79AD
Pocelli’s bare feet excitedly created dust on the street as he headed for the waterfront. It was the morning of his twelfth birthday and this meant he was now a man. He had spent the last three years watching his older brothers go off fishing alone and longed for the time when he would become a man and be given the great responsibility of bringing the fish to the house for the nightly meal. He smiled as the sun glistened off the calm waters that surrounded his home, he put his hand to his brow and scanned the rocky cliffs with his dark eyes. No one was around, the small community that was built at the foot of the great mountain of steam had stayed in on this beautiful morning to allow Pocelli to fish, to become a man on his own. This was by no means his first trip to the ledges, he spent many days here watching his brothers and the other young men fish, and he had even fished with them. But this was different, he was alone, no one would be there to help him haul in the catch or warn him of waves that could pick him up and throw his fragile body against the sharp rocks. It was his battle not a battle with the sea to be won, winning was not just bringing food to the table but staying alive. He took a deep breath and looked around once more, Looking at his spear and net he adjusted them and gracefully danced his way down the rocks to the ocean. He looked up at the billows of steam rising from the distant mountain peak, odd, the steam seemed to be a little darker today. Pocelli figured that the mountain must be giving him a sign, maybe all that were becoming men saw this or maybe it was just for him. He looked to the ocean and smiled, he was going to bring back the largest fish ever. Taking a breath he dove in feeling the warmer than usual water made him let out his breath in a huff. He looked at the mountain; today is a very special day.
Pocelli was putting mussels into a small net his father had made for him when his eyes caught sight of something. The shape was not that of the coral or the rock under the water where he swam, but more regulars, like the bowl made of clay that he ate his meals out of. Going up for air he broke the water and took a deep breath, he made sure that he rolled with the ever growing waves, careful to keep an eye on the rocks that they were crashing into. He took a deep breath and dove deep, intent on getting a better look at the object that he saw buried in the sand. As he got closer he saw that it was a cup, or something to that effect, swimming in a small circle around it he peered at the carvings on it, it was covered with what looked like a big face and one of the hands was the handle. Going up he broke the surface once more and looked around, strange, he had never seen anything like that. This would be his treasure, he took a breath and dove intent on bringing it up, as he grasped the handle and pulled he realized that it was bigger than he thought. Letting go he dug around the bottom and grasped the handle again. He pulled and felt it move, then slowly it emerged from it’s resting spot. It was beautiful, a fine treasure for a fine day. Pocelli suddenly cocked his head, he thought he heard a sound, a type of thump. He surfaced cup still in his grasp, the waves were now large and not the rolling ones he could ride but violent and crashing. He dropped the cup in his attempt to tread water in the frothing sea; He took a breath and went back frantically searching the ever-darkening waters for the cup. His hand hit something, the cup, he grabbed onto it then stopped, the water was shaking, no everything was shaking. A deep rumble, a rumble like all was moving, he broke the surface once more and saw that all was moving, rocks and stones, the Earth has come alive. He looked at the strange cup with the face and hand, was this it, did this cup send the world into chaos? If it did it was he Pocelli, who disturbed it, who brought this terrible curse upon his land. He dropped the cup and started to cry in shame and panic. The waves now were higher than he could see; e choked on the water as his terrified eyes looked for shore. He felt himself picked up as if by a great hand, rising higher and higher, he was at the mercy of the raging sea now. He landed hard on the rocky beach, coughing and choking as the salt water was purged from his lungs. He stood, and this was no small task, the ground was moving so violently that he was unable to keep his balance, He fell to the ground and looked up. There as if stronger and darker were not enough the mountain, spewing smoke and ash, he could smell the gasses, All were going to die. Pocelli reached towards the mountain as he watched tons of ash and smoke billow out the top and block the sun. “ MaMa! Please forgive mee!” He yelled as the ash found the beach.
1763
On the slopes of Vesuvius
Caleb Boscoreale stood and surveyed his location. He remembered as a little boy Vesuvius throwing out poofs of ash that covered his families home nestled on the open slopes of the mammoth semi dormant volcano. His family had owned this land for as long as he could remember; he had met a town girl married and was given this infertile fifty acres of land to start his life on. The one thing that he found he could grow without really trying was grapes; he had more grapes than he knew what to do with. It wasn’t until about three years ago when a merchant came calling on he and his wife offering to buy all the grapes and use them in his winery, that sat down the slope and on the other side of the small port town that blossomed along the cliffs. Since that meeting he had become a major player in the wine industry, supplying most of the grapes for the wines that were one of the heaviest exports of the small town. Demand had risen to a point where the crops that he had were not enough and he had to expand up the mountain to what he called the “dead area”, about thirty acres of scorched and barren land. To accomplish this he knew that somehow he would need to get water to the grapes and the best way he knew how was to dig a well above the plantings and send the water to the arbors. He picked up a shovel and smiled dear Tigo she always found a way to make his life just a little more complicated than he hoped it to be. Caleb laughed once more then jammed the shovel in the combination of ash, dirt, and rock. Three hours later he sat on the edge of the eight-foot hole, holding a two-foot chunk of what looked to him like fine marble.
“ What are you doing?” The familiar and heavily accented voice of Tigo turned his head. “ I was bringing you some food to give you a break from the digging but I see you don’t need one.” She dropped the basket filled with bread, wine and cheese down.
“ Look.” Caleb held up his find.
“ Its beautiful.” Tigo gasped as she took the marble into her hand.
“ I found it down where I was digging.” He pointed.” There’s more, quite a bit larger than this too.
“ This would fetch a good price at the open bazaar.” Tigo turned it slowly.
“ Probably, but why is it here?” Caleb took it back. “ It looks as though it was lightly polished or worked by human hand.”
“ Well, we aren’t the first to live here, you said this land has been in your family for many, many years.”
“ That is true, but our family has always been farmers,” Caleb stood. “ Not marble workers.
“ True.” Tigo looked down the hole. “ Let’s get some more and see if someone knows about it, or wants to buy it.
“ We will, but let us eat first, we will need our strength.” Caleb picked up the bread and broke it.
Strolling through the open bazaar Glesh Von Ipsten, or better known as his highness, due to the fact that his father Igmir was ill and he was to become the next ruler of Austria upon his death, Stopped and picked up a goat skin wine flask. He had decided that if he were to become king, he should travel through the world and become acquainted with different cultures and customs. In doing so he would be seen as a wise and worldly leader. His aid had wondered off in search of items that the Prince would place in his collection that he was starting, items that would prove that he did indeed travel. He was thinking about buying it from the wretched vendor when Johan came running. “ Your eminence.” Johan had to stop mid sentence in order to catch his breath.
“ Johan relax, I’m fine.” Glesh smiled.
“ No, not that, I mean that is wonderful, but I found something.” Johan smiled weakly embarrassed at his excitement.
“ If it is this great I shall follow.” Glesh threw the skin back on the table, much to the disappointment of the vendor. “ Lead on.” They walked through the streets and stopped at a crowd of people gathered around a Farmer and whom Glesh could only guess was his beautiful wife. He stepped forward and stopped, There in front of him was the most beautiful marble that he had ever seen. Pure white and smooth, he looked at the Farmer and spoke loud enough to quiet everyone who was talking. “ I am Glesh Von Ipsten, prince of Austria.” He looked around; “ I will purchase this for five times the highest price offered.
“ Sold!” Tigo excitedly yelled.” She looked at Caleb. “ We can look for the history, or we can profit from the present.”
“ Where did you find such fine marble?” Glesh walked over to the two.
“ My name is Caleb and this is, my wife.” Caleb looked at the stranger.
“ Pardon my social ignorance, I am Glesh Von Ipsten, prince and heir to the throne of Austria.” Glesh bowed formally. “ This is my aid Johan.”
“ A pleasure.” Johan also bowed.
“ Caleb, do you produce this fine marble?” Glesh ran his hand over it.
“ No I found it when I was digging for a well to send water to my grape crops.”
“ This is most interesting.” Glesh said in heavy thought. “ Forget the grapes, I shall buy this land from you for the stone to mine it for sculptures in my homeland.” Glesh smiled. “ You shall never have to grow grapes again.”
Three Months Later
Caleb felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and awoke with a start. He turned to see a worried looking Tigo. “ What is it?” He sat up.
“ Many voices outside the house.” crept to the window Caleb joined her.
“ It’s the prince he’s back.” Caleb looked at the hoard of town’s people following Glesh. “ He must have hired the whole town to dig the marble.
“ We start here.” Glesh stood at the unfinished well and looked down. Immediately hoes and picks began breaking the ground.
“ Hello your highness.” Tigo smiled as she looked at the entire town digging along.
“ Tigo, Caleb,” Glesh walked over. “ As you can see I returned, and with the help of Johan found some willing people in town to help in the excavation of the marble.
“ Looks like most of the town has decided to help.” Caleb was slightly amused.
“ Yes, I offered then each five gold pieces and more for any marble found.” Glesh smiled.
“ We shall go to town and get enough wine and bread for all.” Tigo announced.
“ That is a wonderful idea.” Glesh turned. “ Johan would you aid them in this task.”
“ I would be most honored your highness.” The three turned and headed down the side of the mountain to town.
Three hours later Johan followed by Tigo and Caleb came up the hill and stopped. Glesh was on the ground holding down one of the villagers that had been digging. Caleb dropped his bundle the skins of wine sloshing as they hit the ground. “ What is the meaning of this.” Caleb was over the two.
“ Caleb.” Glesh stood breathless. “ This man just went crazy, he started shaking and running, we.” He waved his hand towards the others, who were nodding in agreement. “ Had to catch him and were trying to calm him down when you showed up.”
“ Eros.” Caleb bent down and looked into the terrified eyes of the town’s cooper. “ Eros?”
“ Oh, Caleb, it is awful, we…they are there.” Eros was shaking and his words were strange.
“ Who, Eros take a breath and tell me who.” Caleb shot a concerned look to Tigo.
“ The people in the mountain, they are mad, silent.” Eros closed his eyes.
“ Where are these people?”
“ All around, they are mad.”
“ Do you know where he was digging?” Caleb stood and looked at Glesh.
“ He was over there.” A voice broke in, Caleb saw that it was Pomi, a boy of about fifteen that was an apprentice to Eros.
“ Did you see the people?” Caleb stood over Pomi.
“ No I was digging there.” He pointed.
“ Let’s go to the spot.” Pomi led as all followed to where Eros said he saw the people. Caleb looked at the hole. “ Tigo make me a torch.” Tigo did as she was asked and it was lit. “ It looks like there is an opening beyond where he had dug.” Caleb put the torch in the hole and saw that there was an opening of solid stone, marble, about three feet wide. “ Glesh.”
“ I see, most odd.” Glesh was bent down studying it when Caleb let go of the torch and it fell through the hole. The torch hit ground, from where it lay Caleb could bee that it lit up a cave of some sort.
“ Get me a hemp.” A rope was brought and held as it was lowered.
“ Caleb, should you really go down there.” A concerned Tigo broke in.
“ It’s just a cave.” Caleb spoke as he started to lower himself down. He looked up at a worried Tigo and smiled as he went through the opening. “ Don’t worry.” Caleb shut his eyes and opened them blinking trying to adjust them to the dim light. He looked around and stopped, and took a deep breath. Along the wall were children sitting at a table and a mother curled up with her hand on one of them. “ By the gods.” He whispered.
Naples Italy
2000
“ Sir the plane will be landing soon,” the stewardess gently touched the slumbering passengers shoulder. As he opened his eyes she gave a slight gasp.
“ Thank you, I guess I dozed off.”
“ If you could buckle your belt, we’ll be landing in a few minutes.” She couldn’t help but continue to stare into the deep blue eyes.
“ Certainly.” The man’s voice was calming but authoritative. He did as he was asked, as he looked at her name tag. “ Sarah.”
“ Yes, she smiled knowing that he had just read her name, but hearing it felt comfortable.
“ Do you happen to have the local time?”
“ It’s, three ten.” She slid her blue uniform coat up her smooth arm and showed him the watch.
“ Great, we’re on time.” He smiled as he re-sets his own watch.
“ Always,” Sarah smiled widely and moved to the next sleeping passenger.
The wheels of the plane touched down with a shriek and the plane smoothly slowed, taxiing to the middle of a large open area. The door was opened and all began the ritual of unbuckling rummaging for their carry on bags and impatiently stretching wanting to just deplane after a long trip.
“ Here he comes.” Sarah whispered into a co-workers ear.
“ He is handsome.” They watched as the man walked towards them, he was about six one broad shoulders and had a head of blond hair that seemed to have it’s own idea about how it should fall. His eyes almost glowed, peering out from a strong tanned face, a face that said I have spent my life just the way I wanted. The ladies giggled as he approached.
“ Sarah, it was a pleasure.”
“ Yes, have a great stay in Italy.” She smiled a brilliant smile as she watched him move down the ladder into the sunny day.
“ Isn’t this your home base?” She turned to see her co-worker smiling devilishly.
“ Even if it wasn’t, it is now.” Sarah laughed as well as her friend.
“ Remember no fraternizing with passengers.”
“ As soon as he steps off that ladder he is fair game.” They laughed as the man’s foot hit tar.
Peter Capri scanned the airport seeing three planes unloading. The passengers moved down the stairs and onto the tarmac. He stroked his salt and pepper beard as he looked at the multitude of unfamiliar faces. He had been here for ten long years, doing various researches on Pompeii, in those years He only remembered coming off the slopes of Vesouvous a handful of times, and out of those to the airport once. He was starting to think that he needed to get out to civilization more when he saw a familiar face walking aimlessly around the tarmac. “ Alex, Alex Staples!” Peter stood from where he was leaning and waved his hands frantically. “ Over here!” Peter started walking towards him.
“ Pete, how the hell are you?” Alex smiled at his friend. Alex met Peter when they both attended the University of Indiana; they were both interested in Geology. Peter found a love in the Archeology field while Alex kept the geology. Peter was at the top of his class and was asked to join a team that was uncovering the ill-fated city of Pompeii, unable to say no to such an offer he left the day after receiving his masters degree. Since then he has become the main man in the area and expert historian on Pompeii. Alex even has an issue of National Geographic that has a twelve-page story on Peter and his accomplishments in uncovering and preserving the bodies of the thousands of unfortunate inhabitants.
“ Great, you look like your keeping in good shape.” Peter stuck out a hand and Alex grabbed it.
“ You look like life on the mountain isn’t treating you too poorly either.” Alex shook his hand firmly.
“ Yea, its no San Diego but it has its moments.” They both laughed. “ Italy is a beautiful place and full of interesting people.”
“ How’s the dig going?”
“ Great, we have broken into another area that seems to be relatively untouched.”
Relatively? I thought the whole city was untouched.” Alex picked up his bags that were tossed out of the plane by a baggage handler.
“ You haven’t been reading my articles.” Capri winced, feigning hurt.
“ Well, I have not been keeping up as of late.” Alex smiled.
“ The car is over here.” Capri pointed to an old International Harvester Scout, as they walked he spoke. “ Most indeed has been untouched throughout the years giving us almost perfect examples of the peoples that lived in that region as well as artifacts.” He paused to open the trunk then continued. “ But there were grave robber, the same type that robbed the great pyramids of Egypt, but these were Spanish, we figure from some of the tools that we have found that it was happening around 1590 AD”
“ That’s the world for you even the dead get robbed.
“ True but this new area seems to be in good shape and there is much excitement about it.
“ When do I see this new discovery?” Alex was curious.
“ Ahh, the work here never stops, I was there when I had to leave to pick you up.” Capri smiled and Alex saw the excitement in his eyes.
“ I didn’t mean to pull you away.”
“ That’s alright, they have been there for a long time, you I knew if I didn’t get you it would be another ten years before I saw you again.” He smiled, besides we are going there now.”
“ You’re a funny man.” Alex got into the passenger side of the Scout and they headed for the site.
