Destroyers of the Lost Garden (The Lost Garden Trilogy Book 3) Page 3
The man crouched down in front of Jess.
“I mean you and your friends no harm.”
“Yeah, right,” Geronimo scoffed. “That’s why we’re on our knees and we have these zip ties lovingly choking the blood out of our wrists.”
The Russian laughed. You Americans amaze me! Even when there appears to be a threat on your life, you joke like in the movies. He snapped his fingers trying to remember. He then turned to his men.
“That action movie star. You know! Yippy Ki Yi ay…”
“Retard,” Knight interrupted. “That’s Bruce Willis in the Diehard movies.”
“Yes!” the Russian exclaimed, as he jumped up and nodded his head in agreement. “Bruce Willis! Haha! I love him! He makes sarcastic statements even when his life is in danger. The only difference between his situations and yours…is that you will not be killed.”
“That’s the second time you’ve said that,” Knight huffed. “If you keep saying it, I might be willing to start believing you. What’s this all about? Why are you in Iran and what does it have to do with us?”
The Russian laughed again.
“All these questions and I haven’t had the chance to ask you any yet. Is that any way to treat your host?” He looked questioningly at Knight. “Who do you give your allegiance to?”
Knight looked around at Geronimo and wondered if he should say the United States. He then looked at Jess and remembered why he was there.
“The Daughters of Eve. I am here to protect the Garden of Eden and use the flaming sword…”
“Actually I will be using the sword, Evan Knight,” Jess interrupted.
Knight flashed her an angry grin.
“My bad. Anyway, I am the Chos…”
Jess shook her head ‘no’ as her eyes widened.
“I’m the one leading this little group,” Knight concluded.
The Russian paced back and forth around them still kneeling in the sand.
“I believe you, Mr. Knight. Since I am satisfied with your answers, I will help you. I am the squad commander of the Spetsnaz.”
Geronimo and Knight’s mouths drop as Jess wondered what he was talking about.
“I see that most of you have heard of us,” The Russian continued. “For the one person among us who is unfamiliar with who we are, we are like the Russian equivalent to the America’s Black Ops forces. We have been on the trail of Alexey Konstantin. He is well known in our country as a Pharmaceutical pioneer. He has, however, turned his attentions to other things recently. He has hired an army to storm the Garden of Eden and take the healing oil of the Tree of Life for himself. He has military trucks…”
“27!” Geronimo interrupted.
“Yes, my large friend, 27 trucks. He has also acquired some other military vehicles. Fortunately for us, we intercepted some of his toys.”
The Russian looked behind the jeep he arrived in, as two Zulfiqar tanks rumble to a stop about thirty feet from Knight.
“Holy…” Geronimo started.
“Be careful,” warned Jess.
The Russian stood by his jeep.
“These are my gifts to you. To stop Konstantin. I have acquired intelligence which I will give to you for the sole purpose of stopping this madman and preserving the Garden of Eden. I don’t have the extra men to give you, but before you leave, you will have full operational knowledge of each tank.”
Geronimo and Knight’s eyes lit up.
“Are you serious?” asked the unbelieving Knight.
The Russian pulled out a pocket knife and went behind each of them. He cut the zip ties and helped each one up.
“Скорость Бог. I am sorry. Godspeed.”
Knight shook the Russian’s hand with more sincerity than he ever had.
“Thank you…uh. I’m sorry. You know who we are, but we don’t know who to thank.”
“Forgive me, Mr. Knight,” The Russian responded. “My name is Boris Milek.”
Chapter Six
Alexey Konstantin’s war seemed to have been stalled. His tanks still hadn’t arrived and the nameless Iranian wouldn’t answer his phone. His men were restless and Sulina hadn’t made it any easier.
Sulina looked at the Mountain of God, which was so close. This attack was her ticket to glory and she was standing there waiting for a mortal to bring her to victory over Eden. A mortal!?
