Conjuring Darkness (23 page)

Chapter Nineteen

When they arrived at the foot of the hill on which the ancient site was located, Abraham and Kate gave Ryan and Lexi a quick overview of what to expect. Ryan spurred the necessity for the lesson with his lowly opinion of the site. “Wow! It’s really kind of a letdown for me. I was expecting something really big for some reason. Something above ground, like Stonehenge.”

Abraham responded with an explanation. “Ryan, you have to remember that it is a huge site, but it has been buried in the earth for probably 8,000 years. The people that used this site actually buried it on purpose. They sealed it up, and it has been hidden for that whole time. So it will take years before it is completely excavated.”

“Why do you suppose they buried it?” Lexi asked.

“Well, I can think of a number of reasons. We may never know for certain, but as we uncover more of this place and we study more of its history, we will probably garner quite a few theories.” Abraham replied.

Kate added, “Abraham and I have a number of theories about why it was buried. First of all, ask yourself this question. Historically, what do people do with things that they are trying to save from an impending disaster? One that is sure to be on the catastrophic scale? Either natural or manmade disaster?”

“I suppose they try to move whatever they can to a safer place.” Ryan answered.

Kate continued with her questions. “What about the things that can’t be moved? For example, a sacred place? Or, what if they doubt whether they will even be able to save themselves?”

Abraham didn’t wait for Lexi or Ryan to respond, and moved to make a point. “They bury it. They seal it up. They cover it in some way to protect it. Even when we aren’t talking about a cataclysmic event, people save things by burying them. Look at most tombs, time capsules, buried treasures, and the like. Now, let’s talk about some ideas as to why they buried this place. It coincides to the time right before the great flood. Perhaps they somehow knew of the impending deluge and they decided to bury it, because it was such an important location. Perhaps they expected to be invaded by an enemy, and so they buried it in order to hide it until they could restore it later. When you look at it that way those reasons both make sense, except for one thing.”

Lexi knew what Abraham was getting at. “Those reasons don’t make sense, because they didn’t leave a record of it and nobody ever came back to uncover it. Right? Meaning, if you are going to hide it from some catastrophe, you would go back to it at some point, or at least leave some clue as to where it was.”

“Exactly, Lexi. It was covered up to seal it for good. The most likely reason is because people suddenly realized that it was dangerous. It was a bad place. A place that frightened them. Perhaps it was the source of an evil sorcery they sealed up to prevent it from ever being discovered, or used again.”

“Now that makes perfect sense.” Ryan said.

Kate added in her research. “At the risk of sounding redundant, because I know you’ve learned quite a bit about this so far, my research tells me that this place was used exactly in that manner. A group of powerful sorcerers or witches were using this as a spiritual portal. They were caught with their hands in the cookie jar, and their little demonic business was shut down. Then came the flood that wiped away the known civilizations.

When civilizations cropped back up in places like Sumer, perhaps one or two thousand years after the flood, some evil sorcerers learned of the old demonic conjurers. They decided that they needed to get this spirit portal reopened. Apparently, they were caught or something happened to them that prevented them from accomplishing their goal. Then along came people like our parents who started digging it up. So now the structure is all ready to go. The worst part is the old witches were somehow able to hang around waiting for this alignment.”

Lexi asked. “Do you think this portal is like a time machine? Can people go back in time through it?”

Kate thought about what Lexi asked and offered her answer. “No. I don’t think so. Not in the way you’re thinking. I believe that through the use of some kind of magic it can be a type of a time machine, but only for the spirits. Imagine spirits or demons that were locked away, bound to a time and place long ago. Now imagine you had a portal to the past that could free them, and bring them into the present.” Kate said.

“Yeah, that would be bad. Incredibly bad.” Lexi said.

“Of course, there is no way to know all of the secrets this place could hold, since we have only unearthed a portion of what is here on the dig.”

“So you’ve only scratched the surface on this dig?” Ryan laughed at his pun.

Kate restrained from scolding him over his attempt at humor at a serious moment. “Right, we don’t know what other powers could come from this site. The witches probably do. I don’t know where the witches are right now, but I know they will be back. I wouldn’t even begin to guess how to stop them, other than to get control of that amulet so they can’t use the portal.”

“We learned one thing last night, though. That owl definitely scared them off.” Ryan said.

“And it was more effective than blasting them full of bullets.” Lexi added.

“I suppose we should start moving along. Abraham and I are going to find the sacrificial altar stone they plan to use with the amulet.”

“Lexi and I will roam around with you, so we all look like we are all together, and then spread out to check out the other digs around the hillside. Let’s all meet back at the truck at sundown.”

From the top of the grassy hill of Gobekli Tepe, they could see a patterned blanket of earth-toned colors spreading though the valley a thousand feet below. Hills on the horizon were visible in all directions. The main structure was in a circular shape of approximately sixty-five feet across with stone walls. Inside the circular room were immense T shaped stone pillars. The tallest one stood about sixteen feet in height. The pillars were arranged in circles that started from the center, and then more pillars created rings of concentric circles. There were other circular structures of similar construction in various states of excavation. There were dozens of holes or depressions carved into the surrounding rock floors that resembled plazas.

“Did any people live here?” Lexi asked.

“No, not that we know of. There is a village not too far from here though. It was the center for early agricultural development. It appears that this place was only used for religious purposes, however, not for burying the dead.”

Ryan noticed the view and thought of its strategic importance. “I can’t help but think about this location. It allows anyone up here to have a commanding view of this entire valley. Strategically it’s the ideal location for a fortified encampment.”

Abraham responded. “Good point Ryan, although there is no evidence of warfare or even a hint of military activity. Most of the uncovered artifacts found so far have been fragments of stone tools, and bones of wild animals that were likely from sacrificial offerings.”

