Prologue
84.509 B.C. Near Beersheba, Israel.
The Earth was still. Not completely of course, it never is. But there was nevertheless a strange quietness, like an eerie omen. The wind blew ever so softly, caressing the rocks and carrying the soft sand away. The animals seemed to be sleeping, or at least out of sight, perhaps knowing what was going to happen. Everything was out of place that was for certain. And then, it struck.
A meteorite, so little in comparison to the one that had struck 65 million years before, yet not less important. The waters of the river Jordan moved uncontrollably, forming huge waves. The animals that had not been moving, now no longer could. Even those strange animals that stood on their two feet and carried spears and knives made out of stone weren't intelligent enough to foresee and escape death. After a few minutes of uproar, of deafening noise and blinding clouds of light, stillness returned once more.
The Earth stood stiller than ever on that spot, nothing disturbing the peace broken so roughly some minutes before. But a crater and a piece of rock, as big as a door and which had hit so strong as to cause disaster were left to be silent witness of what had happened. A rock like any other, but with a black heart.
765 B.C. Near Beersheba, Israel.
As David ran across the plain looking for Belze, he couldn't help shivering. He didn't like that plain, he never had. He never left his herd of sheep near this place, or indeed go in himself, but when Belze had gone there, giving in to her fascination for the spot he didn't hesitate. Belze was his favourite sister, a little creature full of life and of a certain thirst of adventure, which more often than not caused her trouble, and usually David too. For he never refused to blame himself if he could save Belze from being punished. But this time, he was sure something dreadful was going to happen.
Then he heard a childish laugh as he saw a figure sitting next to a hole. He approached Belze with a stern look.
"David! Look what I found!"
Belze giggled as she showed him a bit of black rock.
"I told you not to come here. Do you never listen? This place is dangerous!"
"I'm sorry! But look at this! Itīs so beautiful ... Do you think you could carve something out of it? Thereīs more down there!"
"Oh, alright! Iīll make something for you and something to take to the temple when we go to Jerusalem!"
Belze squealed delightedly and hugged her brother. David climbed down the hole.
"There is hardly any of this rock you've found. Only two big pieces. Iīll take one and hide the other so we can pick it up later."
"This will be our secret, David!"
David nodded and took out a piece of rock as big as Belze. Belze followed him jumping excitedly. They did take a beautiful sculpture to the temple a week afterwards, and Belze did receive a little black camel. But they both died soon afterwards, no doctor could tell why. So they never came back. And the black heart which had successfully hidden itself for so long, had to wait some more time.
33 A.C. Jerusalem.
Andrew held the cup in wonder. So this was it. There was a lot of noise outside and he knew he had died. That nice man, who had come earlier mounting a donkey and who he had gone to welcome with an olive branch. The same man who had drank from that cup, and who had died a few hours ago on that cross, like a criminal. Andrew was only a few years younger than that Jesus everyone talked about, and he didn't know whether he was truly God's son or not. But to him that cup had a special something, a kind of indescribable quality that made it different. So he decided to keep it. He would never know how much sought it would be, or how much yearned for. For the Holy Grail would never leave Jerusalem. It remained in Andrew's house, until a few days before his death, when he asked his wife to put it in a little chest and dig a hole for it in the back yard. His wife didn't ask questions. She had always observed her husband cherished that cup, and wouldn't even drink out of it himself. So if it was a treasure, it was a good idea to hide it.
1821 A.C. Mediterranean Sea
Captain Frederick Wentworth was feeling uneasy. In fact, he had been feeling uneasy since that voyage had started. He had gone to buy some precious metals and diamonds, and he still felt bitter about it. He was a soldier, a navy man at Her Majesty's service, not a common peddler! Besides, they had also ordered him to take anything interesting, and the strange material they had found answered that description. But he did not like it. He had a strange feeling about that rock.
A week afterwards, the Laconia had only three men left. Captain Wentworth was one of them. There weren't enough sailors to stir the ship. The stormy clouds spoke of a tempest, and they couldn't do anything to prevent the shipwreck. As drops of water began to fall on his face, Captain Wentworth finished writing the account of the strange things that had happened since they left Palestine. His last thought was for his wife Anne, as the ship collided with a reef. The ship sunk slowly into the sea, where it would remain for nearly two hundred years.
Chapter 1
As Jane Bennet got out of the club and started walking towards the haven at least five men turned their heads to look at her. Jane, however, did not notice it, and simply kept looking for her boat, reading the names until she reached one which had the name "Dr Jones" written on the hull. Her sister Elizabeth, who had been looking at her with amused smile finally cried out to her.
