Conjuring Darkness (18 page)

Ryan continued his train of thought. “I’ve figured out the best way to get into the region without alerting anyone who might be keeping an eye on who shows up.”

Abraham seemed puzzled. “Why not just get a flight up there and rent a car?”

“Well, I would much rather it be a surprise visit. You never know what Kate is involved in. We have to anticipate that they watching for us. I’m not going there without my gear, and it’s not like I can board a commercial plane with it.” 

“We’re going for a little cruise on a private yacht. It will take us into a coastal city in Turkey, where we’ll pick up a vehicle. From there we will drive east to the area in question and locate Kate. I’ve already arranged for a contact with the Turkish intelligence group to get us in there without any hassle. We’ll meet you at the Haifa port terminal tonight at ten.” 

The rest of their meal was met with little fanfare, and they managed to avoid any further discussion of the amulet or Kate. After they were finished Lexi and Ryan parted with Abraham, and the two headed out for Lexi’s badly needed shopping trip.

Rather than visit the mall, they opted to stay in the bustling streets and scenic plazas of the area near the hotel. Lexi loved the vibrant atmosphere of the area that Ryan had told her was called The German Colony. It was the same area where he had placed the owl pendant around her neck. Lexi couldn’t help but wonder what the future would hold for them.

As they walked in the early evening light past the tables of the sidewalk cafés and bistros, Ryan held her hand and led her to a perfectly manicured garden. He found a lone bench in the garden and urged Lexi to sit and wait for him while he jogged the short distance across the plaza. Lexi tried to peer around the people milling about, but she couldn’t see what had caught Ryan’s attention.

She was startled when a stranger joined her on the bench. Lexi quickly turned to see her visitor, and was shocked at the sight of Ryan holding a bouquet of red and yellow roses.

“Wow, I didn’t expect-” Her words were cut off by Ryan’s soft full lips meeting hers. Her arms wrapped tight around his torso, pulling him closer. Eventually she finished her sentence. “I didn’t expect anything like this. Thank you, Ryan. They’re absolutely beautiful.”

“Hey Lexi, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you all afternoon. I was just waiting for the right time.”

Lexi’s mouth dropped open in complete awe. “Uh...okay.” She couldn’t believe her own mouth.
That’s the best you can do? He does the most romantic thing ever and you say “Uh okay”? Come on Lexi, think of something else.
“Okay this is as good of a time as any. I think I want to talk to you about something too.”

“Well, I want to ask you something. How do you see us? You know what I mean? Do you see us together after all of this is settled? Before you answer, I want to tell you that I do. I can’t see it any other way, Lex. For now that’s all I can say. I’m not asking you to commit yourself to me or anything like that. I’m just asking if after this can we continue with where we are, so we can find out where we might be going.”

“Holy Cats!”
Ugh. Holy Cats? What the fuck?
Lexi interrupted Ryan’s laughter. “Sorry I meant to say something a little more graceful. Of course we can. I’ve been thinking about the exact same thing all day. I wanted to ask you about it, but I guess I chickened out. I was worried that I’d come off as trying to be pushy or something. I’ve been hoping that after this we can continue to see each other. I don’t know how we could work it out with you being a hermit in South America and all, but maybe we can visit?” Lexi’s heart fell when she realized the logistics of such a long distance relationship. She tried to choke back the tears, and keep a happy look on her face as she sniffed the flowers Ryan gave her. “Well we’ll see, won’t we?”

“I was thinking we could work out something, Lex. That’s why I said that I didn’t want to ask you to commit to anything in case, you know, we just can’t work it out.”

Lexi felt like her heart was bleeding. She had told herself that she needed to enjoy life as it was in the present, and not worry so much of the future. It didn’t seem to help much.

They walked back to the hotel holding hands. Ryan carried her shopping bags while she held the flowers. These were the first flowers that she had ever been given and they were from the man she hoped would be the only one to ever give her such gifts.

She had one more nagging concern. She wondered if she should have talked to Abraham about her strange dreams. Not to mention her experiences with the owl that seemed to be watching her.

