cleared?" Neilsen asked Isnik.

"You got it," Isnik said, sliding his boots back atop the desk.

Neilsen started leading Hughes to the door out of the terminal.

"This is an old U.S. Air Force base," he said. "The hotel was base housing.

It's actually quite nice. It has the only indoor pool in Greenland and

even a six-lane bowling alley. For this country, it's the closest thing to

four-star lodging."

The men covered the short distance across the parking lot to the hotel

and Hughes received his key. Two hours later, after a meal of musk

ox steaks and French fries, he settled in for the night. It was still only

early afternoon, but tomorrow he had a lot of work to do and he wanted

to be thoroughly rested.

SACRED STONE 51

9

JUAN CABRILLO BREEZED through customs at the tiny terminal at

Kulusuk then stared at a map on the wall near the door leading out. In

the brief months of summer, Kulusuk Island was ringed by water. As

soon as fall arrived and the temperatures dropped, the seawater froze

into thick sheets of ice. And while the ice never reached a thickness that

could support the weight of a locomotive, for example, cars, trucks or

snow vehicles had no trouble venturing across to the mainland.

In winter, Kulusuk was an island no more. It was attached to Greenland

by ice.

From where Cabrillo stood, it was slightly over sixty miles north to

the latitude that marked the actual Arctic Circle, and from there it was a

dozen or so more to Mount Forel. Winter solstice, December 22, was only

a few days past. That day, at the exact location of the Arctic Circle, was

the only single day of total darkness each year.

North of the circle, depending on how far one went, the blackness

was constant. The farther north, the longer that condition remained. At

the exact spot of the Arctic Circle and to the south of it, December 22

marked a turning point. As winter progressed toward spring, the daylight

grew longer by minutes each day. By the time summer came, the

midnight sun would rise and in the area north of the Circle, the sun

would not set for some time.

It was a cycle that had repeated itself for countless eons.

Outside, a howling wind raked hard pellets of frozen snow against

the windows in the terminal. The weather looked as appealing as the interior

of a meat locker. Cabrillo stared and felt a shiver. Though still indoors,

he tugged at the zipper to his parka.

Since Kulusuk was just south of the Arctic Circle, there would be a

few minutes of light today. By contrast, Mount Forel was still in total

darkness. The next few days and weeks would see the top of the mountain

begin to catch the first rays of light. Then, as the months passed, the

sunlight would begin to drip down the sides of the mountain like yellow