She walked over to Alexey. He didn’t seem to want her company.
“Well, Alexey? Your trust in these friends of yours has now caused a problem with my trust in you. It’s amazing how these things tend to spiral out of control once the ball starts rolling, isn’t it?”
“Your problem, Sulina…” he said, while forcing himself to remain calm, “…is that you are not used to the ways of men. You say you trust, but you don’t have a clue what that is. You look for excuses to see faults in others that are not of your kind. In some circles that could be considered a discriminatory attitude.”
Sulina practically growled at Alexey.
“You pathetic bastard! You dare call me a racist? What about your own countrymen Lenin and Stalin?”
Alexey laughed, which irritated Sulina more.
“Stalin? Lenin?” He continued to laugh. “Joseph Stalin was scrutinized for his ideals by Lenin himself! Stalin believed in Russification, where only Russians be put in authoritative positions! Get your history correct, before you decide to confront me with ridiculous statements about my own country! You! You have the nerve to try to belittle me and the things that you think mean something to me! You do this to mask the fact that you have doubts about your own abilities! Sulina you hide behind your strength, when in reality, that is all you have! This war is mine! I do not need to hide behind another name to gain the advantage! I am Alexey Konstantin! I am not related to Lenin or Stalin, so your words do not affect me! You are the queen of nothing! But me? I am the destroyer of the Garden of Eden! At this moment, you are nothing but a bystander who has no choice but to wait for the next move.”
Alexey had lost his temper, something he rarely did. He quickly tried to regain his composure. Sulina was about to respond to his tirade, but stopped in her tracks. Alexey looked confused as he stopped as well, listening intently.
He heard something.
The sound of engines in the distance. No, not engines…helicopter blades.
***
Ellisia decided to partner with Shala when the Daughters of Eve paired off to find food and weapons.
Eden was expansive in spite of being surrounded by mountains. The only known entrance was under the Mountain of God and through the Daughter’s fortress. That option had been taken from them. They wouldn’t have willingly abandoned Eden anyway, since they were supposed to protect it. Traveling toward the darker side of Eden meant going through the dense brush and forest that ended at a place where the mountains met. A pool of water that had been sacred to them for centuries lay at the base of these mountains. Before the lair was built it was only used to cleanse the female warriors. The pool’s water was always one temperature and was perfect to meditate in. The pool ran deep and clear. No one ever cared to see just how deep. They needed to gather drinking water from it now to survive.
There is one among them who desired to see the outside world.
She too, was stranded in Eden. She had to make the best of it. The Daughters had to prepare for war. Shala smirked.
“Ironic. Isn’t it Ellisia? We are now forced to prepare for battle utilizing only the tools that we had before our monstrous electronic fortress was constructed.”
Ellisia was sure that Shala had something to do with Mother Daughter coming up missing and the computer virus that had crippled their lair.
“You laugh, Shala? Is this a huge joke to you? Someone took our weapons and Mother Daughter away from us. It was not from the outside world, but from within! Does the thought of Eden being at the mercy of a traitor make you smile, Shala?”
Shala looked ahead to the forest. They were the last pair to enter.
“I smile with memories of Mother Daughter. I do not wish to think that anything bad has happened to her. Why is it that you are so quick to bury her, Ellisia? I have hope and faith. Where is yours?”
Ellisia stopped walking.
“It is a dark day when Daughter turns against Daughter. I will keep my eye on you, Shala.”
Shala smiled.
“You do that Ellisia. I will be fighting for Eden while your interest lies in conspiracies.” She looked at Ellisia. “Would you prefer for me to go first, sister?”
There was no answer from Ellisia. She had a pained expression on her face as blood started to trickle out from the corner of her mouth. Ellisia started to fall but Shala reached out and caught her. She laid her gently on the ground as Ellisia tried to talk, but she only succeeded in gurgling up blood. She reached out for her sister’s help in some way. Her hands were flailing as Shala looked around confused.
