 
## Raven's Key:

## A Novel

## Siomonn Pulla, PhD

### Raven's Key: A Novel

### Siomonn Pulla

### Copyright 2011 Siomonn Pulla

### Published by High Vibration Publications at Smashwords

Discover other titles by Siomonn Pulla at http://www.highvibepubs.com

### ISBN-1978-0-9868782-0-6

### Second Edition

This book is dedicated to all the beings on this planet standing in the light and working consciously to raise our vibrations in support of our highest potential in this universe and beyond.

" _Only from the heart can you touch the sky"-Rumi_

### Prologue

"This is the famous 5,000 year old slate palette of King Narmer, considered by Egyptologists to be the unifier of upper and lower Egypt and the first king of all Egypt."

The tour guide pointed to the ancient stone slab propped up inside the bullet-proof glass. The Cairo Museum recently purchased a million dollars worth of these high-tech display units. Bast Security Services convinced the administrators that protecting these priceless artifacts was an investment worth paying for.

"And this is the museum's current object of the month," continued the Tour Guide. "The oldest known amulet in Egypt - the Knot of Isis."

The amulet was small and deep red. The colour of dried blood long preserved by the hot, dry desert winds.

"Legend states that the ancient Goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility, Isis, constructed this amulet from her own menstrual blood to protect her son, Horus, from his jealous uncle, Set. This piece dates back to the Pre-dynastic around 4,500 to 3,100 B.C."

It took only a second after the tour guide and his group moved away from the display case before the alarm bells started to sound in Room No. 43.

Security guards carrying semi-automatic rifles swarmed into the Antrim like bees to honey. The badges on their uniforms clearly indicating that they were part of Bast Security Services.

"Please do not panic ladies and gentlemen. This is just a drill." The officer in charge, Felisa Sylvestre, was a tall commanding woman. Her short military brush cut accentuated her long face and high check-bones. She looked like an ancient Ethiopian warrior somehow out-of-place, but comfortably secure in the 21st century.

She directed her guards past the huge statue of Ramses II to where the knot of Isis was on display only seconds ago as object of the month.

"Find him," she ordered her guards. "That object does not leave this museum or heads will fly. I want you to proceed clockwise and head upstairs to the Tut Ankh Amon collection in the northern and eastern galleries. Check and double-check each of the one hundred and seven halls. You know the drill. He's here somewhere."

Felisa watched her men circle through the back-end of Room No. 43 and up the staircase to the first floor of the museum.

The tourists were all being led in to the basement, where they would be searched and eventually let go.

He's too crafty to be hiding in with the rest of the tourists. If I was in his shoes I would definitely have gone upstairs to the mummy hall.

"We've searched everybody and turned up nothing." The first reports were starting to come in now. The guards weren't turning up anything suspicious in the halls and likewise in their searches of the tourists.

"Look harder," pressed Felisa. "He's here. I know it and none of you are leaving until we find this thief."

Felisa worked her men hard and they respected her more for it. Over the last few days she had been preparing them for this. Bast Security services had been tipped off that Apep was planning some kind of maneuver in the museum. When she pressed for more information, her sources couldn't tell her anything else. She had her suspicions, and over the years she had learned to always follow her gut instincts, which saved her on more than one occasion.

### Chapter 1

Paul Saya sat at one of the small tables in the museum archives studying a large stack of old papers. Whatever he was reading was interesting enough that he didn't notice Benoit, the museum's archivist, roll in beside him with boxes of papers stacked on a trolley.

"This should keep you busy for a while. I think I finally found that file you've been looking for." Benoit adjusted his glasses and transferred some of the boxes on to Paul's desk.

"Thanks Benoit. I'll let you now if that file is where is supposed to be."

"I'm happy to help out Paul. We're all eager for you to finish your studies. I'm especially eager to hear what you're discovering about the history of this museum."

"You'll be the first one to know if I turn up anything scandalous."

"Whatever you find, I hope it's not too scandalous." Benoit smiled went back into his office, leaving Paul alone, half the boxes still stacked on the small trolley.

Right away, Paul started to dig around in the new boxes, excited that maybe, just maybe, he'd find that one document - the gem of all documents - that he'd been digging around for three years to find.

### Chapter 2

A man dressed in elegant black suit, with a briefcase, sat alone in the museum's reception watching the elevator. Every few seconds he checked his watch, tapping his fingers nervously on the side of his briefcase.

At exactly 10:15 am, a tall, middle-aged woman, dressed in an expensive business suit stepped out of the elevator and introduced herself to the man.

"Dr. Corvus, a pleasure to meet you. I've been really looking forward to this visit."

"It really is my pleasure Dr. Hasser. It's a fine museum you work at."

"I hope your flight in from Cairo was pleasant."

"A wee bit long, but nonetheless uneventful."

"I'm sure you're eager to get to work. I've got your room all set up. You're going to be the first researcher to review the new Sinclair manuscript."

The Curator slipped her pass into a card reader mounted on the wall and a door in the reception room opened into a long hallway.

"I'm very excited to get a sneak peek at this manuscript. Ever since it was leaked to the media last week I've been anxious to examine it before it disappears again."

"I think the manuscript will disappoint you. There's no mention about the Templar treasure. But it does chronicle Sinclair's voyage northwest into Ojibwa territory to a sacred teaching rock."

The Curator stopped at another door. This time she pressed her finger into a slot in the wall. After a flash of red the door opened into another, smaller hallway.

"Sinclair apparently knew about the stone for some time," she continued. "His visit to this sacred site was the main reason for his journey. There never was a treasure."

"Sinclair was very adventurous. He believed in the Templar's mission of preserving their ancient manuscripts about the real truth of human history."

"That idea is so overdone," sighed the Curator. "Even the big blockbuster movies don't get it right."

"There was a deeper truth, something much more profound that Sinclair held very secretly to himself."

"I grew up in Egypt and heard all these stories from my grandfather when I was kid," replied the Curator. "As an educated curator of a world-class museum, I don't believe any of it anymore. Show me the facts."

"Recently a document surfaced in the Vatican's secret archives absolving the Templars of all heresies," continued the visitor. "Apparently the Pope at the time felt pressured by the King of France who amassed a great debt to the Order. He wanted it disbanded because it was becoming too powerful and rich.

The Curator stopped at a third door, this time both passing her identification tag over the security lock and presses her finger into a tiny slot on the wall. After a brief whir and click, the door opened.

Inside the room there was a small desk and a chair. On top of the desk was an old leather covered manuscript and a pair of white gloves.

"How do you know so much about Sinclair? And how does this all fit into your research on neo-pagan revitalization movements in Europe?"

"Sinclair was part of a French lineage of Templars, the St. Clair family, who fled to Rossyln Scotland to avoid persecution by the Catholic Church. Remember that at that time during the 14th century, Scotland was a free state ruled by a pagan King.

"In 1398, almost a century before Columbus, Sinclair led an expedition from Scotland to lands in eastern Canada and New England. Many believe that during their time in the Holy Land, the Templars learned about the Phoenician voyages to a westerly continent following a star called La Merika."

"Sinclair's Captain was a Venetian sailor, Antonio Zeno, who kept detailed records and maps of their voyage. Sinclair never sent Zeno back to Italy in the fall of 1398. They both remained in Nova Scotia, living amongst the Mi'kmaq people, who took them to the Ojibwa teaching rock.

"The rock wasn't a mysterious shamanic site. It was a star chart, a map of the heavens. It provided precise information on the cycles of the moon and the sun and their alignment on specific days of the year.

"Some of the key petroglyphs are exact replicas of images found on ancient Druidic sites in Europe dating as far back as the third century BC. Without any prior knowledge of each other, these two cultures were experiencing and recording very similar phenomena.

"What I believe, and am writing a paper on, is that this shared human spirituality reflects a detailed and complex understanding of the interconnections between universal laws and material reality. This new Sinclair manuscript is the missing link."

"I better let you get to work." The Curator looked at her watch. "I could chat all afternoon about these subjects and I bet you're excited to get into that manuscript."

"Indeed. Thank you very much Dr. Hasser."

The Curator closed the door behind her, leaving the visitor alone in consultation room 1B.

### Chapter 3

Paul had his head so deep into the new documents that he didn't notice the Curator standing there beside him.

"Sorry to interrupt Paul."

"Huh?" Paul turned around, surprised to see his friend Susan. "What's up Sue? I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Change of plans. I need your help right away."

"Sure of course. What's going on?"

"Pack your computer up, grab your coat and follow me."

The Curator led Paul out into the hall towards the elevator.

"Where are we going?"

"You know those two Elders that were supposed to come in next week?" Susan pushed the elevator button a few too many times. "They just arrived."

"What? Their visit has been planed for over two months."

"No time to explain."

The elevator door opened and they stepped inside.

"The Elders are waiting downstairs at reception," Susan continued. "And to top it all off I have a visiting scholar here reviewing the Sinclair manuscript."

"Wow. He works fast. We just made the public announcement last week."

"Tell me about it. He's got some interesting ideas though. I hope I get a chance to speak to him again before he leaves."

The elevator door opened and Paul and Sue stepped out into reception.

There were two men sitting waiting for them. Their hair was pulled back into two long braids, and they were wearing perfectly tailored black suits, with starched white shirts, elegant ties and beautifully beaded moccasins. The sunlight shining in from the window outside reflected off the older man's silver hair.

The younger of the two stood up immediately as Susan and Paul got off the elevator.

"We have come from a great distance to recover something very special to us."

### Chapter 4

When the Geological Survey museum moved from Montreal to the old Clarendon Hotel at 547 Sussex Street the Director of the Museum, Dr. Arthur Selwyn, hoped that his ongoing requests to the Minister of Mines and Resources for more space to conduct research, facilitate museum activities and store the survey's increasing collection would be granted-finally.

Selwyn took his role very seriously. He was convinced that unless he preserved the cultures of Aboriginal peoples in his museum, there would be nothing left of the noble race. The museum also served as a place for scientists to conduct research, lead seminars and hold public lectures. The ever-increasing collections of native artifacts, however, required more and more space for storage and display.

Moving the survey's headquarters from Montreal to Ottawa was made a lot easier by the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway's mainline from Montreal to Ottawa in the spring of 1881. The prospect of loading the numerous delicate crates full of priceless Indian artifacts onto a dozen carriages for the long bumpy ride to Ottawa did not appeal to Selwyn. Not only was the ride uncomfortably long, it caused him undue stress thinking about the potential damage the rough road, and especially the carelessness of those damn French-Canadian coachmen driving the horses, would cause to the collection of artifacts under his supervision and care.

The completion of the railway to Ottawa, however, made the decision to move much easier. Of course, it was not he that made the ultimate decision, but the Minister of the Interior who had the last word. In fact it had been the Minister's idea in the first place to move the survey closer to the heart of government in Ottawa. The option of taking the train was the only way the Minister could convince Selwyn that the move to Ottawa was in the best interest of science and not just a way for the Minister to keep closer tab on the survey's operations.

Selwyn liked to run a tight-ship. His men were known to get into trouble sometimes in the field. Usually it involved drinking white whiskey smuggled into lumber-camps with displaced French-Canadians or burly Irish peasants, newly emigrated to the hinterlands of Canada. The stories of these encounters always filtered their way back to Selwyn, and occasionally found their way to the Minister's office through some unofficial channel, usually from a drunk lumberman from the valley who blew his winter's pay at the parliament tavern on a Friday night.

After only one year in Ottawa, he concluded that the new home of the Survey and its museum at the Clarendon Hotel was completely inadequate. The lack of space prevented the display and storage of the Survey's increasing collection and, the nine thousand visitors to the museum in its first full year in Ottawa surely was some indication that the public wanted greater access to the museum's collections. The conservative government, however, was tight on the purse strings and would not increase the museum's operating budget or even provide the survey with a larger space to facilitate the ongoing public visitations.

In response to his numerous requests, the new Minister of the Interior had reprimanded Selwyn for concentrating too much on pure science and not focusing on the survey's original function of examining and aiding the development of the mineral resources of the country. This type of petty bureaucracy infuriated Selwyn. These government men always seemed to think they knew what was in the best interest of science. But really all they cared about were the backroom dealings, making themselves rich off the blood and veins of the vast and rich resources of the country.

His response to the bumbling bureaucracy of the new government was to organize a groundbreaking survey team made up of his two best men. He had first considered sending Robert Bell, who would have been a great man for the job. Bell was a seasoned survey-man, with more field hours logged than any of Selwyn's other men. He was also a top-notch physician, skilled at treating any number of illnesses, as well as dealing with sprains and fractures, one of the most common of field injuries. Bell had even, on occasion, performed emergency surgery in the field, amputating gangrenous feet, severed legs and fingers broken beyond repair.

Unfortunately, Selwyn had to reconsider after he learned that Bell had fallen ill with scarlet fever. Apparently after a late night house call to assess the very same ailment in a young female acquaintance, Bell had awoken the next morning with a dreadful rash and a very high fever. Good thing he was a doctor and although he would most definitely recover before the expedition was to set out, Selwyn needed somebody on hand right away to help sort through the rather complicated arrangements of sending a team to the farthest reaches of the country.

His second choice to lead the western expedition was Dawson. Dawson was excited, and grateful, at the opportunity to venture west. The younger Tyrell would work as Dawson's assistant, learning the techniques and skills of the much more experienced Dawson, while refining his own interest in paleontology. The expedition was to explore and map Crowsnest Pass, the north and south Kootenay Rivers, Kicking Horse Pass and the foothills east of the Rocky Mountains. In addition to collecting plants, flowers and fossils, the expedition was also assigned the task of making a "pace survey," measuring by foot the distance traveled. This in turn would aid the survey's task of mapping the whole of the country, and eventually, producing official government maps of the various regions of Canada.

Although Selwyn secretly wished he could lead the expedition, since moving to Ottawa the increasing administrative demands of the museum, combined with the demands of operating the survey had become overwhelming. He also felt that sending Dawson out on an extended field-trip would be a positive way for the young man to build some discipline and self-confidence. Ever since his return from Princeton, Dawson had become withdrawn and hard to connect with. An extended season in the field would help him to reconnect with his love for science and appreciation for the vast unyielding beauty of the country.

In the meantime, the Director had to concentrate on updating the museum's growing catalogue. Each specimen brought in from the field had to first be numbered and classified in relation to its specific geographical region of origin. Once that was accomplished, a second number was given based on its specific use category. The result was a systematic catalogue of artifacts.

That morning he was focusing his attention on the most recent additions to the collection, a vast array of specimens collected by Bell north of Sudbury Ontario while he was on a short expedition to examine a potentially large mineral ore deposit. Of particular interest was a collection of artifacts Bell almost collected from an Ojibwa man around the Sturgeon River, who claimed to be a shaman of the highest degree within the secret Midewiwin society.

According to Bell's field notes, the man had offered to sell his medicine kit. This included a most extraordinary beaded bag of what appeared to be the complete skin of an otter, the contents of the bag, and a beautiful pipe carved in the effigy of an eagle, that transformed into a wolf when looked at from a certain angle.

In his field notes, Bell recounted that he had tried to talk the man down to fifty dollars, but the man was stubbornly set at a price of five hundred dollars for the artifacts. After a close inspection of the items, Bell concluded that the artifacts were not only of a fine vintage, but that they were substantially unique to warrant spending his complete field allowance, knowing of course that he was contributing to the better good of Canadian society by preserving these Indian specimens in the museum for all to see and admire.

Bell's notes ultimately conveyed a sense of loss. Unfortunately, he only had one hundred dollars left, the cost of a train ticket and hiring an Indian guide had been more than expected, so he had to reluctantly refuse the shaman's offer.

That is unfortunate. I'm sure one of George Heye's men will end up purchasing the lot and our cultural heritage will end up in some American museum. I should consider sending the men into the field with a higher allowance for salvaging material for the museum. Although five hundred dollars is pretty steep. Bell probably could have talked him down to two hundred and fifty. The Indians are always inflating the prices for their stuff. They should be happy that we're offering them anything.

Just as Selwyn placed Bell's field notes on the table there was a knock at his door.

"What is it Florence, can't you see I'm very busy at the moment."

Florence was Selwyn's secretary. A nice Irish girl, whose family had survived the embittered Shiner's war that raged through Ottawa during the early 1860s. What Selwyn really liked about Florence was, for an uneducated lumberjack's daughter, her ability to take down his dictations and then translate the shorthand into beautifully eloquent letters never ceased to amaze. Although her constant questions and interruptions proved to be a petty annoyance.

"Sorry Sir, but there is a rather animated gentleman requesting to see you right away. He says it is very important and will not leave until he discusses a most important matter with you in person. I think he is an Indian, but am not quite sure."

"An Indian?" Selwyn thought out loud, puzzled. It was rare that an Indian came into the survey and asked specifically for an audience with him.

"Yes Sir, I think so. But cannot be sure entirely."

"Well did he introduce himself? Did he say he was an Indian?"

"No Sir. It's purely my own conjecture that he may be an Indian. You know, I see them come by from time to time on the odd Saturdays when I am working and the Museum is open to the public. Their long dark hair and dark skin always stands out from the pale mothers with their equally pale kids who come to listen to yours and Dr. Bell's lectures. But what always gives the Indians away from the common folk is the smell of campfire Sir. They always have this strong smell of campfire Sir, like they been out all night boiling down maple syrup or something."

"Did this gentleman smell like campfire?"

"I didn't really get a chance to have a good smell Sir. But he and his friend do wear their hair like Indians, pulled back like a woman, you know."

"I thought you said he was alone."

"Sorry Sir, I forgot to mention that the older gentleman requesting the meeting was accompanied by a younger gentleman."

"Inform the two men that I will be with them shortly."

"Should I bring tea and biscuits?"

"That will be fine. Thank-you Florence."

As he made his way out of his office and down the steep stone staircase to the lower floor, Selwyn could make out the faint smell of tobacco smoke and the quite voices of the two men, speaking in a soft language he was unfamiliar with.

Rounding the corner towards the two voices, Selwyn caught a glimpse of the men, dressed in what appeared to be finely tailored black suits and crisp, starched white shirts, their long hair pulled back into two thin braids, streaming behind their backs. The sun-light shining in from the window reflected off the older man's silver hair, temporally catching Selwyn's eye, like a Crow hunting for a special treasure to add to his collection of shiny trinkets, discarded and misplaced in bushes and beneath blades of grass.

Catching Selwyn's gaze, the older man continued to pull off of his pipe, blowing small puffs of smoke up into the air, waiting for the Director to formally introduce himself.

"Good-day Gentlemen." Selwyn extended his hand enthusiastically to the older gentlemen, who continued to smoke his pipe, disregarding the offer of a handshake.

Unfazed, Selwyn withdrew his hand slowly, noting that the two men were both wearing beautifully beaded moccasins, of a design he was vaguely familiar yet could not place.

"My name is Arthur Selwyn, I am the Director of the Geological Survey, which includes maintaining the operations of the small, but growing, museum. How may I be of assistance to you today?"

After carefully considering Selwyn's words, the older man spoke, exhaling a large puff of aromatic smoke into the air.

"We have something very special that needs to be kept safe."

"I beg your pardon Sir?"

As if on cue, the younger gentleman interceded, extending his hand out to Selwyn in greeting.

"Dr. Selwyn, we very much appreciate you taking the time from your busy schedule to me with us today. We have come a long distance from Montreal and are tired."

His slight British accent intrigued Selwyn. He had never met an Indian who spoke English so well and with such an accent.

"It is a long trip from Montreal, I know it very well. You must be weary indeed, although I hear the train ride is much better since Mr. Booth introduced the better service from Montreal to Ottawa."

Smiling, the younger man glanced over at his companion.

"We took alternate means to get here. But maybe someday we will get an opportunity to take the train, when we're not in such a hurry."

"Regardless, you must be travel weary. My assistant Florence should be here shortly with some tea."

At that moment Florence appeared, with a heavily laden silver tea service. When Florence left, the three men settled back into their chairs with their tea. The younger man, more at ease, introduced himself and his companion.

"My name is George Miskwaadesi and this is my Grandfather, Iyash Miskwaadesi. We have come from a great distance to protect something very special for us." George held a beaded otter skin in front of him. "We would like to deposit this medicine bag here at your museum. Inside the bag you will find a pipe carved in the effigy of an eagle that transforms into a wolf when looked at from a certain angle. There is also some special medicine inside the bag that is very sacred to us."

George passed the bag to Selwyn.

"I do of course want to help in any capacity that I may. However, I cannot guarantee anything. The Museum does not make it a policy to return objects it has acquired for preservation. Of course, any donation is greatly appreciated." Selwyn examined the bag more carefully and handed it back to Iyash. "This looks like a very fine specimen and I can say we would be very happy to have it our collection. In fact I was just reading the trip report from one of my field officers and he almost purchased a bag exactly like this up by Sturgeon Falls."

Taking a slow drag from his pipe, Iyash, replied, "It's a very special bag, very old, older than you or I. It was passed on to me from my grandfather, who received it from his grandfather. All we ask is that you protect the bag and its contents so when we need it, it will be here."

"Our storage facilities are top notch. Only authorized members of the survey are allowed access to the collections. I can assure you that your bag and its contents will be safe here."

"These items were recently taken from my grandfather. The man who stole them tried to sell them without our permission to one of your men," George added.

"I can assure you gentlemen, that my men take every precaution when they are in the field to purchase items for the museum. We maintain the highest integrity here at the survey and my men are trained to purchase items from honest sources that are of the highest quality. Every item we have here in the museum is tagged and precisely catalogued, including the history of the purchase transaction."

"Luckily my grandfather was able to track the items down before any more harm could be done."

"Gentleman, I don't understand why you would want to deposit these items here if you just recovered them," asked Selwyn. "Why don't you just keep them amongst your personal affects?"

"We realized that our sacred objects are no longer safe in our hands. Government officials are systematically working to destroy our culture and beliefs. Their Indian Act has made our ceremonies illegal. Their agents are taking our children into those residential schools, cutting their hair and teaching them that out culture and traditions are no good and backwards," replied Iyash. "There will come a time when all this will change. When we need to heal our people and work together to heal this planet. That is why we are bringing this medicine here to you today. To keep it safe until that time comes." Iyash handed Selwyn the beaded bag.

"I am most honored." Selwyn took the bag. "I can assure you it will be safe here for a long time. And I will make a note on the collector's file that these objects were deposited by you for safe keeping."

As quietly as they arrived, the two men left the old Clarendon Hotel at 547 Sussex Street. Selwyn was most intrigued by the transaction. In all his years with the survey, he couldn't remember Indians ever depositing objects at the museum. Usually, they had to be convinced to either sell or make replicas of objects with such significant ethnological value. And many objects were one of a kind.

This certainly is a surprise. Bell will be exceptionally elated that these objects found their own way to the museum. His assessment was correct. The museum has just acquired a very valuable ethnological specimen and the country can rest assured that this survey is doing everything it can to stymie the efforts of those American collectors why want to steal our national heritage.

Selwyn brought the beaded otter bag back to his office. He could feel that there was something inside the bag but, for some reason, could not figure out how to open it. This was the first Midewiwin bag he had ever seen and it certainly was a most excellent addition to the museums growing collection of Indian artifacts.

After turning, rotating, and staring intently at the bag trying to figure out how to open it, he noticed a small latch of bone and porcupine quill, hidden so expertly underneath the otter's neck. Sliding the bone and quill out of a small groove in the otter's skin, the Otter's head moved, revealing a deep cavity in its neck and providing access to the contents of the bag which were comfortably housed in what once was the animal's guts. Just as he placed his hand inside the bag, there was a knock at his office door, startling him off his chair.

### Chapter 5

Will was on his first round of the morning. When the employment agency called him last month to tell him that they had a job for him at the museum as a security guard he felt like he had finally won the lottery.

_I don't know what I was going to do._ Will thought to himself as he started his rounds. _I never expected to be laid off from that high-tech job. The timing couldn't' have been worse, with the new addition to the family and Jess being on maternity leave. Those bastards didn't even giving me a severance. If I had the money I'd hire a lawyer and stick it to those corporate assholes. Siphoning millions of dollars from workers like me to pay for their movie star lifestyle. They should all be thrown in jail and left there to rot like the criminals they are._

When Will was first laid off he had started drinking pretty heavily. It was the only way he knew how to deal with his emotions. It's what his father did all those years, drowning his sorrows in the bottom of a whiskey bottle.

Knowing his family history, Jess had become really concerned. The night before the employment agency called to offer him the job at the Museum, Jess strongly suggested he go and get some counseling.

"Honey, I really think you need to stop drinking so much." Jess was a sweet woman and Will loved her so much. "We need you here, sober, to help around the house and to be a good father. You don't want our kids to grow up without a father do you?"

Will still remembered that night. He had been drinking steady since three in the afternoon. When Jess first raised the subject it pissed him off.

"Don't tell me how I should be raising the kids," he slurred. "You know just as well as me that I'm a good father. A damn good father. What're a few drinks once in a while to help with the stress?"

"If it was only a beer or two instead of a whole bottle of whiskey, it would be different." Jess put her arm around Will. "You come from a family of alcoholics. It's a slippery slope and you're struggling. I know you the best of anyone."

Will shrugged Jess' arm off his shoulder.

"I don't need your pity." He could feel the tears inside of him wanting to come out but somehow the alcohol made it almost impossible for them to flow freely.

"And I don't need a drunk husband, who neglects his wife and children." Jess put her hand on Will's knee. "You need to clean yourself up Will. I know being laid off has been really hard. You want to provide for us and you can't. But you're never going to be able to if you keep drinking your life away."

Will remembered agreeing to phone a counselor first thing in the morning to schedule an appointment. Deep in his heart he knew Jess was right. But there was a little boy inside of him that was really scared- that the counselor may confirm that he had the potential to be as drunk and violent as his father was.

The excitement of getting the job as a security man at the museum however, made them both forget Will's promise to call a counselor.

"You may want to check the collections room first Will. The sensors are picking up some unusual activity. Probably nothing or maybe it's the ghosts."

Tom, Will's new supervisor at the museum liked to joke about the ghosts in the collections room.

"You know they say that some of those Indian artifacts come to life when nobody is around. These old Indian guys are coming into the museum all the time to feed the spirits. Kind of spooky if you ask me, spookier than all those skeletons up in the Archaeology collections. At least with the skeletons you know they're dead."

"I don't believe in all that mumbo jumbo." Will laughed. "I'll go check it out right away and call it in as soon as I get there."

After a month of working at the museum, Will was still amazed at the security installation. The bio-metrics took a while to get used to and sometimes slowed things down a bit, but they sure made the building secure.

He took the fastest way to the collections through the ground floor tunnel and up the freight elevator. He only had to stop twice to scan his thumb and swipe his pass. The workers in the tunnel were busy unloading the collections for the traveling exhibit _Eternal Tombs_. A quick look suggested it had something to do with ancient Egyptian funeral rites.

Have to remember that one. Jess and the Kids would probably enjoy seeing the mummies. Will liked the perk of getting free passes to the exhibits at the museum. Makes working here that much more enjoyable.

The freight elevator stopped and clanked open. Will got out and walked down the corridor towards the collection room, adjusting his security belt to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything back in the security office.

He adjusted the volume down on his radio and pulled his Maglite out the belt. The lighting in the collections room was always so dim. Tom explained to him it had something to due with the lux factor and the conservation of the objects.

Whatever all that means. As long as I have a flashlight I'm fine. These Maglite's are also good for knocking out small rodents or other such pests. I wonder if I should charge my tazer, just to be on the safe side.

Will still wasn't that comfortable carrying the high voltage stun gun. Tom assured him it was safe, but these things had been seriously injuring people lately.

I might as well charge it. Doesn't mean I have to use it. But then if I do need it, at least it's ready.

Will could feel the gentle hum of the tazer as it started charging up.

"I'm at the collections, going in to check." Will radioed in to the main office.

"10-4," Tom's voice crackled on the other end.

Will put his thumb into the biometric reader and slid his card into the slot along the door. After a few seconds, there was a whir and a click and the door opened to the collections room.

### Chapter 6

"Pleased to finally meet you George. I hope your trip to Ottawa was pleasant and uneventful." Susan extended her hand in a professional greeting.

Smiling, George nodded toward his grandfather.

"My Grandfather and I had a most wonderful trip. Thank-you for asking."

"This is my assistant, Paul Saya. He is currently working towards completing his doctorate in Anthropology. He is a specialist in traditional aboriginal land-use practices and also works here at the museum, from time to time, helping me out with various projects and assignments."

George greeted Paul with a friendly handshake, motioning to his grandfather, who was still sitting down.

"You have to excuse him. He's not used to going so long without his pipe. Ever since these cities introduced their no-smoking laws, he gets grumpy and a little bit introverted whenever we travel to new places."

Iyash erupted with deep belly laughter.

"Yea. I remember a time when I could smoke wherever and whenever I pleased. Oh how times have changed, eh grandson?"

"That's right Grandfather," George replied, as if trying to shake a chill that seemed to have suddenly come over him. "But all hope is not lost." Smiling, he directed his attention back to Susan. "You must excuse us. We have come a long way and are a bit travel weary."

"Of course. No Problem." Susan glanced at Iyash. " Perhaps you would like to come up to my office and have some time to catch your bearings before we get down to business."

After quickly considering this offer, George glanced at his Grandfather, a deep wrinkle appearing and then disappearing on his brow.

"Thank-you for your kind offer but we really have traveled a long distance and would appreciate seeing the items we have come to examine."

"Of course, I completely understand," Susan nodded to Paul. "It should only take Paul a few moments to retrieve the materials from the collections."

Iyash stared intently a Paul, making him a bit nervous.

"Maybe I should go with him and make sure he knows what he's looking for." Iyash looked to Susan for agreement.

"That's a great idea Mr. Miskwaadesi. Paul could show you around the museum and you could help him retrieve the two items from the collections."

Susan was used to leading small tours of elders through the museum. At least twice a year, different groups came into the museum to feed some of the more sacred items in the collection. These visits usually lasted all day and were quite intensive. The morning's elaborate prayers, pipe ceremonies, and smudging of objects with sage, sweetgrass and cedar, were followed in the afternoon by a good round of eating, laughing and storytelling.

"Paul, once you and Mr. Miskwaadesi retrieve the two items, we'll be waiting for you in examination room 2A. In the meanwhile, I'll show our other guest around the Museum." Susan turned towards George, "I hope this is ok with you."

"Yes, of course. No problem." George shifted the small bag he was carrying on his back.

"Great. Let's meet up again in about a half hour or so in the collections room." Susan led George down the stairs and out the main door towards the Museum's public area.

### Chapter 7

Will turned the rows of overhead fluorescents lights on in the collections room. The large expanse of metal shelve were stacked high up to the twenty-foot ceiling and connected by a network of paths. At the bottom of the shelves were large drawers, some of them deep enough to hold baskets or oversized items, while others were very shallow, made to hold textiles or parchments flat so their delicate fiber's would not be damaged by wrinkles.

Each shelf held a different array of tagged objects. There were blanket boxes and cradleboards, model canoes and long houses, carved narwhal tusks and beaded saddles. Bows, three pronged fish-spears and snow snakes were only some of the taller items hung along the end of each row.

Will counted at least fifty rows of shelves and started going down each one row by row, shining his Maglite around the corners and under the shelves to secure the room.

_It was probably a mouse or a rat or something._ Will thought to himself _. This place is so big and those crates are shipped around the world you never know what you're going to pick up along the way. Like that family of mice I found nesting in a box just the other night. They had made a nice home out of the wood shavings from the crates being unloaded downstairs for that mummy exhibit. Too bad I had to kill them._

He was near the last row, which was roped off. The objects on the shelves were covered with red cloth, some were rolled in blankets and there was even one section of shelves covered completely from top to bottom.

"Whatever you do don't sneak a peek at those objects in the sacred, secret and ceremonial section," Tom warned Will on his first week on the job. "Especially those Iroquois false face masks. The Curators told me you could lose your spirit if you look at one of those masks. And you could also lose your job. Museum regulations on that stuff are pretty strict. So no peeking ok?"

Will was fine with the rules. He had no desire to look at objects that meant nothing to him anyways. He peered over the roped off section and shone his light down the corridors. As he suspected there was nothing there.

"All clear in the collections room," he called in on his radio.

"Great. We need you down in the cafeteria. Some kid was caught trying to steal food," replied Tom.

"Ok. I'm heading down there."

Will clicked his radio off and headed back down the row of shelves toward the door. After switching the lights off, he heard a soft shuffling sound and what sounded like footsteps back in the sacred, secret and ceremonial section. He stood still for a few seconds to make sure he wasn't hearing things. The sound didn't stop.

Great. Another batch of rodents.

He decided not to switch the lights back on, just in case it scared them away.

I think this time I'll use my taser. Bludgeoning those mice with the end of my flashlight was too messy last time.

The shuffling noise was coming from the roped off section.

Shit. I'm not supposed to go past here.

Will turned his radio on. His instincts told him he should radio this one in, but he could hear Tom's voice teasing him.

"Got scared by the ghost, eh Will. It's ok, good thing you're not working the night shift though. That's when all the objects come alive – just like that movie."

I'm sure it's nothing. I'll just shine my light in there and confirm it.

He peered over the rope and shined his light down the rows of shelves.

See, nothing.

But on the second scan his light reflected off something at the end of the row.

Fuck. That's gotta be one big rat.

The glint of animal eyes winked back at him in the dark.

I better deal with this one.

He unfastened the rope and made his way towards the back of the row with his taser ready. As he got closer, the shadow seemed to grow. It now looked more like the size of man and not a rat. Will could feel his heartbeat increasing.

What if it actually is a ghost?

"Show yourself. I'm armed and don't want to hurt you."

Will decided he should give whatever it was a chance to come peacefully before he stuck it with a thousand searing volts of electricity.

"We can deal with this peacefully."

There was no response. Will stepped closer. His light seemed to fade into the darkness, as if it was being swallowed by something. He could make out the figure of a man crouched in the corner, clutching something to his chest.

"Ok, I see you now. I repeat, I don't want to hurt you. Come out with your hands above your head."

_I really should radio this in now_. Will thought as he came closer to the dark figure crouched in the corner.

He steadied the light in one hand and went for his radio, but something hit him straight on, knocking him over. He could feel a sharp point, like a knife, on his face and instinctively shot both hands up to protect himself. His flashlight rolled on the ground beside him, and he could make out a mass of feathers hovering inches above his face.

A bird! Jesus Christ. How did a bird get in here?

"Caawwwww caw caww." The bird confirmed what Will thought.

"What the hell are you doing in here bird?" Will felt more relaxed now knowing it was only a bird but could feel the heat on his face where the bird had scratched him with is claws.

"Caww caww caw," replied the bird.

Will went for his taser but the bird flew high up into the collections and perched itself on the top of a totem pole in the far corner.

I'll never be able to shoot it with this thing. Better just deal with it. Make amends for killing those mice last week.

"Ok Bird, it's your luck day, I'm not going to kill you." Will grabbed his flashlight and put the radio back into his belt. "There's an emergency exit across the hall. But that means we've got to get you out of here first." Will couldn't believe he was talking to a bird like it was one of his kids.

"Caww caww."

"Ok so you agree. Follow me then."

He opened the door of the collections hall and the bird flew out into the corridor. The emergency exit was on the other side of the corridor. Will swiped his security pass and opened the door. The bird flew out gracefully, soaring high up into the sky and disappearing.

"Well that sure was weird," Will said out loud to himself.

"You ok?" Tom's voice on the radio startled Will. "They're waiting for you down in the cafeteria. You coming down or what?"

"On my way." Will wasn't ever going to mention this incident to Tom. _He'd never believe me,_ Will thought as he made for the elevator, calculating the fastest way to the cafeteria.

### Chapter 8

Paul inserted his ID card into the security panel by the door leading into the museum's main collections. He swiped his thumb through the reader and there was a brief whirr and then a click, as the blue light from the thumb scanner confirmed that it was indeed Paul Saya trying to access the secure wing of the building.

He led Iyash through the open door, into the corridor.

"How do you like this new security system? Pretty high-tech eh?"

Paul found that small talk was a good way to make him feel more at ease with new people.

"This is the museum's way of trying to deal with an internal problem. Over the last few years, items have been disappearing from the collections. Nobody could figure it out. They even fired a guy who they thought was stealing the artifacts. But it turned out that he was totally innocent. So the museum had to pay him off and put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the installation of this new security system."

The two of them continued down the hall towards the collections room.

"It's a waste of money, if you ask me," continued Paul. "If anyone is going to steal something from the museum, it's going to be an internal job. The thief will be able to carry the items right out through this new security system. No questions asked. I think that they just got the wrong guy. Although, since they installed the new system a couple of months ago, the items have stopped disappearing."

"Did the police ever think about investigating outside the museum?" asked Iyash.

"I can't see how it could be somebody from the outside. All visitors have to log in, their bags are checked coming in and going out. Besides, how can you hide a large mask or fish-spear, or even a medicine bundle in a purse or a tote-bag?"

A security guard was coming down the corridor towards them. Paul noticed that he had a large bleeding scratch on his face.

"Hey, how's it going?" Paul nodded at the guard as he passed in the corridor.

"Umm. Yea. Sorry. I've got a call to get to. Some kid was caught stealing food in the cafeteria. He's with a class tour from out of town and the teachers are pretty upset." The guard adjusted his belt and scratched his head. He seemed a little bit disoriented.

"Looks like you cut yourself shaving this morning," joked Paul.

"I don' think so." The guard brought his hand to his face. "Oh that. Bumped into something in the collections room. Had to go check out something that tripped the sensors. Turned out to be nothing."

"That's good. We're heading in there right now to check some stuff out."

"It's all clear Sir." The guard smiled at Paul and Iyash. "Best be on my way now." The guard made off in a hurry towards the elevator.

"I don't know about you, but I got the sneaking suspicion that guard wasn't telling us the whole story about that cut on his face."

They arrived at the large door leading into the main collections. Paul slid his thumb onto the security panel and after a brief whir and click, the door opened and they stepped into the large, dark collections room.

### Chapter 9

Maeve Finn was busy pricing the shipment of new tinctures that just arrived that morning. She was amazed at how fast her stock was moving. Ever since her new bulk herb store and apothecary opened last month there had been a constant stream of clients coming in to buy tinctures, teas and bulk oils.

When she first pitched the idea to members of the community, most people told her the store would never survive in Wakefield. They told her there wasn't enough of an interested clientele. The proof was in the history of stores like hers that already had come and gone over the years. All of Maeve's friends knew, however, how tenacious she was; when Maeve had a dream she always found a way to manifest it.

The store was a longstanding dream of hers. Lately, Maeve had been thinking a lot about all of those mystical mornings at herb school in the emerald valley, drinking tea with her close friend Jasmine, and sharing her vision of the store. Even though Jasmine was extremely practical, she always supported Maeve's dreamy enthusiasm of opening a store.

