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  RELICS: 15 ADVENTURE THRILLERS

  PHOENIX QUEST ADVENTURES

  1. The Hammer of Thor

  2. The Spear of Destiny

  3. The Lair of Beowulf

  4. The Fountain of Youth

  5. The Ark of the Covenant

  6. The Seal of Solomon

  7. The Shroud of Turin

  EVEN KNIGHT ADVENTURES

  8. The Lost Garden

  9. Keepers of the Lost Garden

  10. Destroyers of the Lost Garden

  STANDALONE NOVELS

  11. The Peaches of Wang Mu

  12. Curse of the Coins

  13. The Dagger

  14. Map of the Masons

  15. Pandora’s Box

  by

  K.T. TOMB

  Acclaim for K.T. Tomb:

  “Epic and awesome!”

  —J.T. Cross, bestselling author of Beneath the Deep

  “Now this is what I call adventure. The Lost Garden will leave you breathless!”

  —Summer Lee, bestselling author of Angel Heart

  “The best adventure novel I’ve read in a long time. K.T. Tomb. I can’t wait to read the sequel. Count me a fan. A big fan.”

  —P.J. Day, bestselling author of The Sunset Prophecy

  “K.T. Tomb is a wonderful new voice in adventure fiction. I was enthralled by The Lost Garden... and you will be, too.”

  —Aiden James, bestselling author of Immortal Plague

  Other Books by K.T. Tomb

  STANDALONE NOVELS

  Tyrannosaurus Knights

  Monster

  Little Wolf

  The Dragon and the Witch

  Jerusalem Gold

  Drums Along the Hudson

  Curse of the Coins

  Ghosts of the Titanic

  The Honeymooners

  The Tempest

  The Swashbucklers

  The Adventurers

  The Kraken

  The Last Crusade

  CHYNA STONE ADVENTURES

  The Minoan Mask

  The Mummy Codex

  The Phoenician Falcon

  The Babylonian Basilisk

  The Aquitaine Armor

  The Ivory Bow

  The Rosary Riddle

  The Jeweled Crown

  PHOENIX QUEST ADVENTURES

  The Hammer of Thor

  The Spear of Destiny

  The Lair of Beowulf

  The Fountain of Youth

  The Ark of the Covenant

  The Seal of Solomon

  The Shroud of Turin

  NICK CAINE ADVENTURES

  Map of the Masons

  Mountains of the Moon

  Order of the Cyclops

  Labyrinth of the Minotaur

  SASQUATCH SERIES

  Sasquatch

  Sasquatch Found

  Bigfoot Mountain

  The Snow Giants

  Kingdom of the Yeti

  CASH CASSIDY ADVENTURES

  The Holy Grail

  The Lost Continent

  The Lost City of Gold

  The Falcon Cloak

  The Jaguar God

  THE ALPHA ADVENTURES

  “A” is for Amethyst

  “B” is for Bullion

  “C” is for Crystal

  “D” is for Diamond

  EVAN KNIGHT ADVENTURES

  The Lost Garden

  Keepers of the Lost Garden

  Destroyers of the Lost Garden

  ISLANDS THAT TIME FORGOT

  Dinosaur Island

  Ape Island

  Snake Island

  SHORT STORIES

  Here Be Dragons

  The Sands of Time

  Relics: 15 Adventure Thrillers

  Published by K.T. Tomb

  Copyright © 2019 by K.T. Tomb

  All rights reserved

  Ebook Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PHOENIX QUEST ADVENTURES

  1. The Hammer of Thor

  2. The Spear of Destiny

  3. The Lair of Beowulf

  4. The Fountain of Youth

  5. The Ark of the Covenant

  6. The Seal of Solomon

  7. The Shroud of Turin

  EVEN KNIGHT ADVENTURES

  8. The Lost Garden

  9. Keepers of the Lost Garden

  10. Destroyers of the Lost Garden

  STANDALONE NOVELS

  11. The Peaches of Wang Mu

  12. Curse of the Coins

  13. The Dagger

  14. Map of the Masons

  15. Pandora’s Box

  About the Author

  THE HAMMER OF THOR

  by

  K.T. TOMB

  A Phoenix Quest Adventure #1

  The Hammer of Thor

  Published by K.T. Tomb

  Copyright © 2013 by K.T. Tomb

  All rights reserved.

  The Hammer of Thor

  Introduction

  Aberdour Castle,

  Fife, Scotland

  Answering the phone promptly was something everyone at the Quests Unlimited offices prided themselves in. It helped that Ophelia Morton, the Head Librarian, ran a particularly tight ship. Phoenix only waited a few seconds beyond the second ring before a cheery, but hushed voice, answered the phone.

  “Can I speak to Countess Morton, please?”

  “Of course, Ms. Phoenix. Can you hold?”

  Twenty seconds later she was patched through to Head Librarian Morton. “Phoenix, how good it is to hear from you. How may I be of assistance?”

  “I received a letter from the club stating that my membership was up for review. Is that something I should be concerned about?”

  “Oh no, not at all. I assure you, it’s purely routine. With your track record, you have nothing to be worried about.”

