A Darkness in Amazonia

A Darkness in Amazonia

Being Part 4 of

G1: The Guardians

by

Steve K Smy

***

Copyright © Steve K Smy, 2013

Published, by Steve K Smy at Smashwords

The right of Steve K Smy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cover artwork by Chris Graham,

Cover design Copyright © C Graham & S K Smy, 2013.

Editorial assistance by Janice Spina.

***

About the Author

Steve K Smy was born in Ipswich, Suffolk - a picturesque part of England famed for being part of Constable Country, where the renowned artist John Constable worked and produced many of his finest paintings. He has lived virtually his whole life there. He started writing for pleasure when he was 13 years old, with a science fiction novel! Naturally, his writing was less dominant for many years, as he and his wife Jenny raised their three children to adulthood and independence.  He returned to writing seriously in February 2012, following a long illness. Since then, he has written and published, in ebook format, several short stories and, in ebook and paperback formats, four novelettes and a novella, and has been working on a major fantasy novel.

His published stories include tales in three series: the Thief series of fantasy short stories, the mixed genre G1: The Guardians series (two novelettes and a novella, to date) and the science fiction Captain Henri Duschelle Stories (a short story and two novelettes, so far). The novelettes and novella have now been published in paperback.

Mr Smy is also a blogger with a growing readership for his blog Imagineer-ing.  Fans of the G1: The Guardians series will be happy to hear that they can find background information on the stories, especially the political shape of the world, in a special section of the blog site!

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Also by Steve K Smy

The G1: The Guardians Series

Novelettes:

Shade of Evil

Evil Under The Circle

Novella:

The Sigil of Ahriman

Novel

A Darkness in Amazonia

:

The Captain Henri Duschelle Stories

Free short story ebook:

To Sail The Dark Sea

Novelettes:

For the Sake of Mercy

The Ossilan Affair

See Mr Smy's website at imagineerebooks.wordpress.com for the latest news.

***

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife, Jenny,

and my children,

Damien, Reuben and Emma

for their unstinting support in all things!

***

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

About the Author

Also by Steve K Smy

Dedication

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Appendix

1

Siribahta Dhal, Director of Department 'G', better known as the Guardians, studied the datapack with rising excitement – and worry. Everything he saw spoke of one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time. It was also, judging by the coded reports, potentially one of the most dangerous. The old man finished his third reading and closed the datapack, removed it from his computer, and deposited it in a desk drawer that was quickly concealed from discovery by closing another, larger drawer. He reached to his right and pressed five digits on a small keypad then sat back to wait.

Matt Carter and Kate Wellesley were busy greeting each other after a separation that had lasted a long three months. They checked each other carefully even as they hugged and laughed. The last time Kate had seen Carter, he'd been a mess, after being beaten and tortured. For Carter, he had been aware of the terrible strain that Kate had suffered, leading the team virtually single handed. Both had been put out of action until Siribahta was satisfied they were fully recovered.

They had barely managed to finish the beginning of their reunion, however, when their alerts went off. Only one person was able to use the subcutaneous devices: Siribahta. Kate sighed and Carter snarled, but both responded immediately. Leaving Kate's small office, they hurried into the labyrinthine depths of the sprawling building known as 'The Manse', to the Director's ultra-secure office. Passed into the inner sanctum by Siribahta's secretary, Guong Ho Chin, they were directed to take seats while Siribahta took steps to ensure the room was sealed.

I know that you have only just returned to duty, the Director said in his gentle tones, but a situation has arisen which will require our very best. While you two have been recuperating, G1 have been training hard, to ensure that they are all the best we can make them. You are again the leaders of our most elite members. Despite that, I will be adding one more member. She is a specialist you will need in this mission.

"I assume we know of her?" Kate smiled slightly.

I would hope so. She is Maria Hernandez, of Special Studies.

The woman who figured out the hidden multicyclic of the Mayan calendar? Carter said, his brows drawing together.

The very same. She is an expert in all things Mesoamerican.

So we're going to Central America?

No. You will be going to Amazonia. The mission will be entirely covert, up until such time as you meet with the people already on the ground there.

If there's already a team...

There isn't. At least, not one of ours. Your destination is an archaeological dig. The team on site are either professional archaeologists or student volunteers. They have moved their camp back from the dig by two miles for the sake of safety. Fortunately, their leader is an old friend of mine and was immediately aware of the potential danger they faced. He gathered as much intelligence as possible and sent it to me. You will, of course, have a complete dossier before you depart.

"How about telling us a bit more now?" Kate asked.

In simple terms, a settlement has been located that will completely revolutionise thinking about the ancient cultures and civilisations in South America. It is a small city, which has gone undiscovered for a very long time. This was possible because previous explorers relied on the native peoples to guide them. My friend, Professor Hiram Leibowitz, discovered that these natives shared a fear of the city, regarding it as a place of certain death. The few explorers who searched the area were always misdirected, deliberately. By examining the maps of his predecessors, Hiram was able to identify an area which had been unexamined, in the very heart of all previous expeditions.

Don't tell me – they found El Dorado, Carter laughed.

"Of course not, no. What they did find was the earliest city ever built by a South American people. All evidence, including carbon dating tests, places the city at somewhere around 26,000 years before today."

Incredible! I just can't believe it, in fact. That pre-dates the first people in the Americas!

Believe it, Kate. Hiram is about to turn every history of the Americas on its head. In fact, it challenges all of Human history.

If it's that ancient, Carter mused, there's no way that there should be any kind of established city.

"Indeed, and that is the great problem that has confronted Hiram. Humans were not supposed to have reached South America at that time, and they would not have had the technology to build a city even if they had gotten so far so early."

