The Belial Library (The Belial Series) (41 page)

Laney squeezed his hand.  The two of them took their spots next to the podium, Laney next to Henry, Jen next to Nana.

A dark-haired woman in her late fifties, wearing a stylish grey pantsuit, stepped to the mic.  Almost immediately, the noise in the room ceased.  “Good afternoon.  I am Dr. Cynthia Prodgett, Director of the Natural Museum of Natural History.  I have the pleasure today of introducing a man
who you all know, but still needs an introduction.” 

The crowd gave a small laugh, although Laney knew they weren’t yet in on the joke.  “Here today to speak on behalf of the Shuar tribe about their incredible heritage, Mr. Henry Chandler, CEO of the Chandler Group.”

An audible gasp went through the audience.  Cameras whirled, flashes blinded.  Henry walked confidently to the podium, adjusting the mic to its tallest position, ignoring the stir his name had caused.  He smiled.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to speak to you about an extraordinary discovery.”  He glanced at Nana.  “Which belongs to an incredibly brave group of people. . .”

The press conference had gone well.  Henry had spoken with confidence, emotion, and compassion.  The media loved him.  He answered questions for an hour before calling an end to it.  Now he stood up by the stage, a group of reporters surrounding him. 

Laney watched from the back of the room, leaning against a wall, next to Jake and Elena.  “Am I crazy or does he seem to be enjoying this?”

Jake smiled.  “I think he actually is.  But I’m not so sure about Jen.”

She looked at the press circle that had formed around Nana, and Jen.  Jen looked like she was going to pounce on any reporter that got too close.  Laney laughed.  “I think Jen’s more comfortable in the middle of a forest than a media frenzy.”

As the words left her mouth, she watched Jen cut off all further comment, escorting Nana and Julia out the back door of the room. 

Patrick walked up, nodding at Elena and Jake.  “Mind if I steal my niece for a little walk?”

Jake picked up Elena.  “There’s some excellent cake back in the conference room.  Want to try some?”

Elena grinned.  “Yes, yes, yes.”

Laney watched the two of them walk off. 
Jake will be a good dad someday
.  She stirred at the thought, but at the same time, felt contentment at it.  Of course, there was no way she was going to mention that thought to him any time soon.

Laney turned to her uncle with a smile.  “Where shall we go?”

“The National Gallery of Art is just down the street.”

She linked arms with him.  “Sounds perfect.”

Escaping the zoo the National Museum of Natural History had turned into, they wandered along Constitution Avenue amidst the commuters and tourists.  Traffic zipped by, but they managed to dodge across the busy thoroughfare to the National Gallery of Art.  Together, they strolled along the perimeter of the building. 

Laney was glad Patrick had suggested the walk.  They hadn’t had much time together since everything had happened, or even in the months before that.  It was nice to spend some time, just the two of them.  A light wind blew, gently sending the scent of his aftershave towards her.  She smiled, comforted by the familiar scent. 

Patrick reached over, covering his hand with hers.  "Seems you've survived another adventure."

"So it seems," she agreed. 

They walked on silently.  Laney enjoyed the quiet, the warmth of the sun.  She looked over at her uncle and realized he wasn’t enjoying the peace quite as much as she was.  The crinkle she knew so well had appeared between his eyes.  "Uncle Patrick?  What's the matter?"

He patted her hand and gestured towards a bench a few feet away.  "Why don't we sit?"

Laney sat down and turned towards her uncle, waiting. 

He stayed quiet for a few moments, watching the people go by, before turning towards her.  Worry was stamped across his face.  "Do you realize you have been in two life threatening scenarios in the last year?"

She grinned.  "Well, they were rather memorable, so yes."

He gave a small laugh.  "What I meant to say was, do you realize that both events seem to revolve around you?  Two Atlantis-related sites were discovered on two different continents, after being hidden for thousands of years.  And you’re the one constant between them."

She shook her head.  "That's not right.  Henry, Jake, you, me, even Yoni were part of both."

He nodded, his voice patient.  "Yes.  But we never would have been involved in Ecuador if not for you.  And Montana, you were the central fixture pulling all of us together.  For some reason, these ancient sites are seeing the light of day and you seem to be the only factor in common between them."

Laney sat back in surprise.  She'd never thought of it that way.  In Montana, she'd been pulled in by Drew.  But then she’d been the catalyst that helped find the stone.  In Ecuador, with Jen's help, she'd found the library.  And in both situations, she’d barely escaped death.  But that had to be a coincidence, right?

Reading her face, her uncle answered her unasked question.  "It can't be a coincidence.  The past, for some reason, is coming to light.  And you’re smack-dab in the middle of it."

She took his hand.  "Well, be that as it may, I’m fine. I'm here, unharmed."

He squeezed her hand, his eyes now somehow looking even more concerned.  "Yes.  So far you've been fine.  I'm worried, though, about what comes next.  Because whatever has started, I don't think it's over yet."

Victoria smiled watching the recording of the press conference from the study of her Vermont estate. Henry presented his argument rationally and without embellishment.  The audience hung on his every word.  Her son was an impressive man. 

At the end of the conference, he stepped back. He glanced down at Laney.  For a moment, they shared a smile.  Victoria froze the screen.  Her heart ached at the sight.

Pushing herself off the settee, she walked across the dark wood floors, before her feet sank into the deep Persian rug that covered most of the room.  She pulled an old teak box from the third row of one of the bookcases built into the far wall. 

Cradling the box to her chest, she walked back across the room.  She paused at the large bay window, looking out at the rose garden beyond.  A riot of yellow, peach, pink, red, and white petals looked back at her, all in full bloom.  It always amazed her how they all seemed to bloom at the same time, coming together for a few weeks of glory.

