Lost City: Bones Bonebrake Adventures, #4

By David Wood

"Jurassic Park meets Jungle Cruise in this rollicking adventure!" Rick Chesler, author of Golden One

 

A legendary creature guards a lost city of wonders.

 

When a satellite photograph reveals the location of a legendary lost city deep in the Congo River basin, journalist Mackenzie Moore knows it is only a matter of time before its secrets are revealed to the world. In order to get there first, she needs someone capable and crazy enough to take her there.

 

Treasure hunter and former Navy SEAL Bones Bonebrake loves adventure and hates boredom. But an expedition into one of the worlds most dangerous and remote locations might turn out to be more than he bargained for. Somewhere in the depths of the Dark Continent lies Mbanza Mpimpá, the City of Night. But this seemingly abandoned city does not surrender its secrets easily, and intruders are not welcome in the Lost City!

 

Classic adventure for the modern reader! Fans of Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, and National Treasure will love the Bones Bonebrake Adventures!

 

Praise for David Wood

 

"Jurassic Park meets Jungle Cruise in this rollicking adventure!" Rick Chesler, author of Golden One

 

"Contest is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride!" Alan Baxter, author of Hidden City

 

"David Wood has done it again. Within seconds of opening the book, I was hooked. Intrigue, suspense, monsters, and treasure hunters. What more could you want? David's knocked it out of the park with this one!" Nick Thacker- author of The Enigma Strain

 

"Dane and Bones.... Together they're unstoppable. Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question - how soon until the next one? Because I can't wait." Graham Brown, author of Shadows of the Midnight Sun

 

"What an adventure! A great read that provides lots of action, and thoughtful insight as well, into strange realms that are sometimes best left unexplored." Paul Kemprecos, author of Cool Blue Tomb and the NUMA Files

 

"A page-turning yarn blending high action, Biblical speculation, ancient secrets, and nasty creatures. Indiana Jones better watch his back!" Jeremy Robinson, author of SecondWorld

 

"With the thoroughly enjoyable way Mr. Wood has mixed speculative history with our modern day pursuit of truth, he has created a story that thrills and makes one think beyond the boundaries of mere fiction and enter the world of 'why not'?" -David Lynn Golemon, Author of the Event Group series

 

"A twisty tale of adventure and intrigue that never lets up and never lets go!" -Robert Masello, author of The Einstein Prophecy

 

"Let there be no confusion: David Wood is the next Clive Cussler. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop until the last mystery plays out in the final line."-Edward G. Talbot, author of 2012: The Fifth World

 

"I like my thrillers with lots of explosions, global locations and a mystery where I learn something new. Wood delivers! Recommended as a fast paced, kick ass read."-J.F. Penn, author of Ark of Blood

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adrenaline Press
• Release date: Aug 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393545064

David Wood

David A. Wood has more than forty years of international gas, oil, and broader energy experience since gaining his Ph.D. in geosciences from Imperial College London in the 1970s. His expertise covers multiple fields including subsurface geoscience and engineering relating to oil and gas exploration and production, energy supply chain technologies, and efficiencies. For the past two decades, David has worked as an independent international consultant, researcher, training provider, and expert witness. He has published an extensive body of work on geoscience, engineering, energy, and machine learning topics. He currently consults and conducts research on a variety of technical and commercial aspects of energy and environmental issues through his consultancy, DWA Energy Limited. He has extensive editorial experience as a founding editor of Elsevier’s Journal of Natural Gas Science & Engineering in 2008/9 then serving as Editor-in-Chief from 2013 to 2016. He is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Geo-Energy Research.

Book preview

Jurassic Park meets Jungle Cruise in this rollicking adventure! Rick Chesler, author of Golden One

A legendary creature guards a lost city of wonders.

When a satellite photograph reveals the location of a legendary lost city deep in the Congo River basin, journalist Mackenzie Moore knows it is only a matter of time before its secrets are revealed to the world. In order to get there first, she needs someone capable and crazy enough to take her there.

Treasure hunter and former Navy SEAL Bones Bonebrake loves adventure and hates boredom. But an expedition into one of the worlds most dangerous and remote locations might turn out to be more than he bargained for. Somewhere in the depths of the Dark Continent lies Mbanza Mpimpá, the City of Night. But this seemingly abandoned city does not surrender its secrets easily, and intruders are not welcome in the Lost City!

Classic adventure for the modern reader! Fans of Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, and National Treasure will love the Bones Bonebrake Adventures!

