The Milestone Protocol by Ernest Dempsey (best books to read in your 20s txt) 📕

removed his glasses. He held them loosely in one hand at his hip. His face was washed pale.

Tommy set the drink down on a nearby counter and returned to the tablet, scanning it even though he couldn’t read the ancient script. “It can’t be,” he breathed.

“Can’t be what?” Tabitha demanded. “Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on here?”

“It’s a warning,” Tommy whispered. “And a challenge.”

Tabitha’s shoulders inched upward, then fell again in an instant. “Okay. What does that mean?”

Sean leaned against the wall with his arms crossed casually, as if unbothered by the revelation contained on the tablet.

“I assume they know about this?” Tommy asked, his tone still muted, but frosted with terrified concern.

“Two days ago,” Sean answered, “Valentin Svoboda was killed in a flat in Prague, along with a woman they have identified as his mistress.”

The answer came as a surprise to everyone in the room, and for each person, for a different reason.

It was Magnus that reacted first. “What did you say?” The Swede took a step backward as if he might lose his balance and pass out, but he regained his footing and stayed upright, albeit with considerable effort. “Valentin is…dead?”

“Yes,” Sean answered without emotion. “That’s what the reports say.”

“It was a murder/suicide,” Tabitha added. “He killed the girl. Then he killed himself.” I only heard the report myself earlier this morning. A few of my colleagues were brought in to work the case, primarily as observers. Svoboda’s dealings around the world made him a well-known businessman, and also created many enemies.”

“That may be,” Sean said, “but it was not a suicide. Murder? Definitely. But Svoboda didn’t kill himself.”

Tabitha’s head retreated back an inch at the suggestion she was wrong. “What are you talking about?”

“Svoboda was murdered, just like his girlfriend. That’s what I’m talking about. The timing of the discovery of this tablet by Dr. Clark’s team and the death of one of the most influential and wealthy businessmen in the world is no coincidence.”

She stared at Sean, indignant. “Excuse me, Sean. I know that you have some experience in the field and all that, but I have boots on the ground at the scene of the crime telling me what happened. They have access to the—”

“Forensics, ballistics, all that stuff,” he interrupted. “Yes. I know. I also have contacts in Prague. And I’m telling you, Svoboda was murdered.”

“Who would have done such a thing?” Magnus asked. “His wife? Perhaps another lover? I was friends with Valentin, but I admit he did have a habit of indulging in some of his…vices.”

“No,” Tommy answered after a long silence.

Kevin’s attention shifted to his rival as he continued to listen intently.

“It was the shadow caste,” Tommy finished. “If they knew about the discovery of this tablet, it would explain the attack on Kevin’s team in Russia.” He glanced at Dr. Clark, whose face blushed red with sadness and regret. “They must have been waiting for its discovery.”

“They have been waiting for this for a long time,” Sean said. “It’s the first clue to the greatest of all mysteries, and one that will unlock the most devastating weapon ever created.”

“Would someone please tell me what in the world you two are on about?” Tabitha roared, stepping forward. “What shadow caste? And how does this tablet,” she pointed at it, “have anything to do with a rich man who killed himself on the other side of the continent?”

“This is no ordinary tablet,” Sean corrected. “It’s a clue… to something very old, and extremely powerful.”

“Fine,” Tabitha huffed. “Ruby. Gem. Whatever. What does it matter? And why would someone attack Dr. Clark’s camp for it?”

“I don’t know,” Sean admitted.

Tommy seemed lost in a vortex of thoughts as he stared blankly at the floor in the corner. When he spoke, his voice sounded distant. “You see the connections, Sean. You and I have talked about this many times. About the shadow caste, how they watch and calculate, always trying to create balance. All this time I thought our conversations were fascinating theories. But this proves it.” He pointed at the tablet. “This proves that they exist, and were in existence during the time of the Khans.”

“Like I told Sean,” Kevin interrupted, “you’re taking a pretty big leap simply based on the vague information contained in this text. Jani Beg could have had it written when he was near the end of his days, perhaps unclear of mind. He might have been hallucinating near the end.”

Tommy denied the statement by shaking his head. “You know better than that, Kevin. You are the world’s foremost expert on the line of Khans and the Golden Horde. When Jani Beg was killed in battle, he was still a strong leader—misguided, sure. It was a miscalculation, I believe, that led to his demise, but it wasn’t senility. If he believed they were there, then it stands to reason the organization is still around, still pulling the world’s strings.”

“What organization?” Magnus asked, intensely curious. He wore a look of determination, even eagerness, like seeing the training wheels taken off his bicycle for the first time.

“Their structure is organizational,” Sean said. “But make no mistake. What we’re dealing with here is a cult.”

15

Madrid

Miyamoto gently unrolled the scroll, spreading it out flat on the smooth wooden table. The writing on the ancient document wasn’t Japanese. It wasn’t a language Adriana had ever seen before. She’d been all over the world, learned many languages, and mastered several, but this was unlike any form of writing she’d ever come across. Or had she?

Something about the script seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

“What is that?” she asked.

“This,” Miyamoto said, “is the story of why we are here.”

“The purpose of human life?” she asked innocently.

He passed her an appreciative smile. “No, little one, it is a big story, but not that big. It is the reason you trained so hard your entire life. It is the reason behind your father’s mysterious infatuation with intelligence and covert operations. For the heir