Males and females reached the first floor and began to stand side by side with their backs up against the wall.

  They each were shaven of all facial and body hair. Their skin also had a grayish hue to it.

  After all of the figures completed a circle around the entire floor, Adana and one of the males approached Daniel and Magena.

  Adana looked at the man with her and then at the newcomers. “This is Daniel and Magena. They are friends.” She then stepped back.

  “Welcome,” the man said without changing his blank facial expression. “All friends of Adana are friends of ours.” His voice was soft and comforting.

  “Where are all of the symbols? And stuff like that?” Daniel blurted out. “Shouldn’t you have them carved into everything? You don’t even have any symbols on your robes.”

  Magena elbowed him in the ribs to quiet him down. “Please forgive my ally. He doesn’t know when to keep his mouth closed.”

  A smile crept across the man’s face. “On the contrary. We prefer that kind of raw honesty. This is the Hive of Baal. All who live here are followers of Baal. In spite of how people portray us, we do not seek to harm others. This is why we are all the way out here, away from everyone, so we cannot be accused of things that we are not responsible for. We have no desire to associate with anyone outside of the hive. As far as your question, this is the only chamber in which we allow outsiders to enter. Trusted outsiders. If we did have symbols and the like, we would not have them here.”

  “We appreciate you speaking with us,” Magena said, while trying to keep her voice calm. “Has Adana had a chance to explain our dilemma to you? I also apologize. We didn’t ask for your name.”

  The man turned toward her. “I gave up all that I was before I came here. No one here has anything from the outside world. No names or material possessions, other than those we have accumulated in the service of Baal. You do not need to apologize. To answer your other question, yes. Adana and I have talked at length about your situation. What you seek is not easily achieved.”

  Magena glanced at Daniel and then back at the man. “We know that Jezebel coerced her husband into implementing the worshiping of Baal in Israel when she was in power. We also have come to the conclusion that the jewels that she wore, on the day she was executed, must have somehow made their way off of her body before she was devoured.”

  The man looked back at Adana and then smiled at Magena. “Yes. Those jewels exist.”

  Daniel couldn’t believe what he heard. He looked at Magena, who appeared to be unaffected by the acknowledgment of the existence of Jezebel’s jewels. Thinking about it made his heart race. In his mind he tried to conceive the ramification of what he just heard. “You mean to tell me that Jezebel actually existed?”

  “You really didn’t think so?” Magena did everything in her power to contain her bewilderment. She must condition herself to be ready for anything. Even the confirmation that they were on the right track, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.

  The man still showed no emotion. “It might seem impossible to believe what I just said, but remember that you don’t have the same information available to you as we do. Since we’ve been out here so long, I’m sure that there would be things you could tell us about that would shock us into disbelief. We would have no reason to doubt you, because we don’t have the information that you have access to.” He looked Daniel in the eye. “Rest assured, Jezebel did exist and her jewels still do.”

  “Wow!” Daniel couldn’t contain his excitement anymore. “My parents would have a heart attack if they knew I was going to retrieve the Jewels of Jezebel!”

  “Make no mistake!” the man bellowed. “Yours is not an easy task! Do not take this lightly!” His voice echoed throughout the room.

  Magena stepped closer to him. “We haven’t taken any of this lightly. We may not comprehend a lot—most of what has happened to us—but that doesn’t mean we’re not prepared. Are you so ready to guide us to the jewels, without so much as asking anything in return?”

  Daniel shook his head with disappointment. He assumed she had just given the man an opportunity to ask for something that he might not normally have asked. He said, “Magena!”

  The man smiled, unassumingly. “I do ask for the jewels to be registered to us. We ask only that you bring them here first before you take them to their final resting place. Wherever that may be. We also ask that any writings of any kind that you find with the jewels be brought to us as well. Those we wish to keep here.”

  “Writings?” Magena questioned. She was beginning to think that they knew more than they were letting her and Daniel in on. “What kind of writings?”

  “Yeah!” Daniel added, following her lead. “Why would you even mention writings, unless you knew about them?”

  Magena wasn’t planning on confronting the only people who might be able to steer them on the right path, but Daniel took that decision out of her hands.

  Still the man’s expression did not change. “We do know things about Jezebel. Isn’t that why you came to us? The sharing of knowledge is a wonderful experience. It should also be a mutual one. We guide you and you, in turn, give back. It should be the way of the world.”

  Daniel stood quiet for a moment, trying to decide how he was going to respond. The man was right. They did go to him for help. “Okay. I’ll give you that. I would like to know why you don’t just go get the writings yourself. I mean, you seem really interested in them.”

  The man smiled. “Curiosity is sublime. To challenge your situation is common in only the most adventurous way. Patience is also sublime. That is a rare commodity among the outside world. We were patient and now we do not have to leave the sanctuary of the Hive to find what we need. You two will be our legs and we will guide those legs.”

