Another Tale of the Secret of the Sands Read online

  Another Tale of the

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination (excluding references to actual historical figures and events) or are used fictitiously and should not be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ANOTHER TALE OF THE SECRET OF THE SANDS. Copyright © 2017 by Rai Aren. All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address: [email protected].

  Published by RFS Publications, March 2017

  Aren, R.,

  Another Tale of the Secret of the Sands: a short story/Rai Aren

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  BOOKS BY RAI AREN & TAVIUS E.

  Secret of the Sands

  Destiny of the Sands

  BOOKS BY RAI AREN

  Lost City of Gold

  Revelation of the Sands

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  Another Tale of the Secret of the Sands...

  A Sequel story to The Secret of the Sands Trilogy

  The Secret of the Sands Trilogy is an epic archaeology adventure that journeys through some of the most magnificent ancient places on earth. From the Great Sphinx to the Great Pyramid to Petra, the story weaves between the distant past and modern day, to uncover incredible secrets and fascinating mysteries about a long lost civilization. As seen through the surprising discoveries of two young archaeologists, it’s an adventure tale in the spirit of Indiana Jones & The Mummy.

  Now read about the events immediately following the story of Revelation of the Sands. More secrets await you…

  This 6200-word short story is a bonus story to The Secret of the Sands Trilogy:

  Find The Secret of the Sands Trilogy at your favorite retailer

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Other Works

  About the Author

  CHAPTER

  1

  Rosalie had boarded the first flight she could get to Cairo, Egypt. She’d spent nearly twenty-four hours traveling from Houston, Texas. She was exhausted. She hardly knew what she was searching for. All she had were a few pieces of information and some cryptic clues.

  Rosalie was the executive assistant for Sebastian Vetteller, the CEO of Ares Worldwide, Inc. She’d worked for him for years, so she was a familiar face there. What wasn’t known was that she and Sebastian had a secret romantic relationship. It was very new, but she’d had her eye on him for a long time. He was strong, powerful, successful, and exuded an aura of danger. She was head over heels in love with him. She desperately hoped he would feel the same about her.

  She’d recently booked Sebastian on a flight to Cairo, but only a few days after he arrived, he’d dropped completely off the grid. No word. No sign of any activity on his corporate accounts. She couldn’t even raise his voicemail on his cellphone to leave him a message. All he’d told her was that it might prove to be a valuable trip to secure solid future prospects for Ares. She had no idea what that meant, but he’d seemed very energized about it when he left.

  Rosalie was certain something was wrong. She’d expected to hear from Sebastian by now. She was also intimately involved in his schedules, she took care of all arrangements for him. Although he frequently went under the radar on his business trips, he would eventually touch base with her, asking her to do some kind of task for him, often at any hour of the day or night. She’d grown used to it, and even thrived on feeling like an integral part of his global business travels.

  But this time, nothing. Before she raised the alarm and brought others into the matter, she wanted to get answers on her own. Besides, if this turned out to be her overreacting, Sebastian would never forgive her for bringing such scrutiny to his business, Ares, which was involved in various aspects of military combat and defense strategies as contract advisors. For that reason and more, he was very private and guarded his secrets well. She respected that and understood the seriousness of his work, but more than that, she had a bad feeling something wasn’t right.

  Rosalie had scraped together what little information she could find. She knew he had not checked out of his Cairo hotel room; she’d asked about it since she’d been the one to book the reservation. For her own trip to Cairo she booked a room, asking for it to be next door to his.

  Over the next couple of days of waiting and listening, she’d heard no comings and goings from his hotel room and she still could get no response from him on his phone or email. Still no credit card activity, either. It just wasn’t like him. She decided to try something a little less... legal.

  Due to the nature of the black ops missions Ares was occasionally involved in, Sebastian had employed whatever means necessary to extract the information he required. He often tasked Thomas Heitner, his second-in-command at Ares, with such duties, including cyber-hacking and utilizing various forms of spyware. But he had also given Rosalie training and limited access to some hacking software and techniques. At times, he’d require her to find information for him that he needed right away. He expected his people to be resourceful and fast in acquiring valuable intel, so he’d given her the resources to do just that, without endangering her too much with law enforcement. He figured she was the last person in his organization anyone would suspect of having access to illegal software. He also trusted her loyalty and discretion. Her feelings for him had grown to the point there was nothing she wouldn’t do for him.

  Rosalie opened her encrypted laptop and typed in the commands to access some common hotel and airline sites. She searched for Sebastian and Thomas’ names, as well as the aliases they sometimes needed to travel under. Nothing.

  Next, she searched for one of the last pieces of information Sebastian had asked her for, before he’d dropped off the grid. It was a name. Dr. Khadesh. She looked up his profile and read numerous articles on him. He seemed legit. The Director of Egyptian Antiquities. She couldn’t imagine what Sebastian had wanted with him, and as usual he hadn’t explained. She looked for clues about anything that might cross paths with Ares business, either on or off the books, but there wasn’t a single shred of evidence that Sebastian had ever had any dealings with this man at all. It was all very perplexing.

