Forbidden Power

Chapter 10-The Crypt Contains

I looked at the golden relics and whistled in appreciation. There were even what looked like very old scrolls in here. I walked over and glanced down at one that was slightly open. Old Hebrew, unsurprisingly.

“Why are there Egyptian relics here?” I asked, walking over and looking closely at a scarab necklace, a small jade idol of Anubis, and a headdress that was decorated lavishly with golden suns.

“What were you expecting, my friend?“ Pietro asked.

I shrugged. The golden menorah of the fabled Temple of Jerusalem was here, which was large and beautiful and impressive in itself, but I expected, I dunno. THAT.

“I kind of expected the ark to be here,” I admitted.

“Ah. I don’t think Noah’s project would fit in here. As an archaeologist, I would have thought you’d know that already,” Pietro said.

“Not that ark! Obviously that one is long gone! The Ark of the Covenant. It’s cliche, I know, but I expected that at the very least given all the effort you’ve gone to here,” I told him. Not that these artifacts wouldn’t have any archaeologist beside themselves with excitement, but to lay eyes on something believed to be a myth, now that would truly be remarkable.

“I’m sorry my little collection disappoints you. It’s only scrolls, the proverbs, actually, written by Solomon himself, Egyptian relics believed to have belonged to his wife, the thigh bone of Goliath, the golden lamp stand of the temple of Solomon, the table of shewbread that I bet you didn’t notice, jewels from the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, jewelry and gold, and even the golden seal of Solomon as well as the seals of both his predecessors, King Saul and King David. Oh, yes, quite the disappointment,” Pietro said sarcastically.

“Look, no one disputes that Solomon existed. But to find the freakin’ Ark of the Covenant? I mean, that would be the find of a LIFETIME,” I told him.

“A find that would stay here if it was here,” Pietro said dangerously.

I looked at him, admittedly down my nose a little bit as he was shorter in stature than me, older, and much slower. Like he could really keep me from taking any of this if I so chose. However…

“Of course, Pietro. These are safer under your care. They should remain here until you feel the time has come to reveal them. I can respect that the world is not ready for some things to come to light," I agreed. "However, I would love it if you would give me the grand tour of every item here since you are the keeper of this place." Not to mention a superstitious, crazy old man, but whatever. I can appreciate this from a scientific point of view.

For the next two hours Pietro carefully showed off his collection of artifacts, and I have to admit that they were impressive. I saw artifacts from civilizations long gone and marveled at the arguably immaculate condition of them. They have somehow been kept from the elements for thousands of years, and it is an archaeological miracle not unlike the finding of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen.

I completely forgot about Marco until I heard a soft cough from the outer area. As a wizard, he's closer to human than Pietro and myself. I'm sure he's cold and suffocating a bit down here in the darkness.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing your treasures, Father Pietro," I started politely. "It's time for us to go back to the surface now. It's not good for Marco to stay down here any longer."

"You are thinking of others, young one? Don't you wish to take me out and steal my treasures for yourself now?" Pietro asked in surprise.

"If that's what you think I'm here for, you're quite mistaken, sir. I am in earnest when I say that I merely came here to ask about the archives to help me figure out my puzzle ball, which is still in your possession, I might add," I informed him. He shot me a sly grin and removed my puzzle ball from within his robes, turning it over in his hands and examining it carefully.

"I have seen something like this before. Yes, indeed. Many years ago when I had only just 'died' and retired here to protect these treasures, I met a man who was descended from a small sect of the Crusaders. They considered themselves wholly righteous and desired nothing more than to protect the holy artifacts from the land of Christ Jesus. They believed He would generously reward them upon their entrance into Heaven for risking their mortal lives to protect the items from the Holy Temple. I wonder if He did?" Pietro interrupted himself to muse.

"I wonder indeed," I nodded, prompting him to continue.

"Perhaps they are even now still in purgatory for the lives they took during their mission? Lunga vita Jesu Cristo!" Pietro crossed himself and raised his hands to heaven for a moment before snapping right back into his story. "The man I met had a couple of curious artifacts that seemed of no value, though they were extracted from the Holy Land. One such item was a puzzle ball similar to this one. The man's great-grandfather had traded for it in the market, you see, and so he had rightly paid for it. I tried to help the man solve the riddle of the ball, but, alas! It was not to be. I myself made note of the ball in the archives, but I can tell you that there is no further information on puzzle balls apart from the frustration of not knowing what purpose they serve. The man did know that his grandfather traded with a traveling Egyptian, so the one common thread is that they are both tied to Egypt," with that non-explanation, Pietro extended the ball back toward me, and I took it and looked at it closely for the hundredth time.