Carter's eyes narrowed. Are you suggesting that this city wasn't built by humans?

That is a very real possibility, and we cannot discount any possible solution to the puzzle.

Carter grunted and looked far from convinced, Kate shook her head slowly. They had encountered entities from other worlds, but they were individuals that had stumbled through a portal, more by accident than design. This suggested something far more significant.

There is another possibility, of course, Siribahta said. There are many legends of older races, humans or something like humans, whose civilisations were effectively consumed in cataclysmic events, possibly the result of an increase in the rate of tectonic movements. Atlantis and Lemuria, for example. Perhaps this is a city of refugees, or possibly a similar civilisation that somehow survived on land rather than being submerged.

That sounds almost as fantastic, Kate said, but I think I could swallow that idea easier than the thought of non-terrestrials. Either way, I assume that the belief of the local peoples that it's death to visit the city may well be based on the accidental activation of advanced technologies?

That's one possibility but there are others. You must approach this mission with fully open minds.

Of course.

Good. I suggest that you gather your team and prepare them. I will see that a dossier is prepared and delivered to you.

Kate and Carter rose and left in silence. Both were struggling with the information that the Director had divulged. Even so, they would do as ordered, and they suspected that there were many more surprises to come. For now, though, they had a lot of work to do. They hadn't seen any of the team for months.

The co-leaders were mobbed by the veteran members of G1, and even the newer members were obviously delighted, and relieved, to see them. The team were determined to celebrate properly, despite the warnings from both Carter and Kate that they had a new mission. The whole lot of them poured into the downtime bar, disregarding protests from those they good-naturedly forced out of their way en route, and the amusement of others. They were G1 and their leaders were back with them.

Kate's head swam with the confusion of sound and constant attentions of the team. Despite their attempts, she managed to restrict her intake of alcohol to a very sober two pints of beer, taken in halves and very slowly consumed. Carter, on the other hand, finished off a veritable stream of Scotch, without any sign of inebriation. Two team members, less familiar with his capacity, were removed to their quarters fairly early on in the proceedings. Kate watched with amusement when Olivia McDermott, a flame haired beauty, attempted to intrude on the party by using her every wile on Carter, to absolutely no effect. She soon found herself shouldered aside by the team after being frozen out by her target. Kate knew full well that Carter found predatory women extremely unattractive, even when there was no mission to worry about.

Around midnight, as the revellers slowly succumbed to exhaustion or overindulgence, Carter quietly ordered the bar staff to close up for the night. As the lights over the bar began to go off, the team began to disperse to their quarters. Across the width of the room, Carter made a face at Kate, indicating that tomorrow would reveal too many team members with hangovers. Kate shrugged. G1 had needed this. Until today, they hadn't known for certain whether they would get both, only one or neither of their leaders back.

Carter's expectations were fully realised in the morning. A full roll call was issued, summoning the team to assemble at 09:00. Forced from their alcohol fuelled slumbers by the summons, they straggled into the number three briefing room. Every one afflicted by a hangover staggered, groaned and tried to cover their eyes as they entered. Carter had seen to it that the huge, heavy drapes were drawn right back, allowing the summer sun to flood the room. His philosophy in such situations had always been 'no mercy'.

Despite their groggy condition, the members of G1 soon began to pay close attention as Kate and Carter briefed them on the mission. They all knew that this was the preliminary, and that more information would be forthcoming later. Even so, what they heard was exciting, and they could barely manage to think past the fact that they would be going to an extremely exotic place. As was his way, Carter was forceful in his warnings of dangers unknown, but the mystery of even those lessened the impact of his words. He knew that they weren't seeing the potential for disaster. As he turned to Kate, mutely appealing for her to help him make them see, the door opened and a short, elegant woman entered.

She was dark skinned, with almond eyes whose mahogany brown were like deep pools, hair that the description 'jet black' seemed inadequate for, and a build that was both delightfully feminine and yet robust. She walked to where Kate and Carter stood facing the team. She smiled and Carter's heart skipped a beat at the warmth of that greeting.

May I speak with your team? she asked, her voice distinctly accented with that particular brand of Spanish found in Latin America. The warm huskiness of it made refusal impossible. Carter took a small step back and swept his arm up, to give her the floor. She gazed silently at the team for long moments before speaking. When she did begin, her expression was sad and very serious. I am Maria Alazabel Dominga Hernandez. I am to be attached to G1 for this mission. There is a very good reason for this, and it is vital that you all understand it from the very beginning. I am a student of ancient Central and South American cultures and religions. I say 'student' because there remains much yet to be discovered. She paused, her eyes drifting across the audience, as if she was drawing each to her, addressing not a group but each individual alone. "Your leaders will have warned you of dangers, dangers they have not yet identified. I am here to tell you that those dangers are very real, very deadly. This will not be some exotic holiday. The environment alone is dangerous. But, the hidden powers and strange artefacts that we will discover hold perils beyond your imagining. Prepare yourselves, in body and mind."

She stepped back, head slightly bowed. A total silence had descended upon them all. It was as if none dared even to breathe.

Carter broke the spell with a cough. A quick glance at Maria, and he fixed his attention on the team. He was now satisfied that they truly understood that this would be a serious mission. In the next five minutes, he divided the team into trios, each with a task to perform to prepare for the trip. As soon as he had dismissed them, he returned his attention to Maria.

Can we get you a coffee? Kate asked.

Thank you, yes, Maria replied. I think we need to talk.

I'd say that's pretty obvious, Carter said. Come on.

They went to a small rec' room, where Kate poured them each a coffee and joined Carter and Maria at a plastic-topped table. They sat in silence for a while, each adding such sugar and milk as they desired to their drinks. Carter had stirred his for exactly five rotations when Maria shifted on