sign in sign up
<<
Home , Dirk Pitt, Medusa (Cussler novel), Odessa Sea, Sacred Stone (novel), Sahara (novel), Shadow Tyrants

ON SALE 6.11.19

AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE INDIEBOUND

iBOOKS BAM

➞ START READING ➞ 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 THE ORACLE 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 S31 N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd i 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 03 TITLES BY 04 05 ® ADVENTURES SAM AND REMI FARGO 06 ADVENTURES Celtic Empire (with Dirk Cussler) 07 (with Dirk Cussler) The Gray Ghost 08 (with Robin Burcell) Havana Storm (with Dirk Cussler) 09 The Romanov Ransom Poseidon’s Arrow (with Dirk Cussler) (with Robin Burcell) 10 Crescent Dawn (with Dirk Cussler) Pirate (with Robin Burcell) 11 Arctic Drift (with Dirk Cussler) (with Russell Blake) 12 of Khan (with Dirk Cussler) The Eye of Heaven (with Russell Blake) 13 Black Wind (with Dirk Cussler) The Mayan Secrets (with Thomas Perry) 14 (with Thomas Perry) 15 (with Grant Blackwood) Atlantis Found 16 (with Grant Blackwood) 17 (with Grant Blackwood) 18 19 ISAAC BELL ADVENTURES 20 (with Justin Scott) 21 Treasure (with Justin Scott) 22 The Assassin (with Justin Scott) 23 The Bootlegger (with Justin Scott) 24 Pacific Vortex! (with Justin Scott) 25 Night Probe! The Thief (with Justin Scott) 26 Vixen 03 The Race (with Justin Scott) 27 Raise the Titanic! (with Justin Scott) 28 The Wrecker (with Justin Scott) 29 30 31S 32N

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd ii 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 03 04 05 KURT AUSTIN ADVENTURES Novels from The NUMA® Files 06 (with Boyd Morrison) 07 Sea of Greed (with Graham Brown) (with Boyd Morrison) 08 (with Graham Brown) The Emperor’s Revenge (with Graham Brown) (with Boyd Morrison) 09 The Pharaoh’s Secret Piranha (with Boyd Morrison) 10 (with Graham Brown) Mirage (with ) 11 Ghost Ship (with Graham Brown) The Jungle (with Jack Du Brul) 12 Zero Hour (with Graham Brown) (with Jack Du Brul) 13 The Storm (with Graham Brown) (with Jack Du Brul) 14 Devil’s Gate (with Graham Brown) Plague Ship (with Jack Du Brul) 15 (with Paul Kemprecos) (with Jack Du Brul) 16 The Navigator (with Paul Kemprecos) (with Jack Du Brul) 17 Polar Shift (with Paul Kemprecos) (with Craig Dirgo) 18 Lost City (with Paul Kemprecos) (with Craig Dirgo) (with Paul Kemprecos) 19 (with Paul Kemprecos) 20 NONFICTION (with Paul Kemprecos) 21 (with Paul Kemprecos) Built for Adventure: The Classic 22 Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk 23 Pitt Built to Thrill: More Classic 24 Automobiles from Clive Cussler and 25 Dirk Pitt 26 The Sea Hunters (with Craig Dirgo) 27 The Sea Hunters II (with Craig Dirgo) 28 Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed 29 (with Craig Dirgo) 30 S31 N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd ii 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd iii 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 THE 07 08 09 10 ORACLE 11 12 13 A Sam and Remi Fargo 14 Adventure 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 CLIVE 22 23 24 25 CUSSLER 26 27 and Robin Burcell 28 29 30 S31 G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS | NEW YORK N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd v 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 G. P. Putnam’s Sons 08 Publishers Since 1838 09 An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 10 11 Copyright © 2019 by Sandecker, RLLLP 12 Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you 13 for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with 14 copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and 15 allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader. 16 Library of Congress Cataloging‑­in‑­Publication Data 17 [Insert CIP]

18 Printed in the United States of America 19 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

20 Book design by Kristin del Rosario 21 Title page art: Waterfall by Andrew Mayovskyy/Shutterstock.com; 22 old paper by caesart/Shutterstock.com 23 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either 24 are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, 25 companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. 26 27 28 29 30 31S 32N

