Plague of Coins (The Judas Chronicles #1) (23 page)

“Yes, we should reach the stairs that lead out of here in a moment,” said Jeremy. “They should be—
oww!”

“Oww what?!”
shrieked Amy.

She had finally reached her breaking point after all she had endured the past few days. Luckily for us all, the cry of pain came from Jeremy hitting his shin against the first step to freedom. Once we realized what had happened, we quickly lined up along the right wall and began our ascent up the spiral staircase in darkness. The earth continued to rumble below us, and for a few minutes, it did seem like we’d never make it to the earth’s surface. Especially when lava seeped through cracks in the floor far below us.

But then the staircase suddenly ended, and we stood in a circular room. Sunlight seeped in through weathered slats in the wooden door to the lone exit to the outside world. I’d never been inside this particular place, yet it seemed familiar.

“Well, what in the hell are we waiting for now?” said Alistair. His irritation was almost as dire as Amy’s. “Let’s get out of here!”

Without waiting, he led the way. The door opened easily. We stepped outside to full daylight. I’m sure it never felt sweeter to my boy and his gal pal. Jeremy seemed hesitant, however, like he never wanted to leave the one place in the entire world that everyone fantasizes about.

All of us recognized the main dirt road we stood upon, as we had returned to the heart of the ‘town with no name’. And as I turned to look behind me, the strange, upside-down flowerpot building began to crumble. It, along with the hillside’s unpretentious gate that also was disintegrating, would soon be dust and rubble. No doubt, if the debris were ever cleared away, there would no longer be a passage that led to the Garden of Eden.

It seemed sadly fitting that the only viable way to reach the most famous earthly paradise was no more.

Chapter 20

As we stood in that dusty little town, I considered all of the folly Alistair and I had gone through since this misguided venture began. Yes, there were the treasures of new experiences to consider, and be thankful for. But, I felt incredibly disappointed that a prime opportunity to collect one of my prized coins would be forsaken. In my mind, I pictured the only resolution that made sense: we needed to return home to America before anything else got jacked up.

Granted, my son had forged a wonderful bond with a gorgeous young woman whose vivacious presence definitely added some spice to his world. The fact that he was getting older only added to the importance of such an enhancement...so this was good. Plus, we had rescued her brother, Jeremy, from his self-imposed solitude in the most glorious place on earth. Yeah, that was me being cynical again.

In all honesty, I believe Jeremy will adapt quickly enough, and rejoining his sister in America appears to be a very good thing. My gut tells me that they’ll be fine.

So, it’s just me with the sour grapes...the regret of still being on the lookout for my silver coin number twenty-two. And, I had no doubt that this failed opportunity would stick with me much longer than I’d like—largely because I will always know that one of my coins is buried in Al-hauron. Of course, I’m sure there is somebody out there who will put the positive, half-glass-full spin on this by saying the damned thing will still be there when I finally get a chance to come back to Iran.

“So, I wonder where Zoran, Gaspar, and Balthazar are?”

Amy shielded her eyes from the sun as she calmly asked this question, while looking in all directions. She’s remarkably resilient, and appeared to have already made a strong recovery from her near-meltdown a short while earlier.

Nothing but dust and dried weeds rolling across the deserted road, the scene reminded me of the ghost towns in Midwestern America, where tumbleweeds and the whistling wind are all that remain of the 1800s gold and silver rushes. But unlike a sightseeing trip, we had two hungry people who hadn’t had anything to drink or eat in nearly eight hours. I hadn’t had anything since yesterday’s breakfast, which isn’t all that unusual for me. As for Jeremy, I couldn’t tell. Something suggested to me that he might’ve been sustained for weeks or even months at a time by the life force flowing through the garden where he had hidden out for much of the past year.

“Maybe we should start walking back to Tehran, relying on our faith to manifest the mule-driven cart I saw yesterday,” I suggested, not immediately realizing the sarcastic context of my statement.

“Pops, you don’t need to be such an ass about it!” Alistair moved over to Amy and affectionately rubbed her shoulder. “It will be dark soon, and I’d hate to have to camp out here in the Alborz wilderness without proper equipment, and without adequate food and supplies!”