"But why do you want to open it in Canada Maeve?" Jasmine always came back to this point. "I mean, if you stay in California you can hang a shingle, make your own medicines and follow the American dream! You'll be a millionaire in five years, guaranteed. "

"You're right Jasmine. The regulations are so stringent in Canada. But that just makes the final outcome much more sweeter."

"But what if the final outcome is being swamped by reams of bureaucratic paper work and years of waiting and waiting to be approved by the government before you can open your store?"

"I'm confident Jasmine, you know me. When it comes to manifesting my dreams, I never take no for an answer. As tempting as it is to stay here in the emerald valley, I just feel like I need to be back in Canada, closer to the little bit of family that I still have and know. It's like I'm being drawn back there. It's where I should be."

"Well I believe in you and I'm sure your store is going to be very successful Maeve. You have this amazing ability to make things happen!"

After all of those years, Jasmine's words of encouragement still brought a tear to Maeve's eye. Jasmine was like the older sister Maeve never had. Her good friends often stood in for the lack of closeness she had with her family.

I'm so overdue for a visit with Jasmine and Dave. I haven't even been to Vermont yet to see their new baby.

Over a year ago, Jasmine and Dave had their third kid, Patrick. Maeve didn't know how Jasmine could do it all. Looking after three kids and running her own hugely successful clinical herbalism practice, treating people for all sorts of ills and chills. In fact Jasmine had just placed a huge order with Maeve for bulk herbs, which were a lot cheaper to buy in Canada.

Even though this isn't the Emerald Valley, Wakefield has its own magic.

Some days in the morning the fog from the river twisted into various shapes of animals and fantastical creatures. This morning on her way to work, Maeve thought she saw two pairs of eyes staring at her through the mist, the small shapes of their bodies just barely outlined by the filtered dawn light.

I can't believe I'm seeing these shapes again. Maeve sat in her new store staring out the window at the river. I haven't see those since I was a kid. Although there was that one time with Jasmine at herb school in the garden, and we both saw them that morning, the glowing eyes and small human shapes. But they felt friendly, protective even. I wonder why I'm seeing them again? Probably because I've just moved here. They always seem to appear when I move to a new place and am a little stressed out. And the lack of sleep doesn't help. Stress and exhaustion are a lethal combination.

Lately Maeve had been having a hard time sleeping. Stressed out about the financial prospects of the store, she'd been staying up late crunching numbers and working out various scenarios. Even though all of her advisors and even the bank assured her that the store's business plan provided a very strong five-year financial outlook, she needed to feel that internal reassurance at a gut level.

Ever since she opened the store and the bills had been piling up, she was actually starting to wonder if she had made a mistake. It had even come to the point where Maeve considered selling her most prized possession, her mother's old antique necklace.

It was a large triple serial triskele carved out of single emerald, that apparently came from her great-great grandmother in Ireland and had been passed down through the line of women in Maeve's family. She had inherited it when her mother died, and it was the only memento of her mother she owned. It was a gorgeous piece and some guy had actually come into the store the other day and offered her a very large sum of money for it. He told her it was a one of a kind, very rare and worth a lot of money on the antiquities market. It was a really tempting offer, but Maeve refused.

Thank God for Jasmine's order.

Maeve took the emerald in her hand, and held it up to the window. The sun reflected a beautiful green pattern on the wall behind her.

I don't think I could've ever explained this one to dad. He never liked the idea of me opening up a store. Too financially risky. Selling mom's necklace would have just fueled his lack of confidence in me. He would've been convinced that I'd never be able to make a decent living from this place.

She put the necklace back on and tightened the clasp behind her neck.

And besides, I absolutely adore this necklace. What was I thinking? Even if I was a little strapped for cash, I could never sell this. It's the only real connection I still have with mom.

Maeve still had the man's business card laying on the counter by the cash register.

I guess if I ever need to sell it, at least I have his contact info.

Maeve was only really starting to get used to the feeling of being her own boss and the ultimate freedom of working for herself — no petty personal politics with co-workers, no narcissistic boss to put up with, no pay cheque every two weeks.

I do kind of miss that steady pay cheque; the security of knowing you could always pay the bills at the end of the month. But it's definitely not worth the price. The grind of the routine that I never really could fully get used to.

So far it had been a pretty slow morning at the store. A few local customers had popped by for some small purchases, but nothing substantial.

_It is only Tuesday and the beginning of the month,_ Maeve reassured herself. I _t'll pick up by the end of the week and this weekend will probably be as busy as last weekend. And with Jasmine's order, I'm already in the black for this month. Rent is paid. Amazing how things always seem to come together just when you need them to!_

The phone rang, startling Maeve out of her thoughts. She let it ring two more times, before picking it up. This gave herself some time to catch her breath and find her balance. Something she learned from her good friend Owen, who was into Zen meditation, and always telling her to slow downs a bit.

"Remember to breath Maeve! Slow down and smell the roses. They're really beautiful."

Thinking of Owen, Maeve took one final breath and picked up the phone.

"Good morning, Maeve's magical medicines, how can I help you?"

"I'd like to speak to the owner of the store please." The male voice on the other end of the phone had a slight hint of an Irish accent. Maeve thought she recognized the voice, but couldn't quite place it.

"This is the owner." Maeve shifted in her seat, adjusting the volume on the phone. "May I ask who's calling."

"It's Dr. Corvus. We met a few days ago there at your store."

"I meet a lot of people. Maybe you could refresh my memory."

Maeve totally remembered his Irish accent now. It was the man who came into her store the other day and offered to buy her grandmother's necklace. She didn't like the fact that he was calling. In fact, in sent shivers up her spine.

"Tall, dark and handsome." The voice on the other end of the phone joked. "And interested in beautiful jewels. Like the one you have around your neck right now."

Maeve reached for the emerald around her neck, just to reassure herself that it was still there.

"Don't worry young lady, you haven't sold it to me yet."

"I remember you now." Maeve adjusted the phone so she could have a better look outside the window. She had this uncanny feeling that this man was lurking on the street outside her store. He felt too close. "My answer is still the same. I'm not interested in selling this necklace to you. It's a family heirloom."

"I totally understand." Dr. Corvus softened his voice. "In fact, Ms. Finn, I'm calling on a different matter completely.""

"Really?" Maeve felt a little more at ease. "Would you like to place an order for some herbs?"

Somehow she didn't think he was interested in herbs.

"No, not particularly. I would like to ask you out for dinner. I'm leaving town tomorrow, back to Ireland, and thought it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to share a meal and a few drinks with you before I go."

There was something very enchanting about his voice, and if Maeve hadn't already made plans to go out with her friend Owen tonight, she would have said yes.

"I appreciate the offer but I have a date planed tonight with my boyfriend."

Owen wasn't really her boyfriend, but it was always better to pretend so that there were no expectations. Maeve knew from experience that some men didn't like to be put off so easily. If they thought you were single, they'd keep pursuing you until you said yes.

"I'm flattered by your offer though."

"It's not often I come across jewels like yourself Ms. Finn."

"It's not often I get called Ms. Finn."

"If you change your mind please give me a call. You can reach me at the number on the card I gave you the other day."

Maeve glanced at the business card lying beside her cash register.

"I leave town first thing tomorrow morning."

"Have a safe trip."

"Thanks, and if you ever do decide to sell your great-grandmother's necklace, please consider giving me the opportunity to make you a decent offer."

"Sure thing."

Maeve couldn't remember telling him the necklace was her great-grandmother's.

"I may even be able to tell you some of the history related to that necklace."

"Over diner and a few drinks I bet?"

"Indeed. The best stories often come after a few drinks and over a good meal."

"I'll buy the book when it comes out." Maeve hoped that he wasn't going to try and persist on a date with her tonight.

"Suit yourself."

Maeve hung up the phone, relieved that she was able to shake this one off.

He certainly had an enchanting, old world charm to him. His Irish accent sounded totally weathered by time and whisky. It's not very often I get offers from his type. Usually, it's the bad-boy biker, punk types that are attracted to me. Or the dirt-poor hippy-dippy, tortured artists.

I bet I could've had a great dinner and a couple of nice bottles wine and even some intelligent conversation with him. But there was a subtle creep factor to him. Old world charm and all. Oh well. Next time maybe I'll finally get it right. The universe keeps sending me these guys that are almost what I want, but not entirely. But each time it gets a little bit better. A least this time he was educated and had a bit of money!

Maeve's cell phone started to ring. She plucked it up off the counter to see who was calling. It was a text message from Owen.

**You want me to pick you up for the show tonight**?

Maeve really liked Owen.

He's so thoughtful and generous with his time. Always willing to go that extra mile for me. Too bad I'm not really attracted to him. Who said women can't just have male friends? Anyways, I'm not ready for anything serious. Too much on my plate with the store and moving back. I just need some space to get grounded and put some roots down.

Maeve hit the reply button on her phone to respond to Owen's text.

Thanks for the offer! I'm going to walk. Need the exercise. See you there around 8?

After a few seconds Maeve's phone rang again. It was another text from Owen.

Ok. See you soon!

Maeve smiled.

At least I have one friend in town.

### Chapter 10

Detective Bradley Coon sat at his desk downtown at the station, feeling a little hung-over from the scotch he had gotten into the night before. He promised himself that he'd only have two drinks maximum, but once he started, it went down too smoothly.

I gotta stop doing that to myself, drinking at home all alone. Ever since Allison left I've become a hermit, some mornings I don't even want to get out of bed. I know this is only temporary. Shit, no woman is ever going to want to sleep with a guy who won't get out of bed and can't stop thinking about his crazy ex-wife.

Coon shifted the large pile of paper on his desk. His boss had given him a new assignment yesterday.

"Coon, I've got a new assignment for you." The Commander was a soft-spoken manager, but he didn't spare any words. "I realize your divorce has been pretty messy, so I'm giving you something easy until you can get your head back into the game."

He slid a large file folder across the desk.

"Interpol needs our help in populating a new database that they've developed. It provides direct online access to authorized users to a tracking system of stolen cultural property. Apparently they are hoping to go live with the system this week. The database includes over 34,000 works of stolen art from almost every country around the world."

"So what do you want me to do?" Coon didn't like the idea of a desk job right now. Too much time to think about how messed up his marriage had been. "This sounds like something for a new recruit or somebody on the verge of retiring."

"This is an important job Coon. Interpol has asked us to verify the object-related information of the material in their database that comes from our museums. I need you to examine the descriptions and photographs of these stolen cultural goods and make sure that the information in the database is correct. You'll be liaising with the Interpol's Works of Art department. Felisa Sylvestre is your contact. Keep in mind that this is an important tool to counter the traffic in cultural property. The database will not be limited to law enforcement agencies, but offered to all concerned cultural and professional bodies. Contact officials at the national museum. There is a list of names and numbers in the folder."

"That's it?" Coon started flipping through the file. "Sounds like I'll be done this afternoon."

"Interpol asked us also to look into possible sightings of this man."

The Commander passed Coon another folder, opened to show a composite sketch of man.

"Looks like a real pain in the ass."

"He's the main suspect in a recent string of thefts of objects from museums around the world. Bast security services in Cairo are the main contact on this file. See what you can find. But first I want you to focus on the database. We need to get that information verified and sent off as soon as possible."

"I'll let you know when I'm done. Like I said, shouldn't take me long."

"Clean yourself up Coon. I don't want to have to send you back to psych for more counseling."

I guess I better get this job done and show the commander I've still got my head in the game.

Coon sat at his desk flipping through the database file the Commander had given him yesterday. This time being more careful to take notes. The majority of the dossier contained pictures of objects missing from the national museum's collection.

I remember Allison used to like to spend hours walking through the museum's exhibits, checking out all theses old artifacts and stuff. Coon remembered. We probably saw some of these on our many visits. But I still don't get why people find this stuff so interesting. It all looks so crude and poorly made. I guess that's where Allison and I never really saw eye to eye on things. She saw beauty in the most crude and obscure things that I could never relate to. We could never communicate with each other. Coon sighed and took a bottle of Advil out of his desk drawer. These little guys are going to help me through the day today.

Coon felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He turned the ringer off this morning with the faint hope that maybe it wouldn't ring until his headache eased a bit.

He flipped the cell phone open.

"Coon here."

"Tom Johnson head of security down at the National Museum," the voice was strong and self-assured. "One of my boys had a close call this morning on his rounds. I heard about this new Interpol project, so thought I'd call it in, maybe give you a lead on something."

"I was just looking at my file and was thinking about popping by the museum to meet with," Coon checked the contact list in front of him, "a Dr. Susan Hasser in ethnology. Maybe I could pop down to security and speak with your man."

"No problem, we'd be happy to have you detective."

"What happened?"

"One of the guards was responding to an alarm in the collections. Turned out to be a false alarm, tripped off by a bird." The security guard laughed, as if he found the whole situation hilarious. "But my boy got pretty spooked. He's new, but swears he saw a man in there. So I thought it was better to be safe than sorry."

"Absolutely. You did the right thing," replied Coon. "I'll be down there later this afternoon."

After hanging the phone up, Coon took a closer look at the contact list in front of him. Interpol had put together a profile of all the staff that worked at the museum; highlighting those that they had a particular interest in working with.

He flipped through the list quickly and went back to the one with a star next to it and a note in the margin: Father and grandfather both worked in the Egyptian antiquities market before they were rounded up in 1981 by Egyptian authorities as suspected members of El-Jihad.

Interesting. I wonder what ever happened to them and if she still has contact with them.

Coon took his phone out and dialed the number on the contact list. After a few rings, it went direct to voicemail.

"Hi you've reached Dr. Susan Hasser, Curator of Eastern Woodlands, I am in the office today but currently unavailable, please leave a detailed message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

Coon hung up without leaving a message and opened the second folder on his desk. It contained a series of blurry photographs taken from security cameras of the same tall man with short black hair and chiseled features.

They were individually labeled with a time and place: Cairo Museum December 17, 16:00; Potala Palace, December 18, 18:00; Muse National de Aquilegia y Etnología, Guatemala City, December 19, 19:00.

That's odd. This can't possibly be the same thief. The time and date on these photos must be wrong.

Coon took a closer look at the photos to make sure he was reading them correctly.

How could the same man be halfway across the world in such a short time period? It has to take at least three days to travel from Cairo to Tibet, and just as long to go from Tibet to Guatemala City. My guess is it's a small group of thieves working together and this costume is part of their ruse to try to confuse us. I wonder what leads Bast security services have come up with. I guess I should pop in to the museum and pay the good doctor a visit. I'm sure she can help me verify the information on these objects and maybe she even knows something about this suspect.

He took the composite photo of the museum thief out of the folder and jotted down the name of his contact in Cairo, the Director of Bast security, Felisa Silvestris, on the back of the sketch and put it in his pocket with his cell phone.

### Chapter 11

Paul reached inside the door and turned the lights on in the collection room. The large expanse of shelves, reaching high up to the twenty-foot ceiling became visible.

"Welcome to the collections." Paul stepped inside the dimly lit room. "Every time I come in here I'm awed by its vastness."

Iyash followed Paul inside, struck by the amazing array of objects on the shelves.

"Pretty impressive. Looks like a lot of hard work went into this collection."

"Over one hundred years of collecting from all across the country," Paul noted. "And this is only one of three rooms, not including the archaeology collection on the fifth floor."

"That's a lot of basket," Iyash joked. "Mind if I smoke?"

"I don't know if that would be appropriate." Paul hesitated to tell his guest that smoking in this room would probably get them into trouble.

"Don't worry Paul, we won't get into trouble. Not for me smoking anyways. These objects need a smoke just as bad as I do right now. I'm sharing."

Iyash took out his pipe, and filled it with a pinch of tobacco.

"I guess if it's for ceremonial reasons, that should be ok."

The aromatic smoke from Iyash's pipe wafted up to the ceiling. Paul liked the deep, nutty smell of the tobacco; it reminded him of his own grandfather who liked to smoke his pipe by the wood stove during the winter, a generous glass of brandy always at his side.

"Feel free to take a look around. I just need to get a few numbers out of the computer system so we can retrieve those objects you're here to see."

Paul clicked the button on the computer; the internal hum of the hard-drive was a good sign that the old machine was still working. For some reason the museum hadn't replaced the old computers in the collection rooms. Apparently, the inventory program didn't work on the newer systems, so these older computers couldn't be replaced until either a new, better inventory program was found or somebody figured out a way to run the old program on the newer operating systems. Most likely these computers would stay here, eventually blending in with the rest of the artifacts and relics of days gone by preserved in the museum's collections.

"Ok my friend. Let me know if you need any help." Iyash took a deep pull off of his pipe, exhaling the aromatic smoke slowly from his lungs. "I think I can probably find what I'm looking for without the aid of your computer and numbers."

"Well I better check, just to make Sue happy. She doesn't like it when I cut corners. Makes her nervous."

Paul was a bit uneasy about not following protocols. Especially since objects had gone missing from the collections over the last few years. He didn't want to become a primary suspect in the ongoing investigations.

"Suit yourself. Let me know when you have your numbers. I'm going to take a look around." Iyash grinned at Paul, walking around the corner and disappearing down one of the many corridors of shelves, a faint trail of smoke following him.

Paul busied himself at the computer. After the inventory program was loaded up, he imputed the two acquisition numbers Susan had given him into the search field. After a moment's pause, the computer returned two hits.

Paul clicked on the first hit:

Acquisition Number: III-X-329

Digital ID: 20070412

Shelf Number: 13-04-02

Place of Origin: Sturgeon River, Ontario

Measurements: Length 20.0 cm, Width 16.5 cm

Category: Ceremonial artifacts

Sub-category: Personal gear

Cultural Affiliation: Northeastern Ojibwa, Anishnaabe

Collector's note: Artifact reported deposited to Director Selwyn in 1882 by old Indian man and grandson for safekeeping.

After writing down the specific information he needed, Paul clicked on the second hit the computer returned.

Acquisition Number: III-X-330

Digital ID: 20070413

Shelf Number: 13-04-03

Place of Origin: Sturgeon River, Ontario

Measurements: Length 57.8 cm, Width 2.6 cm, 6.7 cm

Category: Ceremonial artifacts

Sub-category: Personal gear

Cultural Affiliation: Northeastern Ojibwa, Anishnaabe

Collector's note: Artifact reported deposited to Director Selwyn in 1882 by old Indian man and grandson for safekeeping.

After jotting down the information for the second object, Paul went to look for Iyash, following his trail of lightly scented tobacco through the aisles of shelves. It didn't take him long to find the Elder, who was waiting patiently at the edge of the chained off section of the collections.

At the request of Elders from across the country, the museum maintained strict protocols regarding access to the more sacred and spiritual objects in its collections. This included restricting access to the materials by chaining off the specific section where the objects were stored and covering all the objects with red cloths, to respect their living presence.

Four times every year, the museum hosted Elders who were invited into the collections to feed any of the sacred objects that required attention and to smudge them with sweetgrass, sage, cedar and tobacco. Paul had never accessed any of the objects in the special sacred, secret and ceremonial collection. He had, however, heard numerous stories about the special Elder visits from Susan, who organized and coordinated the visiting delegations, which usually coincided with the four equinoxes.

"I managed to find the numbers we need to retrieve those two items."

"Great. I think you'll find them in there, third shelf, bottom-left corner." Iyash motioned towards one of the shelves inside of the chained-off section.

"Hmm. Let's see." Paul checked his notes to verify the location of the objects, which were classified as being in location 13, which was where all the sacred objects were located, and where the two of them now stood. "Hey. You're right. Good guess."

"No guessing involved my friend." Iyash laughed. "They are very special to me, to all of us."

"I can't understand how you'd even begin to know where these two items would be located. The museum's collections are so vast, there must be over a million items in here!"

"I guess it's just good intuition."

"I hope we're lucky this afternoon!" Paul unhooked the chain from the wall and ushered Iyash into the sacred collections. "Lets see if we can find those two items you and your grandson have traveled so far to examine."

"They're over here." Iyash led Paul over to one of the many shelves in the collections. "Bottom corner."

"Maybe I should get a cart to put them on. It would make it a lot easier to wheel them into the examination room around the corner where we are supposed to meet the other two."

"Good idea. I'll wait here while you get a cart." Iyash took a deep haul off of his pipe, exhaling a strong cloud of aromatic smoked towards the two objects lying in the left hand corner on the bottom shelf, both of them covered by a thick red cloth.

After a few minutes Paul returned with one of the carts used to transport objects from the collections to other areas of the museum.

"It seems more appropriate that you should have the honors of uncovering the two objects." Paul motioned to the pair of white linen gloves that were on the cart. "I don't suppose you will need to wear these?"

"Nope. Not necessary." Iyash smiled. "I think I'll be fine. Don't intend to do any harm to my own property."

Bending down low, Iyash paused to say a prayer before uncovering the red cloth from the two objects.

Just as his hand went towards the first object, there was a loud noise as the door to collections was opened and then closed, and two voices deep in conversation echoed throughout the large room.

"So this is the main collections, where over a third of the museum's objects are stored, including the sizable collection of sacred materials we have acquired over the years." The first voice noted.

"It is all quite impressive and well looked after." The second voice replied.

Paul recognized the first voice as Susan, assuming that the second voice was George. This was confirmed seconds later, as the two of the came around the corner and noticed Paul and Iyash.

"I hope we are not interrupting anything gentlemen," Susan remarked. "We're just finishing up the tour."

"This institution is quite impressive. A lot of care and thought has gone into its design and operation" George commented. "It seems like you are trying your best to accommodate a wide range of interests here."

"Yes, we try our best George. Although, sometimes it is very difficult to accommodate all of the competing interests." Susan sighed deeply. "But the challenge keeps us going."

"I think you are doing a great job." George reassured Susan, redirecting his attention towards Paul. " So, were you able to locate the two objects we came to examine?"

"Yes. It wasn't a problem at all. While I was searching the computer, your grandfather somehow knew all along where the two items were located."

"Of course." George grinned. "He has an uncanny ability to locate things.

"Carry on then," said Susan. "What are you waiting for?"

Taking this cue, Iyash placed his hand on the first object. A serious look of concern came over him. He immediately placed his hand on the second object.

"Grandson, it looks like he beat us here after all."

Paul glanced at Susan, who returned his puzzled look as Iyash uncovered the two objects.

### Chapter 12

Iyash quickly removed the red cloth from the two objects revealing two perfectly dark black raven feathers that glistened a translucent blue underneath the fluorescent lights of the collections room.

"You were right grandfather." George was shocked. He picked up the two raven feathers, running his finger along their tips.

"After all these years I thought we were safe." Iyash shook his head slowly in disappointment.

"He's a crafty one. Old man Pikagan warned us."

George unzipped the bag slung over his shoulder and reached his hand in to retrieve something. After a few seconds of searching, he produced two feathers identical to the two he now held in his hands. Untying the red ribbon that held the feathers together, George placed the two new feathers together with the other two and retied the ribbon; gently placing them back into his bag.

"Maybe you can fill us in on what's going on here." Susan couldn't believe that the two objects weren't where they were supposed to be. "I think I should probably call security to report this."

"Security? They won't be able to do anything about this." Iyash looked very tired and old all of a sudden.

"Maybe Paul had the wrong acquisition numbers." Susan looked hopefully at Paul. "I'll recheck them myself."

She made her way over to the computer terminal. After a few seconds she returned, a grim look on her face.

"So?" Paul knew he had the right numbers.

"You definitely had the right numbers." Sue was now completely confused.

"It's nothing you'll be able to resolve very easily." George's voice had a calming effect. "Especially if you involve the police."

"Ok. I won't call security. But I'm going to have to report this at some point." Sue regained her composure. "Maybe you or and your grandfather could explain what's going on here."

"It looks like your museum has lost our objects, "explained Iyash matter of factly. "We trusted you to look after our precious culture and your lack of attention and care for these sacred materials is now going to have dire consequences for more than just us."

"That's not fair." Paul couldn't help himself. He knew how hard Sue worked to maintain the integrity of the museum's collection and to make sure Aboriginal peoples were involved at every level of the museum's operation.

"It's ok Paul," interjected Sue calmly. "I think our guests are trying to blow a bit of smoke in our faces. Maybe we should all go up to my office and get our bearings."

"A fine idea." George nodded at his grandfather. "We're in no hurry to head back to the hotel. Our flight leaves sometime tomorrow evening."

"Great." Sue glanced at Paul, who had receded back into the shadows of the conversation. "Paul, you're not too eager to head back to the archives are you? I think we're going to need your problem solving skills."

"I wasn't planning on heading back there until tomorrow."

Exiting the collections, Sue led the way up two flights of stairs to her office on the fourth floor. It was an expansive corner office, with a beautiful view overlooking the river and a small collection of four over-stuffed chairs in one corner, arranged in a circle around a small low-lying table.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" Iyash took out his pipe and placed a small pinch of tobacco into it.

Paul noticed that somehow Iyash managed to get his pipe lit without using a match.

"My grandfather has a few neat tricks up his sleeve." George winked at Paul. "Nothing years of practice can't teach."

"I guess so." Paul stammered. "Never been a smoker myself."

"It has to be the right kind of smoke- and that seems increasingly difficult to find these days."

"So gentleman, not to be rude, but I think we need to concentrate a bit here and figure out what's go on." Sue sat down and made herself comfortable. "George, maybe you can start by filling us in on the meaning of those raven feathers you are carrying around in your bag."

"I'm not sure what you mean. They're just a couple of raven feathers. Nothing special about them."

"What about this Raven that your grandfather mentioned earlier?"

"Raven is a trickster in many Indigenous stories," replied Paul. "An elaborate practical joker. Maybe this is a test of the museum's new security system."

"All I know right now is that two special artifacts have somehow gone missing from our collections, the same two artifacts that you and your grandfather have traveled a long distance to be reacquainted with. And they turn out to be raven feathers? In all my years working here in the museum, I've never experienced anything quite so unusual as this."

"The unusual seems to follow us around," replied Iyash.

"When the new security system was installed all the items in the collection were fitted with a tracer tag that needs to be deactivated before it leaves the museum or else an alarm will be set off," added Paul. "Maybe they were actually scheduled for some conservation work."

"That makes sense," Susan seemed hopeful. "Conservation sometimes had an odd way of doing things, rarely communicating with the Curators when they decided to give a specific object the equivalent of a complete check-up. This wouldn't be the first time an object had apparently gone missing only to turn up a few days later with a clean bill of health."

### Chapter 13

Raven couldn't believe that Maeve had blown him off so easily.

This is proving to be trickier than I thought. I may have to change my tactics a little bit.

His hotel room was across the street from the museum. He had a perfect view of the round curves of the building, which were beginning to cast strange shadows on the ground in the afternoon light.

Raven shifted his gaze from the window to a small package sitting on the table in front of him. It was a close call this morning in the collections room at the museum.

Getting inside had been easy. Too easy. Almost like I was being set up, like a bird in a cage. But that curator had no idea of my real intention there. It was fun talking to her about Sinclair though. If she only knew that I had actually been on that voyage to the teaching rock, we could have had a really interesting conversation. Unfortunately, that's never going to happen. A shame really. I kind of liked her. I could have told her that Sinclair was actually an emissary tasked with the responsibility of rebuilding a very ancient relationship.

Raven sighed. Lately, he was really starting to feel old, tired and lonely. He missed human touch.

I could've sworn there was some kind of enchantment on that collections room. The same enchantment that made it impossible to phase in from the outside, made it equally difficult to phase out from the inside. Luckily I didn't get shot but that squirrely security guard. It's a shame what alcohol does to some humans.

Raven opened the package on the desk and took out the two items he had stolen from the museum. The first was a small otter skin, with an intricate beaded pattern of black, yellow, red and white stars. There was a small clasp hidden underneath the chin that served to keep the bag closed. He lifted the otter's head to open the bag and put his hand deep into the insides of the animal.

I don't know what's so special about this old bag. It's just got a bit of sand and dried earth in it.

He took his hand out of the bang and re-clasped it, dusting off the bit of sand and earth that had stuck to his fingers.

I like this pipe though. Now that's magical.

Raven took the pipe his hand and held it up to the light.

An eagle transforming into a wolf. This is something I can relate to. If I wasn't being paid so well, I'd probably keep it for myself.

He put the two objects back into the small black bag on the table and zipped it up. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small, sleek black cell phone and flipped it open.

"Yea, I've got them."

"Any problems or potential problems," asked the caller.

"I almost got shot by an edgy security guard. It was easy enough to slip into the collections. But when I tried to phase out I couldn't."

"Did the guard see you," replied the caller tensely. "I hope for your sake he didn't."

"I was able to shift before he could see me. He just thought there was a bird caught in the collections room. I squawked at him a couple of times and he opened the emergency exit and let me out."

"Lucky."

"Nothing to do with luck. It's skill. That's why you hired me."

"What about the girl?"

"She's proving to be harder to pin down than I thought."

"Well sharpen up those skills of yours. I don't want to see you until you've secured everything I want."

"And what about my wants?"

"The terms of our agreement still stand," assured the caller. "I have made all of the required arrangements."

"Excellent." Raven had waited a long time to finish this project and he was looking forward to retiring comfortably after he delivered the last few items. "I'll secure the last piece tonight. The girl won't be a problem."

"Perfect. Just what I want to hear. I have the utmost confidence in you Bran. Call me when you are ready to return."

There was a click and the line went dead.

Raven flipped his phone closed and put it back into his pocket.

I guess I'm heading to Wakefield tonight. I hope Maeve's boyfriend doesn't get in the way. I'd hate for this to have to get messy. I haven't had to kill anybody for a long time.

Outside his window, the full moon was rising, barely visible in the fast encroaching twilight.

### Chapter 14

"Hi Stephen, it's Susan up in Ethnology." Sue tapped her finger rhythmically on the table. "Great, great, thanks. Yea, it's been pretty busy up here the last couple of weeks getting ready for the big China exhibit. No, I didn't really have anything to do with it. That was Gale's baby. Have you seen it yet? Yea, pretty amazing."

Sue looked at Paul and rolled her eyes.

"Listen, I was wondering if you happened to have a couple of objects I'm looking for down in conservation. Great, yea, I'm thinking about putting a show together next year, I call it envisioning the sacred. Yea, materials from the sacred collections in conjunction with oral histories and art. Thanks, yea should be really interesting. Accession numbers? Of course."

Paul dug the piece of paper out from his pocket and handed it Sue.

"III-X-329 and III-X-330. Sure, no problem." Sue handed the paper back to Paul. "Really? Ok, thanks Stephen. Yep, talk to you later."

Sue placed the receiver back on its cradle.

"He's going to look and call back in the next five minutes or so."

" I can't imagine where else they would be." Paul was relieved that they were that much closer to finding the missing two objects.

"I wouldn't count on it." Iyash pinched a small bit of tobacco into his pipe. "I got a pretty good feeling that our medicine is not in this building. Not even in this city."

"Really?" Sue was surprised. "But that's impossible. They have to be down in conservation. The new security system is the best in the world."

"I also have a very strong feeling that the our objects are no longer in this building." George crossed his arms and let out a long sigh. "Grandfather, I think that maybe it's time to share our story."

"Do you really think they're ready?"

"I think that until they understand what is really going on we won't be able to do anything."

"Ok, but not everything. Just what they need to know."

"Agreed. We don't want to scare them away too soon." George's eyes twinkled. "You never can tell how strong these young ones are."

"Now you've got our attention." Sue leaned forward in her chair. "What exactly is going on here?"

"We were not expecting this to happen and apologize for involving you in this affair."

"Really, it's not your fault." Paul felt his heart starting to beat faster.

"Many years ago my grandfather and I made a similar trip to this museum to deposit the same two objects we came to retrieve this morning. These objects have been in our family for as long as any of us can remember, passed down from one generation to the next, and treated with a loving respect and kindness that lives in the deepest reaches of our hearts. We are the caretakers of these two very special members of our family, and our task has always been to protect and nurture them. Many years ago, a man with a very bad-heart poisoned my grandfather and stole these two objects from us. It was all part of a larger plan of destruction and greed. Luckily, grandfather had the proper medicine on hand so I could help extract the poison. It was strong poison though, and it took almost six months for him to regain all his strength back. We both knew that we were going to need all our strength to recover that which was stolen from us."

"That's right. Now I remember." Paul sat up in his chair. "The collector's note in the acquisition database mentioned that these two objects were deposited by an Old Indian. If I remember correctly, it was the Director of the Geological Survey, Alfred Selwyn, who made the notation. But that was back in 1882!"

"I've never had much use for dates." Iyash shrugged his shoulders. "Linear time is all an arbitrary construct meant to confuse the mind from the heart."

"But what George is saying is impossible." Paul pressed Iyash further. "Unless both of you are over one-hundred years old."

"Let George finish Paul." Sue ran her hands nervously through her hair.

George pulled the four feathers, tied together with a single red ribbon, out of his bag and carefully extracted two of them. He handed one to Sue and the other to Paul.

"That day in the museum many years ago, we thought we were doing the right thing. At first, we were very upset at these museums. Anthropologists were coming into our communities and buying our most sacred objects and digging up our ancestors in the name of science. This science was a mean, mixed-up version of what we understood as human kindness and our people were being frozen into an ethnographic present in these museums. The last thing we wanted was to bring our most sacred objects here to this museum so that they too could be frozen in time."

"But that all changed when we received these," continued Iyash, "these two feathers were left as a kind of calling card, a taunt of sorts, by a man called Raven."

"They look exactly the same as the two feathers that were left on the shelf this afternoon." Paul turned the feather gently over, running his fingers through its soft tip.

"They are the same feathers. Well not identical but from the same source."

"I still don't understand how a man could so easily steal these objects." Sue handed the feather back to George. "I mean, I understand the figurative use of narrative in oral histories to discuss otherworldly phenomena and wonderment, but those are stories, this is reality."

"I'm surprised at your naivety." George placed the bundle of feathers back in his bag. "You should understand that reality is but a fiction of the rational mind. That time and space can be either trapped or liberated through norms and behaviors mediated by cultural factors such as religion and psychology, family and law, matter and substance. Once you start peeling back the imposed layers of cultural imprinting you can begin to experience the world in a very different fashion."

"Are you're telling me to suspend disbelief?"

"If only for a moment."

"Ok. I follow. Please continue."

"After we discovered that the two objects had disappeared completely, we had to figure out some way of locating them. Neither my grandfather or I could pick up a signal of their whereabouts."

"Sort of like right now?" Paul was starting to believe more strongly in the possibility that their guests might actually be telling the truth.

"Exactly. Although there is still a faint signal, but it keeps fading in and out."

George tilted his head to one side for an instant, as if he was listening for something.

"We journeyed northeast by canoe to the land of the Innu. There was an old man my grandfather knew who was very skilled at finding lost objects. He agreed to help us and sat for seven days in his tent. On the seventh day, the tent shook so violently we thought that it was going to fall apart at the seams. We heard the distinct laugh of a raven and then the old man emerged from his tent, bent and shaken, but with a large smile on his face."

The phone rang loudly interrupting George's story. On the second ring Sue picked it up.

### Chapter 15

"Yes, Dr. Hasser speaking." Sue gestured to George with her hands, apologizing for the interruption. "Oh, hi Stephen, thanks for calling back. No, no problem. Really? Are you sure? Yes. Ok, thanks again. Yep, talk to you later." Sue hung the phone up and then unplugged it from the wall. "Well you were right. Conservation definitely does not have the two objects. In fact, Stephen said he couldn't even find a record of them in the database."

"That's odd." Paul knew there was a record of the objects in the database; He had seen it for himself only two hours ago. "I just called those two records up from the database two hours ago."

"I know. And I double-checked the numbers myself."

"He's covering his tracks, like a good hunter." Iyash looked unfazed. "Although he was a bit too late on this last bit of mischief."

Sue went over to her computer and logged into the acquisition database. After inputting the two numbers into the database, she waited patiently for the information to come up onto her screen.

"This thing is always so damn slow."

"Tell me about it. I had to wait almost five minutes this afternoon to get the information I needed in collections." Paul sighed. "The administration really needs to think about upgrading the system, if you ask me."

"Ah. Here we go." Sue clicked her mouse and the computer returned the message no records found please try again. "I can't believe it! Utterly amazing. The computer is telling me that those two objects don't exist."

"Impossible!" Paul got up from his chair and went over to Sue's desk to see for himself. "Are you sure you typed the right numbers in?"

"Absolutely. But let's try again."

Sue imputed the two numbers into the database. After a couple of minutes, the computer returned the same error message—no records found please try again.

"You're wasting your time." Iyash stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Like I said, he's covered his tracks."

"Be patient grandfather. This is all very new to them."

"I know. I'm just trying to help. We could be spending what little time we have left being more constructive."

"Well they had to figure out for themselves that we're telling the truth. Maybe now they'll be ready to hear the rest of our story."

Sue got up from her desk and turned her computer off.

"Come on Paul. Lets finish hearing George's story. Maybe it will make more sense if we actually believe it."

"Where was I now?" George closed his eyes to try and remember where he had left off in his story.

"The tent. Your friend had just come out of the tent after seven days."

"Old Man Pikagan was a master of the shaking tent," continued George. "His conjuring lodge was a small booth built out of three birch and two spruce saplings. He hung caribou and deer hooves on the frame and covered the floor with freshly cut spruce boughs. There was a special seat where the Old Man Pikagan would sit, suspended off the ground. For seven days we listened to many different sounds inside that tent, watching it sway wildly from side to side. There were even small lights like stars around the top."

"On that seventh day, the old Shaman came out of that tent," recalled Iyash. "He told us where to find our objects. And he was right. But he also warned us that a later point in time a Raven was going to try to steal them for an evil man, bent on destroying Earth and ensuring that the human race continued their shift away from the light and into the darkness."

"But I thought you said that this Raven was a man?" asked Susan.

"He is a man. But he is also a bird."

"So he's a shape shifter?" smirked Paul.

"You're smarter than you look young man," replied Iyash patiently.

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but this is getting pretty far-fetched," said Susan, noticeably concerned.." I can't report to the Director that a shape shifter on the payroll of an evil man interested in destroying the world flew into the museum and stole two very precious and expensive objects.

"Nobody said you had to tell the Director anything," replied George. "Even if you wanted to, there isn't any time. We have to act quickly to retrieve these items from Raven or all hope is lost."

"What do you mean all hope is lost?" asked Paul.

"We need our sacred objects to complete the circle in an important ceremony that is supposed to happen tomorrow evening. Winter Solstice is the time when the energy is the most powerful and conducive to assisting the shift that is occurring right now."

"What happens if this ceremony is postponed indefinitely?"

"This evil man will continue to shift the creation of the new world order into the darkness and away from the light.

"That's ridiculous," responded Susan.