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd vi 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 03 04 CAST OF CHARACTERS 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 KINGDOM OF THE VANDALS, NORTH AFRICA, 533 A.D. 12 13 ­Gelimer—​­the last King of the Vandals, the Usurper 14 Tzazon—­ ​­Gelimer’s brother 15 ­Euric—​­Gelimer’s next in command 16 Belisarius—­ ​­general of the Byzantine Army 17 GELIMER’S ANCESTORS 18 Hilderic—­ ​­penultimate King of the Vandals, murdered by Gelimer 19 ­Genseric—​­King of the Vandals who conquered North Africa and 20 laid siege to Hippo Regia 21 22 23 THE PRESENT DAY 24 IN LA JOLLA 25 Sam Fargo 26 Remi (Longstreet) Fargo 27 Selma ­Wondrash—​­the Fargos’ head researcher 28 Professor Lazlo ­Kemp—​­a Fargos researcher and cryptologist 29 Rubin Haywood—­ ​­CIA case agent 30 Zoltán—­ ​­the Fargos’ German shepherd S31 N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd vi 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd vii 3/26/19 6:53 PM cast of characters

01 IN BULLA REGIA, TUNISIA 02 Dr. Renee ­LaBelle—archeologist​­ 03 Hank—­ ​­site manager, Bulla Regia 04 ­Amal—​­graduate student 05 ­José—​­Spanish graduate student 06 Osmond—­ ​­Egyptian graduate student 07 Yesmine—­ Amal’s​­ mother 08 Warren—­ ​­former site manager 09 10 TUNISIAN GANG 11 Tarek 12 Hamida 13 Ben Ayed 14 Monsieur ­Karim—​­Tunisian antiquities dealer 15 Leila—­ Karim’s​­ assistant 16 17 IN NIGERIA

18 GASHAKA GUMTI, FARGOS’ SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 19 Pete ­Jeffcoat—​­Selma’s research assistant, Corden’s boyfriend 20 Wendy ­Corden—​­Selma’s research assistant, Jeffcoat’s girlfriend 21 ­Yaro—​­school caretaker, Monifa’s husband. 22 Monifa—­ ​­school caretaker, Yaro’s wife. 23 Okoro ­Eze—​­tea farmer, Zara’s father 24 ­Zara—student,​­ Okoro’s daughter 25 ­Jol—​­student 26 ­Tambara—​­student 27 Maryam—­ ​­student 28 Jonathon Atiku—­ ​­Nasha’s uncle. 29 30 31S 32N

viii

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd viii 3/26/19 6:53 PM cast of characters

IN JALINGO, NIGERIA 01

STREET THIEVES 02 03 Nasha Atiku 04 Chuk 05 Len 06

KALU BROTHERS 07 08 Bako Kalu 09 Kambili Kalu 10 Makao Oni (aka Scarface)—​­Area Boys gang leader 11

AREA BOYS 12 13 Jimi 14 Pili 15 Dayo 16 Den 17 Deric 18 Urhie 19 Joe 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 S31 N32

ix

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd viii 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd ix 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 THE ORACLE 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 S31 N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd x 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd xi 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 Whatsoever a man soweth, 11 that shall he also reap. 12

– GALATIANS​­ 6:7 – 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 S31 N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd xii 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd xiii 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 PROLOGUE 03 04 05 PART I 06 07 Ashes fly back into the face of him who throws them. 08 – african​­ proverb – 09 10 11 12 DECEMBER 12, 533 A.D. 13 Bulla Regia, 14 Kingdom of the Vandals, North Africa 15 16 he winter moon lit the paving stones as Gelimer, King of the 17 Vandals, and his brother, Tzazon, galloped their horses 18 Tthrough the old triumphal arch, past the theater, past the fo‑ 19 rum, past the still­ -​­elegant sleeping town houses. When they reached 20 the center of the city, they veered left toward the old pagan tomb­ -​ 21 ­lined highway leading out of Bulla Regia toward the hills. Once be‑ 22 yond the silent houses of the dead, they turned onto a long avenue 23 filled with twisted shadows from the ancient olive trees. Their horses 24 grew skittish as the silhouetted outlines of the neglected Temple of 25 ­Saturn—​­the great god of the harvest—­ ​­loomed up before them. A 26 tangle of vines seemed to hold its crumbling, ­silver-​­tinged walls to‑ 27 gether, the entrance to the oracle’s temple hidden in the hill behind 28 the ruins. 29 The two men reined to a stop, tying their horses to one of 30 the trees. S31 N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd xiv 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 1 3/26/19 6:53 PM clive cussler

