Page 20 of The Phoenix (Spy Girl 6)
Lorenzo, not deterred, slides next to me and kisses the side of my neck. “Juan is teasing. Your brother didn’t want that kind of party. We will be playing a round of golf, followed by feasting on an indulgent steak dinner, smoking cigars, and playing poker. There will be plenty of alcohol and many, many toasts in your brother’s honor. There will be just a small group of men—unfortunately, including your pal, Wesley Windsor.”
“Is it bad that I kind of like that he makes you feel jealous?”
“Not at all, my darling. I might have been conspiring with your stylist, the lovely Dr. Kate, as well as the wedding planner.”
“About what?”
“You have no clue as to what has been planned, do you?” he says with a laugh.
“Not at all. I didn’t even plan to attend.” I hold up my hand. “I know that sounds terrible of me. What I mean is, with the world descending on Montrovia today, it feels like the wrong time to leave.”
“I know,” he says, squeezing my hand, “but love must always prevail.”
“So, what’s the plan?” I ask once we’ve boarded the plane and my brother has fallen asleep, having previously mentioned needing a nap as prep for his big night.
“You’re having your hen party while we’re having the stag, but later in the evening, we will all meet up. I know your brother doesn’t like to be away from Allie for very long. They really are in love.” He smiles at me, pushing my hair back behind my ear. “I understand the feeling. I quite miss you when we are apart.”
“I miss you, too,” I tell him. “Let’s go into the bedroom and get more comfortable.”
“I’ve heard that line before.”
I hold up the small leather-bound ledger that goes with The Echelon ring. “We’re going to do some light reading.”
“Not exactly what I had in mind,” he says, sliding his hand down my hip.
“I know, but I think it could be important.”
We get comfortable on the bed, and then I open the book, skimming the first passage and quickly realizing it isn’t just a record of when the precious jewelry piece was worn.
“Lorenzo, this first part is written in the old language, and I think it might have been penned by Lorenzo the Magnificent himself!”
I translate quickly as I read it aloud to him.
“Having just survived an attempt on my life by an assassin sent from a nearby kingdom wanting to steal my province, I must fight back. But I shall not fight in the way my enemies might expect. For I do not seek power openly. I do not wish to expand my territory. I was given the most exquisite of lands, and it is all I need. From its majestic hillsides to its sparkling sea and natural harbor. My countrymen have allowed me to become their king, and while I thought to name the kingdom Arcadia, after the home of the god Pan, this attempt has changed my mind. For a land with a name of perfection might only entice others’ desire to conquer it.
“Unlike my brother who openly flaunts his wealth, I keep mine hidden from view. I plan to form quiet but strategic alliances—a society of like-minded men from nearby lands who will unknowingly serve as my network of spies. But staying in power will require much more than that. As I am writing this, I have in my possession ten pear-shaped emeralds cut from the same stone with identical steel-hardened gold overlays that will serve as the literal keys to my kingdom. The keys to Montrovia’s riches.
“To my descendants who might someday read this account and think I am not of sound mind, I urge you to continue to do the same. For tonight, I will be presenting these keys to nine men in the upper echelon of our world. Men who are like me. Men of honor who have their own treasures and, therefore, do not need mine. Men who have similar desires in regard to peace over war. And, most importantly, men who are willing to help discreetly guide history in our favor.
“Tonight, I will escort them to the secret room in which we shall meet …”
I pause, struggling to translate a word. I point it out to Lorenzo.
“I believe that means henceforth, or from now on,” he says.
I continue reading.
“In this room, there is a round table with ten chairs where all men will sit and have an equal say. It is here where they will witness the wealth I have hidden away. A treasure that will continue to grow, as will Montrovia.”
“So, we already know that Lorenzo the Magnificent, the first king of Montrovia, started a secret group with ten members and ten rings,” Lorenzo says. “But what is this treasure he is speaking of?”
“I would assume it’s your country’s reserves. The gold and holdings that your currency is based off,” I suggest, trying to make sense of it all.
Lorenzo nods. “Why, of course. Montrovia has one of the strongest economies in the world. But I don’t understand why he would have risked the livelihood of his country by giving nine men keys to it. What if they got greedy? It seems so risky.”