  “Okay, good! I’d hate to have that hovering over my head just as I’m off on my next hunt.”

  “And by hunt do you mean...”

  “Treasure hunt.”

  “How exciting! Where are you off to this time, Miss Phoenix?”

  “Aksum, Ethiopia.”

  “But that could only mean...”

  “Yes,” said Phoenix, laughing lightly. “Simon has me researching the location of the true Ark of the Covenant.”

  “Oh my, how intriguing!” Ophelia commented.

  “More than you know,” said Phoenix. “I’ve been consulting with Dr. Whitherby, an archeologist out of London, and all his suggestions about the location of the Ark seem to point away from the common belief that it’s at Aksum. But first, a few of us are headed there to authenticate the relic.”

  “That sounds truly spectacular. I can’t wait to hear all about it when I see you in a few weeks at the review committee meeting. Have a safe trip and all the best.”

  “Thank you, Ophelia. See you in a few weeks.”

  The call ended as cordially as it had begun.

  Ophelia turned to her computer and double-clicked the desktop icon that opened the club’s database software and typed ‘Phoenix Quest’ in the search bar. Immediately, Thalia Phoenix’s personnel file popped up on the screen.

  For over a year, the club had been contemplating amalgamating Phoenix’s team into a group membership. Once again, the proposal was up for debate, but Ophelia wasn’t sure everyone on Phoe’s team had what it took to be a member of Quests Unlimited.

  She picked through each person’s digital file to refresh her memory.

  No, they’re not quite there as a team yet, but...

  Ophelia’s fingertips skittered over the keyboard again. She pulled up the case summaries for Phoen
ix’s last three adventures. They had been of the greatest magnitude, despite their somewhat peculiar outcomes.

  Though she had lost the Head of Olmec, it had been retrieved successfully from the jungles of Peru.

  Unstoppable.

  Her investigative skills and systematic techniques had been more than evident in her quest to validate the existence of and retrieve the legendary Hammer of Thor, Mjölnir.

  Admirable.

  The flawlessly methodical elimination and deduction process that Phoenix implemented in solving the mystery of the Spear of Destiny had dumbfounded Ophelia. But it had been the look of knowing in the young explorer’s eyes as she’d told the story which had intrigued the Librarian the most. Phoenix had figured out exactly where the head of Longines’ spear likely was but she had also gained an understanding of the young soldier’s heart along the way. His concern about what power might have been imbued to the weapon by Christ’s blood and the inability of any man to wield such power resonated with her. So, Phoenix had kept her thoughts on its location secret.

  Impeccable character.

  The strangest of all her journeys, however, had been her latest, which had taken Phoenix and some of her team inside a virtual reality world fashioned after the Beowulf poem. They’d gone directly into the path of clear and present danger and Phoenix had come away with Beowulf’s sword, Hrunting.

  Relentless.

  All in all, Thalia Phoenix had successfully recovered many valuable artifacts and beyond her adventures, she was a successful businesswoman, too. Even at a glance, her adventures proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the star in her group was Thalia Phoenix herself.

  Ophelia closed the personnel pages one by one until only two remained: Phoenix’s and Charlotte’s.

  She sighed and, in that instant, knew exactly what her position on the Phoenix Quest team would be. She opened her email program, the secure one, and started composing a group email. She thought carefully as she added each recipient to the list, making sure she was contacting only the key board members; those who would be attending the review committee. After five minutes of typing, she pressed the send button.

  She would propose a compromise to the committee on their motion.

  She would veto the motion to propose a team membership, but, based on the outcome of the Ark of the Covenant adventure, Ophelia decided she would put forward Charlotte’s name for membership consideration, in addition to a recommendation that Thalia Phoenix be promoted to gold member ranking.

  Ophelia smiled at the thought.

  Phoe will like that.

  Chapter One

  Phoe stood with her back pressed flat against the one-hundred-foot wall facing the Amazon River in Iquitos City, Peru. Her blue eyes were on fire as she pushed her long black hair away from her face.

  Stone steps separated the wall’s expanse, forty feet apart, roughly twenty feet lower than the last. The giant stone staircase would be impossible for a normal-sized person to descend, if not for the low-hanging vines from the heavy canopy of trees adjacent to the walkway.

  “It’s not a coincidence that the vines are here, Jonathan!” Phoe barked to a nervous young man standing on the top step at the wall’s highest point. “This was planned so people could use them to climb. It doesn’t happen by accident!”

  “I don’t know,” he replied, his knees shaking. “It looks like an easy way to die!”

  She stood perched on the third step down, irritated that he was too frightened to move. “I’d really like to discuss the laws of physics with you in more detail, but in case you haven’t noticed, we’re running out of time!”

  “I’m serious, Phoe!” pleaded Jonathan. “This circus act is a little much for me.”

  “Well, sweetheart, unless you can get a grip on your fear of heights, I’ll have to assume that you’ll soon be out of the running for this little adventure, huh?”

  “Did anyone ever tell you how badly you play with others?” he grumbled.

  “You mean, you’re just now figuring out that I get more accomplished on my own, and that other people tend to get in my way?” she shot back.

