Beyond the Quest Read online

  BEYOND

  THE

  QUEST

  NATALIE DEBRABANDERE

  Copyright © 2017 Natalie Debrabandere

  All rights reserved.

  The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the author’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published or without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  ISBN: 1976234492

  ISBN-13: 978-1976234491

  DEDICATION

  For Crystal.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Once again, thank you so much to Peter at ‘bespokebookcovers’ for the great work you do for me, and all my free marketing goodies! Appreciate your support.

  And to all my readers, not only for buying and reading my books, but also for being so kind, and leaving me awesome reviews on Amazon. Thank you!!

  CHAPTER one

  Newly-appointed National Geographic photographer Melissa Douglas was literally shaking with excitement. This was it, her big opportunity at last. She felt transformed already, and no matter how many times she attempted to calm down, and act like the cool professional that she was supposed to be, she found herself grinning like a total fool at the thought of how much her life had changed so drastically in just under a week’s time.

  It was June 24th, 2017. She had celebrated her twenty-ninth birthday the day before with a single glass of red wine, sitting in the departure lounge at Miami Airport, on a three-hour layover from New York City. She had flown on to Lima, Peru; and then boarded a much smaller plane to Iquitos, a bustling river town situated on the banks of the Amazon River. Iquitos was famous for being the world’s largest city that was only accessible by air or boat, and just that simple fact was mind-boggling to Melissa, who had not travelled much outside of the United States. Never before had she felt so cut-off from the rest of the world. Rather than intimidating, she decided it was all wonderful and terribly exciting.

  Still, despite her ongoing trepidation, she heaved a sigh of quiet relief when she finally reached her destination. With the inevitable travel delays that she had encountered along the way, she had been on the go for almost thirty hours by the time she finally made it to her hotel. She did grin, and shake her head in wonder when she saw the name of the place, spelt out in big neon lighting on the white-washed façade: ‘El Dorado Express’. Perfect, Melissa reflected. Everything was just perfect. She gave a happy yawn. It was also the middle of the night, still oppressively hot and muggy out, and she was dead on her feet. She checked in quickly, collected her room key, and headed upstairs. Not even bothering to unpack, and grateful for the air conditioning in the room, she went straight to bed and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

  Getting some rest did not turn out to be so easy for her that first night though. She awoke a couple of hours later at the sound of a suspicious noise in the room, only to discover the biggest moth she had ever seen in her life fluttering wildly along the ceiling. Melissa did not like that kind of insect very much. To be honest, she did not like insects of any kind, period. Wincing in fearful anticipation of that thing coming anywhere nearer to her, she managed to get it to fly out of the window. Her heartrate slowly returned to normal. But then, she jumped out of her skin again when she noticed a massive black spider attempting to crawl inside. Now, this was the sort you would never even dream of crushing under your foot. It was as big as her hand! Melissa stared at it and actually shivered in revulsion. She knew it was stupid, really. And especially considering where she was spending the night. She was in the Amazon, for pity’s sake! In this place, it was probably an extremely common thing to find a spider wandering around like this...

  “Well, sorry,” she muttered. “Not in my room.”

  She slammed the window shut on it, and jumped back into bed, pulling the light sheet over her head as if for protection. Then, she tossed and turned for a few more hours before finally giving up on sleep at 6:00 a.m. This was no good. She could not get her mind to shut down, so revved up was she at the prospect of meeting the object of her assignment soon.

  She had heard so much about the famous Dr Jane Grayson! And Melissa was a huge fan of her work as well. She had read all her books, and devoured the latest one about Lucma Mocco, the legendary ‘Vanished Temple of Jewels’, on her plane journey over to Peru. Grayson was an amazing researcher, a gifted writer, and a controversial character. Melissa could not quite believe her luck at meeting her so soon; or the fact that she was going to spend the next few weeks with her on expedition either. Another thing that was truly amazing, and that she was still struggling a little to get her head around, to be honest, was how she had finally managed to break through at National Geographic. After what had felt like an eternity of struggling, all the pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place incredibly quickly in the end. Melissa had been trying for months and months to get herself hired as a photographer, without success. Eventually, it was meeting a close friend of Grayson’s publisher at a conference, who introduced her to her agent, David Santos, who knew the head of marketing at the publication which did it for her. Melissa had more or less hounded the man for a few weeks, until he finally agreed to arrange a meeting for her with Michael Kiernan, the National Geographic guy in charge.

  “I can’t promise anything though,” he warned her. “Okay, Mel?”

  “That’s fine,” she assured him. “I can’t thank you enough for organising this, David. It means the world to me. I’ll do the rest.”

  Dinner that night with the two men proved to be her golden opportunity. Melissa had been ready with a proposal for some time, and when the moment came to do it, she presented it to them with huge enthusiasm and aplomb.