"My medicine bag holds a small amount of the original earth used in all to previous creations of this world. Whoever holds this earth can greatly influence the shape of this new Creation. The pipe that Raven has stolen from us is as old as the few particles of earth within the medicine bag. These are very sacred and special items."

'I really don't like the sound of these dark forces," admitted Paul matter of factly. "I can only imagine what kind of miserable world they'd have us all living in."

"I suggest we call the police," asserted Susan.

Iyash and George stood up and made their way to the door of Susan's office. George pulled out a small card from the inside of his jacket and handed it to Susan.

"If you ever need to get in touch with me, all my contact info is on this card."

"I hope you are more successful with your search than we were this morning. I think you should reconsider and let me call the police. They can help."

"But we know this city better than you do," interjected Paul enthusiastically. "With time so precious, you can't afford to get lost."

### Chapter 16

Detective Coon couldn't figure out whether Will, the young security guard at the museum, really saw a man in the collections room, or whether it was a detox induced hallucination.

Coon could smell the alcoholics a mile away, especially when they were coming off the booze. Although he decided this time to give the young security guard the benefit of the doubt, since the large gash on his face corroborated his story of being attacked.

"We need to make sure that our national cultural property is safe. "Tom, the head of Museum security had taken the whole situation very seriously. "That's why we installed this new security system. Biometrics, laser sensors, cost us a fortune."

Coon had asked Tom to accompany he and Will to the collections room to investigate. After replaying the scenario, the guard agreed that he must have mistaken the bird for a man.

"Those ravens get pretty big you know." Tom tried to support the young guard. "It'd be real easy to mistake it for a man. Some of those birds have a wingspan of almost two meters you know."

After taking their statements, Coon made his way up to the main office of the ethnology division. He was eager to talk to the curator of eastern woodlands and wrap up this database project early so he could go home and sleep off his hangover.

Now I know why the Commander gave me this assignment. He's been trying to get me to take time off ever since Allison split. Now I can go home early and still feel like I'm not a total bag of useless shit.

Coon found the main office in the long narrow hallway. Inside was a young woman busy typing on her computer.

"I'm looking for Dr. Hasser'." Coon startled the young woman. "Can you show me where her office is."

"Down the hall and to your left. But she's busy with visitors this afternoon." The secretary went back to typing. "Best thing is to call and leave a message on her voicemail."

"Thanks," Coon walked down the hallway to her office anyways.

Maybe she's there, and maybe her visitors never showed up. You never know.

Coon recognized a lot of the posters of past museum exhibits hanging on the wall of the narrow corridor as he walked down towards the Curator's corner office. Allison collected and framed a lot of the same posters and had decorated their house with them.

All these reminders of Allison aren't helping me at all. The Commander thought that this assignment would help to get me back on the game. It's doing the complete opposite.

Coon kept walking down the hall, looking at the nameplates on the doors. The last office was the one he was looking for. The door was closed and a note pinned to it read: emergency. back tomorrow. for anything urgent, see Andrea.

Well I guess that settles it then. Maybe Andrea has a cell number for her.

Coon walked back to the main office, this time knocking on the door to announce his presence.

"Hi again, do you have a cell number for Dr. Hasser."

"Who's asking?" Andrea kept typing. "Official policy is not to give out personal information to strangers."

"I'm on official business, Detective Bradley Coon." He flashed his badge and waited for Andrea to look up from her typing. "I have an urgent matter I need to discuss with the Curator."

"Of course Detective." Andrea went back to typing. "Unfortunately, the Curator doesn't keep a cell phone. You might want to try her assistant Paul Saya."

"Ok, do you have a number for him."

"Unfortunately no, but I saw them leaving together. Now if you'll excuse me." Andrea picked up the phone. "I have an important call to make."

"Sure, sure. Thanks."

Coon took out his notebook and jotted down the name Andrea had given him.

I'll call it in and see if they have a number for guy.

He went back out into the hall and dialed the station.

"Hey Ginney, I need some contact info on a Paul Saya. Anything you got. Thanks. Call me back when you get something."

After a few seconds his phone rang.

"What do you got for me Ginney?"

"Detective Coon?"

"Yes." Coon didn't recognize the voice. "How can I help you?"

"This is Felisa Sylvestre, Director of Bast Security Services in Cairo. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure. I'm just waiting on a call from the station." Coon liked the soft purr of Felisa's voice. "What's up? Kinda surprised to hear from you so soon. I don't have any leads yet. My Commander just handed me the file yesterday. Honestly, I think we're dealing with a well organized group, not an individual like your photos suggest."

"We weren't expecting you to have any leads. That's why I'm calling. We have reason to believe that our suspect is in your city or very close. He's after something very dear to him Detective. I'm afraid you may even be too late. This man works very fast and very efficiently."

"I really think you should reconsider this whole line of investigation."

"I heard you the first time Detective. Bast Security Services has put a lot of time and energy into this investigation. We know what we're looking for."

"Ok, so where do I fit into all of this?"

"We're counting on you to find our suspect and bring him in for questioning. You have a good track record Detective. Don't disappoint me."

"So where did you say he was?"

"Wakefield. A small village north of your present location. You're going to have to move fast."

"I'm on it."

As soon as Coon hung his phone up it rang again.

"Hi Coon, it's Ginney. I've got the info you were looking for."

Coon jotted downs the info on Paul Saya into his notebook.

"Thanks Ginney. I'm off to Wakefield. Apparently our Interpol suspect has been sighted there."

"Do you want me to send backup?"

"Not yet. I'll keep you posted."

### Chapter 17

Maeve made her way back home after closing the store up for the evening. She couldn't stop thinking about the creepy Irish guy who had called and asked her out. It seemed rather odd that he'd first come into her store and ask her to sell her necklace, just at the time when she was thinking she needed money so badly she'd do anything, within reason, to pay the bills that were stacking up. Then he called her up and asked her out on a date.

I can't figure it out. Usually it's the women who are totally unpredictable, not the men. The funny thing is I kind of thought he was charming. But there was something kind of sleazy about him. Like he was hiding something behind all that charm.

When Maeve got home she heated up some leftover soup and drank her last cold beer. Ever since her roommate Izzy had moved out to work on a farm north of Rupert, the apartment was really quiet. She missed Izzy's laugh and unconditional jovial nature. Izzy always had a way of spinning situations to look at the positive side of things.

"I believe in profound optimism," Izzy once told Maeve. "It's a real clear and present connection you cultivate with your self. It's not just about seeing the glass half full, it's about drinking that glass and pouring yourself another!"

The Friday night, just before Izzy moved out, they had a bunch of friends over for a party. In typical Izzy fashion, by the end of the night they all ended up outside, drunk, looking at the stars and sharing what they were most grateful for.

When it was Maeve's turn to share, she thought long and hard about what she was most grateful for. So many things came into her mind, but she wanted to be clear and concise.

"First of all, I'm grateful for my store, my friends, and my health. But most of all, to Izzy for showing me how to pour myself another glass when it's half empty."

Maeve remembered looking at Izzy that moment, the full moon reflected in the tear running down her cheek. There was never any mention of it in the morning, but Izzy never seemed the same after that. It was like she touched her in a way that was too vulnerable to discuss, which was odd for Izzy who always shared her innermost feelings.

I wonder what Izzy would have thought about this Irish guy.

Maeve sat in her favorite chair finishing off the last beer.

She probably would've thought I was nuts to miss out on the opportunity to be wined and dined by a rich and charming European jewelry merchant. Even if I didn't sleep with him, she'd probably say, it would have been a good experience to open up and get over Max.

Max was Maeve's ex-boyfriend. They met one night in a bar in San Francisco. Max was the DJ and Maeve had been shredding up the dance floor that night. At closing time, Max complemented Maeve on her dancing and asked for her number. It turned out he lived in Mendocino County, north of San Francisco, near the emerald valley where Maeve was going to herb school.

Max sometimes had gigs in San Francisco, but mostly played parties and small venues in the little towns north of the city. Maeve was shocked that he actually called her a couple of days after they met and asked her out on a date.

They went to see a local band at the Six Rivers Brewery and stayed up late into the night talking and drinking beer. It was one of that perfect Californian summer evenings. The stars blanketed the sky, and the smell of sun-blasted desert rosemary hung sweetly in the crisp evening air. Three months later they moved in together and four years later Maeve moved out and back to Canada, to Wakefield.

And here I am, all alone, drinking beer and thinking about Max. I still can't believe he screwed around on me like that. I guess it's a blessing in disguise, as Izzy would say. His screwing around actually made me wake up and realize that it was possible to follow my dream. But it hurt. His lying and cheating. I trusted him. Maybe this Irish guy would actually be a good opportunity to move forward and away from all that mess.

Maeve dug into the pockets of her jeans and pulled out the small business card that the Irish man had given to her. There was a phone number written on the back of the card underneath a black feather: Dr. Bran Corvus, University of Dublin, Department of History and Religious Studies.

He's a professor? I thought he was a jewelry merchant. What would a professor want with my necklace? And how could he possibly have access to the kind of money he was offering me for it.

"Maybe he's independently wealthy," Maeve could hear Izzy's voice in her head, "or maybe he was just using the necklace as an opportunity to ask you out on a date."

_Whatever the case,_ Maeve reassured herself _, I'm not going to call him._

She put the card back in her pocket and got up to deposit the empty beer bottle in the case lying by the door in the front hall.

A quick glance at the clock hanging in the kitchen confirmed it was time to head out to meet Owen at the Black Sheep. The band playing tonight was a heavy driving blues power trio called Flash Lightnin'. Owen knew Maeve liked the heavier kind of music and when he saw that Flash was playing at the sheep he got really excited.

"We've got to see these guys May." Owen was a real music buff. "They're a really good mix between ZZ Top and the Allman Brothers. They're young and full of energy. Great dancing music. You're going to love them."

I sure could use a good dose of dancing. It's always the perfect outlet to work off stress.

Maeve slipped on her blundstones and grabbed her thick black leather coat out of the closet.

Too bad it's not spring yet. I'm getting tired of this cold weather.

The snow had melted over the last few weeks, after a long warm spell moved in to the area. Now the cool weather had come back and, without the snow, it felt extra cold and dismal.

I'll warm up once I start walking.

Maeve liked the walk to the Black Sheep from her place. It was a quick hike that took her over the river, across the covered bridge, and down some quiet side streets.

Wakefield itself was a small little village and the Black Sheep was right in the middle of town on the main street, River Road, which was narrow and full of potholes, but meandered lazily beside the river.

The local residents didn't seem to mind the poor state of the road too much. They were just happy to be living in such a magical place, nestled in amongst the hills and rivers of the Gatineau valley.

After crossing over the historic covered bridge, Maeve decided to walk along the footpath that ran beside the river, parallel to the main street. It was a beautiful night. The stars were shining brightly, eclipsed by the full moon, which was proudly escorting them along their nightly runs.

Full moon tonight. Should be an interesting night.

Maeve stopped to take in the expanse of night sky. The river was starting to freeze and Maeve could hear it creaking and groaning, as if it were protesting against the cold weather. The full moon cast a bright silver light on the water, catching the edge of the ice forming along the riverbanks.

What an amazing place I've found here. I still can't believe how frigging lucky I am. In just six months I've been able to get to a place in my life I've only been dreaming about for years.

Maeve stuffed her hands deeper in the fuzzy lined pockets of her coat.

So far so good. The store is actually making money and I'm in this wonderfully magical village. How much better can it get.

There was a soft rustling on the path behind her.

I bet it's going to be a busy show tonight. If this Flash Lightnin' is as hot as Owen says, people will be driving up from the city for sure to see them play.

The rustling on the path got louder and closer.

I better keep going. Owen is going to wonder what's taking me so long.

She continued walking beside the river, noticing something strange out of the corner of her eye.

I think I'll just pretend I didn't see that. Probably all a figment of this wild and crazy imagination of mine.

She started walking faster down the trail, but the small glowing eyes seemed to be able to easily match her pace.

What the hell do they want? I wish they would just take what they wanted and leave me alone for good.

Maeve decided that this was the perfect time to finally confront these shadows.

What do I have to lose? Well my life I guess. Especially if they're mean bastards.

But for some reasons she didn't feel like they were mean. Over the years they'd always been there, just out of sight, but never once did they harm her or even threaten to harm her.

"Ok. If you dudes are real, why don't you stop hiding in the bushes and come and talk to me or something?" Maeve's stomach was doing flips and twists. "I mean, why don't you stop stalking me and show yourselves after all these years. What do you have to lose?"

Maeve couldn't see the eyes anymore.

Well, I guess that did it then.

After a few seconds, she could make out some voices getting closer and the sound of footsteps coming out of the bush.

"Yo lady, what's your problem?"

Two young skate punks came out the bushes beside the trail. One of them had what looked like a half smoked joint in his hand, while the other was clutching a well-used skateboard to the side of his chest.

"Can't you see we're smoking a blunt here? We don't mean you any harm. Why don't you just keep walking down the path and leave us alone? We don't want any trouble and you're like putting out all the wrong vibes right now."

Maeve started to laugh.

"No problem. I won't say a word. Have a good night guys, and stay out of trouble."

"Thanks lady."

The two young boys stepped off the trail back into the bushes and Maeve could smell the sweet, pungent smell of marijuana wafting into the night sky.

I'm definitely losing my mind. Maybe I should've asked for a hit off of that joint to straighten me out.

Maeve continued walking down the path towards the Black Sheep. Silently laughing at herself.

What the hell was I thinking? I'm just glad it was a couple of stoners and not what I thought it was!

She climbed the small hill off the path and crossed the main street to the Black Sheep on the other side of the road. The parking lot was full of cars and the windows of the bar were already steamed up. She saw Owen waiting for her by the front door. His tall lanky frame towering above everybody else.

Owen was an artist working off a bad divorce. His ex-wife turned out to have some pretty intense control issues, which were complicated further by her mental illness. Every since he started delivering pizzas in the village for Luigi, he had started wearing these goofy hats and suspenders, like some old man from the 1930s.

Owen was a great guy and Maeve reminded herself how lucky she was to have him as a friend. Especially tonight.

"Am I ever glad to see you!" Maeve gave Owen a big hug.

"Hey!" Owen looked surprised. "Nice to see you too." He gave Maeve a big squeeze and a polite kiss on the cheek. He handed her a ticket. "Here's your ticket for the show. I picked them up earlier."

"Good thinking." Maeve linked her arm with Owen. "Looks like it's a sold out show."

"Yep. These guys are hot. I'm telling you!" Owen studied Maeve's face for a good couple of seconds. "You look like you've just seen a ghost or something. Everything ok?"

"Yea, everything is ok. Just freaked myself out coming over here. My imagination is running on overtime these days it seems."

"Well nothing a good couple of hours of dancing can't cure!" Owen put his arm around Maeve's waist. "C'mon, let's go inside. I'll buy you a drink."

### Chapter 18

Maeve followed Owen into the Black Sheep. The Band was just starting to play their first set. It was a fast, driving version of ZZ Top's Give me all your Lovin'. Maeve noticed that there were already a half a dozen people already shaking it up on the dance floor.

_This is going to be a good night of dancing_ , she thought as she found a spot in the crowd.

"Here you go." Owen passed Maeve a big glass of beer. "It's the house brew."

Maeve took a long sip of the beer.

"Tastes delicious."

"Amazing, looks like this is going to be a good night for dancing." Owen motioned to the dance floor. "Always a good sign when people are into the music right from the start!"

"I'll say. These guys are good."

It was a packed crowd of mostly younger people at the Black Sheep. While a few people were dancing, most of the crowd was still standing listening to the band warm up. Maeve noticed people nodding their heads in time with the music. The ones too shy to go out onto the dance floor were stationary dancing, like a spinning top losing its spin.

Maeve scanned the room looking to see if there was anybody else there that she knew. Since she had moving to Wakefield she hadn't really made that many friends. Most of her time was spent setting up her store and decompressing from the last five years of moving around so much. Maeve had a feeling that this was the kind of music Izzy would have been into, but she couldn't see her friend anywhere in the Black Sheep.

"I wonder if Izzy is coming tonight?" Owen leaned over closer so Maeve could hear him.

"I was just wondering the same thing." Maeve still had to stand on her toes to speak into Owen's ear. "This is totally her kind of music."

"She's probably too busy on the farm sprouting potatoes or something."

"Probably." Maeve laughed. "Perfect night for sprouting, the moon is totally full."

"Perfect night for hanging out with Maeve!"

"I think so too." Maeve squeezed Owen's hand. "Lets dance. This music is way too irresistible."

"You go warm up the dance floor for me. I want to finish my beer first."

"Sounds like a plan." Maeve took one last gulp of her beer and handed Owen the empty glass. "Thanks. Next round is one me!"

She made her way through the crowd.

_Being short and slim certainly has its benefits._ Maeve thought as she found her way onto the dance floor.

By now the band had warmed up nicely. The bass player and drummer were maintaining a nice steady up-tempo, while the guitar player noodled his way through a long bluesy solo.

It didn't take Maeve long to find her rhythm. After a few more songs the band was really grooving, and occasionally when the stage lights caught Maeve hopping around, it seemed like her curly red hair was on fire.

By now Owen had joined Maeve on the dance floor and it seemed like the whole bar had turned into a dance hall.

After a particularly long and fast version of Howlin' Wolf's Smokstack Lightinin', the band took a much-needed break, reassuring the crowd that they'd be back soon for a second set.

"That was great." Owen was out of breath from all the dancing.

"Yea. I'm so glad you got tickets Owen. Great call." Maeve could feel the ghost of the beat still in the air of the bar. "You don't know how much I needed this!"

"Glad you could come." Owen looked happy. "I'm going to get a glass of water. You want one?"

"Sure. I worked up a real sweat dancing. I think I'm going to go outside and cool off a bit. Meet me out there with the water?"

"Perfect. See you in a few minutes."

Maeve could see his head bobbing through the crowd as she found her way outside to cool off.

The air outside felt crisp and refreshing. After one set, the band had managed to work the Black Sheep up into quite a happening place. All the windows were steamed up and a steady stream of hot air was finding its way outside the front entrance as people came and went.

Maeve wasn't the only one cooling off outside. There was a good selection of people hanging out. Some were taking the opportunity to smoke cigarettes or something stronger, while others, like Maeve, were enjoying breathing in the cool crisp air.

Maeve found a spot on the dark side of the deck so she could gaze out at the stars over the river before heading in for the second set.

This is the perfect way to end the week and work off a bit of steam. Maybe I should ask Owen back to my place for tea after the show. He's so sweet. I think there's some great potential between the two of us. Or maybe I should just keep things organic and see what happens. No need to push it and mess things up.

Maeve took a deep breath of nighttime air. She was starting to cool off a bit.

I wonder where Owen is with that water. Maybe I should go back in before I catch a chill.

Maeve could hear footsteps behind her.

"Finally! I was starting to wonder what happened to you." Maeve was happy that Owen had found her here on the dark side of the deck away from the crowds.

"Oh, you were?" At first Maeve didn't recognize the voice. It certainly wasn't Owen's. "I'm so flattered. I thought maybe you'd totally forgotten about me."

Then it clicked. It was the deep Irish accent from her phone conversation earlier that afternoon.

Maeve turned around quickly.

Standing in front of her was a man all dressed in black, his long hair pulled back into a single braid. The silver buckles on his black motorcycle boots glinted in the light from bar.

He was clean-shaven and the heels on his boots gave him the few extra inches he needed to be taller than Maeve.

This doesn't look like the businessman in the expensive suit who had come into my store the other day, thought Maeve, this guy looks like he just parked his Harley out front.

"Fancy meeting you here Ms. Finn."

"Indeed. I'm the one who should be shocked."

Maeve tried to keep her voice calm. She was definitely feeling edgy all of sudden. Being out here alone with this sketchy man she had almost gone out on a date with didn't feel quite right.

"Amazing how these kinds of synchronicities proliferate in our lives when we are open to them."

Maeve noticed that the man had a large black bag slung around his shoulder.

"I'm so happy to have bumped into you. I heard that this band was playing here and thought I would check it out tonight before the long journey tomorrow."

"Cool. It's a great band tonight." Maeve scanned the small crowd by the entrance looking for Owen. "The music is really danceable."

"I noticed you dancing up a storm with your boyfriend."

"You did?"

"Pretty hard to miss a jewel like you Maeve."

"Thanks. Yea, I'm getting kind of chilled out here and I think the band is going to start again soon." Maeve wrapped her arms protectively around herself. "So I think I'm going to head back in to the bar."

"Well my offer still stands." There was a determined seriousness to his voice now. Maeve put her hand up to her neck to make sure her necklace was still safe.

"Thanks, umm, Bran right?"

"My friends call me Raven." There was a hint of sincerity to his voice.

"Right, Raven. Thanks but no thanks. My necklace isn't for sale. It's very special to me and all your money could never replace that." Maeve was feeling confident again.

"Perhaps it's not the necklace I want Maeve." Raven lowered his voice. "Maybe it's the company of a beautiful lass like yourself. One night. What do you have to lose?"

"I'm flattered Raven." Maeve kept her voice level. "But I don't just sleep with strangers. It's not my style and I have a boyfriend."

"Yea, the tall mousey guy," sneered Raven. "You can do way better than that Maeve. You don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

Maeve was starting to feel uncomfortable again. She didn't like Raven's tone of voice. There was something threatening about it.

"Your breeding, your lineage, your potential, your fate." Raven let out a big sigh. "I'm offering you the opportunity to understand yourself better. To understand your family. There is so much you don't understand Maeve."

Maeve noticed that Owen had found his way outside finally and was looking around for her. She caught his eye and he made his way over to where she was standing.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about and frankly I don't care. So fuck off and leave me alone."

"You'll regret it Maeve."

"Seriously. I don't want to have to call the cops. I'm not interested."

"Fine." Raven placed his hand on Maeve's shoulder. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

At the moment Owen arrived.

"Hey Maeve, sorry it took me so long. It was crazy busy in there." He handed her a glass of water. "Hey, I'm Owen. Nice to meet you." He extended a hand to Raven, who ignored it.

"Good bye Maeve." Raven looked at Owen and walked away towards the parking lot.

"Woaah, that was kind of intense." Owen looked at Maeve. "An old boyfriend?"

"No, just some jerk trying to pick me up." Maeve gave Owen a hug. "He gave me the creeps."

"I'll say. Me too"

"Let's go back into the bar Owen. I can hear the band starting. And I'm getting a chill out here."

The music had started up again and the muffled sound of the band was drifting out on the night air.

As they made their way back inside, Maeve scanned the parking lot for Raven, hoping that she'd see him peeling into the cold night on his motorcycle or see the tail lights of a car moving into the distance.

But there was nobody in the parking lot. No motorcycle and no car. Just a pair of eyes, glowing dimly in the shadows across the street.

### Chapter 19

Paul started driving his small car towards the highway.

"If time is so precious, why are we driving? Why don't we just teleport ourselves there or something," asked Paul sarcastically. "Like in the movies. We could save ourselves a lot of time and gas."

"Too obvious," replied Iyash. "And besides, this is way more stealthy. If we shifted ourselves there dimensionally, Raven would hear us coming. He's probably monitoring those portals very closely. The last thing he's going to expect is for us to show up in a car."

Iyash had picked up a small trace of the two objects and with Paul and Susan's help they had been able to isolate the signal to a small village north of the museum.

"Grandfather, this is our opportunity to retrieve your bag and pipe and confront Raven for the final time. All hope is not lost." George really believed that they were going to be able to find the objects this time around. "You know as well as I that as long as we have the bag and pipe Ceremony can go ahead as planned. The other items are extra."

"That's exactly what I'm concerned about Grandson." Iyash wasn't ready to believe that they were that close to finding his objects. "Without my bag and pipe nothing can happen."

"But we're close Grandfather. Can't you feel them?"

"Yes. I can. But I don't trust _Gaagagshiinh_. He's unpredictable. And I've got a bad feeling. I'm sensing that there's some unfinished, messy business here."

"Highway looks clear. We should be there soon. I'll drive fast."

Paul drove the car onto the main highway going north to Wakefield. It was getting late so there was virtually no traffic.

"What are these other objects you're talking about?" Sue was curious.

"There are three other very special objects that the council has long protected to be used in this Ceremony to shift us into the new world conciseness," said George. "Each object represents one of the four basic elements of life; earth, air, fire and water. When all these elements are combined and balanced, they form a powerful vibration of light that we use to call in the new creation."

"That sounds really intense," commented Paul. "So where do the two objects we're after fit into all this?"

"They represent the earth element," answered Iyash. "Inside my bag is the earth used to create the first, second and third world consciousness. In order to call in the creation of the fourth world consciousness, the smoke from my pipe is blown onto the earth to infuse it with the prayers and good intentions of the light. That charged earth is then combined with the other three elements to complete the ceremony."

"What about the other objects?" Sue was now very interested.

Ever since she was a kid she had been interested in antiquities. Growing up in Cairo, she used to spend many hours with her father at Giza, drinking fanta and listening to lectures on the theories of how the great pyramids had been built.

"Everybody has their own theory Susan," he would tell her, "some even believe it was extraterrestrials that built Akhet Khufu, the great Pyramid. Of course that is all fantastical. It was only because that most powerful Pharaoh could harness the labour resources of thousands of slaves and those of the worker class that it was possible to build such a magnificent structure! And to think the Roman's stripped that beautiful shiny, polished limestone which used to cover the whole pyramid to build their roads. What were they thinking?"

Susan's father used to take her to Luxor every year so that they could visit the Valley of the Kings. On the train to Luxor, her father always liked to tell the story about how her grandfather worked with the British Egyptologist Howard Carter in the excavation of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922.

"It was your grandfather who discovered the tomb!" He always got so animated when he told this story. "Carter had no idea where it was! He always thought it would be out in the valley proper. It was your grandfather who suggested they search underneath the remains of the workmen's huts built during the Ramesside Period. When your grandfather discovered the stairs to the burial chamber, Carter took over completely. It was all very secretive. But your grandfather remembers that first entry. He was Carter's main assistant. The tomb's antechamber was so densely packed with the most beautiful items. There were garlands of flowers, which disintegrated when touched, funeral beds, plates in the shape of Hippopotamus, lions and the Goddess Hathor. There were even four chariots stacked up against one wall! It took them over three years to empty that tomb."

George's voice brought her back from the Valley of the Kings.

"The object representing fire is an ancient Egyptian amulet known as the Isis Knot. This amulet was forged by Re-Akum, Isis husband, using the menstrual blood of his wife to be used as a protection against Set, who wanted to destroy their unborn child. The amulet ensured the safe birth of Osiris and when used for Ceremony it will ensure that humanity is protected from the fire of the new consciousness. But if broken, it will break humanity's protection against the underworld, plunging the world further into darkness."

"She who gives birth to heaven and earth," Sue murmured, remembering all the stories of Isis he father used to tell her.

"Exactly,' said George, "I assume you are familiar with Egyptian history and culture."

"Very."

"Excellent. You will enjoy meeting Bes then."

" _The_ Bes?" Susan didn't believe what George was suggesting. "You've got to be joking. He only exists in myths and stories."

"He's not nearly as ugly as people have always made him out to be," noted Iyash, "but he is really short and super nice."

"So," George continued, "the object representing air is an ancient Mayan clay flute crafted by his Excellency Kinich Ahau. When played, the flute gives all the sounds of creation: the murmur of the river, the tapping of the rain, the whisper of the wind, the rustle of the leaves, the crashing of the waves, the cracking of the ice, the creaking of the tress, the chirping of the morning birds, the crackling of the fire, the echoes of the darkness."

"Sounds like an amazing instrument, "commented Paul.

"And very rare and expensive," added Sue. "I've seen pictures of that flute. It's part of the biggest, and rarest, collection of Mayan artifacts at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala City. That flute is famous. There's a huge controversy over the museum's radio carbon dating data. Nobody believes it can possibly be as old as the museum insists it is. I certainly don't. It's impossible."

"It is probably the most beautiful sound you'll ever hear," said George.

"If we don't get to Wakefield soon, you won't be hearing much of anything."

It seemed that the closer they were getting to Wakefield, the more somber Iyash was getting.

"We're almost there." Paul turned the car onto a small two-lane highway.

"The last object represents water. It is a bone cylinder containing the original waters of the first world consciousness. This water is contained in a fountain outside the palace of the magnificent kingdom of Shambhala. The Tibetans have been the guardians of this cylinder for as long as we have been on this earth. After every shift into a new world, a monk has been chosen to make the special trip to Shambhala to refill the cylinder with the purest water that exists. It is said that if a man takes one drop of that water he will live for two thousand years, the exact amount of time it takes for a great age to pass. If he takes two drops he will gain enlightenment. If he takes three drops he will die a most gruesome and painful death. If he takes four drops, he will be reborn and ascend to the stars transmogrified."

"How much water is in the cylinder," asked Sue.

"Four drops," answered Iyash.

"One for each element," added George.

"We're here." Paul slowed the car down as they came into the main village of Wakefield. " Where to?"

"That way." Iyash pointed left. "Not far. Drive slowly."

### Chapter 20

Coon sat in his black sedan outside the museum watching the colors of the sunset fade in to the night sky. The light of the full moon shone brightly through the window of the cruiser.

This was going to be his second Christmas without Allison and he was starting to feel really depressed about the prospect of being alone over the holidays.

Maybe the Commander is right. A few days off at one of those all-inclusive resorts on the ocean might be exactly what I need. It'd be the perfect way to spend Christmas. I'm sure I won't be the only divorcee trying to avoid the holiday blues. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll meet some tall, leggy blond and we'll work these holiday blues out between the sheets.

Coon flipped through his notebook trying to focus on his assignment.

I better follow-up this crazy lead first so when I tell the commander I'm taking a few days off tomorrow morning I can do so with a clear conscious. I don't care what that fancy-pants director at Bast Security thinks – she's got it all wrong. There's no way that one man could be behind all of these robberies. It's impossible. It has to be a well-organized and experienced group of thieves, with connections at all of these institutions. There's always someone on the inside working the system. Maybe it's twins – or triplets. Wouldn't be the first time.

Coon's phone rang. It was a text message with an attachment.

He's definitely there. Security cameras caught him. Don't let us down Detective. Call as soon as you apprehend him. Felisa.

Attached to the text message was a still photo from a security camera taken that morning in the museum. Coon plugged his phone into his computer so he could make out the time and date stamped in the bottom of the photo: 12/20/2015 10:01. Although the picture was grainy like all the other photos, Coon could actually make out the face of the suspect.

Well the composite sketcher sure did a good job. That definitely looks like our man. Strange.

Coon flipped back through his notebook to check his notes from the interview with the museum security guard.

That's right around the same time that the security guard claims he was attacked by the bird in the collections room. Maybe it wasn't a bird after all? Or maybe our thief likes to bring his pet bird with him on jobs to scare away security.

Coon checked his watch. It was getting late and he was getting hungry.

The first week Allison moved out had been the hardest. Coon never learned to cook for himself because Allison had always insisted on cooking for him.

"If I don't make good healthy meals for you, I'll end up with a fat cop with a bad mustache and heart disease for a husband." She used to like to tease Coon. "So get out of the kitchen, you're crowding my space."

At the time, Coon really appreciated Allison's insistence on cooking. Now that she wasn't around, he regretted not learning how to make anything more complicated than opening a box and adding water. On the positive side, he had lost a lot of weight from not eating three square meals a day.

I can't believe how stupid I'd been all those years. Thinking Allison was happy playing wifey for me while all along she was out screwing her boss and living a lie. I guess I was asleep all those years, living in a dream of what I wanted and afraid to admit that the woman I chose to spend the rest of my life with was cheating on me.

Coon was still angry with Allison for refusing to try to work it out through counseling. She had been sleeping with her boss for almost five years and last year just before Christmas she decided to end the lie over breakfast. Coon still remembered that morning so clearly.

"Brad we need to talk."

"I know. We've got to figure out what we're going to get your parents for Christmas." Coon kept reading the newspaper, oblivious to the tears that were silently rolling down his wife's cheeks. "Why don't we just get them a gift basket from that food store they like so much."

"Seriously Brad. You're such a fool. When are you going to get your stupid little head out of your ass for a change."

"Come on honey. I don't have time to fight over Christmas presents with you this morning. I've got an important meeting with the Commander this afternoon that I've got to prep for."

"I'm leaving you Brad."

"Nice try. Really low."

"I'm serious. Sean and I have been sleeping with each other for the last five years and we want to bring it to the next level."

"Sean Manuel, your boss?" Coon put the newspaper down. "Oh my god. You're not joking."

"I love him Brad." Allison was now sobbing. "He's a good man and he cares about me. He pays attention to me. He appreciates me."

"Come on baby, I care about you, I appreciate you." Coon tried to comfort his wife, but it just made her angry.

"You treat me like I don't exist. It's over Brad, I've made my decision."

"But we can't just throw away ten years without even trying to work it out. We can get counseling. The health plan will cover it, it won't cost us a thing."

"I'm not interested in talking to you or some stupid marriage counselor about our crappy sex life and dysfunctional marriage. It's over. I'm moving out tonight. I've already talked to my lawyer and rented an apartment. You can't stop me."

"But what about all our dreams Allison?"

"I was young and foolish. I did love you. But you're not the man I want to spend the rest of my life with." Allison got up from the table. "Goodbye Brad. Lets make this as easy on us as possible. My lawyer will contact you."

Coon's phone rang and his memories of that morning vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

"Coon here."

"Hey Coon, it's Robert. Congratulations. It's final."

"Seriously?"

"Allison's lawyer just sent me the papers. Everything is in order. She agreed to let you keep the house. All you need to do is come in and sign and you're a free man! Best Christmas present you could ask for."

"Thanks Santa. I'm just on my way up to Wakefield. I'll pop in first thing tomorrow morning."

"The sooner the better Brad. I'll leave the papers with my assistant. I'm in court all day tomorrow. Some idiot is trying to file for divorce because she can't stand to have lunch with her mother-in-law."

Coon flipped his phone closed.

I'm definitely going on holidays tomorrow. I need a break from this crazy world.

### Chapter 21

It was hard to leave her there with that mousey man when she had been so close. It would have been so easy to break his neck and take what I needed, Raven thought, but there were too many people there. Too risky. Marduk would have be pissed off if I made the front page of the newspaper.

Raven liked the thought of being in the news. It'd been a long time since anyone had written any stories about him.

He moved his wings in closer to his body. The temperature was dropping and he needed to stay warm until the Maeve came back from the bar. It was easy enough to find her house. Her vibrational signature was very strong.

I don't like the fact that those pesky faeries are hanging around. They always cause me so much trouble. Getting in the way of the work I need to do. It'd be easy enough to deal with them but I don't want to give them a reason to come after me in retribution. The last time I had a blood debt with them they went too far.

Raven shifted closer to the trunk of the tree to keep out of the wind.

Marduk better not be fucking with me. I don't trust that drugged-out bastard. He's got himself way too deep into this business for a human. If it wasn't for that shit he takes he'd be long gone and the world would be a better place for it. As soon as we close this deal I'm going to keep my distance from him. I'm tired of doing this shit work.

Raven scanned the area around Maeve's apartment. He could make out the bodies of at least four faeries.

I'm going to have to be quick with this one. Those bastards are going to be tight on my heels. Lucky for me that the girl is in denial. Makes it harder for them to come through to do their job. If she only knew the whole story she'd snap out of that dreamland she's created. She wouldn't be in this position right now and I wouldn't be out here in this bloody tree freezing my wings off.

Raven smiled to himself, knowing how happy Marduk was going to be when he delivered the goods. He was also a bit nervous. It had been a long time since he'd been with a woman. He missed the closeness, the warmth, and the moodiness. But he didn't know if he'd ever be able to feel those emotions again. The faeries had done a real number on him when they collected on their blood debt. They wanted to make sure he didn't repeat the mistake he had made.

They really wanted to rub my beak in it. Weren't satisfied with my apology. It was a bloody mistake.

He could still remember that day many years ago in the King's court trying to explain what happened.

They just couldn't get it.

The sound of a car driving up the gravel lane-way caught his attention. He could make out two people in the small Subaru wagon as it sat idling by the front door.

I hope for his sake he's not planning on spending the night.

Raven flew out of the tree and perched on the roof of the house so he could get a better look into the car.

It's show time. I'll give her a few minutes to make herself pretty.

### Chapter 22

Maeve was happy that Owen had offered to give her a ride home. All the dancing had tired here out.

Flash Lightnin' played an amazing second set and the crowd had called them back for three encores. Even though the house lights were turned on pretty soon after the third encore, people left the Black Sheep satisfied, and tired, after all the dancing. At one point, the band had the whole crowd grooving with their hard driving blues.

On her way back home Maeve couldn't stop thinking about what the Irish guy had said about her not understanding.

What the hell was he talking about? My breeding and lineage, my potential, my fate. He was right about me wanting to know more about my family. But how the hell did he know that?

Ever since Maeve was a young girl, she had been curious about her family history. All she knew was that her mother had died one day in a car accident on her way home from work. Every time Maeve would ask her father to tell her stories about her mother, he'd clam up and tell her that he couldn't remember any. He did this for years, until one day, when Maeve was a teenager, he surprised her.

"Your mother was a very special person Maeve," he told her, tears welling up in his eyes. "I loved her very much. She had a very big family that was protective of her. It was all very difficult for everybody to deal with when she died. You were very young Maeve, and I was so sacred. I didn't think I could raise you all by myself. Your mother loved you so much."

"But you didn't have to raise me all by yourself. Why didn't you ask mom's family for help?"

"It's complicated Maeve. I don't expect you to understand. Your mother's family wasn't normal. I wanted you to have a normal upbringing. I wanted you to have a real chance to make something of yourself."

"What do you mean they weren't normal?"

But that was as far as Maeve ever got. Her father completely closed down after that conversation. Every time she tried to raise the topic, he shifted the subject, or just pretended not to hear her questions. So Maeve just gave up trying to find anything else out.

_One day I'll find out,_ Maeve thought as Owen stopped his car on her driveway.

"You ok Maeve," asked Owen. "You sure have been quiet since we got into the car."

"Yea. Just tired is all. All that dancing tuckered me out." Maeve let a small, tired sigh. "It has also been a long week. Lots of stress."

"Call me if you want to talk."

"Thanks Owen." Maeve reached over and gave Owen a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "And thanks for the ride. Not sure if my legs would have carried me home tonight!"

"I was more worried about that sketchy guy you were talking to outside making an appearance."

"No worries." Maeve didn't want Owen to know that she was also thinking about that same guy. "You want to come in for tea?"

"I'd love to, but I've got to work early in the morning." When he wasn't delivering pizzas for Luigi, Owen worked at the local bakery, which meant he had to be up bright and early to get the weekend bread baked. "Can I take a rain check?"

"Of course."

