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Back The Occurrence Save as PDF
Chapters (117)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. PART ONE: Up From Buried Light
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. PART TWO: Re-Entry
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. PART THREE: Convergence
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART FOUR: Surrender
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. PART FIVE: The Tablets
  67. 58
  68. 59
  69. 60
  70. 61
  71. 62
  72. 63
  73. 64
  74. 65
  75. PART SIX: The Trial
  76. 66
  77. 67
  78. 68
  79. PART SEVEN: The Cave of Memory
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80
  92. 81
  93. 82
  94. 83
  95. PART EIGHT: Guardians
  96. 84
  97. 85
  98. 86
  99. 87
  100. 88
  101. 89
  102. 90
  103. 91
  104. 92
  105. 93
  106. 94
  107. PART NINE: Into Buried Light
  108. 95
  109. 96
  110. 97
  111. 98
  112. 99
  113. 100
  114. 101
  115. 102
  116. 103
  117. Acknowledgments

Senator Paul Ledge stared at one of the screens transmitting the live images. He watched his son, Julian, battered and dragged back by the insurgents from his attempt to save Dominique.

The imperious Secretary of Defense, Charles Bruton, strode through the room to Ledge.

“I’m sorry, senator. The information the CIA gave us about the location of the warehouse, we’ll never get there in time. We’ve got to turn our attention to the bigger picture.”

The senator grabbed Bruton’s arm.

“What about the drone? You warned Hashim we’d take out his village if he killed them.”

“We’ve made good on that, senator, but it won’t save your son.”

Senator Ledge turned back to the computer screen as the feed from the warehouse went dead.

The senator closed his eyes and looked deep inside himself. For all the flesh, bone, and blood he was made of, he hadn’t felt much like a human being. The thought that seared into his crippled heart—he hadn’t told his son he loved him in a long time.

The emergency phone rang. Bruton grabbed it.

Something unfathomable had occurred. The one reason the soldier in charge of the drone on the other end of the phone could give was that it had malfunctioned. The drone was now heading toward the coordinates of the warehouse, and he’d lost control of it. He tried to have the drone detonated, but the destruct signal didn’t respond either, and locked him out from having any effect on destroying it midair.

“Who the fuck has control of it?” he screamed to the soldier on the other end of the phone.

Bruton was in shock that something this cataclysmic went wrong.

The feed from the warehouse came back online.

They all saw that Dominique and Julian were still alive. But they wouldn’t be for long.

6

6

An old man made his way through the winding streets of brick and mortar homes nestled into the hillside in an Iraqi village on the Tigris River.

Hashim’s grandfather, Qadir, had lived his whole life in this village where his grandson was born. The serenity of the land made it look harmless, but this town had cultivated a murderer of global proportions.

Qadir reached the town square when the sound broke through the air. He knew the eerie high-pitched hum, he’d been through it before. But there was something different about this sound.

Villagers spilled out from their homes and scattered.

Qadir remained calm and defiant, as he watched the speck against the purple sky grow close, daring it to kill him.

But something strange happened.

Qadir watched the drone make a long sweeping arc like a kite caught in a reverse wind, and he smiled. “The Djinn,” he said.