01 “This way,” Gelimer said, leading Tzazon toward the temple, 02 then up the stairs to the portico. They were met by a Moorish child, 03 who seemed to appear out of nowhere. 04 She guided them over the porch of the temple, then beyond the 05 ruins, deep into a cave in the hillside. Oil lamps hung from the ceil‑ 06 ing at intervals, the shadows dancing across inscriptions carved into 07 the walls. When they reached the heart of the cave, the girl stopped 08 before an unlit chamber, Gelimer on one side of her, Tzazon on the 09 other. Tzazon looked around. “Where is this oracle?” 10 The child raised her ­henna-​­traced hand in a gesture of silence. 11 “Behold,” she said, “the Sign of Saturn.” 12 As their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they saw a tripod with 13 glowing coals. Above this, a magic square seemed to materialize. 14 15 S A T O R 16 A R E P O 17 T E N E T 18 19 O P E R A 20 R O T A S 21 22 It glimmered for an instant, then vanished as the coals burst into 23 flame. The flickering light revealed a girl not much older than the 24 child who’d led them there. Sitting on a tall stool, she wore a turban, 25 and was dressed in robes that shimmered like emeralds tinged with 26 blood in the glow from the embers in the tripod. When she opened 27 her dark eyes, she seemed to be looking straight at and through Ge‑ 28 limer at one in the same time. 29 The Priestess inhaled the fumes from the tripod. In a voice that 30 seemed as thin as the wind whispering through the olive trees, she 31S uttered her prophecy. “Saturn holds the wheels. The balance be‑ 32N tween Rhea, wealth and abundance, and Lua, destruction and

2

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 2 3/26/19 6:53 PM the oracle

­dissolution . . . Hear, O King of the Vandals, the wheels have slipped. 01 Lua reigns.” 02 A chill penetrated Gelimer’s heart. “Tell me, Sibyl, the meaning 03 of your words.” 04 “It is as it was foretold. As Gamma pursued Beta, now Beta pur‑ 05 sues Gamma.” 06 “Utter nonsense,” Tzazon said. “A children’s rhyme.” 07 The Priestess inhaled. “Two lost already, at the tenth milestone.” 08 The tenth milestone was where, in the attempt to rout the invad‑ 09 ing Byzantine Army outside of Carthage, their brother and nephew 10 had met their deaths. Tzazon, unimpressed, spat. “She could have 11 heard that from marketplace gossip. Or from one of Belisarius’s 12 spies. Tell me of my death, Sibyl, so that I can prevent it.” 13 The Priestess turned his direction, her eyes as black as unlit coal. 14 “Beware the third charge.” 15 “The witch is mad,” Tzazon muttered. “What does this even 16 mean?” 17 The sibyl’s unseeing gaze turned back to Gelimer. “Know, O 18 King, the Saturnalia is upon us. To break the curse, the sacred scroll 19 must be returned by one who is of royal blood. Death will come to 20 one who is not.” 21 “How?” Gelimer demanded. “How do I find this scroll?” 22 “The penultimate king sees it from the Underworld. The Usurper 23 is blinded. He will lose that which he holds dear, until all that is left 24 is shadow, and naught remains but vanity.” Then, as if the power of 25 her oracles had drained the energy from her slim form, the Priestess 26 slumped in her chair and seemed to disappear. 27 Gelimer and Tzazon were alone with the child in the darkness. 28 “She’s a Moor,” Tzazon said to Gelimer after the child led them 29 out. The two men walked from the temple ruins toward their horses. 30 “She worships the old gods. How can you deceive yourself by listen‑ S31 ing to anything she tells you?” N32

3

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 2 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 3 3/26/19 6:53 PM clive cussler

01 “Deceive myself? You will be the next to die unless I find this 02 scroll and return it.” 03 “What is this curse you speak of?” 04 “It was cast as revenge from the very Priestess who helped Gen‑ 05 seric win his conquest,” Gelimer said. “Genseric stole the scroll, hid 06 it, ordered the Priestess’s death, then promised to destroy the scroll 07 should anyone take up arms against the Vandals.” 08 Tzazon stopped in his tracks. “You expect me to believe that 09 something that occurred well over a hundred years ago has any ef‑ 10 fect on the here and now? You forget, brother, that these so‑­called 11 oracles are masters of the vague turn of phrase. You hear what you 12 want to hear.” 13 “This oracle foretold Hilderic’s death if he failed to find the scroll 14 before the festival of Saturnalia, then return it to Hippo Regius.” 15 “The only reason he is dead is because the Emperor Justinian 16 would have tried to return him to the throne. It has nothing to 17 do with prophecy and everything to do with protecting your 18 kingdom.” 19 “And what of the penultimate king’s deathbed confession? How 20 could she possibly have known that Hilderic’s last words were about 21 the map?” 22 “Servants talk.” 23 “There was no one there except Ammatas, who thrust the knife 24 into his belly at my orders. And he told no one but me. If I can find 25 this scroll, and break the curse before we go to battle, I may yet save 26 your life.” 27 Tzazon freed the reins of his horse, then mounted. “Very well. 28 Show me this map.” 29 The two men rode back into Bulla Regia to the royal house that 30 Gelimer had occupied after he’d deposed his cousin Hilderic from 31S the throne. It was the same home that belonged to Genseric, after he 32N had stolen the scroll.