Nancy Stroud sat on the edge of the tailgate of her Jeep and looked at the excavations. She panned over the uncovered houses and a few of the mummified corpses that were on caught in the eruption; she was starring at one imparticular. A woman that was looking off may have been looking in the exact opposite direction as the others that were clearly looking towards the volcano. “ Wonder what you lost?” She continued on her observation of the dig. Nancy was thirty-two, but looked twenty six, her smooth skin and well kept body was due to her long distances she would run every morning through the streets of New York. She was finishing up her Doctorate in Archeology at Columbia University, and had a chance to visit Pompeii and work under the now Famous Peter Capri. At first she was exited to actually see one of most famous digs in archeological history, then when she arrived she was a bit disappointed at the whole site. She was a city girl through and through and this was out in the middle of nowhere, going from the city that never sleeps to one that never wakes up was a bit harder than she imagined. Capri on the other hand was gracious, informative and one of the most boring men she had ever met. He took the old adage all work and no play to the extreme. Nancy sighed, three more months and she would be gone, she looked to the woman that was looking away from the volcano, “ I know some action around here would be nice. Nancy smiled, at least when they uncovered the pyramids there was a curse, She turned at the sound of another vehicle and saw that it was Capri’s Scout. She stood when she saw that there was a passenger with him, a big blond passenger. She ran her hand through her hair and stood waiting for the mystery man to reveal himself. The scout came to a halt just behind her Jeep and Capri jumped out. “ Nancy.” He looked at the new site. “ Enjoying the vista?” He smiled.
“ Peter, I think you need your shocks checked.” Alex spoke as he stepped out and stretched.
“ Getting soft are you, Alex I would like you to meet Nancy Stroud” He paused as he motioned him over. “ Nancy is here from Columbia doing an internship with me.”
“ It’s a pleasure to meet you Nancy.” Alex took her hand.
“ It’s a pleasure for me as well.” Nancy shook his hand and flashed a bright smile. To her it didn’t look like he was getting soft, she held his hand a little longer then let go. “ Are you an archeologist as well?”
“ No, just a friend visiting.” Alex smiled he couldn’t help but give Nancy a once over, and liked what he saw.
“ He went to college with me, he chose the geological field for a while then became a highly decorated homicide detective in San Diego.” Peter laughed, I guess he and I ended up in the same type of work after all, he looks at the past lives in the present and I look at them in the past.”
“ But I’m retried and you’re still digging.” This got a slight laugh from Nancy.
“ You’re still a quick one,” Peter laughed and looked at the site. “ Shall we,” He pointed to the digging. “ Nancy would you like to join us?”
“ Absolutely. Nancy started walking and the others followed. They were on the edge of the site when an exited voice turned their heads.
“ Capri! Capri!” A small boy was yelling as he rode his bicycle up the dirt road. Peter stopped and began walking in his direction.
“ What is it Alfon?” He looked into the boy’s exited eyes. Alfon was about fifteen and had attached himself to Peter from the moment that he had landed. Alfon wanted to be an archeologist like Peter and was willing to do anything to become one. At first Peter had him get coffee and do other small chores around the camp. Then one day Alfon had discovered a body in one of the houses, by the time Peter and the others had arrived Alfon had cleared the area, set up a perfect dig grid. He was in the process of gently brushing away derbies as well as taking detailed notes of the area and artifacts found in the grid. When Peter had asked him how he knew to do this he responded by watching you. From that day on Alfon had become his personal assistant, and a good one at that.
“ A body!” Alfon smiled.
“ That’s wonderful, but it’s a new site and we are going to find many.” Peter smiled at his excitement.
“ No, not here,” Alfon pointed. “ On the ledges.”
“ Out of town?” Peter started to show the same excitement.
“ Yes, a boy.” Alfon smiled brightly.
“ I always found it odd that all the town’s people were home, this may be a key to why.” Peter started towards his Scout. “ Come on lets check it out.
“ Hey Peter?” Nancy was looking at the woman that she had been wondering about before.
“ Yes?” Peter looked where she was looking.
“ That’s who she could be looking out for.” All three looked at the distraught figure.
The four jumped out of the car and followed Alfon along the cliffs then stopped at a small flat spot. “ Here,” Alfon turned and entered a small cave. The others had to duck down to enter; Peter and Nancy pulled flashlights out from their backpack and flicked them on.
“ A must in this area.” Peter smiled at Alex and continued. The cave opened up to a height just tall enough to stand and stopped at a wall. “ There!” Alfon pointed excitedly, the flashlights played around the wall and finally came to a rest on a small figure.
“ Magnificent.” Peter said in awe, he bent down and looked over the boy that looked as if not for his old spear and net, as well as the shoulder bag he was carrying that he could have died yesterday. “ This boy is one of the best preservations I have seen yet. He shone the light on the boy’s face, for the first time since Peter had been here he felt sad, the loss in the boy’s expression was still present, this was a human, not one of the countless mummies that were brought out of the digs on the mountain. They were shells of what once were; this boy drove home the fact that they were once alive.
“ Good find?” Alfon looked at Peter staring at the boy; Peter took the light and shined it on Alfon, seeing the same features on him as the boy.
“ Yea.” He said in a low voice, He then turned and walked out into the light of the day, taking a big breath.
“ Hey, Peter you all right?” Alex put a big hand on his shoulder.
“ Yea,” Peter looked at Alex. “ It just got a little too real for a moment.”
“ I can see that,” Alex looked in the direction of Peter’s gaze. Alfon and Nancy were tossing rocks into the water. Alfon was laughing.
“ Before it was just the hollow remains of those who died in 79 AD he,” Peter pointed his thumb over his shoulder toward the cave. “ Could have been Alfon’s brother.”
“ He could be our biggest find.” Nancy came over, “ Somehow he must have died in the cave and the cold kept him from decaying.” She looked at the cave.
“ We will set up a grid and make this our prime focus for now, let the others work on the new area.” Peter took a breath and smiled. “ This will be a well documented discovery.”
“ Great another article I’ll have to read.” Alex chuckled.
“ Will I be in it?” Alfon dropped the rock and ran over to the three.
“ You found him, I don’t see why the world shouldn’t know that my skilled young assistant made a key discovery.” Peter messed up Alfon’s hair and he laughed. “ Let’s get back to the base and collect what we need.” Peter headed for the Scout.
Alex stood in the middle of the open bazaar and looked around, Peter said that it would take two or three hours to obtain the equipment needed to work in the confines of the cave. He suggested that Alex get a little view of the culture around the digs and told him that he would meet him back at the base tent. Nancy had suggested that he go to the open bazaar and look around, but not to buy anything to do with the digs, “ There are a lot of pretty good reproductions out there, but that is for the tourists and it will cost you an arm and a leg.” Alex was thinking about this when an elderly woman approached him.
“ You, are in danger here.”
“ Excuse me?” Alex looked down at the weather warn face.
“ You are in danger and must leave if you are to remain with the living.” Her voice was old and craggy.” Alex smiled thinking of all the books he had read where this type of warning is given.
“ And why is that?” He asked half heatedly.
“ You have disturbed the hand.” She held up her wrinkled hand palm forward. It will want revenge; she pointed to the dormant volcano.
“ I have not disturbed anything.” He looked at the mountain.
“ The dead are angered at this.” She continued.
“ The dead are dead and have been that way for a long time.”
“ Have they?” She showed a toothless smile.
“ If they were to anger then it would have happened a long time ago.” Alex was tiring of this act clearly meant for the hoards of tourists that flooded the bazaar.
“ Tell the boy that.” She took his hand and placed something in it and walked away disappearing into the crowd.
“ I must look too much like a tourist.” Alex laughed to himself and opened his hand. He looked at a chunk of opaque blue stone, turning it in his hand he admired the color and the sheen. He closed his eyes and thought back to his days at college and geology, opening his eyes he said out loud Lapis. He smiled and put the stone in his pocket and continued walking every so often looking around for the old lady. Nancy was right about all the faux artifacts that were for sale claiming to be from the digs at Pompeii, he could see that it was big business. He looked around for one of the vendors that would be selling some of the Lapis that the old woman had given him but after about two and half-hours and looking over every table twice he still came up empty. Looking at his watch he turned and left the noise behind and headed for the base tent. As he walked up Peter and Nancy were just loading the rest last of the equipment on the trailer. “ Your timing is impeccable.” Peter smiled.
“ Actually it’s luck.” Alex smiled.
“ Find any treasures?” Nancy walked over closer than needed to Alex.
“ Not really, Just..” Alex trailed off as a large car pulled up.
“ Oh, great, It’s Eric Von Slime.” Nancy said under her breath. The door opened and a tall well dressed man that seemed a little out of place in the dusty area stood.
“ Peter, how’s things.” He smiled and walked over.
“ Fine, what brings you out this way?” Peter’s voice was not as pleasant as his smile showed.
“ I just was in the area and thought I’d stop to say hi.” He looked at Alex. “ And who is our new friend?” He walked over to Alex; “ Eric Pelts.” He extended a hand.
“ Alex Staples.” Alex shook it; he had a firm handshake.
“ He is a friend from the states, just up for a visit.” Peter said as he tightened a rope.
“ Wonderful, Peter doesn’t get many visitors out here.” Eric Smiled. “ Well just wanted to let you know I’m back and will be here for a while.” Eric got into his car and it lurched off with a cloud of dust.
“ Who was that?” Alex watched as the car sped off.
“ Eric Von Pelt, or Eric Pelts.” Peter stepped down from the fender of the trailer and looked at the distant car.
“ He claims that he owns this whole area where the dig is going on,” Nancy said with disgust. Nancy gave Alex a rundown of how the site was discovered ending with Von Ipsen’s relative Eric Pelts.
“ And he feels that we are trespassing.” Peter added.
“ Is there documentation to his owning it.” Alex asked.
“ He has been in courts and through hoops to find out but it all seems pretty hazy, but to him he still, or his family still owns it.”
“ Why does he want it?” Alex looked at the barren land.
“ Just something for a bored rich kid to do, you know harass us working plebes.” Nancy jumped into the Scout. The other two jumped in.
“ Where’s Alfon?” Alex looked around.
“ He has a way of disappearing at the drop of a hat, He’ll find us.” Peter started the Scout and headed for the cave.
“ So you were about to tell us what you found at the bazaar.” Nancy looked at Alex.
“ Oh, yea.” Alex put his hand in his pocket and extracted the stone.” Some old lady gave me this.” He put it into Nancy’s hand.
“ Someone gave you this?” Nancy turned the stone around slowly.
“ Yea.” Alex went silent.
“ Around here you aren’t just given Lapis.” Peter took the stone from Nancy and looked it over while keeping one eye on thew road.
“ It’s not that uncommon, but it was odd that I couldn’t find anymore of it at the bazaar.
“ That’s a safe bet.” Nancy took the stone back from Peter.
“ She just gave it to you?”
“ Well, it came with a warning.” Alex said quietly.
“ Oh, well that explains it.” Peter laughed.
“ What did she say?’ Nancy said ignoring Peter.
“ That I am in danger and the dead are mad, and something about the awaking the hand.” Alex took back the stone.
“ Oh great, its back.” Peter huffed.”
“ What’s back?” Nancy seemed intently interested.
“ The legend of the hand.” Peter said it in a scary voice as he raised his arms and shook his hands. Peter slowed the car by then path to the cave.
“ What else did she say.” Nancy was enthralled.
“ She said to…” Alex was cut off by Alfon appearing at the window, Nancy jumped slightly.
“ You ready to ask the boy what he knows?” Alfon smiled.
“ What?” Alex said surprised.
“ Oh, he got that from me, when we find a body we say we are asking it what it knows.
“ So what else did she say?” Nancy tugged on his arm.
“ I’ll tell you later.” Alex put the stone into his pocket and jumped from the car and started running to the cave. Nancy and Peter looked at each other then jumped from the car in pursuit of Alex. Alex pulled out his flashlight and hit the cave ducking just in time so as not to hit his head on the rock. Nancy and Peter caught up to Alex by the body and stopped.
“ Alex what are you doing?” Peter said breathless. “ You look like your waiting for him to speak.” Ask the boy was just an expression.”
“ I know but.” He stopped and shined the light around the cave. “ Nothing, let’s get the stuff and see what he tells us.” Alex turned and walked back to the outside.
“ He could have at least brought something in.” Peter brought the light to the boy’s face swept the body and looked at Nancy. “ He’s just a little exited.”
“ I can see that.” Nancy turned and walked away.
The light outside the cave was fading by the time the gear had been unloaded and set up in the small confines of the cave. Alfon had done an expert job, gridding off the surrounding area around the boy; he had put tape on the strings with letters and numbers to easily find a certain area where an artifact might be found. Nancy had been documenting the work with pictures and notes, and peter was hustling around checking and rechecking the area to be sure that all was where it needed to be. Alex was the gofer making runs to the truck or the base tent or holding light poles for Nancy to use for her pictures. When all was how Peter wanted they stood at the cave opening and looked out at the dimming light. “ I say we go into town and have a celebratory dinner, in honor of Alfon’s discovery.” Peter looked at the others.
“ That sounds like a good plan to me.” Nancy smiled, this was the most exiting day she had had since she came to the digs. “ But only if Alex will be my escort.” She looked at Alex.
“ I would be honored.” He smiled.
“ Mr. Peter.” Alfon spoke. “ Will you be my esscort.”
“ That’s escort Alfon, and yes I would be honored.” They all laughed except for Alfon who looked at the three a little confused.
Alex and Peter stood by the Scout ready to leave when Nancy appeared out of her tent. “ Now that’s the kind of Archeologist every one whishes for.” Peter punched Alex in the arm and smiled. Nancy was dressed in a light blue skirt that came to mid thigh and was wearing a matching floral print top tied at the stomach with a knot. Alex could see that she was tanned and there was no evidence that the tan was not complete.
“ You clean up nice.” Peter said in a southern accent.
“ Why thank you.” Nancy’s reply was the same accent.
“ Alex, what do you think.” Nancy turned slowly like she was a model.
“ I think I should have been an archeologist.” Alex smiled.
“ Wow, you look hot.” All three turned to see Alfon; eyes wide open staring at Nancy.
“ Thank you Alfon and you look great as well.” She walked over and kissed him on the forehead.
“ Shall we.” Alex put out a hand and Nancy took it, helping her into the Scout.
They went into the small village and parked on the sparse streets. Peter looked around and crossed the street heading for a small eatery called the House of Vetti. They entered and seated themselves, Peter picked up the carafe of wine that was present on all the tables that Alex could see and poured each a glass. “ The good thing about Italy is that wine is like water, it’s given to you everywhere.”
“ Peter!” a booming voice turned his head.
“ Jack.” Peter stood. “ Great to see you.” He looked at Alex. Alex this is Jack Kovach.” Alex stood.
“ A pleasure to meet you, Alex Staples.”
“ You’re his invisible friend.” Jack shook his hand happily.
“ Yes and you see he is real.” Peter looked at Alex. “ I told him you were coming and he didn’t believe I knew anyone but the residents of Pompeii.”
“ You’re the geologist.” Jack grinned.
“ I was when I was in school, but that was a long time ago.”
“ He is an ex- homicide detective.” Nancy spoke up.
“ Nancy?” Jack wrinkled his brow, I didn’t recognize you, I thought it was your beautiful sister.” Jack kissed her on the cheek.
“ Join us, we are celebrating a new discovery.”
“ I heard, more mummies.” Jack sat down and poured himself a glass of wine.
“ That’s old news, we, well Alfon here found a perfectly preserved young boy.”
“ Alfon, good for you.” Jack winked at him. Peter is teaching you well.”
“ Alex, Jack is our resident Geologist slash volcanologist.” Peter took a sip of wine.
“ You could say I study the cause while Peter studies the effect.”
“ Show him what that lady gave you.” Nancy chimed in.
“ Gifts to a new comer already?” Jack mocked.
“ Yes, I must have looked like I needed a trinket.” Alex said as he pulled out the stone and handed it to Jack.
“ Well, you are lucky.” Jack stopped speaking as he looked at the stone. “ This was given to you?” He was more serious than before.
“ Yes by an old lady in the open bazaar.” Alex was slightly alarmed at the sudden change in Jack’s voice.
“ That was my first reaction as well.” Peter spoke.
“ So what is it?” Nancy asked, sipping her wine.
“ This is known as Lazurite, or more commonly Lapis Lazuli.” He set it down in the middle of the table. “ Lapis is what is known as a contact metamorphosed, or metasomatically altered limestone. It is fairly common, found in large quantities in places such as Afghanistan, Chile, Siberia, Angolia, Burma, Canada, and even the united States.” Jack took a breath.
“ Then it’s not from around here, leave it to me to get a trinket in Italy from somewhere else.
“ Not exactly.” Jack held up his hand, “Lapis has been found in Italy. But the way it got here was rather unconventional, Lapis has and is found in chunks of limestone that were ejected out of Vesuvius during the eruption of 79AD.”
