The Island of XAS: A Gripping Tale of Mystery and Adventure
Prologue: The Island
Moses Abarbanel ran to the pier, desperate to escape his pursuers. Over seventy years old, he knew his discovery would be lost if they caught him. He hadn’t told anyone, instead recording it in a notebook, which he buried at the foot of the menhir. But he was too slow. His pursuers were closing in.
Unbeknownst to Moses, his pursuer was Hack, a member of the Green Men clan, a peculiar group. Moses stumbled and twisted his ankle, but the roar of the sea masked his fall, allowing him to recover. Nearing his boat, he saw a yacht blocking his escape. It was a death sentence. He waited. A young man appeared, pushing a wheelchair with a large man inside.
The man saluted Dr. Abravanel, who reacted with surprise. The blond man accompanying the large man killed Moses and threw his body overboard.
Chapter 1: Son of the Magician
Oscar arrived in Orballo in mid-July. Six years had passed since his last visit, but everything looked the same. Oscar barely remembered his childhood home. The island of XAS, unseen in his youth, now dominated the view.
The house, the staircase, the patio—all were unchanged. He and his father ate at the village inn, where everyone greeted his father warmly. They enjoyed turnip greens soup and stew. Suddenly, Carlos Elias, Oscar’s father, was greeted and invited to the church.
Elias’s father showed them the renovations to the old Roman temple, then explained the strange death of Moses Abravanel. Oscar was intrigued; people feared the island of XAS, Father Elias explained. Oscar thought it would be fun to visit.
Back home, Oscar grew bored and went for a walk. He met his old friend, Cris. They talked about their lives. Later, they were summoned by Professor Abravanel and taken to town to meet Dante Oberon, Dr. Abravanel’s eccentric nephew. At Dr. Abravanel’s house, they were offered jobs collecting herbs, which Oscar accepted.
Chapter 2: The Lost Patrol
Centurion Marcus Plautus Long knew things were going badly. They were lost. Some men blamed superstition, others suspected magic.
Their orders were to locate Caswall, but the true purpose was to eliminate a troublesome officer. That plan failed when they became lost.
Strange questions arose, and no one had answers.
Chapter 3: April
The day after arriving, Dante spent the morning searching for a boat to XAS. The community refused him. Mid-morning, he attended a funeral at Father Elias’s church. Afterward, Father Elias told Dante that his uncle had found the Codex Ambrosio, the story of Saint Ambrose and the order founded on XAS, which lasted only a year. Dante inquired about his uncle’s death, then asked his father to see the Codex, a request his father denied. He asked Father Elias for advice on getting a boat, and his father informed the Civil Guard about his uncle’s boat.
Oscar met Cris on the beach and saw a group of boys from a summer club. Cris pointed out April, a girl Oscar knew from his childhood visits to Orballo. She came to greet him. That afternoon, Oscar helped Dante, who gave him an advance on his pay because the village festival was that weekend. When Oscar left, Dante discovered hidden microphones and a bugged telephone.
Chapter 4: Men of Stone
Marcus Plautus rallied his lost men. They would return to the stone circle to find the right path.
As they approached, the attack began. Gunmen with flint stones and spears appeared on the hill above. Marcus sent his interpreter, but the attackers spoke no known language. They challenged the Romans.
Plautus ordered his best archer to fire, killing the leader. They pressed on toward the stone circle, five hours away.
Chapter 5: Incident in the Night
Renard, Abravanel’s murderer, entered the House of India and spoke with the elderly leader, reporting Dante’s arrival. The leader assured him they had Dante under control. Renard scolded him for the team’s late arrival and threatened him.
On the day of the festival, Cris and Oscar watched the regatta. A large man declared that the people of Orballo were cursed by XAS. Afterward, Oscar and Cris returned to the party.
The Oyster Band, a folk group, drew the youth to the stage. Oscar danced during the first part of the concert, then went for a drink. He heard a cry and ran toward the sound, behind the stage. He saw Fabian forcing himself on April. Oscar pushed Fabian, who gave chase. Oscar fought back, but Fabian grabbed a broken bottle. Brian, from the summer club, intervened and subdued Fabian.
The next morning, Oscar woke to find his father gone. The doorbell rang; it was April. She thanked Oscar for defending her and invited him to the beach, which he accepted. They talked about their lives. Later, Dante asked April for help.
Chapter 6: Hidden Flag
Dante asked April to help him collect herbs. April questioned Dante, who initially evaded her inquiries but eventually told her to be silent. While collecting, April found a book with one word written inside: “EIWHAZ.” Dante explained it was the name of a rune, but April disagreed.
