Sacred Ground (Rogue Angel)

In a land of subzero temperatures and snow-covered vistas, survival is a challenge. But for the Araktak—an isolated and mysterious Inuit people—this harsh tundra is their heritage. Until now. A large mining company has purchased the land, and the sacred Araktak burial site with it. But more than diamond deposits await them under the dark, icy earth….

Contracted by the mining company, archaeologist Annja Creed is to oversee the proper relocation of the burial site. Her job is to ensure that each ancient relic and all human remains are carefully removed. But the sacred ground harbors a terrible secret. One that a powerful group of men intend to unleash on an unsuspecting world—unless Annja can find a way to stop them.

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

"It's been my experience," Annja Creed said, "that the motives of private industry and those of the public don't usually make for good bedfellows." She reclined a bit farther back into the deep chocolate leather of her armchair and waited for the man sitting across from her to respond.

"That's a pretty narrow way to look at things." Derek Wainman took a sip from a steaming mug of coffee before setting it on the frosted-glass table. "After all, it's in our best interests to work with the public to make sure they don't feel slighted. These are, after all, potential customers."

Annja considered the map in front of her. This time of year, most of the Northwest Territories of Canada was frozen. The arctic tundra was a mass of brittle green amid the snows and winds. She shivered just thinking about how cold it was out there.

But it couldn't be worse than Antarctica, could it? She smiled at the memories of that adventure and then noticed Derek watching.

"You okay?"

"The cold weather makes me reminisce about the other times I've been in the thick of it," she said.

Derek took another sip of his coffee. "That's been quite often, hasn't it?"

Annja looked at him. He smirked and waved his hand.

"Don't be so concerned. We take great pains to find out all we can about people we might be interested in working with. And there's never been anything that the right amount of money can't purchase. Information especially."

Annja smiled. She was one hundred percent positive there was at least one small nugget of intelligence that their money hadn't been able to procure—the presence of the sword that she always carried with her.

"That's a curious grin," Derek said.

Annja made her face expressionless. This guy didn't miss a thing. She'd have to remember that.

"How successful has the mining operation been at Ekati?"

"By all accounts, incredibly so," Derek said. "It's expected to yield five hundred million Canadian dollars a year for the next twenty-five years. Who would have thought that the earth could have such a repository of untapped wealth?"

"I might have," Annja said. "But then, I dig for a living. That kind of knowledge is my thing."

"You like getting dirty," Derek said.

Annja watched his face for any signs that he was already tossing innuendo around. But to his credit, he kept his expression firm and unyielding. No sign of mirth tinged it.

"Getting dirty comes with the territory," she said. "It can't be helped. And it's only when you're truly down in the thick of it that you find the most precious treasures. So yes, I like getting dirty."

"Where were you before this?"

Annja raised an eyebrow at him. "Now, why would you ask me such a question? After all, I thought you had a complete workup on my recent activities?"

"We do."

"So, what, you want to see if I lie about my whereabouts?"

Derek held up his hand. "Calm down. It was just a friendly question."

Annja looked at the map again. Frozen lakes, frozen rivers, frozen everything. It would be a damned cold jaunt; she knew that.

"Why now?" she asked.

"Excuse me?"

Annja glanced up. "Wouldn't it make more sense to start something like this in the spring?"

Derek smiled. "We're hoping that by the time you get to the site and extricate everything that needs extricating, it will be spring and just in time for us to start our real work."

"Ah, the real work."

Derek leaned forward. "Annja, please make no mistake—while we're committed to helping the Inuit preserve whatever sacred ground they have in this location, our primary emphasis is on profit. We're a private corporation and as such, driven by the ever-present bottom line."

"Hence my original statement about private and public interests not intersecting."

Derek leaned back. "We can help each other."

"How so?"

"By you agreeing to come on board and assist the Inuit elders with their research, we gain a certain degree of sympathy for our corporation. Our public image looks better than if we simply steamrolled in and took what we wanted from the land with little regard to its history."

"Even though that's exactly what you want to do anyway?"

"You don't strike me as being naive, Annja."

"I'm not."

"So you understand the function of our meeting and your employment with us on this matter."

"I'm coming in as a contractor."

"But you work for us."

Annja smiled. "I gathered as much."

"For which you'll be paid quite handsomely. Far more than you make hosting that little show on television."

"Actually, Chasing History's Monsters does pretty well in the ratings."

Derek grinned. "Only when your cohost manages to have a well-timed wardrobe malfunction."

"Granted."

"I don't think we'd see such a thing from you, now, would we?"

Annja shot him a look. "I wouldn't hold out any hope."

"Noted."

Annja folded up the map. "How long has this land belonged to this tribe of Inuit?"

"Almost one thousand years."

"You were able to trace it back that far?"

Derek sighed. "It was part of what we had to do in order to make sure that the government was satisfied we did as much as possible to benefit the tribe instead of our own rather money-oriented motives."

"And what have you paid the Inuit?"

"Far more than the land is worth. But I'm not exactly at liberty to disclose the exact number we eventually settled upon."

"Still," Annja said. "You'll inevitably extract far more than that if your estimates are correct, right?"

"Of course. It wouldn't have been a good investment otherwise. And we most certainly are not in the business of throwing money away."

Annja nodded. "This dig site was a condition of the purchase?"

"The elders insisted on it. They claim a portion of the land—which happens to be exactly where our scientists tell us that the richest veins of kimberlite lie—is an ancient burial site. It has to be moved to a new area that has been consecrated through a variety of rituals and sacred events."

"Kimberlite indicates the presence of diamonds, right?"

Derek grinned. "Yes. It's a type of potassic volcanic rock. It occurs naturally in 'pipes,' or long vertical structures that have the potential to contain diamonds. Our scientists tell me that kimberlite is formed deep within the Earth's mantle, probably between ninety and three hundred miles deep."

"Journey to the Center of the Earth."

"All for a girl's best friend, yes."

"So, why bring me in?"

"We need you to confirm when the land is free of relics and assorted Inuit history. If we didn't have you in there, the Inuit could hold things up indefinitely and claim there was still any number of items that had to be extracted or moved. It could delay our operations for years. And we are definitely in the realm of time is money."

"I see."

"Your job is to get in there, get friendly with the Inuit elders and help them do what they need to do. Move their burial site. Make sure there aren't any relics that need to be dug up and preserved. Do whatever it takes, but within four weeks we want that land free of...