“ Interesting,” Alex picked it up.
“ If it is so common how come I had never heard of it?” Nancy took the stone from Alex.
“ As I said it was fairly common and used and is still used as an ornamental stone, it has been cut into gems, as well as boxes, mosaics, and even figures. It was even used by the Egyptians to carve into their cylindrical seals.” Jack poured himself some more wine. “ As of late it is sought out more and more for it’s beauty and workability, I’m sure this came about through the worlds high society trying to out do each other, a high stakes keeping up with the Jones’s.
“ How high?” Alex was starting to catch on.
Lapis has become one of the most valuable of the opaque stones that exist, it’s right up there or is surpassing imperial jade as the stone of choice. Like Jade and any other stone its value is highest when pure, by that I mean containing no light veins of other minerals or materials. But on the other hand these can also bring the value up if they are pleasing to the eye.”
“ And Vesuvius Lapis is the rarest and most sought out.” Peter took the stone. Due to its extraordinary origin it is the most pure.” Peter took the stone. “ This small piece is worth probably three to four hundred dollars.”
“ Jesus.” Nancy said with awe.
“ Let’s say it is not something that someone would just give you.” Jack spoke as he ate some bread.
“ Lapis around here is like gold, it is one of the most valuable and regulated exports from the area.” Jack was quiet now. Without documentation for this stone, by that I mean an actual certificate you could be Jailed.”
“ And we’re waving it around here in public.” Nancy looked around at the few tables eating and talking.
“ This is probably the only safe place that we could wave it around, The House of Vetti is named after one of the small towns we found. Vetti was a trader of sorts and this place has become a haven for the more colorful characters around the area.” Jack smiled.
“ Then why are we here?” Nancy looked around nervously, at that moment a waiter came with a tray of food. Jack slid the stone under his napkin.
“ Because the food is wonderful.” Jack smiled and they began to eat.
Nancy, Alex Peter and Alfon stood by the Scout, they were full of good food and the wine had gone straight to their heads and all were a little happier. They bid farewell to Jack and Alfon, watching each head off in different directions. “ Well.” Peter turned, “ I think we should stay in some of the tents at the site, that will give us a head start in the morning.” He opened the door for Nancy, She let go of Alex’s arm that she had latched onto from the moment they stood from the table and jumped in.
“ Home James.” She said with a laugh.
“ Jack seems like a nice guy.” Alex spoke as he jumped into the front of the truck.
“ Yes, I met him about three or four years ago, he has taught me a lot about the lay of the land as the saying goes.” Peter hit the gas and turned off the main dirt road moving toward the digs. “ He has this way about him that just makes you like him, at first this made me a little wary.” Peter looked at Alex, “ But I realized that it’s just the way he is.”
“ He seems to know a lot about the Lapis.”
“ Well, he has been here for a few years, I think you’ll find that he knows just about everything about everything around here," ” peter grinned, “ Good and bad.” He stopped the truck and looked at the tents that dotted the mountainside. “ We are here.” He jumped out.
“ Nice, I don’t believe for a minute that you have been living in one of these for ten years.” Alex looked at the canvas tents.
“ No after a year I decided to move into something a little more house-like.”
“ I’ve been living here for three months.” Nancy jumped out of the back almost falling. “ Trust me I rather have something more house-like.” Nancy had a little envy in her voice.
“ Let’s have a night cap, meet me in my tent.” Peter pointed to two other tents, “ That is Nancy’s house and you can be her neighbor.”
The three were sitting around a small card table Alex and Peter were sipping on scotch and Nancy had a half bottle of wine in front of her. “ Peter, earlier today I mentioned the hand and you said something about a legend or fable.” Alex sat back in his chair and took a sip of scotch, letting it sit in his mouth for a second before swallowing.
“ Yes the ever present hand.” Peter took a sip and seemed to get comfortable before talking. “ The hand’s full name is the hand of Pompeii, It is said to be the cause of the mountains anger, it was disturbed from it’s resting spot and with this Vesovius erupted and killed the whole village.”
“ Is it true?” Nancy looked on wide-eyed.
“ I don’t know, is the curse of King Tut true, were the people cursed with the opening of his tomb?”
“ Has it been researched?” Alex broke in.
“ How do you research a legend? The only time that I had heard about it was five or six years ago.” Peter paused. “ There was a rash of strange killings that were never solved and each was associated with the hand. Then as quickly as it came about it was gone and no one spoke of it.”
Legends don’t die.” Alex set his glass down.
“ No they don’t, and you my friend seem to have brought it back.”
“ Peter that’s not funny.” Nancy pulled her coat closed as if she was cold.
“ I’m not laughing.” He leaned forward. “ This legend seems to carry with it a lot of death, for what? I don’t know, but Alex’s speaking of it is the first that I have heard of it for years and I work with the people who have been here for hundreds of years, if it was still around I would know.
“ This gives me the creeps.” Nancy slid her chair closer to Alex’s.
“ The old lady at the bazaar gave this to me and her last words were see what the boy tells you.” Alex thought. “ This is why when Alfonn said your little saying I reacted the way I did.”
“ Coincidence, I use that a lot, maybe she heard it from someone. In any case I work only on the legends that I find with the dead.”
“ Isn’t that what a legend is.” Alex picked up his scotch.
“ Yes, but these dead are visible, a legend is not.” Peter leaned back and put his boot on the edge of the table.
“ Good point.” Alex finished his drink and stood. “ I’m going to bed, we have a long day tomorrow.
“ Sleep tight, and for your sake I would forget about any story of the hand.” Peter stood and shook Alex’s hand. “ It’s great to have you here.”
“ I feel the same, it’s nice to have a little vacation.”
“ Vacation, I’m putting you to work.” Peter slapped him on the shoulder.
“I’ll walk with you.” Nancy stood and gave Peter a peck on the cheek. “ See you in the morning.” She and Alex walked out of the tent; they walked to Alex’s tent and stopped. “ Do you think it’s true?” Nancy looked at Alex.
“ What is true?”
“ The hand of Pompeii, did it kill those people.”
“ Legends are legends and that’s all.” Alex took her hand. “ If you start thinking about it will drive you crazy.” He smiled. “ Get some sleep.”
“ Alex.” Nancy stepped closer, she put her hand on the back of his head and drew his face to hers and kissed him deeply. “ This scared me a little, keep me safe.” Alex smiled.
“ I’d hate to see you petrified.” He kissed her once more and they parted ways.
Alex lay in his bed and sighed, he brought his hand to his head and it felt damp, He tried to remember the disturbing dream that had awoken him but all he got was fuzzy pictures in his head. To top it off he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had since meeting the old woman that he was being watched. He closed his eyes tightly hoping to fall back to sleep when he heard something, not loud. It seemed to come from inside his tent, a padding sound like bare feet. He pretended to roll over freeing one hand incase he had to defend himself. The noise was closer now, and he could feel a presence close to him, then there was pressure on his shoulder. Reacting with lightning speed he opened his eyes seeing a weapon in someone’s hand he grabbed the club with his free hand and rolled away falling off the bed as he hit the floor he swung his legs under the cot and swept the intruders feet out from under them. Leaping over the bed he landed on their chest club ready for action.
“ Oh, god, Alex you’re hurting me.” Nancy choked out.
“ Jesus.” Alex got up picking Nancy up and sitting her on the bed. “ What the hell are you doing, you scared the hell out of me.” Alex’s voice was shaky; his heart was going a mile a minute.
“ You I thought you were going to club me.” She managed to squeak out. “ I couldn’t sleep and thought I heard something.”
“ It was probably me, I was awaken by a bad dream.” Alex was settling down now.
“ No something outside your tent.” Nancy pointed.
“ Well whatever it is it’s gone now.” Alex stood.
“ Alex, I’m scared.” Nancy looked down.
“ I don’t have a good feeling about this place either.” He sat down beside her.
“ Can I stay with you?” She looked at him with big brown puppy eyes.
“ Sure, that way you won’t sneak up on me with a club.” He set a mattress on the floor by his cot and she lay down.
“ That’s still too far away.” Nancy smiled weakly. Alex slid down onto the floor and under the covers; Nancy took off her robe.
“ Do you always sleep this way?” Alex felt the warmth of nakedness on his back.
“ Yes.” Alex turned around and kissed her.
“ You must be petrified.” He smiled.
“ I was but now.” She snaked her hand down to his crotch. “ I think you’re the petrified one.” She smiled as she undid his shorts.
Alex awoke to bright sun glaring through a crack in the corner of the tent. He looked around and saw that Nancy was gone he grabbed his shorts that had been thrown to the side in the heat of passion, he smiled, this trip was turning out to be just what he needed. He got dressed and steped from the tent, blinking in the sun. “ Looks like you were up all night.” Peter came from around the Scout. Alex looked around and saw Nancy smile then continue what she was doing.
“ You could say that.” Alex walked over to Peter. “ Did you hear or see anyone last night?”
“ No why?” Peter had his hand on the door and paused.
“ I just got the feeling someone was creeping around here.” Alex smiled weakly.
“ I’m sure our conversation didn’t help.” Peter opened the door. “ Besides the scotch made me sleep like a baby.”
“ I thought I heard something as well.” Nancy came around the side of the truck.
“ There are a lot of workers around, it was probably one of them.” Peter said as he jumped into the driver’s seat, “ Ready, we have a lot of work to do.”
“ Where’s Alfon?” Nancy looked around.
“ You know him he is like the wind, he’ll blow in sometime.” Peter started the Scout, “ Come on.” Alex and Nancy jumped into the Scout and they headed for the cave. When there they unloaded what was needed from the truck, Nancy and Peter each put what Alex could only call a fishing vest, but all the pockets were not filled with tackle but many different size brushes as well as metal picks and probes, the type a dentist would use. Peter pulled out another of the vests and handed it to Alex. “ Here you are now official.” Alex put on the vest.
“ No ceremony.” Alex zipped it up.
“ I’ll think of one.” Nancy smiled as she started to the cave.” Peter looked at Alex.
“ You’re done for now.” He smiled.
“ Seems to sound that way doesn’t it.” He followed Nancy not able to keep his eyes anywhere but on her beautiful body moving among the rocks.
They entered and Alex helped Peter remove a large item from the interior of the cave, while Nancy set up a tripod. The cover was removed from the object revealing a large solar cell. It was placed on the tripod and angled to the sun. Peter then hooked a cable to a junction that hung from the middle of the tripod and stood. “ There.” He walked back into the cave.
“ I’ll be dammed.” Alex looked at the lights illuminating the interior of the cave.
“ Pretty nifty eh.” Peter looked around. “ Jack Kovach came up with this, it needs only minimal sunlight to power these lights.”
“ He should patent this.”
“ The patent is in the process as we speak.” Peter turned his attention to the grid.” We will start at the body and work our way out. Alex you and I will start at the head and Nancy will start at the feet.” Peter walked over to a light stand, angling it towards the body more. “ This will be slow and fragile. I want documents of all you do and find, Alex here’s a pen and paper.”
“ From Homicide to secretary.” Alex sighed, Nancy laughed.
“ Actually a lot of this will be a sort of Autopsy, and you could give some insight to how the boy lived.” Peter sat down and pulled out a brush.
“ I’ll give it a try.” Alex sat on a rock and looked the boy over; He could have died yesterday. From the other bodies he had seen, and the shape they were in this one was almost un-marred. The odd thing that he saw was that the left hand was missing. Alex looked around but saw no evidence of tracks except theirs. He closed his eyes trying to remember when he saw it yesterday. He couldn’t shake the fact that he had seen that both hands were present. Kneeling down he put his face close to the stump, which was missing from the wrist down. “ Nancy.” Alex looked up. Nancy stopped what she was doing and looked at him expectantly.
“ Yes?”
“ Do you have those Polaroid’s from yesterday?”
“ Yea their in the truck.” She looked at the arm minus a hand. “ Why?”
“ You find something?’ Peter stood up and walked over to Alex.
“ No, I just want to number the pictures so they will correspond with my writings.” This was a half lie; he was going to number them. “ I’ll be right back.” Alex walked to the truck, it was dark in the cave yesterday, and he could have just missed the stump. As he put his hand on the passenger door of the truck the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He turned quickly overcome by the feeling of being watched again, oddly enough he thought of the old lady in the bazaar, the stump, and the piece of Lapis seemingly at once. He took a quick sharp breath and shook his head. “ Wow.” He whispered then opened the door, rummaging around he came up with the pictures he was looking for. Flipping through them he saw that the flash was of little help in the cave, the pictures were dark catching parts of the body in some and shades in others. Then he stopped at one, the picture was lousy and dark but he thought he could just make out the left side of the boy. Groping around in his vest he found what he was looking for, a jeweler's loupe; he put it to his eye and looked closely at the picture. He pulled it away and looked in the direction of the cave, someone or something had been there, and they had left a sign. He turned and walked back to the cave.
“ Find the pictures?” Nancy stood.
“ Yea their not as good as you would hope.” He handed them to her.
“ Oh, that’s too bad. I’ll get the camera and take some more before we start work.” Nancy handed the pictures back to Alex smiled and went to retrieve the camera.
“ Hey Peter.” Alex spoke as soon as Nancy was out of earshot.
“ What’s up.” Peter came over and looked where Alex was looking. “ Yea a shame, many have missing appendages, either animals or grave robbers.”
“ Here.” Alex handed Peter the picture and the loupe.
“ What am I looking for.” He put the loupe to his eye. “ Jesus.”
“ That’s what I thought.” Alex looked at Nancy coming through the opening. “ Keep it quiet.” Peter shook his head.
“ What you find?” Nancy stood over the body focusing the camera.
“ Nothing.” Peter stood, “ Just looking at the missing hand.’ “ A shame, but it happens.” She bent down and took a close up of it.” Here.” She handed the pictures to Alex. “ Could you hold these please.” Alex followed her as pictures were snapped, he was looking at some when he walked over to the stump of the arm and got down on his stomach. Reaching into the hollow of the arm he pulled out another piece of Lapis.
“ Well, this is a surprise.” At that moment the lights blinked out, Nancy screamed as she reached out and felt Alex’s arm. “ Peter!” Alex yelled.
“ Over here.” His voice broke the dark.
“ Let’s move towards the outside, stay low.” Alex was wondering if there were visitors waiting for them outside. Staying low they worked their way to the outside. “ Keep back.” Alex spoke as he motioned with his hand for them to get up against the wall, Peeking his head out he saw the solar apparatus, the cord that went from the power source to the lights was lying on the ground. He stepped out as ready for the unknown as he could be, nothing, he walked tentatively to the panel and looked it over, still nothing. Looking into the cave he saw the expectant eyes of Nancy and Peter, He surveyed the land surrounding them.
“ Alex, anything or one.” Peter whispered.
“ No it looks like who ever visited us just wanted to give us a little scare.”
“ Well, it worked.” Nancy spoke as she and peter stepped into the sunlight. Alex was walking slowly around the tripod.
“ Whoever it is covered their tracks well.” He bent down and looked at the connection. Peter walked over still looking warily around.
“ This doesn’t just fall off.” He pointed to two setscrews in the side.
“ Someone had to have the right tools to disconnect this.” He dropped the cord and looked up.
“ Let’s go check the truck.” Peter started walking with Alex. The three walked down the trail each scanning the terrain. Alex grabbed the handle and opened the truck.
“ Peter take a look around for tracks.” Alex reached over the seat and pulled the piece of Lapis the old woman had given him out of his bag. He held the other piece up beside it, he wrinkled his brow, then switched hands, putting them together he saw that they fit perfectly.
“ What you got?” Nancy made him jump a little.
“ Nothing.” Alex dropped both stones into his bag. “ I was just making sure that nothing was taken from the truck.” He turned and looked at Peter. “ Any sign of people?”
“ No.” Peter walked up to where the other two were standing. “ Whoever it was covered their tracks well.”
“ Or whatever.”
“ Nancy let’s not start getting crazy here.” Peter put his hand on her shoulder.
“ You said yourself that you hadn’t heard of the legend for years.” She looked from Peter to Alex. “ Some lady tells Alex to be ware of the hand and weird stuff starts happening.” She put her hands on her hips.
“ This is an isolated incident.” He smiled. “ Someone playing a prank.”
“ What about last night.”
“ What do you mean?” Peter looked at Alex.
“ I told you, probably someone from the camp.”
“ What if we are in danger from this hand?” Nancy was sounding a little on edge now.