Amy’s frown supported my son’s point of view. Only Jeremy seemed indifferent. I imagine he’s had to make do on many occasions before, being the esteemed archaeologist that he is.

“Sorry, kiddo. I’ll see if we can find a McDonalds so we can get you a ‘happy meal’,” I said, snickering wryly. He did have a point, since a glance at my wristwatch revealed the current local time in Tehran was 6:24 p.m. In about an hour, the evening sun would begin to slip behind the taller Alborz peaks. “In the meantime, I think it’s wisest not to hang out here waiting for a taxi to take us back to civilization.”

I didn’t wait for his response, turning my attention in the direction of the main road outside of town that would take us back to the highway. Not that I didn’t trust Ophanim’s advisement, but I held out hope that the Jeep would still be where we left it. Frankly, I was surprised that neither Amy nor Alistair had brought it up.

I heard Amy and Alistair grumbling behind me, which didn’t surprise me. Hearing Jeremy voice a question about Alistair’s and my real relationship did...at least a little. I expected the subject to come up at some point, and in truth, it was as good a time as any for Amy to fill him in on what she learned about me a few days earlier.

As we stepped through the gate that marked the town’s main entrance, she was just finishing the tale about my true identity and I must say she delivered it with aplomb and enthusiasm. Some of her comments were accentuated with cynical exaggeration for my benefit, I’m sure. I admire the lady’s spunk.

“So, you’re Judas Iscariot?” Jeremy’s tone bore a mixture of belief and suspicion. No doubt, the scientist within him pulled skeptically in one direction while the incredible world of angels and the Garden of Eden pulled him in another. “That would make you—”

“Two thousand and thirteen years, two months and twenty-three days young, to be exact,” I said, pretty damned sure that my interruption was spot on. I looked over my shoulder to give him an impish look, since I doubted he’d readily understand the depth of my dry sense of humor just yet. That’s when I noticed a dark vehicle speeding toward us from the other end of the village. “It looks like we’ve finally got some company.”

Everyone else turned to look where I pointed. Indeed, it looked like a black sedan, and I could see the Mercedes emblem glistening in the fading sunlight.

“I hope whoever is coming will be friendly to us,” said Amy, softly. She sounded worried again.

What she had gone through over the past few days would bring some tough moments for her. Despite her remarkable fortitude, no one goes through torture, especially the kind that is of a personal and sexual nature, and remains unscathed. I envisioned the same struggle for my son, despite his advanced age. Yet, for both, I prayed that the healing powers of the magical stream we had immersed ourselves in took care of more than physical ailments and injuries.

“I agree,” said Jeremy, cupping his hands above his eyes to shield his vision from the sun’s glare. “But something seems off about this....”

His words trailed off, and I heard a slight groan escape from Alistair. When I looked back toward the approaching car, all I could do was chuckle at the irony.

“It just figures,” I said, shaking my head, disgusted and at the same time amused. “I do believe this is our ride back to the city.”

Either Ophanim or the magi employed a rascally way of helping out. Before our very eyes, the beautiful black luxury vehicle somehow disappeared, and within the cloud of dust that pulled up in front of us was a beat-up old Volvo truck. I recognized the model from the late 1940s. The finish had long since peeled away, leaving traces of the original red pigment that back then might’ve glistened beautifully under a late afternoon sun—perhaps an even match for the Mercedes mirage from a moment ago. The engine backfired as the truck idled tiredly.

“I understand you need a ride,” said Zoran, lightheartedly through the driver’s side window. The two men from earlier were sitting with him on the front bench seat. At least we were beyond playing language games. “Climb up in the back of the truck and we’ll be on our way!”

It literally took me biting my lip to keep from making another wisecrack. Trust me, the absurdity of our situation and our mode of transportation begged for it. But I urged the others to join me in the back after Zoran and Jeremy traded pleasantries for a couple of minutes. Following what we had experienced during the past twelve hours, no one else broached the subject of how the late model luxury car became a dilapidated grain delivery truck.

“What are these for, I wonder?” Amy pointed to four robes laid out across from the short hay bales placed in the back for us to sit on. “I’m guessing these are for us?”

“Yes,” said Jeremy, picking up a black one that came with a veil. “This one is for you, and the others are for Alistair, Judas, and me.”