4

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 4 3/26/19 6:53 PM the oracle

And now, a century later, it was up to Gelimer to see to its 01 return. 02 When they reached the royal house, a dozing groom who guarded 03 the doorway rose to attention, taking their horses as they dis‑ 04 mounted. The two men strode up the steps, through the great en‑ 05 trance, passing into the atrium, where Gelimer seized a burning 06 torch from its sconce. The torchlight caused the mosaics on the floor 07 to glitter like jewels beneath their feet as the brothers crossed the 08 central hall to a marble staircase. That led down to a long mazelike 09 corridor in the story underground, which protected the Vandal rul‑ 10 ers from the summer heat. 11 At last, the brothers reached what had been Genseric’s inner 12 sanctum, then, years later, Hilderic’s. The flickering light revealed a 13 desk and chair of ivory and ebony. On the floor beneath it, a de‑ 14 tailed mosaic from the old pagan mythology—­ ​­Echo, behind one of 15 two olive trees flanking the temple, pining for Narcissus, who lay at 16 the foot of the stairs, the handsome youth gazing downward, his 17 finger almost touching the blue and white pattern of the pool in 18 front of the temple. 19 “I have searched this room, this house, a thousand times,” Ge‑ 20 limer said. “There is no map.” 21 “Perhaps it was Hilderic’s final revenge. Sending you searching 22 for something that doesn’t exist. What exactly did he tell Ammatas?” 23 “That unless I faced my vanity, I would fail to see that which is 24 right in front of me.” 25 Tzazon grabbed the torch from him, pointing toward the floor. 26 “Narcissus admiring his reflection. There’s the answer to your 27 riddle.” 28 Gelimer stared at the shadows cast upon the mosaic by the danc‑ 29 ing flame. Echo was looking at Narcissus, who seemed not to know 30 she was there. Behind him was a building, which looked very S31 much like the Temple of Saturn. “His reflection,” Gelimer said as he N32

5

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 4 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 5 3/26/19 6:53 PM clive cussler

01 repeated the sibyl’s words in his head. All that is left is shadow, and 02 naught remains but vanity. He looked up at his brother. “Vanity. 03 That’s the map. Narcissus is pointing directly at it.” 04 “A map of what?” Tzazon said, scrutinizing the pattern in the 05 blue and white mosaic beneath Narcissus. 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31S 32N

6

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 6 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 PROLOGUE 03 04 05 PART II 06 07 War has no eyes. 08 – ­swahili proverb – 09 10 11 12 DECEMBER 15, 533 A.D. 13 Tricamarum (50 kilometers west of Carthage), 14 Kingdom of the Vandals, North Africa 15 16 elimer held up his hand, signaling his army to a halt, as he 17 and his brother Tzazon rode on alone to the top of the hill to 18 Gsurvey the Roman encampment in the distance. A sense of 19 fatality overwhelmed Gelimer as he studied the enemy, fifteen thou‑ 20 sand strong. The sun glinted off the metal scale armor of the Roman 21 cavalry and infantry as they sat around their fires, preparing their 22 meals. “This is fruitless,” he told Tzazon. 23 “Forget about the words of that ­witch-​­woman.” 24 The sibyl’s prophecy was all Gelimer thought about. Though he 25 had sent men to search what was left of the now dry reflecting pool 26 in front of the Temple of Saturn, they came up empty­ -​­handed. One 27 man died after falling from his horse, the others refused to go back, 28 fearing the curse. Gelimer had even tried to meet with the sibyl 29 again, but they found her cave behind the temple abandoned. “I can‑ 30 not lose you, too, Tzazon—­ ­” S31 N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 6 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 7 3/26/19 6:53 PM clive cussler

01 His brother glanced at him in exasperation. “How can you trust 02 in pagan prophecies?” 03 “I beg you, do not fight this battle. Go back to the stockade and 04 guard our women and children. You’ll give them courage.” 05 “And look like a coward to my cavalry? Besides, it’s my death 06 that’s foretold. Let me be the one to decide.” He drew his sword, 07 held it on high, and wheeled his horse to face his troops, crying, 08 “Onward!” 09 With a mighty roar in response, the cavalry drew their swords 10 and followed Tzazon into battle before Gelimer had a chance to 11 countermand the order. Crossing the stream, they charged at 12 Belisarius’s center. On the right flank, Gelimer’s troops held back. 13 Euric, his next in command, rode up beside him. “My Lord,” he 14 said. “Your men await your orders.” 15 Gelimer rode over to the waiting troops, then held up his sword, 16 repeating Tzazon’s battle cry. “Onward.” 17 Euric raised his blade, shouting, “Hail, Gelimer!” They rode 18 forth, bringing up the right flank as Tzazon took the center. Arrows 19 flew toward them from the Romans, but the Vandals lifted their 20 shields, rendering most of them useless. A few found their mark, the 21 casualties dropping, but their ranks quickly filled, the Vandals re‑ 22 peating their battle cry as they drove into the ranks of Roman 23 horsemen. 24 Swords clashed, the ring of steel deafening to Gelimer’s ears. A 25 Roman horseman charged, his spear poised toward Gelimer’s chest. 26 Gelimer parried with his shield, urged his horse around and brought 27 his sword down, knocking the spear from his grasp. The Roman 28 tried to draw his own blade, but Gelimer came in for the kill, driving 29 the sharp tip beneath his armpit, knocking him from his mount. The 30 king quickly turned, taking on a second horseman. 31S More Roman arrows pierced the Vandal ranks. Gelimer whirled 32N his horse around, saw the archers riding behind the cavalry, and was