“ It’s fine, we….”
“ We could die mysteriously like those people a few years ago.” She had a look of sheer terror at the thought.
“ Nancy, no one is going to die, and the hand does not exist.” Peter gave her a pt on the hand.
Capri! Capri!” The yells made all three jump around and see where they were coming from. Peter saw Alfon running at full speed, it seemed as though he was gliding through the rocks. He stopped in front of them and took a breath. “ An awful thing, Madam Boscoreale has died.
“ When.” Peter forced himself not to look at Nancy, although he knew that she was looking at him intently.
“ Last night, no one knows how, they just found her.” Alfon looked down.
I think that we should save the cave for tomorrow.” Peter jumped into the truck, “ Let’s go back to camp.” He started it up.
“ Who is Madam Boscoreale?” Alex jumped in.
“ Madam Boscoreale, or Maria, is the last Boscoreale in existence. She is a direct descendant of Caleb Boscoreale.”
“ The farmer that discovered the city.” Nancy spoke up.
“ Yes and no, it was Von Pelts ancestor the prince that had the town dig, Caleb was present and did enter the first house uncovered.” Peter rummaged through a pile of papers. “ Here.” He handed it to Alex. “ He entered right here in this small villa.”
“ The Villa of Mysteries.” Alex read off the map.
“ Yes, it was the first area uncovered and not knowing how these people perished.” He shrugged his shoulders. “ I think it was pretty clear why they named it that.”
Doesn’t this worry you.” Nancy was looking over Alex’s shoulder at the map. “ Alex gets this stone, we hear people, out light system goes out.” She sat back hard. “ Now the last relative of the man who discovered Pompeii has suddenly died, all of this since the mention of the hand.”
“ How old was Maria?” Alex put the map away.
“ As far as I could tell she was older than some of these mummies.” Peter looked at Nancy. “ And that is probably the cause of death, old age.” He turned his attention back to the road. Alex looked out the window; he had a knot in his stomach at the thought of Maria Boscoreale.
Peter, Alex and Nancy stood silently as the priest spoke. From what Alex could see most of the town had shown up to pay their last respects to the last relative of Caleb. The mood was as expected somber as person after person spoke about how Maria had helped them or befriended them at times of need. Alex was alone in his own thoughts when there was a slight groan from Peter, he looked up and saw that Eric Pelts had stepped up to say a few words. “ This could get ugly.” Peter leaned over and whispered to Alex.
“ I can see that he isn’t as popular as Maria.” Alex watched, as two older people left in obvious disgust.
“ My friends.” Eric began to speak as he surveyed the crowd. “ This is indeed a sad day, I just want you to know that I will be happy to allow the digs to continue on my land even thought Maria is not around to, as she used to say, keep me in line.” He smiled brightly.
“ You are an evil man, to come in here with your arrogance.” An old woman stepped from the mass. “ It is you we tolerate with your big car and misplaced ideals.”
“ Go home, you do not have a right to speak the way you do.” A man held up his fist. “ You disgrace Maria’s memory by coming here and talking of yourself.”
“ This is where it gets ugly.” Peter spoke over the heightening yells.
“ Please.” Alex saw the priest in obvious distress. “ My good people, this is a ceremony for the passing of a friend.” The talking ceased as he spoke. “ Let us not haggle over present issues, let us remember the good person before us and send her home with a celebration of her life and not disagreements in her death.” He stepped back.
“ He should be a politician.” Alex whispered.
“ No he seems too sincere.” Peter turned and started moving for the final viewing. Alex followed watching each before him give their respects. It came his time and he stepped up to the coffin looked down and gasped.
“ Alex?” Peter sat in his tent, with his feet up on the edge of the card table. Nancy was sipping on a glass of wine and they were both looking at Alex. “ What’s up? Ever since the funeral you have been quiet.”
“ Hello?” A voice from outside the tent caused Peter to get up.
“ Jack.” He spoke as he pulled the flap back. “ Come on in.”
“ Thank you, it is awful about Maria.” He set a box on the table and turned.
“ Yes, I was surprised to not see you at the ceremony.” Peter poured Jack some scotch.
“ I was there, I just stood in the back.” Jack sat down and looked at Nancy curiously looking at the box he had brought.
“ Oh, what made you of all people sit in the back.” Peter looked at the box as well. “ You seemed to be one of the people she took a liking to.”
“ I was searching the crowd.” Peter reached over to the box and dragged it over. “ It seems that someone was warning me off.” With that Alex looked over.
“ What do you mean by that?” Nancy shot a look to Alex.
“ By that I mean this.” Peter opened the box and took out something covered with a cloth and placed it in front of Peter. Alex rose from his seat and walked over.
“ What is it?” Peter took the edge of the cloth and pulled it back, exposing the severed hand of a Pompeii resident.
“ Where did you get this?” Peter said as he looked at Alex.
I got it from the seat of my truck last night.” He pointed at the cloth and box. “ Not wrapped like this.” He pulled a piece what looked like slate from his pocket. “ This was in the hand.
“ Let’s see it.” Peter took the stone. “ The hand lives.” He looked at Jack.
“ Pretty lame if you ask me, The hand lives.” He laughed.
“ I don’t think it’s funny.” Nancy took the stone, flipping it over in her hand. “ There’s writing of some sort on the back?”
“ Let me see.” Peter took out his loupe and looked at the inscription. “ Alex look at this.
“ That is the reason that I brought it to you. “ Jack watched Alex look over the writings. “ I figured that you would be able to decipher it.”
“ It’s all Greek to me.” Alex smiled as he handed it back to Peter.
“ Exactly.” He slowly read it. “ Awaken the hand and feel its wrath.” Peter looked up.
“ That doesn’t sound good.” Nancy said slowly as she looked to Alex.
“ Now calm down,” Peter held up a hand. “ This could have come from the bazaar.”
“ Where did the hand come from?” Nancy asked.
“ Someone trying to scare us or play a joke.” He looked at Alex, knowing Alex was thinking the same thing, the boy’s missing hand.
“ So is Maria’s death part of this joke.” Nancy stood.
“ We don’t know if there is a connection, it could just be a coincidence.” Alex spoke slowly.
“ Legends and curses are full of seemingly coincidental events.” Jack took the stone as he went on. “ Tut’s tomb, it was opened and.”
“ Jack,” Peter looked at him sternly. “ Not now.”
“ Oh, sorry, I just find this interesting.”
“ Can we find out how old this stone is.” Alex said ignoring Jack.
“ That’s a great idea.” Peter tried to sound nonchalant for Nancy’s benefit. “ I have a friend that exports mummies and relics for museums.” Peter smiled at the idea; “ We’ll go over and set our minds to rest.
Doctor Olaf Price stood looking at the hundreds of boxes that lined the archives of house of Pliny. This storage facility for the countless artifacts and bodies that were removed from the digs for further study was named for the lone man that observed the eruption of Vesoiuvious in 79AD. Price thought it only right to name the area where the present day observations of a past culture in honor of this man. He sighed at the rows of cheap metal shelving; “ You are bound for a new awakening.” He muttered to himself.
“ I know that accent anywhere.” Olaf turned and saw Peter standing at the end on one of the long rows.
“ Peter.” Olaf said loudly, his Swedish accent a bit heavier for his friend.
“ I hear that these mummies talk.” Peter started walking towards Price. “ I just didn’t know they wanted to be answered.
“ Ahh, my friend, they do indeed talk, but I was not answering, I was just telling them where they were going.” Olaf smiled broadly showing off a set of white straight teeth. “ And you, since when do you have friends that visit?”
“ You’re still a funny little man.” Peter shook his hand firmly; funny little man was far from the truth. Olaf stood a good six foot four, looking at him was like looking at a grizzly bear in the prime of its life. “ This is my assistant Nancy Stroud, and a friend from the states, Alex Staples.”
“ It is nice to see such beautiful life thrives in amongst the dead.” Olaf took Nancy’s hand and kissed it lightly. “ And Mr. Alex Staples it is a pleasure.” Alex shook his massive hand.
“ The pleasure is all mine.” Alex spoke glad he was a friend and not a foe.
“ So what is it that brings you to the esteemed house of Pliny?” Olaf motioned for them to follow; He and Peter made small talk as they walked to an office deep in the bowels of the storage building. All entered, Olaf pulled out a chair and removed some files from a couple of more. “ Sit please, if I Knew you were coming I would have done some house keeping.”
“ Not necessary,” Peter and the other sat.
“ What is all this?” Alex peered out the office door at the room.
“ This my friend is all the artifacts and bodies that have been removed from the site.” Olaf smiled. “ Each recorded and stashed away until time to go.”
“ You think this is impressive,” Peter smiled at Alex, “ He did all the cataloging by hand.”
“ That is because you can’t trust computers to be precise.” Olaf scoffed. “ I know where everything is and has to go.”
“ Impressive”, Nancy spoke. “ Where are they going?”
“ They are going to be displayed in the museums of the world.” Olaf said with a bit of surprise. “ Surly you did not think we would spend so much money and time to keep these historic treasures from the world.”
“ That was a silly question.” Nancy looked down.
“ No,” Olaf sensing her embarrassment, “ Where in the world they are going is still a mystery.”
“ How can it be a mystery?” Alex looked around.
“ The loaning of mummies and artifacts are still in the first stages, the only shipment that I know of that has a home is one going to New York.” Olaf smiled weakly. “ It seems that I am to be kept in the dark until it’s time to ship my friends off.”
“ You heard about Maria?” Peter spoke low as he changed the conversation.
“ Ahh, yes, a fine woman and a fine friend.” Olaf was staring into space as he spoke slowly. She used to come from the bazaar, bringing me food and drink.” He smiled. “ We would talk for hours about her family and the digs.”
“ Really?” Peter spoke in some shock. “ I knew her, but not to that extent.”
“ Probably true, Maria ventured out very seldom.” Olaf stood, “ She seemed to take a liking to me.”
“ You talked about her family?” Alex felt a tingle run up his spine.
“ The Boscreales, a regal family, whose legacy ended with the death of Maria.” Olaf remained standing.
“ Did you notice anything different in your conversations with her in the few days before her death?” Alex felt a need to peruse this for some odd reason.
“ Alex you pose a rather interesting question.” Olaf dropped his body into a leather chair, Alex was about to clarify his question when Olaf moved to the edge of the chair and looked at the three. “ Interestingly enough the conversation had changed.” Olaf was talking lower now. “ Maria knew she was going to die.”
“ How?” Nancy was on the edge of her chair as well.
“ She, Maria, came in to see me two nights ago. “ Olaf smiled weakly, “ Mind you, this was strange to begin with. Maria ventures here now and then, but it is usually in the daylight, she feels that unknown evils lurk in the night. She came around eight or nine, she seemed a little shaken up. I gave her some tea and it seemed to settle her down a little.”
“ Did she say she was fearing for her life?” Peter broke in.
“ No not directly.” Olaf stood and walked over to a wooden chest and spoke as he lifted the lid. “ She talked of the hand of Pompeii, she felt the curse was once again rising to take the people of this land away.”
“ She was the woman in the bazaar that gave me the stone.” Alex spoke low.
“ Maria?” Susan looked at Alex with wide eyes.
“ Are you sure?” Olaf sat as Peter looked at Alex.
“ Trust me I’m in a strange place with old women giving me stuff, I remember. And she spoke of the hand”.
“ That’s odd.” Olaf set a cloth on the table. “ Did the stone look like this? “ Olaf unfolded the stone to reveal a seemingly exact piece of Lapis Lazuli that Maria had given Alex.
“ Yes, here.” Alex pulled out his stone and set it beside it.
“ They’re almost identical.” Peter bent closer to the two stones.
“ Hey,” Susan stood and looked at the two, she picked Alex’s up. “ They look like they are from the same piece.” She turned it over with the shiny side up and slid it against the other.
“ I’ll be danmmed.” Olaf looked at the two stones that fit perfectly to form a solid arch.
“ The break is almost invisible.” Peter looked on in awe.
“ This may be a long shot.” Alex puled out the one that he got from the boy’s corpse in the cave.
“ Where did you get that?” Susan was quiet as she spoke.
“ Alex found it in the hollow of the missing arm, from the cave.” Alex placed it slowly onto the others to form three quarters of a solid circle.
“ How did you know that it was there?” Susan’s voice was a bit shaky as she looked at the three perfectly matched stones.
“ Because the arm was there when you first took your pictures.”
“ And you didn’t tell me! Jesus Alex, Peter!” She looked at Peter. “You knew.” She had calmed down a bit.
“ We didn’t want to alarm you.” Peter said as he looked down.
“ Alarm me! Were you going to wait till the hand, or what ever it is killed me!” Susan stood. “ This is most interesting?” Olaf looked at the stones as he stroked his beard.
“ It really looks as though it was broken from the same piece.” Peter starred at it in wonder.
“ You say this was in the hollow of the mummified boy?” Olaf turned his attention to Alex.
“ Yes, Maria gave me this one.” He pointed.
“ I suppose this has something to do with the hand?” Nancy said quietly.
“ Yes and no.” Olaf sat back and sighed. “ The hand is based on legend, but sometimes legends do carry some truth with them, it has been said that the hand will come to life if a certain cup is found, or a sacred staff that had been broken is mended.” He looked at the almost complete circle of lapis, “ or the circle is completed.” All of them looked to the stones.
“ So if this is completed..” Nancy’s voice trailed off.
“ Not necessarily.” Olaf stood and walked to a locked cabinet, he pulled out a key and pushed it into the lock. “ Since I have been here I have been studying the legend of the hand quite thoroughly.” He opened the door and stepped back, inside there were many artifacts, broken and whole sitting on velvet shelves. “ This is the challis.” He placed a cup with a large face on it and a hand as a handle, “ The staff of Pliny, and now we have three quarters of the Circle of Ebb. All thought to be the trigger for the hand to wake up and devastate those who disturb them.” He smiled, “ As you see all are here and the hand is alive.”
“ Because you have them?” Nancy looked over the items.
“ No, I have had these, well except for the Circle of Ebb for years with no ill effects.”
“ If the legend were to stay true to its story.” Peter looked at the partial circle of Ebb, “ with your other items not awakening the hand, this,” he pointed. “ Could in fact be the true key to the hand.”
“ Peter?” Nancy looked at him, “ Are you telling me you believe in the hand.”
“ No, just looking at it in a different way.” Peter took a piece of the circle and studied it.
“ If you want to look at it that way,” Alex stood as he spoke. “ Legends, especially ones that use types of keys that need to be brought together for the key to work are numerous. The other point is, Marie gave me the first piece, Peter you and I found the second in the cave and Olaf was given the third.” Alex sat back down, “ The mystery of this is how did we decide to come here and in coming find the third piece of the circle, what are the odds.”
“ Your saying that the Hand is already alive and we were pulled here together?” Nancy looked around as she spoke.
“ Couple that with the strange things happening, missing bones that turn up in Olaf’s truck, people creeping around at night and the sudden death of Marie, the last survivor of Caleb Boscoreale.” Peter was cut off.
“ And the sudden appearance of Von Pelt.” Nancy added.
“ Yes, that too may be part of the puzzle.” Olaf broke in.
“ This is all fine to talk about but we have a potentially serious and as of late deadly mystery on our hands.” Alex looked at Olaf, “ Olaf you keep these pieces in your cabinet, it’s probably the safest place to store them for now.”
“ Good idea,” Peter stood. “ I think that we should move along with the new discovery, since this fiasco seemed to start with his discovery.”
“ Do you really think we should go back there and dig around,” Nancy looked around at the men now standing. “ You said that some legends can be true, and we..”
“ We are scientists, legends or not we are going to do our job and in the process squelch this so called legend.” Peter turned and walked away.
“ Alex?” Nancy shot a look to him.
“ He’s the boss, I’m just along for the ride.” Alex turned and followed Peter.
“ Nancy, don’t worry.” Olaf smiled broadly, “ Peter and Alex will be there if you need them.”
“ But the deaths and the circle..”
“ Go, or they may leave without you.” Olaf pulled a key out and unlocked the cabinet doors.
Peter jumped into the scout and fired up the engine, gunning it more than necessary. Alex opened the passenger door and jumped in. “ What the hell was that all about?”
“ What?” Peter snapped.
“ That we are scientists shit.”
“ Look,” Peter turned toward Alex. “ Five years ago this happened and it was nothing.”