  “I want to make this about her,” she explained. “Go behind the scenes with the most controversial archaeologist of the moment. I mean, think about that! Dr Grayson has written two hugely successful and polarising books about the ancient people of the Amazon. Her third one about the vanished temple just hit the New York Times best sellers list this week, and…”

  “Yep,” Santos interrupted with a satisfied grin. “Hopefully, it will land on the highest spot by the end of it.”

  “Well, I really don’t see how it could not,” Melissa agreed openly. “People are enthralled and fascinated by the kind of stuff she talks about in her books. I am, too. The thing is though, compared to other less popular authors and academics, who may not have a lot to say but are keen to put themselves forward anyway, we don’t know much about Dr Grayson herself at all. I think that’s an unfortunate thing.”

  She paused to sigh in obvious frustration, and prayed that she was not coming across as too theatrical. Oh well. I won’t get another chance. Might as well give it my all.

  “Most people these days take a camera crew with them on expeditions,” she continued, “but she has only done that once, and quite reluctantly I might add. Mainly, she has stayed away from the spotlight. I guess she’s just very private, and that’s perfectly fine. But still, here is a woman who has made it her mission to search for ancient cities and temples that she claims are linked to the mysterious civilisation of Atlantis… Not only that, but she is coming up with the kind of evidence that is hard to discount!”

  Santos smiled again, looking pleased.

  “And you ain’t seen nothing yet,” he remarked.

  “Grayson is making waves in the mainstream academic community,” Melissa declared, “and even though many a skeptic have tried to discredit her theories, on the whole they’ve hit a brick wall. Her research is impeccable, and her work is help
ing a lot of people to think a little differently about the world. She is such an inspiring character, and a strong female role model as well. Personally, I think that she is as interesting as her subject, if not even more so...”

  Kiernan was listening to her, looking both relaxed and extremely interested. He seemed taken in by Melissa’s enthusiasm and straightforwardness. Granted, it would have been hard not to. She was genuine about it, and it showed. He liked that about her.

  “So, what are you proposing to us then, Melissa?” he asked.

  Melissa’s legs were shaking quite badly as she answered, but she did not let her nervousness show. This was her make-or-break moment. She went for it, all the way, and then some.

  “What I want to do is bring the audience with her on her next expedition, and really capture the essence of the woman behind the sensational research. What drives her so? What keeps her going?”

  Kiernan nodded.

  “So, for the magazine Michael, I promise to deliver quirky, unconventional photos that are sure to grab people’s attention, and an incisive written piece about Grayson too,” Melissa promised. “I’ll shoot some footage as well. When I get back, we can produce a documentary. Make it real for her readers. Give them raw, close-to-the-bone stuff. What do you think?”

  “You have a buyer for your documentary?”

  It was the only time Melissa hesitated.

  “Well, not yet, but…”

  “I know a few key producers at Discovery Channel,” Santos offered. “This is the sort of thing they would absolutely go for, I can tell you that now. Let me speak to them.”

  He winked at Melissa, and even flashed her a little thumbs-up when Kiernan was not looking. Good job, he mouthed, and she felt herself grow really warm all of a sudden. Had she done enough? She had tried to hit all the right buttons, even babbling on about a lot of stuff that she was not entirely sure how she would make happen. The documentary idea, for example, had not been a part of her initial proposal... But Melissa was a firm believer that sometimes when you got landed with the opportunity of a lifetime, you simply had to jump off the cliff first, and then build your wings on the way down.

  “It’s going to be so awesome,” she declared.

  She must have done something right in the end, because only five days later, she found herself on a plane to Peru, all expenses paid. The magazine had furnished her with the most up-to-date, technologically advanced photo and filming equipment, the likes of which she could only have dreamt of owning before. Michael Kiernan had briefed the National Geographic team on her behalf, and they were excited about her project. David Santos was negotiating a contract with the Discovery people for her. He had spoken to the archaeologist, who was already in Peru. Everything simply seemed to come together perfectly, and Melissa was beyond grateful for the guy’s help.

  She showered quickly, threw on the new field clothes that she had bought in New York, and prepared to go and meet Grayson. She was lucky with her timings. The woman was only supposed to be in town for the rest of the morning, before she caught the boat that would take her and her small team deeper along the Amazon River, into the forest and the mysterious hidden secrets she was hoping to uncover. Melissa was keen to find her as early as possible, and make sure that she did not miss the boat, literally.

  She grabbed breakfast in the main restaurant. Egg and avocado on toast, and an Acai juice that made her suck her cheeks in and her eyes water. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Grayson. She had not had any communication with her yet, but Santos had assured her that she would be there at the hotel that morning, and also looking out for the photographer. Melissa really had to force herself to eat, which she was not all that surprised about. Truth be told, her excitement was also tinged with a huge dose of nervousness.