"Do you know what happened to the man with the other ball?" I asked. Maybe his family still has it. Maybe they would be willing to part with it.

"It was a chance meeting, I'm afraid. I know nothing of what has become of the family or their puzzle ball. I have long stayed within this church, guarding its secrets and not daring to leave them," Pietro sighed. I nodded. Of course I understand why he would want to stay here. These things he has can't ever be replaced. I'm certain he'd risk his existence to protect them.

"That's disappointing but understandable. It seems like I can only find answers in Egypt, then," I decided.

"I can't let you and Marco leave," Pietro said dangerously. Oh, boy. Here it is. I knew I shouldn't get too comfortable with him.

"Pietro, don't make me kill you. Who will guard this place if you're dead?" I warned.

"You're not unbeatable, boy. You fell right into my traps even with your almighty beast," Pietro said, a sly glint in his eyes.

I sighed in frustration. Did he really not get it yet?

Pietro moved swiftly. I'm guessing to activate another trap, but I reacted too fast for him. In an instant I drained his life force from him, causing him to collapse to the ground in a gasping heap.

"I wouldn't do whatever you were just planning to do, Father Pietro. I won't be toyed with any longer. Marco and I leave with your blessing, or we leave with your body. Your choice," I growled at him.

He flailed on the ground a little, trying to make his body move, but I just sucked more energy from him without even moving.

"What kind...of monster...are you?" Pietro heaved breathlessly.

"Something the like of which you have never met before. Don't trifle with me. I'm done wasting my time here. I didn't come to steal from you or kill you, old man. I came to get answers, and I found none. Now I will be on my way," I told him darkly. He's starting to get on my nerves with these little tricks of his. I'm not even sure how much I believe about him encountering another puzzle ball, but I should have known Egypt was my destination all along.

"Sic! Sic! You win. Release me!" Pietro gasped.

"Oh, I think not. But since you're feeling more cooperative, I'll let you point the way out," I told him. I grabbed him by the back of his robes and hauled him out into the main room where I could feel Marco's heightened anxiety. I need to get him out of here. The air is thin. Wizards don't belong in such a place for long. I dropped Pietro on the ground, continuing to drain all his mana except what he needed to stay alive, and I turned and used the mechanism to close the treasures back up. I checked to make sure everything looked the same as when I first entered, and then I walked over to Marco, who flinched away from my presence. He was holding my phone as his only source of light, and I could see it shaking. This dark place was getting the best of him.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this given the dangers I'll be facing, but I can't leave you here to die on my account. Pietro will drain your blood for sure. You're my responsibility now. C'mon. Let's get out of here," I hauled Marco up by his robes and threw him over one shoulder. He started thrashing a little, so I grabbed him and held him in front of me by both his shoulders and making sure he wasn't touching the ground. I shook him and glared at him.

"Keep up that behavior, and I'll leave you in here at the mercy of Pietro," I threatened. His eyes widened, and he gulped and nodded. I threw him back over my shoulder and hauled up Pietro by his robes and tucked him under my arm. "Now, old man, point the way out."

Author note: So I’m having a hard time with the site right now. They’re refusing to sign my book because they don’t feel like it will have enough kinky romance in it, and that’s apparently all the females reading on here want to read, which feels sexist to me. Yes, there will be romance in this book, but it's mostly an adventure story. The powers that be say that girls don't want adventure. They want s*x. Let's prove them wrong, gals! Like this book, comment when you can, and let's get some traction on it! I'm disgusted that they are throwing all women into this little box. What about Harry Potter? Lord of the Rings? Star Wars? Girls like those things, and they're not full of kinky s*x! I promise there will be some Teddy romance scenes in this book because who doesn't like a good ship? But most of the book is plot driven and adventure based because, to me, that is who Teddy is. He's not a hopeless romantic. He's a daring adventurer. Let's give the Dreame team a proverbial middle finger. I struggled with it for awhile and considered stopping writing on here and switching to another platform, but you know what? I'd rather just prove them flat wrong. I'd rather the book speak for itself. So I'm back at it, and I'm at it with a vengeance because I have something to prove. I want to prove to them that they're wrong, and you can help me! If you've read this far and haven't added this book to your library, do so now. Share it. Comment on chapters. Follow me as an author. I'm halfway through another book that I'll publish once it's complete, and it will stay free for a good long while.You know I don't join the pay-to-read program until my books are complete and have been for at least a month. I appreciate your support! Thank you, thank you! And much love!

~CeCe