"Great. What are you doing tomorrow night? Luigi called me this morning to let me know I had tonight and Saturday night off."

"No plans. Give me a call."

Maeve got out of the car and watched Owen back out of the driveway. She still felt chilled, even after all that dancing. It was in her bones. She fumbled around in her purse for her keys.

I need a good hot soak in the bath. That'd do the trick.

"Cawwww."

Maeve noticed a Raven perched on the roof above the door as she unlocked it and made her way inside. She could have sworn the bird winked at her.

"Bloody raven" she murmured under her breath, "what the hell do you want."

Maeve closed the door behind her and locked it. The air inside her apartment was warm and she made a beeline for the bath, filling it with hot water.

After five minutes, she tested the water with her barefoot.

Yikes. That's damn hot.

She pulled her foot out quickly and added a bit more cold water.

After testing the water for a second time, she undressed and slipped into the hot bath, sinking slowly into the bed of bubbles that smelled of orange and lavender.

Ahhhhh. Just what I needed.

Maeve stretched out her legs and sunk deeper into the bubbles.

What a crazy week. At least I'm ending it on a high note. Money in the bank. A good night of dancing and even the potential for growing something with Owen. I like him.

Maeve slipped her head under the water, and came back up again, her red curly hair slicked backed and full of bubbles.

If it wasn't so late, I'd call dad and ask him about this Irish guy, who certainly seemed to know a lot about me and the family. Maybe, considered Maeve, this guy was a long-lost uncle or something and he wanted to take me out for diner to introduce himself. Maybe he wasn't a creep at all.

Maeve sighed, feeling the warmth finally returning to her bones.

And I just lost the only chance I've ever had of knowing anything about my family. Maybe I'll send him an email and ask him some questions. What do I have to lose?

Maeve felt totally relaxed, lying in the hot bath. Noticing that the water was getting tepid, she emptied the tub watching the water swirl down the drain and feeling the pull of gravity on her skin.

I should probably get out of here and go to bed before I prune up too much.

After toweling off, Maeve slipped into her warmest pair of flannel pajamas, switched off all the lights and crawled as deep as she could beneath the layers of sheets on her bed.

I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight.

It didn't take long for her to drift off. But she was a light sleeper, and a small click outside her bedroom woke her up.

"Hello?" Maeve's sleepy voice cut through the dark stillness of her apartment. "Is that you Izzy?"

After a couple of seconds and no reply, Maeve curled back into the warm dreamy comfort of her sheets.

"Hello Maeve," drawled a thick Irish accent. "I hope you're dreaming about me."

Maeve woke, startled, and lay frozen on her bed. Her mind raced to the kitchen and the drawer full of cooking knives.

There's enough distance between him and me and the kitchen. I can make it. But I have to go NOW.

Maeve bolted out her bed towards the hall, but standing in front of her was a man, all dressed in black, with a sinister smile on his clean-shaven face.

"Where you going so quickly there love."

Even though it was dark, Maeve could make out a strange light in Raven's eyes.

"I've waited a long time for this."

### Chapter 23

"That way." Iyash pointed down the street. "Drive slow."

Paul drove the car slowly down the main street of the village. The local bar on the corner was a happening place, the windows were all steamed up and a handful of people were standing outside smoking and laughing with each other, oblivious to the cold.

"I can't imagine how we're going to be able to find this woman." Susan felt like they were on a wild goose chase. "It's like finding a needle in a haystack."

"We've got to trust Iyash, " Paul was more optimistic about their chances of finding her. "He knows what he's doing."

"I think she's further down here." Iyash pointed down the main street. "Keep driving."

"Grandfather can track down almost anything," noted George. "He's found some pretty interesting things over the years."

"Well I hope we can finally track down these objects." Susan wasn't looking forward to having to explain to her Director that two more objects had gone missing from the museum. "I still can't believe that they were stolen, especially after all that new high-tech security system was installed."

"This Raven guy is a special kind of thief," observed Paul. "I don't think the new security system is any match for him really."

"He's right," added George. "Raven is a pro. He can shift dimensionally. Your security system is no match for him. That's why Marduk hired him."

"I'm still not convinced" Susan crossed her arms. "He must've know somebody in the inside to let him in and out. There's got to be some kind of logical explanation to all this."

"There. Over there." Iyash pointed across the street towards the river. "Stop the car."

"But there's nobody there." Susan was starting to wonder if she had made the right choice coming along with these guys.

"Maybe he sees something we don't." Paul slowed the car down.

"Why don't you park over there." George pointed to a parking lot that was quickly emptying out. "Looks like a show is over. It'd be less conspicuous than if we parked on the side of the road here."

"What if somebody sees an old man outside talking to invisible people in the dark," asked Susan. "That's pretty conspicuous."

"Nobody will notice me." Iyash got out of the car. "I'll be back soon."

The old man disappeared over the crest of hill going down towards the river.

"I'll park the car."

Paul pulled into the parking lot of an old sketchy looking building. Over the main entrance was a big sign made out to look like a goat with two curly horns . Underneath the mouth of the goat was the name Mouton Noir

"Cool. This is the Black Sheep! I've always heard about this place. Looks like Flash Lightnin' played tonight." Paul nodded at the big slate board out front with the weekend's musical guests. "They're amazing! I saw them play last year downtown. They were playing on the same bill with Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy and Jeff Beck. It was an awesome show!"

"So what are we going to do if he comes back empty-handed?" Susan wanted to have a plan B. "If we have an idea of what this Raven guy looks like, I think we should consider reporting this to the police."

"We can tell them to be on the look out for a guy all dressed in black that may or may not have wings." Paul laughed.

"Seriously Paul." Susan was starting to feel tired. It had been a long day. "No offense or anything, but I don't have much faith in the intuitive . I've never trusted psychics. How can they even pretend to know the truth like that? It's all a sham if you ask me. It may be time to call in the authorities. We're already in over our heads."

"Speak for yourself Sue. I think we have an opportunity to do some good. If what these two have been telling us is right, we're poised on the threshold of something big. Not just for ourselves or Iyash and George, but for all of humanity." Paul turned the car off. "We're in this for a reason. These guys need our help and I'm not willing to give into the fear of being in over our heads. Anyways, I need a good distraction from my dissertation. It was starting to really bum me out."

"I guess I can suspend disbelief a bit," sighed Susan. "But I'm concerned that we could get into some very serious trouble over all this."

"There he is," interrupted George. "Looks like he found what we needed."

Iyash crossed the street towards the parking lot where they were all sitting in Paul's car.

"I don't see the objects." Sue peered out the window of the car.

"Its information that he's found." George sounded pleased. "He knows where Raven is."

"And if we find him, we'll find the objects," added Paul.

"Great." Sue was relieved. "Finally we're getting somewhere."

Iyash opened the door and got into the front seat next to Paul.

"Ok. Drive that way." Iyash pointed north. "Raven is here and a girl is in grave danger."

Paul started driving north down the main street.

"So how'd you figure out where he is,"asked Susan.

"There are little ones hanging out around here." Iyash motioned towards the river. "This girl is something special. They're her protectors and Raven is here to do mischief."

"Like bodyguards?" asked Paul.

"Kind of."

"C'mon. You actually think we're going to believe that there are little people – faeries – hanging around protecting some girl?" Susan was having a difficult time believing all this.

"Believe what you want Susan." Iyash pointed right. "Turn here Paul. Across the river, then the first left. She lives in the second house. Hurry."

Paul sped the car across the bridge, barely slowing down to make the left hand turn onto the small road. He turned up a long winding driveway. A large oak tree was silhouetted against the white siding of the house, which seemed empty. There were no lights on and no car in the driveway.

"Are you sure we have the right place?" Susan didn't want to be responsible for waking some family up and having to explain that faeries told them that they would find a shape-shifting raven here.

"Yes. This is the place."

As soon as Paul stopped, Iyash rushed out of the car up towards the house.

"Paul and Susan. Stay here." George managed to say before rushing out towards the house after his grandfather. "This may get ugly."

"I don't know about you, Sue, but I'm not staying in the car!" Paul jumped out of the driver's seat and followed George and Iyash up to the house.

"Paul wait!" cried Susan as she reluctantly followed him out of the car.

Iyash was the first one up to the front door and before George, Paul and Susan were up to the house, he was pounding on the door with his fist.

### Chapter 24

"You're almost as beautiful as your mother was." Raven stepped closer. Putting his cold hand on Maeve's shoulder. "She was a strong woman, Maeve. It was very difficult to kill her."

Maeve stepped back, out of Raven's reach.

"Keep your slimy hands off me." She was shocked at this mention of her mother. "What do you know about my mother. She was killed in a car accident asshole."

"Ah, my pretty little Maeve. How little you know." Raven crossed his arms. "Your mother was not killed in a car accident. It's a long and complicated story and unfortunately, we don't have the time to get into the details right now. I'm running on a strict time line here."

"I could care less about your timeline," replied Maeve. "What do you want? You can have the necklace."

"Ah, a little more accommodating now aren't we."

Raven was enjoying his power over this young beautiful woman. He could do anything he wanted at this moment.

"We could've avoided all this if you had been a little more agreeable to me earlier."

"You're not a professor or a jewel merchant are you?" Maeve took another step backwards.

"Good observation skills. No, I'm not. But I am here on important business and I need your complete cooperation."

"Like I said, you can have the necklace."

"Excellent. That's a good start." Raven stepped closer to Maeve. "Where is it?"

"Over there." Maeve pointed to her closet. "In my jewelry box."

"Perfect. Go get it so you can model it for me." Raven took another step closer and grabbed Maeve's bare arm. "Now."

"Ok. No problem."

Maeve tried to stay calm. She had taken a woman's self-defense course once and the one thing the instructor always stressed was the best ways to counter an attack was to stay calm and appear not to resist. When the attacker least expected it you delivered an effective, deadly blow.

This guy is going to get a good swift kick in the balls. But I've got to time it perfectly or I'm in deep trouble.

"I want you to put the necklace on," instructed Raven.

"Sure, whatever turns you on."

As Maeve turned to go inside her closet there was a loud knock on the front door, startling both of them.

"You expecting somebody?" Raven was pissed off at this interruption. "I hope it's not your boyfriend changing his mind."

Maeve had to think swiftly. She wasn't expecting anybody.

Maybe it is Owen. But why would he decide to come back so late? Maybe it's my guardian angel come to rescue me from this sleaze-bag.

"Ah, it's probably my roommate Izzy. She always forgets her keys and locks herself out," lied Maeve. "She was supposed to go on a trip this weekend with her boyfriend, but they've been fighting a lot lately so maybe it didn't work out."

"Well it's my lucky night then, isn't it." Raven relaxed a little. "Two beautiful women are better than one. Go answer the door and no funny business. I'll be watching."

Maeve was relieved at the few minutes this opportunity afforded her to come up with some kind of plan.

I could open the door and rush out into the driveway and run to the neighbors. But what if they're not home and all I have are my pajamas and I can't run around the neighborhood without shoes. I'll freeze to death.

Maeve made her way to the front door.

Maybe whoever it is has a car and we could drive away to safety. Anything is better than being mauled by this creep.

Maeve reached the front door. There were no windows, not even a peephole on the door, so she couldn't see who was on the other side knocking.

Hopefully it's not his buddies. That would be really nasty.

Maeve unlocked and opened the door a crack.

"Hi, what's up?"

Maeve didn't have a chance to finish her sentence. The door swung wide open and a tall man with long grey hair pulled back into two braids and dressed in a dark suit came rushing in through the door.

"Where is he?" pressed the old man anxiously.

"Back there," Maeve stammered, pointing at the back of the house.

Before she could say anything else, the old man darted down the hall.

### Chapter 25

Iyash rushed into the darkness of Maeve's apartment. He could feel Raven's energy signature. His vibration was strong and unique, unlike any other being he had ever tracked. There was an ancient quality to it that Iyash couldn't quite place. Almost like the vibration had been altered by time itself, which Iyash knew was impossible.

Even non-humans come into existence with a unique vibration that doesn't change or shift. Even though we may change physically and grow and develop energetically. Maybe that's part of his vibration? The shifting quality that he uses to his advantage to hide his tracks. Pretty smart this one. But not smart enough. We've got him cornered.

Iyash could see Raven at the end of the hall. There was look of surprise on his face, as Iyash got closer.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Raven stood still at the end of the hall, clutching his black bag tightly to his chest.

"We've got you Gaagagshiinh. You can't hide any more."

"Don't call me that old man. It's an insult to my ears."

"You're an insult to your kind." Iyash made his way closer to Raven. "Now enough small talk. You know what I've come for. Hand it over and I won't have to take it by force."

"You mean this?" Raven dangled the black bag in front of Iyash. "I worked hard for this. I almost had to peck the eyes out of a security guard to get out of that museum this morning."

"So that was you!" Iyash wasn't really surprised. He had suspected all along that Raven had been right in front of them. His energy tracks had been that fresh.

"Yea. I beat you to it," said Raven. "You're getting slow in your old age."

"Give me the bag." Iyash reached out for the bag.

"Not so fast Gramps." Raven was now behind Iyash. "What's the magic word?"

Iyash turned around quickly and grabbed Raven's arm.

"This isn't a game. You know as well as I do what Marduk is going to do with those objects."

"It's of no consequence to me. Marduk and I have a deal."

"You think you have a deal with Marduk." Iyash tightened his grip on Raven. "But you know as well as I that he's going to screw you over. He never honors his word."

"Well this time he has no choice." Raven tried to shake Iyash's grip off of him. "I've made sure of it." Raven looked deep into Iyash's eyes. "Now let go of me old man or you'll regret it."

"As soon as you give me that bag I'll let go of you."

"Suit yourself."

Iyash could feel small tremors in the hand the was gripped tightly onto Raven's arm. There was a momentary blur and Raven's human shape shifted into a bird. Iyash still had a good grip on Raven, but now he had a handful of feathers.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Raven's voice was directly in Iyash's mind.

"There's no way you'll be able to fly with me hanging onto you like this," replied Iyash.

Raven started flapping his wings faster and faster until a blurry hole appeared on the wall in front of them.

"You forget I'm not just any Raven."

Raven lifted them both of the ground and flew directly through the hole in the wall. There was a momentary flash of darkness and then they were up in the starry night sky. Iyash tightened his grip as Raven whizzed past trees and houses, flying higher and higher towards the full moon.

"Don't worry old man. I'm not going to drop you now. Marduk is going to be upset that I'm not bringing the girl so I better bring you instead. Right now you're worth more to me alive than dead."

"What does Marduk want with the girl?" Iyash was surprised. The council had never mentioned anything to him about the girl before.

"I don't know and I don't care. You'll have to ask Marduk yourself."

"You realize you are sealing the fate of humanity and this earth to a long descent into darkness."

"I'm just confirming what the humans have been saying with their actions for the last two hundred years."

Raven had reached a cruising altitude high above the cityscape. They passed the museum and were now flying due south over the city.

"They've had the opportunity to prepare for this shift and they've made their choice loud and clear. They obviously don't care about the earth or raising their own vibrations through the cultivation of the light. They're more interested in killing each other, pillaging the riches of this planet and enslaving themselves to their own creations. Marduk is just capitalizing on what humans already seem to want. He's a savvy business man."

"He's evil."

"Aww, come on old man. That's so passe´. You know as well as I do there's no such thing as good and evil."

"You know as well as I do that Marduk is a very dangerous man. As much as he wants to be, he's not like us." Iyash was starting to get a serious cramp in his arm. "He's the perfect example of the worst possible evolution of humanity."

"I don't really care. It's not my business."

Raven dipped down lower in the sky and then swooped up past a flock of geese flying south. They were now flying over the Mountains, heading southeast.

"Where are you taking me?"

Iyash was starting to worry that he was going to lose his grip and fall. Not like it would kill him, but it would put him out of commission for a while and he couldn't afford to lose that time. The situation was reaching a critical junction.

"We're heading to big city so you and Marduk can continue this conversation face to face. I'm sure he'll really appreciate you telling him how disgustingly dangerous he is."

"Maybe this is my chance to convince Marduk he's doing the wrong thing. The council has tried for years to talk with him and he always refuses our invitations. Now I have this unique opportunity to bring him into the light. Even if I can touch a small piece of him, it may be enough to turn things around."

"Hold that thought old man. We'll be there shortly."

Raven flew up and over the mountain peaks and into a large cloudbank. As the clouds parted Iyash could see the vast lights of the large city spreading far out into the distance.

### Chapter 26

Seth Marduk sat at his desk on the top floor of the Amar-Uutu Inc. office tower.

The floor to ceiling windows gave him an unmatched view of Central Park and the skyline of Manhattan. He could still remember when the building at 10 West 57th Street was built. The modern concrete skyscraper seemed like a natural progression from the early years of stone and wood when he first moved to Manhattan.

Stuyvesant would be happy to know that the vision for this little colony exceeded his wildest dreams. I'm glad I convinced him to deed half of the colony to me as payment to wipe out his debt. It was hard to persuade the British to give it up though. Good thing I controlled the flow of gold.

I enjoyed watching Washington squirm, as his troops got more and more angry. I especially liked watching those boats fill up with the bloated stinking carcasses of the American soldiers. Even though Washington was an arrogant bastard, I did the right thing. The British vision for the colony was not what I wanted. They liked their rules and bureaucracy too much. I liked the reckless spirit of those young American colonists. So much easier to manipulate with the promise of unfettered power and prestige.

Marduk was enjoying the view of Central Park out the window in front of his desk. Lately he had been feeling tired and nostalgic. The years were starting to creep up on him and the memories kept flooding into his mind. Sometimes he could turn them off, but most of the time he chose to let the memories come.

Over the last hundred years he invested an unimaginable sum of money and resources into the development of his media empire, and it had grown at an unsurpassed rate. He realized that controlling finances and the supply of crude oil was only part of the puzzle of maintaining ultimate control of humanity and creating his new world order.

Information is the untapped resource. With it I can create the new world order to support my own vision.

He was especially enjoying the media's attention to his latest creation.

I'm surprised how easy this economic collapse has been to manufacture. These stupid people are so insecure and fragile. I'm crushing their petty, meaningless lives so easily. Little do they realize that I own every last media outlet. I not only control the ebb and flow of information, I control the ebb and flow of their pathetic existence. They've sold their empty souls to me for a hyper-reality of assurance.

Marduk buzzed his assistant.

"Shelly, get me Frank Hoskling on the line."

After a few seconds Marduk had the president of Public Research Inc on the phone. He liked to use the company to track down potential information leads. Marduk especially enjoyed working with Hoskling. He was a sniveling ass-kisser, easy to control and ready to do anything to please.

"Frank give me an update on the post-2012 apocalypse story."

"My researchers are still working on it Sir."

"I need that information pronto," barked Marduk. "You dropped the ball three years ago on our golden opportunity to dig up something good. You better make it up to me this time or heads are going to fly."

"We're following a few leads," answered the Hoskling. "We're developing some links to the swine flu story and the peak oil crisis. I think you're going to really like it."

"I better. Get it to me by the end of the day." Marduk hung the phone up.

The 2012 apocalypse story didn't go over as anticipated. Marduk's interpretation of the timeline hadn't taken into consideration the directed efforts of the Council. Marduk sunk a lot of money into information streams and various media presentations in an effort to enhance the fear and anxiety around that particular date. The success of the movie he funded was only the tip of the iceberg. But the Council of Light had proved to be more of a force to contend with than he reckoned. While his apocalypse story gained increasing momentum as Winter Solstice 2012 approached, the Council was able, somehow, to mitigate the effects of his information bombs, and shift the energy back to their favour.

This time the Council has no chance. I've already planted the seeds and now all I have to do is keep watering them with all this information. People's fear and insecurity is exactly what I need to complete this shift. The stronger their intent the easier it is to manifest the world I envision. Stupid people, so powerless yet so powerful.

Marduk laid out two small lines of black powder on his desk, snorting one vigorously up each nostril.

He could feel the warm glow of the drug instantly enveloping him, clearing his mind of the foggy memories. Although Marduk liked to credit his success to his superior intelligence and breeding, he knew the drug gave him a special edge. It sharpened his senses, giving him access to a world that no other human visited. A world where he observed the various time-lines unfolding and where he learned about new technologies and developments in the social order.

The drug also extended his life and allowed him to communicate more freely with his best clients, who indirectly financed most of his new enterprises.

Lately Marduk had been revisiting that day, many years ago when his father Ea had given him his first two lines of the black powder.

"Son, you have a very important choice to make today, " his father's tone had been very serious. "You can take this powder and the reign of Babylon or you can continue your life as is, marry the beautiful daughter of Asarluhi, and one day be a lord of this kingdom."

"I think you know my answer father." Marduk had always been a serious young man. He wasn't interested in the petty trivialities of life in the Court. "I will take this powder and make you proud of me as I rule over Babylon."

"You understand that your first task will be to stop the continued advances of Enlil of Nippu on the kingdom of Babylon."

"Yes. I'm very aware of Enil's continued threat." Marduk had been warning his father for years about the strategic advances of the King of Nippu.

"If it is to be, the powder will not lie." Ea stepped back from the table and gestured to his son.

Marduk remembered feeling like this was going to be the last day of his life. After snorting the powder, his father encouraged Marduk to lie down and wait for the drug to take effect.

"They will either come to you or they won't." His father warned him before quickly leaving the room. "If they do not come, you will not survive."

The effects of the black powder came on fast and strong. Before he could lie down, Marduk felt his body painfully start to dissolve. He felt his skin burning off, while his bones melted in the heat of the flames. He saw his own blood pooling in a black oozing mass all over the floor. Lying there writhing in pain, he could hear footsteps coming closer.

"Does it hurt?" The voice was soft and smooth.

"You poisoned me." Marduk never did trust his father. He was a ruthless despot, bent on taking and maintaining control over Babylon.

"Perhaps," replied the voice.

"But why. I'm no threat."

"Not yet."

"But you gave me the choice." Marduk realized that he wasn't speaking. He was having this conversation in his mind. "Am I dead?"

"Yes and no," answered the voice "Follow me."

A tall and very skinny figure dressed in white appeared. Its large head was covered by a white cloak that contrasted sharply with its large black eyes. Marduk couldn't feel his body, so he didn't know how he was going to follow this figure.

"Will yourself up," encouraged the figure. "Just vision yourself walking towards me."

As soon as Marduk thought about it, he found himself walking beside the figure.

"Excellent. There are some very important details we must deal with." The figure pushed open a doorway and walked out into a dark field of stars. "From now on you will deal directly with me. Your father is a threat. Your first task is to kill him."

Marduk tentatively followed the figure out into the field of stars.

"Where are we? I must be dreaming?"

"You are not dreaming. This is the pathway to Niburu."

"Who are you?" asked Marduk.

"I am Anu." The figure stopped. "That is all you need to know. I will contact you when we need to discuss important issues. Use the powder to contact me directly if you have any questions. The powder will also let you see far into the future. Use it wisely."

"So will you help me become the supreme ruler of Babylon." Marduk felt a surge of power inside of him, like he could easily crush a thousand charging warriors with his bare hands.

"Under your reign humans will bear all the burdens of life. They will be your slaves so that you can live like a God." Anu pointed one of his long fingers back towards the doorway they had just come through. "Now return. After your father is dead. I will summon you and we will discuss the terms of this arrangement more fully."

"How am I to trust you?"

Marduk needed more assurance. He understood to well the duplicities that ran foul in the royal court.

"Faith." Anu handed him a dagger. The blade was carved out of hard black stone, which was seamlessly attached to a strange black metal handle. "Use this to kill your father."

As soon as Marduk took the dagger, he felt the hot searing pain return to his body. Anu and the field of stars disappeared and he found himself back on the floor of his father's inner chamber, curled up in a ball retching blood. In his hand was the black dagger, the cold blade pressing against his skin.

After what seemed like a lifetime lying on the floor, he could hear footsteps coming towards him.

"So Anu has blessed you." His father's voice floated down to him on the floor. "Looks like it was rough. You can tell me about it when you are feeling better."

Marduk could hear his father's footsteps leaving the chamber. Knowing that this was his only chance, he gripped the dagger tightly and peeled himself up off the floor. Surprisingly, he felt light and clear, the strength he felt on the pathway to Niburi still flowing through him. Without even thinking, he raced down the hall and sunk the dagger deep into his father's back.

"Now I am King." He proclaimed as his father's blood seeped into his hand, dripping onto the floor.

"You'll regret this son." His father had managed to say before he died. "Anu is not who you think he is."

He was wrong on both accounts.

Marduk watched the sun rising over the trees in the park outside his office.

I certainly don't regret the day I killed that spineless bastard and Anu has been everything and more than I ever expected him to be.

### Chapter 27

Raven was happy he was almost finished this job.

I think it's going to be time to retire after this one. I'm getting too old for all this flying around.

Stealing the first three items had been challenging.

The Cairo museum was probably the hardest. The Egyptians were very protective about their cultural heritage and Bast security services kept a vigilant watch on the priceless sacred and more obscure objects in the museum's collection.

The contact in Old Cairo was supposed to help him get around Bast's expert security team but working with him turned out to be more of the challenge than sneaking into the museum.

The contact, a dour man named Apep, had this major chip on his shoulder that, in retrospect, made Raven appreciate why he liked working alone so much.

What a piece of work he was. I didn't trust him from the moment I met him. Those shifty red eyes were nothing but trouble. I'm lucky that I got out of there alive and undamaged. I don't like being hunted by cats.

Apep assured Raven that he had a mole in Bast security that was going to give him secure access to the collections. Raven later learned that Felisia was sneakier than he gave her credit for. Getting in had been no problem, but getting the Isis knot out proved almost fatal. Luckily, Raven had a few tricks up his sleeve that even Bast couldn't see coming.

Compared to the Cairo museum, stealing the bone cylinder from the Dalai Lama's old palace in Lhasa had been really easy.

The Chinese guards at the Potala Palace were too interested in playing cards and smoking cigarettes to notice a bird flying in through one of the many windows of the vast building.

Raven had a pretty good idea where the object was stored, but he didn't realize how intricate the inside of the Palace was going to be.

The bone cylinder was exactly where his client told him it would be – hidden in a small wooden box stashed in a secret compartment behind a seated Buddha statue in the Dalai Lama's meditation quarters. He was just glad that the Chinese hadn't found the object first. Going to Beijing would have been much more difficult and time consuming.

Unfortunately, gaining access to the collections at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala City wasn't as easy as the Potala Palace. The arrogant, Harvard educated museum director made it virtually impossible to get special permission to enter into the collection. He had the museum under tight watch, afraid that some scholar was going to decode the secret Maya codex detailing the 2012 apocalypse that never happened before him.

That meant Raven had to use other means to gain access to the collections and, after his experience in Cairo; he was determined to finish this job solo. Fortunately, the general lack of funds at the museum meant that the security system was still very low tech and Raven easily found his way in through the back door under the cover of darkness.

The Mayan clay flute was the most non-descript of the three objects. At first Raven couldn't believe his client had sent him all this way for a flute that could have just as easily been made in the streets of Mexico City by a meztizo peddler. After closer inspection, however, Raven could feel the energy pulsing off of the object. The energy was so loud, in fact, he was afraid it would be impossible to conceal the object and get out of the museum undetected. To his relief, he was able to sneak the object out of the museum and into the dark, humid night without any incident.

After returning from Guatemala City, Raven was convinced that getting into the Canadian Museum of Civilization's collections was going to be the easiest of the four jobs. The Canadians were polite and easy going. Always willing to accommodate you and not the least bit paranoid. Perhaps a bit too trustworthy, but Raven knew that was going to work in his favor.

After an initial visit to the museum, Raven noted that there was strange energy interference around the building that made it virtually impossible to bend dimensionally into the collections. For this job he was going to have to enter as a human.

He always enjoyed the opportunity to dress up as a man and manipulate the minds of people to do his bidding. His dual-identity was Dr Bran Corvus, a visiting professor of religious studies from the University of Dublin, currently on sabbatical with a large research grant to study the North American connection to pagan revivalism in Europe.

Raven's favorite costume was his jet-black suit of fine Irish wool, with a matching silk shirt, skinny tie, and black leather shoes, polished so perfectly that he could see his own face staring back at him.

He made an appointment with the museum's Curator of the eastern woodlands section to examine some rare and unpublished manuscripts relating to the fabled voyage of a 14th century Scottish Lord and his observations on the relationship between Indigenous traditions and Celtic pagan ceremonies in Europe.

There were various theories floating around about Ojibwa petroglyphs that supposedly depicted a monk in a boat holding a cross. Some even believed that this monk was not in fact a monk, but one of the exiled Knights Templars, a secret society that traced its blood line back to the union of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. These stories suggested that this particular knight, dressed in the guise of a monk on a holy mission to save the Indians, came to North America to hide the Templar's sacred texts and amassed fortune of gold and gems from the Papal storm that was brewing in Europe at the time.

Stealing the pipe and medicine bag from the Canadian museum proved more challenging that he initially thought.

Must've been the old man and his grandson. Their presence increased the energy security around the building. I have a feeling Felisia also had some stake in this one. She's always been so good at tracking me.

Raven landed with Iyash in the park across from the large Amar-Uutu Inc. office tower. After quickly shifting back into a man, he grabbed Iyash and dragged him across the street.

"Now's your chance to speak your mind directly to Marduk old man." Raven led them into the atrium of the building. "I bet he's gonna be happy to see you."

### _Chapter_ 28

Maeve was surprise to see three more people standing at her front door.

One looked like a younger version of the old man who had just rushed into her apartment. He was dressed in a dark suit and his long hair was pulled into two equal length braids that were with red ribbon. He had a big smile, and the kind of eyes that instantly reassured you and made you feel at ease.

Behind him was a much shorter, and younger man, dressed in jeans and a thick wool coat. He had a black toque pulled tightly over his head and a bright tartan scarf tucked into the collar of his coat. A small bag was slung across his shoulder. There was aura of excitement around him that Maeve couldn't quite place, but which felt contagious.

Standing beside the young man was a tall woman with short hair and a deep Mediterranean complexion. Maeve could tell from the serious lines around her eyes, that this woman had a lot of life experience.

She must be in her early forties. So serious. I bet she's really super smart, and well off.

Maeve noticed that the woman was wearing a really nice pair of Botticelli leather boots that matched her long cashmere coat. There was a sense a veiled reluctance to her as she stood outside of the door. Like she didn't really want to be there. That she was tagging along because she had to.

Maeve ushered the three of them inside her apartment and out of the cold.

"I'm assuming you three are with the old man?"

"Where did he go?" George looked down the dark hallway behind Maeve.

"I think he must have disappeared down that dark hallway," answered Paul. "But I don't hear anything."

George rushed into the hallway after Iyash.

"Can somebody explain what the hell is going on here?" Maeve was starting to fee angry and cold.

"I suggest sitting down first before we explain anything to you," said Susan. "It's all a little unbelievable."

Noticing Maeve was shivering and only dressed in her pajamas, Paul offered her his coat. She took it eagerly and wrapped it tightly around herself.

After a few minutes George emerged from the darkness, a look of concern on his face.

"They're both gone."

"Impossible." Maeve couldn't believe that the creep who broke into her apartment was able to get away so easily. "All the windows are closed and there's only one door in this place."

Maeve could feel George's gaze on her. Like he was seeing something that the rest of them couldn't.

"So you really don't know what's going on here do you?" George let out a long deep breath. "Nothing at all?"

"I'm tired off all these questions," blurted Maeve. "I'd like a few answered myself! Like who you all are and what you are doing here in my apartment. You just barge in here and then start asking me all these crazy questions. I'm tired, cold and a bit scared right now. So humor me. Who are you and why shouldn't I be on the phone reporting you to the police?"

"We're after a shape shifting Raven who's stealing sacred objects for an evil man who wants to control the world and enslave humanity." Paul pointed to George. "This guy and the old man that disappeared work for an ancient council of elders and Sue and I have just somehow gotten messed up in this crazy adventure."

"I've suggested involving the authorities all along," added Susan, "so I'd be happy if you called the police. It'd make things so much easier I think."

"Ok. Back up a little bit." Maeve was trying to digest all this information. "You're after a shape shifter? That's pretty far fetched."

"I still don't believe it either," murmured Susan to herself.

"He appears as a man to some, a bird to others. It depends on what kind of company he keeps and what he's after," added George. "In this case I think he showed himself to you as man. Probably tall dark and handsome."

"Try tall, dark and creepy." Maeve shivered just thinking about how close her encounter with the Irish man had been. "So why are you after this guy again?"

"He's stolen some things that don't belong to him and we're trying to get them back," answered George.

"George's grandfather here talked to some of your little friends out there by the river to find out where the objects were. We were hoping that if we caught him here that we'd be able to get the objects back and save the world." Paul smiled at Maeve. " All in a days work really."

"My little friends by the river? You mean those stoners I bumped into tonight?"

"Is that what you call them? The little people of the non-human variety." Paul looked over at George. "Right?"

"They're your protectors. They're all around you," added George. "Even when you don't believe."

Maeve felt a shiver run up her spine.

The glowing eyes, the feeling of being followed. They never meant me harm. They were looking out for me. That's why they were there tonight following me.

Maeve still couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So why didn't they protect me from that creep? Why didn't they rush in here and surround me so he couldn't touch me."

"Because you don't believe in them," repeated George. "Right now they just exist on the periphery of your life. You may catch a glimpse of them from time to time, or feel a tiny hint of magic touching you in the form of synchronicities, of opportunities appearing out of nowhere. Their strength comes from inside of you. Only when you make the conscious choice to accept them into your life can they really protect and guide you, which is their job."

"So what did Raven want from you?" asked Paul.

"I don't really know." Maeve had been wondering the same thing. "At first he presented himself as a jewel merchant who wanted to buy an old antique necklace of mine. After I refused to sell it to him he asked me out on a date. After I turned him down, he showed up at this show I was at tonight and propositioned me. I refused. I guess he followed me home and broke in when I was in the bath. He seemed really interested in my family for some reason. I really thought he was going to hurt me." Maeve could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes. "If you guys hadn't shown up when you did, I don't know what would have happened."

Maeve couldn't stop the tears from flowing, the shock of the whole evening's event was finally starting to wear off.

"I'm glad we showed up when we did!" Paul put his hand on Maeve's shoulder. "This Raven dude is proving to be a real big pain in the ass, and a dangerous one at that."

"So what is this necklace he was after?" asked George.

"It's a family heirloom. Passed down through the generations on my mother's side. I was thinking about selling it. Money has been tight since I opened up my new store in the village. That Irish guy offered me a lot of cash for it. Said he was some professor from Ireland. But I just couldn't sell it. It's the only thing I have of my mom's."

Maeve wiped her tears on the sleeve of Paul's coat.

"Can we see it," asked George.

"Sure. It's in my room. I'll go get it."

While Maeve was busy, Paul turned on some lights and they made themselves comfortable in the living room. After a few minutes Maeve returned, dressed in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. The bright green emerald of the necklace she carried in her hands shimmered even in the dim light of the apartment.

"Here it is." Maeve handed the necklace to George. "My father told me it once belonged to my great-great grandmother who got it as a wedding present."

George took the necklace in his hand and examined it very carefully.

"Wow, that's one rare piece!" Susan couldn't contain her excitement. She grabbed the necklace from George. Working in museums all her life had given her a very good eye for rare and unique objects. "I've never seen such a large triple serial triskele carved out of single emerald before! How much money did this guy offer you for it?"

"A lot." Maeve took a seat next to Paul. "But I somehow doubt he was ever going to pay up for it. This is the card he gave me" Maeve passed Susan the business card Raven had given her.

As Susan read the card, she started to laugh.

"I can't believe this." She handed the card to Paul. "Dr. Bran Corvus. This is the guy who came into the museum to look at the Sinclair manuscript this morning."

"So you know this creep," Maeve was a bit shocked.

"Sort of. I met him for the first time this morning," recalled Susan. " Just before George and Iyash showed up."

"How did he manage to get there before us," asked George out loud to no one in particular.

"Good timing, I guess," answered Paul. "Maybe he has a crystal ball or something."

"I can't believe I signed him into the Museum myself." Susan was now really concerned about her role in the theft of the objects from the museum. "That makes me an accomplice. I could definitely lose my job over this." Susan passed the necklace back to George. "What do you think George?"

George took the necklace in both hands and closed his eyes.

"This is very old and special." George looked directly across at Maeve. "I'm very glad you didn't sell this. But I can't figure out why Raven would want it."

"Maybe he was just playing us," suggested Paul.

"Can I see the necklace again."

George passed it back to Susan, who inspected it carefully.

"I can tell you that this piece is at least five hundred years old, probably older. The carving looks very similar to the Palmer emerald, which the Hudson Museum dates back to 250 B.C., plus or minus two hundred years. What's so exciting about this piece is that we've always thought the Palmer emerald was the only carved gem of this sort dating back to pre-Columbian times." Susan turned the emerald over in her hand a few more times. "There are stories that Cortez sent emeralds of this sort back to Europe during his brutal conquest of the Aztecs during the 17th century, but this is clearly a design of the Celtic period. Very curious." Susan passed the necklace back to George. "I can see why somebody would want to steal this. It's very unique and worth a lot of money."

"I think it's time to consult the council, even if we don't have the objects." George looked at Maeve and then at Paul. "And there seems to be some new elements that need to be discussed."

"Like what happened to Iyash!" Paul reminded the rest of them that Iyash had disappeared along with Raven and the two objects that they were after. "We totally need to regroup and figure out our next steps."

"Paul has a good point," added Susan. "We've come as far as we can. Raven's covered his tracks and now we've lost the Elder in the group and our opportunity to recover the two objects. This is getting way too serious for us to continue without contacting the authorities."

"What about Maeve," said Paul. "Maybe this emerald is like a missing link that you two don't know about. Maybe without it this evil dude can't finalize his plans."

"The council never mentioned anything about the emerald or the girl," replied George. "But it seems as though even she has a part to play in this." George handed the necklace back to Maeve. "Ok. Lets go to the council. We've gone as far as we can go today."

"Great, I'll go start the car." Paul jumped up out of his seat.

"Not so fast young man. This time we're traveling by other means." George dug into his bag and pulled out a large rattle. "Now, all of you close your eyes and focus on the sound of the rattle."

### Chapter 29

Detective Coon followed the signs on the highway towards Wakefield. After thirty minutes of driving he found himself in the little village along the Gatineau River surrounded by deep valleys and hills.

Looks like It's gonna be a green Christmas after all. I don't mind it, sure makes driving around these parts a lot easier. It's gonna be even greener in Mexico when I get down there.

Coon pulled over, parked his car and punched the address Ginny had given him into his GPS. After a couple of seconds, the computer returned a detailed map showing his current location and directions to where he needed to go.