Chapter Thirteen

Ben and Abraham were already waiting on the pier, illuminated by the blue glow of a light post. Ryan carefully maneuvered into the marina parking lot and as soon as he parked the SUV, Ben jogged out to meet them. “Hey Ryan. I’m sorry I can’t go with you because I think it will be an interesting journey for you guys.”

“Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m hoping it will be very uninteresting. Ben, you wouldn’t believe my day. I don’t even know how I can believe it. Uh, hold on a second, Ben. Hey Lex, we can get the bags.” Lexi had just stepped around from the back of the SUV with her backpack and a freshly packed duffle bag.

Lexi realized she may have interrupted a conversation between the two and decided to head over to the pier. “Hi Ben. I’m going to let you guys say your long goodbyes in private. Abraham looks kind of lonely over there.”

“Alright, Lex. Yeah Ben, without going through the whole story, I think that Lexi’s sister is mixed up with some damn witchcraft cult up there. Have you ever heard of anything like that?”

“Well, not in Turkey, no. Just the local ghost story stuff you find anyplace. But just to the South and East of that area inside the Syrian border there are some people that I have been told are sorcerers, or something. Of course it’s difficult to say what that is all about, because for one thing, it’s in Syria. Another thing to consider is that if someone was practicing any kind of sorcery or witchcraft, they would have to really hide it or you can bet they would pay for it. Probably by stoning. Or burning. Or maybe drowning and beheading or-”

“Alright Ben, I get it. Sorcery isn’t a socially acceptable behavior there. Well that kind of thing isn’t widely accepted in most places, anyway. Say, I haven’t heard back from your contact that was supposed to be checking on Kate. I tried contacting him again, but no luck. Do you know of any way to reach him?”

“Here, let’s try my phone. You know I have all the good gear. Completely encrypted signals, my friend. Say, if this Kate is even half as hot as her little sister, you had better hook me up. Maybe then I’ll get you one of these nice phones and you can dump your Jurassic era phone off with the CIA.”

Ben punched in the numbers on the screen and quickly began a conversation in Hebrew. Ryan glanced up the pier and saw Lexi and Abraham talking under the light. “Hey Ryan, can you believe I am on hold? I had to call in to the communications center first. So are you and Lexi the real deal? It seems so strange to see you getting into anything serious with a chick.”

“Yeah, we are the real deal. I guess I didn’t expect it either, Ben. She is definitely something else.” Ryan smiled, as he looked at Lexi in the distance.

“Well, you know what? I think it’s great. I’ve always said that you seem like the kind of guy that will always be a lone wolf, but I’m happy that I was wrong. Oh, hold on.”

Ben started another discussion in Hebrew. When he finished he looked down quietly as he put his phone away. Slowly Ben looked up again at Ryan, his face had a grave look. “It seems like your girl Kate has been traveling back and forth along the border area. The same area I mentioned. Here let me give you the coordinates before you leave. I’m afraid I have bad news.”

“What is it?”

“She’s been seen meeting with a group of well-armed local thugs. He’s not sure who they are though.”

“Damn! That is exactly the kind of thing I figured would happen.” Ryan expressed his concern with the escalating threat.

“Well, I’ll be here in Haifa if you need me. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this place. I think I’ll look around this evening and see what kind of trouble I can get into.”

Lexi and Abraham had their own discussion on the pier, while Ben and Ryan were talking. She finally told Abraham about the owl and the dreams. “Abraham? Why would an owl be following me? Does that mean I am in some sort of danger?”

“Well, I think we are all in a little bit of danger. I don’t know about the owl. Normally I would say it is just a coincidence, but now—knowing what we are dealing with, I would say that it is Lilitu that has been following you. Be sure to keep that amulet on you, it might be your only protection. It may be
OUR
only protection from her.”

“Abraham, can you tell me what my parents were researching?”

“Well, they were concentrating on locating several Sumerian temple sites. The types of sites are the ones where researchers have found the bulk of what we know in regards to the people that lived in that era. I never worked with them in the field. My association with them was only because we were in the same field of study, and we all have to share information to be able to do our work.”

