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Cassidy watched the water slowly ripple out as their small vessel glided along the calm stream. She was lying alone at the bough not paying much attention to what was going on towards the back.. She knew she didn't need to.. Butch would do most of the work on this mission just as he had done on the last one. A slight smirk curled the corner of her lips as she thought back to a few nights before. How Jessie had cold-cocked that tasteless pink haired woman, and how they'd handcuffed her and her cohorts in the hotel room.
Butch was discussing the mission with Jessie and James only a few feet from the back of the small skiff.
"Hmm.. so Giovanni didn't give you any information at all?"
"No, he said you could tell us what we needed to know when we got here."
Butch sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling slightly stressed.. He'd hoped that Jessie and James would have a somewhat better explanation of what was going on when they got there.. That woman back at the tomb and the hotel obviously wasn't just a thief..
He knew that much like himself and his companions she must be working under a greater power.. Butch had wondered about Giovanni's motives for pursuing such trivial artifacts, they couldn't be worth that much.
"It's basically a global scavenger hunt.. According to our plans the other artifacts are in Egypt, Chile, and Israel. Looks like Israel could be the real problem of the bunch. Our leads point to our target being hidden in Jerusalem itself.."
"All the ethno-religious conflict and security.. It's going to be difficult to get things accomplished"
Butch and Jessie nodded in agreement.
"Well, on the bright side, I've always wanted to see the Andes mountains." Cassidy interjected with a smile.
"The GPS says we're about in the right place.." Butch announced as he lowered the throttle on the craft's small motor and picked up a paddle.
The unmarked grave could be located by the large magnetic signature of the steel casket. James carried a metal detector, Cassidy carried a shovel, and Jessie a crowbar out onto the shore as they strode inland towards a small clearing in the middle of the thick mesh of trees and vines..
"Ok, this is as close as the GPS can get us.." Butch said as James flipped the power switch on the detector and began sweeping over the ground in wide arcs.
It was a rather large clearing, and it took a good 10 minutes of walking around staring at the ground before they hit a signal.
"Alright, hand me a shovel," Butch said reaching his hand out towards Cassidy.
She gladly handed it over, not wanting to have to dig herself.
James and Butch took turns laboring for what seemed to be hours before the Casket was finally uncovered.
"Geez... how deep did they bury people back then?" James asked rhetorically as the other three helped lift him out of the hole.
Cassidy laughed and Jessie cracked a smile; James and Butch were covered in dirt and sweat. They'd dug the hole at least 6 feet deep, standing on the coffin James' head came up to just under the surface of the ground.
"Ok, you get to open it, then," Butch said to Cassidy pointing towards the hole as he sat on the ground.
"Ugh! no way am I going to get that close to the dead body.. Let James do it."
James, who was sitting on the ground next to Butch, just shot her an annoyed look.
"Hey, I'm only kidding, but I doubt I can lift that heavy lid.."
Butch sighed, he knew she was right, it might take both him and James together to pry it open, the years of corrosion couldn't have made it any easier.
"Come on James.. we'll take a short break then crack it.."
James sighed and nodded as he flopped to the ground.
The blonde haired young woman waited until she was done on the phone before asking, "Did he say we could leave yet, Sarah?" as Sarah shut off her cellular phone and returned it to her pack.
"God! Do you think you could just stop whining for a few minutes, Valli?!"
"Sorry.. just this dry heat is bad for my hair.."
"Your hair's not all that you'll have to worry about if you don't let me have some peace!"
"Ok, ok.. What's the plan?"
"Get the flashlight.."
James nodded to Butch as he gripped the handle of his crowbar.
"One... two... three!"
Cassidy and Jessie looked down as the corrosion that held the casket shut slowly gave way and the sound of metal snapping signaled it was loose. Butch and James slid the heavy top off and were greeted by the desiccated corpse of Guru Nugaha, a spiritual leader of the early 1900's, who was most widely known for his predictions and his unworldly stories of what awaited man in the great unknown.
Butch stared down at the cadaver, and barely noticed when James whispered to himself.
"Sometimes I wonder if we really should be doing things like this..."
Butch looked up, but James was still staring down at the corpse.. and more importantly, at the ring that rested at it's side..
"Well.. It's not like he can take it with him.."
"No.. I mean.. why are we looking for these rings? Why something so specific?"
Butch shrugged and bent down over the open coffin to claim their prize. He held it up for a better look. Several strange symbols were etched on it, and again, a small inscription was held on the inside of the band.
"OooOoOOo! Let me see!" Jessie begged as she and Cassidy helped the two up out of the pit.
Butch flipped it over and she caught it.
"Is this it???" she asked, her right eyebrow cocked as she turned towards Butch.
"Yeah, that's 'it'."
Jessie mumbled something about too much trouble for such ugly jewelry then tossed it back to him.
The four pushed most of the mounds of dirt back into the hole, but decided to just leave the job unfinished, they were too fatigued to continue.