She felt a heaviness in her chest, in spite of the magnificent sight.  Other threads were coming together now as well.  The libraries.  The Council.  The Belial treasures.  And the three, Henry, Laney and Jake. 

Turning from the window, she lowered herself to the settee, pulling the box into her lap.  Gingerly, she opened the lid.  Two baby pictures lay on top.  She traced the outline of each little face before placing them aside.  Gently placing two locks of hair tied with ribbon next to them, she rustled through the remaining papers.  Towards the bottom, she found the old picture. 

She placed the box on the side table and held the picture in her hand.  Henry and Laney stared back at her, huge grins on their faces.  Henry had been eight, Laney no more than three.  But the affection between the two was undeniable, even through the old photo.

When she’d learned that Laney and Henry had been re-introduced, she was surprised Henry hadn't remembered.  Victoria had arranged to run into Laney’s family at a park.  Laney and Henry had clicked right away.  They’d spent hours playing together.  It was undeniably one of Victoria’s happiest memories.

She stared at Laney's face.  Giant green eyes dominated her pale face, her red hair pulled back into two pigtails high on her head.  The grin on her face was ear to ear, as she hugged Henry around the neck.  She hadn’t changed.

With shaking hands, Victoria placed everything back in the box.  Except the picture.  She propped it against the box. 

Curling her feet under her, she stared through the window once again, but this time she only saw the past.  She’d sacrificed so much and still more was demanded.   When would she have paid enough?  When would she be freed?

She shook her head to clear the thoughts.  Those thoughts wouldn't help now.  She knew better than most that fate wouldn’t be denied.  And fate had pulled everyone and everything back together. 

She'd seen the signs.  She knew the time was drawing close.  And now the Fallen had the book.

Her gaze fell on Laney.  She’d hoped she would be spared.  She’d done everything in her power to keep this burden from her.  Once again, Victoria had come up short.  She closed her eyes, feeling the pain of what was to come. 

Now it was her time to step out of the shadows.  Her eyes were drawn back to the picture that lay on top of the box.  Her children were going to need her.  

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Thank you for reading
The Belial Library
.  I hope you enjoyed it. 
The Belial Library
was a joy to write, and the follow-up,
The Belial Ring
, is just as much, if not more, fun.  I’m hoping to have it out for early summer 2014.  Now let me tell you a little bit about where the idea for
The Belial Library
originated. 

Years ago, I heard about the tunnel system underneath Ecuador.  It fascinated me.  I pictured these long dark tunnels, ancient people walking through them, hiding in them, storing their treasures in them, and viewing them as pathways to the underworld. 

Then one day, I saw a documentary about an Ecuadorian man who, when he was a teenager, found a cave only accessed through a river.  In the cave, he saw incredible artifacts, sheets of gold engraved with symbols, and an alcove filled with metal books.  Decades later, he was supposed to be part of an expedition to find the cave but he passed away before the expedition could happen.

That man’s story stayed with me for close to ten years. When I started thinking about the follow up to
The Belial Stone
, I knew that the underwater cave had to be part of it.  And reviewers expressed a strong interest in finding out more about Henry.  Put them together, and
The Belial Library
was born.

You might also notice a few of the breadcrumbs dropped about future books in the series.  Some of the future story lines have literally been in my mind for years, so I’ve been dropping little hints along the way.  I hope they’re making you curious.
 

And even though I’ve been writing for years, I am still a new writer.  As such, reviews are critical for providing me feedback about what readers like and don’t and for helping other readers discover
The Belial Series
.  Reviews are one of the biggest factors in determining whether or not a potential reader even glances at a book description. 

So if you have the time, I would really appreciate if you could write a review for
The Belial Library
, good, bad, or somewhere in between.   I read all reviews and hopefully, your review will help others decide if
The Belial Series
is right for them.

If you have any questions or would like to hear about upcoming publications, please contact me at
[email protected]
.  I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks again for reading.

Take care,

R.D.

Whenever I read a book like The Belial Library, I always wonder what’s real and what’s the product of the author’s imagination.  As was the case with The Belial Stone, the ideas for The Belial Library were drawn from a lot of different sources in the fields of history, religion, and archaeology.  So here are some answers to what was real and what wasn’t. 

Edgar Cayce.  All books in The Belial Series involve the work of Edgar Cayce.  Cayce was a twentieth century psychic.  He did both medical readings, where he diagnosed people’s illnesses as well as past life readings.  His medical readings had an 86 percent accuracy rating.  Which always make me wonder, if he did such a good job with those readings, is it possible he did as good a job with his past life readings as well?

Only a small portion of Cayce’s readings involved Atlantis.  But the readings are completely fascinating.  If you have some free time, pick up a book on him or watch one of the documentaries created about him.   His abilities really make you think.

The Cave of Etsu Nantu.  Is it real?  Well, there is no clear answer on that.  The words etsu and nantu are Shuar meaning the sun and the moon, respectively.  But the name of the cave was dramatic license on my part.  According to Edgar Cayce, the Atlanteans did send out three sets of knowledge across the globe to protect it.  One set was supposed to have been hidden in South America.  

So is there an actual cave?  According to a number of different sources, two teens did discover a cave like the one described in the book after swimming in a river in the early twentieth century.   They said the cave could only be accessed from underwater.   The cave held a metal library along with other artifacts from an advanced civilization.  In the decades since the boys’ discovery, no one has been able to find the cave.  And both of the men have since passed away.