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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

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know we had a guest. Good morning, Miss Valen.”

“Good morning, Senator.”

“I need some papers and I’ll be on my way.”

He went to the desk, opened a drawer, and collected a folder.

Ledge recoiled when Julian touched his hand. His face flushed when he realized it was a gesture of need, not aggression.

Julian looked to Dominique. They each knew what was about to come down.

“Are you sure?” she asked Julian.

Ledge was still, but not serene at the weight of her words.

“What is it?” he asked, his voice deep with concern.

Judgment and anger still hung there for Julian with his father. But they needed help. And if Ledge couldn’t, or wouldn’t help them, their lives were over—either way.

“We need to tell you what happened in the desert.”

The senator’s eyes fixed on his son. He was seeing a ghost. A ghost that would threaten more than the career the senator had been so desperate to save all those decades ago. And he knew this was what he’d longed for. Avoided. And feared. And with grave tenderness he said, “Tell me what happened.”

44

44

The Virginia Beach boardwalk was deserted. The tumble of waves and the caw of seagulls haunted the air of the late September morning.

Hashim wasn’t clear what path to take and without that certain mooring, his mind wandered as he paced the waterfront.

He’d imagined going to FBI Headquarters and surrendering. There were no lawyers involved when he imagined himself there. He would be alone.

The Prophet Muhammad had called the inner struggle for faith the Greater Jihad. This was the jihad of the soul. That all focus had been on what was called the Lesser Jihad, and the grief of all the tortures and deaths he’d orchestrated through that belief, filled Hashim with anguish.

He thought of all that annihilation and how he’d never been harmed. He knew he’d been in the CIA’s sights a long time—they’d tracked him closer than bin Laden, but were never able to kill him. They’d stared at him from halfway across the globe with high-powered technology and missed. He’d been watched as he’d walked through mud-walled compounds, his life within their grasp, yet they’d always failed. Why?

A clear destiny descended.

That he’d shared a piece of his youth in that poem with Catherine, a stranger, was another sign of that destiny unfolding. He had not shared that with anyone in his life. He’d never been in love, except for the love he’d had for Allah and his people. He saw now that was an aberrant love, and he’d led sensitive young men to violent ends with that love, and the promise of an afterlife where dark-eyed virgins, chaste as pearls, waited.