"Ahoy there! Well, Jane, I must join all the women who love sea diving in saying it's not fair!"
Jane stared at her sister with her big blue eyes. Tall slim and fair, Jane would attract people not only for her looks but also for her innocent and kind nature. Her sister loved her dearly and teased her often about her beauty. But humble Jane would never believe she was beautiful. She was too good, and too little self-centered for that, so she usually laughed good-naturedly at her sister's jokes and go on being her wonderful self. Serene and distant at times, she could appear to be cold, but people who were close to her knew it was only shyness.
Elizabeth was the opposite to her sister in nearly every aspect. With her dark hair and gray eyes, Elizabeth was not as flashy as Jane and usually got less attention. But she had something Jane lacked and which made her equally attractive, a will of iron and a inner strength and fire that reflected in her eyes, changing them from pretty to utterly beautiful. She was spirited and witty, with a wicked sense of humour inherited from her father. To anyone who undertook the pleasure of knowing her, Elizabeth was a very special woman. She wasn't as tall as Jane, but she held herself gracefully both at land and sea, and could fascinate a casual observer with her feline movements. At that moment, Elizabethīs eyes glinted with malice. Jane knew this was a sure sign of teasing, and she gave in.
"What isn't fair?"
"That diving suit you're wearing. It makes you look wonderful."
"What's unfair about that?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and shot and accusative look at her.
"Diving suits were meant to make every woman look awful. And then you come and you look absolutely fetching in it! Every single woman who has to wear those suits must be hating you with all their might."
"Very funny. You know you don't look bad in these suits."
"True, but I don't look good either. Did it take you long to find the boat?"
"No, I only had to look for a name which had something to do with Indiana Jones."
"Am I that easy to read?"
"Yes. You only have two passions, the sea and Indy, so I guessed you would combine them if you had the chance."
Elizabeth smiled at her sister and winked.
"Ready to go?"
"Yes, but remember it's the first time I do this. I want to get the feeling of it before you start dragging me to some lost cave in the bottom of the ocean."
"I promise I wonīt. This is a sea, not an ocean!"
As Elizabeth giggled, Jane smiled and got onto the boat. They set sail and left Haifa Harbour, sailing into the Mediterranean Sea.
Chapter 1, Part II
Elizabeth breathed deeply savouring the delight she always felt when she stirred. Ever since the first time her father had taken her to see the sea she had fallen in love with it. She felt free with the salty smell in her nostrils and her hair in the wind. Her father had been delighted to discover yet another shared love with her daughter that he had indulged it and taken her daughter sailing as much as possible. As a result, Elizabeth was an experienced sailor who enjoyed any water sport so much she was always practising one or another.
Jane, who didn't like the sea as much as her sister, was indeed very confused. She was standing before all the sea diving apparels that Elizabeth had brought, looking at them suspiciously.
"Lizzy! Are you absolutely sure this is safe?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Jane was a dear, but she had no guts. She didn't like challenges, at least not those which involved any physical risk. Elizabeth was in contrast a real dare devil.
"Look, Jane, I thought we had already talked about this. It's perfectly safe, I'll be with you, and, if I was unavailable I'm sure a knight in shining armour will appear from nowhere just to have the privilege of rescuing you."
"You can be so funny at times, Lizzy. Excuse me if I'm not laughing, but I want to look nice when my knight comes."
"Don't worry, Jane, I understand. By the way I'm sure you wouldn't refuse to be rescued by one of the characters in Uncle Jim's stories... "
They both sighed and laughed at each otherīs dreamy look.
"Yes, I don't think anyone could refuse."
Elizabeth grinned and returned to her stirring. Not much later, the boat stopped.
"Are we there, Liz?"
"Yes. Jane, I'm going to take you to an awesome place. It's a cave I found a couple of weeks ago. It's beautiful and I wanted to come because just the day before yesterday I found a bit of black stone. It wasn't onyx, and I took it to our lab to be analyzed. I want to try to find some more, and you're going to help me!"
Jane gasped. This was her first attempt at sea diving, and she had some objections.
"What if there's a cave in? What if something goes wrong? What if...?"
"Jane, I'll be there. I swear I won't let anything happen to you. Don't you trust me?"
Jane looked at her beloved sister's face. She was serious, and Jane knew Lizzy was the person she trusted most in this world. She nodded. Liz's face was brightened by her smile and she proceeded to help Jane with all the belts, the air bottles and everything necessary for their "little adventure" as Elizabeth put it. Jane was by no means sure about it, but she strived to put on a confident smile. When everything was ready, Elizabeth gave a few useful tips to Jane.
"We won't be able to talk, but you just keep near and everything will be Ok."
