The Portal (A Delphi Group Thriller Book 2) (34 page)

A few minutes later, Rebecca stopped and pointed. “I recognize that line of trees. The building should be just ahead.”

“Remember, no lights just yet,” Tocchet whispered.

As they passed underneath the trees, the silhouette of a large building appeared, an eerie sentinel rising out of the fog. Katiya stared in awe. It was much larger than she’d imagined.

“Good grief,” Amanda said in a low voice.

A large stone staircase ran up the front. It reminded Katiya of the stairs at the front of a museum. At the top, she could see a line of pillars encircling the structure. Although hard to see, the roof appeared to be a dome.

“Definitely not Mayan or Incan,” Amanda whispered.

Tocchet took the steps, and the others followed.

Katiya turned to Max, who was on her right. “What do you think?”

He shook his head in disbelief. “Totally out of place.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. I’ve never seen anything quite like this in Brazil, Peru… anywhere.”

Amanda fell in next to them. “You’re right. Look at the dome. It shouldn’t be here. Even the columns seem out of place.”

When the team arrived at the top, Katiya noticed that the fog was a bit thinner, allowing her to take in more detail. They were standing on a walkway that wrapped around the building.

After making sure the area was clear, Tocchet motioned for them to follow him inside.

Before joining the others, Katiya stole a quick glance back toward the trees. The fog was so thick along the ground that she couldn’t see the trail anymore. The knot in her stomach grew tighter.

The building’s interior was massive, even larger than it looked from the outside. Several structures lay directly ahead, although Katiya couldn’t yet tell what they were.

As the group moved forward into the space, Amanda tilted her head back. Katiya followed her gaze and noted the domed ceiling rising high above them. Something appeared to be painted on its surface.

Tocchet turned on his light, so the others followed suit. Someone let out a little gasp.

As Katiya turned, chill bumps spread across both of her arms. Rows of statues rose up in front of them. As best she could tell, they extended all the way to the back of the room.

“Good heavens,” Max said.

Katiya clicked on her flashlight and approached the closest one. The nude figure of a man stood on a square stone base. He was handsome and muscular, and yet something about his face gave her the chills.

Max came and stood at her side. “Go down lower again. I thought I saw something on the base.”

Katiya moved the beam back down until she saw what he was referring to. There, in the center of the base, was a plate set into one of the stones.

Max stepped closer, a frown spreading over his face. “It looks like bronze,” he said. “No ancient South American culture used anything like this.”

“It looks like there’s something written on it,” Katiya said. “Can you read it?”

“No, most of it’s too worn.”

Amanda and Tocchet suddenly appeared at Katiya’s side. Amanda stared at the plate. “I don’t think those letters are worn. I think they’re just covered with dust and dirt.”

Max looked back at her. “You sure?”

“Let’s find out,” Tocchet said. He walked over and set his rifle up against the stone base. Then he cupped his hands and stooped down. “Get on.”

Max nodded then gingerly stepped into the soldier’s hands.

“Careful,” Katiya said as Tocchet lifted him into the air.

“Much better.” Max pulled a rag from his pocket and used it to wipe the bronze surface. Decades of dirt and dust floated into the air like flakes in a snow globe. After wiping for a few more seconds, he stopped and leaned closer. “It looks like we have five lines. Each line is written in a different language.” Suddenly his eyes narrowed.

“What is it?” Katiya asked.

He shook his head. “Just strange… the top two lines contain characters I’ve never seen before.”

Katiya could scarcely believe what she’d just heard. Maxwell Cameron was one of the world’s foremost linguists. Even if he couldn’t read a certain language, he would at least recognize its letters.

“Each line is short,” Amanda said. “Maybe it’s a name repeated in five languages.”

Max ran his finger to the bottom. “I think you’re right. The first line uses our alphabet.”

“What does it say?” Katiya asked.

“It’s a little worn, but looks like Az… Aza… Azaral… or Azarel.” After staring for a bit longer, he said, “That fifth letter is an
e
if I’m not mistaken.”

“Azarel?” Katiya asked.