  She considered dismissing it as a dead end, but the fact that Dr. Khadesh’s name was the very last thing Sebastian had mentioned to her, made her suspicious.

  “There has to be a connection,” she whispered to herself. She could use a drink, but she wanted to stay clear-headed.

  She hacked into Dr. Khadesh’s office calendar, but that gave her absolutely nothing to go on. Strangely enough, his calendar had been cleared for a few weeks. She wondered what for. Her skin prickled. She sensed this was more than a coincidence that the empty calendar dates started close to the same time that Sebastian disappeared. From what she’d uncovered, Dr. Khadesh typically had many official duties, but she could find nothing online to indicate what his current activities were. She decided to search airlines and hotels in the hopes of
locating him. Time was of the essence. She didn’t have a moment to waste, especially if this did turn out to be a dead end. She needed to ask him questions, but first she wanted to do some recon on her own to see what he was doing. She hoped she might even find Sebastian this way.

  She came across an itinerary. He had recently flown to Amman, Jordan, and was then booked into a hotel in the village of Wadi Musa, which was only a few minutes walk outside of Petra. She didn’t know who he was traveling with or what his purpose was in visiting an archaeological site outside of Egypt. There was no indication from what she’d read that this was any kind of official trip.

  She took a deep breath. Her chest tightened with anxiety. She tried to consider alternative angles of approach to locate Sebastian or some clue to his whereabouts. But, she had nothing else to go on and she was growing desperate. Familiarizing herself with what Dr. Khadesh looked like, she booked a flight to Amman, Jordan.

  CHAPTER

  2

  Although Alex, Mitch, Jack and Bob had spent the last two days touring Petra under Dr. Khadesh’s and Khamir’s guidance, the sight of the Siq was still an astonishing sight.

  It was early in the morning, the light filtering through the three-quarters of a mile-long fissure cast a beautiful, shifting radiance upon the varying shades of sandstone present in the natural stone. The colors seemed to change as the light passed over sections, sunlight and shadow taking turns showing off through the winding gorge.

  As she trailed behind the group, Alex felt a sense of awe and wonder. The narrow canyon’s sandstone walls, a naturally occurring passageway leading to the ancient city, soared 250 feet above them. It made her feel so small in comparison. So much of what she and her friends explored in archaeology made her realize ever more the brief lives they lead, versus the enormity of historical achievements, and the thousands upon thousands of years it took to come to this place in time, with these achievements to revere and study.

  Alex stopped, gazing up at the towering gorge, which beckoned them inside. “A rose-red city half as old as time,” she spoke in a hushed voice, quoting the nineteenth century sonnet, Petra, written by John William Burgons.

  “Indeed,” Mitch said, overhearing her. Petra was truly a wondrous place.

  Today’s agenda, they’d been told by Dr. Khadesh, had a specific purpose. They were not going to be taking another leisurely tour around Petra, but rather, seeing something they’d been told was an important starting place in learning about the Kierani’s hidden history in Petra, or Sela, as it had been called in antiquity. Dr. Khadesh had asked them all to refrain from asking questions and to keep their usual banter at a minimum until they arrived at their destination. However, he had not yet revealed what that was or why he wanted them to stay quiet.

  Their curiosities were all peaked by the mysterious mission, but they trusted their guides.

  Until now, they’d only been given the standard tour of Petra. Dr. Khadesh thought it was important that they take it in the traditional way, before he and Khamir revealed what lay beyond and beneath the surface. He felt it would give them a useful perspective from which to go forth with their upcoming research into Petra’s even more ancient past.

  The sun was climbing higher in the sky, the day heating up. They had all worn hats and sunglasses and plenty of SPF, and were carrying full water bottles in their backpacks to help them cope with the hot, desert climate. Tourists were now flocking about in abundance. Photos were being taken in every direction, fingers pointing up at the seemingly endless array of stunning ancient achievements and artistry.

  After a long walk through the center of Petra, past the Street of Facades, the Theater, the Colonnaded Street, and beyond, they were growing increasingly restive.

  As Dr. Khadesh and Khamir led them past Petra’s archaeological museum, heading south along the cliffs, past the Unfinished Tomb, Mitch’s curiosity and impatience finally got the better of him. “I can’t take it any more. Where exactly are we going?”

  Alex, though still silent, was wondering the same thing. She was grateful he’d finally asked the question. If he hadn’t, she soon would’ve.

  The crowds had started to thin out as they were now going beyond the standard tour stops within Petra. The dusty trails became more uneven and rocky.

  “To a Djinn block,” Khamir answered.

  Bob looked at Jack and frowned.

