Cibola

Chapter 18

Their surroundings grew more and more barren the closer they came to Hovenweep. The land was beautiful in its own way, with occasional sprinklings of rich greenery or bright desert flowers, but it was a parched, unforgiving landscape with little in the way of trees and even less water.

“Man!” Bones said from the front passenger seat. “I thought Kansas was empty, but this… Hey! Check it out!” He held the travel brochure up in front of his face and scrutinized it with an intensity and seriousness that said to Dane that his friend was being anything but genuine. “It says here that the devil’s outhouse is just a mile or two away. We should check it out.”

“What’s the Devil’s Outhouse?” Saul asked. “Some sort of rock formation?”

“No, dude. I mean this hot, dry, empty bunch of nothing must be where the devil comes to take a dump. We might even bump into him if we’re lucky. I wonder how regular he is…”

Everyone chuckled but Saul, who pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest. His severe, dour expression now filled Dane’s rear-view mirror in a most unpleasant way.

“I kind of like it out here,” Dane said. “The sea is pretty desolate sometimes, and there’s a heck of a lot more sameness on the water.”

“Not at spring break,” Bones said, still reading the brochure.

A sign directed them to Hovenweep National Monument. The small visitor’s center was visible from far across the desert terrain. Several police cars, lights flashing, took up a large portion of the parking lot.

“I wonder what’s up.” Amanda said, leaning forward to peek between Dane and Bones. “Whatever it is must have just happened.”

“Maybe it’ll be newsworthy,” Bones said. “Give your editor a scoop?”

“I can’t imagine something down here would newsworthy at home, but you never know,” she said. She had told her editor just enough about what Bones had found at Orley’s ranch, plus a few hints about the Dominion, to convince him to let her accompany Bones to follow up on the mystery.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Dane said, pulling into an empty space and shutting off the engine.

The heat blasted him like a furnace as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle. It was even hotter than Chaco Canyon had been, and not a breeze stirred the air. “Now I know how pottery feels,” he said.

“You get used to it,” Jade replied. “It’s humidity that I hate. Makes you feel like you’re drowning in the air. Around here it’s the proverbial ‘dry heat’.”

No one was on duty in the visitor’s center. They looked around for a while before finally concluding that everyone must be at the scene of whatever incident had brought out the police. Dane left a twenty under a paperweight on the counter and they made their way into the park.

The brick path gave way to a primitive trail that wound down into a narrow, twisting canyon, thick with sun-baked rock and desert flora. Amanda clambered up onto a nearby boulder and scanned the canyon.

“Where to, hot chick?” Bones asked.

“I’m not seeing…” Amanda’s voice trailed off as she spoke.

“I thought you said you knew this was the place,” Jade snapped. “You said you were certain of it. But you won’t show us whatever ‘proof’ you claim to have.” The two had argued in the car on the way to Hovenweep. Jade had already researched and subsequently eliminated this site from consideration, the architecture of the ruin with the only known solstice room in the park did not match any of the images on the breastplate.

Amanda slowly turned and stared down at Jade, waiting for a moment to make sure the other woman had finished. “It is very rude to interrupt people, Jade. Didn’t your mother teach you that?”

A slender young woman in a NPS uniform appeared on the trail behind them, cutting off Jade’s retort.

“May I help you?” she asked, shading her eyes against the sun as she looked up at Amanda, who remained atop the boulder, hands folded across her chest. “Are you looking for a specific ruin?”

“Yes, actually,” Amanda said, hopping down. “I’m Amanda Shores from the Deseret Bugle. I’m sort of combining business with pleasure on our trip. The article I’m writing is on Anasazi solstice markers. Do you have any structures in the park of that sort?”

“Well,” the woman said, taking off her brown, mesh ball cap and running her fingers through her coppery hair which she wore in a loose ponytail. “Tracking the solstice and equinox was fairly common among the Anasazi. A room would often have a small window, and the family would follow the course of the sun by marking where it struck the wall on the opposite side. Some buildings were constructed in such a way that the sun would strike a specific place on the solstice, like a corner.

“In this park, Hovenweep Castle is about the only one that fits the bill. But you can’t go there.” The woman’s hazel eyes flitted from person-to-person in Dane’s party. Her mouth was drawn in a tight, nervous frown.