Lexi pleaded. “There must be more. You must have received something, anything from their research that could tell me if they found something that would give someone a reason to hurt them. Did you?”

“Lexi, I would tell you if I did. What I can tell you is that on the few times I met them I was impressed, not only for their academic prowess. I was impressed at how they deeply loved each other. They were completely devoted to each other. They were inseparable those two. When I heard about...well, I was terribly saddened by the news. All I heard about it was that it was some mechanical problem with the airplane. Why do you ask if someone was trying to harm them?”

“No reason, I suppose. It was some theory or rumor that Kate’s husband mentioned, but then again he was the ultimate conspiracy theorist.” Lexi became silent as she thought about how Abraham had described her parents.

I wonder if it could be like that with Ryan. What happens when all the excitement of this trip wears off? Will he just keep getting pulled into more and more of his adventures? Or maybe...he really is ready to get away from that and try something new. I have GOT to stop thinking like this because no matter what I want to happen, I can’t and won’t force him to do anything.

Ryan and Ben hauled the baggage up the pier to the waiting duo. “Are you guys ready? Ben and I will get these things onboard, and then we need to shove off.” The two men took the bags and quickly loaded them onto the yacht. Abraham and Lexi followed.

Once they were loaded up and ready to go, Ben turned to face them, wishing them luck. “Hey Ryan, take care of that boat. I had to sign for the thing and if it doesn’t come back the way it left here, I’m really screwed. On second thought, if something happens to it, just sink it. I’ll blame it on something.” Ryan and Lexi waved from the deck before making their way inside the bridge to the controls.

Ryan pushed a series of buttons and the engines roared to life. He laughed and acted like a kid with a new toy. “Lexi! Isn’t this thing awesome? Now, this is no garbage scowl. No sir. This is the kind of yacht you see tied up in Monaco, with the rest of the rich and famous.”

“It’s great. Um, but isn’t it just going to draw attention? I mean, unless you wanted to look like billionaires on an excursion. There’s just one problem. Look at us. I mean we look okay, but you don’t come off a yacht like this—carrying a bag that says DOLCE & BANANNA. Yeah. That’s just one of the knock offs they were selling at the street market.”

“Well I’m not going to let that small detail deter me. We’ll just tell the people we’re Americans. Believe me people all around the Mediterranean are convinced that there are only two kinds of Americans, movie stars and rednecks. We’ll just be the redneck version, but you’ll have to work on the accent some.”

Ryan typed in the coordinates for their course northward. He put one arm around Lexi’s waist and smiled. “You know something? Whenever I look at you I just smile. I really do. Even with everything that’s been going on with this spooky magic stuff I‘ve smiled so much lately that my face kind of hurts.” He surprised her when he pulled her close and kissed her. The kiss was soft and tender, yet filled with affection and love.

Lexi loved that he didn’t hold back with her when it came to his emotions. She could tell that his love for her had to be strong enough to elicit a spontaneous and passionate kiss.

Once they were a couple of miles offshore he told her, “Hang on tight.” He kicked the engines into full throttle. Lexi was thrown back by the sudden surge of power. Ryan again swept her in with one strong arm. She laughed at how Ryan could sometimes be surprisingly boyish and cute, yet always be the epitome of masculinity. Even though she had regained her balance, he held her up against his muscular body. The slow rhythmic rise and fall of the yacht was making her sleepy. Lexi nuzzled against his chest and closed her eyes, wishing they could be lying in bed together.

A salty taste foamed in her mouth and her head began to throb. She looked up at Ryan. “Hey, I’m not feeling so-” she quickly snapped her mouth shut. Her stomach churned with a sudden urgency.

Don’t puke. Don’t puke. Oh God I’m going to puke on him.

She started to run, but was soon reduced to crawling across the deck to a trashcan that was attached to the bulkhead, in the rear of the bridge.