“ You said people died, when people die that is something.”
“ I’m not letting some fairy tale get in the way of what may be a key discovery.” Peter put the scout into first.
“ What if you get in the way of the fairy tale.” Nancy spoke as she opened the back door.
“ If you want to go back to New York I’ll get you a ticket.” Peter pulled his foot off the clutch and lurched forward.
“ What the hell is that supposed to mean!” Nancy said regaining her balance.
“ That means that if you are not up for it then you can get the hell out of here!”
“ Peter, calm down.” Alex spoke as he watched the road fly by. “ I’m here for the duration and so is Nancy.”
“ Good then let’s get to work.”
The drive back to the base camp was silent; Alex could feel the mounting tension between Nancy and Peter and was about to say something when the truck halted in front of the tent. Peter wasted no time in exiting the truck and headed for his tent. Nancy was about to do the same when Alex grabbed her arm. “ Nancy, he’s just exited about this discovery. He didn’t mean to be like that.” Alex let go of her arm as he spoke.
“ I know.” She smiled weakly, “ to be honest this is the first time that he has veered from his annoying level headedness, it was sort of thrilling to know that he has some other emotions.” She turned as she got out and looked at Alex. “ This legend may be a good thing for him.”
“Yea.” Alex sat back and watched Nancy enter her tent.
An hour later Alex heard his name and opened his eyes, he must have dozed off on his cot. Nancy came into his tent and sat on the edge of his bed. She was smiling as she put her hand on his shoulder. “ Hey sleepy head, it’s time to make history.” She stood, “ Come on Peter is waiting in the truck.” Alex got up and sat on the edge of the cot and shook his head. He figured this was good at least they were talking. They drove to the site, once more making their way slowly through the rocks to the cave, hooking up the solar lighting apparatus and entered the cave.
“ Alfon is probably on his way.” Peter stumbled, grunting as he tried to regain his balance.
“ Yea, I saw him walking towards the camp after the funeral.” Nancy walked past Peter who was leaning the wall of the cave.
“ Someone is all business today.” Alex stood next to Peter and chuckled.
“ That’s why she is my assistant.” Peter continued on.
They entered the room that the boy was in and stopped looking at the body once more. Peter had decided that the best way to approach this was to work from the outer edges of the small cave. Each would take a wall, start carefully searching and sifting the sand and gravel, with this method they would work the floor of the cave finally reaching the boy. Only when it was safe to walk around freely without damaging any artifacts that they might find in the surrounding would they concentrate on the boy. After about an hour Alex stopped and looked around at Nancy and Peter happy as clams digging through the dirt. He chuckled to himself, realizing now why he chose to major in geology. The lights were heating up the already stifling cave; Alex could feel the air getting heavy and stale. He stood and took a breath, watching Nancy move closer to the boy. He couldn’t help but stare at her crawling down on the floor of the cave, dusty and sweaty his thoughts were not on the cave anymore as he let out a sigh and reluctantly went back to work. Nancy was the first to reach the boy and started looking closely at the net and spear. He was as imagined covered with a thin layer of ash that had hardened over the years. She was examining the clothes when she stopped and gasped. Looking closer she saw that the clothes were in superb shape for being as old as they were. She smiled this would be one of the best examples of….she stopped. There was metal, there was a metal button fastening the pants. Reaching down she carefully lifted the edge of the shirt.
Alex and Peter both looked up at the commotion; Nancy had leapt back and hit the wall of the cave hard. She was shaking, a shriek filled the cave and she began to as best as Alex could figure, go into shock. Both men rushed over to her crouching down. “ Nancy?” Alex put a hand on her, Nancy pulled away and bumped into peter. She stood backing away from the men then turned and ran full speed out the cave with a horrified scream. Peter and Alex looked at each other then headed after her. They burst into the light to see her dashing up the rocks toward the truck. Alex put on a burst of speed and caught up as she entered the truck. Peter has taken a nasty fall as he leaped from a boulder and missed his landing smashing his shin on a sharp piece of pumice. He hobbled over to the truck pants ripped and bleeding.
“ Nancy!” Peter yelled through clenched teeth. “ What’s wrong?”
“ She got in before I could stop her.” Alex watched as she riffled through the truck looking for the keys.
“ Here!” Peter reached into his vest and handed Alex the keys and sat down with a grunt.
“ Nancy.” Alex was trying to remain calm. “ I have the keys, I’m going to open the door.
“ No!” She looked at Alex with through the window, “ No! please.” She broke down, as she did she placed her hands on the window, Alex couldn’t help but take a step back almost tripping over Peter. Peter stood and looked at the window.
“ What the hell?” Where Nancy had placed her hands there was two dark red streaks of blood. She dragged her hands down the window and slumped over the wheel.
“ Jesus, She must have cut the hell out of her hands running over the rocks.” Alex said as he fumbled for the right key. He unlocked the door and caught Nancy as she fell out of the truck. Peter helped and they placed her on the ground. Alex picked up her hands and looked at them. “ Not cut.” He looked over her body and found no place where she was bleeding.
“ If she isn’t cut where the hell did she get so much blood on her?” Peter sat heavily beside Nancy.
“ Somewhere in the cave.” Alex and Peter looked in the direction of the cave.
“ The boy.” Peter looked at Alex.
“ Stay here with Nancy.” Alex turned went to the back of the truck and grabbed a small pickaxe. Without another word he headed for the cave. As he got to the opening he slowed, looking at the ground around the opening. The only footprints he saw were theirs and he headed in. The cave somehow seemed different, the lights were still blazing and the temperature had risen quite a bit. He was relatively sure that there was no one in here since he and the others had gone over the whole cave inch by inch. He made his way to the boy and bent down. It was the same as before even down to the point of missing the arm. He looked to the slight red stain that seeped through the layer of hardened ash. Taking the pickaxe he pulled up the edge of the shirt. Blood, fresh blood. He moved to the head pulling some of the light ash off he stopped and looked around. Seeing that there was more discoloration around the chest area he chipped some more until he was able to pull the shirt up to the neck. “ Shit.” He stood and walked out not noticing the fresh air as he exited the cave.
“ Well?” Peter was sitting on a rock; Nancy was standing beside him wringing her hands.
“ You two stay here.” Alex handed the pickaxe to Peter and ran for the truck.
“ Where is he going?” Nancy sounded worried.
“ I don’t know, let’s go in and see what’s up.” Peter hoisted himself up and with Nancy’s help made their way to the boy. Nancy gasped, burying her head into Peter’s shoulder. Peter looked at where the ash had been torn off to see a lifeless Alfon starring back at them. “ Oh, Alfon, no.” He looked at where the shirt had been pulled up and saw etched into his chest the word Ebb.
Alex hit the breaks and with a cloud of dust came to a halt in front of the House of Pliny. He exited the truck quietly and looked around, if indeed the word on Alfon’s chest. was a reference to the incomplete Circle of Ebb, then Olaf Price could be in danger as well. He went to the door and looked into the large building, he half expected to see Olaf going through one of the countless boxes, but saw no one. Opening the door he quietly made his way down the rows trying to remember exactly where Olaf’s office was, The room was silent and the lighting was mere shadows cast by the stacks of shelving that rose to the ceiling. He rounded a corner and stopped, the shelving in front of him was toppled over, some of the boxes had opened and various mummy parts were strewn about the floor. Alex cautiously stepped out into the open straining to hear any hint of noise, but there was none. Making his way through the rubble to the office made him feel like he was walking through the underside of a graveyard, and at the moment it didn’t help his situation. He looked at the door to the office that hung on one hinge and the glass panel on the front was shattered. Looking around all he could figure was something big had come storming through the area leaving utter destruction in its wake. Then again if Olaf was defending himself he could have been the large object. Pushing the door to the side he poked his head in and surveyed the surroundings. There was definitely a fight, chairs were overturned and the files he had seen neatly stacked against the wall were thrown all over the floor. He let go of the door and it slid off the hinge that was holding it, smashing with a dull echo to the floor.
“ Olaf.” Alex spoke in a half whisper while readying himself for the unknown. Stepping in he felt sure that if anyone were there they would have stabbed shot or tackled him by now he made his way to Olaf’s desk. Olaf’s chair was tipped sideways; Alex bent down touching nothing and searched it, blood. Alex was sure that if Olaf put up a fight then there had to be a few guys, and this could be their blood or….he stopped. Under the desk he saw a pipe, reaching down he pulled it out holding the end with his handkerchief. “ If he did fight this might have ended it, but his other concern was where was the body? Why would his attackers haul him away? He turned his attention to the cabinet, the doors were broken and each of the artifacts were gone, the challis, the staff of Pliny and, he stood and walked over putting his hand where the Circle of Ebb was. “ Shit.” Alex frusteratedly ran his hands through his hair, he sighed and looked around once more at a loss for what to do, Then he stopped, a camera was facing the desk. Olaf had video cameras; “ You’re a good man.” Alex smiled slightly. Moving to the camera, he followed the cord to a junction box, three cords came into the box.
Walking out into the area in front of the office door he looked around. If indeed there were two more cameras around one would be in the front and one probably in the back. Alex turned and went into the office deciding that finding the recording machine would be more productive than figuring out where the cameras were. He bent low and followed the cords to a cabinet, straightening up he opened the doors, inside there was a video screen divided into three small views that he figured were the scenes from the three cameras. One was the scene outside the front door, the other was a view of the mess outside the office door and the third was of his back at the cabinet. Pulling up a chair he sat, pressing the rewind button for the tape, he then pressed play and saw in the office screen Olaf sitting at his desk doing some paper work. Pressing fast forward he watched Olaf until a startled motion caught his eye, he stopped the tape and backed it up. Olaf was still writing when his head jerked up and looked toward the outside of the office. Alex quickly scanned the other camera angles but saw nothing, Olaf then got up, slowly making his way across the office, still nothing in the other cameras. The cameras were obviously not audio, and Alex realized he was destined to watch and wonder what made the sound or sounds that Olaf was looking for. He passed through the door and appeared back to Alex on the next screen, Alex noticed something in his hand, with a closer look it was the piece of pipe that he had found under the desk. Whatever it was that made the noise caused enough fear in Olaf to feel that he was going to have to defend himself. Alex watched as Olaf walked slowly around, pipe ready. Alex looked at the tape timer, fifteen minutes, what was there? There, some movement in the shadows behind Olaf, Olaf turned and rushed into the darkness, minutes passed then all at once Olaf came running full speed out into the open. Alex couldn’t believe his eyes, Olaf was bloodied, his face was contorted into a mix of fear and pain, He turned toward the office and fell, Alex saw he was covered with blood but the pipe was not there. Olaf hoisted himself up and ran into the office slammed the door and went to his desk. He pulled out some keys from a drawer and started to the other side of the room quickly. Movement in the other screen caught his eye, Alex looked at the area outside the office and gasped, he sat glued to the screen as he watched two figures bound across the floor and crash through the door. Olaf stopped moving, he yelled something and ran at them lifting his using his gigantic body striking both, and all three tumbled out the door. Olaf came up fighting, fighting for his life. Thrashing and pulling down boxes as the two attackers charged on, one more appeared behind him, wielding the pipe and hit him in the ribs hard. Olaf went down grabbing one of them in the process; the other two ran into the office. Olaf flung the third off him like he weighed nothing and sent him crashing into a rack, bolting into the office he leaped onto the others all crashing to the floor. The desk blocked the cameras view, Alex then saw the pipe come up, it was caught by Olaf who stood then was pressed back onto the desk. The one with the pipe freed himself, Alex watched in horror as the pipe came down hard on the side of Olaf’s head, Olaf went silent, and the scene turned to snow on the screens. He quickly popped the tape out and looked at it, the tape had run out. Alex jumped up did he see what he thought he saw, He had to get back to the cave to show Peter, Alex ran through the House of Pliny mind numb with what or who attacked Olaf.
Jumping into the scout he fired up the engine and sped off, driving on the loose dirt and pumice that the locals call roads a little faster than needed. In his haste he almost lost control of the vehicle twice but pulled out of the multiple fish tails as if he drove like this for a living, not taking his foot off the gas once. Alex looked at the tape sitting in the seat beside him and realized that if it ran out Olaf must change them daily, if so there has to be a stash of tapes. Filing that thought away he jammed on the brakes grabbed the tape and leaped out of the truck. He was slightly impressed at the ease with which he scooted over the rocks, not bothering to use the path that wound through them to the cave entrance. He halted about two hundred feet from the cave opening; Nancy and Peter were not where they had been. He crouched low and scanned the area, quiet, he waited, nothing. He looked at the solar apparatus, seeing that the cells were smashed and the legs were bent. “ Shit.” He whispered to himself as he began to slowly pick his way to the cave. Five minutes later he stood at the mouth, hidden by a large boulder, looking around he let out a breath and stepped into the open. Figuring that if he was being watched by anyone they most likely would have made themselves known by now, unless they were waiting in the cave. He saw the flashlights on the ground, smashed, he looked towards the truck. There was a light in there but he didn’t want to chance going back, Placing the tape in a crevasse by the entrance he glanced around one more time and entered the dark. Alex put a hand on the wall; the sun was going down, “ Great,” he took a step. The deeper he got the more total the darkness enveloped him, it was a darkness like he had never experienced, he put his hand up to his face until it hit his nose, not even the faintest movement or image could be seen. He thought momentarily of all the times, as a kid he lay in his bed in the dark only making it through the night with the knowledge that the sun would be up soon. In here the sun would never rise and the darkness would never go, a child’s hell. The quiet was deafening, he thought he heard his heart beating, and could almost hear and feel the blood being pushed through his body by each pulse. “ No wonder people go crazy in caves.” He whispered out loud, but it sounded like a yell.
The wall was cool and rough. He knew from going in the few times he had, that it would circle the area that Alfon’s body was in. Coming to the start of the curve of the wall that made the small room he stopped, he had to hold his breath to hear if there were any other noised in the room. Silent, dead silent, He took a step hitting his knee on a sharp rock that jutted out from the wall, trying to mute a groan he stopped. Just for a second he thought he heard something else, he heard it again, it was coming from the middle of the room. “ Peter…..Nancy?” He waited, then heard a muffled wine, no someone was weeping. “ Nancy, is that you?” He move off the wall knowing that he would have no bearings now and began to walk to the noise slowly, his heart was racing now, if there were others in here he was blind and vulnerable, to his benefit he was hoping the same about any would be attackers. Alex was counting the steps he was taking from the wall in his head when his foot hit something and he lost his balance, there was a muffled scream and followed by a flurry of movement, Alex fell and felt someone move, he went still. No sound no movement, he lay there, no noise, whoever was beside him was doing the same, were they waiting to hear him, to attack? How close were they to him? He lay quiet for what seemed like hours not willing to move, not willing to give up his position. Then he felt it, A hand brushed his arm, he froze, not daring to move he felt it again this time it closed around his arm slid down to his hand and squeezed. There was a small cry just to his left, then he heard his name, soft almost a whisper.
“ Alex,” it was Nancy’s voice.
“ I’m here,” Alex whispered and squeezed her hand. He put his other hand on hers gently and felt rope binding them both together, he fumbled around with the rope and it fell away.
“ Oh, Alex.” He couldn’t see her but felt as she turned and was suddenly in her arms, she hugged him tightly, burying her head deep into his shoulder and cried. “ I thought, you….” Nancy hugged him tighter.
“ I’m right here, your fine.” Alex stood and helped Nancy up. “ Where’s Peter?”
“ They took him,” her voice shook with fear as she spoke.
“ Who?” Alex turned her towards him but saw nothing in the dark.
“ The mummies.” Nancy said with a gasp. Alex could not see her in the cave but for a second was sure that he could see her eyes wide, terrified, unfocused.
Alex stayed silent then took Nancy by the arm. “ We have to get out of here.” Alex started walking, hand out hoping to find the wall without injuring himself or Nancy. They broke out into the low light of dusk neither saying a word; Alex stopped and extracted the tape from its hiding place.
“ What’s that?” Nancy looked at the tape.
“ I’ll show you,” they walked the trail to the truck. Once in Alex looked at Nancy, “ We can’t stay at the camp, do you know where Peter’s house is?”
“ Yes, It’s in the town that sits just below the village of Mysteries.”
“ We’ll stay there.” Alex put the Scout into gear.
“ Just follow the road into town.” Nancy put on her seatbelt. “ Alex.” She looked at him; Alex forced himself to keep his eye on the road. “ The legend, the Hand….it’s real.” Nancy took off her belt and slid close to Alex.
