Oracle--Mutant Wood by C.W. Trisef

Author:C.W. Trisef [C.W. Trisef]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: -
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2016-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

MESSAGES OF WOOD AND STONE

Back in the Siberian wilderness, at the bottom of the vast excavation site, Mr. Coy and Serge were pacing back and forth at the foot of the great tree, unsure of their next move. Several hours had passed since Ret had been dragged underground, with no indication of him returning any time soon. Although the Russian president seemed quite distressed about the situation, Mr. Coy was filled with more wonder than worry. He knew Ret was in the element’s territory now, and so he didn’t feel too uneasy when his repeated attempts to make contact with Ret proved futile. Still, night was approaching, and the falling temperature meant they needed to seek shelter.

“I think it’s time I headed back to Moscow,” Serge eventually said. “If you’d rather stay here, I’ll give orders to the excavation superintendent to see to your needs.”

“No, no,” Mr. Coy replied, “I should get going, too. We’ve waited here long enough.”

As they walked toward the helicopter, Mr. Coy tried to convince himself of his decision to abandon his vigil. Well aware that the Oracle was in his possession, a part of him wanted to remain nearby in case Ret came looking for it, if in fact the time to collect the element was drawing nigh. But he figured Moscow would be close enough for now.

Feeling slightly dejected and very unhelpful, Mr. Coy sat down in the cabin of the helicopter with a heavy sigh. Then, as he gave the pit floor one last sweeping gaze, he saw something he hadn’t seen before: a small wooden sign, staked in the dirt by one of the tree’s massive roots.

“What is that?” Coy wondered aloud, pointing at the sign.

“Shall we investigate?” Serge offered.

The pair quickly returned to the place of their watch and, in the twilight, read this brief message: Ret is fine, call Paige.

Now Mr. Coy was beginning to worry. Utilizing the helicopter’s portable cellular tower to connect his call, he immediately took out his cell phone and dialed Paige’s number, his heart pounding and mind racing. Where had this sign come from? Who had written it? And how did they know his daughter? With each unanswered ring, Mr. Coy was growing more and more concerned. He traced each letter of the sign’s message with his eyes, over and over again. The words had not been written with ink but rather carved into the wood.

“Dad?” Paige finally answered, sounding somewhat groggy.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Coy said with relief. “Are you okay?”

“Dad, it’s five o’clock in the morning,” Paige told him with a yawn.

“What have you been up to?” he asked, trying to find out why the mysterious sign had instructed him to call her.

“Not much,” Paige responded, half asleep. “School’s been out for the holidays.”

“Is there anything you’d like to talk about?” Coy probed.

She had almost dozed off when she remembered, “Actually,” perking up, “there is: Ana and I were exploring a really old part of the Keep the other day, and I found something that I wanted to show you.

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