8

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 8 3/26/19 6:53 PM the oracle

about to call for his flank to work their way toward them, when 01 suddenly Belisarius ordered the Roman Army to retreat. 02 The Vandals cheered, and Tzazon looked triumphant as he gal‑ 03 loped toward Gelimer. “Cowards,” he said. “You see? We have noth‑ 04 ing to fear.” 05 “Do not be so quick to judge,” Gelimer replied, surveying the 06 battlefield. 07 “They have twice the number of dead.” Tzazon rode off toward 08 his men, signaling them for their next attack. 09 Gelimer, unable to shake his sense of foreboding, watched Tza‑ 10 zon and his cavalry chase after the fleeing enemy as they tried to re‑ 11 group not once but twice. The third time, the Roman horsemen 12 ignored both the right and the left flanks, instead picking away at 13 the center where Tzazon was fighting. 14 Beware the third charge . . .­ 15 “To my brother!” Gelimer cried to his men. “Protect him at 16 all costs.” 17 His cavalry galloped forward, scattering Romans in every direc‑ 18 tion. The Vandal warriors were superior horsemen and unparalleled 19 with the sword, driving the enemy back as Tzazon battled a giant of 20 a man. 21 The two fought bitterly, their swords clashing. The giant thrust 22 his blade at Tzazon but missed. He tried to right himself, but Tza‑ 23 zon drove his sword into his enemy’s shoulder, knocking him from 24 his mount. As the man hit the ground, his sword fell from his grip. 25 For the first time, Gelimer felt as though his Vandal Army had the 26 upper hand. 27 Even Tzazon must have felt it. As he surveyed the battlefield, 28 searching for the next Roman to kill, he caught sight of Gelimer. 29 When their eyes met, Tzazon lifted his sword, crying out, “Hail to 30 the King!” S31 Behind him, the giant stirred, grabbing his sword. N32

9

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 8 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 9 3/26/19 6:53 PM clive cussler

01 “Tzazon,” Gelimer shouted. 02 Tzazon reined his horse around. Too late. The giant’s sword 03 arced toward him, striking his side between the plates of his armor. 04 Tzazon faltered, his look one of surprise, as the giant thrust again, 05 then pulled the blade from Tzazon’s ribs. Tzazon’s sword slipped 06 from his grasp. He clutched his wound, staring at the blood. His 07 horse, sensing the change in his master, suddenly reared, throwing 08 him from the saddle. 09 “Tzazon,” Gelimer cried as his brother struggled to his feet. A 10 new strength surged through Gelimer’s veins. He slashed at every 11 Roman that came between them, the men falling in his wake. The 12 giant leered when he saw Gelimer charging. He hefted the mighty 13 blade and brought it crashing down on Tzazon’s neck. 14 Gelimer’s heart clenched. His pulse roared in his ears. He 15 charged faster, driving his sword into the giant’s chest, watching as 16 he stumbled backward, dead before he hit the ground. 17 Gelimer slid from his horse, staring at his brother’s fallen body. 18 The battle raged on around him. The sounds dimmed, the world 19 darkened. 20 “My Lord,” Euric called. “We need orders.” 21 Gelimer heard nothing. 22 “My King,” Euric grabbed him by his shoulder. “Your men await 23 your orders.” 24 “All that is left is shadow . . .”­ He dropped to his knees. The 25 battlefield was littered with the Vandal dead. His men. Tzazon’s 26 men. “Naught remains but vanity ­ . . .” He struggled to breathe. 27 “­Tzazon . . .” 28 “He’s dead,” Euric said. “And you will suffer the same fate if we 29 don’t get out of here.” Euric pulled him to his feet. 30 Gelimer remembered nothing afterward. Somehow, he found 31S himself on horseback, following Euric, while the remnants of the 32N Vandal Army fled in every direction.