“Yes, Azarel.”

A confused look spread across Amanda’s face. “Azarel… why does that name sound familiar?”

“You recognize it?” Katiya asked.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it before.”

“I also see the same name repeated in Greek and Hebrew,” Max said as Tocchet lowered him down again.

Hebrew? The whole thing is growing more bizarre by the minute,
Katiya thought.

“Azarel,” Amanda whispered as she wandered to the next statue.

Katiya paused to take a couple of flash pictures of the statue and its base. Whoever Azarel was, his face unsettled her. He had a malevolent expression, and his features didn’t even remotely resemble the indigenous people of Central and South America.

As the others fanned out to explore on their own, Katiya walked through the rows, bouncing her beam back and forth. At the foot of each statue were various sculpted objects: swords, knives, necklaces, jewels, and sometimes food. She guessed that the items were somehow related to each figure.

Suddenly, something at the back of the room drew her attention, bringing her to a stop.

What is that?

It was a statue, but it stood at least twenty or thirty feet taller than the others. The towering effigy was likely someone of great importance. A political or military leader, perhaps.

When she arrived, she found a squat stone structure in front of the statue. As best she could tell, it was some form of altar. Adding weight to her supposition, there were dark splotches sprinkled across its surface.
Blood,
she thought.

Who are you and why would people sacrifice to you?

Stepping past, Katiya directed her beam at the statue. It was a soot-black effigy of a man. She moved the light up to his head. His demeanor was chilling. Bushy eyebrows sloped downward toward the top of the nose, producing a menacing stare. His nose was long and pointed, almost like a beak. It was one of the most evil-looking faces she’d ever seen.

“Good grief, that’s creepy,” she muttered.

“I’ll say,” replied a deep voice behind her.

Katiya jumped and let out a little gasp. “Max, don’t do that!”

“I saw you running back here and knew it had to be something important.”

“Please don’t do that again… especially not in here.”

Max looked up at the statue. “You’re right, that is one nasty-looking dude.”

“It has another one of those plates,” Katiya said with a frown.

“And once again there are five lines. Unfortunately, it’s even higher up than the first one.” Max moved over to the base. “Let’s try something. Keep your beam on it for a sec.” Tucking his flashlight into his belt, he lifted his binoculars and focused them on the script high above. “There, got it. No dust and dirt this time.”

Katiya wondered if that was significant.

“What does it say?”

“I’m going to look at the bottom line again.” Katiya could see him turning the focus wheel. Finally, he said, “Looks like this one is Sem… Semyaza.”

The name sounded oddly familiar to her. Where had she heard it? Amanda had recognized the first name, and now she recognized this one. That likely meant the statues represented important historical figures. But who were they and what era were they from?

Max turned and seemed to notice the altar for the first time. He approached and used a fingernail to scratch at a dark blotch on one of the stones. “I think we both know what went on here.” He lifted his finger and smelled it.

“Sorry, but I think after hundreds of years it’s probably lost its smell.”

He shrugged. “Thought I’d give it a try. Wouldn’t surprise me if the indigenous still come here and use this place for something, even though they didn’t build it.”

“I doubt it. I think they’re frightened of this mountain.”

“So frightened they attacked one of our teams at its base? We know at least one tribe lives in the crater. And based on what we know about them, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they used this temple.”

“Then what is the connection to these guys?” Katiya turned and looked at the statue again. “Who are they?”

Someone spoke from behind them. “I think I know.”

Katiya and Max turned to find Amanda walking toward them. She directed her light toward the statue’s face. “Let me guess, that’s Semyaza?”

Max’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

“Because I finally figured out who they are…
all
of them.”

Max gave her a skeptical frown. “So, who are they? Tell us.”

“Fallen angels,” Amanda said.

Katiya snapped her fingers. “Of course, the watchers… the fallen ones.”

Max frowned. “Who?”

“The fallen angels from the sixth chapter of Genesis.”

Max tilted his head slightly. “I’m familiar with the biblical account, but I don’t recall any names being assigned to the fallen angels.”

