Doomsday Match

PRAISE FOR DOOMSDAY MATCH “A fast-paced and enthralling thriller that blends ancient history, magic, and action. Once I started this book, I couldn’t stop—and loved every single scene. A masterpiece of story and setting. Highly recommend!” —New York Times bestselling author A. R. Torre “Fans of James Rollins and Dan Brown will love this stunning new thriller from Jeff Wheeler. Doomsday Match is utterly engrossing, a dark and complex tale filled with ancient secrets, adventure, and betrayal. You won’t be able to put it down.” —#1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh “Jeff Wheeler knocks it out of the park with his supercharged thriller Doomsday Match. From the very first scene, you know you’re in for an incredible thrill ride full of constant danger and relentless twists—set against a jaw-dropping conspiracy background. Just when you think you’ve figured out Wheeler’s game, he artfully rips the rug out from under the reader, shaking up the plot. If you’re a fan of fast-paced, devious conspiracies with a little more than a touch of magic and mysticism, Doomsday Match is for you!” —Wall Street Journal bestselling author Steven Konkoly ALSO BY JEFF WHEELER The Dresden Codex Doomsday Match The Dawning of Muirwood Trilogy The Druid The Hunted The Betrayed The First Argentines Series Knight’s Ransom Warrior’s Ransom Lady’s Ransom Fate’s Ransom The Grave Kingdom Series The Killing Fog The Buried World The Immortal Words The Harbinger Series Storm Glass Mirror Gate Iron Garland Prism Cloud Broken Veil The Kingfountain Series The Poisoner’s Enemy (prequel) The Maid’s War (prequel) The Poisoner’s Revenge (prequel) The Queen’s Poisoner The Thief’s Daughter The King’s Traitor The Hollow Crown The Silent Shield The Forsaken Throne The Legends of Muirwood Trilogy The Wretched of Muirwood The Blight of Muirwood The Scourge of Muirwood The Covenant of Muirwood Trilogy The Banished of Muirwood The Ciphers of Muirwood The Void of Muirwood Whispers from Mirrowen Trilogy Fireblood Dryad-Born Poisonwell Landmoor Series Landmoor Silverkin Other Works Your First Million Words Tales from Kingfountain, Muirwood, and Beyond: The Worlds of Jeff Wheeler This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Otherwise, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Text copyright © 2023 by Jeff Wheeler All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by 47North, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and 47North are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781662505546 (paperback) ISBN-13: 9781662505553 (digital) Cover design by Shasti O’Leary Soudant Cover image: © Cesar Dussac / Shutterstock; © Weredragon / Shutterstock; © PRILL / Shutterstock To Robert CONTENTS MAP CHAPTER ONE MAYA BIOSPHERE RESERVE XMAKABATÚN, GUATEMALA CHAPTER TWO UNITED FLIGHT 1119 BOZEMAN, MONTANA TO CANCÚN, MEXICO CHAPTER THREE CARR TRANSVERSAL COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER FOUR VILLA SARA DE CALAKMUL COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER FIVE VILLA SARA DE CALAKMUL COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER SIX VILLA SARA DE CALAKMUL COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER SEVEN VILLA SARA DE CALAKMUL COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER EIGHT VILLA MAYA NATURAL RESERVE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER NINE VILLA MAYA NATURAL RESERVE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER TEN VILLA SARA DE CALAKMUL COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER ELEVEN JADE CENOTE, NATURAL RESERVE AREA COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER TWELVE TEZCATLIPOCA TEMPLE, VILLA MAYA NATURAL RESERVE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER THIRTEEN TEZCATLIPOCA TEMPLE, VILLA MAYA NATURAL RESERVE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER FOURTEEN TEZCATLIPOCA TEMPLE, VILLA MAYA NATURAL RESERVE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER FIFTEEN UNDERGROUND RIVER COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER SIXTEEN SAN GERVASIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER SEVENTEEN NOHOCH NAH TEMPLE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER EIGHTEEN SAN GERVASIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER NINETEEN SAN GERVASIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER TWENTY SAN LORENZO OUTSKIRTS COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE HUELLAS DE PAN COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO COZUMEL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE HUELLAS DE PAN COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR HUELLAS DE PAN COZUMEL, MEXICO CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE YUCATÁN PENINSULA CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX JAGUAR TEMPLE CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN JAGUAR TEMPLE CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT JAGUAR TEMPLE CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE JAGUAR TEMPLE CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE CHAPTER ONE MAYA BIOSPHERE RESERVE XMAKABATÚN, GUATEMALA December 20 The roar of the twin propellers made shouting the only way to be heard, even with the headsets. As it soared over the jungle lowlands, the plane bucked and dipped, causing various components of the LiDAR equipment to rattle, although they were secured with thick straps. The pilot’s face was dripping with sweat, which leaked beneath his sunglasses and into his scraggly beard. “That’s the last run!” the pilot shouted. “Time to head back to the airport!” Dr. Estrada shook his head, planting his palm on the cockpit dashboard to brace himself against a sudden lurch. “Let’s go a little farther. We have enough fuel.” “Eh?” “Head north!” “We did the runs already. It’s time to go back.” “We have fuel. North. Now!” Dr. Estrada felt the sweat dripping down his ribs. The twin-prop plane was flying at an altitude of two thousand feet. That was within the ideal range for the LiDAR equipment. But it made for a choppy ride, and the blazing sun was certainly as hot at their altitude as it was down in the jungle below. The LiDAR equipment generated plenty of heat too. The strapped boxes had cables running through the plane like spiderwebs. A hole had been set into the bottom of the stripped-out plane so that the