The Sage Stone Prophecy (Arkana Archaeology Adventure Series Book 7) by N. S. Wikarski

Author:N. S. Wikarski [Wikarski, N. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30—Static Cling

Cassie dropped into a chair in the hotel lobby to wait for the others to come down from their rooms. She thought back to the past four days and ruefully admitted that she should have taken Olga’s advice. Rather than getting some rest while on the Trans-Siberian train, the Pythia had spent much of the trip glued to the window of her compartment hoping to pick up a trace of the Minoans. Thousands of miles of evergreen forests, tundra, mountain ranges, and the Amur River passed her by without offering a single clue no matter how intensely she concentrated. The closer the train came to Lake Baikal, the more her anxiety grew.

At four o’clock that same morning, the Arkana group finally reached Irkutsk—a city thirty miles up the Angara River from the southwest shore of the lake. The short summer night was already giving way to a glimmer of light in the east. As Cassie stepped off the train, she registered surprise at the balmy pre-dawn air. The word “Siberia” always conjured images of frostbite. Instead, the temperature was a pleasant sixty-five degrees with noon highs expected to climb well into the eighties.

The team wasted no time exploring the city since the journey to Olkhon Island would require the better part of the day to complete. Although there was a boat that traveled directly to their destination, it only ran once a week. The local bus schedule was equally inconvenient for the team’s purposes. They opted instead to hire a car and driver to get them to the ferry landing one hundred and fifty miles to the north. Even covering such a short distance took hours over narrow, winding roads. After arriving at the landing, they had to cool their heels waiting for the next boat. Ironically, the fifteen minute crossing to the island was the shortest part of their trip that day.

Disembarking from the ferry didn’t mark the end of their journey, however. They needed an additional source of transportation to carry them across the seventy-mile island. Olga bargained with one of the locals for the use of his car. Once a deal was struck, she took possession of his battered old rust bucket and drove the Arkana operatives to Khuzir. With a population of two thousand, it was the largest town on the island and the only place offering decent accommodations. They found a modern hotel which boasted its own restaurant and the unparalleled luxury of showers in every room. Immediately after registering, the four scattered to unpack and wash up. They agreed to meet back downstairs an hour later to regroup.

Cassie had returned to the lobby ahead of the others and was now savoring the sensation of sitting motionless for the first time in days. She glanced up to see Olga crossing the room toward her.

The scout stood for a moment, gazing out the picture windows to admire the panoramic view of the lake and mountains beyond. “It is very beautiful here, no?” She took a seat beside Cassie.

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