  First of all, she was a little apprehensive at the thought of actually meeting the woman she admired so much already. And then, although she was totally confident that she could bring back the quality footage and photos she had promised to the magazine, it was also true that she was a city girl through and through. Apart from a trip to Yosemite with her friends when she was 17, where she had discovered that camping was not as much fun as she had expected, she had never ventured far into wilderness of any kind. The thought of spending several weeks in the middle of the Amazon rain forest, on a job with a bunch of seasoned adventurers, was rather daunting for someone so inexperienced. Her friend Ariana had laughed her out of the room when Melissa had told her the news. It stung a little.

  “Darling, what’s got into you?” Ariana had remarked haughtily. “You won’t survive an hour in those bug-infested woods. And there won’t be any showers or toilets out there either, you know? Or Starbucks for that matter! Or Chinese takeaway joints! How are you going to handle that, uh?”

  Melissa had smiled politely, and kept silent. Yes, she was an unlikely candidate for this type of an adventure, and she knew it. Yet, some part of her had always craved a different challenge. She was a talented photographer, damn it, and she wanted to put her skills to good use! Not waste this opportunity she had been given to make a difference in the world. As far as she was concerned, spending her days shooting fashion gigs in New York City with a bunch of bored and boring models was not it. It lacked meaning and substance. And even though it paid extremely well, it still left her wanting. Maybe it was a little bit of defiance that had actually made her reach out to Grayson’s agent and the National Geographic people in the first place, and submit her proposal to them...

  Well, whatever, Melissa thought. She would put up with the heat, the jungle, the bugs, and whatever else this adventure threw at her, and earn herself a rightful spot on the permanent staff of the prestigious magazine. It was time to stop being scared for a change, and start living her life to the full. After all, she had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If she did a good job on this trip, the rest of her career would finally get on track. And there was nothing else in the entire world that she would rather be doing.

  “Let’s get this thing going,” she murmured resolutely.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Jane was able to guess the very second that she spotted the devastated look on her partner’s face exactly what he was going to tell her. She had been dreading that kind of news. She did not want to hear a single word of it.

  “No,” she snapped.

  But he just nodded, walked past her into the room, and went to sit heavily on her unmade bed. He ran a hand over his shaved head. Blue eyes a little red from lack of sleep, tight muscles straining the sleeves of an old and wrinkled shirt he had just thrown on.

  “Afraid so,” he replied. “Looks like we’re done, mate. I’m really sorry.”

  Matthew Davies had been working and travelling all around the world with Jane for just over five years. An ex-British marine with solid special forces and jungle warfare experience, he was as passionate as she was about their ‘mad quest’, which was how many people had mockingly nicknamed their seeming obsession with finding the ‘Vanished Temple of Jewels’. The legendary temple of Lucma Mocco derived its famous name from the accounts of early explorers in the 1400s, who had reported discovering great temples and pyramids covered in sheets of heavy gold, and numerous statues adorned with emerald, rubies and other precious stones. Of course, it was not jewels that the two archaeologists were after, but answers to deep and meaningful questions about the origins of human life and civilisation.

  In their tightly-run little enterprise, Matt negotiated the grants and the sponsorship deals, he was in charge of their bank account, and, once in the field, also acted as medic and expert survival guide. Jane planned the expeditions, and she wrote the books. As she jokingly described it to people whenever someone asked, she focused on the big-picture ‘Wow Factor’, and he took care of the ‘How’ for her. They were great friends, thick as thieves, and together, they made for a well-balanced team. She was all impulse and heat, brazen and insolent at the best of times; he brought in cool and collected, thoughtfulness
and consistency to their partnership.

  Right now, he was feeling a little depressed with the news. Jane looked angry, and of course, that was no surprise. She stood next to him, hands on hips, feeling sweat from sudden stress pouring uncomfortably down her back.

  “They pulled the plug?” she asked in disbelief. “Those idiots stopped our funding, really?”

  “Yeah,” he sighed. “I just checked the account. We’ve got $2000 left, that’s all. There was an email from the university board of directors as well to say that they are standing by their decision, and will not renew our agreement.”

  “As of when?” Jane fumed.

  “As of right now,” he replied tiredly.

  “But the books are doing great!” she protested. “Damn it, we’re at the top of the best sellers list yet again, what more do they want?”

  As always, she was so engrossed in her passion for the search and the mystery that she struggled to focus on the real problem. A big part of it, Matt also knew, was that she did not want to face it. It brought back way too painful memories. He understood that, and certainly did not blame her for it in any way. Unfortunately, this time, he had to force her attention to the real issue at hand.

  “That’s just it, buddy,” he pointed out to her now. “You know what I mean? We’re becoming a little too popular for their liking.”

  Jane turned to face away from him, toward the window. She appeared frustrated beyond belief, and it was obvious to him that she was looking for something to hit, or break. Jane was not often very measured in her reactions. Volatile was more like it. In the end, she just kicked the side of the bathroom door, and sent it crashing into the back of the sink.

  “Hey, watch it, all right?” he warned. “Can’t afford a new door right now.”