Jack Canyon and the Wiccan Stones | PROLOGUE

Words: 1288

It's over the next ridge, Jack Canyon thought as he trekked the heavy snow of the Himalayas. It was awful weather as the wind beat down on him. It pummeled him and stung his face. His arms and legs were carefully wrapped in warm clothes, as was his torso. He covered his eyes as the blizzard whipped harder on him and his small expedition. His goggles were breaking under the pressure of the wind.

With him on this ridiculous adventure was an American archaeologist named Logan Scott. He too was wrapped in heavy winter clothes that you would see someone skiing in. He had joined Jack about four months ago on a crazy adventure to find a mystical celestial bowl of the Aztecs, which was the equivalent to the chalice Christ used in the Last Supper. Now, he was somewhere beyond Mount Everest on a stupid adventure that just might kill them all. All for what? A damn big pile of money.

The only other member of the team was Atawhai Tangaroa, a New Zealand tomb raider. Jack never would work with these types before, but now he needed the ruthless cunning of a desperate treasure hunter to find what he wanted in the deepest snow drenched mountains on the face of the earth. He was a big man, and it wasn't because his clothes were bulky. He was muscular and simply large. He had joined Jack only weeks prior to this. He had been approached in a tavern in Nepal. His reputation and obsession for Shambhala drew Jack's attention.

Jack's feet dug deep into the snow. He was getting more tired with every step he took. The conditions of this expedition to find the lost Buddhist city of Shambhala. His heart was turmoiled with the death of his love, Sophia Stone. Shambhala was fabled to be a city of peace, where only the most enlightened and peace of mind and soul Buddhists could reside. He hoped to find his own peace there. Of course, if the city was still inhabited.

The other two of the team had different ideas on what they wanted. They wanted riches and fame for their discovery. These two were the kind of archaeologists that Jack hated with a passion and never would have run with before Sophia's death.
"Maybe we should turn back," Atawhai urged as he blocked the snow and freezing wind with his arm. "This is crazy. We should not be trying to do this in a blizzard." His voice was hoarse from the cold wind, but it still had the scruffy sound to it.

"He's going to get us killed," Logan shouted back at the taller, darker man. "I honestly don't think my white ass could stand to be paler."

"That's not an image I wanted in my head, mate," Atahwai replied as they both continued to follow their fearless, or perhaps stupid, leader.

Jack's feet felt so heavy, as if he were wearing cement shoes. His breathing was getting heavier and his lungs felt like they could explode from the cold air intake. He fell to his knees as he stumbled. He immediately rose to his feet and continued.

"Hey, Jack-o," Logan yelled out to Jack's back. "Tanga and I think we should turn back before one of us, or all of us, end up dead." He waited through Jack's silence before saying anything else. "We can pick this up once the storm clears."

Jack turned and gave Logan a glare that shut the man up. His eyes were dark as coal, and filled with pain. Even after a year, he was still hurting.

Logan backed off and rejoined his Kiwi friend. "I don't think we're leaving this party unless someone passes out. Wanna place bets on who might go down first?"

Atawhai just grunted and continued marching toward the top of the ridge.

Before Jack could reach the top, he slipped once more, but this time he didn't get back up. He fell and rolled down the ridge toward the other two.

Atawhai reacted quickly and grabbed Jack's jacket and stopped him from falling too far.

"Good catch, Tanga," Logan cheered.

"No thanks to you," Atawhai stated coldly. He pulled Jack to him and slapped his face. "Hey, Canyon!" There was no response.

"Jack-o?" Logan called out.

"He's out cold," Atawhai announced. "Could be anything. Let's get him back to Patan." The Kiwi man tossed the lightweight man over his shoulder and started their descent toward their snowmobiles.

***

Atawhai had hauled Jack's sorry ass down to Patan, Nepal, where they had been staying for the past week or so. He got Jack into the local hospital so they could take a look at the man.

According to the doctors and nurses, Jack was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration. He was near death. Jack lie in the bed motionless with an IV in his arm re-hydrating him until he recovered.

"How long will it take for him to recover?" Logan asked from the hall.

"As long as it takes," Atawhai replied as he stood and the edge of Jack's bed. He had removed his shirt, exposing his tribal tattoos. He had been trained in the ways of a medicine man. With a bowl of burning sage and other plants, Atawhai did a ritual for his fallen companion.

Logan scoffed the Kiwi and moved back to the chair he was in down the hall.

***

One week later, Jack had slowly recovered to the point where he could move around, but not much, and absolutely no adventures. He also had an unexpected guest, who wanted to ring his neck and drag him through the mud.

Jack sighed heavily as he sat erect in bed with his back against the headboard.

"Are you mad!?" The thick Indian accent rolled off the dark woman's tongue. "Are you wanting to die, Jack Canyon?" She paced the floor in her black skirt and white blouse. She had been on a business meeting in New Delhi, India when she was called by Tangaroa. "You are one dumb son of a bitch!"

Jack's stare went from the edge of the bed to Maya Rajah.

"Sophia died a year ago," Maya told him. "You have been going all over the world trying to find relics to bring her back. Jack, listen, get over it. She was my friend, too. I miss her alot, but you don't see me trying to resurrect her."

Jack hung his feet off the edge of the bed as he turned toward Maya.

"You've been lucky so far," she continued. "The next time you might not make it." She moved closer to him. "I care about you, Jack, because Sophia did. You should be continuing your life in her honor, not destroying her memory like you are. If she were here, she'd kick you in the balls for that stupid stunt in the Himalayas. Why did you go? Shambhala has been out there for ages. It can wait out a blizzard."

Jack shook his head and stayed quiet.

"Say something, you prick!" Maya yelled out forcing everyone in the small hospital to turn around and look.

Jack rose to his feet and glared at the woman. He had gotten right in her face. Jack raised her hand and pointed a finger in her face.

"You know I'm right," Maya said in the absence of his words. "A great archaeologist like you is just wasting his life in the snow when he should be out doing something worth while. I can't believe you're the infamous Jack Canyon. I'm ashamed to know you. I'm ashamed to even be in your presence." She turned and headed out with a heart filled with disappointment.