The Six Sacred Stones [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION THE DARK CEREMONY 12:00 MIDNIGHT 20 AUGUST, 2007 LOCATION: UNKNOWN In a dark chamber beneath a great island in the most distant corner of the world, an ancient ceremony was under way. A priceless gold stone—pyramidal in shape, with a crystal at its peak—^was set in place. Then an ancient incantation, unheard for thousands of years, was uttered. No sooner had the words been spoken than a great purple beam blasted down from the star-filled sky and lit up the pyramidal capstone. The only witnesses to this ceremony were five angry men. When it was over, the leader of the group spoke into a satellite radio: 'The ritual has been performed. In theory, the power of Tartarus has been broken. This must be tested. Kill one of them tomorrow in Iraq.' The next day, on the other side of the world, in war-torn Iraq, an Australian special forces soldier named Stephen