He shot me a playful look, and I nodded in kind. Leave it to the young scholar to ignore my alias in favor of my real name. That could make things interesting, and I briefly worried it might get us into trouble someday. But, for now it seemed okay, since everyone traveling in the truck knew who I was—including the mysterious three ‘magi’ riding in the cab.

Jeremy handed Alistair and me each a robe, being careful to follow some predetermined instructions as to who got what.

“Alistair is supposed to get the most colorful robe with the purple ghutra, since he is technically the oldest among us—an honorable achievement among the traditional Persian people,” Jeremy explained. “You, Judas, will wear the dark blue robe with the black ghutra. That leaves the white robe and red ghutra for me.”

Jeremy motioned for us all to get dressed quickly,

“Why are we doing this? It seems like such an extravagance for where we’re going.... Hey, where
are
we going?”

Alistair sounded panicked as he looked anxiously at both sides of the road we were on. I should’ve noticed we were heading deeper into the mountains instead of back to Tehran, but for some reason I completely missed this. Too distracted, I suppose, by the prospect of dressing in a full robe and ghutra. It would be the first time in, what, fifteen hundred years? Yeah, that would be about right, since I didn’t return to my homeland after the onset of the sixth century A.D. until the crusades were in full swing. Fashion throughout Europe and much of the ‘known world’ was quite a bit different by then. It was especially for those of us with the means to dress ‘fashionably’.

“It’s a secret.” Jeremy placed his forefinger to his lips when his sister indignantly told him to ante up the answer.

“Is this what you and Zoran discussed?” I felt my body heat up a bit under the robe. Grateful the sun was nowhere near its highest point, I could tell my boy felt the same way. “I imagine Ophanim already knew about this change of plans, too, when he mentioned the magi would be coming for us.”

“So, we’re talking about ‘magi’ in the biblical sense?” Amy snickered. “Aren’t they the guys who brought gifts of jewels, frankincense, and myrrh when Jesus was born?”

“Yes, I believe that’s exactly what we have here,” said Alistair, looking over at Jeremy, who smiled and nodded.

“Oh, Christ, you’ve got to be
kidding
me!” said Amy. Apparently we had just reached the threshold of her bullshit meter. “So, these guys are like the ‘three wise men’ we see in standard nativity depictions?”

“Do you really want to take a chance and insult them?” I interjected. “Regardless of their exact role in all of this, I do believe a bona fide angel counts as a reliable source. So, if Ophanim says they’re magi, then that’s who they are. I think the earlier question of ‘where the hell are we headed?’ is a better one to focus on.”

Yeah, that did get her to shut up. It also got me a wicked stare that would’ve ignited my garments and melted me into a puddle if she had Ophanim’s power. Her lovely green eyes were immediately transformed into narrow slits of Medusa fire. Luckily, Jeremy found another way to distract us all. He pulled out a small leather pouch that Zoran had given to him and poured its contents into his left palm.

“These things that look like black lima beans? They’re supposed to keep us nourished until we can find time to eat properly.” Jeremy smiled at us all, and gave an especially loving look to his sister, as if he knew her temperament under stress and hunger. “Zoran says you only need to eat a few of these to last until we make it back to Tehran.”

“Even though we’re headed in the opposite direction?”

Very nice Ali! He took the very words out of my mouth.

“Yes,” said Jeremy, eyeing my son thoughtfully for a moment. “Zoran promised it will make complete sense once we reach our destination, and that we’ll be back in Tehran by morning.”

We took the beans and swallowed them—without the aid of anything to drink, mind you. I didn’t feel anything at first, but again my metabolism isn’t normal. However, once I saw both Amy and Alistair relax, I knew we’d be okay. One weird side effect of the strange little beans was an apparent inability to keep track of time. Before I knew it, twilight was upon us. Then, just before the onset of night, the dilapidated old truck pulled into a very small village.

This village was significantly bigger than the last one we had been in, but without much that indicated its people even knew the world had moved into the twenty-first century. With rudimentary amenities at best, I knew we’d never find anything resembling a Howard Johnson’s. But it did have a church. One that I recognized from my previous painstaking research.

Al-haroun.