“We discussed previously that the castle has its own doomsday vault, similar to what The Society recommends. I assume the gold reserves are kept somewhere else.”
“Yes, in our version of your Fort Knox.”
“Have you ever seen it?” I ask, wondering if it’s still there or if it was stolen and buried under the TerraSphere. “Like, where is it kept?”
“The location is a secret, but, yes, I have been there. Just last month, actually. It’s part of my job as king to make sure the reserves stay safe. They are kept in the side of a mountain in our country and protected by a special branch of the Montrovian royal guard.”
“Can it be accessed with one of the rings?” I press.
Could he have no idea that Lorenzo the Magnificent’s great treasure still exists? It’s quite possible though, now that I think about it. Maybe there’s a reason why his father, King Giovanni, was never given an Echelon ring.
He scoffs, “No.” But then he seems to reconsider. “I certainly hope not.”
“Remember how, in your grandfather’s personal effects, he spoke of a group of men dedicated to the betterment of the world and a key needed to enter?”
“Do you think this is what he is referring to?” He pulls out his phone, scrolling through to find the photo he took and rereading it to me. “All who enter. Must bear the key. And keep it secret. For all eternity.”
“I believe your grandfather was referring to the same thing Lorenzo the Magnificent is speaking of in this book,” I say, it all coming together. “A treasure that, unlike your country’s reserves, would be kept a secret.”
“I suppose that would be true, but if my grandfather wrote of it, why would I know nothing of it?”
“Because someone moved it—stole it, really, while your grandfather was king.”
“What are you talking about? How would you even know that?” he asks.
“Because I’m pretty sure I saw Lorenzo the Magnificent’s treasure. Actually, that’s probably not accurate. I believe each ruler of your country has added to it since then. A Montrovian treasure which somehow became The Echelon’s treasure.”
“The Echelon?”
“That is the name of the group of ten that Lorenzo the Magnificent gave the rings to,” I explain. “The rings that have been passed down for generations. About twenty years ago, this treasure was moved from wherever it had been housed previously to Iraq during the war there. My father’s TerraSphere was built on top of it. And this treasure is unbelievable. Priceless. I’m not talking country-sized treasure. This is a world-treasure amount of gold. Rooms and more rooms stacked high with it as well as art, marble sculptures, and ancient scrolls. It is like taking the Louvre, the Vatican, the Smithsonian, and Versailles and then rolling them all into one.”
“But that makes no sense. Why would my grandfather have allowed it to be moved from our country?”
“I honestly don’t know the reasoning behind it. Maybe he was worried about keeping it safe, or maybe John Hillford threatened him. Hillford was a powerful senator and then became president of the United States. He was a bad choice for The Ec
helon, for he didn’t have the core values in regard to peace over war. And he certainly didn’t want to discreetly guide history. He wanted to control history in his own favor. Montrovia is a small country. Maybe your grandfather felt he had no choice. And, maybe that’s why he didn’t tell your dad about it. But then, six years ago, The Echelon approached Alessandro. The rest you know.”
“Are you telling me that a priceless Montrovian treasure, separate from our country’s gold reserves, is buried in Iraq, and I can access it with one of those rings?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“But how did you even know it was there? That it existed? What aren’t you telling me?” Lorenzo says, getting worked up.
“You know the video game Battleground?”
He nods his head, trying to follow. “Yes.”
“The game was created to help train me. I played it for two years before they ever took it commercial.”
“What does that have to do with the matter at hand?”
“When I went to Omaha, I quit working for Black X. In order to get me some information they thought I needed to know, they created an update to the game that would allow one person to access a special key. They spread it all over social media, and Daniel and I played. To win the key, I had to relive my missions, killing in the manner I already had, which is something no one else could have figured out. My prize was one of the rings and a virtual trip to the TerraSphere, where I saw a video of when Ares Von Allister was first invited to join the group called The Echelon. And, when I was there, I accessed the vault with the ring. I believe that’s why we were attacked.”
“Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
“Because, until I read this, I didn’t know exactly where it’d all come from. At first, I thought it might have been stolen from Iraq during the war. I thought it was The Echelon’s. But, now, after reading what Lorenzo the Magnificent wrote, I know it’s yours. The Echelon was supposed to help ”