They finally dived and Jane marvelled at the sea life around her. She could understand now her sister's love for sea diving. It was like being inside a National Geographic program, so near the little brilliant-coloured fish she could touch them. She was in awe of everything around her, but she remembered Elizabeth and did her best to keep up with her.
The entrance to the cave was high and Jane felt grateful for it. She didn't feel afraid now, just excited. Elizabeth entered and beckoned her. Jane got into the cave and switched on her torch. The walls of the cave were glittering and she caught her breath as she took in the view that could be compared to a starlit sky.
Then a loud noise reached their ears. Jane looked at Elizabeth who was swimming quickly into the depths of the cave. Jane followed suit. She never saw what hit her. Elizabeth heard the sound of falling rock and turned around in time to see Jane's legs being hit by a rock. She had already realized this was no ordinary cave in, and the sight of Jane's blood made her furious. But now there was no time to loose. She got hold of Jane, who had become unconscious. She dragged her body, thanking God that she was breathing normally and that she wasn't swallowing any water.
It took Elizabeth a long time to get to the end of the cave. She groaned inwardly when she saw that she would have to climb seven metres to manage to get away of the tide. She quickly removed Jane's mouthpiece so that she could breathe some real air. It was fortunate that she had taken the biggest air bottles, she thought. Slowly and skillfully she began to climb, pulling Jane up with her. By the time she reached the top, she was near exhaustion. But she couldn't give up, she couldn't leave Jane. A dim light came from a hole in the ceiling, not too far away.
"Hello! Can anyone hear me?"
No one answered. Elizabeth was nearly panicking.
"Please! We're trapped! We can't get out! My ... my sister's injured!"
She couldn't hear a voice, but she was aware of someone trying to make the hole bigger. Elizabeth looked at the sea level. The tide was coming up, and a few hours would be enough to drown them. She prayed silently that the hole could be enlarged in time. The person or people who were working at it were making a quick job of it, and Elizabeth began to hope.
For an hour or so she stared at the hole. Chunks of rock were falling from the ceiling and Elizabeth dragged Jane and herself to safety. When she looked up, she saw a rope hanging down towards them. A shape clad in scuba diving clothing was coming near. Elizabeth felt relief, so much she was close to tears. The man reached them and took his mask off. A pair of opaline green eyes stared at her. The man's hair was raven black and wavy, almost curly. He was so handsome Elizabeth was sure she had to be dreaming. He smiled at her.
"I can say you're glad to see me. My name's Darcy, Will Darcy."
Elizabeth did the only thing her body allowed her to do. She fainted.
Chapter 2, Part I
Elizabeth woke up slowly, realizing all she could see was a great blur. She closed her eyes tight, trying to shake it off, when she heard voices just outside. She didn't know where she was, but it had to be some sort of tent, because the light blur was of a turquoise colour.
"Are you telling me she dragged the girl from the entrance of the cave and climbed that rock when the tide was down? Carrying her unconscious friend?"
"Yes. We went down to investigate, and we found out that the only rocks which had fallen were at the entrance, so the other girl must've been injured there. And considering the time they got up there, taking her shouts as reference, the tide was down."
"Wow. She must be quite a girl. I wouldn't mind knowing her better."
"Will, Will. Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"
"Of course not! For God's sake, she's a girl! I don't need a brat, I need a woman. And you might've forgotten about Loren, but I certainly haven't."
"Oh, come! You know as well as I do that Loren loves her freedom too much to marry you. I love her, but you really should start thinking about other possibilities. This girl is beautiful, brave and would surely make a wonderful partner in life for you."
"Who says I want to marry?"
"Planet Earth calling Will `the perfect family manī Darcy! Come on, Darce, you know you want kids and a wife. What's the use of denying it?"
"Yes, you're right. But not now, and not with her."
Elizabeth felt angry. How dare he! How dare they! As if she would agree to marry him just because he saved her life! All right, forget that last thought, but not now she knew he was a jerk! A brat! She'd show him how woman-like she could be when she chose to.
"Chaz, why don't you try? You were always the immature one."
"I'd love to, if I hadn't seen a dazzling blonde angel in the other tent."
"The other girl?"
"Yes. She looks so sweet when she's asleep..."
"Get that stupid look off your face! You don't know her, she might be a witch for all you know."
"Yes, I don't know her, and I assure you, that matter is number one in my "Things to do" list. I have a feeling she's just what I think, an angel."
"Oh, well, you go and see how your angel is, I'll check on this one."