––––––––

Praise for David Wood

"Contest is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride!" Alan Baxter, author of Hidden City

David Wood has done it again. Within seconds of opening the book, I was hooked. Intrigue, suspense, monsters, and treasure hunters. What more could you want? David's knocked it out of the park with this one! Nick Thacker- author of The Enigma Strain

Dane and Bones.... Together they're unstoppable. Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question - how soon until the next one? Because I can't wait.

-Graham Brown, author of Shadows of the Midnight Sun

What an adventure! A great read that provides lots of action, and thoughtful insight as well, into strange realms that are sometimes best left unexplored. -Paul Kemprecos, author of Cool Blue Tomb and the NUMA Files

A page-turning yarn blending high action, Biblical speculation, ancient secrets, and nasty creatures. Indiana Jones better watch his back! -Jeremy Robinson, author of SecondWorld

With the thoroughly enjoyable way Mr. Wood has mixed speculative history with our modern day pursuit of truth, he has created a story that thrills and makes one think beyond the boundaries of mere fiction and enter the world of 'why not'? -David Lynn Golemon, Author of the Event Group series

A twisty tale of adventure and intrigue that never lets up and never lets go! -Robert Masello, author of The Einstein Prophecy

Let there be no confusion: David Wood is the next Clive Cussler. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop until the last mystery plays out in the final line.-Edward G. Talbot, author of 2012: The Fifth World

I like my thrillers with lots of explosions, global locations and a mystery where I learn something new. Wood delivers! Recommended as a fast paced, kick ass read.-J.F. Penn, author of Desecration

Contest- ©2020 by David Wood

The Bones Bonebrake Adventures are a part of the Dane Maddock ™ universe!

All rights reserved

Published by Adrenaline Press

www.adrenaline.press

Adrenaline Press is an imprint of Gryphonwood Press

www.gryphonwoodpress.com

This is a work of fiction. All characters are products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

From the Author

A few years ago, Matt James and I penned a short, fast-paced novella titled Venom, which told the story of Bones Bonebrake and Mackenzie Moore’s journey into the Amazon rainforest in search of the legendary giant snake, Yacumama. It was published as a part of Amazon’s Kindle Worlds program. Shortly thereafter, Kindle Worlds closed its doors.

I took that opportunity to revise and expand all the existing Kindle Worlds books prior to republishing them, but I held off on Venom. I had realized that there was a much deeper story I wanted to tell about the Yacumama Legend, one that would involve Maddock, too. (That book is titled Serpent, and it will be completed soon.)

That left us with a problem. What to do with Venom? At first, we tried to simply move the story to a different part of the world with a different creature, with the hope of preserving as much of the original text as possible. That didn’t work out as we hoped. The new book took on a life of its own, and only a small fraction of Venom survived the rewrite. What’s the same? A few characters, some sentences sprinkled throughout the middle of the book, a few details, and the general spirit of action-packed adventure.

So, if you’ve already read Venom, you may dive into Lost City knowing this is a brand-new story. You might experience the occasional bout of déjà vu when you come across the occasional sentence that survived the rewrite, or encounter a reimagined scene, but it will otherwise be a fresh reading experience for you! We tried very hard to capture the classic jungle adventure spirit. It was a joy to write and we hope you love reading it as much as we did writing it.

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Happy reading!

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David

Prologue

1920- The Congo River

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"To arms! Crocodile off the starboard bow! Edgar Arundel sprang to his feet, nearly striking his head on the canopy that covered the stern deck. He waved his arms and pointed at the riverbank. Stand up, you layabouts! I said to arms!"

There were many English words Jafari did not know, including layabout, but he thought he understood the meaning. Lazy. Like most Europeans, Arundel had thus far sat back and let his hired hands do the work, yet still managed disdain for those in his employ. 

Do I stand or steer boat? asked Odion, who was manning the rudder.

Useless, both of you. When there is a call to arms, everyone obeys.

From his perch on the foredeck which covered the engine compartment, Jafari shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted in the direction of the south bank. The crocodile was sunning itself on the riverbank and appeared to have no interest in the steamboat that chugged its way up this remote tributary of the mighty Congo River.

Is a small crocodile, Jafari said. Not worth Sir’s time.

I will judge the value of my own time, thank you, Arundel snapped. Some of the tension seemed to leave his body.

You take home real crocodile head to mount on wall. Jafari spread his arms wide in a V-shape like impossibly large jaws. Giant head.

Teeth big. Sharp. Odion drew his belt knife and held it up for emphasis.

