The Twelfth Insight - James Redfield [34]
“Let us have your translations,” one of the men said in an Arabic accent. Another shouted to an associate in what was clearly continental Indian. I recognized one of the men as belonging to the group holding Rachel. He was the tall man with a beard.
Now the four-wheelers were on us, and the men quickly scattered, the flashlights suddenly going dark. I moved away from the rangers, looking around as best I could for any sign of Coleman. Finally, I hid among some rocks about a hundred yards away. Dozens of rangers were herding people into groups and moving them out of the clearing. I headed farther north.
After about an hour, I froze. Someone seemed to be creeping toward me from the left. The sound stopped, and I backed away in the other direction and right into the grasp of a lone figure who pushed a handgun into my ribs. I was wrestled to the ground by another man, and one of the big flashlights popped on in my face.
They pulled me along for about a half mile farther toward the north into an area of thick pines, where more than twenty people met us. A small campfire flickered light over the scene. This was the rest of the group that had Rachel.
A man who seemed to be the leader came over and gazed at me for a long moment. He was thickly built, had dark hair that was graying, and was dressed in military fatigues. He shook his head and turned away. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my wits about me and stay out of panic. After all, I told myself, Rachel had been with these people for a while, and she hadn’t looked too upset earlier.
On the other hand, they had just come into the clearing and had terrified everyone, apparently looking for parts of the Document. I could see folders and loose papers stacked near a lone cactus. One man walked over and began searching through my pack, easily finding my copies.
Suddenly, two other people emerged from the darkness. One was Rachel and the other was an Arab male of about thirty-five who was attired in more formal Arab dress. Rachel moved closer and saw me, our eyes meeting for just an instant before our view was blocked.
The leader then walked over and casually sat down in front of me.
“Where are the rest of your Documents?” he asked. It was the same man I’d heard speaking with a continental Indian accent.
I was determined to stay centered and to be truthful or say nothing. “That’s all I have,” I said.
He gave me what I could only describe as a serene smile. “Okay, my friend, then where might we find the rest of this artifact?”
“I don’t know. One has to be guided to it.”
“And you, are you guided by Colonel Peterson?”
I was stunned, which made the leader’s eyes light up. He was obviously pleased with himself that he knew of the colonel’s existence.
“Oh, yes,” he added, “I know all about his group. And I want you to tell me all you know about him.”
“That’s easy,” I said. “I only met him for the first time earlier today, and I don’t know anything about him, except that he’s interested in what this Document has to say, just as you apparently are.”
“Yes, we’re studying it right now,” the leader said. His eyes tellingly glanced at Rachel, who was sitting beside the stack of papers.
“So what about you?” I asked. “What do you think about this Document?” He seemed to be amused that I would dare to ask a question in this circumstance.
“It has nothing to tell us,” he asserted. “We already have the truth.”
He turned and began talking to the well-dressed man who was with Rachel. He called him Adjar.
At that moment, Rachel looked directly into my eyes, which was so overwhelming I had to shift my gaze. The connection wasn’t romantic—at least I thought it wasn’t. But it was definitely unusual, and I felt it at depths I had no idea how to explain. As I looked at her with my peripheral vision, I realized she was trying to communicate something.
Cooperate, she seemed to be saying with her eyes. Don’t make waves. Which threw me into a quandary. To stay clear, I had to remain centered and aware, and to do that I had to tell the truth as I knew it. I would have to