Free Atlantis Stolen (Sam Reilly Book 3) by Christopher Cartwright Page A

matter, but inwardly, she was writhing with
curiosity.
    “It was here that
you realized that the ancient Atlantean people had built a second temple – not
too dissimilar to their original one. The purpose of which, was not to house
the great wealth and even greater power that Atlantis was built on. Instead, it
was a great vault. An ancient set of archives, which tells of the history of
earth.”
    “Yes. I went to
Amsterdam in search of a key to the archives to Atlantis.”
    “Did you find
it?” He seemed only mildly interested.
    “Yes. But it was
my interest in it that seemed to bring me to the attention of yourself, and if
I should believe you, the Phoenix Resistance.”
    “My dear Dr.
Swan. The simple matter of whether you believe me or not has no bearing on the
fact that there is an ancient brotherhood who want that code to Atlantis
as much as we do. And if they beat us to it, the result can only mean the
ending of the world as we know it.”
    She was a
scientist. As such, Billie had spent her life assessing everything with
circumspection and objectivity. But as she listened to this old stranger, she
knew in her heart he was speaking the truth.
    Seemingly confident
he’d made his point, Edward said, “In Amsterdam you learned Felix Brandt was one
of the last people to ever see Atlantis, and that, after returning to
Amsterdam, he travelled to Tibet. There he lived out the remainder of his days,
presumably documenting the history of the world high in the Atlantean archives.”
    “That’s right.
So, every archeologist and treasure hunter in the last two centuries have heard
the rumor that an ancient Atlantean left a treasure trove of orichalcum
somewhere in the mountains of Tibet, along with the key to the city’s central
vault and a map that could outlast the ages of time.”
    “Yes, something
like. Of course no one’s ever been able to locate it have they? Yet, you
located something in Amsterdam. What was it, a map?”
    “Not quite a map.
I discovered a key to an ancient map.”
    Edward laughed,
as though he’d had enough fun with her. “Dr. Swan. On that account we’re in
luck. As it so happens, I once owned the Arcane Stone. It has since been stolen
from me. But I have previously used it to mark the secret location of the
Atlantean Archives.”
    She grinned
mischievously. What does this man actually need from me? “And what did
you find there?”
    “A whole lot of
ancient texts. The same as those that riddle the walls of Atlantis. I’m not a
linguist, Dr. Swan. I have studied far and wide, and in my short 80 years of
life on this earth, I have learned to make sense out of some of the images. But
for the most part, I need your help.”
    “How do you know
that I’ll have any more luck understanding it than you?”
    “Because as you
know, it’s the same language that you’ve studied for years. The one you believe
came from the Master Builders, although I believe we’re both going to find that
the simplest explanation for them was that they were simply Gods.”
    Billie tried to
hide her surprise. And then said, “Gods? The last time people truly believed
that the Gods lived among us was in ancient Greece, and even then, no one
really believed the stories.”
    “Oh, are you
sure?”
    Billie was
certain. She might overlook her scientific objectivity in place of a gut
instinct about an old man, but resting the answers to some of the biggest
questions to plague her life on ancient Gods, was one giant step too much for
her to take.
    He smiled at her
and said, “Don’t worry Dr. Swan. I’m not planning on preaching. It was just a
thought.”
    Yet something
about his smile made her wonder what he really knew about the Master Builders.
    “What now, then?”
    “And so, Billie, you
and I are on our way to Tibet, to climb a mountain.”

Chapter Seventeen
    Andrew Brandt
looked at the robe in his wardrobe. His father had been the last to wear it,
and the last to truly believe in the Phoenix Resistance. It