I couldn’t believe my eyes, and in the dimness I checked for other landmarks...the nearby mosque, and a marketplace across the street from it. This was indeed the right place—
the
place where a certain silver coin called to me. I felt an incredible wave of gratitude for whatever inspired Zoran and his cohorts to bring me here. Whether it was the angel Ophanim, or some providence from the Lord he serves, and Whom I have desperately sought reconciliation with.

But, it came with a bit of a problem, too. The village was crawling with soldiers, though Iranian instead of the mercenary type we had most recently dealt with.

“Since when did this place become part of a militarized zone?” Alistair’s tone was wary as he looked from one side of the road to the other. “I take it that you didn’t come across any information like this during your research, Pops?”

“No, son, I didn’t.” It was the truth. Somehow things had changed very recently, and seeing how many armed troops were in attendance dampened my enthusiasm. “But it’s too late to turn back now.”

More than likely that was indeed an accurate assessment. I now had a much better understanding of why the less-than-desirable mode of transportation had replaced the Mercedes, as well as why we were dressed in robes. Perhaps our nighttime arrival in the village that spawned the desire to come to Iran in the first place was also not by accident.

Zoran motioned for Jeremy to tell us to keep our heads down, just before the truck was accosted by a pair of soldiers. The pair spoke with Zoran, and I have to admit I was impressed with how fluently the magi leader spoke the modern Persian dialect the soldiers preferred. Apparently, the content of what he said was just as impressive, as we only garnered a cursory glance from either guard as they motioned for the truck to pass through.

Zoran drove down a street near the church, and I had the strange sensation that my coin’s mysterious ‘call’ pulled on him in the same manner it did for me. He pulled the vehicle into a deserted lot where a community center was burned down several years ago, and never rebuilt due to the populace’s fear it would happen again. The former building’s location was close enough to where the coin lay hidden to count as a veritable ‘cursed site’. Burnings, earthquakes, and even the tornado I mentioned at the outset of this story all claimed structures built upon this very site. Only the church and the mosque have been spared, although their constituents have suffered grievously over the centuries.

“Here is where we must leave you,” said Zoran, after he and his two comrades climbed out of the truck’s cab. “William Judas Barrow.... What you seek is calling loudly, and like you, we’ve been listening to its voice.”

Gaspar and Balthazar nodded silently to confirm Zoran’s words.

“Listen with your heart and mind, so that you find it quickly,” Zoran continued, and then turned to face my companions. “All of you must be ready to leave at the first light of dawn. You will be protected only until then, and you must make it outside of the village. Otherwise....”

“Otherwise what?” I didn’t like the way that sounded.

Zoran studied me intently for a moment. His warm brown eyes appeared to turn slightly luminous under the glow from a solitary streetlight nearby.

“Otherwise, none of you will ever have to concern yourselves with going back to America,” he said, his tone suddenly low and solemn. “It is your destiny to survive...but only if you heed my instructions.”

To me, it sounded as if it should be an easy deal. After all, I knew the general area where the coin was resting. Someplace inside the church...or perhaps it was in the outbuildings. Maybe it lay hidden under the road itself. Or, it could be inside one of the ancient tombs lined in several rows behind the church.

At least we didn’t have to contend with finding the right church, since there was just one Christian house of worship in the village. The soldiers seemed preoccupied with an area nearly half a mile away from the church and mosque, so that was good, too. But I realized that could change before morning—especially if someone called to report four strangers hanging around the church this late at night. At least we were clad in outfits that seemed more in line with the garb worn by the few people I noticed mulling around the village entrance.

Despite the gravity of Zoran’s words, I offered the traditional hug and kiss, following Jeremy and Alistair’s lead. Amy apparently knew enough of Middle Eastern customs to avoid Western awkwardness, simply bowing to the three men before they climbed back into the truck.

“Okay, everyone, since the outcome of this situation rests squarely upon my shoulders, I suggest you let me take the lead so that we get it taken care of as quickly and safely as possible,” I said.

Once I got either a head nod or a ‘yes’ from everyone, I led the way over to the church. Dark enough to hide in the shadows, we soon reached the side entrance to the one story building. It was unlocked.

“Try to keep things quiet, and it shouldn’t take long to get a feel for the general area where the coin is hidden.” I kept my voice to a whisper. “It may be in here, or it might not be.... I should know if this is the right place in the next few minutes.”