_That's pretty simple, I should be there in five minutes. I sure hope this isn't gonna end up being a waste of time. I could be home right now finishing up the last of the scotch and booking my ticket to Mexic_ o.

Coon drove down the main street towards his destination. There were a few people walking briskly down the street towards the bar on the corner, which seemed to be busy. Otherwise the village seemed quiet for a Thursday night.

Geez, Maybe Wendy is right. I should sell the house in the city and move up here. Country life would do me well. Get a piece of land, some dogs, grow some vegetables. I think I'd really enjoy the pace of life up here.

When the Commander found out that Allison left, he insisted that Coon start seeing the staff psychologist, Dr. Wendy Walsworth. Coon had been seeing her every Tuesday for almost a year now. At first their conversations had been really awkward but, eventually, they moved beyond Wendy's probing questions about Coon's sex life and his relationship with his parents to discussions around personal empowerment, dreams and the true nature of love.

Just two days ago Wendy suggested that Coon sell his house and move to the country, to manifest his dream of owning a small piece of land and finally moving on from his marriage.

"If you stay in that house, you'll always be reminded about how your wife cheated on you. It'll take you a lot longer to move on from the marriage and on to the rest of your life."

"But I'm not ready to. Where am I going to live? I can't afford to buy a house in the city. Besides I hate moving. Packing and unpacking boxes is the last thing I want to do right now."

"Moving is about allowing the space for new things to come into your life. You'd be surprised at how much you are closing yourself off from right now. I know it's difficult for you. But I really want to see you bringing new people and new experiences into your life. It's time to move on Brad."

"Allison agreed to give me the house in our divorce agreement. I fought long and hard for that. So I'm not going to give it up so easily. It's a great house, you should come over for dinner sometime and see for yourself."

"I'm sure it is a nice house. Unfortunately, I can't date my patients, unless I want to lose my job. Now lets focus on building some tools for you to create the life you really want. Divorce is always portrayed in such a negative lens. We want to shift that and see this as an opportunity for you to start really living your life fully. So, for next week I want you to come to our session with two lists. The first is a list of things you want to move on from. The second is a list of things you want to consciously bring into your life."

Maybe I should add moving to Wakefield onto my list. That would make Wendy happy.

Coon turned his un-marked cruiser onto the small lane. There was a compact car parked at the end of the driveway. The house seemed empty, but there were a few lights on. Coon checked the clock to make sure it wasn't too late.

It's only 11pm. Let's make sure I've got the right place first before I go waking anybody up.

He ran the plate number on the car through the system. Surprised at the results, he flipped through his notebook to double check his notes.

Look's like I've found Paul Saya. Maybe there is more to this story after all.

Coon took out his Smith and Wesson and checked the clip, just to be on the safe side.

Hopefully I don't have to use this tonight. That'll complicate my holiday plans. First thing is first. I'm going to talk to this guy and feel it out. If I need to, I'll file a report and get a team onto this right away and they can figure out the details while I'm lying on a beach in Mexico.

After knocking on the door a few times without an answer, Coon decided to call it a night and got back into his car. Just as he started the car, his cell phone rang.

"Coon here."

"Have you located our suspect Detective?"

"No." Coon recognized the woman's voice as Felisa. "Do you ever sleep?"

"No time for sleep Detective. We have a serious case to solve here. What's your update?"

"I'm on location. The address you gave me checks out but nobody is home. I can confirm a connection with the museum where your suspect was last spotted."

"Go on."

"One of the Curators at the museum, Dr. Susan Hasser, her assistant's car is parked in the driveway here."

"I've never trusted the Hasser family. I'm not surprised she's in on this."

"I'm not ready to jump to conclusions yet. But I do want to talk with the young man. Unfortunately nobody is answering the door."

"I want you to stay in location Detective. Wait it out. They have to be there. Be careful of our suspect. He is dangerous so use all caution when approaching."

"You want me to stake this place out?" Coon was surprised at what the woman on the other side of the world was asking him to do. "You're kidding right? I haven't been on a stakeout since I entered the force almost twenty years ago. We don't really do that anymore. Besides, It's kind of cold and I didn't come prepared with coffee and doughnuts."

"I don't care Detective. If you value your job you'll follow my orders." The line went dead.

It appears like I don't have a choice in the matter.

Coon took the keys out the ignition, zipped his coat up and picked up the radio.

"Detective Coon here. I've got a code 5 in Wakefield."

"Do you need back-up?" The dispatcher's voice crackled through the static.

"No. But some coffee would be nice."

"10-4 Coon. Radio for back-up if required."

Coon placed the radio back on the dash.

It's going to be a long night. I might as well start working on those lists for Wendy.

He reclined the front seat to make himself more comfortable and took out his notebook and pen and started writing.

### Chapter 30

"I'm concerned our plan is out of control." The small man looked across the table at his colleague. "Karl you said that George and Iyash were onto Raven. Now there is a girl in trouble."

"Bes, we've been over this time and time again." The man sitting across from Bes was absent mindedly stroking his long beard. "Our plan is foolproof. Consider how long we've been working on it."

"Some of us have been working on it longer than others." The woman sitting next to Bes crossed her arms. "No offense Karl, but I agree with Bes. We need to consider our alternate plan. Things have become too risky."

"We need to give it a little more time Guanyin." The man with the beard was starting to get animated. "We're so close."

"I'll remind you that you are the newest member to the council Karl. While we needed your socio-financial expertise and great insights into the power of collectivities, Guanyin and Bes have been working on this plan for a long time."

"Then you should not give up so easily," replied Karl. "In my opinion it is inherently flawed logic to consider changing the plan at this point. We all know It's only through struggle that change occurs. Call it pain, suffering, whatever you want. At the end of the day – or world, for that matter – we will only change after we go through this struggle Ever since I've joined this council, we've done nothing but struggle with executing this plan, which is perfect. It means we're finally getting somewhere."

"Sometimes we struggle against all the wrong things" said the man sitting next to Karl, who was fidgeting with the collar of his plain brown robe. "Overcoming the self is sometimes the hardest struggle towards transformation."

"Where's Huhanpu?" Guanyin motioned to the empty seat, the sleeves or her long flowing white gown dancing through the air.

"He had some business with his brother to take care of. He sends his regrets," replied the man in the brown robe, who was now shuffling some papers in front of him.

"So what's on the agenda then Francis."

Bes was starting to feel impatient. He had a busy day ahead of him fending off Marduk's attempts to create more darkness and despair amongst the humans. Lately figuring out a plan to mitigate the effects of the engineered swine flu epidemic and the increase in mental disease was keeping Bes awake at night.

The closer they got to the day of the alignment, the more serious and real the epidemics were, including the wars over oil. But it was the threat of a serious nuclear attack that had Bes working overtime. The council knew that Marduk had been planning this for a long time.

"First we need to talk about the girl." Francis pulled a single piece of paper from the pile in front of him. "Maeve. She's quite special."

"Why were we not told about her earlier?" Guanyin didn't like surprises.

"She was a bit of a wildcard. Marduk is turning out to be harder to pin down than we originally thought."

"So the plan is to bait Marduk with the girl?" Karl was enthusiastic about the idea. "It's a great idea. Even the most powerful men will fall to a beautiful, intelligent woman. Human history is full of such cases."

"I don't like it," added Guanyin. "She's too special and precious to be treated in such a fashion."

"Well, it gets complicated." Francis pulled another piece of paper out of the pile in front of him. "There's some old history between the girl and Raven."

"Is it serious?" asked Bes.

"There's an old blood debt between them," answered Francis. "She knows nothing about it. In fact, she knows nothing about her family."

"Curious. So do we keep her ignorant or do we facilitate a family reunion?" Karl liked to ask these kinds of rhetorical questions. "I think we should keep her ignorant. It works in our interest. If she knows too much it will be more difficult for us to get her to do what's required. I don't need to remind any of you that we are running out of time."

"What about the two humans?" Bes especially didn't like the young man. He found him to be too rash, which ultimately translated into danger. "Where do they fit into this? What was George thinking when he invited them along. I thought we gave those two explicit instructions to keep human contact to a minimum."

"The humans are harmless," replied Guanyin. "George was just being kind and compassionate. He also saw their usefulness. The woman knows more than she lets on and the boy is very spirited, which will come in handy."

"Remember that the humans are supposed to be active participants in the shift. Marduk understands this. Look at what he has been able to accomplish in the last hundred years. Cultivating the collective consciousness of humans around the world for his own diabolical means. They are choosing to participate in his evil plan without even knowing it!"

Francis looked exasperated by the whole situation.

"So where does this girl Maeve fit into our plan?" Bes still couldn't understand why Francis considered her a wild-card. Especially if they weren't going to bait Marduk with her.

Francis took another sheet of paper out of his pile. "Raven's attempt was foiled. Unfortunately, Iyash has disappeared with Raven."

"What?" the three other council members couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"That wasn't part of the plan," said Bes.

"That screws everything up," added Karl.

"There's a reason for everything," assured Guanyin.

"Well hopefully Guanyin is correct," replied Francis, "and we can move forward with the plan."

There was a knock on the door leading into the secret chamber where the Council was meeting.

The air was thick with energy and a deep silence came over the group. Before any of the council members could reply, the door opened and George walked into the large, beautiful circular room.

Behind him were Paul, Susan and Maeve, their eyes wide in disbelief.

### Chapter 31

"What the hell are you bringing me? I want the girl, not this old man. He's useless to me." Marduk was not pleased with what Raven was delivering to him. "Hopefully you did better with the artifacts."

Raven tossed his black bag onto Marduk's desk.

"You'll find the last two artifacts in here."

"What about the girl? I want that girl. Without her these artifacts mean nothing to me." Marduk peered intensely at black bag lying on his desk. "You said you could deliver. Do I need to find somebody else who can successfully complete a task I assign to them."

Raven remained calm in the face of Marduk's reprimand.

"I ran into some unforeseen difficulties. The information you gave me was not entirely accurate."

"Impossible. My information is always accurate. It comes from a very reliable source."

"How do you account for this than." Raven gestured at Iyash. "You told me that the old man here and his sidekick had no idea about the girl. Just as I was about to secure her, they show up and my well-laid plan fell to pieces. Good thing I can think on my toes or I'd be up in front of their bloody council on charges of theft and terrorism."

"We're onto you Marduk. You still have time to change your mind." Iyash couldn't retain his thoughts anymore. "The council of the light would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you and discuss options for collaboration."

"If I wanted to collaborate with your pathetic little council old man I would've done so years ago." Marduk now directed his anger at Iyash. "You know as well as I that humanity has chosen the dark path. They've accepted their fate as slaves to their fear and insecurity. They will continue to look to me for the information and resources they believe they need to survive. People do not want to have to think for themselves. They want to be looked after by an omniscient benefactor who they can rely on to cure all their ills and provide them with the necessary thrills to make their short, futile lives interesting."

"But there is still time to change. We can all work together to shift this consciousness in a good way that will not only benefit everybody but the earth as a whole living organism."

"Look at your own people old man," spat Marduk. "The elders have fallen asleep. They no longer want to hold the light, it's too much work and responsibility to keep those ceremonies alive and maintain the energy in those old sacred places. The young ones are hungry for information and direction and have chosen the path I've offered them. It's easy and accessible. They want instant gratification, not the hard work associated with maintaining traditions that are no longer relevant to this era of digital media and hyper-realities."

"You're wrong Marduk." Iyash wasn't willing to give in so easily. "All over the world people have suffered the onslaught of cultural genocide, racism and the challenges of adapting to the fast pace of this shifting consciousness. We are survivors. Your residential schools, government bureaucracy, resource developments and other attempts to make our traditions irrelevant are not effective. We will continue to persevere and flourish and work together in the spirit of love and light to heal each other and to heal this earth."

"Tell that to all those drunk, strung-out people on the streets, in the casinos and in the ghettos you call home." Marduk laughed. "I offer them an easy way out of their petty lives. They know they'll never make an impact or be successful so why try. Resistance is futile old man." Marduk opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a shiny black dagger. "Now I'll do you a favor. Hold him Raven."

Raven grabbed Iyash by the arms as Marduk got up slowly from his chair, the dagger clutched tightly in his hand.

"This dagger was forged deep in the heart of a black hole. It sucks the life out of all and returns it to the deep dark void where we all began. You've had a long life old man. Now It's time to make room for the new generation." Marduk sunk the dagger deep into Iyash's chest and then pulled it out rapidly. "Safe journey."

"Your anger, hate and greed will not succeed. "Iyash let out one long, last breath. "The council will not let you win. Love is the most powerful force in the universe."

Raven let go of Iyash's body as it collapsed to the floor. There was no blood, just a lifeless corpse.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Shut up or you'll be next." Marduk placed the dagger on top of his desk. "Now get me the girl. And be quick about it."

"But they're onto me. Those faerie body-guards aren't going to let me within a hundred mile radius of her."

"You'll figure it out." Marduk turned to face the window. The sun's weak light did little to warm up the cold morning of the shortest day of the year. "We're running out of time. I'm relying on you to deliver. Don't screw this up or you'll end up with the same fate as that old man there."

"I'll do my best." Raven wasn't intimidated by Marduk's threats.

"You better do better than that'," hissed Marduk. "Now go do your job and don't return until you have the girl."

### Chapter 32

Raven left Marduk's office a bit shaken, passing Shelly, the office assistant, without even a glance as he made his way down to the ground floor of the Amar-Uutu Inc. office tower and out into the cold morning air.

They didn't tell me that killing the old man was part of the plan. I don't think I would have agreed to it otherwise. I should have dropped him off somewhere in the mountains on the way here for safe keeping.

He was still shocked that Marduk had acted so impulsively against Iyash.

Maybe Iyash was right after all. I'm starting to think that I'm going about this in all the wrong ways. I'm not sure I trust him with the girl, but I don't have much of a choice. I can't believe I've gotten myself messed up in all this after everything I promised to myself last time the shit really hit the fan. Is it really worth it this time?

Raven was starting to feel the effects of the journey to see Marduk. He'd been working non-stop for the last four days, traveling all across the world.

I could use a stiff drink of whiskey and a quick nap. It'd help me think. I need to figure out how I'm going to get myself out of this situation.

He made his way down the street, which was already humming with traffic, and towards the Park, which extended for miles in all directions.

Unfortunately I don't have time for even one drink. I've got to get back to Wakefield as soon as I can. I think it's time to talk to those bloody faeries, if they don't kill me first. I blame all this on Matholwich. He could have chosen someone other than Brânwen to fall in love with. I wouldn't be in such a precarious position right now.

Raven found his way into the park. There was a light dusting of snow laying on top of the hard frozen ground. People were out, all bundled up against the cold December wind, determinedly walking through the park to their various destinations.

Raven spotted a grove of trees huddled together off the main path and made he was over to it.

I'll just take a bit of a nap in one of these trees here before I fly back north.

Making sure nobody was watching, he quickly shifted into a bird and flew up into the bare canopy of the trees, making himself comfortable on the branch of a very old maple.

He closed his eyes and within seconds he was dreaming about being back home, sitting on a rock by the sea.

A sparrow landed at his feet, very excited.

"What is it little one." Bran opened his hand, encouraging the sparrow to come closer.

"Your sister has sent a most urgent message," chirped the sparrow. "Her husband, King Matholwich, plots to kill her and she seeks your help."

"Do you mean Matholwich is abusing her," pressed Raven. "Surely Brânwen is just having a hard time adjusting to life at that King's court."

"After she gave birth, her son, Gwern, was taken away from court and your sister has been forced to work in the kitchen as a mere servant," said the sparrow. "The king also addresses her very cruelly and is very rough with her."

"But surely she can't expect me to change anything," replied Raven. "There is little I can do."

"She wants you to come and rescue her and bring him home to Harlech castle." The sparrow flapped its little wings to emphasis how important its message was. "She believes that she will be killed."

"Are you sure little one?" Raven brought the sparrow closer so he could look into its tiny eyes. "This is a very serious situation."

"Yes." chirped the Sparrow. "Your sister is in grave danger."

"Tell her, one way or another, I will help her." Raven lifted the sparrow above his head. "Now fly little bird, and don't stop until you've relayed my message."

The bird chirped one last time and flew off into the wind.

That evening, Raven held a meeting with his brother Manawydan and his half-brother Efnisien to discuss their sister's situation.

"I told you that king was nothing but a brute. But you wouldn't listen to me." His half-brother was furious. He slammed his fist on the table where they were sitting with their mugs of ale. "That's why I mutilated his horses. I wanted to start a fight with those bastards. He never loved Brânwen. He just wanted to screw her and then have a claim to Harlech."

"Efni, we know how much you love Brânwen," replied Bran. "We all want the best for her and Matholwich's proposal was very well crafted. I could not refuse his offer. Your rash behavior has cost me dearly Efni. Giving up the cauldron was very difficult. But it was better than the alternative."

"Brothers, we need to find a solution to this issue," interrupted Manawydan. "Brânwen needs our help and we need to focus on finding the best possible solution."

"I agree Mana." Raven took a long swig of his ale. "What do you propose?"

"Brânwen wouldn't have sent that messenger if she wasn't in serious trouble," said Manawydan. "I believe the messenger. I think Matholwich is going to kill her."

"We should just kill the bastards and be done with them," suggested Efnisien.

"No, Efni. We need to rescue Brânwen and bring her back to Harlech," replied Manawydan. "Then if Matholwich tries to take her back aggressively we have every right to retaliate."

"But what about the political fall-out?" Bran was always thinking about the importance of maintaining political networks. "I wouldn't have agreed to the marriage in the first place if I didn't think it could benefit us somehow in the large scheme of things."

"I personally think that Matholwich is of much less importance than the Romans who were in court last month," added Manawydan.

"You and your bloody politics," spat Efnisien. "Sometimes love is more important than forging alliances. Brânwen is not our only sister and the last in our female line, we must protect and honour the sacred role she plays in the survival of our kind."

Bran knew that his half-borther Efnisien was right. Their sister was the last surviving woman of the ancient Corvus Clan and she held the key to the survival of their lineage. He had never thought of accepting Matholwich's proposal, but the King had made a propelling case for the strength of the union between the Corvus and the faerie. The Corvus Clan had been at odds with the faerie for years over an unpaid blood debt. When Matholwich arrived at Harlech with his proposal to marry Brânwen, he had indicated that the union would not only settle the blood debt, but that it would produce a new line representing the best qualities of the corvus and faerie.

What a fool I was to accept. Now I see what Matholwich had in mind. A new breed of royal faerie with all the best elements of the Corvus Clan. Bran saw it all so clearly now. Raised as a faerie Gwern would never know of his corvus blood.

"We set out first thing in the morning for Matholwich's castle to bring Brânwen back home to Harlech. We can't let him get away this"

Raven woke up from his dream and shifted on the tree branch where he was perched. The winter sun was now on its fast decline.

We did the right thing saving Brânwen. How were we to know it would turn out so badly for the Corvus Clan. The faerie were stronger than we realized. Now I better get back to Wakefield. I've put this off long enough.

### Chapter 33

"Sorry to interrupt Francis." George directed his comments to the old man in the brown robe sitting at the table. "I had no choice. Raven and Iyash have disappeared with the objects and now I've got these three humans involved in this mess. I feel like I've reached a dead-end and we're running out of time."

"We've just been discussing the details of our situation." Francis shuffled the papers in front of him. "So your timing is perfect. We heard about the involvement of the two humans and your meeting with Maeve. Guanyin reminded the council that they are to be involved consciously in this process as it unfolds."

"I still don't like them being involved," added the small man sitting next to Guanyin. "I'm only now starting to see positive changes after implementing the yoga and meditation programs. Those ancient postures are very powerful. They're even starting to have an effect on the vibrations of those humans solely obsessed with fitness and their own self-image. I feel like it's still too dangerous to involve these humans. Until their own vibration increases, they're unpredictable, unreliable and too easily swayed by the forces of darkness."

"Bes we should give them an opportunity to address the council before we pass such harsh judgment on them," suggested Guanyin.

"I agree with Guanyin," said Paul, his eyes wide with excitement. "Nobody will ever believe me that I've been hanging out with a Chinese immortal, a Christian saint, an Egyptian God and Karl Marx. All in an effort to save the world. I mean, why would they? I always thought we were heading for some kind of environmental disaster or huge technological paradigm shift or maybe even a small-scale nuclear war over oil in the Middle East. I never realized we were so close to this shift and I never believed in all that hype around 2012. The media likes a good fear story, and there's nothing that sells more than the doom and gloom of an impending apocalypse. I guess the media wasn't too far off, considering what George has told us about Marduk and your ceremony to shift us into this new consciousness."

"How do you think you can aid this council in the shift," asked Francis.

"I'm just interested in finding those objects and returning them to the museum," replied Susan. "I could get into some serious trouble over this whole situation. They might even arrest me."

"Typical bourgeois response. The shift that's occurring will no longer tolerate such individualistic prattle and selfish intolerance."

"No offense Mr. Marx, but your revolution never happened," said Paul. "Liberal democracies have sustained themselves in the face of socio-economic change around the world. Not one of these advanced capitalist economies have experienced socialist revolutions."

"This _is_ the revolution young man. It is the beginning of the new human consciousness without vice; in essence a superior species. We are seeing the inevitable collapse of the existing institutions and consciousness responsible for the formation of the current wretched human condition."

"That's not quite accurate Karl," replied Guanyin. "While the new consciousness requires more of a collective response to issues, it also requires strong individuals and the recognition of true difference as the driving force behind sustainable change."

"And a surrender to love and light as the catalyst for such change," added Francis.

"I agree that some of my earlier theories were not quite so accurate," responded Marx. "In particular I now understand that the superstructure is much more wide-reaching and complex and plays a more influential role on consciousness than I originally thought."

"But what about the objects?" George looked worried. "We need to stop Marduk before he has the opportunity to use them."

"Our field intelligence has just reported that Marduk does not intend to use the objects quite yet." Francis pulled a sheet of paper out of the pile in front of him. "There is a missing element to the puzzle that we have all over looked."

Francis looked up from his paper at Maeve who was standing next to Paul.

"Ms. Finn, we understand that you've had quite the exciting day."

"You can say that," replied Maeve, "but I think confusing is more appropriate."

"We're all a bit confused about your role in this," added Bes.

"We understand that Raven was after your necklace," said Guanyin. "It is a very old and powerful piece."

"First he wanted my necklace and then he wanted me."

"Did he tell you anything about why he may have wanted you?"

"For a good time," replied Maeve sarcastically. "He did mention something about my mother. Like he knew her. Do you know anything about this?"

"Well, people meet each other in the oddest of scenarios sometimes." Francis pulled another sheet of paper out from his pile. "We believe that Raven and your mother may have had a chance encounter the day she died."

"He told me he killed her," pressed Maeve.

"You know as well as I that your mother died in a violent car accident," replied Francis, "I don't see how Raven could have been involved in her death."

"Enough of this family history lesson, we need some practical solutions to these pressing issues. I shouldn't have to remind you that time is running out." Marx shifted restlessly in his chair. "If Marduk is after the girl, we need to make sure she is protected, at least for the next twenty-four hours, which are critical."

"I agree with Karl," said George, "if Marduk is after Maeve, we can't let him anywhere near her. Grandfather mentioned that the royal faerie guard already protects her. But the guard is only as effective as her faith in them, and right now she's a sitting duck."

"Excuse me, but how do you expect me to believe in all this faerie stuff." Maeve crossed her arms. "It's pretty far-fetched."

"She's right," added Susan. "We're after criminals here. I still think our best course of action is to call the police and involve the authorities. They are the best ones equipped to protect Maeve if she is in danger."

"Listen to what you're saying and who you are saying it to," said Paul. "If we can stand here in a room with Saint Francis, Karl Marx, Guanyin and Bes the Protector, I think anything is possible right now."

"Maybe this is all some kind of conscious dreaming Paul. George has probably put us into a trace with his rattle. We're having a shamanic experience." Susan looked around the circular room. "I've read ethnographic accounts of group hallucinations like this connected to shamanic rituals."

"Maeve, It's in your best interest to believe," said Guanyin. "We can't make you believe nor would we try to. It must come from inside of you, from your heart. Only then will you truly be safe and at peace."

"I'll try. If all it takes to be safe and at peace, is to believe in some magical beings, what do I have to lose."

"George, your mission now is to keep the girl safe for the next twenty-four hours. This is critical." Francis set his pile of papers aside. "We understand you are concerned about your grandfather. We all are. But we must stay focused on these new developments. We are getting extremely close to Marduk. Now go back to the girl's home and stay put until you hear from Bes."

"Ok. But if you hear from my grandfather you'll let me know right away?"

"Yes. Now go. We're running out of time."

### Chapter 34

By the time Raven returned to Wakefield, the full moon was just beginning to rise over the Gatineau hills. During the flight north had he figured out the best strategy of how to approach the faeries with the least amount of potential harm.

They're going to think I've completely lost it. But It's my only chance. Without their help I'll never be able to get her to agree to come with me.

Raven continued to fly north, using the frozen river as his guide. The closer he got to Maeve's apartment, the more he could sense the strong faerie presence around Wakefield. Spotting the tall oak outside Maeve's apartment, he made his way towards it and settled on a large branch high up the tree.

Well I guess this is it. I better see if I can make some friendly contact with these bastards.

From high in the tree, Raven could make out the silhouettes of at least a dozen faeries. They were comfortably stationed at intervals around Maeve's apartment, their cloaks pulled tightly around their small bodies. He also noticed a large black car parked in the driveway with somebody inside of it.

So Felisa sent one of her goons to try to catch me. Pathetic. I didn't realize she was such a sore loser.

Flying down from his perch in the tree, Raven landed a few feet in front of two faeries sitting quietly in the woods behind the apartment and shifted into a man.

"Who's in charge here?" Raven knew he couldn't surprise them, so the direct approach was much more effective. "I have a proposal to make."

"A proposal? Come on Corvus, don't waste our time." The larger of the two faeries hardly moved. "We don't do business with you and your clan. You're a scavenger and not to be trusted."

"Besides, we settled our business with you," added the smaller faerie. "Now leave us in peace."

"I want to talk to your captain," pressed Raven. ""It's about the girl."

Before he could finish, Raven noticed he was surrounded by the faerie guards.

"What do you want Bran."

An elegantly dressed faerie stepped forward. His long red hair pulled back into a thick braid. He wore a crimson fringed cloak clasped by a silver brooch, embossed by a triple spiral. In his hand he carried a heavy green spear.

"Derg, what a surprise. If I had know if was you leading this pack of dogs I wouldn't have wasted my time."

"I should just kill you now and get it over with." Derg pointed his spear at Raven. "What do you have to tell us about Maeve?"

"She's in some serious trouble," said Raven.

"We're well aware of that. I have my orders to protect and serve her on a needs basis," replied Derg. "We've all been put on alert that you in particular are a threat." Derg pressed the point of his spear into Raven's chest. "You better have more than that Corvus."

"I do know that you and your pack of dogs here can't really do much because the girl doesn't even believe in you." Raven took a step backwards. "But I'll give you this. An evil and very lonely man wants to have his way with her. He's seen the girl in some kind of drug induced vision and convinced himself that he can't live without her. "

"Why would we give Maeve up to you? So you can bring her to this man." Derg let out a small laugh. "You really have lost it this time Corvus."

"Yes, I do intend to bring the girl to this man. It's the only way to protect her."

"That makes no sense." Derg stepped forward, this time pressing his spear against the skin of Raven's neck. "You're wasting my time with all these stories."

"Come on Derg. You know that I have a vested interest in keeping this girl safe. She carries as much corvus blood in her as she caries faerie blood."

"I thought we settled this last time," spat Derg. "I guess you either don't remember or are as stupid as I always thought you were. I tired to convince Cúchulainn to kill you but he wanted to show you mercy. To this day I still can't figure that one out. This time I'll finish you off. " Derg pressed his spear further into raven's neck, drawing blood.

"Cúchulainn had his own orders from Gwern not to kill me," added Raven, "and you'd do best to remember that I settled that blood debt many years ago."

"As far as my men know, you died in a fair duel."

"Just hear me out. If you don't like the plan kill me later."

"Ok." Derg lowered his spear. "I'll listen. Be quick about it."

"This man I've been working for has been tapping into the unconscious energy of humans to control the shift into the new consciousness. He's been cultivating the fear, anger and insecurity of these humans to plunge the world further into darkness. I've been working with the council of light to track down this man, infiltrate his inner sanctum and figure out his plan."

"You expect me to believe that you are working for the council of light?"

"Yes and we're running out of time. As soon as we figured out that he was after the girl, a new plan was hatched. We need to kill this man before he does any more harm. Maeve can get close to him. She's our only chance."

"So you want to use her as bait," asked Derg. "Finn Bheara would never approve of that."

"Finn is old and senile, more interested in horse racing, than saving his people."

"Watch your tongue Corvus or I'll carve it out. Show some respect for our King."

"All I'm saying is that if you involve Finn we're all doomed. I'm counting on you to make an executive decision Derg."

"How do I know you're not trying to fool me?"

"You're just going to have to trust me."

"Trust you!" Derg laughed. "I don't even like you. You're a scavenger and a fool. Nothing but trouble."

"Kill me then." Raven put his hands in the air. "I'm getting tired of all this. Do you think I enjoy having to talk to you? Ever since you faeries killed my brothers and my sister I've had nothing but spite for you. I wanted Cúchulainn to kill me. Instead Gwern told him to wound me so I would suffer. And I did suffer. If it weren't for the magical healing properties of Gwales I would be dead. Now I'm the last of the Corvus. Except for Maeve of course. But she's not a full-blood."

"So what do you want from me Bran," asked Derg.

"Allow me to take the girl to Anwin," replied Raven, "so she can come into her own. Then she'll be ready to take on Marduk and save these humans from this impending darkness."

"Anwin?" Derg looked at Raven intensely. "That's risky. There's a lot of faeries that would be glad to see your head severed again and impaled on a long spike."

"But if I'm there with Maeve they'll leave us alone." Raven returned Derg's gaze. "She needs to believe Derg. Without faith and belief she's powerless. We're all powerless."

"So you think taking her to Anwin will make her believe?"

"It'll not only make her believe, it will make her understand."

"Maybe I should come with you, just to make sure that you aren't trying to pull a fast one on me."

"I'm giving you my word on this." Raven took the tip of Derg's spear and cut the palm of his hand. A thick stream of blood started dripping onto the cold frozen ground. " A blood debt."

Derg unsheathed a knife concealed in his cloak and without hesitation ran the blade across the palm of his hand.

"A blood debt." He took Raven's hand in his. "May Dagda, the Mighty Red One of Great Knowledge, seal this bond."

"And Alnu, mother of all, protect it." Raven pulled Derg into an embrace. "Now, let's go find the girl."

### Chapter 35

Iyash felt his body collapse to the cold floor of Marduk's office and was engulfed by a deep, still blackness.

He lay in that stillness for what seemed like an eternity, until he heard someone call his name.

Faintly at first, but as he listened, the voice became louder and clearer.

"Why are you crying?" asked the voice.

Iyash hadn't realized that he was crying. Now he could feel the hot tears on his cheek.

"I'm dead and now I fear that this mad man is going to destroy the world and I can't do anything to change it."

"You did what you could. What you were meant to." The voice was now very clear.

"But I could've done more. I failed my people. My spirit will be forever restless, feeling like it didn't accomplish what it could have."

"What would you have done differently," asked the voice.

"I'm not sure," replied Iyash, "there are so many possibilities."

The blackness faded and Iyash found himself on an island, face to face with a large snake that was floating in front of him. Instead of water, the snake was swimming in an endless expanse of stars, stretching out in all directions.

"I was left stranded on this island so many years ago and now I'm back again. Why?"

"Good question," said the snake. "Get on my back there's somebody who wants to see you. She can answer all your questions."

"But I know how this all turns out." Iyash took a step back from the snake. "A thunderbird comes and rescues me and I kill you with a lightning bolt."

"Well, not exactly," replied the snake, "that was how it turned out in the other story, not this one."

"But I'm dead right?"

"You could say that. Now get on my back. You know the drill. Pull on my horns if you want me to go faster."

Iyash paused and took a good look at the snake.

"What if I don't get on your back?"

"Time goes really slowly out here," said the snake. "You'll be really bored. I'm not much of a story-teller."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Get on and find out. "

"I guess I don't have anything to lose." Iyash climbed up onto the back of the snake and grabbed its horns. "Lets go."

The snake slithered up into stars and took off at a dizzying pace. The starlight whizzed by as the snake climbed up and then down in all directions.

Iyash was amazed by the beauty of all the subtle colors and the depth of space as the snake wound its way through all the various star clusters.

Just as quickly as he started, the snake stopped.

In front of them was a small wigwam, with a trail of smoke streaming out the top.

"Ok we're here."

"That's it?" Iyash was surprised. He had suspected that the snake was going to take him to some bizarre alien civilization. Not a simple wigwam. "Are you kidding me?"

"No. She's been waiting a long time for you," replied the snake.

"Ok. Thanks for the ride."

Iyash climb off the back of the snake and it curled around and disappeared back into the field of stars. He made his way towards wigwam, pushed aside the moose-hide door and stepped into the dim light.

"Grandson, I've been waiting a long time for you," said an old women sitting by the fire. She moved a small earthen pot off of the fire and placed it behind her. "We don't have much time and you have much to accomplish."

"But I'm dead grandmother. What can I accomplish now?" Iyash sat down next to the fire. "I'm just thinking about having a good meal and enjoying this fire."

"You need to maintain your strength grandson. We have a long journey ahead of us." The old woman passed the earthen pot to Iyash. "I've made you this special soup."

Iyash took the earthen pot. The soup had a strong, delicious aroma. He started to drink the soup.He drank for a long time before he put the pot back down. When he looked at the pot it still wasn't empty.

"What do you see in there grandson," asked the old woman.

Iyash was amazed to see images starting to form inside of his soup pot.

"I'm not sure."

But after a few seconds, the images became sharper. It was George and the two humans.

"I see my grandson, George, and the two humans. They're sitting around a fire, passing a feather." Then the image shifted. "It's him. Raven. He's talking to the Council. They're discussing Marduk. But that's not possible, he works for Marduk. They're talking about the girl." The image shifted again. "I see the girl. She's wearing a beautiful dress. She's walking in a forest, towards a large tree." The image shifted again, "It's Marduk. He's looking at something. It's a large explosion." Iyash pushed the pot away from him. "I don't want to see anymore."

"What was the last image you saw grandson?"

"It was Marduk. The planet was reflected in his eyes. The waters were black and the skies were orange. The trees were on fire. People were crying and sick. It was horrible."

"As I suspected." The old woman placed another log onto the fire. "He plans on continuing down the forked path."

"What do you mean?"

"This man Marduk is playing a dangerous game."

"Yes, I know. That's why he was after our sacred objects." Iyash moved closer to the fire. "The council has been monitoring his activity for quite some time. We understood that he was trying to counter our efforts at shifting the planet-consciousness forward into the new creation. Somehow this man was able to limit our efforts severely. He hired Raven, who proved to be especially difficult to track down." Iyash paused, remembering the image of Raven he saw in the soup pot. "Are you're trying to tell me that Raven was working for the Council all this time"

"I'm not trying to tell you anything Grandson," said the Old Woman. "That's not my place."

"But the soup pot. I saw him talking to the Council."

"Yes, the pot shows many different things. It depends on who is looking."

"What do you know Grandmother" asked Iyash. "Share your vision with me."

"You are correct, Iyash. Raven is working for the Council. He's been working for them for some time now."

"But why did they pretend?"

"To get close to Marduk it was essential that they not tell you. Unfortunately, for you, plans did not unfold as the Council had anticipated. Of course, I knew you were coming to visit. We've known for a long time how this story unfolds, although there are multiple endings. There are always multiple endings. That's why it's so important that you make conscious choices on how to shift this forward. So much destruction, pain and darkness can be avoided. But we are running out of time. So far, the Council has not succeed in raising the earth vibration to the level that is required to shift the planet-consciousness in the direction we would all like. Marduk has proved to be a formidable opponent to the Council. He's tapped into the collective fear, insecurity and greed of the planet and figured out a way to amplify this."

"But how do we move forward against this force of darkness?"

"Do you believe it is possible?"

"Yes, but it seems impossible at the moment." Iyash let out a long sigh. "Marduk has all of our sacred objects, and has figured out a way to shift the vibration to support his own version of creation, which is dark and twisted."

"We need to make a journey to Anwin," said the old woman. "It's a long distance from here. There you will find the answers you seek."

"I've never heard of this place before."

"It's deep in the interior of that far star cluster." The old woman pointed over her shoulder. "Now get some rest and fill your heart with the light of love and hope. We leave in a few hours."

### Chapter 36

After Raven left his office, Marduk snorted a long line of black powder off the top of his desk.

It's so close now. Soon I'll be free and more powerful than Anu, more powerful than any of the Anunnaki. I'll finally be recognized as the supreme leader. The King of kings. I will not have to hide behind these glass walls. And when Raven brings me the girl, I'll no longer ache for that sweet taste of a woman. My plan is finally coming together. I've waited so long for this.

Marduk stood up from his desk. The drug was starting to take effect. He could feel the pulsating energy lines of his body, his vision expanded and he could see past the glass walls of his office tower. If he focussed his attention, he could direct his sight wherever he wanted to go. Time was no longer linear, but spiraling in many different directions. Past, present and future merged within a multiplicity of timelines.

After Anu had taught him how to travel through these timelines, Marduk leaned to successfully manipulate them to serve his own interests. Lately he had been trying to manipulate the timelines to ensure the successful completion of his plan. But every time he encountered the future and tried to shape it with his intent, the timeline would split into the same two scenarios.

In one he and Maeve were lying together on a large bed, watching the skies turn orange as the trees in the city burned from a small nuclear explosion. The shrieks and cries of people could be heard in the street below.

In the other scenario, he lay dead on the floor of his office, watching the same scenes from his long life over and over again.

I don't like that possibility. It should be erased from the timeline. If I could only figure out how to do it.

"But that's the price you pay Marduk." Anu stepped into the office from a door in the fabric of time-space that had opened when Marduk snorted the black powder.

"I realize that," snapped Marduk. "But if I created it, surely I can destroy it."

"So you would think," replied Anu calmly. "But the Council is working very hard to counter your manipulations of the timelines."

"The Council is worthless and they know that." Marduk sent his sight to find Maeve. "The shape shifter has figured out a way to bring the girl to me, and as soon as she is here, we can move forward with the plan."

"Considering the timelines, your plan is risky." Anu walk over to the table where Marduk had laid out the five objects Raven had stolen. "We want to ensure that you can still supply us with the powder. Over the years, you have proven a very worthy servant to the Anunnaki and we reward those who are loyal to us."

