Tridas (24 page)

Aristotle
returned after a few hours, waking the couple. "It appears Allatore has
set sail to join Alexander in the east".

"I
knew it!" Kavani responded.

"What
has happened?" Antipater asked, unaware of any details since his rebirth.

"The
amulet necklace contains the power that brought us back to life", Kavani
explained. "Because it was on my neck, the power was strong enough to
resurrect me without the use of gold and completely heal my stab wounds", she
assumed.

"We
knew of its power from our night in Niepolis", Antipater stated, still a
bit confused.

"Allatore
witnessed its power in healing me immediately and then again, when I placed the
necklace on your chest. When we awoke, both Allatore and the necklace were
gone". The disgust in Kavani's voice was palatable.

"I
trust Allatore with my life. We trusted Allatore with our lives".

"And
he gave you your life. I believe he wanted peace for you, for us" Kavani
conceded, "but he stole my necklace".

"People
do not want peace, they want power", Antipater agreed.

On board the flight, Aven poured through the journal to learn more about the
Tridas legend. He recognized the symbol from Kavani's necklace. He knew it as a
representation of life. It had in fact raised them from the dead and granted
them perpetual life...and eternal youth, but the journal described it as
centered in conflict. The notes were choppy -

Conflict – three outcomes, each side can win or equality is
met and then reset to face each other once again. Patterns and positions
give an advantage to one side – strategy, mind reading, data    crunching,
element of surprise, the art of war – Tridas the symbol says two equally
matched forces will continue to battle until one is victorious –
the battle of Tridas

The journal contained an
interesting history of the symbol, including sketches and details of its
origin. What was blatantly missing was some reference of the jewel. Kavani's
necklace was mysteriously absent from the record.

"How did the society learn
of the symbol without knowledge of the necklace?"  Aven thought as he
continued to read. Suttikul had spoken of the symbol as being a seminal piece
of the Aerial collection, but he never mentioned the gem. Aven knew Sihamuni
had supernatural powers. He had also threatened Kavani with "other
resources at his disposal".

Aven's mind was firing
questions nonstop...

"Did Suttikul reveal the
symbol as a clue that Sihamuni actually had the necklace?"

"Why did the journal have
such a negative understanding of the symbol?"

"How could they have
discovered the resting place of the necklace?"

"Why was Kava so calm
after seeing the symbol? Did she not remember its significance?"

"The symbol had never
resurfaced in hundreds of years, why now?"

The intercom cracked overhead,
as the flight attendant announced they soon would be landing in Argentina. The
standard safety instructions were given. Aven closed the journal and
repositioned his seat. He was only a few minutes away from reuniting with
Kavani.

******

The helicopter rendezvoused
with the ship, now deeper in the Atlantic waters, but still making preparations
for safe harbor back in Argentina. Hoyt and Kava were escorted onto the bridge.

The ship's Captain began the
brief, "An ICBM out of Russia has been launched. Due to the nature of our
visit, Zavodovski Island is one of the potential strike points. With no sensors
in close proximity to the missile launch site, we missed the intercept window
for boost phase defenses".

"We have increased
presence in the area due to our current situation", Hoyt countered.
"How did we not have sensors in close proximity of the known missile
site?"

"Full details are
classified, but it appears the Russians had real time intel to deactivate our
countermeasure defenses", the Captain continued. "The missile is
currently coasting in space allowing us several opportunities to destroy it
outside the earth's atmosphere".

"Sir, Aegis Missile Defense
is for you", interrupted the ship's commanding officer.

After taking the short call,
the Captain flipped the all-alert button, "Attention ship personnel, this
is not a drill, a long range missile has been launched. X-band radars have
established target detection, tracking the path to our previous island
location. Ground-based Midcourse defense is useless. A destroyer armed with
hit-to-kill technology is underway to position an interceptor projectile in the
path of the hostile missile. Should they not be successful, we need to be as
far away from Zavodovski as possible. Make it so".

Kavani could only assume the
real time intel was coming from Hoyt. "Will the smoke screen you released
have any positive effect?" she asked.

"It will simply make the
impact point less exact", Hoyt reasoned.

"Impact less exact!"
The Captain chided, "We have the largest Sea-Based X-band in the world,
with precise radar tracking of missiles of all ranges. There will be no impact!
Escort our guests to their quarters, immediately".

Kava was determined to stay
with Hoyt, but the MPs had direct orders. She could not leave him alone. He
obviously had communication equipment in his room. Any force against the
guards, may raise his suspicions. She entered her room as directed. Calming her
spirit, she began to reach out in a meditative state. The ship was certainly
not sacred ground, but she was desperate to connect to the beyond.

Relaxed now, she began to hear
the voice of Citlalli, "The ages have called for this battle. The fullness
of time is now. The sea Gods will keep you safe". Remaining in her
meditative state she began to reflect on the symbol Aven had drawn for her and
had prompted his return to Thailand.

The Captain's voice over the
speaker broke her concentration, "An SM-2 Block IV missile has been
unleashed. It will make contact very close to the intended target, in an
attempt to render the warhead inert. Our current position is very close for a
terminal phase intercept. Brace yourself for reverberations".

