Area 51: Nosferatu-8 (23 page)

With each victory, Cing Ho provided Nosferatu and Tian Dao Lin with captives to feed on in the privacy of their cabin. The two were confined to their cabin except once weekly, when they were allowed to wander the large afterdeck in the evening. Occasionally they met Cing Ho there. Nosferatu found the Chinese admiral to

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be quite a fascinating character for a human. He was of Arab-Mongol descent and had been captured by the Emperor's forces during the northern border wars. Upon his capture Cing Ho was castrated—a common practice with prisoners—and pressed into the army of a prince named Chu Ti. In 1402 Chu Ti rebelled and usurped the throne from his own nephew and became the Emperor Yongle. For his faithful and brilliant service, Cing Ho was made an admiral.

When Artad directed that a fleet be sent to battle Aspasia's Shadow's growing influence in the Middle East, Cing Ho was given command of the mission.

Nosferatu began to realize there was more to the mission, though, than was readily apparent, as they progressed up the west side of Indochina and then on the coast of India. By defeating various pirate groups, the fleet was opening up a waterborne trade route to the west, one that would be much quicker than the Silk Road. Also, Nosferatu and Tian Dao Lin heard whispers of a special cargo on board the flagship, something that had come from the Gods themselves. Any effort to find out exactly what this cargo was drew immediate silence. It appeared that the cargo was held in a locked, waterproof room near the front of the ship, to which only Cing Ho had access.

They rounded the tip of India and entered the Arabian Sea after two years under sail. When they landed at Omuz in the Straits of Oman, Cing Ho led a large force ashore. The ostensible reason was to subjugate the local population, but he took Nosferatu and Tian Dao Lin with him, the first time their feet had touched dry land since leaving China. He ordered them to scour the local area at night and see if they could find word of Aspasia's Shadow.

For weeks Nosferatu and Tian Dao Lin went from village to village, even venturing out into the desert, all to no

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avail. At Nosferatu's urging they ranged north far into the desolate countryside of what would become Iran until they found an oasis where a group of Bedouins were camped.

From his journeys many years ago, Nosferatu still remembered some of the desert people's language. He and Tian Dao Lin entered the encampment just after nightfall, their wrists draped with pearls and their open palms filled with gold.

The first Bedouins they encountered were wary and would not take the offered riches; but they took the two to an ornate tent set in the middle of the camp, next to the water. Nosferatu and Tian Dao Lin entered and bowed before the old man who sat in the place of honor, and four of the desert warriors took a position between them and the old man, scimitars drawn.

"We come from the land of the Emperor Yongle, far to the east," Nosferatu said. "We bring you gifts of peace."

The old man didn't reach out to take the gifts, but indicated they should be deposited on the ground in front of the warriors. Nosferatu did as indicated and waited.

"I am Al-Fatar, leader of the Qabila of Fatar. We have heard of strange, great ships to the south. Is this how you came here?"

Nosferatu nodded. "Yes. We have journeyed far."

"Why?"

Nosferatu knew such directness was unusual for Bedouins, who had strict rules of hospitality which he had counted on. He realized it would be best to be as direct. He sat down cross-legged. "We are seeking someone. A powerful lord who is supposed to dwell between here and the land of Egypt. Since you travel much of that land, we thought you might be of assistance in this matter."

"This lord's name?"

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"Aspasia's Shadow."

Al-Fatar shook his head. "I know of no such lord."

"He might go by another name," Nosferatu said.

"Then how would I be able to tell you if I knew him?"

"He is more than a man," Nosferatu said. "He has lived the lives of many men.

He has walked the Earth since before the beginning of time, when the Gods themselves walked the Earth."

Al-Fatar stared at Nosferatu. "If he is so powerful, why should I tell you of him?"

Nosferatu stood. "Because I too am powerful. And I too have walked the Earth since the time of the Gods. I was in Egypt before the Great Pyramid was built.

And the great fleet you have heard of is under my command."

Al-Fatar was not impressed. "Words are easy."

Nosferatu jumped, bounding over the warriors as he drew his dagger. He landed behind the old man and spun about, pressing the dagger against his throat. "Is this blade easy on your skin?"

Tian Dao Lin had also moved, attacking in a flurry faster than the Bedouins could follow. Within seconds all four warriors were unconscious on the floor.

