There was a flash of excitement dancing in Oniel's hollow eyes. He wanted Purdue's blood too, just as much as Galen did. It was personal for them. Unlike Julian, who just wanted Purdue dead as part of his grand plan; to erase any traces of opposition. It wasn't the same for him as it was for Galen and Oniel. Hopefully they would be lucky enough to enact their vengeance. The Order of the Black Sun couldn't reap all of the rewards from defeating David Purdue.
Anytime a gathering was called, requesting the presence of every Black Sun agent within the facility, the attendees knew that something important had happened. It could have been good, or it could have been bad, but the only thing they knew for certain was that it was something vital enough to warrant everyone's attention. Once they were all seated, though, none of them were prepared for the words that left their leader's lips.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice. The reason for this meeting is fairly simple and is about an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. You all need to be made fully aware of it. There has been a turncoat in our ranks. Someone from the inside who sabotaged one of the most important assignments we have ever carried out. When we stormed David Purdue's home, acquired his collection of artifacts...everything seemed to be going to plan. When we set fire to his house and left the scene...everything seemed to be going to plan. But, there was one factor that wasn't taken into consideration and did not go to plan. We had a traitor in our midst who made sure that David Purdue survived that night.”
The audience in front of Julian all waited with baited breath to hear more. He had certainly gotten their attention with that short introduction. Most of his subordinates in attendance hadn't been made aware yet of the Purdue situation.
“It was Sasha. She betrayed us.”
Everyone in the room, the many members of the Order of the Black Sun, glanced around uncertainly. Many looked like they just now realized that Sasha wasn't among them. Some shook their heads in confusion, or maybe even denial. It was hard to fathom that one of the hardest working members of the order would turn against her own, after all of the time and effort she had spent supporting them.
“Why?” one voice called out. “Why would she turn on us like that? And to help Purdue? She hated Purdue!”
There were nods of agreement around the room.
Another voiced their opinion. “She would never pull Purdue from that fire! That woman hated a lot of people, and David Purdue had to be at the top of the list.”
Julian clicked his tongue. He knew how respected Sasha was within the order, and he knew it wouldn't be easy to convince his peers, but it was still irritating. “Well, evidently I was higher on her list than Purdue. She did this so Purdue would come back at me—at us—when we would have least expected it. Used his fake death as a weapon against all of us.”
“Where is she now?” Galen asked, tapping his cane against his chin.
“Most likely on her way back to Purdue,” Julian replied.
An older man, Jakoby Ames, who had been with the order long before Julian stood up, ran his hand over his white beard, like he was straining and then glared at the Black Sun leader. “David Purdue is really alive after all this time. One of our top enforcers has turned against us. This whole mess has come to us under your very brief tenure as leader, Corvus. You haven't been in charge long, but since you have, things have only gotten worse. When you stepped up, when we backed you, you made all kinds of assertions and promises...”
“And I have made good on those promises,” Julian interrupted, trying to keep a firm hold on his own anger. He didn't want to lose his temper in front of so many of his subordinates. That wouldn't look good, especially when they were already starting to question his authority. He had half a mind to kill Jakoby then and there for questioning him so openly. He should have killed him when he killed the rest of the old council. It was hard to make a better world when crusty old bones like him were clinging to how it used to be. “Dead or not, I had defeated Purdue. With the prizes we took from his collection, we've already acquired more relics than we have in years. All in one fell swoop. Thanks to me.”
“Maybe,” came another voice from the crowd. Julian couldn't quite make out who was speaking among the faces. “But you told us he was dead!”
“I had every reason to believe that he was. If Sasha hadn't interfered--”
“Sasha has been under your command for years,” Jakoby spoke, still sounding stern like he was lecturing some student rather than the leader of the order. “If anyone should have been able to spot her lies and put a stop to her treachery before it happened, it should have been you.”
“My friends...” Julian took a long, calming exhale. Despite his phrasing, these people weren't his friends. They were his underlings, nothing more than tools that he had every right to use. He was their leader, and they needed to remember that. He wanted to make them remember by force, but now wasn't the time. He needed to play this smart, and with diplomacy. “We will make this right. I have already taken measures to get things back on the right track. I have dispatched Victor and Vincent Moore, Clive Hawthorne, and Torsten Shay to find and kill Purdue. For good this time.”
Some of the Black Sun members looked very relieved to hear that the order's best killers were going to make sure David Purdue was finally put down. Julian decided to leave out that Victor and Clive were dead. That would just send all of those fools into a panic. That would make them all even more insufferable.
Julian continued. “And if Sasha is with Purdue when they find him, they have orders to eliminate her too.”
There were murmurs. Julian wished they would speak up instead of whispering among themselves like nervous little children. That's what they were to him, a bunch of spoiled brats who didn't share his vision of a better world. Every step forward he took, they whined and complained.
That old man, Jakoby, still seemed far from convinced. “And if they don't? If Purdue slips by yet again?”
“Then I have a contingency in place,” Julian said, making himself a mental note to eliminate Jakoby at the soonest opportunity. He was tired of seeing that grouch's wrinkles and that white tuft of hair hanging off his face. “In the unlikely event that Purdue isn't killed by the team I have sent, then I know exactly where he will be going.”