"I can assure you my production rate is stable at 15,000 barrels of crude oil daily," replied Marduk. "That means at least 10 pounds of powder a month. Although as the human population has increased its consumption of crude, it makes it more difficult for me to ensure a steady supply to the Annunaki."

"We've been studying the situation in your oil-producing regions," said Anu. "It is very unstable and unpredictable. These are the best resource areas for the powder. What are you doing about it?"

"I've managed to secure the production fields and maintain a steady flow of oil," replied Marduk, "and thanks to Anunnaki technology, my soldiers are impossible to defeat. My military is the most feared and effective force on the planet. I've just been informed that the short-range nuclear stealth device we've been developing is ready to be deployed. This means we can finally move into key locations and take out the leadership. It's time they were reminded who is in control."

"Excellent. Your actions instill confidence Marduk. You understand that the Anunnaki are always ready to share technology with you if it means securing access to the powder."

"Yes, and for that I am forever grateful. In many ways the Anunnaki have made the human species what they are. Without your technology and science, we would never have advanced the way we did. The Anunnaki have an amazing understanding of how to combine mathematics, engineering and energy consciousness into the development of the most advanced technologies and philosophies ever imaginable."

"When we first contacted your species, you were like new-born babies. Just barely walking. It took many years to perfect the gene sequence to make you intelligently sentient. I remember when we first showed you how to combine numbers in order to think in abstract fractions, multiply into the million, calculate roots and raise numbers several powers. It opened so many doors for your people to develop."

"Now we are advancing towards the new consciousness. Soon I will be able to host delegations of Anunnaki here on Earth and humans will accept their proper role as servants to the higher galactic life forms."

"Remember that we have a special fondness for you humans," said Anu. "We've invested a lot of time and resources into your species. We only require that you secure a steady supply of the powder for our use. It would be in your best interest to maintain balanced control of the situation and not attempt any overly dramatic displays of power."

"You can count on me to do what is required." Marduk joined Anu at the table where the five artifacts were laid out. "My shape shifter did a good job acquiring these objects. It was no easy task stealing them from the different museums across the world. This is my favorite piece." Marduk picked up a small bone cylinder. "It holds exactly four drops of the water from the fountain of youth and wisdom from the magnificent kingdom of Shambhala. It is the purest water that has ever existed. One drop of this water and I will live for two thousand years without aging. Two drops and I will gain enlightenment. Three drops and I will die a most gruesome and painful death. Four drops, and I will be reborn again and ascend."

"Do you plan on taking this water?"

"Yes. I plan on taking two drops for myself and giving one drop to the girl once she is in my possession," replied Marduk, "and together we will live through this new coming age."

"What about the last drop?"

"That will be added to the dirt in this bag." Marduk motioned to Iyash's medicine bag lying on the table.

"And what about this?" Anu picked up a large red figurine, carved in the figure of a human.

"This amulet was forged by the Egyptian ruler Re-Akum, Isis' husband, using the menstrual blood of his wife. The original intention was for it to be used as a protection against Set, who wanted to destroy their unborn child. While the amulet ensured the safe birth of Osiris, the council intended to use this for Ceremony to ensure humanity's safe protection into the new world creation. But I intend to break the amulet, and dislodge humanity's protection against the darkness. This will allow me greater freedom and flexibility to shape my own vision of the new world order."

Marduk picked up the clay flute laying on the table.

"After I have charged the earth element with the smoke from the sacred pipe, I intend to call in all the sounds of creation with Kinich Ahau's flute."

"It is dangerous to play as a God." Anu placed the amulet back on the table. "Even the Anunnaki understand that with creation comes responsibility. That is why we have spent a considerable amount of time watching and guiding you along your short evolutionary trajectory."

"I'm not playing," snapped Marduk, "I've seen this all in the timeline. The Council has inadvertently shown me how to charge and use these objects. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"We are confident that you will be able to maintain and look after our interests." Anu backed away from the table and noticed Iyash's dead body lying on the floor. "I assume that he was no longer needed."

"He was a surprise gift from the shape shifter." Marduk sat back down behind his desk. "Now the council knows I mean business. Their time here is limited. When I take full control of this new word order, I will kill every last one of them. Their petty meddling will not be tolerated."

"Excellent. In a few days I will send a craft and some of my Ducaz agents to collect the next shipment of powder."

"I'll have it ready for you."

Marduk watched Anu dissolve back into the fabric of space-time. _Soon I'll be rid of these controlling Anannuki. I know how much they need their precious black powder and if they want to do business, it'll be on my terms._

### Chapter 37

"That was quite the trip." Paul stretched his arms above his head. "I always wanted to tell Karl Marx off."

"I've always wanted to be part of a group hallucination," said Susan. "Ever since my father told me about Napoleon's hallucination in the great pyramid, the phenomena has intrigued me."

"Napoleon was tripping out in the great pyramid in Egypt? Cool. What did he see," asked Maeve.

"In the summer of 1799, just before sailing back to France from Egypt, Napoleon made a special trip out to Gaza from Cairo. He was on the tail end of a long and tiresome command to edge out the British forces, colonize Egypt and reveal to Europe the hidden gem of the Orient. Even though he had suffered some military set backs and his men were dying of the plague, Napoleon maintained his passion for science and his goal to study and record every aspect of Egypt. To this end, his entourage included more than five hundred civilians. There were biologists, mineralogists, astronomers, engineers, linguists, mathematicians, chemists, and natural historians. Nothing like it had ever been done before and the combined results of their work appeared in the twenty-volume Description de l'Égypte, which was published in 1828. This was the birth of Egyptology."

"So what happened to him in the great pyramid," pressed Maeve.

"According to Egyptologists, Napoleon entered the King's Chamber, and then asked to be left alone. This chamber is at the end of a lengthy series of entrance ways leading into the interior of the Pyramid. After a while, Napoleon apparently emerged, pale, faint, and silent. When his aide asked him what happened, Napoleon refused to say anything of substance, other than that he had experienced a preview of his own fate."

"Didn't Napoleon's troops use the sphinx as target practice," asked Paul. "Maybe the dead Pharaoh was upset with him and gave him a stern lecture on being responsible with firearms."

"Egyptologists and historians confer that after his return from Egypt Napoleon had lost his drive to be supreme ruler. Just before his death he almost told a close friend what had occurred in the King's Chamber. Then he hesitated, because he didn't think anybody would ever believe him."

"There are all sorts of theories and speculations about the great pyramid," added Paul. "Some believe it was an ancient starship, other's suggest that it was an advanced astrological device. I've even heard a theory that it was a hydrogen energy producing station, and that the energy was all directed into the Kings Chamber to create a shift in the space-time fabric."

"I've seen all sorts of shows on television about those theories," replied Maeve, "and some of them are pretty convincing. I mean, you can't deny that the geometry of the pyramid is a perfect map of the northern hemisphere."

"Whatever Napoleon saw in there, it had a profound effect on him," said Susan.

"I believe he did see his fate." George had been quiet since they returned from their meeting with the council. "There is much more to the pyramid than modern western science has been able to ascertain."

"Come on George, you're not going to tell us that the Pyramid was in fact an ancient alien space craft." Paul looked at George.

"No. But I will tell you that the there are more dimensions to this material reality than you realize."

"Sure, I believe you. We experienced that last night," said Paul.

"We experienced something last night." Susan wasn't convinced that what they had experienced was real. "It was a group hallucination. It's the most rational explanation."

"But how do you account for the time shift," asked Maeve.

"We must've fallen asleep,' replied Susan.

"Time moves much slower in the dimension we visited last night." George smiled at Susan. "Ten minutes there are like seven hours here."

"But that's impossible," said Susan, "time is a constant."

"Actually it's not." George sat forward in his chair, "In his special theory of relativity, Einstein mapped out that time does not flow at a fixed rate. For example, think of two twin brothers. On their twentieth birthday, one of the brothers decides he wants to go on a space journey in a superfast rocket that travels at the speed of light. The space traveller stays on his journey for precisely one year, then returns to Earth for his twenty-first birthday. On Earth, however, seven years have elapsed. The twin brother is thirty-seven years old at the time of his arrival. This is due to the fact that time is stretched by factor seven at the speed of light. In the space traveler's frame of reference, one year is equivalent to seven years on Earth, even though time appears to have passed normally to both brothers, in their respective temporal references."

"Ok, but we didn't travel on a super fast rocket at the speed of light last night," pressed Susan.

"Light is a vibration, like sound, and these vibrations can be seen as waves," continued George. "When we raise our own vibration to match the vibration of light, we learn to travel on those wave lengths. This is how we shift dimensionally. We raise our vibrations using sound or light, and seek out those waves to take us where we want to go. In many ways we are like space travelers, but we're traveling through inner space."

"So last night you used your rattle to shift our vibration and carry us to the space where the council was meeting." Paul was starting to understand what George was telling them, "I've read about this kind of thing in anthropology journals, but usually it involves some kind of psychotropic substance like ayahuasca, mushrooms or peyote."

"Those are strong medicines that help to shift your vibrational frequency so you can travel faster. They give you a kind of boost, which many people need, because maintaining a high vibration takes a conscious effort, discipline and an impeccable intent. I was able to carry the three of you on my own vibration, but it wasn't easy. Good thing Maeve's frequency is already pretty high."

"But what's the difference between this altered state of consciousness and Susan's notion that what we experienced was just a hallucination," asked Maeve.

"What we experienced was real," answered George. "It wasn't a hallucination. Just like space travel, there are many places to travel to in inner space, but you need to know where to go and how to get there."

"So we went on a kind of soul journey," asked Paul. "But didn't have to die or take any medicines."

"Exactly," said George. "But when we die and pass over, our vibration is no longer constricted by this material reality. Like our bodies and gravity and all the beautiful things associated with our day-to-day human existence."

"Why did you say that about my frequency?" Maeve crossed her arms. "Just thinking about it kind of gives me the creeps."

"It's not just because you've maintained a very clean lifestyle Maeve, full of positive energy and clear intent," answered George. "It's in your blood. You come from a special family, which I know you find hard to believe. But if you start to believe, it will actually make more sense to you."

"What's that?" Paul got up from the sofa where he was sitting. There was a noticeable hum inside of Maeve's apartment. "It Sounds like bees."

For an instant the space around where they were sitting blurred and two bodies emerged. Maeve instantly recognized Raven, but couldn't place the other man. He carried a long green spear and wore a heavy red cloak. Maeve noticed the clasp of his cloak was a large silver brooch that looked exactly like her necklace.

"This looks nice and cozy," said Raven. "Too bad I can't stick around. Got places to go and people to see. Maeve this time you're coming with me. No games."

Raven moved towards Maeve.

"Back off Raven." George stood up from his chair. "Maeve isn't going anywhere."

"Mr. Miskwaadesi, nice to finally meet you in person. Pity about your grandfather. " Raven smiled at George. "Now get out of my way."

The man standing next to Raven pointed his long green spear at George.

"I would hate to see Derg here have to hurt you."

"M'lady, it would be best to do as Corvus is asking. I can assure you he has sworn to me he won't do you any harm."

"Thanks for your vote of confidence Derg." Raven moved close enough to place his hand on Maeve's shoulder.

"You don't actually expect me to believe that." Maeve tried to shake Raven's hand off her shoulder. "This creep has already tried to have his way with me. I'm not going to let him get anywhere near me."

"Stay away from her." George tried to push Raven away from Maeve but he couldn't move anywhere without impaling himself on the end of Derg's spear.

"Too late." Raven closed his eyes and muttered a series of words under his breath. In an instant he and Maeve blurred, and then disappeared.

"What, that's impossible," gasped Susan. "Where did they go?"

"Best not to follow them," cautioned Derg, as he lowered his spear. "They have some business to take care of."

"Where did he take her," pressed George. "You have to tell me."

"To Anwin," replied Derg.

"Anwin," repeated George, "are you kidding me?"

"Isn't Anwin the Celtic spirit world," asked Paul.

"Yes, and you are best to keep away from it young lad," answered Derg, "It's a rough place for the likes of you."

"But why did he take her there?" George was noticeably upset. "What's he planning on doing to her."

"I can't tell you, I've sworn a blood debt with Corvus." Derg looked at Susan and Paul, and then back at George. "Now I must go. I've told you too much already."

Derg closed his eyes and muttered a few words under his breath. In an instant he blurred and disappeared.

### Chapter 38

Iyash woke up and noticed that the fire in the wigwam had gone out and the old woman was no longer inside.

It was very quiet.

There was no bird song, not even the sound of the wind rustling in the trees.

The deep stillness reminded him of being in the bush in the middle of winter. The only difference was that he didn't feel the chill of the cold air filtering in through the cracks of the wigwam.

Outside, the darkness was punctuated by the light of thousands of stars shining in all directions.

I never really imagined the spirit-world to be this beautiful. Who would have thought there would be so many stars up here.

"You're finally awake." Iyash was startled by the old woman's voice. "I'm glad you got a good rest, we have a long voyage to make."

Iyash looked around the outside of the wigwam but couldn't see the old woman anywhere.

"Oh, I'm down here." Iyash looked down at his feet and saw a small red fox. "I prefer traveling on four legs, It's faster and more comfortable."

"Sure, whatever works for you," replied Iyash, "I'll do my best to keep up."

"We've got to head over to that far star cluster," said the fox. "It shouldn't take too long. A couple of hours maximum."

"Don't you have a spirit canoe, or space ship or something," asked Iyash. "We can't just walk through space."

"Sure we can. Follow me."

Iyash followed the fox off towards the back of the wigwam.

At first he was unsure of his footing, wondering how he could possibly walk across the empty space. After a few steps, however, he realized that it was just like walking on solid ground, but with a bit more spring to each step.

"Come on Iyash," said the fox, "we don't have much time."

Iyash sped his stride up to match the fast pace of the fox.

"So where are we going exactly."

"Anwin."

"I've never heard of it before."

"It's a special place, and there are some people there that you need to meet with."

"I never thought the spirit world would be like this," added Iyash. "I always thought I'd meet my family, who would take me home, where we would feast for days, telling stories and enjoying each other's company."

"There's time for all that later," noted the fox. "First you have some important business to take care of. See you're not really dead. Your spirit is in transition, we intercepted you before you could cross the bridge to the spirit world to meet your family on the other side."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm a fox."

"I know that," replied Iyash. "But what are you really?"

"I'm an inter dimensional being."

"A spirit guide?"

"Kind of, but more like an emissary." The fox stopped to take a bearing of their position." Ok this way."

The fox took off at a fast trot towards a bright cluster of stars.

"Hey, isn't that the great hunter?"

"The Greek called him Orion. The great hunter who went out to chase the youngest of the Pleiadies sisters, Merope, and who was eventually killed by a giant scorpion. The Egyptians called him Osiris, the son of Ra and Isis, the Lord of Love, the Lord of silence and the merciful judge of the dead in the afterlife. The Scandinavians knew him as the hero Väinämöinen and the Vedic people called him Vyudh, the hunter, or Kālpurush, the destroyer."

"So are we going to visit the great hunter," asked Iyash.

"I've been asked by the Lyrians to guide you there," replied the fox. "They believe that you can continue to help them with their project of bringing light to earth in its shift to the new consciousness."

"But I'm a spirit, how can I help?"

"I'm not sure, you'll have to wait until we arrive at Anwin."

"Who are these Lyrians? I've never heard of them before."

"They are a benevolent race that have been working very diligently to help humanity complete the shift into the new consciousness.

Many thousands of years ago their civilization reached a high technological level and they developed space travel. They were creatures who highly valued free-will, but at a certain point in their history they fell into disagreement and divided into factions with different ideologies, goals and objectives. These early Lyrians eventually went to war and destroyed much of their society and ruined their planet. Some groups, seeking to avoid the anticipated outcome, fled from their native star system and found homes in new star systems."

"And they stopped by earth at some time I assume?"

"Exactly! After a few thousand years, these Lyrians once again developed their societies to high technological levels and were once again able to travel in space. On their travels, they discovered Earth and the early humans evolving in a very hospitable atmosphere. They settled there and built the early civilization of Atlantis. Some of these Lyrians began genetically mixing with the earth primates. Those who remained apart and did not mix produced highly evolved technologies, designed and built many different machines and devices. Unfortunately, these two groups came into conflict and the society became polarized into two camps, each possessing marvelous technologies. Eventually they went to war and terrible destruction resulted. Those who could, escaped to other regions of space and started all over again."

"Did these Lyrians ever learn to get along?"

"Yes, they have raised their vibration to a point now where they no longer consider it necessary to engage in such hostilities," answered the fox. "They are much more spiritually attuned and, after destroying various planets with high-powered atomic weapons, have learned their lesson. After every epic war, the Lyrians lost their forward momentum and had to spend much of their energy raising their vibrations back to the point just before the conflict started. This usually took thousands of years."

"If they were such highly developed beings, why did they fight with each other so much?"

"The Lyrians in Atlantis made contact with another group, the Annunaki, who were from another star system and also settling on Earth. They were a highly technologically developed culture, just like the Lyrians. The Annunaki were also interested in the earth primates and conducted their own genetic experiments, with the aim of creating the perfect workers. Soon, the Lyrian and Annunaki had developed their own genetically engineered primates.

While the Lyrians were interested in grooming their offspring and sharing their technological developments, the Annunaki were interested in using these genetic hybrids to farm the natural resources of the planet. They were particular interested in the crude oil, which they refined into a black powder and used for ceremonial purposes. The problem was that the Annunaki shared this powder with the Lyrians, which ultimately caused the Lyrians to fight between themselves."

"But why would the powder cause the Lyrians to fight between themselves?"

"The Lyrians were already an aggressive people and the Annunaki's black powder seemed to enhance that aggression significantly. The powder is also highly addictive to the Lyrians and some of them developed a dependency on the substance. This gave the Annunaki a subtle power over the Lyrians. Eventually factions of Lyrians started to trade their human offspring to the Annunaki in exchange for the powder. The Lyrian genetics produced a highly productive, strong-willed and physically fit species of human. The Annunaki found them to be better workers than their own genetically engineered humans, who were lazy, power-hungry and more prone to sickness and disease."

"So the Lyrians provided the workers and the Annunaki provided the supervisors," said Iyash. "The Lyrians and Annuaki were their masters, their all-seeing, all-powerful gods."

"But what the Annunaki didn't realize was that the humans needed time to develop and reach a point in their evolution where they could fully serve the needs of their masters," added the fox. "In the meanwhile the Lyrian's started to fight between themselves, which disrupted the flow of workers to the Annunaki. After the Lyrians destroyed Atlantis and fled, the Annunaki maintained a strong presence on Earth. They continued to use the Lyrian-human hybrids as slaves, while grooming their own genetic off spring to maintain control over these slaves and integrate Annunaki technology to develop effective resource extraction operations."

"So now the Lyrians want to make amends for leaving their creations enslaved to the Annunaki." Iyash was starting to wonder how much longer they would be walking. "They want to rescue the humans? Isn't it a bit too late for that."

"Perhaps. You'll have ample opportunity to ask the Lyrian's themselves." The fox stopped and sat down. "This is as far as I go. You have to make the last bit on your own. Just follow that one bright star until you meet the Lyrians."

"How am I going to know they are Lyrians?"

"You'll know. They are waiting for you. It's not much further."

Iyash peered deep into the star littered space. There was a very bright star blinking in front of him that seemed to stand out from the million of others clustered around where he stood. He decided to trust the fox and began to follow the pulsing light.

### Chapter 39

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Maeve tried to take Raven's hands off her shoulders. "Get your slimy hands off me you creep."

Before she could do anything, the air between them grew very silent, blurred and then went dark.

"We're going for a little tour Maeve, just you and I."

Raven took his hands off Maeve's shoulders. They were no longer in her living room, but in a forest, surrounded by large trees reaching high up into the sky.

"Hold on a second, where did you just take me," Maeve stuttered, all of a sudden afraid of what was happening to her, "and what exactly are you planning on doing to me?"

"We're in Anwin Maeve," replied Raven, "and I have no intentions to harm you."

"Yea right. You actually think I'm going to fall for that." Maeve backed away from Raven, but resisted the urge to run. "How come I have this sneaking suspicion that you've somehow drugged and taken me to this remote location to first have your way with me and then kill me and bury my body underneath one of these trees here."

"I don't blame you for being suspicious, it has been very difficult for me to keep you in the dark these last few days." Raven turned around and peered into the forest. "But you have to trust me. We don't have much time and Anwin can be a dangerous place to linger."

"Anwin, it sounds familiar but I can't quite place the name." Maeve wasn't moving anywhere until she got some answers. "This is a dream right?"

"Yes and no, it depends on your definition of reality. Anwin is a strange place, most well know by the Celts as the place where your soul goes when you die, but really it is an inter-dimensional plane."

"A what?"

"The space in between waking and dreaming, light and dark, past and future. The odd human has been brought here or traveled here by accident. Mainly for thousands of years it has been used as a safe meeting place for Sidhe, like me, to do business with the other-world beings."

"Other world beings, you mean spirits," asked Maeve.

"They appear as spirits to some, but they are really beings from different worlds, other star systems," answered Raven. "Depending on their vibration and how they want to present themselves, they may be misrepresented as spirit-beings. In fact, humans have been doing this for a long time."

"So, what you're telling me is that there are no spirits just aliens from different planets?"

"Not exactly. There are definitely spirits. They are the energy signatures of earth creatures when they pass on, as well as those inner-dimensional beings that cannot exist in the material reality like you or I."

"But you're a spirit, a Sidhe, and you don't seem to have any problem being part of my world."

"I'm a Sidhe, not a spirit. There's a big difference," corrected Raven. "Many thousands of years ago, two species of star-beings came to earth, the Lyrians and Annanuki. They settled and built beautiful cities, with advanced cultures and technologies. They were very interested in the genetic and energetic signatures of the creatures living on earth and conducted various experiments combining their own DNA with the DNA of the various earth creatures. That's how the Corvus clan was established. I'm part human, part Lyrian and part corvus.

One of the Lyrian factions, however, was convinced that we were the results of failed and socially irresponsible science projects. They were very vocal that we should either be killed or kept in the laboratories where we were created. When the Lyrians began killing each other in a brutal civil war, all the cousins that were not killed left Atlantis and fanned out into the various remote areas of the world to protect ourselves."

"But with all their advanced technologies why didn't they just track you down and finish you off."

"They tried, but we were very crafty and they were too pre-occupied with killing each other. The perfect combination for survival."

"So what happened when the civil war was over? Didn't they come and look for you?"

"It was messy. Remnants from one faction joined the Annanuki, who refused to get involved, but were ultimately responsible for creating the conflict in the first place. The rest of the Lyrians left the planet, after destroying their cities and killing as many of us as they could."

"How were the Annanuki responsible?"

"They were using the Lyrian-humans as slaves to mine and refine the resources on the planet, to build their cities and to entertain them. The Annanuki introduced some of the Lyrians to a powerful drug refined from crude-oil. It was originally used ceremonially, but some of the Lyrians started to use it outside of ceremony. They discovered the powder had many interesting effects that could create powerful shifts in the fabric of space and time. A considerable amount of Lyrians began to use the powder to develop new technologies based on their experiences with the drug. This created a large split in the Lyrian consciousness. The more traditional Lyrians believed that these new technologies had too many Annanuki influences. These disagreements eventually led to war."

"So remind me again what we're doing here."

"We're here to meet with the Lyrian delegation from Erra. They don't know we're here but that should change as soon as we get out of this forest." Raven looked up at the sky and then back at Maeve. "We should start our way to Arwan's lodge, It's not far."

"But why did you bring me?"

"Our only real chance of defeating Marduk is for you to meet Arwan and Essa, in person and hear it directly from them. The Council's plan is never going to work, it was doomed right from the start."

"Hear what," Maeve asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so I'm not even going to try." Raven started walking down a narrow path that wound its way around the trunks of the large trees. "You'll find out soon enough."

"It has something to do with my mother right." Maeve started to follow Raven down the path. "You mentioned her last night when you came for me."

"It might have something to do with her, but I can't say."

"But last night you said you killed her."

"I did."

"Then how can I trust you." Maeve stopped on the path. "If you killed my mother, than how do I know you're not going to kill me too. Maybe this is some kind of elaborate trick you've cooked up to steal my necklace." Maeve reached up to her neck, relieved to feel that she was still wearing the large emerald. "This is all pretty freaking weird."

"All I can say is that it was very difficult to kill your mother, but she was really suffering." Raven kept walking down the path. "And I don't recommend staying out here by yourself once those two suns go below the horizon."

Maeve looked up at the sky and noticed that the small purple sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, followed closely by the larger and brighter red sun.

### Chapter 40

Detective Coon glanced at the clock in his car and then double checked the time on his watch. The darkness outside was slowly fading.

Crap. I must've fallen asleep. Great. My first stake-out in five years and I botch it by having a snooze. Even a rookie knows that you can't close your eyes on a stake-out, even for a second. Those long blinks can cost you your job if somebody finds out.

Coon adjusted his seat. In the morning light he could make out the large tree outside of the house where he was parked, the bare branches reaching for the faded blue morning sky.

Wouldn't want that to fall on the roof of my house.

Staring out the window of the car towards the tree, Coon noticed something dark come into his peripheral vision. As the black spec came clearer into focus, he recognized it as a large Raven, perched in one of the many branches of the large tree.

Good morning to you Raven. I bet you've got a good view up there. I wonder what you see.

Coon watched the big black bird swoop out of the tree and fly down towards the ground and disappear.

That's the oddest thing I've ever seen. How can a big black bird just disappear like that? What I really need is coffee. I must be half asleep still. Maybe I just need to get out of the car and get some fresh air and go peer in one of the windows before it's too light outside and someone mistakes me for a peeping Tom and calls the police. Wouldn't that be hilarious.

Coon got out of his car and breathed in the fresh morning air. He felt instantly awake and decided to walk over to the area where he thought he saw the Raven disappear. As he got closer to the tree, Coon couldn't believe how big it actually was.

This is got to be at least 100 feet high. I didn't think there were any trees like this around anymore. Especially in residential areas. Sure could make a lot of furniture out of all that wood. Now where did that Raven go. He must've just hopped behind the trunk.

Coon walked around the wide base of the tree, resisting the urge to hug it like some kind of fanatical environmentalist. There was no sign of the bird at all.

I guess I must've been seeing things. Probably I just missed something. I really do need a vacation. Or maybe just a refresher course in stake-out 101.

Coon scanned the rest of the neighborhood to make sure there wasn't anybody outside walking their dog, or enjoying a morning run along the river before he made his way over to the house to peer inside.

Coon found a window on the corner side of the house, hidden from the road and concealed from the neighbors by a thick cedar hedge growing on the edge of the property.

Peering inside of the window, he saw three people together in a room, engaged in what seemed like a serious conversation. The older man was pacing back and forth, exchanging words with the two other people who seemed to be comfortably seated. After a few seconds, the older man sat back down again.

Looks like somebody is home after all. Good thing I didn't wait any longer.

Coon scanned the faces of the two men in the room. Neither of them matched the sketch or the photographs he had received from Bast Security of the dangerous suspect he was trying to track down.

I'm not looking for either a young man or an Indian, so I guess I'm outta luck. But that lady may have something to say. I should question them all and take their statements. The young guy is probably Paul Saya so he may know where the Curator is.

Coon made his way back around to the front of the house and knocked loudly on the front door.

I hope they have some coffee brewed up. I sure could use a cup.

### Chapter 41

"We are extremely pleased at the council's efforts to assist the Annanuki in these matters." The tall figure in the white cloak stood very still in the middle of the round chamber as he spoke. "We do understand that our relations have been strained over the years."

"We're happy to be meeting with you today," said Saint Francis. "If I may speak for my colleagues."

"Knowing that we are part of a larger consciousness is most exceptional." Marx stroked his long white beard. "I must say that this has extended my rational understanding of many things far beyond the limited context of linear time and history."

"I am still concerned, however, that the Annanuki are attempting to manipulate this council's work." Gyanyin sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. " I have an uneasy feeling that we are only getting part of the story."

"I feel the same way," added Bes. "What about the Lyrian presence?"

"If the Lyrians were concerned with the present circumstances, they would be in this room right now," replied Anu, "and I don't see them here."

"But isn't it true that the Annanuki still maintain a significant interest in the resources of this planet," said Gyuanyin.

"We all have our own interests in mind Gyuanyin, or else we wouldn't be meeting to discuss the present circumstances." Anu looked around the circular room. "As you are all well aware, the Annanuki are not particularly concerned with the dealings of humans unless we are directly impacted. What concerns us now is ensuring that Seth Marduk is stopped before he plunges this world into complete darkness.

As you are also well aware, the energy vibrations on this planet are particularly sensitive right now. The extreme close proximity of this star system to the galactic equator makes it extremely vulnerable to the effects of the singularity that are very unpredictable and powerful. We are also concerned about the effects of the gamma and cosmic ray energy from the star you call Cyngus X3.

While this planet is so close to the galactic equator, it is particularly vulnerable to these rays. We've explored various timelines and dimensional equations and they all seem to lead to the same zero point—complete annihilation of earth consciousness. The only timeline which provides a potential alternative to this zero point is the one in which we consult and work directly with the council to stop Marduk." Anu paused briefly and then continued. "I need not remind you that most members of this council can trace their own lineage back to the Annunaki."

"We are well aware of that," said Bes, "but you would do well to remember that we also maintain substantial Lyrian and Human roots. I have all the documents here tracing our genealogy." Bes produced a large leather-bound book. "I personally borrowed this from the Library of the Sphinx, and good thing I did or else it would have been lost in that fire in Alexandria."

"But surely you don't need the council's assistance to stop Marduk," asked Francis. "The Annunaki have considerably more resources at its disposal than the Council could ever have. You could stop Marduk much easier than we ever could."

"Perhaps it is us who needs the Annanuki assistance," said Marx, "considering that our plan so far has yielded poor results."

"The Annanuki are impressed with the council's ability to raise the vibration of this planet, helping the humans shift into the new phase of their evolution. Unfortunately, right now the Annanuki are ill-effected by being so close to the galactic equator. The energy pulse of the singularity makes it difficult to rely on the dimensional mechanics of our ships. We are also noticing that the cosmic and gamma rays from Cygnus X-3 are interfering with our communication and vibration patterns. This is particularly troubling, as we have also observed in the timeline sequences that prolonged exposure to these rays has serious ill effects on our health."

"So how do you propose to aid us in our efforts to stop Marduk?" Gyuanyin leaned forward in her chair. "Most importantly what do you want in return?"

"We are aware that you have planted some special artifacts in Marduk's possession and that you intend to use them to kill him. But your plan is flawed. According to our timeline observations he won't use the artifacts in the way you intend. He needs encouragement. We propose to assist the council in encouraging Marduk to move forward with the plan as you have laid it out."

"Considering the limitations of your resources at the moment how do you intend to accomplish this," asked Francis.

"It does seem quite improbable that you would be able to exert any pressure on Marduk at the moment," Marx scratched the back of his head, "you do have some extraordinary handicaps."

"You need not be concerned with how we will accomplish this," replied Anu, "all we ask is that the council maintains and builds upon its friendly relations with the Annunaki once Marduk is dealt with."

"That seems reasonable." Francis nodded his head.

"I think we have no choice at the moment," added Marx.

"As long as the Annunaki do not repeat the past and begin interfering with the consciousness of this planet, I will agree." Gyuanyin sat back in her chair.

"I'm skeptical, but feel it is the last option open to the council, so I agree." Bes let out a long sigh.

"Excellent. I can assure you that the Annunaki will maintain the highest vibrational integrity dealing with this issue. We are excited at the prospects of renewing our relationship with the council," Anu clasped his long white fingers together and bowed deeply. "Now lets discuss what needs to be done."

### Chapter 42

"That's where we're heading." Raven pointed to a large dome like structure not far in the distance. "They're definitely waiting for us. I'm surprised they haven't come to meet us yet."

"I wonder if I'm going to remember any of this when I wake up." Maeve was surprised she was able to keep up with Raven so easily as they made their way towards the dome structure in the distance. "It's the most incredible dream I think I've ever had."

"Technically you are dreaming," said Raven. "It's called conscious dreaming. Some humans call in astral traveling. You get used to it after a while, once you've done it few hundred times you realize its second nature. Especially for our kind. Our vibrational signature is much different from your average human, which makes this kind of traveling a lot easier."

"George was mentioning that just before you snatched me from my apartment."

"Good, good. I've enjoyed my little game of cat and mouse with he and his grandfather," replied Raven. "if they only knew we were working on the same side, I wouldn't have had to sacrifice the old man for the cause."

"What are you talking about? You didn't harm Iyash did you?"

"No, not me," replied Raven. "He got messed up in some business he shouldn't have. I warned him to let me do my job but he wouldn't listen."

"Is he dead?"

"You could say that, but death is just a new journey."

"I'd say that this journey is coming to an end." Maeve pointed to two bright lights that were approaching them very fast.

"The welcoming party has arrived. It's about time, I was starting to worry." Raven opened his arms and extended his hands out. "Don't be alarmed. Just do as I do."

The two spheres stood hovering in front of them. Maeve noticed that the lights shifted colours as they pulsated, and at a certain angle each sphere seemed to have a face.

"Bran Corvus, welcome, we have been expecting you," spoke the first sphere. "We are eager to talk with you."

The ball of light enveloped Raven and he disappeared.

"Maeve Finn, welcome to Anwin. Don't be alarmed, we will not hurt you, " assured the second sphere. "Let the light take you."

Maeve felt the vibration of the light enter her body. She was momentarily blinded but quickly regained her sight. As the light faded, she noticed Raven was once again standing beside her and that they were now inside the dome that seconds before seemed to be far off in the distance.

The dome wasn't as large as she had expected, but it had exceptionally high ceilings. There was no furniture in the building, just collections of old artifacts stacked on shelves. On the floor of the room was a beautiful mandala of evenly spaced, overlapping circles, that formed a flower-like pattern with a six-fold symmetry like a hexagon. Each flower seemed to glow with a colored translucence, forming a three-dimensional image.

Standing in front of her was a man and a woman, dressed in long flowing green robes. Their eyes sparkled with the same quality of light that glowed from the three-dimensional mandala on the floor.

"This looks like some kind of museum." Maeve tried to regain her balance. She was starting to feel a little woozy from all the dimensional shifts. "Is there some kind of theme to this exhibit?"

"Over the years we've made an effort to collect special objects from the many places and time dimensions we have visited," said the man. "We've also received many gifts from various intergalactic delegation visiting Anwin."

"You must have some Corvus in you Arwan," joked Raven. "Your particular fondness for shiny and rare objects is a quality I value in myself."

"I can assure you that I have no Corvus in me," replied the man. "I do recall the experiments we conducted to create you and your clan, however. Such an intriguing animal you are. We had varied success in the laboratory with the earth-felis. Many failed experiments we killed out of kindness. What we learned from those experiments we integrated into the genetic manipulations of the Corvus genus. Unfortunately we learned later that the bird and cat species did not co-exist very well, especially after our manipulations. "

"So why have you come to see us without a summons Bran," interrupted the woman. "Arwan and I are surprised to see you here with Maeve Finn."

"It's about Marduk and the shift that is occurring right now with the humans," replied Raven. "We've reached a critical situation and I thought that it was time to see if the Lyrian's were willing to take some responsibility for the mess they left on earth."

"We are well aware of the situation on Earth and its proximity to the galactic equator. There has been much dissonance within the human consciousness lately. Our probes have also been monitoring the radiation situation. We've been able to establish an electromagnetic pulse to reinforce the magnetosphere around the planet. While this is helping to reduce the effects of the gamma ray bursts from Cygnus X3, it does not reduce the strength of the singularity on the human consciousness. We have also noted a very strong Annunaki presence on the dark side of the moon. It seems as though they too have been working to reduce the harmful effects of the gamma radiation on the planet."

"As long as humans continue to live in a state of fear, anger and greed, their world will become increasingly darker and darker," added Essa. "The strong dissonance in their consciousness right now suggests that they have decided to reject the Lyrian teachings and education we worked hard to impart and share over the past thousands of years."

"Over the last twenty years we've even tried to communicate by leaving large, complex messages in fields."

"Crop circles!" said Maeve. "I always wondered about those. But I thought that they were debunked by the people who made them."

"Quite right Maeve, but even the circles created by humans have a charge to them," replied Essa. "If you talk to those involved in their creation, they will confess to having heightened states of awareness and transformative experiences that have shifted their consciousness significantly."

"Which was our original intent behind their creation," continued Arwan. "It doesn't really matter who creates them. Although with our earlier attempts, we encoded messages in the circles. These messages, however, proved to be too complex for general human understanding."

"But why not just communicate directly with us," asked Maeve.

"Unfortunately, the Annunaki have been manipulating the human consciousness for a very long time and it has become very difficult for the Lyrians to maintain any direct contact with humans. Over the last fifty years, in particular, human governments have developed very crude weaponry using Annunaki technology. These weapons have been placed in a low orbit to limit our entry to earth. We have resorted to other means of contact, including crop circles, high vibrational channels and dimensional portals, like Anwin. But these have a limited effect and as you have experienced, dimensional portals are not for everybody."

"But this is not what you are here to discuss." Arwan looked at Raven. "Speak your intention Bran Crovus."

"As you are well aware, the Council of light has been working very hard to stop Seth Marduk from plunging Earth consciousness further into darkness. Somehow he has tapped into and learned how to amplify human consciousness to manipulate the effects of the singularity. I suspect that for some time, with help from the Annunaki, he has been accessing the timeline sequences to develop these exceptional powers."

"We have been aware of Marduk for some time. Unfortunately, all of our attempts to contact him have failed. Like the two of you, he is one of the old line but of Annunaki breeding."

"You understand that there is little we can do, other that what we have been doing," said Essa. " Honestly, we are surprised you are here Bran Corvus. The Council is well aware of the restrictions we have been working under. In fact, our latest reports have indicated that the Council has now agreed to work with the Annunaki. You can imagine that this news is somewhat troubling for us."

"I'm unaware of any recent decisions by the Council, and can't imagine that they would ever agree to work with the Annunaki without consulting with the Lyrian delegation first." Raven crossed his arms. "You must have received the wrong information."

"I can assure you that the Annunaki are working on a plan that involves the council. We're not entirely clear on the direction of the plan. However, the various timeline sequences we have explored do not bode well for Earth and its inhabitants. The irony of the situation is that in all the sequences we have explored, it is humans who are responsible for annihilating themselves. "

"Sounds like a repeat of Lyrian history, doesn't it," pressed Raven. "You must have forgotten to breed out the aggressive stupid genes when you were experimenting with those early primates."

"Why can't you just intervene," asked Maeve. "With all your high technology you must be able to do something worthwhile?"

"We've examined those options," replied Essa. "Any intervention by the Lyrians only accelerates the process."

