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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

He was vulnerable in what he’d shared. And she could see his eyes now questioned the wisdom of revealing so much to her, so quickly.

He turned away.

Her hand rested on his shoulder.

He turned back, his eyes again laying bare the innocence of a child.

“You can trust me, Issa. We want the same thing.”

96

96

“I trust the fact Issa Malik is in an institution hasn’t escaped you, Miss Valen,” the president said. Bruton was the one other person in this unfurnished room in a corner of the third floor of the Residence.

“No, sir, it hasn’t. But I believed him when he told me the reason he’s there is for his protection, or I wouldn’t have asked to see you again.”

The president closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands.

She could feel the load of decisions on him. The life and death choices he had to live with. These rooms held grief.

He looked at her with penetrating eyes, and she could see she’d added a complexity to the choice before him—a choice that took him deeper into a mystery. The mythic. Mythic in the way great literature is mythic. The way it transcends reality, yet exists in a form that grips the soul.

Homer. Aristotle. Shakespeare. Dante. Milton. Donne. They’d all tapped into that reality.

Not that she thought she was close to who they were, or what they’d accomplished, but she knew she had the potential to affect others like she’d been impacted. It was something of which she refused to let go. Bruton knew it. That’s why he had listened to her. It is what brought them back to the White House.

“You’re putting a lot of faith in the mystical,” the president said.

“Yes, sir, we are. We have since this country was founded. We even print it on our currency.”

He held her gaze. She wasn’t sure if he was going to rebuke her or dismiss her. But she didn’t flinch.

“You’re certain of what Issa said about his brother?”

“That he wants the same thing as us?”

“Yes.”

“I’m betting my life on it.”

“Then, do the face to face with the imam and Hashim.”

“You’re sure, sir?” Bruton asked.

“There’s no certainty in any of this, Charles. But if the imam is willing to go against his own mujahideen, it’s in our interest to facilitate it. You are aware of the danger?”

“Yes, Mister President, I am.”

“Good. We now have to decide what, if any, surveillance will be safe to arrange. Let the imam know the meeting will take place, and that you’ll be discussing with him, and Hashim where best and safest to meet. He needs to feel in control of this.”

“Yes, Mister President. He will.”