“I didn’t realize it was closed to the public,” Amanda said.

“It isn’t. I mean… it is today. I…” The woman closed her eyes and shook her head. “I apologize. I’m a little out of sorts.” She took a deep breath, looked up at them and started again. “Someone vandalized it just a short while ago. In fact, they broke open the wall in what is called the Sun Room. It’s where the solstice is marked. I guess your question just threw me off.”

Bones muttered something inaudible and Jade made a sound that could have been sympathy but sounded more like annoyance. Dane took a deep breath and released it slowly, taking control of his rising anger. Had there been any doubt before, it was now certain that someone else was on the same trail. And whoever they were, they had somehow gotten here first.

“Did they take anything?” Saul asked.

“There isn’t really anything to take,” the ranger replied, frowning. “The ruins have been empty for a long time. Strange, though. They booby-trapped it.” She didn’t wait for them to ask what she meant. Their quizzical expressions must have been enough. “Whoever it was placed some very large rocks above the doorway, held up with some posts, then tied a trip wire between the posts. The ranger who first investigated the damage didn’t see the trip wire in the dim light.”

“Is he all right?” Amanda asked.

“We think so. He’ll need a few stitches in the back of his head, and he might have a concussion. Anyway, back to your question. You might be interested in the solstice marker at what we call the Holly Group. There is a sandstone wall with a number of carvings: a snake figure, two spiral circles, and some others. Nearby rock formations cause daggers of light to appear on the wall. It actually marks the summer solstice and the spring and fall equinoxes.”

“Are you familiar with a ruin that looks like either of these” Amanda showed the woman a paper with the remaining undiscovered symbols from the breastplate.

The ranger scrutinized the paper, holding it close and staring intently. She broke into a sudden smile and tapped a picture of what looked like a cylinder floating on a rough sea.

“Yes! This ruin is in the Cajon group. It’s a fascinating example of Anasazi architecture. They constructed a circular tower atop three very uneven boulders, yet the masonry is perfect. It’s a very impressive structure, but the Cajon Group is more than eight miles from here, and not readily accessible, so it doesn’t receive nearly the attention it deserves.”

“Does it have a solstice room?” Dane asked, suddenly excited.

“Not a solstice room,” she said, “but there is a solstice connection. There is a set of three buildings. On every solstice and equinox, the shadows of two of the buildings meet at the corner of the third building, as if the shadows are pointing to something. Few people know about it because it isn’t a true solstice marker or sun room. It might be something interesting for you to write about.” She turned a hopeful smile to Amanda.

“Thank you so much,” Amanda said. “I think it will be perfect.”

The road leading to the Cajon group took them along a winding, heavily-rutted dirt road. It seemed much farther than the eight miles the ranger had told them it would be. They traveled in silence, knowing that whoever was after Fray Marcos’ secret had somehow gotten ahead of them, and might even be waiting for them at their destination.

Dane wondered if they were even on the right track. He hoped so. It felt right, but this whole thing had been nuts. One close shave after another. How long could their luck hold?

They came upon a simple wooden sign that read, Cajon Group. Please do not leave the trail or climb on the ruins. He chuckled. Fat chance they’d be following those guidelines. He scanned the ruins for signs of their adversaries, and found them blessedly empty.

It was a small settlement. The remains of a few lodges ringed a small reservoir. While the ruins might not have been as impressive to a tourist as, say, Mesa Verde, Dane found them appealing because they had not been reconstructed by modern archaeologists, like Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde had been. What remained was in its original state, and clearly illustrated the fine craftsmanship that had been involved in its construction.

“I see the tower,” Jade called, pointing across the ruin. “I’m going to go ahead and check it out.” Without waiting for a reply, she strode away at a fast walk. Saul hurried after her.

Dane started to follow, but Bones touched him on the shoulder.

“Let’s talk for a minute while we walk,” he said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. “Try to act nonchalant, though.” He nodded toward Jade and Saul as they picked their way across the rocks toward the tower.

Dane slowed his pace and fell in beside Bones and Amanda, but kept his gaze ahead of him. “What’s up?” he asked.

