The Secret of the Stones by Ernest Dempsey (reading fiction .TXT) 📕

his old friend gave him a smirk. “Down through the centuries, many arks have been discovered in Egyptian temples and burial sites. Until recently, their purpose had been thought to be ceremonial. However, as HC pointed out, there is an amazing science behind the purpose of the gold boxes. Have either of you read about the power of the Ark of the Covenant in the book of Genesis?”

They both shrugged. “Maybe a long time ago,” she said. Her expression was as bland as cardboard.

“Well, it is fascinating,” Joe didn’t let their ambiguity slow him down. “There are several instances where the people of Israel bore witness to the great power the ark possessed: Uzzah was killed instantly when he reached up and touched it to keep it from falling off a cart, the walls of Jericho crumbled before it, and the Philistines were struck with what seems to be some kind of radiation sickness after they stole the box from the Israelites. The program on the History Channel said the reason the ark had such amazing power was that it was essentially a superconductor for static electricity.

“Researchers discovered that there are certain points on the surface of the earth that collect more of this electric energy than others. Not coincidentally, most of the hotspots for this geostatic power are where Egyptian temples were built. It seems the Egyptians had discovered a way to harness electricity. To what ends is still a mystery.”

Sean was starting to understand, “So these arks were designed by the Egyptian leaders to control the people with displays of electric power. To the ordinary citizen, the arcs of lightning they produced would appear to be some kind of divine power.”

“Yep,” Mac agreed.

Allyson was also starting to draw the connection. “Do you think that these Golden Chambers were designed for a similar reason?”

Joe shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. But I do know that Egyptians had a far greater understanding of gold and its uses in science than we could have ever imagined. Just makes me think that if they constructed four Golden Chambers, there must have been two reasons.”

“Two reasons?” Allyson’s eyes scanned him curiously.

“Most definitely,” Joe chuckled. Then he said, “If we find one chamber, we should be able to find the next one.”

“Why is that?” she wondered aloud.

His voice grew a little quieter, “The other reason the chambers were built was to point the way home.”

30

Cartersville

McElroy’s dog perked his head up for a second and turned toward the back porch. His brown ears twitched, probably hearing a raccoon or some other nocturnal animal in the woods. Whatever it was, he lost interest a few seconds later and laid his head back down on the floor.

“Home?” Sean asked. “You mean Egypt? That home?”

Joe had presented an enormous amount of information over the last hour, and it was all starting to come together in a way that Sean would never have imagined.

“Egypt,” Mac confirmed with a matter-of-fact nod.

“So the chambers are some kind of beacons,” Ally said more as a declaration than a question.

“Yes. And if someone can find the first one, there should be a clue that will point to the next one and so on until eventually, the final chamber is located.”

Reaching down, he scratched behind the hound’s ear. The dog tilted its head slightly in appreciation. “Naturally, the people who placed the chambers in their locations would have found it simple to find the way home. This could only mean that they were ordered not to return until an appointed time.”

“But the appointed time and path were lost to antiquity,” Sean pointed out.

“Until now.” Joe had picked up the stone disc and was examining it again. His eyes were mesmerized by the object. “Amazing that such a remarkable treasure has been hidden for thousands of years without anyone ever coming close to finding it.”

Allyson interrupted his thoughts, “So, what’s the next step?”

His tone was direct. “We figure out the riddle, of course,” he replied. “That’s the reason you came here.”

Taking the sheet of paper in his hand, Joe began reexamining the lines. His finger traced the passages a couple of times before he looked up from the page. “It is so simple, and yet it is immeasurably difficult to figure out.”

“Do you have an idea of what it might mean?” Sean had hoped his friend might know something in relation to the key words used in the clue.

“Not really.” Then he corrected himself, “Well, I mean, the chambers make sense. That part we get,” he forced a quick laugh, “but the raven and dove, chariots of Heaven, stones? It all seems pretty random.”

Allyson sighed. Her brain was on information overload. She paced her way over to the back door of the cabin and looked out the large window onto a darkly stained deck. Deep forest awaited just beyond the moderately sized yard behind the house. At the edge of the woods, twisted ancient trees stood hauntingly silent in the faint lights of the house like something out of a horror film. “You mind if I step outside for a minute, guys? My brain needs a break.”

They looked over at her, startled from staring at the disc. “Sure,” Joe responded, “go right ahead. Take a look around.” He made a passive motion with his hand, turning immediately back to the round piece of stone in the other palm.

Allyson eased the glass door open and stepped onto the planks of the patio. Her ears filled with the sounds of the forest, and, as when she arrived, her nose enjoyed the sweet smells of nature. In the clearing where the house was situated, the cloudless sky that opened up above was absolutely breathtaking. With no moon visible,