The others seemed less impressed. “The pyramid will always be,” one intoned, and the other nodded.
The Elder in the middle examined the sword after Bach’uuk carried it to him. From the Elders’ reactions, Jake suspected Bach’uuk might be arguing along the right track, warning of a threat to the temple.
His eyes were drawn to the sword. As Bach’uuk turned it in the firelight, he revealed a symbol melted into the hilt. Earlier, Jake had caught a glimpse of the sword’s mark as he’d passed the weapon to Pindor, but he’d forgotten all about it in the excitement that followed. The symbol glowed in the flames. Stunned, Jake recognized it. He’d seen the symbol before, back in his other life. It had been stamped on the bottom of Jake’s invitation to attend the show at the British Museum. It had been sculpted into a steel tie tack worn by Morgan Drummond, their bodyguard in London.
Jake struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.
It was plainly a griffin—the mythological beast with the head, wings, and claws of an eagle and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion. But it was also the corporate symbol for Bledsworth Sundries and Industries, Inc.
What is it doing here?
Jake moved closer to the fire to examine the mark. Bach’uuk noted his interest, and Jake pointed to the hilt.
The Elder narrowed his eyes. “A mark of corruption. It is a monster made from the parts of many beasts.”
“It is also the mark of the Skull King,” Bach’uuk said.
Jake remembered Marika’s story, how Kalverum Rex used the bloodstone to corrupt and taint animals into foul creations. One only had to look at a grakyl to see the result of his evil alchemy. Even the griffin symbol looked a bit like a grakyl.
Jake’s mind churned as Bach’uuk continued speaking in low tones to the Elder. What was the connection here? With every new discovery, the mystery deepened. Jake’s hand drifted to his pocket and clutched his father’s watch. Threads between the modern world and Pangaea were weaving tighter with every new discovery.
But what did it all mean?
Jake stared at the griffin. Though he couldn’t prove it, he knew something more was afoot here in Pangaea, something connected to the Bledsworth corporation.
Across the fire, Bach’uuk had become more animated, pleading his cause using the Ur native tongue. Jake didn’t understand, but he heard the word science mentioned. Bach’uuk pantomimed using a flashlight, relating the story of its freezing beam.
All three Elders scrunched their heavy gray brows.
Bach’uuk suddenly pleaded in All-World. “We Ur shared our valley, offered its protection to the other tribes, like a mother to a child. Yet now we will sit in our homes and let them die. That is not right. A mother does not abandon a child.”
The Elder in the middle shook his head. For the first time, there was true regret in his voice. “Lives are short. Do not fear. Fear exists only in the short time.”
Jake stepped forward, sensing Bach’uuk needed support. Searching for a way to prove his friend’s argument, Jake showed them his penlight and firmly stated what he was growing to believe. “This object comes from beyond any short time,” Jake warned. “It comes from a long time.” A very, very long time, Jake added silently. Two hundred million years in the future, to be exact. “And I believe the new danger to the temple may stretch from that same long time.”
The Elders stared at the penlight, not so much fearfully but with curiosity. Jake needed to convince them of the danger. He screwed off the top of the penlight and shook the batteries into his palm. “These hold both alchemy from your time and science from my time. And in the wrong hands, the combination threatens all. Even the great temple.”
Jake threw the batteries into the fire. He needed the ancients to understand the full threat. If he was right—if there was any connection between his world and Pangaea—then something had to be done before it was too late.
The batteries heated up, and Jake waved everyone back. Though the AAA batteries had no juice, they were still dangerous. Exposed to flame, they could—
Both batteries exploded at the same time, popping with less force than Jake had hoped. Still, the secondary result far exceeded Jake’s expectation. Apparently a little of the freezing alchemy from the blue crystal remained stored in the penlight’s battery. The flames blew out. The red-hot embers went instantly black and cold. But even more dramatically, the pool next to the fire crusted over with a solid sheet of ice.
No one moved, stunned by the display.
Before anyone could speak, a commotion at the entrance to the chamber drew their attentions. An Ur tribesman led in a young woman wearing the bloodied uniform of a Roman scout. Another two Ur carried a second soldier—an older man in centurion armor. His leg was broken, and his head lolled—he was barely conscious.
The scout noted Jake and the others. Her only reaction was a twitch of surprise that she quickly suppressed. She spoke to the Elders.
“The valley has fallen. Kalakryss belongs to the grakyl horde. The People of the Wind have been chased out of the valley, and the last of the Saddleback riders barely escaped through Serpent Pass. Calypsos is now in the hands of the Skull King.”
After several minutes of frantic questions and confusion, Pindor finally asked, “What of my father?”
“I can’t say,” the scout answered. “The town is locked down by the horde. Most hide in their homes and attics. Little is known. But word has come of a demand. From the Skull King.”
“What demand?” Marika asked.
The woman glanced at Jake, then away again. “To give up the newcomers. We have until sunrise to obey. Already they prepare to lay torch to the Sacred Woods to smoke out the girl. But if we fail by dawn’s first light to bring forth both, the horde will begin slaughtering the townspeople.”
All eyes turned to Jake. He read the question in their expressions: What did Kalverum Rex want with Jake and his sister?
He wasn’t any the wiser and shook his head, admitting his confusion.
The scout spoke. “Elder Tiberius sent us to speak with the Ur. To seek their aid.”
Pindor said, “That’s why we came here, too.”
“But they will not help us,” Marika added. “It is against their way.”
The scout studied Jake with hard eyes. “Then perhaps my journey here was not in vain. If the Ur cannot help, the only hope for Calypsos lies in obeying the Skull King’s demands. At least for now.”
Marika gasped. “What? You can’t be thinking of turning Jake and his sister over to—”