Had it begun?
Shala put her hand under Ellisia’s neck for support. That’s when she felt it. A hole? Shala positioned Ellisia so that she could see what made the hole. A bullet.
Shala laid Ellisia flat and tried to comfort her. In the confusion, Ellisia never felt Shala remove her vial of healing oil from around her neck,neither did she when Shala pocketed it.
Shala distracted her sister with conversation. “Ellisia! This is the first time you’ve been shot. I’m sure it’s unnerving, but we know that it takes more than one bullet to kill us. You are only panicking because you have never been shot before. I’m sure it’s a most unpleasant experience you are going through. Close your eyes and relax. I will take you a few yards into the forest to protect you. One bullet will not kill you, sister.”
She dragged Ellisia into a part of the forest where the trees formed a canopy.
“There see? I didn’t kill you like you thought I would. I hope it’s also proof that I did no harm to Mother Daughter either!” She lied.
Ellisia grabbed her throat and tried to sit up. The oil!
Shala’s acting was flawless as she gave Ellisia the impression that she had just noticed the missing vial of oil.
“It must have been broken or been lost when you were shot,” she said, trying to comfort Ellisia.
Ellisia pointed to the vial of oil around Shala’s neck. Shala looked confused.
“You can’t be serious? We are each given a specific amount of healing oil for ourselves. Although, it may not be your fault that you lost yours, it is still your loss. I will take you to the Tree of Life for more if I’m able.”
Ellisia glared at her and in that moment realized that she had been right about Shala all along.
Shala realized that she had to prepare for whoever shot Ellisia. She looked around and saw a small yet sturdy sapling with several branches. She grabbed it and pulled it up by the roots. As she started to clean the roots, she heard a commotion in the distance. There were voices shouting from above them.
Men’s voices. And a lot of them.
She broke off the roots and all of the branches. She then pulled out a knife with an 8” blade and started to carve one of the ends of the tree.
Ellisia started to recover, but she was still weak. Shala saw that she couldn’t speak. That could be a real blessing if it lasts.
Shala finished carving a small spear from the tree and hid behind a larger one to see what was coming. She snuck up the line of trees to where the forest began to get a better view of what was going on. She saw more men than she could count slowly drifting to the hallowed ground of Eden with parachutes. Her heart raced as she knew the beginning of the end was starting.
She had to somehow get word to the intruders that she was on their side. Her chance to escape Eden was there, in the form of these mortals. She smiled as she realized that no price was too big to pay if she could get her opportunity to experience the world’s pleasures.
She stared at Ellisia as a lion would its prey. She walked up to her fallen sister. In one swift move Shala kicked Ellisia in the face which knocked her backward. Before she could recover, Shala kicked her sister’s knee with all of her might, shattering the patella. Ellisia tried to scream, but not a sound came from her injured throat.
Shala forced back a tear. She hated to attack her sister, but the ends justified the means. She grabbed Ellisia’s shoulders and pulled her into the clearing. She used all of her strength to throw Ellisia out as far as she could in front of the men.
Ellisia landed with a thud on the soft earth, facing her betrayer. She pleaded soundlessly with Shala through her clasping her hands as she kneeled in front of her, begging. As they unclipped their parachutes and gathered around the women the intruders noticed the fallen warrior. Shala let herself cry as her sister’s body was riddled with a barrage of bullets . That was no way for a Daughter of Eve to die. Like a dog; robbed of the chance to die with honor or in battle.
Shala held up her hands and backed away from the men, disappearing back into the forest. Ellisia’s vial of healing oil was all that was left of her. She knew she had to obtain all the other vials from the other Daughters as well.
The war had begun.
Chapter Seven
Evan Knight rubbed his wrists where the zip-ties had almost cut off his circulation. He had just completed his training on the Zulfiqar tank and waited patiently for Geronimo to finish.
Jess approached him.
“So now you can destroy many things at once, Evan Knight?”
