He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved a compass. Standing near what he judged to be the center of the circle, he faced north. Daniel realized with a start that the flat stone over his right shoulder was pointing southeast just like the larger of the two rubies on the dove’s back. What was he supposed to make of that? He racked his brain trying to remember everything Chris has told him about the symbolism the Minoans employed. What had his friend said again? That they used mythology and astronomy to give hints about the artifact’s hiding place.
Daniel marched decisively back toward the truck, signaling to Mohammed to start the engine. That evening he intended to research astronomical phenomena in this part of the world. He would also place a private call to Chris to see what mythological references the librarian could come up with. Between the two of them, they ought to be able to figure out in what corner of this endless desert the next artifact was hiding. He only prayed that he wouldn’t gain that knowledge too late.
Chapter 40—The Ups and Downs of
Treasure Hunting
The Arkana team started out early the following morning to search the caves of Jebel Barkal. They decided to cover the trails on the north side of the mountain under the assumption that the Minoans would have chosen a hiding place they could reach by foot path. The south side of the mountain was a sheer wall of rock so any cave formations there were immediately discounted as unreachable.
The group spent half a day going up one trail and down another. The caves they found were all shallow, only extending five or ten feet into the mountainside. These they rejected as being too exposed. Both light and sound would travel to the outside.
They reached the mountain crest around noon and sat down for a short break.
“I had no idea there were so many holes in this hill,” Cassie sighed. She zipped open her backpack to retrieve a fresh water bottle.
Erik took off his cap to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Are we still sure this is the hiding spot?” he asked Griffin bleakly.
“There are two more trails we haven’t searched yet,” John hinted.
“We must check them all,” Griffin replied resolutely. He turned to Cassie with a hopeful note in his voice. “Have you been able to sense the Minoans’ presence yet?”
The pythia shook her head. “Not so far. Every cave we’ve searched is cold.”
Erik stood abruptly. “We might as well get on with it. I’m cooking on top of this rock. It’s shadier inside the caves.”
In silent agreement, they all rose to resume their search. Another three hours brought them from the top of the mountain to its base with no better luck.
They stood together in a small despondent circle.
“How much time do we have til sunset?” Erik asked.
“About three hours,” Griffin replied. “Time enough to climb one more trail.”
“It is the last one anyway,” their guide said. John walked toward the final trail head and paused to look back at the Arkana team questioningly. “Do you want to try?”
They wearily followed his lead.
“When we come up empty, I don’t want to be the one to break the news to Maddie,” Erik muttered ominously to his teammates.
They had climbed halfway up the final trail when Cassie began to feel a change. She couldn’t define the sensation exactly. It was simply an impression of expectancy. “Hey guys,” she paused. “My spider senses are starting to tingle.”
John seemed bemused.
“Your what?” Griffin asked.
Erik patted him on the back. “Forget it, Grif. Unless you’re a fanboy, you won’t get the reference.”
“But what does she mean?” The Brit looked perplexed.
“It’s a vibe,” Cassie said. “I feel like we’re getting close to something. What or where, I don’t know yet.”
They walked on in silence for another ten minutes though all of them appeared to be on high alert.
“There!" Cassie swung up her arm and pointed. “I think that’s it.”
The team stared at the location she had singled out. It was a darker vertical shadow against the shaded mountainside.
“That’s no more than a crevice,” Griffin objected.
“I think it’s a lot more.” Cassie forged ahead to examine the spot that drew her attention. At first glance, it appeared to be what Griffin had said, a slight fold of rock and nothing more. However, when she came to stand about a foot past it, she could see a narrow gap in the stone. She wasn’t sure if it led anywhere, but some impulse made her squeeze her way through to the other side. “Guys, get in here,” she called excitedly. “You have to see this.”
The opening was just wide enough that the men were able to slide through sideways. Once inside, they all dug in their backpacks for flashlights. Training the beams on their surroundings, they gasped involuntarily.
“I had no idea this was here,” John said in bafflement. “And I have been climbing this mountain my whole life.”
They were standing in a cave whose ceiling was a good eight feet above them. After they cleared a curve in the wall near the entrance, the width of the chamber opened out to approximately fifteen feet.
“This is a proper cave.” Griffin sounded impressed.
“You can’t tell it’s a cave from outside,” Erik observed. “That’s probably why nobody knows it’s here.”
“One would have to be looking for just such a place in order to find it,” the scrivener agreed.
“I knew there was something worth seeing here.” Cassie gave them a triumphant smile. “C’mon. We need to find out how far back this goes.”
Flashlights trained on the walls and floor, they traveled forward in silence for more than five minutes, and still the cave continued on.
“This is the deepest one we’ve been in yet,” Erik observed.
“Perhaps it is a tunnel like the legends say,” John offered.
“Oh dear,” Griffin said in dismay. “If it really is a tunnel then we may have to travel a great distance to find