“ All I know is Olaf and Peter are missing and we need to find them.” Alex clenched his jaw.
“ Olaf? Oh god how who?” Alex gave her a look and that was all Nancy needed. “ Oh…God.” Nancy leaned her head onto Alex’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around his she closed her eyes.
Nancy awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright and looking around. She was in a bed, the surroundings were unfamiliar a chill ran up her back. Was Alex taken during the night, where was she. Getting out of the bed she quietly walked to the window and looked out; there loomed Vesouvious, and the Village of Mysteries. She was in Peter’s house, they had made it, she realized that she must have fallen asleep on the ride from the cave, she shivered again, the cave. Turning and looking at the small room she saw it was sparsely decorated, mostly with artifacts from the various digs. Where was Alex? Did he leave her alone, knowing what was happening, a tinge of fear ran through her body and she ran to the bedroom door and flung it open, half running into the kitchen she stopped. Alex was sitting at the table drinking coffee and smiled at her. “ Good your up.” He stood and retrieved her a cup.
“ I thought they got you or you left.” Nancy walked over and hugged him firmly.
“ No, you fell asleep and I brought you in, with what happened I thought it was best if I stayed up and kept an eye on things.
“ You were up all night?” Nancy sat as she was poured a cup of coffee.
“ Well, no I fell asleep for about an hour.” Alex got up and walked to the window. “ I was awakened by a lot of commotion up there and around town. It seems that word of the Hand being alive has spread and many of the workers are packing up and heading out.” Alex walked over and sat down.
“ Doesn’t that scare you?” Nancy sat down looking out the window. “ If these people think it has come back…” Alex cut her off.
“ Hand or no hand we have two people out there somewhere, if the natives get wrestless the better for us, the less people around the better chance we have of nailing down what is really going on.” Alex had his hand on the tape cassette as he spoke.
“ What is on the tape?” Nancy took a sip of coffee and made a face.
“ Sorry it’s instant.” Alex smiled weakly. “ I was going to show you but Peter does not have a VCR.” Just then there was a knock on the door Nancy froze mid sip. “ Stay here.” Alex got up; opening a cabinet door he placed the tape on top of some canned soup and closed the door. Without another word he walked to the door and looked out the peephole. He saw a man that looked to be in his mid fifties, a local, dark hair and weathered skin. Flanked by two children, he could only figure that the woman nervously looking around behind him was his wife. Alex opened the door wide enough to look out, the man smiled then the smile faded, he was obviously expecting to see Peter. “ Can I help you?”
“ Yes, where is Mr. Peter?” The voice was high and heavily accented.
“ He is gone, My name is Alex, what can I do for you?”
“ I am Geovoni, a friend of Mr. Peter’s.”
“ Geovvoni?” Alex turned to see Nancy about three feet behind him.
“ Miss Nancy,” Concerned, “ Is everything alright.” He looked at Alex warily pulling his children behind him as he spoke.
“ Yes,” Nancy took the door from Alex’s hand and opened it wide. “ It’s good to see you.” She took his hand in both of hers and smiled. “ This is Alex Staples, a good friend of Peter’s.”
Geovoni.” He stuck out his hand and Alex took it feeling the leathery skin. Geovoni’s eyes brightened.
“ Where is Mr. Peter?” He was still grasping Alex’s hand; he let it drop when he saw the look on Nancy’s face. “ Is he ill?”
“ He is missing.” Alex shot Nancy a stare, Geovoni spoke in Italian low and turned to his wife and children, some more Italian, and they turned and walked away.
“ I shall stay and help find Mr. Peter.” Geovoni stood straight with chest out.
“ Geovoni,” Alex looked at his family walking away. “ You should be with your family and keep them safe.”
“ Mr. Alex,” Geovoni took a step closer. “ Mr. Peter was not only your friend, he was mine as well, what he has done for me and my family as well as many of the people around here can never be repaid.” Geovoni turned to Nancy, his voice softer. “ I shall return in an hour.” He turned and walked away not looking back.
“ Well, looks like he doesn’t take no for an answer very well.” Alex closed the door and shook his head.
“ Geovoni is a good man.” Nancy walked back into the kitchen and sat down.
“ He may be a good man but I know nothing about him, for all I know he could be behind this.” Alex paused, taking his coffee cup. “ Anyone could be behind this.” He walked to the window, watching the workers packing and leaving.
“ So, I could be behind this.” Nancy sat back.
“ No, I’m not saying that, I’m saying that with the workers leaving it is more likely that who ever is will remain, “ Alex sat. “ Tell me about Geovoni?”
“ The only history that I can give you is what I heard from Peter.” Nancy got up, and poured she and Alex some more coffee, then sat back down and leaned back. “ As you know Peter came here in 1990, if you took the time to read his articles you would know that in 1990 there was an uprising in the Pompeii area, to stop the digging or as town’s people put it the desecration of the resting places of their ancestors.”
“ How bad?” Alex leaned forward.
“ Far as I’m concerned all uprisings are bad, towns people armed themselves with farming equipment and stormed our storage area.”
“ The house of Pliny.”
“ Yes, but Olaf price was not the curator of the place yet, it was a man named Omar Clusteau, a French archeologist who had been there for two years.” Nancy put her leg on an empty chair and continued. “ Peter had stepped into the digs as the coordinator right in the middle of this mess, He was taking over for a man named Thomas Brewer, who had, until now successfully overseen the project. Thomas one day had just decided that he had dealt with unruly mobs enough and headed back to the U.S.”
“ Where is he now?” Alex leaned back intrigued.
“ Last I heard he is working for a company in Hingham Massachusetts, and is quite happy. Peter drove top the house of Pliny and tried to take control of the crowd, A scuffle ensued, Peter was attacked, Omar selflessly leapt into the middle of the mob to help Peter.”
“ Jesus.” Alex set his coffee down.
“ Yea, well out of nowhere a shotgun blast sounded and all went silent, a man jumped up on a table and started yelling, the crowd slowly parted and revealed Peter badly bruised but all right, Omar was not as lucky, a scythe was imbedded into his chest. Peter ran over and attempted to resuscitate him but to no avail.”
“ What happened to the mob?”
“ At the sight of Omar many fled, dropping their weapons and heading for the hills. That was Peter’s first day as head of the Pompeii digs.”
“ What about the guy that dispersed the mob, with the shotgun?”
“ He jumped down and ran over keeping a wary eye on any stragglers as Peter crawled into the house of Pliny, Upon recovery Peter made this man assistant director of the project and lesion between him and the town’s people, and you just met him.”
“ Geovoni?” Alex sat back and smiled, He knew the type of courage it took to face an unruly crowd, and the type of person it took.
“ Yup, and since then he has quelled the town’s people, and might be the only reason that we are here today still discovering towns and burial sites.”
“ Sounds like he made a few enemies.” Alex shook his head.
“ No t really, he has the unique ability to keep the peace and keep his friends.” Nancy took a sip of coffee and sighed.
“ He should be a politician,” Alex laughed.
“ No, he’s too honest.” They both laughed.
“ So to get more serious about this, we need to head back to the House of Pliny.” Alex stood, opening the cabinet door he pulled out the tape.
“ Why? What will we find there?” Nancy took the tape from Alex.
“ For one, Peter doesn’t have a VCR, and two you need to see this with your own eyes.” There was a knock on the door and Alex stood quickly.
“ Mr. Alex, Miss, Nancy.”
“ It’s Geovoni,” Nancy went to the door and opened it to see Geovoni loaded down with ropes lamps and other supplies.
“ I am ready.” He smiled.
“ Come in.” Nancy stepped aside; Alex walked over and eased the load from Geovoni.
“ First thing is we go back to the House of Pliny.” Alex spoke as he looked over the pile of ropes.
“ What is there?” Geovoni sat heavily. “ Pardon me, I am not as young as I used to be.” He grinned.
“ None of us are.” Alex spoke as he picked up the tape. “ Let’s go.” The three loaded into the scout and headed for Pliny.
The ride was silent until Alex looked over to Geovoni, “ Five years ago the hand was said to rise.”
“ Yes, Mr. Peter and I fought the hand together.” Geovoni said nonchalantly, Nancy turned.
“ What do you mean fought it together? I thought it was a legend?”
“ Legend, yes, but we fought the idea of the Hand, the workers were leaving, much like now.” Geovoni waved a hand in the direction to the almost desolate digs. “ Calming them down and keeping them here.”
“ Did that work?” Nancy was leaning up into the front seat between Alex and Geovoni.
“ Yes until the deaths.” Geovoni’s voice got distant.
“ How did these people die?” Alex spoke as he watched the road ahead.
“ The same, They disappeared, the strong and powerful.” Geovoni stopped.
“ Take away the leaders and the tribe will break,” Alex spoke softly.
“ What did you say?” Nancy looked at Alex.
“ When the Calvary was fighting the Indians for land out west, I forget his name but a General noticed that if the tribal leaders were gone the tribe was in chaos, so he told his men to capture the chiefs and strongest warriors. His thinking was that when the rest of the natives saw their strongest fall thy would give in to the white man’s demands.”
“ Did it work?”
“ Do we have reservations?” Alex looked at Nancy grimly.
“ If they were taking the most powerful people five years ago, why didn’t they go after you and Peter?” Alex looked at a quiet Geovoni.
“ Mr. Peter was still new, the power was that of those who could keep the people together.” Geovoni looked away.
“ You, you were the powerful one, you saved Peter and kept the peace.” Nancy leaned over the seat a little more. “ Why not you?”
“ They chose my eldest son, in place of me.” Geovoni was sad as he spoke, quiet in memories.
“ Oh, I’m sorry.” Nancy sat back, for the rest of the trip to Pliny, all were silent.
Pulling up to the house of Pliny Alex looked around carefully before exiting the scout. The three approached the door and stopped, it was slightly open. Alex pulled the tape from his coat pocket and looked at the other two. “ First we make sure that there are no,” He thought for a second. “ Keep your ears and eyes open.” Alex swung the door open and entered the dark interior.
“ What happened?” Nancy said in awe as she surveyed the destroyed interior of the storage facility.
“ More than when I was here last,” Alex pushes a large box that had been up-ended out of the way and continued. Geovoni stopped and bent down, picking up a piece of hard ash he stood and looked at Alex.
“ The hand was here.” His eyes showed both anger and fear as they bore into Alex’s.
“ How do you know?” Nancy took the chip.
“ The..” Alex cut Geovoni off.
“ Let’s get to the office, this tape will explain what Geovoni is talking about and I was hoping wasn’t the answer.” He turned and continued toward the office, his mind was reeling. Geovoni had seen what he had seen; did these things take his son? Are they ..He stopped at the door and turned, “ Let’s look around while I set up the tape, Nancy keep one eye on the door, Geovoni, help me get this thing out into the center of the room so we can see if anything is coming.”
“ Anything? What do you mean anything?” Nancy looked at the two men.
“ Just bare with me.” Alex and Geovoni moved the console into the center of the room, Alex put the tape in and pressed play. All silently watched the terrifying scene then Nancy saw the attackers.
“ My god, mummies.” Her voice was low and shaky.
“ It is the messengers of the hand.” Geovoni looked at Alex.
“ These things were what took your son?”
“ Yes, I fought one and..” Geovoni stood up and walked away. “ It was as if it was invincible, I struck it with an iron, it just kept coming.” He ran his hand through his long salt and pepper hair.
“ They can’t be real?” Nancy said as she starred at the screen. Alex had paused it on the face of one. It was deformed and crumbly like those she had excavated, a chill ran down her back.
“ Real or not they have Peter and Olaf, they took them for a reason and we are going to find out why.” Alex looked around, we need to search this office for what they wanted, other than the artifacts that had to do with the Hand.”
“ We can’t fight them,” Geovoni turned with conviction. “ I tried and failed, they took my son.” He sat down behind Olaf’s desk and closed his eyes. Alex walked over and crouched down beside him.
“ Your son, Maria, Peter and Olaf are the reason that we must stop them.” He placed a hand on Geovoni’s, “ If we don’t who will?” Alex stood, Geovoni looked up at him and stood.
“ I lost one to them, I will not loose Mr. Peter too.”
“ Let’s see if we can find some clues to who or what these are.”
“ Yes lets.” Geovoni popped out of the chair and started looking around.
You guy’s look around I want to run through this a couple of more times,” Nancy pulled a chair in front of the monitor. Alex watched her for a second then went to work on the other side of the room.
“ Geovoni was looking through some papers when he saw Alex move some boards over to expose a locked cabinet. He stopped what he was doing and walked over as he reached into his pocket. Alex turned, seeing that Geovoni was holding a key he stepped aside and let him to the lock. Looking over to Nancy still studying the tape he turned his attention back to Geovoni who was trying keys, he flipped the ones that didn’t fit quickly and finally one slid in and turned. “ I never knew what this key was for,” He smiled and turned it with a click the lock opened.
Nancy had stopped the tape and unnoticed by the other two had made her way to the desk and was crawling around under it. She was about to give up her search when a pain surged through her knee. Leaping slightly she hit her head on the under side of the desk. “ Nancy?” Alex turned from the cabinet and looked to the monitor then to the desk. “ You alright, what are you doing?”
“ I was,” Nancy backed from under the desk. “ Looking at the tape, and saw that while Olaf was bent over the desk he had grabbed something and it looked like he stabbed one of those things in the arm.” She pulled herself up onto her knees and peeked over the desk. In her hand there was a letter opener that was fashioned to look like a little sword.
“ Is that it?” Alex did not move.
“ Yup, and look blood,” She held it up. “ Mummies don’t bleed.” She smiled; Alex looked at Geovoni who handed him a gun from the cabinet.
“ You wanna bet.” Alex cocked the gun and walked over to Nancy. “ These mummies are gonna wish they were dead. We don’t need anything else here, let’s get back to Peter’s house and figure out what the hell is happening.” Alex turned and headed out the door with Nancy following, Geovoni had just finished loading a leather bag with ammo, and three hand guns from the cabinet, he grabbed a riffle and quickly followed the others.
Peter looked into the sun and squinted, he was on a boat. He smiled as he looked at the sheets filled with wind and felt the salty spray of the ocean. He didn’t know how he got there, or whose boat it was but he was grasping the tiller, he was in charge. He leaned over the edge and saw the bow slicing through the opaque water, what the hell was going on. In the back round he heard a voice, pulling himself up from the edge he looked around the deck, no one. But again there was a distant call, he thought it might be coming from the cabin and tried to stand, he couldn’t. Somehow he was stuck to the seat, trying to move his hand he found that it too was stuck to the tiller. Opening his mouth he tried to speak but nothing came out, he could only feel his breath hot against his face. Closing his eyes he shook his head hoping that this feeling would disappear, when he opened them he was not on a boat, he was not in the sun, he looked around, he was in a room, a dim lit room. He took a breath and slowly surveyed his surroundings; no it was not a room it was a cave, or a structure of some sort that gave a cave like feeling. He felt panic start to creep up his spine, telling himself to calm down he closed his eyes once more. As he felt the panic leave his body he was thrown into a deep dark blackness, no boat, no cave, just him floating, then a sensation of falling, then no sensation what so ever.
Nancy came out of the bedroom of Peter’s house and looked at the table full of ammunition and the plethora of handguns and riffles perched on the windowsill. “ You boys planning on invading Pompeii?” She sat down and picked up a nine mm round, rolling it in her fingers. Geovoni and Alex stopped cleaning the weapons and looked at her.
“ If that is what it takes.” Alex went back to re assembling a Taurus nine-mm handgun.
“ Mss. Nancy, We do not know what is out there, all we know is whatever it is it bleeds. And it has Mr. Peter and Mr. Olaf.” Geovoni stood and stretched.
“ So do we just go from house to house with guns a blazing asking for the hand?” Nancy threw the round back onto the table and stood, walking to the fridge she got a bottle of water, Alex looked up once again.
“ If we have too, and the first house we are going to go to and ask where to find the hand is The House of Vetti.”
“ Peter said that was a dangerous place, you think their gonna like us just barging in and asking questions?” Nancy sat once more.
“ Now we have guns, and that makes us dangerous.” Alex slid the barrel onto the body of the gun and tried the action. “ I have a feeling someone there will know something.” He picked up a Forty-four Magnum and looked at it. “ Olaf either liked guns or was expecting a war, this cannon is not for basic self defense, this is for blowing holes in large objects.” He flipped open the cylinder.
