The Gift of Knowledge (The Gifts Book 2) (8 page)

“Get used to the rain. It does that a lot out here.” Ethan’s words pulled Emily out of her reverie, and she remembered the questions she wanted to ask him.

“Where exactly are we headed to right now?” She asked.

“
We’re headed towards Pico da Neblina. It’s a mountain that borders Brazil, Venezuela, and the Amazon. Technically, it’s located in the Amazon forest, but the closest town to it is São Gabriel da Cachoeira, a small town on the edge of Brazil that borders the Amazon. There, we’ll load the supplies on a large helicopter and then take the copter to our base camp.”

“Oh, so we’re not driving the whole way, then?” Emily asked. The thought of a helicopter ride made her a little nervous. Flying would never be her favorite thing to do.

“Emily, I don’t think you understand how very remote this part of the world is. There are no roads where we’re going. Let me give you an example. The mountain near where we are headed, the Pico da Neblina, was only just discovered in the 1950’s, and it was scaled for the first time in 1965. To this date, there are no roads to the mountain. The only way to get there is by a four day hike through the rainforest. Many tourists have gotten lost on that trek, and now the country will only allow expeditions to go in with an experienced local guide.”

“Wow, that’s interesting. It seems like it’d be pretty easy to find a mountain.”

“Not in a rainforest it isn’t. Combine the dense forest with the fact that the mountain is shrouded almost constantly in clouds and there you have it, uncharted territory. I really believe the Amazon is the very last frontier, and I feel blessed to be a part of a new discovery in it during modern times.” Ethan kept driving with his eyes on the road as he spoke. Emily took a close look at him. It was obvious to her Ethan’s passion lay in the pursuit of the unknown, or the pursuit of knowledge, depending on how you looked at it.

“That’s it then, isn’t it? You’re looking for your own Pico da Neblina, aren’t you?” The realization dawned on her.

“In a way I guess I am, but I’m more interested in what might be hiding
inside
my own personal Pico da Neblina.”

“Oh yes, you want to prove that the giants really existed.”

Ethan sat quietly for a moment as Emily’s statement hung in the air between them.

“It’s really much more than that.” Ethan sounded resigned as he began to open up about his real reasons for this expedition.

“See, no one really has to
prove
the giants existed. That physical proof is in museums all over the world already. There have been literally hundreds of giant skeletal remains found all over the earth. There is no question that they existed, not really. The real question is where did they come from? Are they the descendants of the fallen angels from the Bible? Are they aliens who came from another planet? And what happened to them? Why did they become extinct? They either killed each other off or were killed by something else, disease maybe? Or maybe they went back to the planet they came from. Either way, I believe they didn’t just disappear. I need DNA, really good specimens with DNA evidence to help me find out where they came from and where they went.”

“And that’s what you’re hoping to find here in the Amazon, giant DNA?” Emily arched her eyebrows at Ethan. The picture was getting a little clearer for her.

“That’s the ultimate goal here. If we could get some decent samples of DNA from ancient remains of giants we may have the answer to one of life’s most daunting questions. Do angels really exist, and did they come from a one true God? Think about how much we could learn from the DNA of angels. The possibilities are endless.”

“Did you ever think that maybe there is a reason mankind doesn’t have that kind of information? That maybe God has hidden that knowledge for a reason. Like, say for instance the safety of all mankind.” Emily had an epiphany. She now knew exactly why she’d been brought into Ethan’s search, but she didn’t know what she was supposed to do. She knew the Lord would guide her, and for now, she felt the need to just let Ethan keep talking. If this was the knowledge Ethan was seeking Emily could easily understand why his life would be in danger. Surely angels and demons alike would have a huge interest in this quest.

“Emily, all I can say is I have this driving need to know if angels and God really do exist. I need physical proof I can share with the world.” Ethan’s words cut Emily to the bone. That was it. Ethan would have to have tangible proof before he could truly believe in the existence of God. Even if he could SEE a real angel he would never trust his own eyes. He needed a miracle. Something only the Lord could do that would help him believe.

Emily prayed in silent.
Dear Heavenly Father, this task seems way too big for me. I will leave it all up to you. I trust you to show me what you would have me do. I lift Ethan up to you, Father. Please keep him safe; indeed, keep us all safe on this journey to find you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
“So, tell me about Lazar. Who is he and why is he after you?” Emily decided to change the subject.

“Dr. Carmine Lazar is a dangerous man, Emily. If you see him anywhere near us I want you to scream as loud as you can and run. He is never to be trusted. Please give me your word on that. I’ve promised to keep you safe, and I could never live with myself if something happened to you.” Ethan stopped the vehicle and looked Emily straight in the eyes.

“Yes, Ethan, I promise… scream and run. You’ll have no argument from me on that account. I’ve no desire to tangle with that man. He gives me the creeps.”

“Good, then we don’t have to talk about him anymore.” With that said, Ethan clammed up. The rest of the trip was the same for the next several days, as the convoy made its way across Brazil towards Venezuela.

