Katiya nodded. “That reminds me of something. Both the Mayans and the Aztecs have legends that speak of giants roaming the earth in what they call the first age, or the First Sun. Those legends also say that they were all killed by a massive flood. Don’t you find it interesting that their story mirrors the biblical account?”
Max looked at Amanda. “So all of the Nephilim were destroyed by the flood?”
“Yes, but unfortunately the angels continued their dark work after the flood, which led to further incursions of Nephilim. Eventually there were thousands, if not tens of thousands, roaming that part of the world.”
Max’s brow furrowed with skepticism. “Thousands?”
“At least,” Amanda said. “Think about all the mentions throughout the Torah and the rest of the Old Testament. People seem to read all the pertinent passages and yet still don’t make the connection. Remember what some of the spies said to Moses when they returned from the land of Canaan? They said they found Nephilim there, giants so large that they made the spies feel like grasshoppers. That was after the flood.”
Katiya nodded. “And their description takes away any possibility that they were just referring to a few abnormally large men.”
“Exactly,” Amanda said. “And who doesn’t know Goliath? He was a Nephilim, as was Og, king of Bashan.”
Max shook his head. “Assuming one believes all these fanciful stories, you still haven’t explained why there would be statues of them here in northern Brazil. The whole thing just doesn’t add up.”
“I’m getting there. God commanded the Israelites to exterminate the Nephilim still in the land after the flood, but most scholars see evidence that many of them escaped, some by land and others by boat. In fact, the historical record confirms that there was a diaspora of giants.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Max said.
“I can show you the evidence, even though much of it has been covered up,” Amanda said. “Giant skeletons, some over fifteen feet tall, have been found across the globe, including many in North America. And all of them seem to date to the diaspora.”
Max paced away from the altar, lost in thought. Finally, he looked up and asked, “So you think they came here?”
“Yes, I do,” Amanda said. “I believe the Nephilim built this temple to worship the fallen angels.” She looked around. “They’ve long since died off, but clearly something is still going on here.”
“I’m not sure I’m completely on board with your fallen angel theory,” Katiya said, “but I do see linkage between what happened at Mount Hermon and what happened here.
“I’m going to need to see more evidence before I draw any conclusions,” Max said. He looked up at the statue again. “Although I must say it’s hard to explain away the names.”
Amanda was about to respond, when Katiya held up a hand. “Sorry to interrupt… but where is everybody else? There were lights bouncing around just a few minutes ago. Now the whole place is dark.”
Amanda turned toward the front of the room. “Oh, I think Rebecca took them downstairs to that place where she hid before.”
“Okay, good,” Katiya said. “I was hoping they hadn’t wandered outside in that—”
Suddenly a blood-curdling scream cut her off.
It was muffled by stone, but Katiya knew immediately who it was.
CHAPTER FIFTY
“See something?” Zane asked.
Bennett had come to a stop and was staring through his binoculars. “I thought it was an outcrop of boulders or rocks, but some of the angles seem too sharp.”
“Let’s have a look then,” Zane said.
As the four moved out from under the cover of the trees, Zane saw what he was referring to, an assortment of stone structures overgrown with bushes and vines. “It looks like the remains of a village.”
“It doesn’t look like anyone is home,” Jorge added.
Bennett looked at Zane as they continued forward. “Should we go down to the clearing or check the village?”
“I say we check the ruins first,” Brett said. “Who knows, there may even be a way to get up on one of the structures. If we can, that might give us a view of everything down in the valley.”
Bennett looked around as they walked. “The fog has gotten pretty thick. Even if we get a good angle down into the valley, I doubt we’d be able to see anything.”
He was right, the fog was getting thicker by the minute. Then again, why not explore the ruins while they were here? What was left of the ancient town seemed deserted, but it still might yield some useful information. Nothing seemed insignificant on this mountain.
Zane brought them to a stop near the outskirts. “I think Brett’s right. If that craft was as big as Rebecca said it was, then we might be able to see it, even through the fog. Besides, I want to have a look around. Who knows what we might find.”
“And if it turns out to be a dud, we’ll just head down,” Brett said.
As they crept forward, Zane realized they were entering the lower end of the village. Most of it spread up the slope to their left. The vast majority of structures were little more than crumbling walls overrun with vines, small trees, and shrubs.
Brett approached one of the walls, pulling aside some of the vines that covered it. He pointed at the stones underneath. “The same construction we saw at the bridge and in the tunnels.”
Zane nodded.
“What now?” Jorge asked after pulling an unlit cigar from his mouth.
Zane tapped the ground with the butt of his rifle. “I think this used to be a street.” He pointed to the north. “You and Brett follow it through town. Keep your eyes open for anything strange, and see if you can find a building that will give you a good view down the slope.” He turned to Bennett. “You and I will do the same on this end.”
“Even though it’s a long shot, we also need to be looking for any sign of habitation,” Brett said.
Zane looked around. “I can’t help but think that all of this is somehow connected. The airstrip, these ruins, the temple. If Rebecca’s story is true, and I have no reason to doubt it, then why bring her and the other victims here, of all places?”
“It’s remote, for one,” Brett said.
“True, but there has to be more to it than that.” Zane looked at his watch. “Anyway, let’s move out. We’ll stay in touch by radio. If we get another signal loss, then we’ll all meet back here in an hour. No exceptions.”
After Brett and Jorge disappeared into the fog, Zane pointed to another road that ran up the slope. “Why don’t you head up from here? I’ll go down a bit further and do the same.”
“Roger that,” Bennett said.
As the soldier turned to leave, Zane grabbed his shoulder. “We’re going to be spread thin, so please don’t take any chances. If you see anything, call me immediately.”
Bennett gave him a thumbs-up then moved off.
Zane continued north. After traveling for about a hundred yards, he turned left on a cross street. This part of the village seemed more overgrown than the section before. Trees rose out of the gaps in the ruins, their branches spreading overhead like a giant green awning.
After traveling a short distance up the hill, Zane heard a noise that sounded like a pebble bouncing across stone. Acting instinctively, he moved to the right side of the street, crouching underneath a few limbs overhanging a crumbling wall. He remained perfectly still, his senses on full alert.
The place is probably overrun with animals, he thought.
Hearing no further sounds, he stood and walked on. When he arrived at the next cross street, he turned north but stopped short at the sight of a largely intact two-story building on the right. If he could get to the second story, it might afford him a view of the entire area.