“Go ahead, Lexi. Puke! It will make you feel better for a bit.” Ryan shut down the engines, quickly jogging after her. He bunched her hair together and held it up behind her, out of her way as she vomited with abandon. He called out for Abraham, who came running up to the bridge. “Abraham, can you keep an eye on things here for a bit. Lexi isn’t feeling too hot.”

Abraham looked at Lexi, who was still on her hands and knees. She looked back through watery eyes that sank into her greenish yellow face. She attempted to speak, but felt too miserable. “Look Ryan. I think she is trying to say something.” They both looked at her quivering lips. Abraham decided to take a guess. “What is that thing she always says? Oh yes. She is trying to say holy cats. Ha ha.”

Lexi looked at Abraham and lifted one closed fist in his direction. She flipped up her middle finger up before rolling over into a fetal position.

“I’ll be back in a little while, Abraham.” Ryan effortlessly picked her up and carried her down to the main cabin. He laid her down on the bed and went to retrieve his first aid kit. He returned with a bottle of pills and a bottle of water. “Here Lex, take one of these with just a little bit of water. It will make you feel better.”  

She swallowed the pill and closed her eyes. Lexi fell asleep to the feeling of Ryan’s hands gently stroking her hair.

The second day of the trip brought smooth blue seas, without the swells that had taken Lexi down the night before. Ryan stopped the boat and he joined Abraham on the back deck. “Hey Abraham, I think we ought to pull in right after sunset, so we need to kill a little bit of time out here or it will be too early.”

He pulled one of the rugged looking equipment boxes out and opened it up. “I want to check out a couple of the weapons.” Lexi walked out from the interior and joined them. “Hey Lexi. You look like you are feeling better. Did you finally get your sea legs?”

“I’m feeling much better. Sorry about that, and thanks for taking care of me. Oh and by the way, I’m a sympathy puker. So don’t expect me to hold anyone’s hair out of the way for them if they are going to be throwing up.” 

Lexi nodded to Ryan’s weapons. “It looks like you’re going to be doing some shooting. Where’s the target?”

“I was wondering that myself. Anyone have any ideas for targets?”

“Ryan, why don’t you look around out here while Lexi and I take a peek inside?” Abraham and Lexi started snooping around the rows of cabinets and storage areas, until Abraham pulled a box out of the closet. “Now, that’s something you don’t find every day.”

“What did you find, Abraham?”

“Well, it appears that Ryan’s friends were prepared for one hell of a party. This is an entire case of condoms.”

“I guess they were feeling pretty ambitious!”

“Yes, of course.” Abraham laughed, “You want to know something, Lexi? Ryan really cares for you. I can see that very easily. Whenever you are together you two just radiate a sense of bliss that isn’t often seen. I saw that same magic with your parents and I really hope things work out for the two of you.”

“I do too Abraham, but am I enough? Will I be enough to keep him from being the lone wolf who is always roaming the world looking for danger and excitement? It could go either way with him, I’m afraid.”

“Yes. A man like Ryan is an adventurer, but all of life is an adventure. It doesn’t always have to be jumping out of an airplane and into a firefight to feel a passion for living.”

Abraham looked at the box and then tossed it aside as he thought about what Lexi had said. “You know something? You are an adventurous spirit yourself, Lexi. Maybe you both need that in your lives. Maybe you can find it together.”

Just as Abraham finished his sentence, Ryan walked through the door wearing a holster that carried a pistol. He noticed the box that Abraham had tossed aside. “Hey Abraham, what’s this?”

“A lifetime supply of condoms.”

“Perfect. I could really use these right about now.”

Lexi’s mouth hung open in dismay as she watched Ryan pull a condom pack out of the carton and rip the foil wrapper open with his teeth. Only one syllable droned from her throat. “Uh.”

Abraham interjected. “Now that’s what I like to see. A man with confidence and determination.”

Ryan walked outside to where he had his weapons laid out. Abraham and Lexi followed behind him like a pair of curious puppies. He lifted up a semi-auto pistol and unrolled the condom over the pistol’s slide and barrel.