"In the scenario that keeps appearing, the crude human weaponry in space malfunctions," continued Arwan. "Instead of firing upon our ships, the weapons destroy orbiting human military satellites. The fallout from the satellites' small nuclear reactors poisons the atmosphere with a fine plutonium dust, which in turn kills thousands of people and pollutes important fresh water sources on the planet. The human government's then react to our presence by mounting a military offensive, which escalates into a full blow war and ends with the deployment of various atomic weapons."

"The Annunaki have made it very difficult for us to intervene in any material way," said Essa. "So we continue to explore many other options."

"That's why I have brought Maeve here," said Raven , "I believe she may hold the key to shifting the timeline sequences."

"What was that?" Maeve noticed a buzzing in her ears, which stopped as abruptly as it started.

"Our invited guest has finally arrived." Arwan looked at Raven then at Essa.

"Who are you expecting," asked Raven.

"You'll soon find out."

### Chapter 43

"This is all starting to get really confusing." Susan sat back in her chair. "First objects disappearing and now people appearing out of nowhere and then disappearing."

"I'm feeling just as confused as you right now." George stood up and started to pace back and forth. "First my grandfather disappears and now Maeve is gone. Both times it was Raven who caused it and we're no closer to finding any of the objects. Maybe my grandfather was right and this is a hopeless cause after all."

"Come on guys, snap out of this," exclaimed Paul. "We need to be clear-headed and stay optimistic. There are always solutions if you look at all the potential options."

"So what do you purpose Mr. optimist," asked Susan.

"Paul is right Susan." George stopped pacing and sat back down next to Paul. "There's always a reason for why things happen, we just need to figure it out. Unfortunately, we're running out of time and resources. First of all we have to figure out why Raven came for Maeve."

"The first time Iyash was able to foil Raven's attack," continued Paul, "but somehow he was able to come back, probably with the help of that man, Derg, who came with him."

"That's what I can't figure out. Why would Derg help Raven take Maeve?"

"He mentioned something about a blood debt," said Susan. "Which sounds kind of sinister."

"Who is this Derg anyways," asked Paul. "Maybe we could track him down and ask him ourselves?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect that Derg is the leader of the royal guard, here to protect Maeve."

"The one your grandfather asked directions from."

"Most likely."

"But if he was here to protect Maeve, why would he let Raven take her away," asked Susan.

"Maybe Raven is here to protect her. Maybe he took her away to a safe house or something," added Paul.

"I thought if we found Raven, we would find the objects." Susan looked skeptically at George. "I'm not convinced that we're getting any closer to the objects we're after. In fact, I'm starting to suspect that maybe this is all some kind of game you are playing to link me to the disappearance of those objects from the museum. Ever since those objects started to go missing, the police have been after me as a primary suspect."

"I thought they caught the guy," said Paul, "and that you were off the hook."

"Yea, so did I until the morning when George and his grandfather showed up." Susan continued, "I had a call from a Detective Coon, who said he wanted to talk to me about the missing objects. That same morning Raven showed up just hours before George and his grandfather came in to the museum. "

"So you think that George and Iyash were there to distract us from Raven stealing the objects?"

"Interesting theory, but you can't be serious," remarked George. "Why would we even think about trying to help Raven?"

"Susan has some good points George," said Paul, "but maybe we can chalk it up to synchronicity."

"And now we're here in Maeve's apartment. No Maeve, no objects. We could now be accessories to kidnapping. Worse. What if Raven decides to kill her? We could be in some real serious trouble Paul."

"I understand your concerns Susan. But I can assure you that I'm not trying to deceive you in any way," reassured George. "I'm just as confused as you. I'm also concerned that my grandfather hasn't contacted us at all. He could be in some serious trouble. I like to think that Paul is correct and that for some reason Raven has taken Maeve away to keep her safe. Considering Derg's involvement in this, it seems like the most plausible explanation."

"So why don't we go and find Derg?" Susan was starting to sound exhausted. "Maybe he'll know where to find the objects."

"It's a good point Susan," murmured George, "but unfortunately I don't have my grandfathers uncanny knack for locating and talking to spirits."

"I thought you said he was one the royal guard," said Paul, "and you did take us to the council."

"Technically the royal guard are spirits Paul, but more like inter-dimensional beings," answered George, "like the members of the Council."

"So you should be able to take us to find Derg, just like you took us to the council," pressed Paul.

"Maeve's vibration helped a lot," replied George, "and right now, it would be very difficult to travel inter-dimensionally without the extra push."

"Is there anything I can do to raise the vibration," asked Paul. "I think this is our only chance."

"It isn't you I'm concerned about, but Susan," answered George. "She's at a real low point right now, which is anchoring us to this time-space reality."

"I'm just really tired. I haven't had a descent meal in the last few days and I'm really stressed out about this whole scenario and the prospects of losing my job," replied Susan defensively. "I've worked really hard to get to this point in my career and I don't want to be tossed out in the streets as a thief and an accessory to murder. All this talk about inter-dimensional beam-me-up space traveling is hocus pocus anyways. You don't really believe in this stuff do you Paul?"

"I believe in the power to suspend disbelief and open myself up to new opportunities and ways of thinking," said Paul, "and besides what other option do we have at this point?"

Before Susan could reply, there was a loud knock on the door. George, startled out his own thoughts, got up to answer the door.

"Maybe we shouldn't answer it," whispered Paul. "How are we going to explain where Maeve is to whoever is on the other side of that door?"

George stopped in the hall leading towards the door of Maeve's apartment and returned to his seat.

"Good point Paul. We're better off keeping a low profile."

"Just like criminals," said Susan. "What if it's Iyash? Are you going to just leave him out there in the cold?"

There was a second, louder knock, followed by a deep voice.

"Ms. Finn, this is Detective Bradley Coon, I need to talk to you."

Susan bolted up out of her chair. Her eyes wide with terror.

"Oh my god. They're on to us," she hissed. "We've got to turn ourselves in and explain everything."

"Are you nuts, sit down Susan." Paul motioned with both of his hands. "How are you going to explain to the cops that we're chasing a shape shifting Raven who travels through space-time?

"Susan, please, we need to stay level-headed. We don't have the time or the energy right now to involve the authorities." There was a noticeable edge to George's voice. "You have to trust me that this will all work out in the end as it should."

"I'm done trusting you and I'm tired of this game of cat and mouse." Susan made her way over to the door. "I'm going to let him in and you're going to explain everything."

Susan unlocked the bolt on the door, opening it slowly. Standing on the other side was a man, with a heavy parka pulled up around his neck, a police badge noticeably visible in his hand.

"Ah, sorry to have to bother you so early in the morning Ms. Finn, but I received an anonymous tip that you may have had contact with a suspect in a case I'm working on and I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"My name is Susan Hasser, Detective, please, come in."

"Strange. Do you live here?" asked Coon. "I mean, we were supposed to meet yesterday at the Museum and you never showed up. This is great. It'll save me a lot of time."

"I think we have some things to discuss. Ill answer all you questions." Susan led the detective into Maeve's apartment. "But first I want to introduce you to my two colleagues."

"Sorry Ms. Hasser, but I don't see anybody here," replied Coon.

"What do you mean, Paul and George are right there."

As Susan came in the room, she couldn't believe that Paul and George were no longer sitting in Maeve's living room.

"I don't know what to tell you Detective."

"How about starting at the beginning."

### Chapter 44

I sure will have a story to tell after this journey.

Iyash watched as the bright star in the distance transformed into a large sphere of light and moved closer and closer, until it was hovering in front of him. It pulsated with a noticeable vibration.

I guess I should follow the fox's instructions and step into it. Maybe I'll be able to finally cross over.

Iyash moved forward into the sphere. He felt the vibrations enter his body and was momentarily blinded by the intensity of the light. When the light faded Iyash found himself in a completely different space. He was no longer in the stars but standing inside a large dome. When his eyes finally focused to the new light, he noticed he was no longer alone.

"This is a surprise. First you steal my property, then you kidnap and watch me die, and now you call me to this place. Can't you leave me in peace."

"I have nothing to do with this." Raven looked at Arwan and then at Essa. "I had no idea Marduk would be so brutal with you."

"I guess I'm really not dead then," sighed Iyash. "Or maybe I am and this is my chance to make amends. But what's she doing here?" Iyash glanced at Maeve, trying to figure out if it was really her, "I guess you finally got your way and managed to kidnap her as well. So what are you going to do to us now that we're your prisoners?"

"It was not Bran who called you here Iyash," said Arwan. "We wanted to offer you a second chance to continue the work you have been doing. The Lyrian delegation has been very impressed with your efforts to raise the vibration of your fellow primates and sustain the high frequency of your work. We understand it has been very difficult over the last five hundred years for many of the peoples of Earth. There has been a dark energy, a shadow of greed and fear. This low vibration has spread like a disease throughout earth-consciousness, and has caused great illness and suffering for many. Too many of the ceremonies, and ways of life that were a celebration of this high vibration have been forgotten, lost, or disregarded. People like you, however, have been working hard to continue these ceremonies, to recognize their importance in sustaining these high vibrational frequencies."

"You're the delegation that the fox was talking about," replied Iyash. "I appreciate what you are saying, and am grateful for the praise. I'm not sure I understand what you want me to do. Actually, I'm a bit confused about this whole situation and whether I'm dead, drifting or dreaming."

"The new consciousness emerging is in fact not new. It is an awakening from a deep slumber," continued Essa. "The human species has not been able to maintain the link between consciousness and technology. The Lyrian's were hopeful that the humans would be able to access their genetic memory and activate the third strand of their DNA. This is the evolutionary process we have been expecting for some time. Ongoing developments in human technology are contingent on spiritual development. There are things that can only be understood through the lens of high vibrational frequencies. Breakthroughs in human mathematics and physics, medical science, computer interfaces and engineering have always been connected to these shifts in vibration frequencies."

"What do you mean about the third strand of DNA?" Maeve felt the emerald of her grandmother's necklace warm against her neck. "I always thought our DNA was represented as a double helix. That's why medical science has the caduceus as their emblem – the two snakes represent the double helix. Indigenous people have known this for a long time too. We studied this in herb school after reading Jeremy Narby's book Cosmic Serpent."

"You are quite right Maeve," answered Arwin. " Humans have been aware of this for a very long time. The caduceus however is no longer used in this manner. After considerable discussion in the earth year 1912, the rod of Asclepius was adopted by a contingent of low vibration humans instead of the Caduceus to represent an emerging school of medical science. Of course, this is because they did not yet recognize the significance of the Caduceus as a representation of the double helix strand. We followed the work of Francis Harry Compton Crick, James D. Watson and Maurice Wilkins very closely. When in 1953 they first became aware of the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material, we believed that this group of humans was finally starting to advance in a significant direction. This science, however, has struggled with raising and maintain a higher vibrational frequency. Even though these scientists have produced important developments in their fields, their arrogance, greed and doubts limit the application and development of this knowledge."

"So what about the triple strand," pressed Maeve, "what's that all about?"

"Things always seem to come in threes," said Raven. "The Christians have their holy trinity, the Celts believed in the threefold nature of the goddess. The triple helix is a symbol of the unity of body, mind and spirit, or past, present and future."

"Three is an important building block. There are three primary colors in the light spectrum; and three is the first number in an important sequence in sacred geometry and music, which is in turn connected to atomic building blocks in the universe." Arwan continued, "Lithium deuteride, for example, is the explosive material used by human's in their crude hydrogen weapons. What they have not figured out is that it is possible to use this material in more progressive, peaceful ways, especially when in combination with other key elements within a Fibonacci sequence."

"The triple spiral you wear around your neck Maeve is a powerful symbol and represents this threefold nature," added Essa. "The triple helix in the human genetic code is the spirit strand which will allow your species to travel through inner and outer dimensions of time and space. It is the unity between mind and matter, past and future. Many years ago when the Lyrians lived on Earth in the beautiful city of Atlantis, some of our scientists did genetic experiments with earth creatures. They manipulated the spirit strand by fusing Lyrian DNA into the molecular matrix of different animals. The results were intriguing."

"Like creating shape shifting sidhe like me," said Raven, "and sensitive faerie like you Maeve."

"Exactly," replied Arwan, "the Lyran DNA stabilized the triple helix sequence, creating high vibrational beings who were neither human or Lyrian."

"Come on you don't expect me to believe that," stammered Maeve. "It all sounds like some far-out conspiracy theory inspired by too much LSD."

"Believe what you like Maeve," continued Essa. "We are not invested in what you call the truth."

"Maeve, our people developed our own maps of the sky and detailed records of contact with the various star people," said Iyash. "If you listen to our stories, they contain many important teachings about these relationships and our responsibilities to maintain a high vibration."

"The teaching rocks," added Raven , "are an amazing source of this information. When I first saw them with Sinclair back in the 1300s, I was amazed at the depth and breadth of knowledge contained in those rocks. Sinclair was also shocked. People think he came to North America to bury the Templar's riches. Really he came to North America to verify the secret of creation that had been passed down through the generations of Templars and gnostics, which he eventually encoded into the chapel he built. He was especially impressed by the importance of vibrational frequencies as a tool of creation, evolution, and technological advancement. Of course, that was a particularly dark point in human history on my continent, full of low vibrational power struggles, violence and fear. The high vibration on turtle island at the time was very refreshing. In fact, Sinclair threatened to lock me up in a cell on his ship to make sure I came back with him."

"You're full of surprises Raven," replied Iyash. "I misjudged you."

"I hate to interrupt your warm and fuzzy trip down memory lane," said Maeve, "but I still don't understand what we're all doing here."

Raven looked at Arwan and Essa, and then back at Maeve.

"We need you to kill Marduk."

"What," stammered Maeve, "did you just say."

"You're our last chance Maeve." Raven softened his voice. "Marduk believes that you and he are a match made in heaven. He's been alive for over a thousand years, thanks to the Annunaki powder, and wants a queen to keep him company for the next thousand years. You can get close to him. Closer than anybody on the Council of Light. He needs to be stopped."

"But why me?"

"Because you're special Maeve," answered Essa, "you carry the triple helix. You come from a long line of powerful women and are the last of your kind. This is why Marduk wants you. He believes he can manipulate you and harness your power for his own dark ways."

"It's dangerous, but we believe that you can do it," continued Raven, "it is our last chance."

"Ok, I'll play," said Maeve. "What's your plan?"

"I'll take you to Marduk and you have to play along with his plan," replied Raven. "He keeps a black dagger in his desk that's made out of a special alloy. His blood chemistry has changed by prolonged use of the Annunaki's black powder and the alloy of the dagger will react to his blood, effectively poisoning him."

"If Iyash agrees, we would also like you to bring his physical body back to the material earth dimension." Arwan glanced at Iyash, waiting for him to approve. "We believe he has much to offer in continuing his efforts to reawaken humanity's potential."

"But you can't just bring me back to life," protested Iyash.

"We are only facilitators in this process," replied Arwan. "Raven will have the responsibility to bring you back to your physical body."

"But I can't do that anymore," stammered Raven, "you both know that."

Essa walked over to one of the large shelves where various objects rested. She returned with a small ceramic cup and handed it to Raven.

"We would like to return this to you."

Raven took the cup into his hand. "But I thought this was destroyed."

"It was a gift to us by one of your kings," replied Essa. "I do believe you are the rightful owner."

"Now we must bid you return to continue your work," added Arwan. "The Lyrian are eager for the vibrational shift to begin so we can reestablish contact with earth and its inhabitants. We are pleased at these new developments. May the higher frequencies of love and light continue to guide you on your journey. Now, Maeve and Bran step into the light. Iyash, you must wait for Raven to call you back."

Taking Maeve's hand, Raven led her into the bright light that suddenly appeared in front of them.

### Chapter 45

"Quick George," Paul jumped up from the couch and put his hand on George's shoulder. "We've got to find Derg. Susan is going to turn us in. I'm in no mood right now to deal with the cops."

"I don't think it's possible to shift right now Paul," George sighed. "If my grandfather was here, we could do it. I don't have enough energy to take us both."

"But you said it was Susan anchoring us. I think we can do it. We've at least got to try."

"Ok. Don't be disappointed though if we're still here when Susan comes back with the cop." George closed his eyes and started to sing softly. "Close your eyes and visualize Derg."

Paul closed his eyes and tried to imagine the man in the cloak with the green spear. He couldn't remember whether Derg's hair was blond or red, so Paul focused on the silver brooch on Derg's cloak, embossed by the triple spiral as Maeve's necklace.

As George continued to sing, Paul began to feel a slight vibration in his hands. There was also a high pitch ringing in his ears. After a few seconds the vibration and ringing stopped.

Paul opened his eyes and took his hand off George's shoulder. Standing in front of him was the man he had just been visualizing. Paul blinked a few times just to make sure that he was seeing correctly.

"This is a bit of a surprise," said Derg. "What do I own the pleasure of this unexpected visit?"

"I'm not sure how much Raven has told you, or what he told you, but we need to know where he's taken Maeve."

"I already told you he took her to Anwin." Derg looked sternly at George. "He and I made a deal, a blood debt. So I am sworn to protect that debt, which means keeping you out of this business."

"You don't understand Derg," pressed Paul. "This is about the fate of this world. It's much more important than some kind of personal deal you may have made with Raven."

"Young man, I don't think you quite understand who and what you are getting your self involved with." Derg smiled at Paul. "Why don't you and your guide return to where you belong and leave these matters for the ones who are best equipped to deal with them."

"We're not leaving until you tell us where Raven has stashed my grandfather's objects," said George. "There's a lot riding on us locating them."

"I don't know anything about such items," replied Derg. "I can assure you that Raven never mentioned anything to me about these objects you speak of. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have some other business to take care and I would appreciate it if you didn't call me back again. It is a bit of an inconvenience."

George placed his hand on Derg's chest.

"I will not let you leave."

"Ah a feisty warrior!" Derg laughed. "I've heard about your type. There are many stories of Sidhe coming up against your spirit warriors when we first crossed over to these lands. I thought we had worked out all of those differences years ago."

"If you call the genocide your people committed against mine working it out," replied George. "We welcomed you here with open arms and big hearts and you turned around and took advantage of our kindness. Your silence spoke volumes while your people stole our children, raped our lands and treated us like animals."

"The Sidhe never sanctioned the mistreatment of your people." Derg removed George's hand and took a step back. "We too have been forced into the shadows to protect ourselves from the darkness that has been slowly creeping around the world. We have been targeted in ways we never would have suspected. It's been necessary to cling desperately to those who believe, who radiate the light and vibration we require to exist."

"Maybe if you tell us about this debt between you and Raven it'll give us some clues, some reassurance that all is not lost," suggested Paul, "and that your intentions are still honorable."

Derg stared first at George and then at Paul.

"Raven and I go far back," he finally said. "Bran Corvus was at one time a very distinguished leader of the Corvus Clan. His sister, Brânwen, was perhaps the most beautiful woman in the world. She radiated a light so pure, so soft, that it melted the hearts of many a young man. Unfortunately, when Bran agreed to marry Brânwen to a very wicked and cruel man, he sealed his fate. Brânwen's husband, King Matholwich, abused her and treated her like a servant. He even took their young son, Gwern away from her to be raised by a maid .

When Bran learned that his sister was being treated so poorly, he and his brothers took her back to Harlech, against the wishes of Matholwich. Raven thought that they would all be safe in his stronghold at Harlech. Matholwich, however, hatched a plan, fueled by his own rage at the injury of his son Gwern, who had been severely burned in the rescue attempt.

In the resulting war, Matholwich maintained the advantage because he had the special magic chalice that Bran had given to him as a wedding present. One sip from the chalice and he was able to raise the dead. So when Matholwich's soldiers died, the priest was able to bring them back and they were able to fight as well as ever.

You can imagine this wore down Bran's army. So his brother, Efnisien, tricked their enemies. He lay down amongst their dead and when the priest came by with the chalice to raise him, he killed the priest and smashed the chalice. Without the chalice, Matholwhich's army had no chance against Bran. At the end of the battle, only seven men survived, including Bran, who was dying from a mortal wound to his foot from a poison arrow."

"That's amazing. So were you also in the battle," asked Paul.

"No. Matholwhich tried to buy us into his army but we refused," replied Derg.

"So why are you telling us about this," said George. "I don't see how it has any relevance to finding my grandfather's objects."

"Finnvarr, the king of the Sidhe, had a thing about women. He heard that Raven's sister, Brânwen, was the most beautiful women in the world so he sent me and a few of my men to make a proposition. We offered to save Raven's life in exchange for his sister."

"But he just went into a war to save his sister," said Paul, "I can't believe that he would be so ready to see her go again."

"He valued his life," Derg continued, "so we made a deal. A blood debt. Raven accepted Finnvarr's proposition and we healed the poison from his body. Raven also agreed to disappear and to never visit his sister, or the kin of his sister ever again."

"So you exiled him. No wonder he has such a chip on his shoulder," said Paul.

"He became a kind of free agent, if you like."

"So where does Maeve fit into all this," asked George.

"She's Brânwen's great-granddaughter," replied Derg , "while all the stories tell that Brânwen died of grief after learning of her brother's death, she was actually enjoying her life in Finnvarr's court. A result of all this merriment was the conception of Maeve's grandmother, Una, who in turn gave birth to Maeve's mother, Fayla, many years later."

"But then Maeve must be hundreds of years old. You don't expect us to believe that."

"Believe what you want."

"So how did Maeve end up living in Wakefield," pressed George. "Shouldn't she be living in the faerie court."

"Fayla wanted Maeve to experience something new so she chose a life outside of the court," replied Derg, "which proved to be very difficult. Sidhe are much more vulnerable in this time-space dimension."

"Which is why you've been assigned to protect Maeve," said Paul. "But she doesn't know any of this."

"No, she doesn't," sighed Derg. "Fayla was killed in a freak accident and ever since that day Maeve has blocked out all recollection of who she really is. She was very young at the time and in the car when it crashed."

"So what did you and Raven agree to this time."

"He informed me that he was working for the Council of light."

"That's impossible," George interrupted Derg before he could finish. "My grandfather and I have been working for the Council tracking Raven through time and space for a long time now. He's been working for Seth Marduk, stealing objects from museums around the world."

"He assured me that he was working for the Council, and I believe him. He has staked his life on protecting Maeve. If he is lying to me, we'll track him down and kill him. It's all quite simple."

"So the Council must have some plan with Maeve," Paul caught himself thinking out loud.

"That's what Bran told me," replied Derg. "She's their last hope at stopping Marduk from plunging this world into complete darkness." Derg paused and looked up over his shoulder. "They're back."

"Huh?"

Both George and Paul looked at Derg, puzzled at what he was telling them.

"Bran warned me that I would lose Maeve's vibration for a while but that it would be back. And he was right. I just picked up her frequency again."

"So let's go get them," said Paul. "Now that we know the whole story, Raven can tell us where the objects are. There's still time."

"I think it's more complicated than that," said Derg, "and I don't want to endanger your lives needlessly."

"It's not only our lives you're endangering," replied George. "It's the lives of the millions of people on this planet, and the planet itself. That's a heavy weight to carry around in your consciousness, even for hard-hearted Sidhe like you."

Derg turned around and started to walk away from George and Paul. The air around him started to blur.

"You better hurry up, we're running out of time."

Paul and George ran up beside Derg, just in time to follow him through the door that appeared as quickly as it faded.

### Chapter 46

Where the hell are those Ducaz ships, they were scheduled to land two hours ago.

Marduk was starting to feel impatient. He had spent a considerable amount of time arranging to have the next shipment of black powder ready for Anu's workers to pick up. They weren't suppose to pick up the shipment until next week, but Anu had sent an urgent message asking Marduk to rush the order.

He's testing me. I know it. Luckily I had a good quantity of overstock or else things may have become ugly. I'm tired of this. After all this time and Anu still doesn't trust me. All the more reason to speed my plan along. That shape shifter better return with the girl or heads are going to fly. Why am I'm surrounded by all this incompetence?

Marduk noticed his fingers were started to hurt from drumming them too hard on his desk. The urge to snort of few lines of black powder were strong.

I've got to resist. Otherwise I'll never wean myself off of the powder.

He also knew that if he snorted the powder he'd be no closer to where he actually wanted to be, only more frustrated at all the possible variables in the time line.

Maybe I should deploy the stealth nuclear device. That would speed things up.

Marduk dialed his assistant.

"Shelly get General Coster on the line. Tell him it's urgent."

"Right away sir," Shelly's voice replied over the speaker phone. "I'll transfer him directly to your secure line."

I need to make sure that my back-up plan is in order. I don't trust the Annunaki, they're selfish and sneaky. If I ensure that their supply of powder is first cut off and then re-established through me, on my own terms, then they will finally understand that I can no longer be manipulated and controlled. That I am the supreme commander, ruler of this petty solar system.

The phone rang.

_Finally_ , Marduk thought as he transferred the call to his secure line, _now I can finally start to get this moving._

"General I need an update on the stealth nuclear device. Are we ready to deploy?"

"Sir, the device has been successfully tested. Our prototype maintained complete stealth frequencies. The RF pulses transmitted with almost no loss of power. We were particularly impressed by the gyrotron specs you provided. This baby can produce one hell of a massive pulse."

"Excellent. Attach the device to our arsenal of inter continental ballistic missiles," ordered Marduk. "Spare no expense."

"Before we retrofit the ICBMs we need to ensure that the peak power and duration of the radiation of the weapon is maximized," replied the General.

"What do you mean? You just told me we were ready to deploy," pressed Marduk.

"Our engineers are testing the efficiency of internal power transfers in the device. For the most part the tapered plasma helix antennas are functioning at peak performance. There were some small issues with the vircator interface, however, that need to be addressed. We have full confidence that the device will be ready to deploy in a matter of weeks Sir."

"Make it sooner General. I need to have this device fully functioning as soon as possible."

"Sir, there are some men here to pick up a delivery," Shelly's voice cut in on the secure line.

"Send them in right away Shelly." Marduk transferred the line back to the General. "I'm giving you one day General. No more. Don't disappoint me. "

He hung up the phone just as three Ducaz in black suits entered the office. They looked just like humans.

"Gentlemen, I've been waiting for you. What took you so long?"

"Some complications coming into the earth plane," said one of the Ducaz. "Our ships are having problems with the gamma ray bursts from Cygnus X3. It makes us more vulnerable to the crude energy weapons protecting this planet."

"I've made it abundantly clear to the government that your ships have full access to the planet," assured Marduk. "I can't imagine they would be stupid enough to fire an energy pulse."

"We were not fired on," replied the second Ducaz in black, "but our presence was questioned by the Chinese and American observers."

"What did you tell them?"

"That we were on official business."

"I'll make the required calls to assure that you are not questioned again."

"That would be appreciated. We will of course be reporting the incident to Anu," added the first Ducaz. "It is essential that the integrity of our operation is maintained."

"I fully understand. Now let's get down to business."

Marduk got up from his desk and walked over to a widescreen monitor on the other side of his office. He switched the monitor on which showed a large room being patrolled by armed men.

"I have my best men guarding the shipment. The eighteen pallets are totally secure and ready to be loaded onto your ship."

"Only eighteen pallets," asked the third Ducaz. "We were informed that there was going to be thirty."

"Who told you that? " snapped Marduk. "Anu specifically requested eighteen. Don't fuck with me right now. I'm in no mood for this shit. Besides, you're lucky that I'm sending anything, considering the last-minute notice I received. Make sure you add that to your report back to Anu."

"We will make sure Anu is informed of your displeasure," replied the second Ducaz. "Now we will load the materials into our ships."

"You know the drill gentleman. We've been doing this for a very long time."

Marduk watched on the monitor as the three Ducaz, who disappeared from his office in a flash of light, reappeared in the room with the guards, who were now used to this operation. Each of the three Ducaz attached a small device to the pallets. After the last of the devices were secure, the pallets started to vanish one by one. Once all of the pallets were gone, the three Ducaz disappeared in a flash of light.

Now that's done. I wonder where Raven is. I need to have that girl before I can do anything else. I also need to figure out what to do with this body.

Marduk gave Iyash's stiff, dead body a small kick. He hadn't moved the body since the old man had collapsed on his floor. The pools of blood had dried into a thick mass underneath the corpse.

It's starting to stink. I should have asked the Ducaz to dispose of it. They're used to cleaning up this kind of mess. I guess I'll get Shelly to look after it. I'm sure she can find the right kind of cleaner. Money can buy you anything, including silence and obedience.

Marduk could hear Shelly's voice outside his office.

Odd she's usually as quiet as a mouse. I wonder what's going on.

The door to Marduk's office flew open.

"Here she is." Raven pushed Maeve in front of him. "I hope you're happy. I've had to work extra hard to bring you this pretty little thing."

"I'm more the happy, I'm very happy." Marduk beamed with joy. "Good work Raven. I knew I could rely on you."

### Chapter 47

"It took me considerable effort and risk to get her." Raven closed the door to the office and sat down in Marduk's chair. "You can rely on me to always deliver the goods."

"Who the hell do you think you are, you sleaze bag." Maeve tried to lift her hands over her head. "Untie me."

"She's a feisty one." Raven put his feet up on Marduk's desk and leaned back in the soft leather chair. "You sure are going to have your hands full. I hope you know what you're doing."

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Marduk walked over to Maeve and began to untie her hands. "Don't try anything funny Maeve. I've waited a very long time for you. Running off is not an option. This building is the most secure space in the whole world. You will not get far."

"Go to hell." Maeve spat in Marduk's face. "I'm nobody's prize and I certainly don't appreciate being man-handled by a freak."

"You better not have hurt her in any way." Marduk wiped the spit off of his forehead and finished untying Maeve's hand. "Did he hurt you Maeve?"

"Well that depends if you consider being tied up, kidnapped and dragged to some unknown location emotional and physical abuse." Maeve rubbed her wrists where the rope had been tied. "Otherwise I'm fine."

"I understand he did what he had to secure you, and I apologize for any inconvenience or discomfort." Marduk took a step back. "You certainly are more beautiful in person than I suspected."

"You better watch out Maeve this guy is one horny bastard," said Raven. "He hasn't been with a woman for a couple thousand of years. Actually I think he may still be a virgin. Go figure that. The most powerful man in the world is still a virgin."

"Shut up Raven and get out of my office. I'm done with your services." Marduk pointed to the door. "Take this stinking corpse with you when you go. I'm sick of smelling him decomposing on my floor."

"What about my compensation?" Raven took his feet off of the desk and stood up. "I'm not leaving until you pay up."

"Talk to Shelly. She has an envelope with all the particulars of our deal laid out in full. The account numbers, plane tickets, deeds, everything is there. Including a little bonus for such excellent work."

"What do you want me to do with him?" Raven motioned to Iyash. "I can't just drop him in an alley somewhere."

"I don't care what you do with him. You brought him here now you can take him away," replied Marduk. "Tell Shelly to get me a cleaner. I need to do something about all this blood."

"Whatever you say boss." Raven grabbed Iyash's feet and dragged him towards the door. "Nice working with you. You know where to find me if you have any further business propositions. Nice to meet you Maeve. I hope you enjoy the next thousand years with the King here. Be gentle when you take his virginity away. He's more sensitive than he appears."

Raven blew Maeve a kiss and disappeared out the door.

"I've waited a long time for this moment," Marduk sighed. "Please sit Maeve. We have a lot to discuss."

Maeve sat in one of the large chairs beside the window overlooking Central Park.

"Maybe you can start by telling me what the hell is going on here. First I'm abducted by some crazy freak and now there's a dead body in your office. What kind of operation are you running? Are you going to make me turn tricks for clients? Strip in some club?"

"My dear, I would never ever consider that." Marduk put his hand on Maeve's knee. "But if that turns you on, I can arrange it so you have your own club, with a few girls at your command to do whatever it is you please."

"That could be interesting." Maeve didn't know how to respond. "It's not something I've ever really thought of before."

"First thing tomorrow we will go shopping and buy you some new clothes. Whatever you would like. I want you to be comfortable, to ease into your new life with me. There is nothing to be afraid of. I am not a monster, just a lonely man with a lot of money."

"I don't get it, why me? You could have any woman in the whole world."

"That's true, but there are no women like you Maeve, you're special."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately, but I still don't understand."

"You come from a special blood line, an ancient heritage. I want to tap into that, I want our children to be part of that."

"Our children, you've got to be kidding." Maeve brushed Marduk's hand off of her knee. "I'm never going to bear your child."

"Not right away, but eventually you will." Marduk took Maeve's hand. "We're going to have a very long life together my queen. I almost gave up on the possibility of ever meeting somebody to share this ageless existence with. Then one day I saw you in the timeline, your beautiful face, your tight body, waking up next to mine. The more I explored the possibility, the more I learned about who you were and it all started to make sense. We will build an empire together, share the spoils of this world, the power, the prestige."

"That sounds pretty interesting, but I think I need some time to consider all this." Maeve pulled her hand away. "It's kind of overwhelming."

"I understand. We have all the time in the world to discuss family planning, so there is no rush. But I do need your compliance in one small matter."

"I guess that depends on what it is."

"In order to secure our place in the new world order, there is a small ritual we must perform. We are at a critical point in time and space right now. Our planet is at the centre of the galaxy and the energies of creation are very powerful. Over the last hundred years I have been harnessing and amplifying the collective consciousness of human beings from around the globe. The fear, despair and insecurity of our species has manifested itself through disease, war, and the general breakdown of the social order. Now is the perfect time for me to come out as the supreme ruler of our solar system. People are hungry for a leader to direct them, to control them and I am that leader. I have been that leader for over a thousand years."

"But why now, why didn't you come out earlier and proclaim yourself?"

"We weren't ready. There was too much work to be done. I saw it all in the timeline. We are now at a point with our technological advancements that we no longer require assistance from the Annunaki. We can control our own destinies, our own resources."

"Who are the Annunaki?"

"Oh Maeve, there is so much you don't understand." Marduk sat back in his chair. "It will all be revealed to you in due time."

"If you say so." Maeve looked around the office, remembering what Arwan and Essa had told her about the black dagger. "Tell me more about this ritual."

"We will create the world in our own vision. The rest of humanity will worship us like the gods that we are." Marduk stood up and walked over to the table where he had the five objects laid out. "With these special objects, we will create the new world order as king and queen, god and goddess. People will obey our every word and tremble at the sight of us." He picked up the small bone cylinder filled with the sacred water from Shambala. "The water in this cylinder will grant us immortality. Nothing will be able to harm us."

"That sounds pretty amazing, but are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course I know what I'm doing," snapped Marduk. "I haven't lived all these years and made all these plans for nothing. I've seen it all in the timeline. The whole ritual."

"So once we complete the ritual what's going to happen," asked Maeve, "is this like the apocalypse or something?"

"Once we complete the ritual, the next step is to engage World War three." Marduk held the blood-red amulet in his hands, "To clean this world of all that is no longer needed. It will be quick and easy. My engineers have been working on a stealth nuclear device that will first disable the electronic web and then deliver a lethal surgical blast of radiation which will completely annihilate key human populations. By the time we are finished, there will be no resistance, just hungry, diseased and despondent people. They will be ready to receive us. It will be our Eden Maeve."

"But there will be nothing left for us to enjoy, no natural beauty, no forests. Everything will be contaminated."

"Like I said, It will not effect us. Once we perform this ritual, we will be untouchable, unstoppable." Marduk placed the amulet back on the table. "Lets not waste any more time. I've been waiting many years for this moment. You need to take your clothes off Maeve."

"What?"

"I think you heard me the first time," Marduk started to unbutton his shirt, "I'd be pleased to help you."

### Chapter 48

"The boss man said you had an envelope for me." Raven propped Iyash's feet up on one of the chairs in the reception room.

"Yes Mr. Corvus." Shelly pulled a large manila envelope out of the filing cabinet behind her and passed it to Raven. "Everything you need is in this envelope."

Raven ripped the envelope open and emptied the contents onto Shelly's desk.

"I hope you don't mind if I just check for myself.

Don' t take it personally. It's not you that I don't trust."

Lying on the desk was a large stack of money, a passport, and various sheets of paper. Raven carefully studied the papers and then returned everything back into the envelope.

"I trust all is in order," asked Shelly.

"Perfect."

Raven tucked the envelope under his arm and grabbed Iyash's feet off the chair. He pressed the button for the elevator. After a few seconds the green light chimed and the doors opened.

"Nice working with you." Raven dragged Iyash into the elevator with him. "Oh yea, your boss wanted you to find a cleaner to clean up this mess."

As the elevator doors slowly closed, Raven could see Shelly shaking her head as she started to thumb through the phone book.

Once the elevator started to descend Raven pressed the emergency stop button and took the chalice that Essa had given to him out of his coat pocket.

I hope this thing still works. It has been a long time since I used it. I can't believe Derg took it off the battlefield all those years ago. I was convinced that it was broken beyond repair.

Holding the cup up to Iyash's dry blue lips, he invoked the words long etched into his memory.

"Arise today, through the strength of all that is and all that is yet to be; light of sun, radiance of moon, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of wind, depth of sea, stability of earth and firmness of rock, I call you back, from the stars, the seeds of light, the shadows of death, cross the bridge and meet me here in all your glory, _blessed be_."

Raven tipped the cup and emptied the clear liquid which had appeared into Iyash's parted lips. The liquid sloshed down the sides of Iyash's face and his body remained stiff and cold.

Maybe this isn't going to work after all. I swear that I saw Efnissen shatter this cup into a million tiny fragments. I can't imagine that the faeries had magic strong enough to fix this cup and restore its ability to bring the dead back.

Raven took a closer look at the cup. There were no cracks, or signs that it had ever been shattered into tiny fragments. It looked exactly like he had remembered it many years ago.

But that's impossible, really. Obviously it doesn't work anyways. Look at this cold dead corpse.

Raven slapped Iyash's face.

"Wake up old man, it's time for you to come back."

Iyash coughed up the remaining liquid inside his mouth all over Raven's chest.

"Welcome back. I almost gave up on you."

"That was a rough trip." Iyash slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up but his body wasn't fully responding. "It was really hard for me to come back. I was starting to really enjoy the view from up there."

"Give yourself some time old man." Raven helped Iyash to sit up. "The body has to get used to the spirit being back."

"In a perfect world, that would be ok, but we don't have the time for me to enjoy a full, leisurely recovery back to this material existence." Iyash looked around the elevator. "Where are we anyways?"

"In an elevator, leaving Marduk's office." Raven put the chalice back inside his coat and picked up his envelope from the floor. "It's all over."

"What do you mean, did Maeve kill him?" Iyash could feel the circulation starting to return to his body. "Is Marduk dead?"

"Not yet but soon," Raven pressed a button on the panel in front in of him, resuming the elevator's descent. "We need to get out of here while we can."

"Get out, what are you talking about." Iyash stopped the elevator. "We need to help Maeve, she can't do this all by herself."

