CHAPTER NINE

September 25, 1:00 P.M.

Sedona, Arizona

OLIVIA SAT ON a worn woven rug in the middle of her sunroom and chanted. Contrary to her sister’s belief, she had no illusion of speaking to spirits. The practice merely helped her to relax and focus her thoughts. Situated at the end of a new cul-de-sac, the glassed-in room at the back of her home faced the red rock desert and allowed her mind to block out the modern world and focus on her ancestors. The colorful formations, low scattered pinyon and juniper, and lack of development always put her in a tranquil mood, enabling her to channel her mental energy to issues in which she needed complete concentration and guidance.

While napping in this warm, peaceful room not long ago, she envisioned the relics reunited. Ever since Diane called about the stolen artifacts, her thoughts had been in turmoil. Olivia hadn’t mentioned her vision to her sister or to Cash, afraid they would think she was crazy and not take her seriously, but the timing of her dream and the thefts shook her usual calm nature to the core.

She hoped as long as a few of the crystals remained hidden, a crisis could be averted. She relayed to Cash and his team the most common rumors of where some of the artifacts might be stashed, hoping to help them catch whoever sought the relics and return those already stolen to a safe place, but she hadn’t divulged all she knew—it was far too dangerous.

Olivia believed in the ancient ways and practiced many of the traditional rituals, though she also relied on modern technology and conveniences as much as the next person. She owned a flat screen television, a DVD player, a smart-phone, and a top-of-the-line computer—which she used for research and an occasional foray into one of a number of legends chat rooms on the Internet. Many topics were silly and the people uninformed, but on one website in particular, she had engaged in a discussion about the crystals. The dialogue had been going on sporadically for the past year, and one participant seemed very knowledgeable on the subject. Eventually, they started exchanging personal messages outside the loop, but she hadn’t heard anything new in over a month.

Olivia logged onto her computer, found the website where the chat room had been located, and looked through the archives. Nothing in the old discussions existed that she hadn’t already relayed to her sister’s colleagues. Most participants agreed on the general locations of the first eleven artifacts, but debate raged over the hiding places of the twelfth and thirteenth. She reread the comments by the individual with the screen name, “Sultan of Rum.”

Initially, she paid little attention to Sultan, assuming that “Rum” referred to a Jamaican partier who probably chatted for a lark, but she soon realized Sultan of Rum knew his or her stuff and was well-versed in the legend. Sultan seemed almost desperate for clues to the twelfth and thirteenth crystals’ resting places. By Sultan’s persistence, she doubted he or she had given up the search, unless the relics had been found.

Like most chat room topics, the debate finally died out, but Olivia thought it might be worth a try to see if anything new had surfaced with her old pal.

Haven’t seen you on the loop lately. Any leads on lucky thirteen? Maybe we can brainstorm. Would appreciate any information… Desert Blaze.

Olivia hit the send key and logged out of her email. It was a long shot, but if she could help her sister stop whoever sought to destroy their way of life, she would try. Olivia also decided any information that kept everyone involved as far away from Arizona as possible was a good thing.

Glancing at her watch, Olivia realized she must get on the road in order to make her appointment with the chief. She needed his advice. Olivia hadn’t seen any harm in relaying information to Diane and Cash that the CIA could have gotten off the Internet with a marginal amount of effort, but she withheld her knowledge of the tribe’s crystal. Her gut instinct reinforced the relic was safest if its existence remained unknown, though she didn’t feel comfortable making a decision of such potential magnitude without a consultation.

Olivia had never seen the artifact, but the chief had said the object possessed a more human-like resemblance than the others of its kind. The crystal’s forehead sloped sharply, and it sported a large nose and almond-shaped eyes. She had no idea where the Navajo crystal was located, just that the item resided on tribal land in Arizona. Olivia feared even that much information could bring harm to the tribe if leaked. She wanted to trust her sister and the federal authorities, especially Cash, but until she received council otherwise, she vowed to keep her people’s secret safe.