10

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 10 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 CHAPTER ONE 03 04 05 A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. 06 – chinese​­ proverb – 07 08 09 10 11 THE PRESENT DAY 12 La Jolla, 13 14 am Fargo checked the figures for the second time. No doubt 15 about it. There were several discrepancies in the accounting of 16 Sthe money that the Fargo Foundation had sent to fund an ar‑ 17 cheological dig in Tunisia. “It doesn’t look good.” 18 His wife, Remi, leaned toward the computer screen, her green 19 eyes troubled as she scrutinized the numbers. She tucked a lock of 20 auburn hair behind her ear, then suddenly rose, pacing the floor be‑ 21 hind him. “How could this have happened? Renee LaBelle is one of 22 my oldest friends. I can’t just pick up the phone and start asking all 23 these questions. It’ll sound like I’m accusing her.” 24 Sam swiveled his desk chair around to face her. Remi and Dr. 25 Renee LaBelle had been roommates at Boston College and friends 26 ever since. “As long as you two have known each other? I doubt she’ll 27 take offense. But if we don’t reconcile our figures with hers, we’re all 28 going to have issues at tax time.” 29 Remi stopped, looking at the monitor. “At least she backs up ev‑ 30 erything with ledgers. I remember her saying they had problems S31 when they switched over to that new accounting program. That was N32

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 10 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 11 3/26/19 6:53 PM clive cussler

01 right around the same time. Maybe there was a glitch. Something 02 must have gotten entered wrong.” 03 A very big glitch. And several somethings, Sam thought. A year 04 ago, when Remi had suggested that the Fargo Foundation fund Re‑ 05 nee LaBelle’s archeological dig at Bulla Regia, he’d been against it 06 from the very beginning. Though he and Remi had started the char‑ 07 itable organization to take on worthy projects of this type, he knew 08 from experience that good friendships didn’t always survive the dis‑ 09 covery of bad money management. He’d mentioned this at the time, 10 but Remi had her heart set on helping her friend, and had assured 11 him that Renee LaBelle’s past archeological projects had been very 12 successful. 13 Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case now. “We won’t know any‑ 14 thing until we sit down with her and go over the figures,” he said. 15 “Tell Renee our accountant is the one asking the questions. Like a 16 tax thing. Which it is.” Sam glanced at the clock. Just after ten in the 17 morning. “What are they, eight hours ahead?” He picked up Remi’s 18 smartphone from the desk, handing it to her. 19 She pulled up a chair next to Sam. “Phone call or video? Video,” 20 she said before he could answer. “That’s a little more personal. Don’t 21 sit too close. If she sees you, she’ll think we’re ganging up on her.” 22 Sam leaned away from her as she made the call. Her friend’s face 23 filled the screen, her expression one of mild surprise. “Remi. Hold 24 on. Let me step outside where it’s a little quieter. I’m at dinner with 25 the crew.” 26 “Finish eating. It can wait. I just wanted to ask you a few ques‑ 27 tions about the books. For taxes.” 28 “No. No. I’ve been meaning to ­call—­” 29 “Who is it, LaBelle?” came a male voice in the background. 30 “Remi Fargo,” she said. “Questions about the books.” 31S A man’s face appeared in the screen next to Renee’s. “I’ve been 32N telling LaBelle she needs to call you to set up a meeting.”

12

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 12 3/26/19 6:53 PM the oracle

Her friend nodded. “He has,” she said, then seemed to realize that 01 Remi had no idea who the man next to her was. “Sorry. This is Hank, 02 our new site manager. Hank, Remi Fargo. She and her husband head 03 up the Fargo Foundation. I’m sure Sam can’t be too far away.” 04 “Right next to me,” Remi said, turning the screen to show Sam. 05 He nodded at them. 06 Hank smiled. “So, what do you say? Set up a video call in a day 07 or two? We know you must have questions.” 08 Had it been a minor issue, Sam would have agreed. There was too 09 much money unaccounted for, in his opinion, to handle it with a 10 video call. “Turns out,” Sam said, “we have to be in Nigeria next 11 Monday. No reason we couldn’t fly in a day or two earlier and stop 12 off in Tunisia on our way. Might be easier if we all sit down together.” 13 Renee LaBelle shook her head. “A slight logistics problem. We’re 14 in Kenya. Archeological conference. How long will you be in Nige‑ 15 ria? Maybe you could come by after?” 16 “Hard to say,” Sam replied. “A week, maybe more.” He and 17 Remi were driving out to the southern edge of Gashaka Gumti Na‑ 18 tional Park, where two of their assistants, Wendy Corden and Pete 19 Jeffcoat, had been living these past few months, overseeing the con‑ 20 struction of a ­self-​­sustaining school for girls. Though nearly fin‑ 21 ished, they’d fallen behind schedule, and their goal was to have 22 everything done before the rainy season started. “We’re checking in 23 on one of the Foundation’s projects.” 24 Renee’s face lit up. “Is that the school out in the bush? Do you 25 actually have students yet?” 26 “We do,” Remi said. 27 “Here’s a thought,” Renee said. “We could leave the conference a 28 day early, meet you in Jalingo instead of flying all the way back to 29 Tunis. Go over the books, pop out to the ­school . . .” She gave an 30 apologetic smile. “Look at me, inviting myself. Last thing you need S31 is us traipsing around while you’re busy working.” N32