More Bedouins poured into the tent, weapons at the ready; but they came to a halt on seeing their leader's plight.

"Tell me what you know," Nosferatu said.

Surprisingly, Al-Fatar laughed. "I have never seen a man so eager to go to his death. The person you seek is called Al-Iblis. Some say he is a man, but most call him a demon. He has been sending out a call to the Bedu, wanting us to ride under his flag. Many have chosen to do so. Some say he has spells he casts over men to make them do his bidding. I have stayed here, far away from him, and will not go to his flag, so I care not what you do."

"Where can I find this Al-Iblis?" Nosferatu demanded.

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"In the Sinai," Al-Fatar said. "It is said he rules from Jabal Mosa, where the prophet Moses received the law from Allah. What those in the West call Mount Sinai."

Nosferatu had never heard of the place or anyone named Moses, but he knew they could find it with that information. "What is Al-Iblis doing?"

"He is raising an army to fight in the name of Allah. To pursue a Jihad."

"What is a Jihad?" Nosferatu asked, the word not one he had heard before.

"A war of faith."

"Against whom?"

Al-Fatar shrugged. "It is not my concern, but the rumor is he wants to march on Egypt, that he seeks something underneath the Great Pyramid."

Nosferatu wondered what Aspasia's Shadow sought in Egypt. The Grail? Had he found the key to the Hall of Records? Or something else? Nosferatu nodded to Tian Dao Lin. He turned and slashed with the sword he had been given by Ts'ang Chieh cutting a hole in the side of the tent. They both dashed out the improvised exit and into the desert. Nosferatu was not surprised when there was no sound of pursuit.

Cing Ho Listened to Nosferatu and Tian Dao Lin's report in the privacy of his cabin aboard the flagship. When they were done he unrolled a map across his large desk, pinning the ends down with small lead weights. The information on it was based on intelligence gathered, not firsthand knowledge, as no Chinese sailor had ever ventured so far from home.

"The Sinai is a large place" was Cing Ho's summation, tapping the large blank space indicating a landmass be-

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tween the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. "You have no idea where exactly this mountain is?"

"No," Nosferatu said.

Cing Ho seemed troubled. "This land is not very hospitable. I believe it will be difficult to find a landfall where we can get enough provisions for the entire fleet."

Nosferatu remained silent. Cing Ho's problems were not his. He and Tian Dao Lin had even considered not returning to the fleet, but the reality was that the Chinese armada was their best possible chance to overcome whatever force Aspasia's Shadow was gathering. For Nosferatu the goal was to get Aspasia's Shadow to reveal where Horus and the other three Airlia were in the deep sleep, so he could drain the blood from at least one of them for Nekhbet. For Tian Dao Lin the fleet was his best opportunity to return to his home in China and be in favor with Artad.

"I will land here," Cing Ho finally decided, tapping a landfall on the Sinai next to the Red Sea. "However, there is something we must first do elsewhere."

Nosferatu wondered what could be a higher priority than finding and killing Aspasia's Shadow, but he kept the question to himself.

It took a week to sail around the tip of the

Sinai. As they approached the Red Sea, Nosferatu felt a twinge of recognition.

It had been many, many years since he had sailed out of the Red Sea on a flimsy reed boat, escaping from Egypt and the Airlia Gods.

Nosferatu received a second unexpected surprise when, instead of turning to the northwest and entering the Red Sea, they cut south across the Gulf of Aden to the shore of Africa and actually turned to the east,

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paralleling the shore, in the same manner Nosferatu had done so many years previously. For a moment, as he saw the shore of Africa appear, he feared that somehow Cing Ho knew where Nekhbet was hidden and was heading for her; but he realized the ridiculousness of that fear immediately. He had told no one, not even Tian Dao Lin, where he had hidden his love. And why would Cing Ho—or his master, Artad—care? Nosferatu knew that the Chinese admiral was on some other mission, most likely something to do with whatever was locked in the vault near the bow of the ship.

They sailed along the Somalian coast before making landfall in a natural harbor. A small village was on the shore and Cing Ho had all the villagers put to the sword. That evening, under the cover of darkness, Cing Ho went to the forward hold and unlocked the door. A heavy wooden crate was brought out and rowed ashore. Two long poles were slid through hinges on either side. Cing Ho formed a division of two thousand soldiers on the beach, the crate secure in the middle, carried by a dozen men on each pole.