That did the trick. Arundel nodded, rested his rifle against the gunwale, and sat back down. The man was eager to kill something, but his vanity demanded that it be a real prize. He didn’t know that his hired guides had just described a creature that existed only in legends.

Have you seen such giant crocodiles? Arundel asked.

Only stories, Jafari said. Of course, the creature from the stories was not exactly a crocodile. He turned away and once again focused on the river up ahead.

None of the men had ever traveled this far into the jungle before. Jafari had never so much as met someone who had plied this stretch of river.  But he knew stories, and Arundel was compensating him well for this fool’s errand. A lost Roman city in the jungle! Where had he gotten such a notion?

You are certain you have heard no reports of Roman settlements in this area? Arundel asked suddenly as if reading his thoughts.

No Romans, Jafari said.

Respect! Arundel snapped. He was always taking offense at Jafari’s tone or word choices. Do not be so dismissive of my theories. It is known that the Romans explored the west coast of Africa.

Jafari didn’t bother to reply. Arundel had told them all this before.

And the Romans reached Lake Chad during the reign of Augustus. They called it ‘The Lake of Hippopotamus.’

Jafari had only heard of Lake Chad. It was a long way away. Hundreds and hundreds of miles.

And nearly thirty years ago, a Roman coin bearing the image of the emperor Trajan was found in the Congo.

Jafari smiled and nodded. There was no point arguing with Arundel. The man was so single-minded that nothing could get him off track—not even facts or common sense. But that was often the way with people who inherited power and wealth. They simply could not be influenced by anyone they deemed lesser than themselves.

They rounded a bend and the roar of falling water drowned out Arundel’s lecture. Up ahead stood a low waterfall. It was perhaps Jafari’s height and no more, but it would be impossible for Achillia to proceed farther upriver.

Waterfall, Jafari said. We cannot go up.

Nonsense, Arundel proclaimed. We must simply portage our noble craft around the waterfall.

Portage? Odion repeated.

Carry the boat between navigable waters. Arundel mimicked lifting a heavy object.

Jafari frowned. The steamboat’s hull was metal, not to mention the boiler and engine. The thing would be impossible to carry.

Arundel laughed. And now you see the benefit of a proper English education. I have come prepared. With ropes and pulleys, we can easily surmount this obstacle.

Jafari and Odion thought the man mad, but Arundel proved to know what he was doing. In short order, he had rigged an apparatus with which they were able to lift Achillia up and over the waterfall. Rather, the two guides had lifted the boat while Arundel supervised. By evening, they were well upriver.

The sun was setting, and night was closing in when they moored the steamboat and hiked a short distance inland to make camp. While Jafari and Odion made camp, Arundel set off into the jungle to go hunting. The guides did their best to dissuade him from heading off into the forest alone, but as expected, the arrogant adventurer dismissed their concerns.

I am a gladiator, he said, before stalking away.

Arundel was obsessed with gladiators. From the man’s many stories, Jafari inferred that Arundel was the son of an English nobleman. He had adopted his father’s fascination with Rome as a way of gaining the man’s approval. He had even christened his boat with what he said was the name of a female gladiator.

They had just finished pitching the tents when thunder boomed, and heavy rain began to fall. Within minutes, it became a deluge. Neither man could see more than a few feet ahead of him.

I should make certain the boat is secure, Odion said in their native language. He hurried away, leaving Jafari huddled beneath the shelter of their small canvas tent. Doubtless, Arundel would chastise him for not having a campfire ready, regardless of the weather.

He waited. The storm grew heavier. Neither Odion nor Arundel returned. It would soon be full dark. The river was not far. Odion, at least, should be back by now. Jafari should look for him.

He took out a small oil lantern, added fuel, and lit it using flint and steel. It cast a pitiful circle of yellow light that allowed him to see only a few paces in front of him, but it was enough that he managed to make his way back to the river.

When he got there, the boat was gone and so was Odion. He looked around to make certain he was in the right place. The raging river had overflowed its banks, but he was certain this was the way they had come. Yes! There was the tree to which they had tied off the boat.

Odion! he shouted again and again. No reply. Had Odion taken the boat and abandoned them? He wouldn’t do that. He might leave Arundel behind, but not Jafari. They had been close since they were boys.

Something caught his notice. Part of the mooring rope was still tied to the tree. The frayed end told him that the boat had broken loose. But where was Odion?

He searched for footprints, but the rain had washed away any tracks his friend might have left. He caught sight of something flapping in a tree branch above his