“That’s because the names aren’t given in the Bible,” Amanda said. “They’re given in the Book of Enoch. Genesis gives us an overview of what happened, but it’s the Book of Enoch that fills in all the details. For example, it tells us that when the angels first fell, they descended upon Mount Hermon.”

Katiya nodded. “There’s the mountains and portals connection again.”

Max folded his arms and leaned back against the altar. “So we know the names from the Book of Enoch. All right, fine. But why are they here? How would an ancient tribe of northern Brazil even know of their existence? Something doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s a good question, and I think I have the answer.” Amanda paced for a moment then looked up at him. “Let’s back up for a second. When the bad angels fell to earth, the Bible says they found the women attractive and had relations with them. Those unions produced offspring known as the Nephilim.”

“The giants,” Katiya said.

“Yes, that was the first incursion of giants,” Amanda said. “In fact, the polluting of the gene pool was one of the reasons God sent the flood.”

Katiya nodded. “That reminds me of something. Both the Mayans and the Aztecs have legends that speak of giants roaming the earth in what they call the first age, or the First Sun. Those legends also say that they were all killed by a massive flood. Don’t you find it interesting that their story mirrors the biblical account?”

Max looked at Amanda. “So all of the Nephilim were destroyed by the flood?”

“Yes, but unfortunately the angels continued their dark work after the flood, which led to further incursions of Nephilim. Eventually there were thousands, if not tens of thousands, roaming that part of the world.”

Max’s brow furrowed with skepticism. “Thousands?”

“At least,” Amanda said. “Think about all the mentions throughout the Torah and the rest of the Old Testament. People seem to read all the pertinent passages and yet still don’t make the connection. Remember what some of the spies said to Moses when they returned from the land of Canaan? They said they found Nephilim there, giants so large that they made the spies feel like grasshoppers. That was after the flood.”

Katiya nodded. “And their description takes away any possibility that they were just referring to a few abnormally large men.”

“Exactly,” Amanda said. “And who doesn’t know Goliath? He was a Nephilim, as was Og, king of Bashan.”

Max shook his head. “Assuming one believes all these fanciful stories, you still haven’t explained why there would be statues of them here in northern Brazil. The whole thing just doesn’t add up.”

“I’m getting there. God commanded the Israelites to exterminate the Nephilim still in the land after the flood, but most scholars see evidence that many of them escaped, some by land and others by boat. In fact, the historical record confirms that there was a diaspora of giants.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Max said.

“I can show you the evidence, even though much of it has been covered up,” Amanda said. “Giant skeletons, some over fifteen feet tall, have been found across the globe, including many in North America. And all of them seem to date to the diaspora.”

Max paced away from the altar, lost in thought. Finally, he looked up and asked, “So you think they came here?”

“Yes, I do,” Amanda said. “I believe the Nephilim built this temple to worship the fallen angels.” She looked around. “They’ve long since died off, but clearly something is still going on here.”

“I’m not sure I’m completely on board with your fallen angel theory,” Katiya said, “but I do see linkage between what happened at Mount Hermon and what happened here.

“I’m going to need to see more evidence before I draw any conclusions,” Max said. He looked up at the statue again. “Although I must say it’s hard to explain away the names.”

Amanda was about to respond, when Katiya held up a hand. “Sorry to interrupt… but where is everybody else? There were lights bouncing around just a few minutes ago. Now the whole place is dark.”

Amanda turned toward the front of the room. “Oh, I think Rebecca took them downstairs to that place where she hid before.”

“Okay, good,” Katiya said. “I was hoping they hadn’t wandered outside in that—”

Suddenly a blood-curdling scream cut her off.

It was muffled by stone, but Katiya knew immediately who it was.

“SEE SOMETHING?” ZANE asked.

Bennett had come to a stop and was staring through his binoculars. “I thought it was an outcrop of boulders or rocks, but some of the angles seem too sharp.”

“Let’s have a look then,” Zane said.

As the four moved out from under the cover of the trees, Zane saw what he was referring to, an assortment of stone structures overgrown with bushes and vines. “It looks like the remains of a village.”