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Back The Occurrence
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

“Yeah. But it’s the only thing we got. Your call, boss.”

“Well, you won’t be needing me anymore today, Eric” Catherine said, and moved down the hall.

Rattled, Catherine drove her car out of the CIA parking lot. She knew the unique architecture of her brain expanded the borders of her consciousness. That’s what opened her to remote viewing. But it had a cost.

The intense sunlight coming in through the front windshield blinded her. She pulled off to the shoulder of the road.

Her dreams and visions were her primary tools for making sense of the world. They were a gift she’d struggled to embrace in her younger years, for she saw the cheap uses of her ability, and it haunted her until she realized she could define her own relating to it, and saw that it could connect her to the world, not alienate her. She was whole in that connection. But it offered no insight into how to deal with what just occurred—empathy for evil.

Was it the devil who had overtaken her in that room, like it had overtaken her father in those tents where people came to heal? Or was it the Holy Ghost she believed had saved her from loneliness and nihilism? Which hand guided her now?

28

28

Hashim had been in the Holiday Inn on the edge of D.C. for over a week. He’d been fighting exhaustion since he’d arrived. The fever he’d experienced in Turkey at the airport had come on full-bore and he was taking the last of the antibiotics he’d brought with him.

He’d made no contact with his people at ISIS, either in the Middle East or America. He wasn’t sure if he ever would. He knew they were searching for him, dead or alive, with the intent of finding Nazir as well.

He’d left Nazir at his grandmother’s home, wounded, with no time to discuss what had happened to them, or his plan to find Dominique and Julian. He wasn’t sure how his disappearance would affect Nazir on top of what happened to them in the warehouse. But something had happened there. Something that entwined those who’d been left alive.

He knew about the legend of the stones—artifacts hidden in the desert protected by the Djinn. But he’d never found them, despite the belief he had. Perhaps they were there and saved him in spite of the evil he’d committed. Perhaps they’d saved the four of them, and were leading him now.

He had no explanation for what he was about to do other than an unseen hand was guiding him. A different hand than he’d allowed to lead him before.

He laid back in bed. The dreams of his grandfather, the field of the butterfly, and the eyes of his mother pierced through the fever-haze.