The quartet picked up their tools and labored back to their water craft, more than a little weary after the day's chores.
"Not yet... it will take time to recover the pentanima.." the rather tall man with close cropped curly blonde hair answered calmly as he stood before the apparition.
"There are others after the fellowship.. but they are yet unaware of what they seek.. Do whatever it takes to make sure they don't beat us."
The man bowed his head as in acceptance as the apparition faded from his view. After the specter had dissolved completely the man turned and walked out of the small chapel, the sunlight taking on hues of red green and blue as it passed through the tall stained glass windows and washed his blonde hair.
One of the young boys that had been employed by them to uncover and open the vault tugged at her shirt.
"No no miss, you can not go in there, is cursed!"
Sarah laughed and shrugged the boy's hand off.
"Maybe there is a curse.."
"Oh shut up Valli, there is no curse, besides, we are power.."
"Oh yeah, I forgot.." Valli responded as her face morphed from worry to contemplation.
Sarah shook her head and called over to one of the workers, who was sitting several yards away. She instructed him to lower her down into the tomb on the rope, and to raise her back up when she yanked on it.
The dark skinned man nodded and Valli stayed up to make sure nothing went wrong as Sarah descended into the cool darkness of the long sealed egyptian crypt.
Butch nodded and went back to examining the ring they'd retrieved that day. He was intrigued by the symbols on it and wondered what they meant. One was shaped like a 4 but it wasn't a four.. another was shaped like a small trident, and another was just a small circle with a dot in the middle. He had no idea what any of them really meant.
Cassidy had gone out a little earlier for some fresh air.
She'd left the cellular phone behind, and it made everyone jump in surprise when it rang. Butch set down the ring and answered the call.
"Hello?... Yeah... Hey man, what's up?... Hmm... Why not?... Hmm... Ok, who is it?... Uh, alright.. Ok, see ya round."
"Who was that?" Jessie quickly asked, she couldn't stand not knowing what was going on.
"That was Mondo.."
"What'd he need?"
"Well.." Butch said as he flipped the switch on the cellular phone to take it off-line, "He said that he's sending an important operative to meet us..."
"Why? and more importantly, who?"
"He wouldn't say who.. he said that we'd know him when we saw him and that he was sorry he couldn't give me any real information.. He also said to turn off the phone and accept no more calls."
"What do you think this is all about?"
"I know what it's all about." James responded before Butch could. "It's obviously about these rings. There's a reason why that woman was trying to get them back in New Delhi."
Butch nodded. "Our flight to egypt leaves tomorrow morning.. We'd better all get some rest soon."
James nodded and laid back. Jessie sat up staring over at Butch for a few moments, then laid back herself.
Butch continued to sit on the hotel chair, flipping the ring over and over between his fingers, wondering what was so special about it.
Men walked over hot coals and others juggled burning clubs.
She smiled and laughed to herself for a moment at the open display of skill and concentration. Back home the only way to see such a spectacle would be paying to get into a carnival.
"Miss... five dollars to tell your fortune.." an old woman said staring up at her with a pleading look in her eyes.
Cassidy was about to push the old woman away, but instead looked into her old eyes.. Wrinkles covered her cheeks and forehead, the skin under her chin hung loosely. She felt a little sorry for the old matron and reluctantly pulled five dollars out, handing them to her.
"Thank you," the soothsayer smiled and took her hand.
Cassidy cocked an eyebrow, then realized the old woman was holding her hand for the reading she'd purchased.
"Hmm.. I see a man.. a tall handsome man.."
Cassidy smiled, maybe the woman did have something..
"You love him, no?"
Cassidy quickly pulled her hand back becoming a little uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, please, allow me to continue.."
"Hm..." She finally allowed the old lady to take her hand again.
"I see... no.. I see shadows, I see you and four others, and you're shrouded.. no, it's not shadows.. it's spirits.."
"Please, that's enough." Cassidy said as she pulled her hand away again and turned to walk off.
"I'm sorry, please be careful, my child!"
A chill ran down Cassidy's spine as the old woman yelled after her. Cassidy didn't believe in fortune telling, but she still felt very uneasy after what the woman had said.. She had a tough time convincing herself the first part about the tall handsome man was just a guess.. She had to at least admit it was a good one.
Cassidy pulled her small jacket tightly around herself as she walked back to the hotel. It wasn't cold out, it was still fairly warm, but her discomfort made her do it anyway.
When she finally made it back to the small motel Butch opened the door for her. She wanted to reach out and be comforted by him, but she sighed and laid down on the bed nearest the door instead. Jessie and James had already fallen asleep on the far one. Butch would take one of the pillows and sleep on the floor like he always did in cases like this..
Cassidy curled up in the blankets and shut her eyes. She didn't want to look over at Jessie and James cuddling up, she felt more than a little jealous of them..
She could hear Butch set the pillow on the floor and lie down.
Once again, he fell asleep long before she did.