  Daniel looked at Magena. There was a lot that they both wanted to talk about with the other, but they knew that they had to wait.

  “Alright,” Magena sighed. “Tell us what we need to know and…”

  “We’ll bring you the jewels and anything else we find,” Daniel interrupted.

  She glared at him, as he placed a reassuring hand gently on her shoulder. “Sorry, Mags. I was just really excited. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Can you forgive me?”

  She knew by the way he looked at her and the tone in his voice, that he was up to something. She decided to let him explain it to her at a later time. “That’s okay, Daniel. I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

  “I will stay at the Hive,” Adana added. “I would like to catch up on news with my friends.”

  Daniel smirked, as if he knew she was going to say that. “Sure thing. Mags and I work better on our own. We are the epitome of the word, team. So, I guess all we need now is the information on how to get to the jewels and any supplies, maps, or whatever you have to help us along.”

  The smile faded from the man’s face, as quickly as it appeared. “We believe that you have everything you need within your packs, as far as supplies. We have the utmost confidence in your preparedness.” He looked at Adana and nodded.

  She took out a small leather bag from her robe and opened it. From the bag, she pulled out an old folded piece of paper and handed it to Magena. “Do not open this until you step outside the Hive. It will tell you everything you need to know, as to where to go to find the jewels.”

  Magena glanced from Adana, the ma
n, then to Daniel. She forced a smile. “I assume since we didn’t talk about one, there will be no deadline to return with the jewels. You have to understand that this is the first time Daniel and I have ever done anything like this.”

  “Understood,” the man replied. “We have done our research as to how long it will take for you to complete the task and added some time to that. We have been very generous. We don’t expect you to do what you need to do in a day. That would be unreasonable on our part.”

  Magena was anxious to leave the Hive. There was evil in the air. She felt a constant uneasiness while she was in the presence of Baal worshipers. “We appreciate your hospitality and your assistance. Thank you. We’ll be back as soon as we’re able.”

  “We know.” The man smiled once more, as Adana led Daniel and Magena out the way they came in.

  Once outside, Adana smiled and bowed. She then turned and walked back into the Hive. The entrance disappeared, leaving Magena and Daniel alone.

  The sun was setting. “We need to find some place to sleep.” He smiled as they walked away from the side of the Hive.

  Chapter Six

  It was almost dawn.

  Magena opened her eyes and stretched. Happily, she felt a warm breeze. She sighed and realized that was about as much of a rest, as she would get, for a while. “Okay. Let’s see what this mysterious paper has on it.”

  “Hey, Mags?” Daniel spoke as if he was a child who had broken something and was confessing to his mother about it. “You know why I interrupted you back there. Right?”

  “Refresh my memory,” she said jokingly. She refrained from unfolding their directions.

  “I didn’t want you to lie. You were about to tell that guy that we would bring all of that stuff back to them. I know you have a problem with lying, so I told him we would.” He patted her shoulder. “I’ll take the heat if anything comes of this.”

  She raised a wondering brow at him and grinned. “How did you know that I had no intention of ever coming back here?”

  “Because I’m never coming back here,” he replied with a sigh of relief. “Now I may be the liar. Ha ha!”

  “Yes, you are,” she said, while jokingly shaking her index finger at him. “Thank you though. I really appreciate you doing that. I didn’t know at the time, if you were planning on coming back or not. Good thing we’re on the same page.”

  “True.” He nodded in agreement.

  Once they were a good distance away from the knoll, she stopped and unfolded the paper. Her eyes widened, with a look of disbelief. “You have to be kidding me!” She shook her head as she handed the paper to Daniel. “It’s a poem.”

  He shared her look of disbelief, but couldn’t help laughing. He cleared his throat and read the words out loud.

  “North to those who wish to seek the queen.

  Two rocks are large, while one is lean.

  Seek not the brightest way.

  The light you see will betray.

  Lying between death and life.

  The husband will not be near the wife.

  Shadows foretold will block the view.

  The oldest one will now look new.

  Take fewer steps and fewer still.

  Going closer yet might break the will.

  Peaceful triumph will not last.

  War breaks out, but not that fast.

  Baubles, novelties, and glistening trinkets.

  Silver, gold and shiny bracelets.

  Take only that which your thoughts surround,

  or to the ground you will be bound.

  You will never be the same,

  Once you are part of the game.”

  Shaking her head, Magena tried to contain her anger. “I really hope someone isn’t trying to play us. The paper is old and tattered. Probably turn of the century. The writing is with a calligraphy pen. I would date the pen around the early 1920s. It was written in cursive, but I believe that whoever wrote it tried to emulate the writing of an earlier time. Perhaps centuries earlier.”

  “So you think this thing’s a fraud?” Daniel asked with concern.

  “The people in the Hive never gave us any inclination that we were searching for authentic jewels from the time of Jezebel.” Magena took the yellowed paper back from Daniel and read it over once more. “It doesn’t even mention Jezebel directly. I say we utilize this as we would a map. If we end up following a dead end, it won’t be our fault.”

