The Sage Stone Prophecy
by N.S. Wikarski
GENRE: Adventure, Mystery
Where do you hide a mysterious artifact that could change the course of history? You scatter clues to its whereabouts across the entire planet. Five objects buried beneath the rubble of lost civilizations point to the hiding place of the fabled Sage Stone. A secret society and a fanatical religious cult vie against one another in a global treasure hunt to claim the prize. The Arkana wants to preserve it for posterity. The Blessed Nephilim wants to exploit it to create a terrifying new world order. Only one faction can win. More importantly, only one can survive.
Alma Jones slowly eased the SUV over the causeway at Cahill’s Crossing.
Cassie gulped. She leaned out her window to gauge the height of the water. Even though the tires were only submerged about half a foot, the current was swift. She didn’t want to imagine crossing this land bridge with a flash flood racing under the wheels.
“You told us to look out for salties,” Daniel said, barely above a whisper. “What’s a saltie?”
“Good goddess, man!” Griffin’s tone was exasperated. “None of us want to know that!”
“There’s one.” Alma inclined her head to the right, both hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.
Her three passengers scanned the water on the driver’s side.
“Please tell me that’s a tree trunk floating out there,” the Pythia implored.
“No,” Alma demurred. “It’s a saltwater crocodile. Saltie for short though they don’t spend much time in salt water. They prefer watering holes—billagongs as we call them. The males can run six meters in length.”
“Translation?” Cassie turned toward Griffin.
“Six meters would be roughly twenty feet.” As an aside to the others, he explained, “She’s taken a firm stand against the metric system.”
“Freshies or freshwater crocodiles are much smaller and they eat fish not humans,” Alma added. “The salties are the ones to watch out for. Your American alligators are nearly as big but they aren’t always looking for a fight. Salties are natural-born brawlers.”
“Has anybody died at Cahill’s Crossing?” Daniel asked.
“Yet another fact we don’t want to know,” the Scrivener grumbled.
Cassie gulped. She leaned out her window to gauge the height of the water. Even though the tires were only submerged about half a foot, the current was swift. She didn’t want to imagine crossing this land bridge with a flash flood racing under the wheels.
“You told us to look out for salties,” Daniel said, barely above a whisper. “What’s a saltie?”
“Good goddess, man!” Griffin’s tone was exasperated. “None of us want to know that!”
“There’s one.” Alma inclined her head to the right, both hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.
Her three passengers scanned the water on the driver’s side.
“Please tell me that’s a tree trunk floating out there,” the Pythia implored.
“No,” Alma demurred. “It’s a saltwater crocodile. Saltie for short though they don’t spend much time in salt water. They prefer watering holes—billagongs as we call them. The males can run six meters in length.”
“Translation?” Cassie turned toward Griffin.
“Six meters would be roughly twenty feet.” As an aside to the others, he explained, “She’s taken a firm stand against the metric system.”
“Freshies or freshwater crocodiles are much smaller and they eat fish not humans,” Alma added. “The salties are the ones to watch out for. Your American alligators are nearly as big but they aren’t always looking for a fight. Salties are natural-born brawlers.”
“Has anybody died at Cahill’s Crossing?” Daniel asked.
“Yet another fact we don’t want to know,” the Scrivener grumbled.
"There's a 52% chance that the next Dan Brown will be a woman ... or should we just make that 100% now?"
--Kindle Nation Daily
Nancy Wikarski is a fugitive from academia. After earning her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, she became a computer consultant and then turned to mystery and historical fiction writing. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Society Of Midland Authors, and has served as vice president of Sisters In Crime - Twin Cities and on the programming board of the Chicago chapter. Her short stories have appeared in Futures Magazine and DIME Anthology, while her book reviews have been featured in Murder: Past Tense and Deadly Pleasures.
She has written the Gilded Age Mystery series set in 1890s Chicago. Titles include The Fall Of White City (2002) and Shrouded In Thought (2005). The series has received People's Choice Award nominations for Best First Novel and Best Historical as well as a Lovey Award for Best Traditional Amateur Sleuth.
Her seven-book Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series is a #1 Amazon Bestseller. Titles include The Granite Key (2011), The Mountain Mother Cipher (2011), The Dragon’s Wing Enigma (2012), Riddle Of The Diamond Dove (2013), Into The Jaws Of The Lion (2014), Secrets Of The Serpent’s Heart (2015), and The Sage Stone Prophecy (2016).
http://www.mythofhistory.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1867557.N_S_Wikarski
https://www.facebook.com/pages/N-S-Wikarski/111546722263900?ref=hl
--Kindle Nation Daily
Nancy Wikarski is a fugitive from academia. After earning her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, she became a computer consultant and then turned to mystery and historical fiction writing. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Society Of Midland Authors, and has served as vice president of Sisters In Crime - Twin Cities and on the programming board of the Chicago chapter. Her short stories have appeared in Futures Magazine and DIME Anthology, while her book reviews have been featured in Murder: Past Tense and Deadly Pleasures.
She has written the Gilded Age Mystery series set in 1890s Chicago. Titles include The Fall Of White City (2002) and Shrouded In Thought (2005). The series has received People's Choice Award nominations for Best First Novel and Best Historical as well as a Lovey Award for Best Traditional Amateur Sleuth.
Her seven-book Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series is a #1 Amazon Bestseller. Titles include The Granite Key (2011), The Mountain Mother Cipher (2011), The Dragon’s Wing Enigma (2012), Riddle Of The Diamond Dove (2013), Into The Jaws Of The Lion (2014), Secrets Of The Serpent’s Heart (2015), and The Sage Stone Prophecy (2016).
http://www.mythofhistory.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1867557.N_S_Wikarski
https://www.facebook.com/pages/N-S-Wikarski/111546722263900?ref=hl