“I’ll make it quick,” Bones said. “It’s too big a coincidence that these people found out about Hovenweep at the same time we did, and actually managed to get here before us.”

“What are you saying?” Dane asked.

“If I have the story correct,” Amanda joined in, “they were at Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Hovenweep. But they weren’t at Yucca House.”

“True,” Dane said, knowing where she was going with this and wishing he could disagree.

“And Yucca House was the only place Saul didn’t know about because you figured it out while he wasn’t there,” Bones said.

“So you think Saul is a mole,” Dane said. “I hear what you’re saying, but Jade trusts him. Doesn’t like him all that much, but trusts him.”

“You’ve got to admit it makes sense,” Bones said. “It would explain how they know where we’re going. What I don’t get, though, is what these guys need with us if they have all these resources at their disposal?”

“They need Jade,” Dane said. “She’s spent years researching the history and legends surrounding Cibola, and she’s gotten farther than anyone before toward solving the mystery. She found the breastplate, which is more than anyone else can claim. Saul is a necessary evil- he comes with the financing.”

Amanda made a “huh” sound that said she considered this merely to be further confirmation of what she already believed.

“I’m not completely sure why she needs me,” Dane said. “I guess I was in the right place at the right time. I know why she wanted me to help with the well. It was a dangerous dive.”

“Maybe she thinks you’re ‘hawt’,” Bones jibed. “My sister always said you were a cutie, Maddock.”

“Your sister scares me,” Dane said. A former Marine, Angelica Bonebrake was nothing like her name. Hot-tempered and easily offended, she’d been in more barroom brawls than Dane and Bones combined. She was now fighting in a mixed martial arts organization under the name “Demonica” Bonebrake.

“I’d have to say that you’ve probably been very helpful to her,” Amanda said. “You have some background in treasure hunting, and you helped her in Argentina. Why wouldn’t she want you around?”

“I suppose,” Dane said. He sort of hoped Jade wanted him around for more reasons than that, but he felt like a high school kid even thinking that. “So what do you want to do about it?”

“Don’t tell them where the next site is until we get there,” Bones said.

“That’s not going to be easy,” Dane said. “I don’t care what we tell Saul, but Jade is technically in charge of the search. She’s not going to like it.”

“If Amanda is correct, we’re going to need some special gear for this next leg. We’ll just play it all mysterious and maybe we’ll think of something better while we’re on our way to pick up what we need. Worst case scenario, we just out-and-out lie to both of them.”

A triumphant cry interrupted their conversation. Dane turned to see Jade emerge from one of the ruins, a box tucked under her arm. When their eyes met, she smiled and raised the box above her head. “Got it!” she called.

Dane gave her the thumbs-up. He couldn’t help but notice that Saul wore an expression that was anything but joyful. He glanced at Bones and Amanda who, by their expressions, had obviously noticed the same thing.

“Looks like he couldn’t get his cronies here in time,” Bones muttered. “Of course, I’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since we found out someone had gotten here before us.”

“You missed all the fun!” Jade said as she and Saul joined them.

“Well, you know,” Dane said, “I’ve gotten two of them already to your one. I figured it was your turn.”

“Thanks. You are such a gentleman,” she said with a sly grin.

“What can I say?” Dane grinned, his eyes locking with hers for a split-second.

“I don’t know about you,” Bones interrupted, “but I say we bolt before the bad guys stumble upon us again.” He turned and headed away without explanation.

Dane looked from Jade to Saul and back to Jade again, shrugged, and followed his friend.

Back in the car, the focus was on the newly-discovered clue. Jade opened the box with great care to reveal another part of what they were now certain was a scarab.

“I can’t wait until we’ve pieced this puzzle together,” she whispered, more to herself than the others in the car. “I want to know. I have to know.”

Dane expected Saul to ask about the next site, but he was strangely subdued. He gazed thoughtfully at the piece in Jade’s hands, saying nothing.

Dane looked toward the front of the vehicle. His eyes met Bones’ in the rear-view mirror, and they both shrugged. It felt so strange, acting as if things were fine, all the while waiting for Saul to betray them. They settled into an odd silence as the barren land flew by.