13

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 12 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 13 3/26/19 6:53 PM clive cussler

01 Exactly what Sam was thinking. Hoping to avoid turning this 02 into some sort of social visit, he nodded. “We’ll definitely be busy.” 03 Apparently, Hank was of the same mind, saying, “That’s a bit 04 much to be asking when they’re trying to get work done. Don’t for‑ 05 get, we’ll have the crew with us.” He nodded behind him. 06 Renee turned her phone so that the camera picked up a group of 07 people seated around a table. “You’ve met Warren, of course.” Her 08 ­gray-​­haired site manager gave the slightest of nods, then went back 09 to drinking his beer. “And one of my graduate students. Amal, say hi 10 to the Fargos.” A young woman in her early twenties, her long dark 11 hair pulled back in a ponytail, lifted her hand, waved. 12 “Actually,” Remi said, “that’s even better. Isn’t it, Sam?” 13 Clearly, he’d lost complete control of this ­conversation—​ 14 ­assuming he’d ever had control of it to begin with. “How?” 15 “Having not one but two women come talk to the girls. A profes‑ 16 sor and one of her students. It’s a brilliant plan.” 17 Sam had no clue how his wife had landed on that idea. “Did you 18 forget about the dorm we’re supposed to be building?” 19 He wasn’t surprised to find that Dr. LaBelle’s mind worked in 20 similar fashion to his wife’s. She gave a slight nod in her colleagues’ 21 direction, saying, “We could always bring Hank. He’s excellent at 22 construction work.” 23 “What about Warren?” Hank asked. 24 “Me?” Warren seemed surprised that he’d been singled him out. 25 “Too old for any heavy lifting. And someone’s got to hold down 26 the fort.” 27 “Wait,” Renee said. “It’ll never work. The books are back in 28 Tunisia.” 29 “No problem,” Remi replied. “We’ll pick you up in Tunisia and 30 we’ll all fly out together.” 31S “Wonderful idea. Don’t you agree, Hank?” 32N

14

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 14 3/26/19 6:53 PM the oracle

“What? Yes. But we’re on a tight schedule ourselves. I’m not sure 01 how we’ll—­ ”­ 02 “Fortunately,” Renee replied, “I’m the boss.” She looked directly 03 at the camera, smiling. “Get back to me with the details. We look 04 forward to it.” 05 Remi ended the call, looking very pleased as she set her phone on 06 the desk. “That went well.” 07 “Did I miss the part where we were supposed to be talking about 08 the missing money?” 09 “We’ll look at the books in Tunisia before flying out to the 10 school. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.” 11 He hoped she was right, because saying “I told you so” to your 12 wife was never a good idea. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 S31 N32

15

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 14 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 15 3/26/19 6:53 PM 01 02 03 CHAPTER TWO 04 05 06 Return to old watering holes for more than water; 07 friends and dreams are there to meet you. – african​­ proverb – 08 09 10 11 12 Bulla Regia, Tunisia 13 14 light breeze swept in as Sam and Remi leaned against their 15 rented Audi RS at the edge of the archeological park. Sam 16 A looked at his watch, a few minutes past eleven. “You’re sure 17 Dr. LaBelle said ­ten-​­thirty?” 18 “Positive.” Remi took out her phone and tried calling. “Voice 19 mail. Do you think we should drive around and look for her? I’m 20 sure this is where she said to meet.” 21 Sam put his arm around her shoulders. “We can wait. How often 22 does a guy get to stand close to a beautiful girl beneath a gorgeous 23 blue sky?” 24 “Good point, Fargo,” she said, leaning into him. 25 About ten minutes later, a midsize blue SUV pulled up. 26 Renee hopped out, waving to them. “Sorry. Warren normally 27 takes over the supervision of our graduate students midmorning, but 28 he never showed and I totally lost track of time.” She quickly closed 29 the distance, hugging Remi. “­Rem-​­rem. So good to see you. I swear, 30 you haven’t aged a bit since the two of you got married.” 31S “­Nay-​­nay,” Remi said and smiled. “How long has it been since 32N we’ve heard those names?”