“ Or mummies.” Nancy picked up another handgun.
“ We go tonight?” Olaf took the gun from Nancy, picking up a thirty-eight; he handed it to her. “ I think this is more your style.” He smiled slightly.
“ Gee thanks Geovoni.” Nancy looked at the gun then put it down.
“ It’s five now, we go in at seven, have some dinner and keep our eyes and ears open.” Alex slipped a round into the Magnum. Then we ask some questions.”
“ And if the patrons don’t want to talk to us?”
“ Ahhh,” Alex spoke in his best oriental accent. “ Confucius say, man with gun very persuasive.” He smiled at the others.
“ This Confucius, he was a gun fighter?” Geovoni looked confused.
“ We have two hours to get ready.” Alex looked at Geovoni and laughed, along with Nancy.
“ What joke did I make?” Geovoni smiled with them.
“ A good one, lets plan this out.” All three sat down.
Peter felt the pressure on his eyes and head release; he was still swimming in a groggy darkness as he shook his head in hopes of fighting off the wave of nausea that came out of nowhere. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to make his mind clear, he took a sharp breath then let it out slowly. His breath was not being pushed back to his face, he took a couple of more deep breaths, he was drugged. The only way he knew this was he had the same feelings in the morning after some of the more wild college parties he and Alex, Alex, was he there too? Peter slowly opened his eyes, they were unfocused, painful, was he alone? He tried to wipe his eyes but his hands were still stuck, looking down he could barely make out ropes on his wrists. Concentrating on his hands he willed his sight to clear. He looked up and saw another figure sitting across from him; Head tilted forward, not moving. As his vision cleared he saw that it was Olaf, “ Olaf,” He half whispered. “ Olaf,” A little louder, his throat was dry, raw. “ Hey, are you alive?” No response. Peter looked at the table that was between them, surveying the items on it, he recognized them right away. He was looking at the Staff of Pliny, the Challis of the Hand, and the three-quarters of the Circle of Ebb. What were they doing here? What were he and Olaf doing here? There was a low groan, Peter looked up from the table and saw a slight movement from Olaf. “ Olaf. It’s me Peter.” Olaf shook his head slightly and opened his eyes.
“ Peter,” His voice was low, hoarse. “ I can’t see you.” A sound of panic filled his voice.
“ Relax, I’m sitting across from you. Olaf, we have been drugged, Take some deep breaths and try to focus.” Peter watched as Olaf did as he asked and looked up.
“ Peter, where are we?”
“ I don’t know,” Peter looked around. The lighting was dim but he could make out pictograms on the walls, straining to see he bent forward. “ I’ll be danmed.”
“ What?” Olaf looked around slowly at the walls as well.
“ Gladiators, these are wall carvings of gladiatorial battles.” Peter turned in his chair as much as he could. “ I’ve never seen this room,” His voice was slightly exited. We know that Pompeii held many secret training facilities for gladiators, some of the best came from this area.”
“ And how is that going to help us get out of here?” Olaf coughed.
“ It’s not, but it’s quite a discovery.” Peter looked around and smiled. “ We are in the middle of a training arena.”
“ We are drugged and tied up in the middle of a training arena.” Olaf was sounding impatient. “ I was kidnapped by what looked like mummies and brought to an old training camp for gladiators?” Olaf scoffed, “ that’s a hell of a mix.”
“ Whose to say the mummies, who by the way brought me here as well, aren’t gladiators.”
“ They didn’t have swords.”
“ Good point.” Peter looked back to the table.
“ Did they get Alex and Nancy?”
“ Not that I know of.” Peter looked at Olaf. “ If they did either they would be here with us or….”
“ Lets not think about that right now, we need to get the hell out of here.”
“ Why the table and your artifacts?” Peter and Olaf looked at the items on the table.
Alex, Geovoni, and Nancy pulled up to The House of Vetti and parked, without a word they exited the car and entered. The room was the same as the first time they ate there, dark gloomy and full of tension. Alex noticed that even most of the patrons were the same. “ Looks like the Hand didn’t strike fear in this lot.” He whispered to the others who nodded in agreement.
“ Good evening, I am Anthony, are you here to eat?” a small thin man with beady eyes attempted to smile but gave more of a sneer.
“ Yes three.” Alex watched as Anthony pulled three menus out and walked away without a word. Anthony placed them at a table exactly in the middle of the room, a point that made Alex a little nervous, and he turned. “ Is there another table,” Alex spoke as he looked at an empty table set in the rear corner of the room. Anthony was about to answer when he saw Alex looking in that direction.
“ Certainly, right this way.” His voice was frustrated as he briskly walked to the empty table. After they sat he shoved the menus in front of them and stormed off.
“ A little touchy for a waiter.” Nancy picked up a menu.
“ He wanted us in the middle so the rest of this crew could keep an eye on us.” Alex spoke as he opened a menu and pretended to look at it.
“ That doesn’t make me feel any better about this place.” Nancy looked around at the people looking in their direction.
“ Wine?” Anthony had the carafe that was present at every table in his hand. He began to pour it; Alex put his hand over Nancy’s glass.
“ We are in the mood for beer, bottled.”
“ Yes I see.” Anthony looked at Alex’s hand over the glass.
“ Three beers please.” Alex watched as Anthony went to the bar and grabbed three beers and opened them on the tray and returned. “ Thank you.”
“ I will return shortly for your orders.” Anthony walked away.
“ Alex I was in the mood for some wine.” Nancy looked at her beer.
“ I too was looking forward to wine.” Geovoni picked up his luke warm beer.
“ All the tables had a carafe except these two, I’m not taking any chances about opened wine that I didn’t see poured, Anthony is acting a little too shoddy for me.” Alex picked up his beer and sipped it.
“ There is cautious then there is paranoid.” Nancy took a long swig of her beer.
“ Cautious keeps me aware paranoid keeps me alive.” Alex looked around. “ Memorize these faces, we need all the information we can get.” All three looked around.
“ Are we going to eat?” Nancy was looking at the menu.
“ Maybe, did you notice the bulge under Marcus’s left arm?”
“ No.” Geovoni looked around.
“ Our friendly little waiter is packing.”
“ Now I’m not hungry.” Nancy closed the menu. There was laughter and some talking, Alex looked toward where it was coming from and saw a curtained off area.
“ I know that voice.” HAlex stood. “ I’m going to the restroom, stay alert, he looked at Geovoni and nodded. Geovoni nodded back and felt behind him for his gun, pulled it out, placing it under his leg and muttered something to himself.
Alex stood causing some of the patrons to turn and stare; he placed his napkin on the table and started moving towards the curtain. He walked over as if to pass stopped suddenly and slid it open. One of the men at a table close to Alex stood as if to stop him, Geovoni cleared his throat loudly and the man looked in his direction to see a gun resting on the table in front of Geovoni. Geovoni said nothing as he looked to the gun then the man, the man sat slowly.
“ Put your gun by your leg.” Geovoni spoke to Nancy without taking his eyes off the man.
“ I’m scarred.” Nancy did as she was told.
“ Relax, no one is going to shoot.” Geovoni tried to sound convincing but knew he failed miserably.
Alex looked at the table and saw Eric Pelts and two other men in suits; Anthony stood up as well as one of the suited men. “ Speak of the devil.” Eric held up a hand and the suited man sat. “ Anthony we will not need you for a while.” Marcus backed away from the table and disappeared around the curtain. “ Gentlemen I would like you to meet Alex Staples, a friend of Peter’s from the states.”
“ Somehow I thought I would find you here Von Pelt.”
“ My you are a good detective.” Eric laughed.
“ He knows you?” The elder of the suited men spoke.
“ Not to worry, I’m sure that he learned my real name from Peter. “ Please sit.”
“ Yes, and I was wondering when is the last time you saw Peter?” Alex sat pulling the gun from his waist as he did.
“ I believe it was when I met you, you know we don’t socialize that often.” Eric smiled. “ I would like you to meet Harrison Darby,” Eric pointed to the elder of the suits. “ He is the curator of the Museum of Natural History in New York, and his associate Tony Bellano.” Neither attempted to extend a hand, Alex looked them over.
“ Funny I didn’t know Curators needed armed side kicks.”
“ In my line of work you never know whose your friend or who’s your enemy,” Harrison spoke slowly in a low tone; Tony adjusted his jacket and remained quiet.
“ Alex,” Eric smiled slyly. “ You didn’t come here to create any problems did you.”
“ It depends, if you tell me what I need to know.” Under the table Alex aimed the gun at Tony’s stomach. “ Peter and Olaf are missing, actually they were kidnapped.” Alex looked to the three for any response.
“ It’s a tough place, am I to believe that you feel I would have a hand in this.” Eric leaned back.
“ Interesting choice of words, the Hand doesn’t seem to bother you.”
“ Legends, if these people want to believe that the dead are coming back to get them, let them. But I on the other, excuse the pun, hand don’t care.” Eric shifted slightly.
“ If I do find that you are even remotely involved with this,” Alex looked at the others. “ Any of you I will personally send you to hell.”
“ Mr. Darby does not like threats.” Tony’s hand started toward his gun, it stopped when there was an unmistakable cocking of a hammer under the table, Alex’s face stayed hard.
“ I sure hope you had a chance to have kids, cause a forty-four really causes havoc with peoples genitals.” Alex looked to Darby. “ Who said I make threats.” Alex smiled slightly. “ Geovoni!”
“ Right here.” Alex looked over to see Geovoni with gun out in front of the curtain watching the motionless diners.
“ I think it’s time to leave.” Alex stood bringing the gun up above the table. He reached over and pulled out Tony’s gun and smiled. “ Enjoy your dinner.” Alex rose and walked to Geovoni, Nancy was standing to his left. “ Lets go.” All three backed out of the door and loaded into the car.
“ Eric I thought you said there would be no problems.” Darby stood.
“ And there won’t be.” Eric stood as well.
“ Who are Peter and Olaf?”
“ No one for us to worry about.”
“ Alex said you kidnapped them, did you?” Darby walked to the edge of the curtain.
“ No, there’s no money in it, besides I have better things to do with my time.”
“ Well, this Alex seems to think you did, he could get in the way.” Darby looked to Tony.
“ Take care of this, we don’t need some hero looking for his friends to get in our way. Eric, I don’t want any more surprises popping up.” He shook Eric’s hand. “ I deal in legends all the time, you may be shocked at how many are unexplained.” Darby walked out with Tony in toe.
“ This turned out great.” Eric sighed to himself as he sat back down and poured himself some more wine. “ Cheers,” He held his glass up to the other two untouched wineglasses and took a long sip.
“These are all the supposed keys to the revival of the Hand.” Peter looked over the table to Olaf.
“ We know the hand is around, why do you think that whoever has us took these.” Olaf bit his lip.
“ The only thing I can figure is all are complete except the Circle of Ebb, maybe they think we know where the fourth part is.”
“ That seems likely.” Olaf looked at the other objects. “ The staff has been repaired, maybe they think that in order to raise the Hand from its resting place all three of the keys need to be whole.”
“ That’s a pretty big stretch, If they did we would not have been given the three pieces of the Circle. Whoever wanted them would have collected them themselves.” Peter shook his head, “ Besides as far as I can tell the Hand has come alive.”
“ Or the legend is being facilitated by those who want the fourth part of the Circle.” Olaf looked around. “ If whoever wants this made the people think the hand is active, that might give the holder of the fourth part a reason to get rid of it, either out of fear or disappointment that they did not have the key to the legend. Olaf stopped talking as he looked at Peter who seemed to be fixated on something behind him. “ What is it? Peter, what are you looking at?”
“ You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Peter’s voice was hushed. Olaf tried to turn but the roped only allowed him to look to his side.
“ I am very impressed.” A heavily accented low voice boomed out. “ Instead of finding a way to escape you seem more enthralled with why you are here with these artifacts.”
“ Who are you?” Peter heard his voice crack.
“ I am,” Peter watched as the figure looked at the pictograms on the walls. “ Let’s call me Marcus, the greatest of the Gladiators to ever come out of here to fight in the Coliseum.”
“ Well, your dressed for the part,” Peter slightly smiled.
“ I am not dressed for a part, I am the part.” Marcus turned, “ Take this one.” From the door Marcus had appeared two other men appeared, they two were dressed in armor. They silently but purposely walked over to where Olaf was and grabbed him by the arms, hauling him away chair and all.
“ No, stop, what are you doing?” Olaf was panicky.
“ Let him go.” Peter knew that he was just talking, he was in no position to bargain.
“ Not to worry, you just have to tell us what we need to know.” Marcus smiled and walked over.
“ I have no idea what you need to know.” Peter tugged on his ropes as he heard the yells of Olaf.
“ I hope you do,” Marcus pulled over another chair and sat where Olaf had been. “ It seems your friend had no information we needed as well.” Marcus paused and picked up the staff of Pliny.
“ What is this all about?” Peter looked at the shadows behind Marcus cast on the wall by the two men and Olaf.
“ Did you know that as a Gladiator, these men were forced to fight, if they didn’t they were killed.” Marcus looked in the direction of the door. “ You see they were destined to die either way, and to keep them in line when needed, every so often one was sacrificed, it was to keep the fear in the slaves.” Marcus clapped his hands, Peter watched as the ropes were cut from the chair. “ Now I see that this is a necessary act, I want the fourth piece of the Circle of Ebb.”
“ Why?” Peter clenched his teeth.
“ I am not looking for questions, I’m looking for an answer.”
“ I have no idea where it is.” Peter stopped struggling and slumped.
“ We will find out, kill him.” Marcus sat and looked into Peter’s eyes as peter watched the shadows stand Olaf up.
“ No, I don’t know!” He was struggling again, he felt blood trickle down his wrist where the ropes were digging in.
“ You might not, but this will give you something to think about, a little memory boost.” Peter watched as one of the shadows wielded a sword, bringing the butt of the handle down on the top of Olaf’s head. Olaf hit the ground on all fours, then the sword came down once more severing his head.
“ Noooo! Jesus!” He didn’t know anything, I don’t know anything!”
“ Well, I’ll let you think on it for a while.” Marcus stood and walked out the door; the three figures disappeared leaving the shadow of Olaf’s limp body shimmering on the wall.
Alex sat by the front window of Peter’s house and surveyed the landscape. Not a day earlier the same area would have been a bustling of activity in the streets and up in the on the side of the mountain where the primary digs were taking place. Now few people were about and the ones that were, were packing up and heading out. Even most if not all of the thrill seeking Americans who volunteered to help in the discovery of an ancient civilization He looked over to Geovoni who was peering through the back porch. “ If I’m right, Darby is going to try to quiet us.” Alex looked back out the window.
“ Mr. Alex,” Geovoni didn’t turn to speak. “ If you’re right most of the fine people at the House of Vetti will be joining him.” Geovoni turned, “ Three against who knows how many? Odds aren’t good.”
“ You’re a betting man?” Alex turned and gave a slight smile.
“ No.” Geovoni smiled as well.
“ I saw some people coming from the direction of the town.” Nancy entered the room talking quietly, holding a thirty-thirty.
“ Okay, show time, keep an eye out and shoot anyone that seems threatening.” Alex touched his hip and felt the grip of the forty-four.
“ How will we know if they’re bad.” Geovoni looked up.
“ They will be shooting.” Alex picked up his riffle.
Nancy went back into the bedroom and crouched by the window. She counted the shadows she saw in the distance, around twenty, great, “ We’re gonna die.” She slumped onto the floor. She never in her wildest dreams thought she would be waiting to have a shootout in Italy, when she was hoping for a little more excitement just a few days ago, this was not what she had planned. Could she kill, could she actually aim a gun at another human being and pull the trigger, she looked out the window. The thought made her stomach turn, she would be a murderer, no it would be self defense, no it would be her killing another person, she took a deep breath. A shout was heard and the crack of a gun, the bullet shattered the window, Nancy ducked as glass showered over her. From deep inside she felt it, rage, this man tried to shoot her, human or not he tried. She swung the gun around and aimed at the figure and pulled the trigger, the shot rang out in the room echoing off the walls. She watched as the shadow threw his arms up flinging the gun into the air as his feet left the ground. The others around him hit the ground; the lone gun almost hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity then fell soundless to the ground. Silence, deafening silence, she looked around, another shot rang out, a hole appeared in the windowsill. Without hesitation she stuck the barrel out of the window and started firing. “ I will not die.” She growled under her breath. Alex came diving through the door, a bullet striking the frame of the doorway as he slid across the wood floor. He came to a stop on the opposite side of the bed, in one motion he used the barrel if the riffle to shatter the glass and started pulling the trigger.
