Jack Canyon and The Wiccan Stones | CHAPTER SEVEN

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Jack was pulled from the water by Kin and Kisho, as Hiroshi
and Taku helped Yuriko free herself from the river. They all
arose from the water at the Niagara Falls, New York side, in a
park.

Yuriko made sure Jack had the stones in his possession, then
she took them from him. "Bring him!"

Jack was forced deeper into the park by Kin and Kisho, where
they met with more Japanese men, who had an SUV awaiting their
arrival. "How many of these guys do you have?"

"Enough," Yuriko replied simply. "Now, you will show us where
the next stone is."

"Can't I take a break?" Jack asked. "I have been going
non-stop for the past several days doing this for you. I can
only do so much work before I give."

Yuriko looked at her watch and nodded. "Fine. I believe
there is a local coffee shop if you would like to go."

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Jack asked jokingly, but
of course, the Japanese woman did not take the bait. She did
not even smile.

"First, locate the next stone," Yuriko told him as she rolled
out a map and set the stones down.

"Okay," Jack replied as he pulled out the water stone and set
it next to the map. When he released the stone, it slid
across the map and landed near Iraq. "Hm."

"What is it?" Yuriko asked.

"Iraq," he said. "I don't get it. There's nothing there."

"Alright, let us discuss this over coffee," Yuriko stated as
she climbed into the SUV and her men forced Jack in.

"You know, why don't you just ask," Jack told Kisho.
"Sometimes I'll just go willingly."

Yuriko ordered the driver to get them to the coffee shop.

***

Jack sat across from Yuriko who sipped her coffee quietly. He
scanned the room and spotted all of her men who were scattered
around the area, and the van outside. "I wouldn't think to
find this many Japanese men in a Starbucks, unless we're in
Japan."

Yuriko stayed silent as she looked up from her coffee. "Just
tell me why you think the stone is wrong." She was bored with
Jack's attempt at humor. It was pushing her patience.

"Because the only thing in Iraq is Babylon," he explained.
"Babylon was long gone before Wicca was even formed."

"Or so you think," Yuriko interrupted.

Jack sighed heavily as he lowered his head. "I'm surprised
the Sphinx would have held that earth stone. Why should this
be any different?"

"What are you not telling me?" Yuriko asked suspiciously.

"That I don't believe the last stone is there," Jack replied
as he took a large gulp of his coffee.

"And what evidence do you have?"

"I've spent the better part of a year studying the legend
behind these stones," Jack admitted. "I've written a journal,
as you know, on the extensive research I have done. I thought
at least one stone would be at Stonehenge." The edges of his
lips shifted into a downward slope as he felt saddened his
research was wrong.

"Is this why Babylon is wrong?" Yuriko asked.

"No, but earth, fire, water, and wind," he stated in reply.
"The wind stone should be somewhere high up, like Mount
Olympus, Mount Everest, or heaven." He glanced out the window
for a moment. "Then again, it might not even be wind. It
could be some other dimension."

"Another dimension?"

"Yeah, like opening a portal to another plane of existence,"
Jack told her.

"Like an alternate reality?"

"No," Jack replied. "More like an astral realm."

"I see," Yuriko said, but then she shifted into thought mode.

"The power of these stones is magnificent," Jack stated. "I
mean, its possible they could be the key to open Stonehenge."

"That would establish a Druid or Celtic tie-in with the Wicca
religion," Yuriko announced.

"Five years ago, I went on an expedition that led me to find
out that all religions are connected," Jack started to
explain.

"I know your professional background, Mr. Canyon," Yuriko told
him.

"Well, I don't think religions like Druidism or the Celts are
tied to godly religions at all," Jack admitted. "Though, I do
think that all pagan religions are related. It all stems from
the same place. I--"

"You are wasting my time," Yuriko said boldly. "The stones
have not been wrong so far. We're going to Babylon. Tell me
about the Tower of Babel."

"It was built to reach heaven," Jack told her.

"No, don't tell me the biblical version," Yuriko replied.
"Tell me your version."

"The stones reveal hidden secrets," he started. "It's
possible they could open a pathway to heaven through the
Tower, so that we can get the wind stone." He sighed heavily.
"The ziggurat to Marduk, the Etemenanki, was believed to have influenced the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. Marduk, the Babylonian chief god, was believed to be ruler over an alternate dimension."

"Good, then that's why Babylon is the place to go to," Yuriko said as she rose to her feet.

"I don't know," Jack disagreed with her.

"Let's go," she urged as her men began to move outside.

Jack watched the armed men closely and stood. He walked out with her as they exited and made their way across the street to the black SUV.

"How do you know so much about my journal?" Jack asked. "There is no way you could have gotten your hands on it. Besides, now that you know everything about the final stone, why haven't you killed me?"

"I may need you to retrieve it," Yuriko explained. "You have been so good at it so far." She motioned to one of her men in the next SUV.

Taku opened the door and let out a man who slowly walked toward Jack and looked him right in the face.

"I believe you two know each other," Yuriko spoke as Jack's old partner stood face-to-face with him.

Jack was surprised to see him, in fact. That surprise slowly shifted into anger. He clenched his fist tightly and then punched the man, knocking him to the ground.

Logan Scott looked up at Jack from the concrete sidewalk and wiped the blood from his face. He rose to his feet with a devilish grin.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"It's a lot of money, Jack-o," Logan replied. "All they wanted was four stones."

"You just don't get it," Jack told him. "You'll never understand."

"No, you'll never understand," Logan stated. "But now we have all the information we need. I'm sorry it had to come down to this." He nodded to Yuriko.

"Kill him," Yuriko said solemnly.

"Before this is all over, I'm going to kill you, Logan," Jack promised.

Kisho and Hiroshi grabbed Jack and dragged him off. Kin followed them, preparing his gun with a silencer to shoot Jack.