Lexi looked around at the carvings on the pillars. “What is the deal with all of these creatures carved into the pillars? Just about every one of them are creepy, except for the birds. Spiders, snakes, scorpions, and ants—and what the hell is that? It looks like a wild dog or a wolf showing its teeth.”

“There is a definite theme here. They didn’t carve images of the animals that were used for food. It creates more questions and possibly clues to what this place was used for. Could they have been used to frighten people or spirits? Perhaps they were trying to overcome their own fears of these creatures. They could also represent evil spirits. We may never know.”

“Abraham, take a look at this set of small symbols on this rock.” Kate was looking at large flat surfaces of stone that had dozens of shapes carved into them. “Do you notice that these symbols resemble many of the shapes found from ice age cultures throughout Europe? Only these seem to be in an arrangement, and some of the symbols are repeated. A few of them have been modified slightly then repeated. This is a pictographic text. Amazing! We are talking about a major discovery if you are correct in your theory. If this is a written text, it predates any other known written language by almost eight thousand years!”

“This is incredible! Imagine what we could learn from this, and I am certain more will be uncovered. This is just the tip of the iceberg.” Abraham nearly danced with excitement.

“Okay, well we will let the two of you celebrate your new find. Ryan and I will look around the rest of the area. See you down by the parking area at sundown!”

Beyond the recently uncovered circular structures archaeologists had been systematically dividing up smaller areas into squares. These squares were only big enough to allow two or three people to fit inside, and each one was in a different stage of excavation. There were also a number of small holes in various places. These were left by workers who had probed for artifacts in several suspect locations.

At the top of the dome shaped hill there were various wooden sheds with corrugated metal roofs. They formed an L shaped wall on one side of the dig site. A barbwire fence surrounded the entire site.

Ryan and Lexi noticed a number of smaller excavations further out that would work well as observation points later that night. The smaller dig sites reminded him of foxholes that could be seen in a thousand old war movies. They could each take a side of the hill, watching from a concealed position. No matter what direction Ben or anyone else arrived from, they would be sure to see them.

Ryan liked the added benefit to being outside of the guarded perimeter of the actual site. As long as the guards didn’t wander too far outside of the main complex, they shouldn’t have to worry about them.

The group met back at the car to discuss their plan, and to wait for the sun to set. “Abraham, Kate, did you find any location that you think might be the final destination for the amulet?” Ryan asked.

Abraham proudly answered. “Yes, we believe we did. It’s located in the main circular structure right in between the two center pillars. There is a stone with a depression carved into it, where the amulet looks like it would fit. This is a type of altar used for a blood sacrifice that we typically find in almost all Mesopotamian temples. Of course, this place is older than anything we have ever seen, so we can’t be sure. The people that built this place may have had the same beliefs as the later Sumerians or Akkadians. In this case, we have to assume that it would be the most likely spot, based on what knowledge we have.”

Once darkness fell over the land, the security guards arrived. Ryan noticed there were only two guards, and they appeared to be armed with pistols. “I don’t think we’ll have any problems with those guys. I’m not so sure about Ben though. He is a very well trained and experienced agent. If anyone notices any sign of him approaching, I want you to get my attention with hand signals. We should have enough moonlight to see each other’s silhouettes. I have no idea what we can expect out of Ben. My guess is that since he was willing to put a gun to Lexi’s head to get the amulet, we have to expect that he will be extremely dangerous. Please do not confront him. I will have to surprise him, and I will be armed.”

Lexi thought about Ryan’s expected confrontation with Ben. “Ryan, what
If
he’s not alone? And what about those witches, or monsters, or whatever they were?”

“I’m counting on the witches to appear close to three a.m., just like they did when they attacked us before. I really think Ben would want to get here before that time. If someone or something else shows up instead of Ben, we have to treat that person as if he or she is just as dangerous as Ben.”

With their plan agreed upon, they slowly headed back up the side of the hill. When they were about a third of the way up, they split off and encircled the top. Each person found and settled into to one of the many small pits that had been dug out. The sky was clear and the glow from the full moon proved to be enough to easily see any movement. Lexi and Ryan were separated by a distance that was about the length of a soccer field.

Lexi offered a timid wave in Ryan’s direction once she found her spot. On the opposite side, she could see Abraham had found a place not far from her location. If Abraham saw anything he could wave to Lexi, and she could relay the message by waving to Ryan. She had to assume Kate was on the opposite side of the hill from her on Ryan’s other side. She clutched the little owl that hung around her neck and hoped Ryan was right about Ben coming early. The mere thought of having to face the monsters again made her skin tingle with goose bumps, and her stomach queasy.

The guards in the central complex were sitting next to a lantern. They listened to a radio that blared out typical Turkish pop music. She figured these men had spent so many quiet, uneventful nights on the hill that complacency had completely taken away their ability to be effective guards.

In the dim glow of the moonlight she noticed the silhouette of a lone figure a couple of hundred yards straight ahead. The figure moved swiftly, getting closer with each step. She waved for Ryan, who acknowledged her movements and drew his pistol. He crept up out of his little foxhole and held the pistol in front of him with both hands as he made a crouching walk to get closer to the intruder. Lexi saw him take cover behind a pile of large boulders about ten feet from the figure. As the person walked past the rocks she saw Ryan spring out like a predator ready to take down its quarry. “Stop!” Lexi heard him shout. She was relieved when the shadowy figure did indeed stop. She saw it standing there with its hands outstretched toward Ryan, who walked slowly closer. Ryan reached out and touched the stranger’s hand.
Yes! He must have gotten the amulet back. Thank God!