The Solomon Scroll

CHAPTER 31

The modified UH-60 Blackhawk spiriting the team through the night and into the Habala Valley wasn't like any chopper Nick had ever seen. It was a product of the Sikorsky skunk works, funded by DARPA, the Pentagon's secret weapons development program. The exterior shape of the bird resembled a machinist's experiment with origami, flat surfaces covered with dark, molded fabric and set at odd angles to each other. The tail rotor was shrouded in a disk like cover. It was so quiet Nick could forget it was there. He'd never been in a helicopter as quiet as this one. A high-class ride, as choppers went. All that was missing were soft leather seats, drinks and music playing in the background.

Slipping through the Saudi air defenses presented little difficulty. They crossed into the kingdom flying low and fast. The pilot set them down on the valley floor, not far from their objective. They were out of the bird with their gear and on the ground in seconds.

They watched their only connection to home and safety speed off into the darkness, a black shape against a black sky lit with millions of stars. The starlight was bright enough to make out peaks rising on either side of the valley. The mountains weren't much more than three thousand feet high but they were rugged, steep and inhospitable. It was a harsh, sandy land.

It was cold now. When the sun rose the temperature would climb to well over a hundred.

"Lock and load," Nick said.

They were traveling light, rations for three days and six thirty round magazines of ammo, plus four magazines each for their sidearms. Each of them carried an MP-5 chambered for the same .40 caliber round as their pistols. They charged the weapons. The metallic sounds echoed in the still night air.

"Quiet, isn't it," Diego said. "Peaceful."

"Let's hope it stays that way."

Nick activated the satellite comm link. They could all hear what was said.

"Base, this is One."

In Virginia, Elizabeth had been waiting. She heard Nick's voice, loud and clear. Eggleston had done his job.

One less worry, she thought.

"One, copy," she said. "What's your status?"

"Down and good. Moving out now. One, out." Nick signed off.

"It will be light soon." He looked at his GPS and pointed. "That way. Let's go."

He set off at a fast walk. The others strung out behind him, leaving space between. One of the first things Selena had learned in the field with Nick was to avoid bunching up in hostile territory. By now it was second nature to her.

The GPS guided them away from the easy path of the ancient riverbed that formed the valley floor. The ground rose in a steep slope covered with thick clumps of juniper and scattered trees. Above them, the three pillars of rock Ephram had described on the scroll loomed against a predawn sky.

They pushed up the slope. It was hard going, through tough branches and prickly leaves that caught on their clothes and scratched at them. The sun was breaking the horizon in the east when they reached the base of the first pillar.

"It will be full light soon," Nick said. "Let's move in between the rocks."

"Isn't this place some kind of tourist attraction?" Selena asked.

"Not much of one. In the winter, maybe, when it's cooler. I don't think we're going to see any tourists."

"Sure, but the locals must've been through here a lot since that scroll was written," Diego said. "If that tomb is here, how come nobody found it?"

"I don't know. We still have to look for it. Makes sense that any entrance would be so well hidden no one would pay attention if they were looking right at it."

"By now it's probably covered over by these damn bushes," Ronnie said.

They made their way into the center of the three pillars. The formation formed a flat, rough circle dotted with more junipers and trees. There were animal tracks, winding trails in the greenery. In a firefight, the place would be a death trap.

"This sucks," Diego said.

Selena saw something on her sleeve. She made a face and plucked it off. "Ticks. The place is full of ticks."

"Great," Nick said. "Probably venomous spiders as well. Scorpions too. The brown ones will hurt like hell. The black ones will kill you. This is high desert. Make sure you're bloused up good and tight."

"Snakes?" Selena asked. "Are there snakes?"

"Yes. Several poisonous ones, vipers. They're deadly, so watch where you walk or sit. Don't stick your hand where you can't see it."

"Now you tell me. This place must give Hell a run for its money."

"I didn't want to freak you out," Nick said.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you," Selena said. "Spiders and snakes get to you as much as they do me."

"I hate spiders," Diego said.

"They're afraid of people," Ronnie said. "They'll hear us coming and get out of the way."

"Like that big one on your foot?"

"Whaa!"

Ronnie jumped to the side.

Diego started laughing and the others joined in.

"Very funny," Ronnie said. "I'll remember that."

As the sun rose, the morning light revealed a place of desolate beauty. It was already getting hot. The pillars rose tall into the air. They were composed of reddish stone and reminded Nick of Utah.

They found a place near one of the pillars with only a scattering of vegetation and stopped to look around. Outcrops of granite poked through the dry, sand colored ground. There were flat rocks everywhere, perfect hiding places for the deadly wildlife that lived here. The top of the hill would make a great location for a nature special on public television. Nick could have done without it

"How do you want to do it?" Ronnie asked. "Spread out or stay together?"

"I think we should stay together. This place isn't so big that we need to fan out. Keep a few feet apart."

"Do you think Ephram would have buried it?" Selena asked. "It looks like it's solid rock underneath the surface dirt."

"I don't think so," Nick said. "Look for a natural crevice, something they could use to hollow out a hiding place. It's what I'd do. Then I'd seal it up with rocks and dirt. In a year or two you'd never know anyone had ever been there. There weren't many people in this area back then."

Elizabeth's voice crackled through the comm link.

"One, you copy?"

"Copy."

"Al-Bayati is on the move. He boarded a plane in Beirut an hour ago with a flight plan for Yemen. He's headed your way."

"How long till he gets here?"

"Sometime in the afternoon your time. It depends on what he's using for transportation and whether or not he gets hung up at the border."

"He'll have a way to cross or he wouldn't be coming."

"Any luck?"

"Not yet. We're just beginning to look."

"Keep me posted. Out."

"Company coming," Nick said.

"We'll make sure he gets a nice welcome," Ronnie said.