“Yeah, but starting from where?” Cassie objected. “From Crete?”
Griffin scowled in concentration for a moment. “It would make more sense if we proceed from the location of the last recovered relic. After all, as we move farther afield on this quest, we can’t very well keep running back to Crete as a starting point, can we?”
Cassie shrugged. “I suppose not.”
“So, we have to start counting from the top of Mount Ida?” Erik asked.
Griffin had a ready response. “No, I suspect we should start from the sea coast of Turkey. Ida is very close to the coast. Edremit might be an appropriate starting point.”
“Head west from Turkey for twelve days,” Cassie murmured, trying to envision the journey. “Where would that take us?”
Griffin sighed. “Ah, there’s the rub.”
All three of his listeners looked at him.
“How fast are we travelling?” the Brit challenged.
“I get it,” Cassie replied. “A speed boat could cover a lot of ground, er, water but a sailing ship could get stuck if there wasn’t any wind to push it.”
“Precisely, dear girl,” Griffin beamed. “My, you are coming along, aren’t you?”
“Jeez, I’m not a pet monkey,” Cassie objected. She darted a quick glance at Erik who was chuckling. “Shut up,” she growled at him.
“You’re doing alright, kiddo. Don’t let him get to you.” Maddie shot Erik a dirty look.
He immediately changed the subject. “And we can’t forget about wind speed. If it’s twenty-five knots, that ship’s gonna fly. If it’s one knot, it could sit still for twelve days.”
“The problem would also be compounded by the size of the vessel,” Griffin added. “Are we dealing with a sailing ship or a galley with oarsmen who might assist if the wind proved unfavorable? How large a ship? How many sails? Would it be a merchant vessel which would move more slowly because of its cargo or a lighter skiff?” The scrivener sighed. “The permutations are virtually endless.”
“Try to narrow it down to just this side of infinity,” Maddie instructed impatiently.
“That’s precisely what I intend to do,” Griffin agreed. “But alas, it will take a little more time to sort it all out.”
“So, at this point, we have to settle for taking Horace Greeley’s advice,” Cassie summed up their dilemma.
They all turned to stare at her.
“Go west, dude, go west,” she said.
Chapter 8 – Freedom Rider
Hannah pressed her cheek against the carpeting in the trunk of Daniel’s car. Even though she knew nobody outside could hear her, she was almost afraid to breathe. She felt the vehicle slow and then come to a complete stop. They must be at the front gate. She could hear one of the sentries approaching. His boots made a crunching sound on the gravel outside. She heard the rumble of two male voices but couldn’t distinguish the words they were saying. Her heart hammered uncontrollably when she heard the man’s boots circling the back of the vehicle. He rested his hand briefly on the trunk and then pounded it twice with his hand. Hannah thought she was going to faint, but then the car lurched forward. Apparently, the pounding was only a sign from the guard that Daniel should proceed.
The car accelerated, and she could no longer hear the sound of gravel under the tires. They must be on a blacktop road now. That was it then; she was out of the compound. She was free. She repeated the word “free” to herself with a growing sense of dread. Free also meant alone. All alone in the Fallen Lands. No matter how diligently she had prepared and rehearsed herself for this experience, it was still a daunting prospect.
The diviner had always told them that the outer world was evil—that the people were all corrupt. Like Sodom and Gomorrah in the scriptures. It was a measure of her desperation that she would willingly exchange such a devilish place for the gated world she had inhabited all her life.
Lost in these nervous thoughts, she didn’t notice the miles flying by, carrying her away from her past and from everything familiar. She remembered her last miserable night with Abraham, shutting down her senses while he groped and gasped. That steeled her resolve. She was never going back. Not even if they tried to kill her.
After a while, the car slowed. She could smell exhaust fumes. That must mean they were surrounded by other vehicles. The noise of other engines grew louder, and the moments the car spent idling grew more frequent. Daniel had explained that as they approached the great city, there would be more traffic and more delays. She wasn’t to be afraid. This was all normal. Two hours must have passed before the car drew up to their planned destination. She heard the engine shut down and footsteps hurrying toward the trunk.
The lid opened. “Are you alright?” Daniel’s face peered down at her.
She blinked in the glare of daylight. It was almost blinding after her hours in the dark. “Yes, I’m fine.” She struggled to sit up, but her legs had gone to sleep. She massaged them and then awkwardly clambered out. “Are we in the city now?”
Daniel glanced behind him apprehensively. “Yes, we’re in what the Fallen call an alley. There isn’t much traffic here. Nobody will notice you getting out. I want you to come and sit in the front seat with me. We’re going to a store where you can get some Fallen garb. You’ll attract too much notice dressed as you are.”
Hannah looked down at the grey smock and white apron which were the proper attire for all married women in the Nephilim compound. It would feel strange to wear some other type of clothing. She walked to the passenger side of the car and got in.
“We also have to do something about your hair,” the