  “Let’s just make sure it’s not a trap, Mags.” Daniel started to walk off, then turned around. “Which way’s north?”

  She snickered, as she stepped behind him and opened his pack. She dug through it until she found the object she wanted. Pulling a compass out with one hand, she closed his pack with the other. “Here you go.”

  He laughed at the irony. “Aren’t you a Cherokee? Why do you need a compass?”

  She lost her smile, as she walked ahead of him. “I really wish you’d stop with the stereotypes. I figured out the note. Didn’t I? Can we just leave it at that?”

  “Sorry.” The comment obviously irritated Magena, as she went silent. He changed the subject. “Hey, Mags. Have you noticed that everyone we’ve come across so far speaks really intelligent, clear, American English?”

  She stopped and turned to face him. Taking time to think about what he just said, she couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks a lot, Daniel. I can’t be mad at you now. You are right. They are all articulate. Even the man in the Hive that we talked to.”

  He laughed heartily. “Do you think it means anything?”

  She shook her head. “Only that we are in the company of people we shouldn’t underestimate.”

  He stopped laughing. “We need to keep our ears open.”

  “And our eyes.” They continued north until the hot sun blazed down on them, and they needed to rest. They found a tree large enough to provide afternoon shade. When they were ready to move again, they ate a protein bar and sipped some water. And then started on the road again.

  The sun started going down after a couple of hours. Magena commented on the beautiful sunset in the west, but they were going north. When the sun went down, they both took their flashlights out and used them to walk by. Shining the light from side to side, they continued walking north.

  Then it was dark.

  “Listen!” Magena stopped and flashed her light all around. “I hear something.”

  “What do you hear?”

  “Don’t things that creep and crawl come out at night?” she gasped. “That’s what I hear.”

  Daniel walked up to her and held his flashlight under his chin with the light washing over his face. “What’s the matter, Mags? Are you scared of the dark?”

  “Yes,” she replied, sheepishly. “I never liked camping and I don’t like being in the great outdoors when the lights are off. The moonlight isn’t enough for me.” She sighed. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to find a place to stop.”

  Daniel looked around, shining his light on the ground. “Maybe we should set up camp then. To take your mind off of the night, I will even change the subject.

  “Hold this.” He handed her his flashlight, then took off his pack and placed it on the ground. “We’re near the bottom of this mountain, so this would be a great place to camp. We can keep our backs to the mountain. That way we only have to worry about looking out in three directions.”

  “You sound like you’ve had experience camping.” Magena set the flashlights down on a nearby rock and took her pack off as well. She pulled out small covers from both backpacks, and spread them on the ground. Meanwhile, Daniel gathered pieces of wood and branches from the surrounding area and trees. He took out some matches and built a fire.

  Daniel soon had a nice fire going. Magena wrapped up in her blanket, in spite of the fact that it was a warm evening. “You did a really nice job, Daniel. Thank you for the fire.”

  “Sure thing,” he replied as he bit into a granola bar. He finished chewing before he continued talking, which surprise
d Magena. “I’ve got to tell you, Mags. I’m usually the kind of guy that is grounded and keeps his head together.”

  She refrained from saying anything to the contrary, but he had her attention. She shined the flashlight on him, so she could see him while he talked. Then he’d shine his light on her when he spoke. She said, “I don’t hear the noises anymore.”

  He took another bite and washed it down with his bottled water. “I’m going to be honest with you. My mind can’t wrap around any of the stuff that’s happened to us since I met up with you. I know you feel the same way. I think Alan manipulated me into coming on this crazy trip and I think he was planning on framing me for the murder of that Catholic priest.”

  “He may have succeeded with that.” She unwrapped a granola bar.

  Daniel lowered his head and then began to share again. “He got himself killed because he was in with the wrong people, I guess. That’s just part of what I’m feeling anyhow. Getting involved with some kind of secret society with spies from all over the world is just nuts. This guy, Sir Edmund Carlton, is like something out of a bad spy movie. Then we have the Sabotinis. A couple of stereotypes from a mix between Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Godfather. They also look and act like they just walked out of some weird movie. Now we have a mysterious Israeli woman who leads us to another secret organization… actually, it’s a cult where there are a bunch of hairless people who speak better English than you and I do. Each of these people groups have led us on one bizarre mission after the next.”

  He shook his head, finished off his granola bar, and his bottle of water. He looked frustrated, but managed to keep his voice low. “We were given the runaround about the Shroud of Turin and I believe we’re getting the runaround concerning the Jewels of Jezebel as well.”

  Magena cleared her throat, so as not to interrupt his rant. “There has never been anything documented about Jezebel, other than what’s in the Bible. Any other sources that mention her just draw on what they already know from scripture and may add one or two things that are of no significant historical consequence.”