"Listen, I've done my part here, now it's time for me to move on." Raven started the elevator again, "I got Maeve here, I brought you back, now I'm going to go enjoy my new digs, put my feet up and take a much deserved retirement from all this."

"But what if she doesn't kill him. What if he overpowers her. You know as well as I do that Marduk is not to be trusted."

"It's a done deal old man, Maeve has the support of the Lyrians and the council. She's got her back watched. There's nothing we can do. We'll just get in the way. In fact, we'll probably screw everything up if we try to help."

"But how can you just walk away from all this. From Maeve," Iyash stood up, and almost fell down again, but Raven helped to steady him. "You've just met her, she's your niece. Your only family left. You have a duty to protect her."

"If she survives all this, then I'll think about having a family reunion." Raven sighed deeply. "I can't be attached to any outcome right now. I've been hurt too much in the past. I'm just happy that I can finally move on from all this."

"Move on?" Iyash's frustration was starting to show. "What are you moving on to? There isn't going to be anything to move on to if Marduk has his way."

"Listen, I apologize for dragging you into all this. For bringing you here. But I couldn't blow my cover. I was under strict orders from the Council to keep you guessing. The whole objects thing was a ruse. It was bait to get us closer to Marduk and we needed you to believe in it so Marduk would believe in it."

"Come on you don't expect me to believe that." The elevator stopped and the doors slowly opened. Iyash stumbled out after Raven. "You know as well as I do that those objects are real. They're powerful, sacred items."

"Yea, the objects are real, but this whole new creation, end of the world stuff is bullshit." Raven made his way down the corridor towards the entrance. "The Council cooked the whole thing up. They needed a way to get close to Marduk so they planted the ritual idea in the timeline and waited to see if Marduk would take the bait. And he did. So we hatched the plan."

"What about Maeve?"

"She was a wildcard. Nobody knew about her really, except for me."

"So you told Marduk about her then?"

"Not intentionally. He tapped into my consciousness and discovered her. I had to really cover my tracks. Originally the Council wanted me to kill Marduk. Build trust with him and then pop him off. It seemed easy at the time, but became increasingly difficult to get close to him. Almost like he knew what was going on, which was impossible, but the Council got squeamish. So, they took me out of the timeline and put Maeve in there instead. She was perfect. She didn't know anything and I played it up so she really didn't like me. The plan was working perfectly until you showed up. I'll definitely give you points for persistence."

"But why did you take Maeve to Anwin?" Iyash was starting to feel out of breath. "If you wanted to keep your cover so badly."

"I played it up too good. Maeve needed to find her own internal strength. We're all relying on her to kill Marduk aren't we?" Raven paused and looked over his shoulder. "So, against my better judgment, I made a deal with the faeries. I would help to bring her memory back if they agreed to let me take her to Anwin and decide for herself if she would help the Council."

"But won't Marduk catch on to this?"

"He's too far gone. We've got him exactly where we want him. Right now he's thinking with his balls and not with his mind."

They reached the entrance to the street.

"Take it easy old man. This is where we just have to sit back and let all the threads of the story come together. You can't control it. If we win great. If not, well then we'll all suffer for a while until we get back on our toes again."

Raven opened the door to the street. The sun was shining bright. People were milling about on the sidewalk.

"I still don't trust you." Iyash rushed onto the street after Raven. "I don't believe you!"

"He's telling the truth grandfather." George stood in front of Raven blocking his way. "Everything he's told you is correct."

"We need to go help Maeve, she can't do it by herself." Paul grabbed Iyash by the arm. "He's going to kill her."

"How did you find us?" Raven backed away from George. "I thought I covered our tracks."

"With a little help from our friends," Paul hummed. "We've got to get moving. Come on guys!"

"Like I said, I'm done with all this." Raven checked the traffic on the road, to make sure it was safe to cross. "She's on her own. You can't screw with the timelines. Let it unfold the way its supposed to."

"You neglected to mention to my grandfather something about a blood debt." George grabbed Raven by the arm before he could cross. "I would hate to have to report to Derg that we found you taking off with a whole envelope full of cash after you delivered Maeve."

"I guess I could spare a few more minutes." Raven looked at the envelope in his hand and then at George. "Follow me, I know exactly where there are."

### Chapter 49

"I can assure you that I didn't steal the objects from the museum Detective Coon." Susan felt relieved to finally get the chance to talk to the police. It was so cathartic to confess the truth. "I feel too strongly about protecting our cultural heritage. Growing up in Egypt, my father always complained about the grave robbers and how our national cultural heritage was being sold to the highest bidder at auction houses around the world."

"I'm not accusing you of stealing any objects yet." Coon had his pad of paper ready to take down notes. "I'm interested in learning more about this whole situation. You say a Raven stole the objects? Funny I thought I saw one in the tree outside this house. Maybe it was a premonition or something."

"Raven's really a man but he can turn into a bird. He came to the museum yesterday morning to examine the Sinclair manuscript, he said he was a visiting professor from Ireland." Susan noticed the business card lying on the coffee table in front of her and passed it to the detective, "Here's his business card."

"Dr. Bran Corvus, professor of religion, very clever." Coon slipped the card into his notebook, "Lemme get this right. You're accusing the professor here of stealing the objects from the museum. But he was there to look at a manuscript. Did you give him access to the collections?"

"Absolutely not. He was in a secure research area. I don't know how he managed to get into the collections room. It's off-limits to visiting researchers. I'm sure you're familiar with the new security protocols at the museum Detective?"

"Very familiar. That's why I still don't follow your story," Coon scratched his head, "A museum security guard reported having some kind of run in with a large black bird in the collections room yesterday morning, could've been a Raven. There were no reports, however, of any unauthorized personal in the collections room filed by museum security."

"He must have turned into a bird then and flew out at the security guard or just disappeared."

Turned into a bird and disappeared, the detective wrote in his notebook. The idea sounded so far-fetched but his gut told him there might be something more to the story.

"That's pretty hard to believe. Are you taking any medication or have any history with mental illness?"

"No. I am not. Listen, you have to believe me. If you check the records, I'm sure you'll find that the visiting professor never signed out."

"So you never signed him out?"

"No I got distracted. I had two unexpected visitors arrive. They weren't supposed to arrive until next week. Luckily Paul was there to help me out."

"Who's Paul?"

"Paul Saya, he's my assistant, well, unofficially. He's a graduate student at the university. He spends a lot of time at the museum doing research and helping me out on projects when he can."

"Is this Paul the one who was supposed to be here in the room with you?" Coon was scribbling notes into his book. "Who were the unexpected visitors."

"Two Native Elders arrived from up north to view some of their objects in the collection room. The same objects that are missing." Susan was starting to feel tired of all these questions. "Paul and I ended up here with the two elders trying to track the objects down."

"I thought you said there were only two other people with you?"

"That was before the other elder got kidnapped by Raven."

"So Ms. Finn has some involvement in the alleged theft of these objects?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Apparently Raven was trying to steal her as well but ended up with the old man instead. The Council of Light wanted us to protect her at all costs. Just before you arrived, though, she was snatched away."

"That's funny, I didn't see any vehicles driving away from this building."

"They travel dimensionally. We're not dealing with regular people here."

"Apparently," Coon muttered under his breath. "These are some pretty serious allegations you're making."

"I just want to ensure you have all the facts Detective," replied Susan. "I'm concerned that you may suspect me of stealing these items."

"First I have to confirm with museum officials that the objects are missing." Coon closed his notebook. "I had a tip that a suspect matching a profile put out by Interpol had been spotted in the area. That's really why I'm here. Apparently the suspect had been seen twice interacting with Ms. Finn."

"Well that's a relief." Susan slumped back into her chair. "Do you have a picture of the suspect?"

Coon dug into his pocket and produced the composite sketch.

"This is the suspect in a string of thefts from museums across the world. He's stolen millions of dollars worth of rare objects that could never be replaced."

"That's him, that's Raven." Susan recognized the picture right away. "He's the guy that stole the objects and took Maeve away. It's a perfect sketch of him."

"Are you sure? Take a good look." Coon handed the sketch to Susan. "Would you be wiling to come down to the station and make a formal statement?"

"Absolutely, it's him." Susan handed the sketch back to Coon. "I would be pleased to come down to the station and file a formal statement."

"Excellent, just let me call this in." Coon took out his cell phone but before he could make a call it started to ring.

### Chapter 50

"I think you might need some help, don't be shy," Marduk stood naked in his office, his clothes folded in a neat pile beside his desk. "I promise I'll restrain myself. At least until we get to the point of the ritual where we finally get to have sex."

"What do you mean?" Maeve unbuttoned her jeans and took off her shirt. "I don't plan on having sex with anybody today. I'm not that kind of girl. I like to get to know my boyfriends for a couple of months before I sleep with them."

"What about John Peters, and David Richards?" Marduk started lighting candles on the table where the artifacts were placed. "You slept with both of them only hours after meeting them."

"Well, they're the exception to the rule." Maeve had stripped down to her bra and underwear. "But definitely not exceptional."

"Well I can assure you that I am exceptional in all ways." Madurk pressed a button on the wall and the blinds closed and lights dimmed. "I like your style Maeve, letting me do the final honors of undressing you. I think I'll wait until it's time for us to seal the ritual with our own energy."

"Great, so what do you want me to do in the meantime?" Maeve looked around the room, trying to conceal her desire to bolt for the door. "Is there anything you need me to get? I notice you don't have a ritual dagger or anything there on your altar. I'm not well versed in this stuff, but don't these rituals usually involve a sharp knife or something to draw blood?"

"Good point, I never thought of that. It wasn't in the timeline but it could be handy, especially if you try to do anything silly."

Marduk opened one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out his black dagger, placing it on the altar next to Iyash's pipe.

"I keep this knife here just in case I need to kill somebody in the spur of the moment, like the pesky old Indian who was really starting to get on my nerves."

"I've never seen a knife like that before." Maeve was trying to stall, to buy herself some time to figure out how she was going to pull this off. She could hear Essa and Arwan in her head, reminding her to be brave. That the stakes were high but that nothing was impossible, "Where did you get it?"

"An old friend gave it to me many years ago, you could say it has sentimental value."

"Is it black metal? I've never heard of such a thing." Maeve picked the knife up off the altar. "It must be rare."

"My, my, so many questions." Marduk took the knife away from Maeve. "It is very rare, there's nothing like it on earth."

"So now you're going to tell me that aliens gave it to you."

"As a matter of fact they did." Marduk looked sharply at Maeve. "Perhaps you know more than you're letting on."

"I know all about those green men from Mars, who fly around in their disks abducting people and implanting devices inside of them. If you're lucky, they'll give you a nice, shiny black knife to slit your throat when you get too depressed to keep living. It sounds like an episode of the X-Files."

"It's time we started."

Marduk took the lid off of an ornate box sitting on his desk. Inside the box was another smaller box which contained a small quantity of black powder. He laid four small lines of the powder on the table.

"First we need to snort this."

"What is it? Looks like moldy cocaine,"

"It's a special medicine that will help you relax and move into the proper mind space for the ritual." Marduk snorted two of the lines. "Now it's your turn."

"I don't know, I've never really been into drugs." Maeve crossed her arms. "I've smoked my share of dope but never anything stronger than that. I never even dropped acid when all my friends were getting into it."

"This is not optional." Marduk grabbed Maeve's head and pushed her face down onto the desk. "Snort those lines."

"Ok, relax." Maeve snorted the first line of black powder. "What is this stuff anyways?"

"It's refined crude oil." Marduk took his hand off Maeve's head, he was starting to feel the effects of the powder. "Now take the second line."

"Refined crude oil? Well I guess it's better than drain cleaner." Maeve snorted the second line. She felt instantly woozy, like she was going to throw up all of Marduk's polished leather desk., "Shit, I'm not feeling very well. Did you just poison me?"

"No, that's a normal reaction for the first time you take the powder. You may feel like your gut is on fire. It either kills you or reveals the most beautiful things."

"No kidding." Maeve dropped to floor, and curled up in the fetal position to elevate the intense pain in her stomach. She closed her eyes and felt the darkness envelop her.

### Chapter 51

"Excellent, now we can begin."

Marduk went over to the altar where the objects were now glowing with a translucent light.

"First we must call in the elementals from the various dimensions."

He placed a mixture of herbs into Iyash's pipe and lit it. Maeve could smell the sweet aromatic smoke fill the room and carry her. As long as she focused on the sweet smell of the smoke the fire inside her stomach seemed to ease, but every time she tried to open her eyes to see what Marduk was up to, the fire returned with a new intensity.

"Don't fear it Maeve," a voice inside of her said, "let it carry you."

But I've got to kill him before destroys the whole world. I don't think I could keep living if he had his way with me. I'd fight him until he killed me.

"We won't let him hurt you Maeve," the voice reassured her. "We need to show you something first. Follow the light."

What light ? All I see is darkness. All I feel is this fire inside, ready to consume me.

"Look closer, stop fighting it," the voice was calm and soft. "It's there."

No it's not. There's nothing but blackness.

Maeve could hear Marduk chanting in the background. As soon as she stopped focusing on his voice, a small pinprick of light appear in front of her in the darkness. The light started to grow in slow motion, like a time lapsed photograph, until Maeve could feel herself being drawn into it. After a few seconds, she was immersed in the light. She could feel the warmth of it inside her and all around her, like it was supporting her on all sides.

"You need to make a choice. Continue to live your life the way you have, small and meek, full of fear and insecurity." The voice now sounded closer. "Or accept our offer to be the most powerful woman in the world, the leader of this very unique planet."

What are you talking about? I'm in no position to make any choices right now. I'm dying on the floor in the office tower of the most powerful and dangerous narcissist in human history. Maeve felt the light fading. And you're offering me a job I'm in no position to accept. But thanks for the offer.

"All you need to do is take that black knife and plunge in deep into Marduk's chest," the voice was very loud now, "he needs to be killed."

I know. That's exactly why I'm here. The Lyrians never mentioned that I was going to be drugged and raped though.

"Unlike the Lyrians, we will help you, give you the strength you need to accomplish the deed."

What do you mean? How is that possible?

"Take my hand Maeve." A hand with three long fingers appeared in the darkness. "I want to show you something."

As soon as Maeve took the hand, she found herself in space looking down on the planet.

"If you do not kill Marduk this is what's going to happen."

Maeve watched as various small crafts buzzed in and out of high earth orbit, followed by fast pulses of light.

It looks like those ships are dodging those bursts of light.

"Exactly. Those are crude space based lasers. Your governments think they have protected themselves from the intergalactic alliance of alien intelligence that have been visiting your planet for centuries. What they don't realize is that there is a more dangerous enemy that walks amongst them."

The scene changed and Maeve saw giant mushroom clouds erupting first in the upper atmosphere over the eastern hemisphere of the planet and then all over the world, like a chain reaction.

"The high altitude bursts do not affect the surface of the earth with any form of destructive heat, over-pressure or radiation. They create a phenomenon called an Electro Magnetic Pulse, which in this instance is radiating out across Russian and China, collecting on power transmission lines and communication antennas. For a fraction of a second, the pulse will spike the power grid and receiving antennas with a huge surge of energy. This surge is so quick and great that it jumps across conventional surge protectors, lightning protection, and even open circuits where the power switches are turned off, burning out and rendering useless all sensitive electronics, computers and communication equipment."

Why are you showing me this, Maeve could feel the shivers running down her spine, what does it have to do with me killing Marduk?

"The confusion created by the disruption of the communication network is considerable. It allows for the next attack to take place unimpeded. The resulting nuclear attack on Russia and China produces about one hundred million casualties due to the effects of the blast and high exposure to radiation, " the voice continued, "during the next two years another five hundred million people starve to death, bringing the total casualties to about six hundred million, or approximately fifty percent of the population. During this protracted combination nuclear-conventional war, various governments become involved and also employ chemical and biological warfare in the various theaters to eliminate resistance in key areas."

Is this world war three you're showing me?

"Marduk's objective is not to completely destroy the world, but to take control of as many aspects of human society as possible and install his new world order. This is the end of the world and the beginning of the new earth-consciousness Maeve. He has developed a very sophisticated directed-energy stealth nuclear device that will deliver the first pulse I showed you. It is capable of evading all of the anti-ballistic missile shields installed currently on the planet. After that first pulse, he then will unleash a barrage of his conventional nuclear arsenal. He controls the government and the military here.

Years of financing military operations and manipulating the timelines and minds of elected officials. The resulting nuclear war will not go as he plans. It will be much more destructive and the resulting radiation much harder to clean up than he anticipates. In effect, this war will thrown your species back thousands of years in social and technological development."

Maeve felt something heavy on top of her all of a sudden, like she was being crushed.

"You must kill him. There is no other choice. We will look after you."

The voice trailed away as the vision of the planet disappeared. Maeve was once again in the darkness, with the searing pain in her stomach.

She opened her eyes and saw Marduk's face peering down on her, his naked body pressed against her.

"You've finally decided to join me." There was a distant, glazed look in his eyes. "I hope you had a nice trip. Now it's time to undress you and have some fun."

"No." Maeve tried to push Marduk off of her but he was too heavy. "I can't let you!"

### Chapter 52

"I hope you guys have a plan." Raven led them back inside the office tower and into the elevator. "Or is this a spontaneous, see what happens kind of thing?"

"We thought we could talk some sense into this dude." Paul couldn't figure out whether he was scared to death or just really excited. "You know, have a frank conversation about options other than sending the whole world into darkness."

"Iyash can tell you what it's like to talk to this guy," joked Raven. "Most of the time the only voice Marduk likes to hear is his own."

"What happened to you grandfather, we were really worried?" George put his hand on Iyash's shoulder. "It's nice to have you back."

"It's a long story, hopefully I'll have a chance to tell you some day."

The elevator door opened and they all piled out into Marduk's reception room. Shelly was sitting behind her desk, still flipping through the phone book.

"Mr. Corvus, is there something wrong with the package I gave you?" Shelly looked at Raven a little confused. "Should I call Mr. Marduk and let him know you're here?"

"Everything is fine Shelly, I just need you to you open the door and let me into the boss' office." Raven smiled at Shelly. "I've got some guests here who want to see him."

"I'll buzz him and let him know you are here." Shelly picked up her phone. "He did ask me not to bother him this afternoon."

"You see, we want to surprise him." Raven reached across the desk and took the phone away from Shelly, placing it back on the receiver. "Just open the door for me."

"I can't do that." Shelly stuttered. "I've been given really strict instructions not to let anyone in this afternoon. He's busy with clients for the rest of the day."

"That's ok, you don't have to let us in." Raven reached under the phone and pressed a small button. "We'll let ourselves in. "Don't bother trying to call security." He slipped a small knife out of his pocket and cut the phone line.

"Lets go!" Paul ran over to the large mahogany door and turned the shiny brass handle. "We've got to help Maeve."

The door swung open and Paul rushed inside, followed closely by George and Iyash. Raven trailed behind them reluctantly. Shelly sat at her desk shocked at what just happened.

Marduk's office was dark. The faint flickering of candlelight cast large shadows on the walls that seemed to dance, and tumble into each other.

"Get off of her you swine." Paul saw Marduk lying on top of Maeve on the floor in the middle of the office. "Before I call the cops and have you arrested."

"Paul, the knife, get the knife," gasped Maeve. "It's on the alter."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Marduk turned around stunned. "How did you get in?"

"We let ourselves in."

Paul tried to deliver a kick to dislodge Marduk off of Maeve, but it missed.

Maeve managed to successfully pushed Marduk off her when he was momentarily distracted by dodging Paul's kick.

"The knife Paul, the knife, it's behind you on the alter," yelled Maeve. "Quick!"

Paul turned around to grab the knife, but he was too late. Iyash already had it in his hand and was on top of Marduk.

"We can't let you carry out your plan." Iyash plunged the dagger deep into Marduk's chest. "We have to stop you and this is the only way."

"You're supposed to be dead old man." Marduk tried to push Iyash off of him but was too weak. Blood started to slowly trickle out his nose. "It doesn't matter. The dagger is useless. You can't kill me, stupid old man. One drop of the water of Shambala and I'm immortal. Nothing can touch me now. Not you, not the council, not the Annunaki."

"Impossible." George was helping Iyash pin Marduk to the floor. "It was all a ruse, a ploy to trap you."

"You should know by now that those sacred items hold real power." Marduk quit struggling. "If you let me go we can all work together. The council is useless. It has no power. The Annunaki control them. They're the real threat, the ones you should be worried about."

"He's evil, don't listen to him." Maeve was leaning heavily on Marduk's desk, "He's going to blow the world to smithereens. He thinks he can control it but he's so over his head this time. We have to kill him. It's the only way."

"Let's bring him to the council and let them decide." Raven stepped out of the shadows. "Haven't we done enough of their dirty work already? Who wants to have the blood of a man on his hands anyways. Even if he's evil, it's still blood and I've shed enough blood in my life."

"The shape shifter is right. Take me to the council, it's your only option," pleaded Marduk. "We can use my nuclear device to destroy the Annunaki once and for all. They're controlling everything. They need to be stopped."

"It could work. Maybe he's right," said George.

"It'll never work, this man cannot be trusted." Iyash raised the dagger, ready to plunge it into Marduk's chest a second time. "Maeve's right, we have to kill him."

"Wait, I have an idea," Paul rushed over to where Iyash and George were holding Marduk down, with the small bone vial in his hands. If he's telling the truth, then three drops of this and you die a most horrible death, right?"

"That's right," answered Raven. "But if he's completed the ceremony, there should only be one drop left. One drop for the sacred earth, one drop for Maeve and one drop for Marduk. Do we really want to risk giving him a second drop and giving him that gift of awareness?"

"What if he didn't give Maeve a drop," Paul knelt down beside Marduk, "then there would be two drops left."

"Did he give you any of this Maeve," asked George.

"I can't remember, he made me snort some black powder first and that totally blacked me out." Maeve could feel the dryness of her mouth. "I am super thirsty."

"It won't work," cried Marduk. "There isn't enough water left."

"Only one way to find out."

Paul forced Marduk's mouth open and tipped the vial over. One small drop of water fell into his mouth. Paul tapped the vile, waiting for a second drop to come out.

"I can see it all now, it's so clear." Marduk laughed. "My plan was doomed to fail right from the beginning. I was set up by those bastards. I knew it. They were able to manipulate the timeline to feed me information. Ingenious. What was I thinking? All the harm I've done, all the pain and suffering. Cultivating all that darkness and amplifying it out across earth-consciousness. I could have done so much good, there was so much potential for greatness without the fear and insecurity. Give me the last drop. Kill me. I can't bear to see anymore."

"There isn't anything left." Paul tapped the vial once more and nothing came out.

"Yes there is. The last drop is always the hardest to get, let me suck it out, it's the only way."

Paul placed the vial in Marduk's mouth. As soon as he started to suck on the vial, a loud, high pitch otherworldly sound filled the room. After a few seconds the sound stopped and Marduk spit the vial out of his mouth.

"Love is the only way," he gasped, "the only way. Hold the light – keep the ceremonies alive. Don't let the Annunaki fool you.."

Marduk's body started to convulse violently. Blood oozed out of his eyes and nose, while his lips turned blue. Iyash and George tried to hold him down, but the convulsions were too intense, and Marduk's skin started to burn their hands.

"Move away from him, I think he's going to spontaneously combust." Raven helped Maeve move away from Marduk's decaying body and back into her clothes. "All those years of taking the black powder has changed his blood chemistry, anything is possible."

"But we've got to make sure he's fully dead." Paul moved away from the body with Iyash and George, "We can't chance it."

"I can assure you he's dead, look at him."

Marduk's body was decomposing at a fast rate. The skin was melting off of his body, but there was no mess on the floor, or even a smell. Raven started to lead Maeve out the door.

"He's being eaten alive by the dimensional soul suckers. Now we've got to get Maeve back home before the cops show up. I bet Shelly figured out her cell phone still worked and called security."

"I'm not leaving without my objects." Iyash took his pipe and bag off of Marduk's alter. "I've been waiting for these for a long time."

"We should take the other objects too." George placed the amulet and clay flute carefully into his bag and collected the bone vial from the ground. "It's our responsibility to ensure that these are returned to the council for ceremony."

"How are we going to get back to Maeve's apartment," asked Paul.

"Through that door," both Iyash and George put their arms around Paul and led him out of Marduk's office, "just walk through that door."

Through the open door, Paul could see three police officers coming out of the elevator into the reception area, their guns drawn and pointing directly at him.

### Chapter 53

"Coon here." Detective Coon flipped his cell phone open.

"Detective. Do you have a report on our suspect?" Felisa Bast was starting to get impatient. "We've got a lot riding on this."

"I've made some significant progress. No suspect yet but I've tracked down the museum curator and you wouldn't believe the story she told me!" Coon smiled at Susan, who was sitting across from him. "She's had contact with our suspect."

"I knew it! He's there isn't he?" Felisa interrupted Coon before he could finish.

"Not quite. But get this. Apparently our suspect is part bird, a raven to be exact – who travels inter-dimensionally and is competing against," Coon flipped through his notebook, " a Council of Light. Any of this make sense to you?"

"Let Bast Security worry about the details Detective. I want you to focus on apprehending our suspect."

"That's what I'm trying to do here. Not sure if I'm equipped to deal with an inter-dimensional shape shifter though. Maybe you've got some tips for me?"

"Focus on the task Detective and stop daydreaming about bikini-clad women on a beach in Mexico. If your commander finds out that you fell asleep on a high-profile stakeout I could ruin your career."

"Understood." Coon was shocked. How could she know he fell asleep in the cruiser? " So what's our next step?"

"Did the Curator mention where our suspect was?"

"No. Just that he disappeared with a young women early this morning."

"Curious. Who was this women?"

"Her name is Maeve Finn."

A high-pitched noise filled the room all of a sudden creating static on Coon's phone.

"Hello. Felisa?" The line was dead

"What was that," Coon asked Susan. "I dropped my call and now I have no service."

"No idea."

"Honey I'm home." The door of Maeve's apartment opened with a noticeable thud. "What's for diner?"

"That doesn't sound like a woman." Coon drew his gun. "You expecting somebody?"

"Oh I forgot you were still here Susan." Maeve walked around the corner into her living room, surprised to find a man pointing a gun at her. "Don't point that thing at me."

"Maeve!" Susan gave Maeve a big hug. "So happy to see you're back. You look horrible."

"Sorry Ms. Finn, you spooked us." Coon put his gun away. "We're just heading down to the station, but maybe I can talk to you before we go. I learned from a source that you may have had contact with this man." Coon held up the composite sketch of Raven, "He's our main suspect in an international string of robberies. I'm working with Interpol and Bast Security Services in Cairo to track him down and bring him in for questioning. He's know to be armed and dangerous and last seen talking with you here in Wakefield."

"Yea, I've had contact with him. Talk to him yourself." Maeve made herself comfortable on the sofa. "I'm totally exhausted."

"Talk to me about what?" Raven came around the corner, the manila envelope Shelly had given him still tucked under his arm. "Am I in trouble."

Detective coon did a double take. The man in the composite sketch was standing right in front of him.

"I guess that depends on if you're guilty or not and if you would like to come to the station with Susan and I to make a statement."

"Not guilty. I can assure you and save you a lot of time and paperwork." Raven sat down on the sofa next to Maeve. "My niece and I have just been on a very interesting trip and we're tired and hungry. Are you working for Bast?"

"Niece?" Susan's voice betrayed her shock. "Since when did that happen?"

"A very long time ago Dr. Hasser." Raven put his feet up on the coffee table. "Anyone mind if I take my boots off? My feet are really killing me."

"It might be better to keep them on if you're coming down to the station with us."

Coon still couldn't believe that the man he had been searching for, that the world had been searching for, was sitting right in front of him.

"You are coming down to the station with us aren't you? I could arrest you and save us both a big headache. But I'd rather that you came on your own volition. If you have nothing to hide I'm sure we can get this over with in a half hour or less."

"What would you say if I told you exactly where all those objects everybody is looking for can be found?" Raven slipped his other boot off. "That's better. These little guys were starting to feel neglected. Felisa is a sly cat Detective. I don't recommend getting too intimate with her. She likes to play mind-games."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about but I would be very interested in knowing where those objects are and how you became privy to that information."

"Listen Detective, why not take our statements here and if you need us for any further information we can come down to the station later. Like tomorrow." Maeve now had her feet up on the coffee table and had sunk deep into the cushions. "I really don't feel like going anywhere right now. It feels so good to be home, on this planet."

"Did you hear that?" asked Susan, "That high pitch again. But softer this time."

"That'll be your special delivery Detective," said Raven. "One order of rare museum objects from around the world, safe and sound. I think you're going to make Interpol's detective of the month. Better call Felisa. She's waiting."

There was a momentary silence and then the apartment door opened.

"Maeve are you there?" There was concern in Paul's voice. "We almost didn't get out of Marduk's office in one piece."

"In here Paul." Maeve could hardly muster the energy to raise her voice. "Chatting with the handsome detective."

"The detective?" Paul came around the corner, followed by Iyash and George. "What are you talking about?"

"Glad you could join the party here, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable." Coon gestured to the sofa where Susan was sitting. "You must be Paul, and let me guess, you two are the Indian Elders?"

"I'm George and this is my grandfather Iyash. We're happy to answer any questions you may have Detective."

"These are the guys that I was telling you about Detective." Raven winked at Paul across the room. "I think they have some things to give you."

"But we need to give these to the council," George protested, "the ceremony has to go on."

"Maybe somebody can explain to me what's going on here," asked Detective Coon. "First I need you to verify whether or not you have the objects."

"You mean these?" Iyash placed his bag on the coffee table and gestured to George to do the same. "I think you'll find them all safe and sound and in order."

"Where did you get these?" Detective Coon opened the bag and examined the items inside it. "These look like the objects . I'll have to get forensics to verify their authenticity of course."

"You found them," exclaimed Susan. She got up and started to help the Detective unwrap the objects in the bag, "Oh my god, it really is the Knot of Isis. I can't believe it. And your pipe and bag! You got all of them. I won't lose my job after all."

"Detective, we've just had the most amazing journey through space and time," added Paul. "These objects were stolen by a powerful business man for his own personal collection. These two Elders hired their own private detective." Paul motioned towards Raven. "He helped us locate the objects."

"Private detective?" Detective Coon looked suspiciously at Raven. "Do you have any identification?"

"Of course." Raven handed the Detective a wallet. "Here you go."

"Raven Detective Agency, Bran Corvus head inspector." Detective Coon read out loud. "We can find anything, anywhere, anytime." He handed the wallet back to Raven. "Impressive. But anyone can have a badge made up."

"Believe what you want Detective." Raven put the wallet back in his coat. "I think once you check it out, you'll find that I'm totally legit. Ask Felisa. We used to work together. It was a long time ago but I'm sure she'll remember. We spent a lot of time together."

"I can vouch for my uncle," added Maeve. "I haven't seen him for a long time. So when he came to town on this assignment I asked if I could join him and get a taste for the family business."

"We are very pleased with his services." Iyash produced his small pipe and lighted it up, the aromatic smoke curled up around his ears. "We would recommend him to anyone looking for lost or stolen objects."

"Please accept our sincerest apologies for taking this matter into our own hands Detective," said George. "These objects have very special meaning to our people and we were not satisfied at the results of the official investigation. No offense of course. Our national security service does a great job protecting our national heritage resources. "

"It's not illegal to run your own investigation I guess, but next time make sure you at least let Interpol know."

Detective Coon relaxed and pulled out his notebook.

"I'm going to need your names and contact information just in case none of this checks out."

After collecting everybody's information Coon put his book away and picked up the bag of objects on the table.

"Now you're all going to have to stick around for a few days and don't leave the country."

"No problem Detective and thanks for all your hard work. Say hi to Felisa for me when you talk to her." Raven put his hands behind his head and stretched his legs out. "Have fun in Mexico. Maybe you should ask Felisa to meet you there. She can be a lot of fun. Especially for someone like you on the divorce rebound."

"I don't know who or what you really are and how you know all this about me but I'm not going to let you get off so easily. If I find one hair out-of-place with these objects I'll have you in for questioning." Coon took the bags off the table. "Don't assume we're finished here."

Paul showed the Detective out. After he was gone, there was a collective sigh of relief.

"Well, I guess that settles everything." Susan was beaming. "Now I can get some sleep without having to worry about any of this."

So what's next," asked Paul. "Now that we've reclaimed the objects, rescued Maeve and killed Marduk, don't we need to still do a ceremony or something to save the world?"

"Apparently not," replied George. "If Raven is correct, that was the ceremony."

"The whole 2012 theme was cooked up by the Council to lure Marduk out of hiding. He took the bait and started to engage all his media to emphasize the apocalyptic scenarios," said Raven. "As the fear and insecurity of the population grew, Marduk felt indestructible. It was perfect. The objects provided the perfect cover to get close to him."

"Dangerous gamble," added Maeve. "What if Marduk won. We'd be facing a nuclear holocaust right now."

"Now that Marduk is no longer a threat, we need to start rebuilding the light and love on this planet." Iyash shifted the topic of the conversation. "There are still many destructive patterns within the human consciousness that need to be changed before we can raise our collective vibration and continue with this shift into the new world. We need to focus on revitalizing ceremonies and values that instill a deep sense of respect and appreciation for this magnificent web of life we are part of. Marduk has caused much suffering by amplifying the darker aspects of our species. We now need to embrace those lighter aspects of who we are. Building our world together with trust, sharing our unique strengths with each other, and embracing differences is where we need to start."

"Exactly. The key to unlocking this new consciousness is love." Raven sat up and put his arm around Maeve. "The kind of energy that has no limits and no bounds and understands that anything is possible when you open yourself up to it."

### Chapter 54

"Now that Marduk is gone we can finally move forward with raising the light vibration of the earth-consciousness," said Bes.

"It's time for the Council to make itself relevant," added Marx. "We need to have a more tangible presence in the earth-consciousness. What are we hiding from exactly?"

"We're not hiding at all," answered St. Francis. "In many respects, humans have forgotten about the power of love. They still get it mixed up with desire, which brings with it a whole series of other problems."

"So how can the Council bring that message into the earth-consciousness and avoid the frames of reference that seek to structure and control the vibrational patterns," asked Guanyin.

"I don't think humans are ready for the power of love," added Bes. "We need to help them develop the capacity to receive and transmit this energy in its purest form. This takes discipline and hard work. My yoga and meditation programs seem to be helping, but we need more programs. Now that Marduk is no longer amplifying fear and insecurity into the earth-consciousness, our job is much easier. The council should continue on the path already set but become more focused on bringing love into the consciousness, for it is only through love that we will be able to shift into this higher vibration."

"Maybe we should ask the Annunaki to assist us," suggested Marx. "They seem to be eager to secure access to the resources they require. If we provide them with these resources it would allow us to focus more readily on our task."

"But what about the Lyrians," asked Guayin. "I feel like we should be working more closely with them in developing new systems for shifting the earth-consciousness. I believe they understand the power of love more deeply as the building block of conscious-creation."

"I agree with Guayin," said St. Francis. "But Marx has an excellent point. The Annunaki have proved most meddlesome in the timeline. Now is our opportunity to shift their connection with the Council while simultaneously re-introducing the Lyrian presence into the earth-consciousness. It will take some diplomatic finesse but I believe the Council is up for the task."

"I'll ask Felisa Bast to begin discussions with the Annunaki about securing access to their powder. Her team is the best suited and the only ones we can trust to carry out this delicate operation," said Bes.

"Now what are we going to do about Raven?" St Francis examined a sheet of paper from the pile in front of him. "It looks like he's been reacquainted with Maeve and that he took her to Anwin without consent of the Council. Disciplinary action would be appropriate."

"Agreed. We should revoke his inter-dimensional privileges and put him on probation," recommended Marx. "He needs to remember that he works for the Council and that we make the rules."

"But he was able to succeed where the Council failed. Without Raven's initiative Marduk would still be plotting his reign of darkness," added Bes.

"But he put the young woman's life needlessly in danger," said Guanyin. "That is unacceptable."

"Agreed on both accounts." St. Francis pulled another sheet of paper from the pile in front of him. "Maybe this time, the Council will let him get away with it. But when we debrief, we should remind him that next time he should stick to Council guidelines and protocols."

"What about the humans? Are we going to shift their timelines?"

"I don't think we should. They will prove to be instrumental in helping the Council continue its work," replied St. Francis.

"Iyash and George are going to need a debrief as well," added Bes. "They're not going to be happy that the Council tricked them into believing that Raven was working for Marduk and that we needed those objects for ceremony."

"Don't forget the fact that Iyash was killed along the way."

"Nobody said that this was going to be easy. Marduk was a dangerous man trying to be something that he never would be." St. Francis pushed the pile of paper aside. "George and Iyash did their part and will continue to help this Council raise the vibration of the earth-consciousness. We have some explaining to do, but I'm sure they'll understand. Remember, everything happens for a reason. Now I think it's time that we asked the Lyrian's to pay us a visit. Better late then never."

### Acknowledgements

I am especially grateful to Firefly. Thank you for believing in me – for loving me – and for shining your light on those dark days and nights when I needed it the most. I'm also indebted to Viona Falk for her straightforward comments and suggestions and to Robbie for being there to help me across the talus. A very heartfelt thank-you to "Grandma" Joan McGregor - for all her patience in guiding me towards my own light during those dark days. Last but not least - many thanks to my Celtic kindred spirit Deb Boltd, for holding the light and continuing to lead with integrity and heart.

The material in this book is complete fiction. Any likeness to any real person or event is not intentional. My goal in writing this novel was to piece together fragments of conspiracy theories that have become cultural tropes in our modern society. Both the secular and divine apocalypse is something that has consumed our species for millennium. Recently the preoccupation with the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012 is highlighted by many around the planet as the end. When asked about 2012, a good friend and gifted healer, tells her clients, "It is the end! The end of the Mayan calendar."

As much as we are fascinated by the creation and evolution of our planet, we are equally interested in its destruction. The funny thing is that the more we focus on the destruction of our planet, the more we actually manifest it. The concept of intent and the power of faith is one of the main themes I've tried to weave throughout the plot of this novel.

Information on the Lyrian's was inspired by "UFO Contact from the Pleiades", by Wendelle Stevens, and the material on the annunaki was inspired by the work of Zacharias Stichin.

I would also like to acknowledge those forces, great and small, which inspired, challenged, questioned, and supported me in the process of sharing this creative channeling.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental, unless it is in the public record.

### About the Author

Siomonn Pulla lives on Vancouver Island with his wife, Melanie, their two sons and their Bernese Mountain Dog Daisy. When Siomonn is not teaching university classes or working on scholarly pursuits, he's writing fiction and spending time on the mountain or on the ocean connecting with nature.

To learn more about Siomonn check out his website: www.siomonnpulla.com