April asked Dante to take her to XAS, which he refused.
That night, April investigated Dante. She then called Oscar and asked him to meet her at Dante’s house the next day, revealing that Dante was Professor Abravanel’s nephew.
Chapter 7: The Circle of Stone
The barbarians attacked again. For five hours, Marcus Plautus’s men raced toward the stone circle, their only hope. The barbarians feared the circle.
As they neared the circle, Cornelius and Izhack looked back. They reached the circle, and their prediction proved true; no one dared approach.
Facing death, Cornelius explained why they were there. The barbarians changed tactics, piling wood around the circle. They intended to burn the Romans alive.
Chapter 8: The Warning of Dante
Dante revealed that he wasn’t the professor’s nephew but a freelance agent working for the University of Nevada. He was searching for something valuable but couldn’t say more.
Oscar was angry with April for not revealing her intentions, but his anger quickly faded.
They decided to visit the island, but Cris refused to lend them his boat, explaining his reasons. April laughed at Cris, who became angry.
April found transportation: Isaiah “the Black,” a fisherman ostracized by the people of Orballo, who believed he had made a pact with the devil.
Chapter 9: The Megaliths of XAS
Fifteen minutes later, they reached the island. Isaiah would return in six hours. The boys saw the monastery of Saint Ambrose, and April told Oscar its story. They explored the island until they encountered Dante, who was not pleased to see them. He showed them the megaliths on the island.
He then showed them a strange inscription, the same letter written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Later, Oscar and April found Professor Abravanel’s notebook.
Renard informed the old man that the sound would arrive that weekend. The old man ordered the assassination of Ben Shazia, a friend of Dante and Professor Abravanel.
Chapter 10: The Circle in Flames
Marcus Plautus’s men faced being burned alive. They agreed to attempt an escape through the thinnest part of the flames, using the smoke as cover.
The barbarians searched the stone circle, but the Romans were gone.
Marcus Plautus was surprised they weren’t at the same megalith. He sent three men to find food.
Chapter 11: The Last Journey of Haifisch
Oscar and April waited for Dante at the pier. They wanted answers. Dante finally explained the truth. He worked for an art research firm and was searching for a painting called the Madonna of the Swan. He explained that Moses had discovered the painting while examining a supposed Matthäussen for authenticity during his time in a concentration camp. Moses later went to Fussell but survived thanks to the Normandy landings. He dedicated years to tracking the Haifisch until he learned it had sunk. But five years ago, at a veterans’ reunion, he discovered the Haifisch hadn’t sunk. After reading an article titled “The Last Journey of Haifisch,” Dante contacted Moses.
April gave Dante the notebook, and they decided to investigate the cemetery. Dante watched while Oscar and April talked. Oscar found the grave he was looking for: Hans Günter Müller (1901-1952), the captain of the Haifisch.
Chapter 12: Conversation in the Sacristy
Dante spoke with Father Elias, who explained that Müller had arrived in Orballo in the mid-1940s and died at 52. Dante asked about the Drees Nederlanden, and the priest said he knew what they wanted. Dante read the Codex Ambrosio. He had been with the boys on the beach and had the notebook translated. He explained that Drees was EIWHAZ. They agreed to monitor the internet for news of the sound’s arrival.
Chapter 13: Worshipers of the Crucified
The monks of Recaro were surprised by the arrival of men dressed in metal and leather. They shared food and then spoke with Prior Cornelius. Afterward, they met with Marcus Plautus and determined that the stone circle transported them to different places and times.
The Romans returned to the circle, and Marcus explained why these missions were so difficult.
Chapter 14: Sources of Life
Dante researched the “sources of life” and discovered they were Nazi maternity wards created to breed an Aryan race. He explained this to the kids. They agreed not to contact each other until Wednesday. April decided to visit the House of India the next day. Oscar couldn’t sleep and went for a walk, where he saw activity at the Drees Nederlanden headquarters. Dante was deceiving them. He had to act fast.
Chapter 15: Light Tower
The fog lifted. Marcus and his legionnaires surveyed the landscape. They needed to determine if they had returned home or, if not, where and when they were.
A circular tower caught their attention. It seemed to emit light captured from the sun, but Izhack deduced it was a lighthouse.
They concluded they were still on an island, their plan a failure. They decided to return to the temple, but found only half-buried stones covered in vegetation. The stones had been buried for a long time. Marcus and Izhack realized their plan had worked; they had been transported.
Chapter 16: The Leviathan
Dante, aboard his small boat, followed the Leviathan to XAS. He kept his distance, hiding behind rocks. He discovered that the fraternity of Eihwaz had found the Haifisch and its valuable cargo, including the Madonna of the Swan.