  “Like who?” He feigned a wound to his male pride.

  Phoe ignored the question. “Seriously, either you get your shit together or I’m going to drop you off somewhere. It’s turning out to be one of my worst decisions.”

  “Why did you bring me, then?”

  “Because your father happens to be a valued client. He expects me to bring you back alive, by the way.”

  “Hey, I’m helping you find the—”

  She cut him a look to shut him up. “Seriously, if you want to live, do what I tell you, Jonathan. Period.”

  “Fine.”

  A dark-haired figure stood thirty feet away, on the other side of the river. Peter Kellerman waved to her; gloating. She fought the urge to wave back with a single finger. Peter and Phoe had been friends since high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Phoe had maintained her rebellious nature throughout, going so far as to change her name after graduation. Named after her grandmother, she decided to stop answering to her formal name, and would no longer acknowledge it, ever. She preferred to simply be known as Phoe, which was short for her last name: Phoenix. Since that time, Peter would bring up her real first name every now and then, just to keep it as a bargaining chip.

  Having spurned his advances long ago, she understood his need to compete with her at every opportunity. When she excelled in track in high school, he took up running. When she took gymnastics, he immediately followed suit. When she got interested in hunting down and collecting artifacts, he made it his life’s mission to beat her at her own game. He was still at it.

  “Do you have a reason for that evil grin on your face, Peter?” she called across the river.

  “Why do you assume my grin is evil?” he called back.

  The thing about him that irritated her most was the fact he used the word assume more than most people. “Because I know your smiles and this is the one I enjoy the least!”

  “Ah, come on, Phoe,” he teased. “Or should I share an embarrassing secret with the dude about to pee his pants?”

  “Don’t you dare!” she warned.

  “Your dilemma is heartrending—truly, it is. Use the vines to come over and shut me up. Or, better yet... try to stop me before I find the...” He held up a silver jaguar’s head about the size of a bowling ball. Its dark jeweled eyes glistened in the sun. “Oops, too late... again! Looks like I already located the Head of Olmec! Beaten again... Imagine that!”

  “No!” she shouted angrily.

  He laughed, obviously tickled by the upper hand he had gained. “I feel your pain, Thalia. However, if you come after me to try to take it, you won’t be able to get back there to save your man in distress. What to do, oh my, what to do?”

  Phoe could only glare at him.

  “Well, I wish I could stay and chat some more, but surely you realize I have to take my shiny new friend someplace warm and dry!”

  “He’s got it! He’s got the Head of Olmec in his hand! I can’t believe it!” Jonathan exclaimed, as if only suddenly becoming aware of what had transpired between Peter and Phoe.

  “Concentrate on not falling, would you?” Phoe snarled, glancing back at Jonathan. “Maybe I’ll accomplish at least one task this venture.”

  She turned her attention back to Peter.

  Of all the shit Peter had pulled on her, he had picked a terrible time to be cute. She began the silent debate about what her client would miss more: the Head of Olmec or his precious son. Meanwhile, Peter made his getaway, disappearing into the jungle. There was little time for making further consideration of her dilemma as the massive stone steps began to retract into the wall. Once they disappeared, it was a straight drop into piranha-infested waters below. It was a trivial fact she had omitted from Jonathan’s awareness, for various reasons. With time running out, there was really no reason to bring it up now.

  She grabbed the nearest vine and t
ook a three-step lunge to start the pendulum process of swinging back and forth, hoping to create enough momentum to reach the top step and her charge. Jonathan suddenly noticed the disappearing ledge he was perched upon, whimpering for her to save his ass. Easy does it, Mr. Kessler... two more swings and I’ll...

  In a panic, he prepared to dive.

  “Don’t do it, Jonathan!” she called out.

  “Why? How deep is the river?”

  “Deep enough! The piranhas are the real issue!”

  “The what?!” he cried out in surprise.

  “Piranhas!” she confirmed, while trying to align herself with where he stood.

  “Oh, shit!” He shuffled back toward the wall as far as he could, but his ledge was disappearing rapidly.

  “Phoe!?” he called out.

  He had barely gotten the words out before his space ran out and he slipped from the edge and started to fall.

  “Gotcha!” she announced as she grabbed him. There was only a moment for him to adjust. If he didn’t listen to her instruction, they both would be piranha chow. “Grab onto the vine—I’ve got you!”

  Phoe had just turned twenty-five. The age when things get clearer for most young people. It is a time after college, when lost friends, opportunities and regrets from the past are let go of, and hope spurs on the mindful few toward greater things in life. That was Phoe... Her trial and error adventures were like the early stages of a rocket stage being shed during liftoff. Of course, at that moment, all of that could come to a very sudden end if things turned bad.

  To her surprise, and their salvation, Jonathan finally listened to her and bravely wrapped himself—hands, arms, and legs—tightly around the vine while she continued to hang on to him. But that was just part one of the crazy tricks they had to pull off.

  “Hold on!”

  “I am, damn it!”

  Perhaps he thought she would aim for the trees, and they would then either try to scale them to reach the wall and continue their climb at impossible odds, or they could slide to the ground and start over... or go back from whence they came. Or...