The Mayan Priest (50 page)

‘But the Norse were not widespread and did not infiltrate the native people. Kinix’s friend, the Egyptian, did and this was an estimated 500 years before the Norse. It brings about the question that the world was far more widely travelled than we had imagined. Look at the pyramids, for example. They have been located in Egypt, Italy, Spain, France, Greece, China and more recently in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This forces us to consider the notion that it is almost impossible for so many different races to construct the same thing without knowledge of each other.

Take the pyramids in Egypt and Teotihuacán. The layout of both of these sites are exactly the same right down to the orientation of the three main pyramids at both sites. They align directly to represent the Belt of Orion. Kinix and his knowledge could be a crucial connection in establishing a link between the different continents long before we had envisaged,’ said Gillian.

Richard considered her comments for a moment. ‘So, what do you propose?’

‘The President has allowed us exclusive access to Tikal for the next week. The only catch being that I need to choose my own team of trusted workers.’

‘So, I’m a mere worker now,’ noted Richard in jest.

‘I didn’t mean that.’

‘He is only joking, Love,’added Julia with a grin on her face, ‘and don’t worry about Richard. He would not give up this opportunity for anything. You should have known his answer before you even asked.’

‘That’s not true. I would give up this opportunity for you.’ Richard looked at Julia with a twinkle in his eyes.

Gillian had that uncomfortable feeling of being an unwanted addition to a personal exchange and wriggled uncomfortably in her seat until she saw an unfamiliar sparkle on Julia’s left finger. She tried to look closer without staring but was caught out nonetheless.

‘It has taken a lifetime but Richard has finally proposed,’ clarified Julia, her cheeks flushed red with pleasure.

Gillian hooted with joy – ‘about bloody time’ – and rushed to congratulate them, almost knocking Richard to the ground with her enthusiasm.

‘So, when’s the big day?’

‘It was to be two weeks from today, but we’ll put it off until Richard returns from Tikal.’

Gillian realised her mistake. She needed both Richard and Julia‘s expertise but had accidentally omitted Julia’s name from the request, presuming that they would come together anyway.

Gillian said her goodbyes and returned to her hotel in Houston. They had flown directly from Washington to Houston for the sole purpose of requesting Richard’s assistance and planned to fly to Tikal from there. Dale, Georgio and Adam were waiting for her, the sight of their familiar faces bringing about a rush of emotion. They were her family and she loved them all, Adam included.

‘What’s with you?’ Georgio asked as they stared at her like a monster in an exhibit.

‘I just found out that Richard has asked Julia to marry him,’ she said.

‘Well, that explains it all. A woman and a romantic proposal. It makes them emotional every time,’ teased Dale as he elbowed Adam into agreeing with him.

Adam did not comment, the lack of response not going unnoticed.

‘Hmmm … I sense an exchange of feelings,’ said Dale as he looked at Gillian and back at Adam. ‘At least I like this one’ his reference a comparison between Fred and Adam.

Gillian walked away. The last thing she needed was her father to tease her about her feelings for Adam. This was not the time and place, but the issue of family did bring about another problem. Samuel. Where was he? They had not seen him since the altercation at Tikal and even though she did not particularly care for him, he was her brother.

Gillian gazed at her father. To date, she had avoided the topic of Samuel and Reynata, but another problem had arisen. Since receiving their medals, Reynata had returned with Uncle Peter to their respective homes. Their goodbyes were pleasant enough, but an uncomfortable barrier between Gillian and Reynata persisted. It was noticed by all, but no one had the fortitude to address the underlying issues, particularly Gillian who could not quash the sense of familiarity and comfort Reynata bought to her.

That evening, Gillian settled into the crisp hotel bed. She was looking forward to a decent, uninterrupted sleep but much to her chagrin, it did not come. She was haunted by bizarre scenes of murder and an ever persistent priest in strange garb. The smell of bacon and eggs was a welcome change.

Adam had cooked breakfast, his culinary skills putting her dismal dry toast attempts to shame!

‘And you‘re a good cook as well,’ she said.

‘Yep. Not the best, but I can hold my own,’ Adam replied as Gillian gave him an impromptu hug which he returned with tenderness and a small peck on the cheek.

Georgio whistled from the doorway. ‘Well, the Ice Maiden has a heart.’

She scowled at him and pushed him aside in favour of her father who had just joined them.

‘Our ride is due in fifteen minutes. We have to hurry as Richard, Julia and Tom will meet us at the airport. We are also lucky to have Redmond, Mitchell and Tom, who have sufficiently recovered from their ordeal to accompany us.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

It was late in the afternoon when they arrived at Tikal, and the sun had begun to set. The general consensus was to start work in the morning, allowing them a night’s rest in one of Samuel’s remaining tents. It had proved to be a good decision and they slept in relative comfort until the howler monkeys woke them the following morning.