"Hoyt had succeeded!"
Kavani thought, "But not on his own, it was destiny".

******

It was unclear why all flights
had been grounded in Argentina, but Aven knew it revolved around the Tridas
battle. He feared for Kavani's safety, while at the same time sensed everything
was moving according to a supernatural chronicle, in which she played the
leading role. He reflected on the time they had spent in search of Allatore and
more precisely the necklace. What had he forgotten? What was missing that still
needed to be revealed?

326-325B.C.

Allatore had witnessed the
life-giving power of Kavani's necklace. Now that his friend was free from
Alexander's clutch, he was compelled that it was his lot to rid the world of
Alexander completely. Allatore had felt a similar weight in the past, but the
amulet seemed to solidify his role in Alexander's demise. Nothing was clear,
but his access to the emperor was undeniable.

"The power would reveal
itself at the right time", Allatore said actually speaking to the amulet
in his hands.

The jewel seemed to be a
compass, directing Allatore's heart. The chain was too small to fasten around
his neck, but he sensed the gem needed to be close to work at its best. He
entered the shop of the same smith from which they had acquired the molten gold
for Antipater.

"I need to extend the
chain of this necklace", Allatore requested.

The smith eyed the gem,
"By the Gods, that is an amazing gem".

Allatore realized concealing
the stone may be a better option, "Change in plan. I need to fasten the
stone to my belt". This way the gem would be concealed by his tunic and
also would rest close to his skin. He paid the smith generously, but Allatore
knew Aristotle's persuasive ways would break the artisan's silence. A ship to
the east, joining Alexander's fleet would at least give him distance from the
almost assured pursuit.

Once onboard the vessel,
Allatore had leisure to evaluate the circumstance. Alone with his thoughts he
began to question his intention.

"Antipater must know my
heart to be true". His thoughts began. "Aristotle will undoubtedly
discover I've set a course for India. Once I saw the glow of the gem healing
Antipater's body as it did Kavani, I knew it possessed the power to defeat
Alexander. They are free. Their love is the only power they need to be
complete. They have no need of the necklace". Allatore justified in his
mind. "My friends will realize my purpose. My fear of their pursuit was
foolish". Allatore convinced himself, as both his mind and body accepted,
needed rest. The stone, resting on his leg dropped him into a deep trance.

Time passed as Allatore rested
under the influence of the stone's power.

"You are glowing!"

Allatore awoke to the cowering
shouts of the crew, finally discovering their hidden passenger. Looking down at
his leg he saw the familiar glow that had emanated from the stone when placed
on Antipater's chest.

"Demon!"

"Stay Back!" Crewman
from the front of the pack began to brandish their weapons as Allatore began to
return to consciousness.

A bit in shock, and wishing no
ill will against the crew, Allatore unfastened the stone from his belt. The
light began to fade. "Where are we?"

"Off the shores of
Lanka", came the fearful response. Allatore set the fading stone on the
deck, and slowly stood, stepping away from its light.

 Seeing their obvious
advantage, the mob bum rushed Allatore, pushing him over the side and cascading
into the water below. He had just enough warning to scoop up the stone, not
noticing the burned impression left in the deck wood.

As he struck the water, the
stone glowed again, brighter than Allatore had yet seen. The waves around him
grew, but he felt strangely calm. He seemed to be in some kind of bubble as the
water around him began to rage. The waves began to crash against the ship,
tossing the vessel about like a toy. The instant stormy conditions shattered
the side of the ship as crew members leapt into the sea, seeking safety on the
shores of Lanka. Attempting to swim for land was a suicide mission, but some
would make it. Allatore slipped back into the trance, the stone firmly in his
grasp. The Tsunami raged on, destroying the seaboard cities of Lanka, swelling
up the Makran coast leaving a number of ships in Alexander's fleet in its wake.
By the Gods of the sea, Allatore washed up on the shores of Persia, unresponsive
and unaware of his miraculous journey, stone still firm in hand.

****

Kavani could not believe her
amulet was no longer in her possession.

"The necklace was a gift
from my mother". She began to open her heart to Antipater. "She spoke
of its special history rarely, but I cannot picture her without it gracing her
neck. When she gave it to me, she expressed with a passion its unique power and
its significance to our history".

"As you know, my father
was Greek, a ruler of Rhodes, loyal and respected by King Philip". Kavani
paused. "My Mother was Persian and secretly descended from a Sumerian
nation taken captive by Babylon and assimilated by Persia. Her grandmother, a
woman and therefore not suspected of possessing anything of value, carried one
of the twelve stones, worn by their high priest, to safety in exile in
Babylonia. It was always sacred, said to be the original stone carried by the great
father from the Chaldeans. One of the Sumerian Princes, respected by the King
of Babylon, carved an image onto the stone under the supervision of his
training enchanter. While it was in his possession, he was said to have wisdom
and understanding tenfold that of any of the other magicians in the whole
kingdom. At his death, it was secretly passed to my grandmother who served as a
Queen of Persia. When her true heritage was revealed, the stone was given to my
mother as a wedding gift, when she left for Rhodes to marry my father. It never
displayed any extraordinary magic in Greece, just its natural beauty. When she
entrusted it to me, my mother reminded me of its powerful origin".