The Mongol Objective (41 page)

Patton shrugged. “I don’t need your skills to see that the coward will probably take his own life before we get there. It’s over. The Reich is finished, and—”

“And America? Will it take its place?”

Patton’s expression formed a look of annoyance at the question. “America will be what it’s meant to be.” He pointed to the church. “When we reclaim what Hitler stole from that museum in Austria, we’ll be unstoppable. But power is just a means to an end. Eisenhower no doubt will order that we return the relic to its rightful owner, like all the other stolen artifacts we reclaim from these Nazi bastards.”

“But you won’t let him do that, will you?” The red-haired man’s lips curled in a tight smile. “And don’t bother answering, I’ve seen it already.”

“Ah, then I suppose I must insist you keep that little vision to yourself.” Patton grinned back at him, even as gunshots sounded from inside the church—a short, brief exchange, and then quiet resumed as the church’s defenders met their quick ends. “So, if I might ask, what else have you seen?”

The red-haired man closed his eyes for a moment as if recapturing a series of fond memories. “You are going to trick your commander. Your artists will create a perfect forgery, and you will let General Eisenhower return
that
to the Austrian government. Meanwhile, you are going to place the true artifact somewhere that makes perfect sense. Not only hidden in plain sight, but keeping it where it can be wielded by the most important symbol of everything America stands for as the preeminent world power.”

General Patton blinked at the man for several seconds, chewing on the end of the diminishing cigar until the ashes fell, joining others from Nuremberg’s burning skyline. Then, he nodded once more. “You have surpassed all my expectations, Jordan Crowe. I thank you. And your nation thanks you.”

The red-haired man closed his eyes. And after Patton turned and at long last strode into the church to claim his prize, Crowe spoke, directing his words into the rising wind. “Hide it well, General.”

He sighed and closed his eyes, the lids flickering with a far off vision.

“
Hide it well, so that it may still be there when it’s truly needed.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

You know what they say about sequels: up the stakes, up the body count. In writing this book I felt you could also say, double the research. I think I read every book out there (and there are hundreds) on the life and legacy of Genghis Khan. The one I found invaluable, with vivid first-person descriptions and even interviews with a living Darkhad, was
Genghis Khan: Life, Death, and Resurrection,
by John Man. I also followed the exploits of Chicago millionaire and professor Maury Kravitz, who has been visiting Mongolia for years with a research team, narrowing the search for the lost tomb. Good Luck Maury! (But beware those traps if you ever find it.)

I confess to feeling some pressure writing this, as teams from several countries are currently on the hunt to solve this archaeological mystery. If they find him somewhere else, then I may look a little silly. But then again, if he’s where I’ve got him, I expect a share of the treasure.

I’ll also acknowledge here the usual bits about historical accuracy. The Westcar Papyrus is real, as is its prophecy related to the secret chamber. So too is the description Herodotus gave of the Great Pyramid’s origin—the legend that a shepherd prince, not an Egyptian Pharoah, had been its engineer. And as for HAARP, there are many books on the subject of what’s going on up in Alaska. I only scratched the surface here; much more to come in Book 3.

Of course, thanks goes out again to all the fine people who helped make Pharos so successful, and did it again here—Stan Tremblay, Shane Thomson and Tim Schulte from Variance Publishing.

And I’d also like to thank my best Buckeye friend, Kim Klever—world-renowned adventurer in her own right, for the pictures and descriptions of Bodrum, Turkey, after her trip there in 2008. And thanks again, as always, to my faithful first readers (you two know who you are!). And finally, thanks go to everyone who came along for this thrill ride. May the Morpheus Initiative continue to entertain (and enlighten) you!

-DJS, 2011