Book of Days_ A Novel - James L. Rubart [119]
Cameron joined him and looked out over the forest below them. The only sound was the pounding of blood rushing back and forth through his veins, the air as still as it had ever been since coming to Three Peaks and the scent of dry pine needles filled his nose.
A hawk screeched high above and behind them.
"How did you find the book?"
"I was praying." Taylor shifted on the rock and stretched out his legs.
"Praying?"
"Like I told you on the river, I wanted to go someplace I hadn't been before and chose this trail. I came up for some reflection, some alone time with God. I wanted to figure out where my life should go. Where Annie's and my life should go."
Taylor stood and took a long draw from his water bottle. "As I hiked along pouring my heart out to God, I reached a spot where I got an impression to stop. So I stood in the silence for a few minutes. I looked around and suddenly got this feeling I should walk toward what looked like solid rock. It wasn't a voice in my head, just the thought that I should walk right up to it. So I did, my nose inches away from the wall. That close I saw it wasn't rock. It was an optical illusion. Nature's way of hiding an entrance that was there the whole time.
"I'll let you discover the rest of the experience for yourself when we get there. Let's get moving. We're burning daylight."
CHAPTER 44
His eyes darted back and forth, back and forth, searching for the little clues telling him exactly where Taylor and young Cameron had gone. As he slogged along he massaged the handle of his knife with one hand, the handle of his gun with the other.
It was always good to check to see that his two friends were still with him, even though he knew they were. They were loyal, they could be trusted to follow directions, and they never talked back or tried to force him to listen to a dissenting opinion. And when they were called on to persuade people to his way of thinking they always performed well.
He nicked his pinky finger on the tip of the knife and watched the small bead of blood pop to the surface of his skin. After licking it, he wiped the finger on the back of his neck and slowed his pace.
Stone wasn't trying to be discreet; tracking him and Cameron was almost as easy as following a dirt bike up the mountain. And there was little point in getting close enough to be seen should one of them look back and have the right line of sight to see him.
He fell back to what he estimated was a fifteen-minute gap and tried to quell the adrenaline pumping through his body.
But this was the day he would fulfill his destiny. Finally. How much longer? An hour? Two at most?
He wouldn't enjoy killing them. There would be no joy in it. But once he knew where the book lay, it would be the right decision.
CHAPTER 45
After hiking another ninety minutes, Taylor stopped at the base of two intersecting hills "We're almost there."
A thick grove of pine trees framed Stone, who stood with his hands on his hips. A slight smile bounced over his face.
Cameron glanced at their surroundings. "I don't see any pages."
"Not yet." Taylor laughed.
"For a guy about to revisit a place that rocked his world to its foundation, you seem to be in an okay mood."
"You're perceptive, Mr. Vaux. And you're right. I am feeling good. I made a decision about something last night."
"What's that?"
"You'll see when we get to the book."
They trudged on through the trees, Taylor's stride growing wider and lighter. Whatever he'd decided must have taken a huge weight off.
Two minutes later Taylor stopped and grinned. "This is it."
"The book's location?"
"Yes."
Heat coursed through Cameron's body and he sucked in a quick breath. Stone was serious. Cameron glanced from tree to forest floor in a slow 360. Nothing. "Where?"
"I need to explain something before we take the final steps to get there." Taylor closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. "When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God in the garden, it wasn't just man's immortality that was destroyed. The earth