At São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the team met with the pilot of the helicopter they rented for transport to and from their base camp deep in the Amazon wilderness. Everyone worked to get their gear and supplies loaded onto the large craft. Before they got ready to take off, Ethan introduced Emily to Jorge, the pilot. He was a small, dark-skinned, native Brazilian with closed-cropped, dark black hair. Jorge, Hor-hay, as Ethan called him, took one look at Emily and crossed himself, as he prayed under his breath and walked away.
     “What was that all about?” Emily asked Ethan.
     “I have no idea.” Ethan scratched his head. He was as confused as Emily about what had spooked Jorge.
     Soon after, Ethan helped Emily get strapped into her seat on the helicopter and gave her a set of head phones to block out the noise from the propeller before he joined Jorge up in the front seats. Emily prayed again for safety, as the craft took off, she looked over at Phoebe who gave her a thumbs up. Emily responded with a nervous smile and thumbs up back. With a sickening jolt, the helicopter lifted into the air and headed off across the sky above the vast rainforest. Nothing but the rainforest stretched beneath them, for as far as the eye could see. Mile after mile passed, still Emily saw nothing but the deep green of the tree tops. It was then she really grasped just how remote this place was. It seemed as if there was no place for a person to even fit into the lush, verdant land. There were no cities, no buildings and no roads, just as Ethan said. It was easy to see how people could get lost in this endless forest and never make it back out again.
     After what seemed like hours, the helicopter finally landed on an outcropping of rock in a small clearing. Emily, never so happy to be back on solid ground, clung to Ethan as he helped her off the deck. He grinned teasingly at her as the others stared at them.
     “We need to hurry and get the cargo unloaded so Jorge can leave. He’s losing daylight and doesn’t like to fly at night.”
     “Oh yeah, right,” Emily stated as she got her bearings and stomped away from Ethan towards the others. She didn’t see Ethan’s grin widen as she stormed off.

     After everything had been unloaded and Jorge left, Emily got her first real look at the surroundings. She hadn’t noticed the large four-wheelers parked at the edge of the clearing. There were five of them, and each had a small cart attached to the back where the others were hastily loading the supplies.
     Emily stopped Russ as he scurried back and forth between the pile of supplies and four-wheelers. “How much further to the camp?”
     “About ten miles. It takes an hour. Longer if we have any problems.”
     “What kind of problems?” Emily already felt tired and wondered how the others kept up this pace. None-the-less, she determined not to be a burden, so she got busy helping to load the supplies up into the carts. Her question went unanswered.

     Emily rode on one of the four-wheelers behind Phoebe. It proved to be a bone jarring ride down a dry riverbed and then through dense forest. Just before sunset, the team came to a halt on a small ridge and began unloading the supplies.
     “We hike from here,” Phoebe told her as she began strapping bags of supplies onto her back. Worn out, Emily still loaded herself up with as many bags as she could carry and followed Phoebe down a ravine and into a clearing that bordered a swiftly flowing stream. Several large tents stood in the clearing encircling a large campsite and fire-pit. There were tables and chairs set up around the campfire, and even though she and Phoebe were the first of the team to arrive, they were not alone in the camp. Several native men sat around the fire, and others were busy at work on different task.
     When she gave Phoebe a confused look, Phoebe told Emily not to worry, these strange men were hired hands. They helped to guard the camp and move it when the need arose. They also happened to be excellent guides to the area.
     “This is Anke. He is Jorge’s younger brother.” Phoebe spoke to Anke in the Amazonian language of Aymara, calling Emily a greenhorn who needed to be watched over like a newborn baby.
     Emily surprised them both when she joined the conversation in perfect Aymara. “Not to worry, Anke, I may be new but I’m a fast learner.” She could not help but feel a little smug when both of them looked at her in complete shock. Then Emily spoke to Phoebe in Spanish. “I guess you didn’t know that I hold a degree in languages.” She smiled, took her bags to the fire and sat down. Anke watched her walk away. Emily didn’t notice that the man crossed himself like his brother had at the sight of her.

     Later that evening after all the supplies had been unloaded and a dinner of heated canned stew and bread was served, Emily found herself alone in the tent she shared with Phoebe. She was grimy and dirty with grit in her teeth, but she didn’t care about that in the least, as she sought out her cot and pulled the mosquito netting around her. The second she pulled the thin muslin blanket up to her chin she was asleep.

     A couple of tents down Ethan, unpacking supplies in his own tent, heard a rustling outside his tent flap. Then a woman’s voice called out. “Ethan, can I come in? Are you decent?”
     “Yes, Phoebe, come in, I’m decent.”
     “I came to tell you I may’ve hurt Emily’s feelings again,” Phoebe stated as she lifted the flap and let herself into the dimly lit tent.
     “Oh really, and what’d you do this time, huh?” Ethan continued unpacking his gear as he spoke.
     Phoebe let the whole story of making fun of Emily to Anke out in a rush and ended with a surprising statement.
     “You know I’m really kind of proud of her. I thought for sure she was going to run out of the country when she had to get on that helicopter, but she held her own. And she carried her weight in supplies just like everyone else. I really hate to say it, Ethan, but I think you did a good thing by bringing her. Her knowledge of different languages is going to be very useful, I think.”
     Ethan stopped unpacking and looked at Phoebe with raised eyebrows. “Did you just say I was right and you were wrong? My, my, the wonders will never cease. Well, I guess you’d better apologize to her, again.”
     “Yeah, but you don’t have to be so happy about it, you know. And yes, I’ll apologize, again. But, I’ll do it in the morning ‘cause I think our little greenhorn is plumb tuckered out. I heard snores coming from our tent on the way here.” Phoebe smiled and laughed as she left Ethan to his unpacking.

Chapter Seven

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

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