Uncharted (Treasure Hunter Security Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

action.
    Gemma bumped her arm against him. “Would you like to hear about the coronation?”
    Focus on the job, Ward . “Sure.”
    It was Dr. Oakley who answered. “It begins with the Hindu practice of devaraja—the cult of the god king. A ceremony was used to crown a king as a deity, a god king. Jayavarman II was the first to introduce the practice to this area. Prior to that, the country was all small warlord states, but he joined them all together.”
    “A Brahman was brought in to conduct the devaraja ceremony,” Gemma said. “He used a sacred stone called a linga as part of the ceremony. It contains the essence of the Hindu god Shiva and conveys that power to the king, so he becomes the god king or the king of kings.”
    “Linga?” Cal tapped a finger against his beer bottle. “I’ve done some work in India before, and I’ve seen linga there.”
    Gemma smiled and leaned closer. “That’s right. A linga is a phallic-shaped stone that represents the energy and potential of Shiva.”
    Cal got the impression that Dr. Blake was quite fond of linga.
    “This linga used by Jayavarman was said to be a magical stone,” Sakada said.
    Dr. Oakley leaned forward, his face eager. “We’ve been able to excavate some parts of Mahendraparvata, at least, what’s easily accessible. We uncovered mention of another temple located deeper in the jungles of Phnom Kulen. The Temple of the Sacred Linga.”
    “I seem to recall linga shrines were fairly common,” Cal said.
    “This one is unique,” Dr. Oakley said. “A temple dedicated to the linga used to crown Jayavarman.”
    “There are several mentions of this temple in different sources,” Jean-Luc added. “Based on this, we got funding to carry out more lidar scans on an area of the mountain that we hadn’t looked at before.” He looked beside him. “Sam?”
    The younger man grabbed the tablet and turned it around. He tapped the screen and then swiveled it so Cal could see the images. “These are the new scans. It’s an uncharted area of Phnom Kulen. It’s the thickest jungle on the mountain, and even the locals don’t go there.”
    Cal studied the map, noting out of the corner of his eye that Dani had moved closer and was looking over his shoulder. On the screen, he could see the outlines of something beneath the jungle.
    “The temple was likely built in the distinctive quincunx formation, representing the sacred Mount Meru,” Sakada added. “Four towers at the corners and a fifth in the center.”
    Then Cal saw it, in amongst the lines on the map— a vague square outline of a temple.
    He looked up at them all. “Okay, so we need to get to here?”
    “That’s it.” Dr. Oakley nodded. “The Temple of the Sacred Linga.”
    “Sam, can you send me a copy to my email?” Cal asked, handing him a business card.
    The man nodded.
    “We might even find the magical linga in the temple,” Gemma said. “I wouldn’t be surprised. There are already clues that lingas were particularly sacred on Phnom Kulen. Have you heard of the River of a Thousand Lingas?”
    Cal looked up and caught Dani’s eye roll. “I can’t say I have.”
    Gemma’s smile widened. “It’s a popular tourist destination on Phnom Kulen. A stretch of the river there has thousands of linga images carved into the rocky bottom of the river.”
    “And other sculptures as well,” Sakada added. “Quincunx designs, as well as images of gods and goddesses, nagas.”
    “Nagas?” Cal asked.
    “Serpent deities,” Sakada answered. “Cambodian legend says they were a reptilian race who helped create the Cambodian people.”
    Gemma’s eyes gleamed. “I know the Temple of the Sacred Linga is there, just waiting for us to find it.”
    Cal couldn’t fault the archeologist for her enthusiasm for her work. “Okay, I’ll make plans to get us there and ensure we have all the supplies we need.” Thoughts ran through his mind as he planned out the trip in his head. He’d need to get Darcy to send