idea how archeologically important this could be? A perfectly preserved temple that's thousands of years old."
"Compared to what?” she asked. “I mean, if you're talking about historical importance, I think the True Cross is a pretty hard act to follow."
He grinned. “Can't argue with that. But this is pretty cool too."
The black stones of the temple were intricately carved with a frieze that started at the bottom and continued all the way to the top of the ten-foot-high structure.
"Maybe not so cool. This stuff is nasty,” Zack reported from where he had bent to examine the sculptures more closely.
Ivy didn't know what she was expecting—maybe kamasutra-like sexual instructions. Instead, the temple wall was carved with hundreds of miniature statues of humans being slaughtered—and eaten by animal-headed gods.
"People have believed in some pretty sickening things,” she observed.
Although the temple was intact, there was no evidence that anyone had been inside the temple for ages.
A thick layer of dust lay on the temple steps but there were no spiderwebs. Maybe the ugly yellow barrier kept out even insects.
Inside the temple, another sculpted depiction of the god with a human torso and a hawk head stood, his muscular arms holding a basin that drained into his open mouth. A long flint knife lay on his basin. And it was definitely a him . The god's enormous erection made that clear.
Richly colored paintings on the wall depicted naked priests using that knife, or one just like it, to butcher a series of children.
The god was turned on by drinking human blood. Very nasty.
"Lots of old religions centered on human sacrifice,” Zack said.
She'd almost forgotten about him and Zack's voice startled her.
"So maybe it's a good thing this place is sealed away."
"People don't worship gods like this any more,” Zack reminded her. “Even by the time Homer wrote, almost three thousand years ago, human sacrifice was seen as perverse.” He paused for a moment, “in this part of the world anyway. This place must be really ancient. More than three thousand years old, for sure. Maybe lots older. I don't see any signs of metal at all. Neolithic."
"It may be old, but the power is still here,” Ivy reminded him.
The hairs on her arm stood abruptly as a chilling idea crossed her mind.
"What do you figure the odds are that we just happened to stumble on the only hidden place like this?"
Zack didn't even pause to consider. “About zero. There have to be thousands of places like this. Although you do have to remember that we're in a particularly ancient part of the world. In other countries, there might be fewer things like this."
"And the Cross is the key to opening them all.” She sagged against a wall, then recoiled as the hideous yellow power clawed at her. “If someone could unlock the power that is keeping this place hidden, they could do almost anything."
Zack nodded slowly. “The ultimate weapons of mass destruction. Maybe Colin Powell and those guys weren't lying after all about what was hidden in Iraq. Not completely."
"Maybe."
The air inside the temple seemed suddenly stale to her and Ivy stepped outside, back to the stone courtyard surrounding the temple.
"Okay,” she said. “We'll bring in the bicycles and the longer Cross section. We'll leave the cross-piece hanging out a few inches so we can get back in. I know it's taking a chance, but we'll have to hope nobody can spot it. I think this place's power glow will shield it from any CIA sensors. That's what the orange color was all about."
He gave her a funny look and she had to remind herself that Zack couldn't see the power. It was frighteningly real to her.
"What if you're wrong?"
"If I'm wrong, we're dead, Zack. Is that what you want me to say? Because it's true. But if we just wander into town and walk up to the Turkish Army with pieces of the True Cross and a couple of bicycles we stole from a monastery, we'll be just as dead. We don't have
"Compared to what?” she asked. “I mean, if you're talking about historical importance, I think the True Cross is a pretty hard act to follow."
He grinned. “Can't argue with that. But this is pretty cool too."
The black stones of the temple were intricately carved with a frieze that started at the bottom and continued all the way to the top of the ten-foot-high structure.
"Maybe not so cool. This stuff is nasty,” Zack reported from where he had bent to examine the sculptures more closely.
Ivy didn't know what she was expecting—maybe kamasutra-like sexual instructions. Instead, the temple wall was carved with hundreds of miniature statues of humans being slaughtered—and eaten by animal-headed gods.
"People have believed in some pretty sickening things,” she observed.
Although the temple was intact, there was no evidence that anyone had been inside the temple for ages.
A thick layer of dust lay on the temple steps but there were no spiderwebs. Maybe the ugly yellow barrier kept out even insects.
Inside the temple, another sculpted depiction of the god with a human torso and a hawk head stood, his muscular arms holding a basin that drained into his open mouth. A long flint knife lay on his basin. And it was definitely a him . The god's enormous erection made that clear.
Richly colored paintings on the wall depicted naked priests using that knife, or one just like it, to butcher a series of children.
The god was turned on by drinking human blood. Very nasty.
"Lots of old religions centered on human sacrifice,” Zack said.
She'd almost forgotten about him and Zack's voice startled her.
"So maybe it's a good thing this place is sealed away."
"People don't worship gods like this any more,” Zack reminded her. “Even by the time Homer wrote, almost three thousand years ago, human sacrifice was seen as perverse.” He paused for a moment, “in this part of the world anyway. This place must be really ancient. More than three thousand years old, for sure. Maybe lots older. I don't see any signs of metal at all. Neolithic."
"It may be old, but the power is still here,” Ivy reminded him.
The hairs on her arm stood abruptly as a chilling idea crossed her mind.
"What do you figure the odds are that we just happened to stumble on the only hidden place like this?"
Zack didn't even pause to consider. “About zero. There have to be thousands of places like this. Although you do have to remember that we're in a particularly ancient part of the world. In other countries, there might be fewer things like this."
"And the Cross is the key to opening them all.” She sagged against a wall, then recoiled as the hideous yellow power clawed at her. “If someone could unlock the power that is keeping this place hidden, they could do almost anything."
Zack nodded slowly. “The ultimate weapons of mass destruction. Maybe Colin Powell and those guys weren't lying after all about what was hidden in Iraq. Not completely."
"Maybe."
The air inside the temple seemed suddenly stale to her and Ivy stepped outside, back to the stone courtyard surrounding the temple.
"Okay,” she said. “We'll bring in the bicycles and the longer Cross section. We'll leave the cross-piece hanging out a few inches so we can get back in. I know it's taking a chance, but we'll have to hope nobody can spot it. I think this place's power glow will shield it from any CIA sensors. That's what the orange color was all about."
He gave her a funny look and she had to remind herself that Zack couldn't see the power. It was frighteningly real to her.
"What if you're wrong?"
"If I'm wrong, we're dead, Zack. Is that what you want me to say? Because it's true. But if we just wander into town and walk up to the Turkish Army with pieces of the True Cross and a couple of bicycles we stole from a monastery, we'll be just as dead. We don't have
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