Elizabeth heard retreating footsteps and realized her eyes were still shut. Never mind, she thought, she wasn't ready to face him yet. She heard, or rather sensed him approaching. And then... Elizabeth had to fight a desire to open her eyes when she sensed his breath on her cheek, but when he kissed her lips she couldn't stop herself.
"What are you doing!?"
He chuckled, and for the second time that day, she wondered if he was a dream. His eyes were as green and mesmerising as she remembered, his hair as black. The only thing she hadn't noticed, but was now taking in, was his muscular well-proportioned body, which was bent over her.
"Come on, I know you weren't sleeping. Your breathing wasn't regular, and your eyelids were flickering. You're probably a light sleeper and woke up when I entered the tent."
He was so confident ... She didn't know if that attracted her or infuriated her. Probably both.
"Yes. Probably."
Will noticed her glare. That wasn't a good sign. Women never glared at him, unless...
"You heard what I said?"
He blurted out the words, already regretting his choice of words, his bad timing, and even the answer to Chazīs first question.
"What, are you telling me you care about a brat's opinion of you? You really astonish me."
"I didn't mean it to sound like it did. I don't really find you unattractive..."
He flashed a devastating smile at her. She faltered, but frowned again, remembering his presumption.
"I don't care if you find me attractive or not."Sure, Liz. Just because you found a Greek God who came as a knight in shining armour to rescue you doesn't mean you have to be attracted to him. Come on! Return to the real world!
Ignoring her subconscious predicament, she continued glaring at him.
"I was just offended by your insults, which were uncalled for. You don't know me, you have no right to base your opinion of me on stupid prejudices because I'm young, much less to spread that opinion between people who don't know me either. I might be younger than you, but no matter what you think, you are the one who's acting like a teenager. Or rather worse, because most teenagers aren't jerks!"
Will stared at her in disbelief. She was the first woman to tell him he was a jerk. In fact, she was the first woman he'd met who wasn't fascinated by him. She was no brat, he thought, now he could see she was a opinionated, strong willed and beautiful woman. Now she was awake, he could appreciate her eyes, her cat-like movements and her intelligence. If there was one thing this woman wasn't, it was immature. He was now regretting everything he had said. He didn't know he would regret it even further very soon.
"Will! The angel is awake! Her leg is broken, but the doc managed to fix it and says she'll be alright!"
Elizabeth felt relief. She had been wondering about Jane, remembering the sight of that rock falling on her leg.
"Jane is OK? She'll walk again soon? Oh, thank you!"
She jumped out of the camp bed and hugged a very surprised Chaz, who had just entered the tent.
"I'm glad to see you're awake. Come, I'll take you to see her. You said her name was Jane?"
"Yes, we're Jane and Elizabeth Bennet. We're sisters."
They reached Jane's tent and got in. Elizabeth ran to Jane's bedside and hugged her.
"Jane! Are you alright? Does it hurt much? Can you move? Have you any other injuries? Can I help you in any way?"
"I'm Ok Lizzy! This nice man here has been very attentive, I don't need anything."
Jane flashed a grateful smile at Chaz. He smiled back, and they probably would have stayed like that if Will hadn't spoken.
"Aren't you going to introduce us? Or at least yourself?"
Chaz grinned apologetically.
"Sure. Elizabeth, Jane, I'm Chaz Giordano and this is Will Darcy. We both work for the National Underwater and Marine Agency."
Liz and Jane stared at them, and then at each other. Then Elizabeth spoke.
"I'm going to kill Uncle Jim when we get home!"
Chapter 2, Part II
The amazed silence that followed Elizabeth's statement was broken by someone entering the tent in a very good mood.
"Oh, you're both awake! I'm so glad!"
The girl came closer, grinning broadly. Will and Chaz smiled at her and Will put one arm around her shoulders and gave her an affectionate squeeze, making her blush slightly.
"Elizabeth, Jane, this is Lilac. She's the coolest NUMA agent you'll find, when the Director of Special Projects is not around."
Elizabeth felt a strange surge of emotion inside of her. Or rather, emotions. Confusion, amazement, rage, irrational jealousy and something very much like longing. She mentally kicked herself and told her brain to function normally. She then tried to ease the tension.
"And who may that be?"
Lilac rolled her eyes and winked at Elizabeth.
"It's him of course. The great Will Darcy, whom we all worship and obey."
"That's a first. I thought you actually ignored my orders and did whatever you wanted to."
"Yeah, well, you also thought you're cool."
"I stand chastised. I'm not cool then?"
Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow and smiled wickedly.
"I think I can answer that. You would be cool if you didn't act like you assumed everybody thinks you are."
Lilac looked at her in awe.
"Elizabeth, do you want me to show you around?"
Elizabeth's face lit up.