  “What is it buddy?” Jack asked.

  To be sure of what he recalled, Bob pointed to his map. “We passed them already. The Djinn blocks. They were before the Siq. Remember, we saw them on our way into Petra. Those towering square, carved blocks.”

  Jack remembered; his head had been filled with so much information the last couple of days. “You’re right. Those aren’t the only ones?” He didn’t recall seeing any more of the strange structures on their tours the last couple of days.

  “This one is off-the-beaten path,” Khamir said, looking back at him.

  Bob rolled his eyes and wiped his brow. “Of course it is,” he said, huffing. The heat was getting to him and so was his thirst. He was trying to ration his water, but he opted for another quick sip. “Warm water, ugh.”

  Alex chimed in, “There are actually twenty-six Djinn blocks, or god blocks, located within Petra.”

  “Twenty-seven,” Khamir stated.

  Mitch frowned. “That’s not what’s in the historical record. I’m pretty sure Alex is right, it’s twenty-six.”

  Khamir grinned at them. “I would have thought by now that you would realize there is much more that has not been recorded by conventional archaeologists, than has made it into the history books.”

  Alex chuckled. “Good point.” She bumped shoulders with Mitch. “As if we needed any more convincing that we definitely don’t know everything.”

  “Yeah,” Mitch replied, suddenly feeling a little silly. “Sorry.”

  Khamir waved it off.

  Dr. Khadesh smiled. “We did tell you there were many hidden things here.”

  Alex felt her excitement build. “And I can’t wait to see them.”

  “What are they?” Jack asked. “Why are they called that?”

  “Do either of you know?” Dr. Khadesh asked, looking behind him.

  Mitch looked to Alex.

  “Well, they’re tombs,” Mitch said, “but I think I recall just a general explanation for the names.”

  They all stopped walking for a moment.

  “Didn’t it have something to do with Arabic folklore?” Mitch offered. “That the blocks contained spirits?”

  “Weren’t they supposed to be evil spirits?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Oh, great,” Bob said, flapping his arms. “Isn’t that just par for the course. We’re going to be heading straight into another dangerous situation, aren’t we?”

  Khamir placed a hand on Bob’s shoulder. “No, we are only here to show you some of the important sites, not to do anything potentially dangerous.”

  Bob huffed. “Sure, you say that now. I know how these things usually turn out.” He kept grumbling to himself. “Tombs and evil spirits. What could possibly go wrong this time?”

  Jack chuckled at his friend, then shifted the subject back. “So, these were supposed to be evil gods, then?”

  Alex shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.” She looked to Dr. Khadesh and Khamir. “I forget the name of the god the blocks’ names are referring to.”

  “Dushara,” Dr. Khadesh answered, “which is attributed to the Nabataean god, represented as a stone block.”

  “Weird shape for a god,” Jack murmured.

  “And I bet there’s more to that story?” Alex commented, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Indeed, there is,” Khamir replied.

  “Come,” Dr. Khadesh said, waving them on, “let us continue. We are almost there.”

  The pathways became increasingly rough. The group stepped carefully over the loose rocks and somewhat jagged, sloping terrai
n.

  Much to the group’s relief, Khamir finally slowed down.

  He and Dr. Khadesh stepped away to have a private word.

  The four friends all looked around, perplexed.

  The terrain had opened up somewhat. The cliffs sloped outwards at less steep grades now. Small sections of patchy, rough grass were dotted around the otherwise barren terrain. Small cave entrances were carved into the hillsides.

  “I don’t see a Djinn block,” Jack said, breathing hard from the strenuous hike, and shielding his eyes from the blazing sun.

  “Me, neither,” Bob added, plopping down. What he wouldn’t give for a bit of shade right now. Sweat poured down his back.

  Khamir came walking back, an enigmatic smile on his face. “It does not look like the ones you saw at the entrance.”

  Alex walked forward to get a closer look at the high sandstone cliffs in front of them. They mostly looked like natural, wind-carved shapes. She searched for something that looked even remotely like a Djinn block, but to no avail. Just cliffs and fissures and caves.

  She turned around. “Mitch?”

  He shrugged his shoulders indicating he was also coming up empty.

  Dr. Khadesh motioned them to follow him. “Just a little farther.”

  Bob got up and dusted himself off, peeved at the brief respite he’d had.

  Dr. Khadesh led them farther south, to a section of high sandstone cliff that dropped off. He stopped and held his arms out. “We are here.”

  Alex walked up beside him and pointed. “That almost looks like a rough start to a step pyramid.”

  “It is a natural formation,” he replied. “Winds have shaped it.”

  In front of it was an outcropping of lower cliffs, made up of three sections. Dotted around were small openings, most too small to be caves.

  Khamir waved them forward.

  They all walked closer to the cliffs.

  Dr. Khadesh pointed to the largest sandstone outcropping at the end. “There it is.”