“A shooting star?” Ulrich sounded unsure.
“Yeah, a shooting star. You know, a meteor? Streak of light that goes across the sky?”
A nod again told Tommy that the guy knew what he was talking about. “Anyway, that’s when I realized what the riddle meant by chariots of the heavens. The real meaning behind that phrase comes from many different pagan mythologies. Chariots were considered to be not only a powerful weapon, but an honorable mode of transportation. Kings and generals used them not only for ease of movement, but as symbols of their greatness. In many ancient cultures, it was considered an honor to be in the chariot corps of a royal army. So, it was only natural that the religious leaders of the time wanted their gods to look both powerful and yet relate them to a high human position. Imagine if you were a child growing up in ancient Egypt and you saw a shooting star flash through the sky. Every single child was probably told that it was one of their gods on his chariot, coming to aide a human on earth. It was a better story than Santa Claus.”
“Interesting, Thomas. But what does any of this have to do with the place you are showing me on the computer?
“It has everything to do with it.” He pointed to the screen with an open hand. “Brasstown is the only place on the continent that even comes close to having anything remotely similar to what is described in the riddle.”
“And why is that?”
“Because it’s the only location in this part of the world that has large stones with what many historians believe to be a significant celestial event recorded on them.” He threw up his hands.
His hand moved back to the computer screen in an effort to describe the picture the man was seeing. “These symbols right here are constellations. But the other stuff that appears all over the rock face, those are some kind of anomaly. The only explanation would be some kind of occurrence such as a meteor shower. Seems like the early settlers in the land felt the need to document whatever it was that happened.”
“Where is this place, this Brasstown?”
“It’s a little over an hour northeast of here, up in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
Ulrich seemed to contemplate what Tommy had presented. Schultz was a renowned historian of ancient cultures. Surely, he had found the answer to the riddle. Still, something made him hesitate. “What about the birds in the riddle, the raven and the dove? Do you have an explanation for that?”
For a moment, Tommy thought about making up some kind of story with the birds, but he decided to go with the truth for now. “Honestly, no. Best I can figure is that the raven and the dove are a separate part of the puzzle.”
“Separate?” It was a good sign that his captor wasn’t too upset by the lack of an answer.
“Yeah. You see, throughout history, most riddles, maps, clues, whatever you want to call them, have all had one thing in common: duality. At least, every single thing like this that I have ever come across has had that feature. There is either more than one meaning to a riddle, or it is two separate mysteries combined into one.”
“So what do you suggest we do?”
Finally, a little respect. “I say we go up to Brasstown and check out the site. My guess is, whatever is there will point us in the right direction.”
Ulrich sat, considering what to do for a minute. “Get the truck ready,” he finally said to the shorter guard.
The man nodded and quickly exited the room.
“I hope, Thomas, that you are correct.” He raised the gun back up until the cold, black barrel was pressed firmly against Tommy’s temple. “Because if you are trying anything funny, you know what I will do.”
Chapter 25
“Mormons?” Sean blurted out. “What do they have to do with this?”
Joe’s head turned from side to side as Allyson continued Sean’s line of thinking, “Yeah. Are you talking about the Latter Day Saints…those Mormons?”
“The very same.”
“Alright,” Sean jumped back in. “Enlighten us.”
Again, their host took on the look of an avid storyteller. “You see, right about the same time the Indians were moving west, the newly formed and heavily criticized Mormon Church was facing an exile of its own. Their founding leader, Joseph Smith, along with his brother, had been murdered by an armed lynch mob.
“Brigham Young and other church leaders, seeing that the denomination was faced with a great deal of prejudice due to their ‘unconventional’ beliefs, decided that moving west to a place where they could govern themselves would be in the best interest of all their members. So that is exactly what they did.”
“And by west, you mean Utah?” Allyson knew a little about the history of the Mormon Church. One of her best friends was a Latter Day Saint.
“Eventually, yes. Of course, Utah now has more active members than anywhere else in the world. That is where their headquarters is located, as well as their great temple.” Gaining momentum, Joe went on, “However, early on in their migration, they had intermittent periods in the Midwest, settling briefly in Missouri and Oklahoma.”
Sean had to interrupt. “Wait a minute…Oklahoma?” He paused for a second, putting the pieces together. “Are you saying that the Mormons helped the Indians move their gold out west?”
“That is exactly what I am saying. And all you have to do is look at the history of the two groups of people to understand that it is not only plausible…it’s dang well probable!”
“Really? You honestly think that the Mormons took the risk of helping the natives move all that gold?” Sean couldn’t buy into this new idea. “What would keep them from turning it in to the authorities or just keeping it for themselves?”
“Look at the facts, my friend. First and foremost, the Indians didn’t take all of it at once or to one location. The only thing we do know for certain is that no one has found it since the Cherokee were removed from the area. Fact number two: if the gold was here, and we are assuming it was, there was no way those Indians could have removed it without some kind of assistance. And who better, than a group of Christians, who themselves, had nothing to lose?
“Mormons could come and go as they pleased for the most part, ministering to the Cherokee, helping them with their ailments or trying to comfort them. The soldiers escorting the natives would not even think that the ‘innocent’ church members would be trying to aid the natives in sneaking their gold out of the South. It was the perfect cover.”
“So,” Allyson cut in, “how did the Cherokee people know they could trust the Mormons? I mean, who’s to say that these ‘Christians’ that were helping them wouldn’t just take the gold and run?”
“Excellent question, Allyson.” He raised his finger in acknowledgement. “First of all, John Ross, the leader of the Cherokee nation, knew several Mormons as personal friends. He had even briefly studied the religion while in Washington D.C. after hearing some Congressmen talking about the Mormon group being dangerous to the true Christian morals of the country. So, Ross knew a little about their belief system.”
Joe twisted open a bottle of water he’d brought from the kitchen and lifted it to his mouth to take a swig. After screwing the cap back on, he resumed. “Now, one of the most interesting ideas the Mormon Church has presented to the world is that the Native Americans were and still are, the lost tribe of Israel.”
Sean and Allyson looked at each other and then back at McElroy. It was Sean that spoke up. “Lost tribe of Israel?”
“Yep. They believed that the Cherokee were part of missing tribe of Israelites, lost Jews if you will. Apparently, the tribe had left the kingdom at some point, and had traveled west. John Ross knew about this belief. He also knew the troubles that this group of radical Christians was having. So, in a last ditch effort to save the ancient tribal fortune, he contacted some of the leaders of the Mormon Church and made them a deal.”