Gillian was the first to arise, eager to start their exploration. She had given this whole trap scenario careful consideration and quickly determined that speculating on any further snares was a waste of time. Field work was far more efficient and she was excited. This was the first time that she would have the opportunity to explore unimpeded without trying to murder them.

‘I would like to thank you for giving me a whole new interest in life. This beats a classroom of snotty-nosed kids anytime,’ said Adam.

Gillian pretended to ignore Adam who had just walked into the room. ‘Are you telling me that my profession in better than yours?’ Her response was smug and self-assured.

Georgio wolf whistled as he joined the duo in the small tent. ‘Okay, you two. Let’s get a move on,’ he ordered as he winked at Gillian.

‘I did not locate anything of significance in the immediate area of our incarceration. It’s my opinion that the stairway down to the river was for exactly that reason; to provide a ready source of water to the workers on site. I would suggest that the alternate route would prove to be more beneficial,’ offered Richard as Gillian nodded.

‘At least we have time on our side,’ intervened Adam as they moved towards Arun’s inactive machinery and lowered each person singularly into the shaft.

Upon reaching the bottom, Gillian was pleased to note that the water had subsided and they were able to walk with ease to the room that contained the ruins of the lift.

‘Shit. That’s a long way up. If we had remained in that lift, we would have died for sure,’ said Redmond.

‘Yes, it makes me wonder just how Fred made it out alive,’ mused Richard as Gillian pointed to the lever just out of reach on the far wall.

‘Apparently he stopped his fall on that.’

‘So, what do you reckon the lever’s for? It looks a little out of place,’ asked Adam as Gillian glanced up in deliberation.

Richard interceded. ‘Since our rescue, I’ve had a fair bit of time to consider the set-up of this passageway. It’s my professional judgement …’ Mitchell sniggered in amusement as Richard cleared his throat and ignored him, ‘that the lift was originally constructed as a vehicle to allow workers access to the entire tunnel.’

Gillian frowned as Richard sought to clarify his statement. ‘The lift had a solid wooden frame that would have made the perfect platform to work from. The four walls were added later on completion of the tunnel.’

‘That makes sense. So, how did they control it?’ asked Georgio.

‘Instead of being tied off at the roof, the rope would have extended all the way into the lift and be controlled by a pulley system. The lever would have been an emergency stop button or a switch to open something when the lift reached that level.’

Gillian considered his words carefully. ‘I believe that it may have been a switch, taking into account that the builders turned the lift into a trap, clearly not wanting it to travel up and down as it had done previously. They would have considered the tunnel impervious, creating a series of traps at the base for anyone who bypassed the original shaft and tried to dig their way underneath, but the only way to find out is to try it. Who wants to give me a leg up?’

‘I have a better idea,’ suggested Adam as he grabbed a discarded piece of rope and tossed it towards the lever. His aim was true and the rope lay in suspended animation for a moment before dropping faithfully down the other side.

‘Good shot,’ whistled Gillian appreciatively.

‘I did enjoy the occasional game of Aussie Rules Football,’ replied Adam smugly as he grabbed both ends of the rope and pulled.

At first nothing happened and it required the assistance of Georgio, Dale, Mitchell and Redmond to force it downwards until it clunked against the metal base and could move no further.

Still nothing!

No door opened, no trap appeared, although Gillian did feel a slight shaking of the floor beneath her feet. She did not consider it to be of any significance until she recalled her previous thoughts: travel up and down.

That was it. She suddenly knew what they were looking for and it did not bode well for them.

The lift was intended to keep travelling down, tying in with the tile she found depicting Kinix’s likeness. She recognised his pattern of self-gratification and understood that he was merely placing his signature on the newly created false floor designed to conceal what lay beneath them.

It was a moment of pride at completing his work! The only issue!

They had activated the trigger to open it and they were all standing on it.

Gillian spoke first, ensuring her voice carried the urgency and directive she required. They were all in extreme danger and any rash movement would cause all of their deaths.

‘Redmond, you’re the closest to that rope. Please reach for it, taking care not to move your feet. Pull it off and throw one end to Julia.

‘Julia, you are the only one not standing on the floor. I need you to tie the end of the rope to the hook we used to lower ourselves from the surface.’

Gillian quickly looked around. It was as she thought. Everyone was within one step from the edge of the tiles, but she was dead centre, right next to Adam. They had no possibility of escape before the floor collapsed.

‘On the count of ten, I need each of you to leap for the edge closest to you. And you must not make a mistake! Your lives depend on it!’ said Gillian.

She began counting, the tension mounting with each number until she eventually reached ten. Everyone leapt, the sudden shift in weight creating a massive crack through the thin layer of tiles below.

She looked at Adam, wrapped her arms around him and hung on for dear life as the floor split in two.

Gillian muttered a small prayer as the blackness enveloped her, bringing forth the memory of her first and only skydive. It had been so scary that she vowed never to do it again, but here she was again, only this time it wasn’t voluntary. To make matters worse, she had no idea just how long the rope was or even if Julia had secured it correctly.