Meanwhile, April went to the House of India disguised as La Conchita, but Fabian, a fraternity member, recognized her.
Dante and Oscar were unaware of April’s situation. Dante intended to retrieve the Haifisch’s treasures and stop the fraternity from funding their “superhuman” project.
Chapter 17: The Bluff
April calmed down and devised an escape plan. Fabian entered the room. April feigned confusion, but Fabian’s explanation revealed everything.
Left alone, April’s plan took shape. She seduced Fabian, then sprayed him with gas concealed in her lipstick, temporarily blinding him. She used a chamber pot to subdue him.
She needed to warn her friends. She went to find Isaiah “the Black” but found him dead in his shack.
She had no choice but to tell Cris. Cris, perhaps moved by April’s distress, agreed to help.
On the island, Dante observed the fraternity’s operations. Oscar kept watch. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his back and turned to see April and Cris. As they approached the fraternity, Dante was surprised. All four were now captives.
Chapter 18: The Haifisch Bunker
The four were taken to the Leviathan’s deck and met the elderly leader in a wheelchair. Dante spoke with the man, who allowed them to watch the retrieval of the treasures from the Haifisch. Dante seemed to understand what was happening.
They learned the old man was Maximilian Oberstumbannführer Ebner, a Nazi believed to be dead.
Brian announced that the Haifisch’s hold was empty. Dante wasn’t surprised.
Ebner, enraged, ordered the execution of his prisoners, except for April, whom he intended to breed with.
Oscar, Dante, and Cris were led into the woods. As they faced execution, stones fell on the Germans, knocking them unconscious.
To their astonishment, their rescuers were Roman soldiers, Marcus Plautus’s lost patrol. They had traveled through time.
Chapter 19: The Battle of XAS
Ebner was furious that the Haifisch’s treasures were gone.
Roman arrows began to kill the fraternity members. Renard, confused, ordered a retreat; they couldn’t see their attackers.
Oscar wanted to rescue April but couldn’t reach her. The boat carrying April began to move away. Oscar grabbed the flare gun but couldn’t shoot; Renard was using April as a shield.
Suddenly, an arrow struck Renard. Oscar fired the flare gun, hitting the boat and igniting the gasoline on the water. The Leviathan exploded and sank.
Huck, hidden in the trees, observed the scene. He sensed his mission wasn’t complete.
Chapter 20: Fire
Before dawn, a fire engulfed the House of India, destroying the fraternity’s headquarters. No bodies were found.
Oscar finally fell asleep but was awakened by a call from Dante, who sounded excited. He had seen something.
Hours later, they gathered at the dock, including Cris, who had overcome his fear upon hearing about the return to the island. They used Brian’s boat keys.
Chapter 21: The Secret of Hans Günter Müller
On the island, they found Renard, who captured April. Oscar was no match for the giant.
Huck emerged from the forest and fought Renard, pushing him to the edge of a cliff. Huck threw Renard to his death.
April noticed an iron cross, a German award, on Huck’s neck. She asked Huck to take them to where he had come from, and he agreed.
They entered an underground cave. Huck disappeared, but they found the treasures, except for the Madonna of the Swan.
They found Müller’s diary and began to read. He described killing his crew and waiting for someone to find the treasures.
Dante’s imagination ran wild, but Oscar and April convinced him to turn everything over to the police. However, they allowed Dante to take three paintings as a reward, knowing he would never find the Madonna of the Swan.
Back in town, Dante said goodbye and returned home.
Chapter 22: The Return
The mist vanished, and the legionnaires realized they were home. They were overjoyed but remembered their mission: to find Caswallawn’s troops.
Toward morning, one of their guides, Born, disappeared. Fiach confessed that he and Born were spies, but after everything they had experienced, he couldn’t betray his leader.
Marcus decided to continue north.
On a hilltop, they encountered a Celtic army preparing to attack. Marcus gave Dante an M-16 assault rifle, and Dante fired on the Celts. As they fled, he fired into the sky, deciding to leave the army forever.
Chapter 23: The Last Mystery
The news of every event they had spent those days on the island of XAS caused the small town of Orballo was full of journalists, curious … and all sorts of people.
Oscar and April were swamped by reporters, their flashes, your questions … so they decided that for now, the best was recruited to his house.
In early August, when the novelty had passed, the Oscar winner received a letter from Dante, where his promise, sent three checks for little adventurers traits.
It was a good excuse to stay with April, and after giving his check. Dante’s suggestion that he had done to the letter, gave him a kiss.
Those were the last days they’d be together until next summer, so I had to seize.