Nosferatu and Tian Dao Lin watched from the deck of the flagship as the formation moved inland. Cing Ho had not said a word to them, so by default they were being left with the fleet.

"Where do you think they are going?" Tian Dao Lin asked.

Nosferatu shrugged. "What is more important is what it is that they are carrying. It is more important than Aspasia's Shadow."

"Perhaps it has something to do with Aspasia's Shadow," Tian Dao Lin suggested.

"How can that be?"

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It was Tian Dao Lin's turn to shrug. "I do not know, but Artad is obviously very wise and his reach is long."

"There is one way to find out," Nosferatu said. "You remain here. Keep up the pretense that I remain in our cabin. I will follow." The Chinese had not watched the two very carefully, primarily because jumping ship in the middle of nowhere wasn't considered a viable option.

Nosferatu had no problem slipping off the flagship undetected. It was also easy to follow the trail of Cing Ho's army inland as they cut a broad swath through the jungle. Nosferatu quickly caught up to the army. He followed for two weeks, sleeping during the day while the army marched and catching up every evening.

The terrain quickly grew more rugged and mountainous. Near the end of the second week the army entered the strangest land Nosferatu had ever seen. It was as if a giant had smashed the Earth with a large axe, leaving a massive rift in the surface. A river ran in the bottom of the rift and sharp peaks surrounded it on both sides. Nosferatu followed the army down into the rift.

After two days of difficult maneuvering north, the army came to a halt. That evening Nosferatu watched from a nearby hill as Cing Ho gathered a small group of his most trusted warriors around the mysterious box. They were lined up next to the wall of the rift and Nosferatu blinked in amazement as they turned toward the wall and seemed to disappear from view. He realized there must be an opening, perhaps a cave in the rift wall. He crept down through the Chinese camp to the spot and saw an opening behind a boulder. He could see the glow from the torches of those who had entered ahead and he followed, keeping his distance.

The small tunnel soon opened into a sloping cavern

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over five hundred meters wide, the ceiling over a hundred meters high. Nosferatu knew from his time in the Roads of Rostau and Qian-Ling that this was not a natural formation but the work of the Airlia Gods. For as far as he could see the cavern descended into the Earth at the same angle. Cing Ho's party was a glowing spot about eight hundred meters ahead.

Nosferatu followed. The cavern grew even wider until he couldn't see either side. While the Black Sphinx and Qian-Ling had been magnificent in their own ways, this cavern made Nosferatu wonder at the true power of the Airlia. He felt as if he were descending to the very center of the Earth as he continued to follow Cing Ho's party down the steady slope.

He realized that the temperature, which had been cooler than the outside when he first entered the cavern, was beginning to rise. Then, far ahead, he could make out a faint thin red glowing line. As he got closer he could see that a crevice split the cavern floor. The far side of the crevice was over half a mile away. Nosferatu swung to the right as Cing Ho's party reached the crevice and came to a halt.

Sliding to the edge of the crevice, Nosferatu peered down. The walls were vertical and there was no bottom that he could see, just a bright red glow pulsating upward. He could feel the wave of heat coming from the bowels of the planet. It was a mesmerizing vision and, with great difficulty, he drew his attention back to Cing Ho as he heard the faint echo of the Chinese admiral giving orders to his men.

Nosferatu saw that there was a console, similar to the one he had seen in Qian-Ling, near the edge. Cing Ho was standing behind it, his hands moving over the surface, his face reflected in a glow. Nosferatu moved back and above 205

the site. He could see that the surface of the console was like that on his own tube—covered with hexagonals with High Rune writing.

Cing Ho tapped several of the hexes as two of his men used bars to break open the crate. As the wood fell away it revealed a large, dull red, multifaceted sphere. Other soldiers gathered round the sphere and, at Cing Ho's command, carefully edged it toward the edge of the chasm.

Cing Ho hit another hex and a black metal pole came out of the side of the chasm. Then another. And another. The three poles stopped when they were extended about fifteen meters out. Three intrepid soldiers climbed down and balanced themselves on the poles as the other slid the red sphere over the edge.