dimensionally, with the six vertices situated just below the Earth’s surface, arrayed around the spherical planet. Like this.”
Wizard drew a rough sketch:
“Now, at each of these locations, a cleansed pillar must be set in place, the pillars being small oblong-shaped uncut diamonds whose whereabouts are largely unknown.”
“Not totally unknown,” Jack said. “We’re working on that.”
“Oh, good. Now, let me come to the Ramesean Stones, and the most unique part that they play in this challenge. We call them ‘Ramesean’ stones but their true name is actually ‘Guidestones.’ The Six Guidestones of Ra’s Dark Twin. For when each comes into contact with the Sun-charged Sa-Benben, they reveal something about this Machine.
“For instance, at Stonehenge: when the Sa-Benben is placed atop the guidestone there at the rising of Saturn over Jupiter, the locations of the six vertices will be revealed. How this actually occurs at the site of Stonehenge, I don’t know. Hopefully, Zoe now does.”
“And the Philosopher’s Stone?” Jack asked.
Wizard again rifled through his notes, came up with another image:
“This is a carving of Laozi’s Stone,” Wizard said, “otherwise known as the Philosopher’s Stone. Note the pyramidal capstone hovering above it and the rectangular recess in it.
“To cleanse a pillar, one needs three things: the Sa-Benben, the Philosopher’s Stone, and one of the pillars. You place the pillar inside the recess in the Philosopher’s Stone, close the lid, and then place the charged Sa- Benben on the lid. The pillar is thus cleansed and is then ready for placement in one of the six vertices.”
“Which is why the Sa-Benben and the Philosopher’s Stone are central to everything…” Jack said, understanding.
“Correct. The next most important Ramesean stone is the Killing Stone of the Maya: when united with the Sa-Benben, it will specify the astronomical dates by which the pillars must be set in place at the vertices. Now, I already understand that the placing of the six pillars is divided into two distinct time frames—the first two pillars must be set in place within the next week or so; the remaining four must be placed later, about three months from now, just before the equinox on March 20, 2008, when the Dark Sun will make its long-awaited return.”
Jack’s mind spun. This was sounding very big indeed: stars, stones, pillars, vertices, astronomical dates. In a vague corner of his mind he recalled that the Americans had said they possessed the Mayan Killing Stone.
Clearing his head, he brought Wizard back: “So why in all this is Man the greatest thing to fear?”
Wizard sighed.
“Because of the rewards,” he said simply. “The rewards. ‘To he who lays each pillar goes a fabulous reward.’ So it is said on the walls of Abydos. It was there that I found the six rewards listed underneath a carving of Rameses II and his father, Seti I—a carving that scholars have long dismissed as a mere adornment. The six rewards were listed as:knowledge, heat, sight, death, life, and power.”
Wizard’s face went grim. “Jack. What the rewards are exactly, no one knows, but by all accounts, they are of immense value. For instance, I believe heat is a fabulous power source, an unending power source; and knowledge is some great insight that we are yet to discover.”
Jack listened intently to what Wizard was saying. Power sources, great knowledge. Suddenly the US-Saudi interest in the success of his mission made more sense, not to mention China’s grab for the Firestone at his farm.
Wizard said, “Given these stakes, and the arrival of this Dark Sun and the possible end of our world, I can see nations taking great risks to acquire and then place these pillars. And if history teaches us nothing, it teaches us this: where items of great worth are at stake, men will do anything to possess them.”
Just then, the cargo hold was plunged into red emergency lighting, a buzzer sounding repeatedly. The intercom over Jack’s head crackled.
“Huntsman, we’re coming up on the Wu Gorge system,”Astro’s voice said.“ETA is nine minutes, and we’re about to pop up on their radars like a big friggin’ Christmas light. I hope you’re right about this.”
“Come on,” Jack said, standing. “We’d better suit up. The target is guarded and we’re on top of the local Most Wanted List, so we’ll be going in hard and going in fast. Just stay close to me. It’s time for us to finish what you started; it’s time to get the Philosopher’s Stone.”
THE ENTRY CHAMBER
LAOZI’S TRAP SYSTEM,
BENEATH WITCH MOUNTAIN
SICHUAN PROVINCE, CENTRAL CHINA
DECEMBER5, 2007
COLONEL Mao Gongli swore loudly.
In the four days since he’d captured Max Epper and sent him off to Xintan for interrogation, his force of Chinese troops had made little headway through the underground tunnel system that protected Laozi’s legendary stone.
Chiefly, their progress had been hindered by numerous anti-intruder devices: booby traps.
Mao cursed himself. He should have known better.
For over three thousand years, Chinese tombs have been renowned for their ingenious protective mechanisms: for instance, the tomb complex of Emperor Qin in Xi’an—the home of China’s famous terra-cotta warriors—was equipped with automatic crossbows and “murder holes,” out of which oil and liquid tar once poured onto unwary archaeologists.
But the traps protecting this system were of a higher order, beyond anything Mao had seen, as clever as they were vicious.
He’d already lost nine men, all in horrific ways.