I waited for Alistair to step inside the church since he was the last one in line, and then I closed the door behind him. Just before I did, I glanced back to where the truck had been. When Zoran had dropped us off, he cut the noisy engine. I expected to hear it restart and idle loudly again. I heard nothing, and thought the mysterious trio was waiting to make sure we made it to the church okay. But now I wasn’t so sure what to think. The big ugly and loud Volvo truck had vanished from where it sat earlier.

I didn’t share this information with the others, since I thought it might lead to some needless panic and a distraction that would make our expedition more difficult. I only wished we had a light, since once again we were in darkness. Yes, there was electricity in the building, since I found the light switch. Unfortunately, that would immediately give our presence away. What I wouldn’t give for the small flashlights Cedric provided for us.

“Is this what you need?”

Jeremy produced a similar flashlight, after I openly lamented about the lack of having a suitable light source. He explained that Zoran had given it to him. This was starting to piss me off, since even though I think of my personal ‘coin hunting’ as a game, I’m not so keen on anyone other than Alistair treating it the same way.

“Yes, it is...but this is not the right place,” I said.

“Huh? Pops, we just got in here. How in the hell can you tell already?”

Really, Alistair should know me better by now. Unlike the casual jaunts we sometimes have taken to collect a coin, this time the added onus of three peoples’ lives put some extra petrol in my tank. Everything was intensified as a result, including my already heightened sensitivity. The ‘feel’ for where the coin lay resting had been juiced seriously.

“You and everyone else here are just going to have to trust me, Ali,” I told him. “It’s got to be inside one of the buildings outside...that’s what I’m picking up.”

Without waiting for any more questions, I prepared to lead the way back outside. I almost caused everyone to trip on their robes behind me. A handful of soldiers had gathered across the street from the church.

“Well, fuck me running!”
I hissed angrily.

“What in the hell now, Pops?”

“Shush!!!”

This latest chapter in our misadventure just got a helluva lot worse. But we didn’t have the option of waiting. I knew it as much as I knew anything else at that moment. More soldiers would come, and it was a matter of time before someone carrying a loaded assault rifle ventured over to us.

“Why are these guys everywhere?”

Amy’s question would’ve been a great one to ask Zoran a short while ago, and it certainly wasn’t her fault. None of the guys thought to ask it either.

“I wish to God I had been smart enough to find out,” I said, quietly. “But now that we know they’re here, we will have to get to my coin
very
soon!”

I motioned for everyone to follow me outside. After closing the door carefully, I whispered for them to stay low to the ground, moving catlike to the rear of the church. The call from the coin grew stronger...we were on the right track. But it wasn’t inside the outbuildings, as the feeling grew weaker as I approached either one. A good thing in a sense, as both doors were bolted shut.

At this point, I told everyone else to wait in the shadows beneath one of the main church building’s eves. I knew what I had to do next would be extremely risky, but three more soldiers had joined their comrades across the street. Logic told me that we’d be discovered within the next half hour if we didn’t find the damned coin first. I had no choice but to move out in plain sight.

I must have looked like such a lunatic, dodging back and forth between the rows of sepulchers, each one’s bleached cover glistening under the glow of another streetlamp near the end of this graveyard. The coin began to call loudly about halfway through the middle of the second row. The sensation sent small shockwaves through my left arm. My prize was somewhere inside the tomb next to where I crouched.

I waved covertly for the others to join me, but at first they didn’t see me. While I waited, a pair of soldiers crossed the street to the church. I thought surely they saw me, and I felt a thick lump form inside my throat. But they headed to the front of the building
instead. Luckily, Amy noticed my desperate signal by then. The three of them crept over to me.

“It’s here!” I whispered excitedly, once all three rejoined me. “We’ve just got to bust into this thing.”

“What, and bring the entire Iranian brigade over here?!” Alistair snapped. “Isn’t there a latch on these things that we can use instead?”

“No, there’s not.”

“Your father’s right,” said Jeremy. “These tombs can only be entered by breaking what amounts to a plaster door in the front, and then we should be able to climb down into the main chamber.... Are you sure what you’re looking for is in there?”