Lindsey’s two right hand men had gone behind his back and sought to override his power. It was a move that had cost them their lives. Despite getting tired of being ordered around, Will had become a strong believer in what The prophet was trying to do. He had seen too much evil in his lifetime. Criminals roamed free to rob and murder as they pleased, almost unchecked by inept police departments. Prisons were overcrowded, and the prisoner population continued to grow every year. It seemed every time will turned on the news, there was some story about rape, murder, theft, something.
But his employer had a plan for all of that. And it started with finding the last golden chamber. If the old man was right, and he usually was, the ancient Biblical source of immortality was hidden somewhere in eastern Turkey. It was gamble, but only one of money and time. The old man had plenty of the first, much less of the second. Will had bought into his grand plan and believed it could be achieved. But he also thought there must certainly have been some personal reasons Lindsey was searching for the lost tree of Eden and its mysterious power.
It was a story Will knew well. He’d read all the books about men who had searched for the Fountain of Youth or a magical pool that could restore a human’s vitality. Those explorers searched only for a way to live forever. Lindsey was the first person he’d heard of who considered using it for other purposes. The world had become sick. And Alexander Lindsey had stumbled on an idea that could cure it.
Will had grown up in an environment without love or compassion. He’d grown callus to the way the world had become. For most of his teenage and adult life, he’d lived a life of self-serving pleasure seeking. He’d had no purpose, no direction. Then, he met The Prophet. Alexander Lindsey had given Will something he’d never had before. He showed him the error of his ways, and a way to make the world a better place.
That sentimental stuff hadn’t really resonated with Will. But he played along. He told Lindsey what he wanted to hear. The fact was, Will enjoyed killing. He enjoyed being given carte blanche to do whatever he wanted, with nearly unlimited resources. The old man paid well. Will got to travel all over the world, meet exotic women, and kill anyone Lindsey wanted dead.
From time to time, Will hated being bossed around. Lindsey was a persistent manager of things and resources, always prying his controlling fingers into whatever was going on. The man expected constant reports on nearly every situation. The Prophet was the only person, though, who had ever been a father figure to Will. Lindsey had taken good care of him, and always would. Occasionally, he wondered if he would be included in the old man’s inheritance. Wild thoughts about beaches, women in bikinis, mansions, fast cars, and drinks that never ran out, would run rampant through his mind. While he had to play by Lindsey’s rules at the moment, that wouldn’t last forever. If his employer left Will enough money when he kicked off, he would live the life he’d always wanted: one of hedonism and leisure.
Will watched Lindsey put the stone back in his pocket as the multitude of thoughts began to wind down to the warm internal glow the scotch provided.
“I could use another one of those,” he held up the empty glass towards Kaba, who was sitting with her legs crossed in the seat across the aisle.
She smiled politely, but her tone was snippy. “The bar is in the back,” she replied.
Will let out a snort of laughter. “Fair enough.”
He’d had plenty of fun with the young woman since she’d signed on with Lindsey. It had only taken one night of drinking together for them to find themselves waking up next to each other the following morning. Will wondered if their employer knew anything was going on, but he seemed oblivious. At least he acted like he was oblivious. Maybe he wouldn’t care.
The jet engines strained outside the cabin as the plane taxied onto the runway, pausing briefly. There was a moment’s pause followed by the sudden thrust of acceleration. They whined louder as the vehicle tilted upward and pierced into the sky. Lindsey laid his head back against the headrest, eyes closed. DeGard was gazing out the window, moving his head around to better see the world dropping away below. A look of childlike curiosity covered his face.
Had The Prophet told the Frenchman about their grand scheme? It wasn’t exactly something Will could just ask the man. He would probably have to wait and ask Lindsey later on when they were alone. For some reason, Will felt like DeGard most likely did not know what their real reasons were behind finding the ark of Noah and the ancient source of immortality. He would find out soon enough, provided they had correctly interpreted the clues. Things were still unclear in Will’s mind as he found himself drifting away in random thoughts. His eyes became heavier as sleep dragged him away from the world of the conscious.
Chapter 19
Sean stared questioningly at Jabez. “What do you mean he might not have the only clue?” When they had left the third chamber, the room was vacant.
Jabez leaned back in his seat and stretched out his arms. He could tell what Sean was thinking. “Lindsey retrieved the only clue from the third chamber. However, we believe there may be another clue to that points the way to the ark’s resting place.”
Sean and Adriana were huddled close, listening intently. Professor Firth had seemed to be over his queasiness and had scooted back towards the group to hear what the Arab had to say.
“There is an ancient monastery on the border of Armenia and Turkey called Khor Virap. It was built in the seventh century, but the site’s usage goes back all the way to the years following the time of Christ. Some have said that the apostles may have even visited the location.” He looked at each person of his audience directly in the eyes before continuing.
“In the late third century, Saint Gregory the Illuminator was held prisoner there by the pagan king, Tiridates III, for thirteen years. In the end, Saint Gregory became a mentor for the king, and was eventually given acceptable quarters in the palace. The two of them ended up proselytizing communities all over the country.”
Jabez could see Sean was attempting to tie everything together in his head. The Arab beat him to the punch. “History books give a few reasons for Gregory’s imprisonment. But the legend gives another. It suggests the reason for Saint Gregory’s imprisonment was that he knew an ancient secret, the location of something that could grant eternal life to anyone who found it.”
“He knew where the ark was.” Sean injected.
“So it would seem,” Jabez agreed. “The king had imprisoned Gregory in some of the deepest parts of the ancient fortress. It surely must have been a hell on earth. Thirteen years passed, during which the pagan king persecuted many Christians as well as anyone who refused to do his bidding. During the years of his imprisonment, Gregory suffered many forms of torture. The monarch became fond of Gregory and eventually gave up on the idea that the priest was hiding something. He resigned to the fact that Gregory would either never give up the information or had nothing to hide.”
The airplane’s engines strained a little outside the cabin as it tipped a little to one side, altering its course before flattening out again. The maneuver caused Firth’s nausea to return, but he held it back, not wanting to miss anything Jabez was saying.
“During Tiridates’s reign, he was said to have gone mad at some point, behaving like a wild boar and living with pigs. His sister had a vision in which she saw Gregory healing the king. She told the king’s most trusted counselors about the vision immediately. The council thought the priest must have surely died in the pit of the prison. But when they went to find him, the man was still alive. They pulled him out to discover him in terrible physical condition. After nursing the priest back to health, Gregory was able to heal the king and return him to a normal state of being.