“Hopefully we won’t have to Jess,” he replied, with a lack of confidence in his answer. “I hope we can use them to keep the peace and maybe to prevent this from escalating into a major war.”
Jess calm demeanor turned into a heated anger as she slapped Evan.
“You are no fool, Evan Knight, so stop acting like one. How dare you take the desecration of Eden lightly! The only way to defend her is with the same amount of force that it takes to destroy her!” She turned sharply away from him.
Evan rubbed his cheek as he tried to collect his thoughts and choose his words carefully. He put his arms around her from behind.
“Jess, listen to me. Sometimes the outcome can be determined by peaceful negotiations without the threat of war. I was just making a comment.”
He turned her so that he could face her.
“Mark my words. If force is what we need then force is what we will use. No one will destroy Eden as long as there is a breath of life in my body! I know there’s more to Eden than what you’ve told me. I get it. The jury’s out as to whether I really am this Chosen One you keep talking about, but that won’t stop me from kicking ass to save the birthplace of my beloved!”
Jess’ face softened as her eyes filled with tears of joy. Beloved. He said it! She pressed her head into his chest. She could feel his heart beating strongly and she immediately regretted her outburst.
She felt an abrupt and sudden pain in her abdomen. The look of confusion on her face was all Knight needed to lay her gently on the ground.
“I need help over here!” He bellowed. “Something’s wrong with Jess!”
Jess look up at him in desperation. He wasn’t about to let her down. She was in pain and a trickle of blood ran out from the edge of her mouth. Here eyes glazed over and her pupils dilated. She was in another trance. After a few minutes she spoke again.
“Evan Knight,” she whispered. “We have to go. You must take us to Eden now. The attack has begun and flying machines have crossed into the sacred garden dropping men from the sky like leaves. You know the way, Evan Knight. Take me…home.”
Knight waited for Milek to get to them. While he rushed over to Geronimo, the trainer was talking when Knight interrupted.
“Are you ready, Geronimo?” Knight asked, as if he already knew the answer.
“Hell yeah, Evan!” Geronimo replied, with enthusiasm. “I’m itchin’ to get this party started!”
Knight hung his head.
“Well, apparently it started without us. We need to go and we need to go
now!”
Geronimo nodded in agreement as Knight returned to Jess. Milek helped her to her feet. He put his hand on Knight’s shoulder.
“I will have the tanks filled with enough supplies. You should have enough knowledge on the tank’s operations to handle yourself. I wish you luck. You will need it,” he said, spinning away on his heel. Then he turned and said “Oh and Mr. Knight,”he had Evans full attention.
“Make sure Alexey Konstantin doesn’t live to see another sunrise.”
“That asshole’s caused a lot of pain to the woman I love and her family,” Knight answered, with conviction. “I will personally make sure that he never hurts anyone ever again. Oh, one question Milek. Are those tanks waterproof?”
***
The Daughters of Eve hid within the tree line of the forest. All of them had managed to find find crude weapons. Makeshift spears and rocks tied together with vines to make slings. They were ready.
As the intruders landed in the central field of Eden, the Daughters realized that they were outnumbered, so they retreated further into the forest to gain a tactical advantage. The men that were already on the ground were equipped with Springfield M14 semi-automatic rifles. They walked over the now lifeless body of Ellisia as they made their way to the forest.
Descending from the highest point of the Mountain of God, were at least two visible helicopters. They had larger blades toward the front and smaller blades in the back. They hovered.
The sight of these technological wonders over the trees caught Shala’s full attention. She stared at them in awe. She had seen similar vehicles on the internet, but she never dreamed that they would seem so imposing in real life.
They made her back away from the clearing and instinctively she headed to the rear of the forest.
***
Jess, Knight, and Geronimo were at the base of the mountain known as Sahand. Jess and Knight hopped down from one tank to join Geronimo who already stood next to his. They were about 100 yards away from several military trucks,27 trucks to be exact.