“ Are you okay?” Alex shouted over the sounds of gunfire.
“ I’ve been better!” Nancy ducked under the window, loading more shells into her gun, a bullet whizzed by shattering a mirror that hung by the bedroom door.
“ Looks like the whole restaurant decided not to have desert;” Alex pulled the trigger and watched as a shadow fell to the ground. There was a sudden breaking of glass in the other room, Alex heard Geovoni yell in Italian then the sound of furniture smashing. Alex looked to Nancy then quickly crawled towards the door, entering the other room he saw a body on the floor next to the window, pieces of a broken chair around him. “ Geovoni?” Geovoni was standing with his back to Alex; he turned quickly aiming the riffle at Alex.
“ Sorry, rat bastard came through the window,” Geovoni looked at the knife sticking out from his right shoulder. Without a word or ant facial expression that Alex could detect Geovoni reached up and yanked the dagger from his shoulder. Pulling out a handkerchief he stuffed it under his shirt. “ Rats!” he turned pulling the trigger like he was possessed, “ Come on you bastards!” Alex jumped up and approached the window firing as well.
“ Alex!” Nancy yelled over the deafening gunfire. “
“ I’m a little busy.” Alex started backing away from the window to the other room.
“ Stop shooting! Listen.”
“ Geovoni, stop.” Geovoni stopped firing and sat down on the floor exhausted.
“What is it?” Alex stopped as well. The firing outside was dying as well, then there was the unmistakable sound of a machine gun, everyone hit the floor.
“ He is not shooting at us!” Geovoni peeked out the window.
“ Who is it?” Alex looked out to see their attackers falling as if rag dolls.
“ I don’t know but I am gonna give that guy a big kiss,” Nancy had entered the room and stood with the others looking out the window. In what seemed like mere moments all went silent.
“ Let’s go see who our hero is.” Alex walked to the bullet riddled front door, opening it slowly he peeked out, he was looking around when he felt a hot barrel against his chin.
“ Consider this a favor for not blowing my nuts off.” Tony Bellano smiled.
“ If you wanted me dead why not let these guys finish the job?” Alex turned slowly and looked at Tony.
“ That would take all the fun out of my job.” He laughed, “ I’ll see you around.” Tony backed away gun still aimed at Alex; he got into his car and sped off.
“ Who do I kiss?” Nancy came out and saw the taillights of the car driving away.
“ No one.” Alex threw the gun on the ground and walked inside.
“ Where’s out friend?” Geovoni looked up from his shoulder as Alex walked in.
“ It was no hero, it was Tony Bellano, our friendly curator’s henchman. He just informed me at gun point that we are marked.”
“ Why did he help us?” Geovoni stood picking up his riffle.
“ You don’t need that he’s gone, it appears that he was given a job and doesn’t like others taking away his glory.” Alex sat heavily.
“ Great mad mummies and mad men.” Nancy smiled weakly, “ What next?”
Peter opened his eyes and focused on the shadow flickering on the wall, his mind was clear. Either they had forgotten to dose him up with whatever drug they were using or they decided that he was of better use to them coherent. His mind whirred with new life and the events that remained fuzzy that happened only an hour ago, a day ago, Peter realized that he had no sense of time. Trying to figure out the time that had passed his mind stopped, Olaf, he looked to the shadow and gasped, Olaf was killed. His heart started racing as he pulled at his restraints, he had to find a way out. “ I see you remember.” Peter turned to the voice. “ Yes I am still here.” Marcus still dressed in the gladiatorial garb stepped from the wall and approached.
“ How,” Peter stopped and cleared his throat. “ How long have I been here?”
“ That is of no concern, your friend Olaf will remain within these wall forever, he is not complaining.”
“ You’re a sick man.” Peter snarled looking in the direction of Olaf’s decapitated shadow.
“ You are very wrong about that,” Marcus pulled out a chair opposite of Peter and sat. “ I am a very good man on a mission.”
“ What’s the mission to bring Halloween to Pompeii.”
“ Insults will not help lengthen your life.” Marcus stood. “ You and I are very much alike.” He turned, facing Peter. “ You uncover and preserve ancient civilizations, I am working to preserve the memory and brother hood of the condemned.” Marcus turned, spreading his arms wide as he did. “ The gladiators, prisoners, entertainment, men that lived to fight and fought to live.” He walked to the wall, grabbing a torch from a sconce as he did; holding it up he illuminated a pictogram. Peter squinted to see it was of a group of men holding up a symbol over their heads. “ These are the hero’s, brothers that fought for their lives, all close in chains but enemies in the arena, friends that would slaughter one another for the amusement of the rich and blood thirsty.” Marcus ran his hand down over the pictogram. “ And this is what bonded them,” He pointed to the object one was holding. “ The Circle of Ebb.”
“ This is why you slaughtered Olaf.” Peter was dumbfounded.
“ He was not slaughtered, he was a show, a means of motivation for you to get the last piece, and in doing so make the Circle whole, our history whole once more, keep the memory of the brotherhood of the condemned alive.” Marcus walked over, throwing the torch on the ground as he did.
“ What makes you think I have or know where the last piece is?” Peter realized a lunatic that had thrown himself into the past was holding him captive. If this nut thought that completing the circle would relieve his brothers that had died in battle, he was in for a rude awakening.
“ That is not my concern.” Marcus’s face was inches from Peters.
Alex sat silently at the kitchen table; he was staring out the remnants of the shattered window. Geovoni and Nancy were busy working on the knife wound when Alex turned. “ You stay here I’m going to go out for a while.” His voice was hard as he spoke.
“ And where are you going?” Nancy looked up from the wound.
“ It is not safe to go anywhere alone, we all go or we all stay.” Geovoni stood putting his shirt back over his shoulder.
“ Really?” Alex turned and looked over his two companions; bloody and tired they were determined to be by his side.
“ We are in this together,” Nancy picked up her handgun.
“ Then we will go to have a chat with Mr. Harrison Darby.” Alex stood. “ The last thing they would expect would be us coming after them right now.”
Eric Pelts stood and looked at Tony sitting comfortably in the over stuffed chair. He had come back and let Darby know what had transpired at Peter’s house. “ I didn’t ask for this,” He started pacing. “ I agreed to help you find the Circle of Ebb for your museum.”
“ I had Tony pay the patrons of the House of Vetti to dispose of Alex and his friends. The Circle is not going to go to the museum, it is going to go into my personnel collection as the primmer piece, in fact the Circle is priceless.” Harrison stood.
“ I didn’t think people would get killed,” Eric put his hands on his face and sighed deeply.
“ Well welcome to the real world,” Eric looked at Tony as he rose.
“ Why did you kill all those people?” Eric sat heavily, his mind confused, fear was edging in.
“ I got caught up in the moment.” Tony smiled. “ Besides you kidnapped Peter and that Olaf guy.”
“ No I didn’t, that has nothing to do with me. I may be the most hated man around here but I do not look to get people killed or stoop to kidnapping.” Eric stood.
“ Then I think we have obtained the services of the wrong man, sit down.” Harrison looked at Tony. “ It’s a shame that we won’t be able to do business anymore.”
“ Yea,” Tony pulled his gun out, aiming it at Eric.
“ Good bye Mr. Von Pelt.” Harrison stood and smiled at a now shaking Eric. Eric looked into Tony’s eyes and saw a change; the light had seemed to leave. His stare was not at Eric but behind him, Eric turned and saw Alex standing in the doorway to the room.
“ I hope you estates are in order.” Alex pulled the trigger of the forty-four, the room sounded with a clap. All watched as Tony left his feet, his body slamming against the wall. Harrison moved for something under his coat, without hesitation another shot rang, out hitting Harrison in the face, Harrison collapsed into a heap on the floor.
“ That is disgusting,” Geovoni looked at Harrison.
“ Don’t kill me.” Eric broke the silence. “ I had no idea what or who they were.”
“ You not worth killing,” Alex pulled him out of the chair. “ Where’s Peter and Olaf?”
“ I don’t know?” Eric was pleading.
“ You better think hard.” Nancy walked over and looked at Eric.
“ I saw people, strange people by the Villa of mysteries.” Eric looked at Alex hopeful.
“ What kind of people?” Alex let go of Eric and he slumped back into the chair.
“ People who weren’t packing or running, they were there late at night.”
“ I think we need to see what is so important about the villa.
“ I will help any way I can.” Eric stood.
“ What makes you such a Good Samaritan so quickly?” Alex looked down at Eric.
“ I told you, many may not like me but I’m no murderer or kidnapper.”
“ He’s right, we could use another hand.” Nancy stepped in front of Alex.
“ He will either prove what he says or I will shoot him.” Geovoni looked at Eric who took a step back.
“ Deal.” He stood a little straighter and stuck out his hand. Alex looked at his outstretched hand and shook it as he looked deep into Von Pelts eyes.
“ Don’t disappoint me.” Alex let go of Eric’s hand and left with the others following.
The Scout was parked at the entrance to the Villa of Mysteries, Alex, Geovoni, Nancy, and a slightly reluctant Eric, walked through the ruins. Alex was concentrating on the ground near any of the houses or walls as he walked. “ What are you looking for?” Nancy picked up her pace to keep with his long strides.
“ If indeed there are people using this area, there might be tracks or signs.” Alex stopped.
“ If they are the same ones at the cave then they would hide them just as well.” Nancy bent down running her hand over the ground.
“ True,” Alex turned to the others. “ Geovoni, You and Eric search the other side, look for tracks or any sign that people have been here. Anything that seems slightly out of place, I don’t care how insignificant it is let me know.” He turned, “ Nancy we’ll do the same.” It was getting darker now; Alex looked at the full moon and smiled. “ Mother Nature is even helping.”
Alex peered at the wall inside a house; it was impossible to see anything. Just then a light flashed on the wall. “ Thought these might come in handy.” Nancy handed him a light. “ Geovoni has a couple as well.”
“ At least one of us is thinking.” Alex took the light, sweeping the small interior of the house. “ Pretty sparse.”
“ Not to sound like a cliche but they were a simple people, and they have been dead since 79AD.”
“ Point taken, wise guy.” Alex shone the light on Nancy and saw that she was smiling. Alex walked close to her, she could see he was intent, he started to bend towards her, Nancy felt a chill as she closed her eyes. She held still eyes closed fore what seemed like an eternity, finally opening them.
“ Alex?” She looked around.
“ Down here.” Nancy looked to see Alex on his knees next to one of the stone walls that was carved out of the side of the mountain.
“ What are you doing?” She was a little flustered thinking he was going to kiss her.
“ Look.” Alex was whispering now, Nancy bent down and saw a straight pile of ash and dirt about three inches from the wall.
“ What is it?” She touched it.
“ When you were a kid and opened a door all the way what happened if there was dirt or leaves in the way?”
“ The door would push them out of the way,” She thought for a second. “ And leave a pile of whatever was in the way.” She looked over to the solid stone wall. Alex got up pointing his light on the floor.
“ No trace of a door here but if they covered it they missed the dirt mound.” Alex stood at the far edge of the mound and walked in an arch to the wall. “ If that was the front edge of the door then is should be here it begins.”
“ I don’t see anything.” Nancy walked over pointing her light on the area.
“ Do you have a rock hammer in that bag of tricks of yours?”
“ Of course.” Nancy opened it and handed the hammer to Alex.
“ Cover your eyes.” Alex took a guess where a handle or latch would be and struck the rock. The hammer went through easily, Alex stepped back and shook his head. “ It’s false.”
“ What?” Nancy looked up and saw the hole where Alex had hit.
“ It’s a façade,” Alex ran his hand over it. “ Not the whole wall just a part.” He ran his fingers around the edges and popped it off some brackets, putting it aside he saw a door. “ Well, lets see what is so important behind this door.” Silently they entered into the dark tunnel.
“ Some one did a lot of work to make these.” Nancy looked around, the height alone would have taken years.
“ This is a lava tube.” Alex put his hand on a wall and looked around.
“ This is natural?” Nancy looked in awe.
“ Yup, I’ll explain later.” Alex looked ahead and saw a faint glow of flickering light. “ Up ahead, light.” They walked for about three hundred feet more and the room suddenly opened up, Alex saw torches circling the walls.
“ Oh, my God, look at the size of this.” Nancy walked to one of the torches and looked at the wall. “ Alex, this is an arena.”
“ A what?” Alex walked over.
“ An ancient training arena.”
“ For?” Alex ran his hands over the pictograms on the wall.
“ Gladiators.” Nancy was about to explain when there was a moan from somewhere in the room, both went silent. Alex cocked the hammer on his gun and turned from the direction that the noise came from. He played the light along the walls then across the room; it landed on a figure in the center.
“ Peter!” Nancy gasped as she ran toward him, Alex right behind her.
“ Nancy?” A groggy Peter opened his eyes.
“ Yes, and Alex is here as well.” She started fumbling with the ropes. “ We have to get you out of here.
“ That may be an impossible task.” A voice boomed from somewhere in the room, Alex turned ready to fire on any would be attackers.
“ Who is that.” Alex was scanning the low-lit room.
“ Marcus.” Peter huffed out then coughed.
“ Your friend is correct.” A form appeared.
“ Who are you?” Nancy looked at the armor clad being in front of her.
“ I am Marcus Percolious, the head of the brotherhood of the condemned.
“ Great another cult born out of history.” Alex shook his head.
“ We are not a cult we are the ancestors of the slaves of Rome, men who lived or died in arena’s just like this.”
“ Why did you kidnap Peter and Olaf?” Alex held his gun steady.
“ Killed Olaf.” Peter spoke with hate in his voice, Alex aimed his gun at Marcus’s head.
“ Cults murder.”
“ Not this one,” All turned to see Olaf dressed in the same garb as Marcus. “ My seeming death was used as a persuasive technique.”
“ You bastard.” Nancy stepped closer to Olaf.
“ What were you trying to persuade him to tell you?” Alex stepped between Nancy and the others.
“ Where the fourth piece of the Circle of Ebb was located.”
“ We gave you the other three, why would you think that we knew where the other piece was?” Alex remained ready to kill if needed. “ You killed Maria and Alfon.”
“ No, we did not, Please lower your gun and I will explain.” Olaf looked at Alex and smiled. “ Thank you, I have been here for years trying to retain the Circle, it is the symbol of the brotherhood. When you brought me the three pieces I knew that I was close to obtaining the very symbol that our fallen ancestors had used as a memory of their lost brothers in battle.” Olaf pointed to a picture on the wall. “ The Circle of Ebb.”
“ Alfon?” Alex could feel his hands start to sweat.
“ Unexplained, I faked my own abduction on tape to take any suspicions from me, Peter he was one that might know where the last piece was.”
“ As noble as it sounds we can’t let you go.” Alex raised the gun once more.
“ That would not be wise.” Olaf pointed behind them; Alex looked to see Eric and Geovoni in the hands of two more mock gladiators. “ We do not kill for sport any more, we are to preserve the lives of the fallen, and that is not done in death.”
“ What are you going to do?” Alex looked back to Olaf.
“ Let us continue for our search for the fourth piece and you may go.”
“ What about five years ago, the hand or your goons killed Geovoni’s son.”
“ No we had no dealings in that.” Olaf shook his head. “ As I said many legends have more truth to them than we may think.” Olaf looked to the others, “ Let them go.” The men released a shaking Eric and Geovoni. “ We will search but I assure you that we will not kill.”
“ Fair enough.” Alex thought it best if they leave with their lives than argue with a bunch of gladiators. They all backed out hoping that this was the last they see of the brotherhood of the condemned.
Alex sat on the plane at Naples and smiled, all he wanted was a vacation and to see an old friend. He picked up his carry on bag, he was about to place it in the over head compartment when caught a glimpse of something. Opening it up he pulled out a neatly wrapped present with a card taped to the outside; he ripped it off and opened it.
Dear Alex,
Thought you would enjoy this, we have to get together sometime in San Diego and talk about those lava tubes.
All my love Nancy,
Alex tore the paper off of the box and opened it. He laughed out loud when he pushed aside the tissue paper and revealed the fourth piece of the Circle of Ebb. There was a note on it as well.
It was too pretty to give to the gladiators.
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