"Sure! You coming, Jane?"
Realizing Chaz and Jane were actually staring at each other and whispering, Elizabeth sighted and rolled her eyes. Lilac giggled and Will look politely bewildered. Jane blushed when she finally realized they were all looking at them, but Chaz just bowed and grinned.
"Any time, ladies and gentlemen! But for next session you'll have to pay!"
Jane giggled and Elizabeth got out of the tent, dragging Lilac out with her.
"Good God! Five minutes and she already has a prospect for a stable relationship!!"
"I was quite more amazed at you."
Will got out and started walking towards them. Lilac frowned and quickly took Elizabeth's hand.
"Will! I'll show Elizabeth around! You just ... do anything you've got to do! Save someone else's life or something!"
Will shook his head and, supposing they wanted to do some girltalk, left them to their own devices. Lilac smiled wickedly and took Elizabeth to the beach. The NUMA camp was situated as near as possible to it, because they had been investigating some strange developments. Apparently, some chemical substances, thrown by a series of ships had been killing a lot of fishes. The fishermen were worried, and the whole ecosystem was in danger. The camp was formed by a few turquoise tents and a huge deep blue one. Lilac showed her this one last, telling her how proud they all were of it.
"It's the best lab we've ever had. Will managed to bribe Rudi Gunn to lend it to us. We're analyzing every drop of water we can, but still to no avail."
Elizabeth examined the lab carefully.
"Boy, I would love to have something like this! It's so sophisticated! I feel like I'm in a James Bond movie. Were I work, we only have basic technology."
"What do you do?"
"Oh, well, I'm a Marine Geologist. Which actually means I get to dive more often than anyone else. There are a lot of interesting rocks around here, we're settled at Beerzeba, so I have to drive a lot to get to Haifa."
"I see. Well, there are two things I want to ask you, now you mention the port. First, how did you manage to ignore the Darcy charm?"
"Very easily. I happen to think Will Darcy is a jerk. So you see, it wasn't difficult at all. Don't ask me why, but in this moment Will Darcy is the last man I'd ever get involved with. What about you?"
"Me? Well, if you'd asked that question long ago ... I mean, look at him! And he's not a jerk. He really is kind, and nice. But he has this thing about not getting involved with co-workers. And he sees me as his kid friend, I know that. And then there's Loren, and then there's you."
"I'm not a threat, he doesn't like me! He said so, I heard it. Who is this Loren everyone talks about?"
"His girlfriend. Or something like that. It's a non-commitment relationship. They see other people, but eventually they come back together. Will has asked her to marry him, but she's cruel. She won't marry him and won't let him go. And Will wants a family so much... She's nice, mind you. And gorgeous, I just don't like her. I'd much rather see Will with you."
"Listen, we don't like each other!"
"Oh, sure. He hasn't been this taken for anyone. I know it, and Chaz has seen it too. You just wait and see. The other question is about your boat..."
"Lilac? Elizabeth?"
The same and only Will Darcy was outside the tent. He came in, flashed his trademark grin and then became serious. Elizabeth looked at him uncertainly, until she felt she knew what had happened.
"What is it?!"
"Two bad pieces of news, I'm afraid. Firstly, your boat."
"Oh, no! Someone sunk it, I knew it!"
Elizabeth began to cry, and Lilac held her close, soothing her. Will looked nervously around before speaking again.
"And, we called your people to tell them you were alright. It appears you found some strange rock or mineral the other day, and sent it to the lab. Well, I know this will sound strange, but someone has stolen it. Actually managed to nearly destroy the lab. And well, I'm thinking you're not safe here any more. We're going back to the States. Lilac, I trust you with this operation, I'll send more people here, but you're left in charge. I know you'll do well. Elizabeth, come with me. Your things will be sent to your home, I'll take care of that. We're taking the first plane we can. I already informed your family, Jane gave me the number."
"Alright. Just ... was my boat badly hurt? Couldn't I repair it?"
Will shot her a sympathetic look. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't attracted to her, and definitely not jealous of Lilac for hugging her.
"They blew it up, Elizabeth. I don't know what that rock was, or who is behind this, but... someone is trying to hurt you."
Elizabeth was in shock. But she strived to appear composed and reply lightly.
"Well, I'm tough. They'll have a hard time with me. Now let's go. I could use one of my father's hugs just now. Lilac, I hope we meet again soon, I really enjoyed your tour. Here's my phone number, just call me when you come back, okay?"
"Sure! And ... take care, Elizabeth."
"Don't worry, Lil. I'll take care of her."
Elizabeth shot a menacing glare at Will, who ignored it. Five hours later, they were on their way to Washington.