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 16 3/26/19 6:53 PM the oracle

“Graduation,” they said at the same time, then started laughing. 01 Both women had emerged with a master’s in anthropology and 02 history, though Remi’s focus had been on ancient trade routes and 03 Renee’s in archeology. And, other than the two being slim, they 04 looked nothing alike. Remi, with green eyes and red hair, stood a 05 half head taller than the petite ­blond-​­haired, ­blue-​­eyed Renee. Their 06 first names, however, had caused quite a bit of confusion for their 07 unfortunate ­professors—​­and most of their ­friends—​­quite simply 08 because they were always together and the two names were so simi‑ 09 lar. When someone dubbed them ­Rem-​­rem and ­Nay-​­nay to avoid 10 any confusion, the nicknames stuck up until Renee left Boston Col‑ 11 lege to pursue her Ph.D. in archeology. 12 Remi linked her arm through Renee’s. “It’s been far too long,” 13 she said, still feeling a bit sensitive over the real reason they were 14 meeting. “No problems taking the time off? To come out to the 15 school?” 16 “The timing’s perfect. No one’s going to miss us for a few days.” 17 Renee smiled at Sam. “You’re sure you don’t mind us tagging 18 along, Sam?” 19 “Looking forward to it.” 20 Renee laughed at the look he gave Remi. “Just not to the same 21 degree, perhaps?” 22 Sam winked at her. “Happy wife, happy life.” 23 “You married a smart man, Remi.” She laughed again, then nod‑ 24 ded toward the rolling hills and blue sky in the distance. “That’s 25 where we’re headed. Before we drive out there, I thought you might 26 want to see some of the older digs first. You have time, I hope?” 27 “Nothing planned,” Sam said. 28 “Perfect. They’ve made a lot of progress restoring the mosaics 29 since our college days.” She grabbed her shoulder bag from her car, 30 locked the car, and led them toward the entrance. S31 Because an earthquake destroyed much of the city, little remained N32

17

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 16 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 17 3/26/19 6:53 PM clive cussler

01 of the villas except for the occasional column, the crumbling walls, 02 and the theater, where the bishop Augustine had once harangued the 03 citizens of Bulla Regia for living in a sinkhole of iniquity. The ruins of 04 what had been ­two-​­story Roman luxury villas were unprepossessing. 05 The ground level had been occupied in the winter so residents were 06 able to take advantage of the warmth from the sun. In the summer, 07 they took refuge from the intense heat in the underground chambers, 08 many of which survived the massive quake. 09 Renee led them along the ancient paving stones, talking about 10 the history of the site, then paused along the way to point out the 11 striking detail of some of the mosaic work of the paths they were 12 walking on. Renee led them along the ancient stones, talking about 13 the history of the site, when Remi stopped, pointing to a group of 14 people in the distance. “Could that be Warren and Amal?” 15 Sam glanced up as the woman and three men disappeared be‑ 16 hind some ruins. 17 Renee shaded her eyes, looking that direction as well. “That cer‑ 18 tainly looked like Amal. She gives tours to earn extra money for 19 school. I can’t think why Warren would be there, though. Especially 20 when he knew you were coming, and I needed him at the excavation 21 site this morning.” She gave one last look that direction, then led 22 them toward a low rectangular parapet. “Careful,” she said as they 23 peered down some twenty feet below into a peristyle courtyard sup‑ 24 ported by six granite columns. Above the columns were large hex‑ 25 agonal windows, which let light into the subterranean corridors. 26 “This is one of my favorites,” she said as they descended the stairs 27 into the heart of the villa. She stood off to one side, allowing them to 28 see the splendor of the richly colored floor mosaics. 29 Remi crouched down for a better look at the intricately detailed 30 sea creatures and twin cherubs astride dolphins, one carrying a cas‑ 31S ket of jewels, the other a mirror, gifts for a haloed Venus borne in 32N triumph by two centaurs. “Amazing.”

18

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 18 3/26/19 6:53 PM the oracle

“That’s what I think every time I come into work.” Renee sighed 01 as she looked around as she started up the steps. “Who’d have 02 thought all those years ago that we’d be living our dream?” 03 “We did,” Remi said. 04 Sam laughed, no doubt thinking about all the scrapes they’d got‑ 05 ten into and escaped from over the years. “Not quite how you’d 06 planned, though. Eh, Mrs. Fargo?” 07 She looked over at him, laughing as she took his hand. “Not even 08 close.” 09 Renee was waiting for them at the top of the stairs. “What you 10 two consider fun the rest of us consider extreme.” She suddenly 11 turned, her eyes going wide, as someone grabbed her shoulder bag, 12 then pushed her down the stairs. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 S31 N32

19

9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 18 3/26/19 6:53 PM 9780525539612_Oracle_TX.indd 19 3/26/19 6:53 PM AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE INDIEBOUND

iBOOKS BAM

ON SALE 6.11.19