Everyone looked confused—they generally did, anyway.
Julian elaborated in hopes that they would stop staring at him with those opened mouths and dazed expressions. “Recently, he acquired a relic that comes with a curse, a curse that is very likely fatal to whoever had that artifact. The only way for him to get rid of it is to go to a very specific location, and I'm one of the few people on this planet who knows where that location is. I've been there before. If by some miracle, he makes it that far, I'll be there waiting for him with a group of enforcers. In that case, I'll put an end to all of this myself, just like I should have before.”
He only took the blame in those last words just to appease his audience. None of this was his responsibility. It was the ineptitude of the people beneath him and the traitors that he never could have foreseen.
There were approving nods, but Julian could still see the skeptics in the crowd. It was a far cry from the almost unanimous approval and support he initially got when he first took charge of the order. Back then, what seemed like forever ago, they loved his promises of bringing the Order of the Black Sun into a better future where all of they could shape the world any way they wanted, and all of their many enemies would be erased. That claim seemed to have been made into a reality when he got rid of Purdue, until Purdue survived. That man's escape from death had changed everything for Julian. His fellow Black Sun members didn't revere him like they used to. They didn't harbor as great of respect. They probably didn't even fear him as much, now that he didn't seem so unstoppable.
It was a mixed reception, but most of them seemed satiated enough for the meeting to end. His audience started to file out of the room, and Julian just stood there, festering in his frus
tration.
He watched Jakoby hobble his way out. He really would kill that man, not just for the slight but just to vent some of his anger. He would never have to face those yellowing judgmental eyes ever again. It would feel just as good as it had to get rid of the old ruling council.
Most of the room had been cleared out, but Galen came limping up to him with the newcomer Oniel beside him. They had been sitting together during the meeting too. Julian wasn't sure when the pair of them had gotten so chummy, especially considering Galen had been the lead interrogator when they first found Oniel asking about the order.
Galen laughed as he hobbled over. “Invigorating speech. You really rallied up the troops, as they say. Shame about Sasha. If we're being honest, I never trusted her.” Galen tapped his crippled leg with his cane. “Maybe since she was the one that riddled my limb with bullets. It's her fault I haven't been able to walk right for months. Good riddance, eh?”
As always, Galen was feeling chatty. Usually, though, he only started a conversation when there was something he wanted from it. Especially, when it came to his talks with Julian. He had been a dutiful subordinate, but Julian knew that a man like that was constantly thinking of ways to improve his position in life. This conversation was only happening because the Irishman thought he would benefit from it.
“What do you want?” Julian asked, still looking at the last few faces leaving the room. “If you have something to say, you really should have said it during the gathering.”
“I didn't want to ruin your moment in the spotlight,” Galen winked.
“But you do want something?”
“Of course, but I am a most reasonable man, as you well know.” Galen gave a little bow, glanced at his Jamaican companion, and then smiled a crooked grin at their leader. “So you are going to take some forces with you to...wherever the hell it is you think Purdue is going to end up?”
“I am,” Julian said. “Only as back up. If he shows up, I'll be dealing with him myself. But it's not a guarantee. Not if Vincent and the others do their job.”
Galen flashed him a knowing glance. “You mentioned Victor in your speech.” He lowered his volume so that not even Oniel behind him could make out what he was saying clearly. “But we both know that he's already six feet under. You failed to mention that to the rest of them.”
“I didn't fail to do anything. They'll hear about that when they have to. Do you have a point, Galen? I have places to be.”
“My point is that Purdue is putting up a better fight against them than you expected,” Galen said. “You thought Victor was enough. He wasn't. Who knows if the three others will have any better luck...so there's a good chance you'll have to go face him with another group by your side. All we're asking, requesting, is that Oniel and I are part of that group that you bring with you to confront him.”
Julian looked past Galen at Oniel, who stared at him with that hauntingly blank gaze. From his experience serving a man like the Wharf Man, maybe Oniel would be good to bring along. After everything he had told them—written to them, really—he seemed like he was a very capable fighter. If Purdue and the Scarlet Sword became more of a problem, then he might be good to have by his side.
Galen was another story. He would only get in the way, as he so often did.
“Why?” Julian asked, but already suspected the answer.
“We want to be there when that bastard dies,” Galen said, looking back to Oniel for support. Oniel nodded. “He's made fools of us, and we'd love to take a crack at him.”
“Ideally, you would be the one to kill him.”
“I don't want to be too greedy,” Galen said, raising his hands innocently. “You have that right, of course, but I wouldn't mind being able to hit him with this cane a few times, remind him of how far he's fallen.”
Julian considered it for a moment, but only a moment. The choice was simple enough.
“No.”
“No?” Galen looked genuinely flabbergasted by the decision. “What the hell do you mean, ‘no?’”
“I mean that you're not coming,” Julian said. “If it comes down to having to confront him personally, I'm not going to let any petty nonsense get in the way this time. And your vendetta with Purdue is just that...petty. It'll just be a distraction. We need him gone. Not beaten. Not broken. Just dead and gone, just like he should already be.”
Galen was terrible at hiding his annoyance. Julian could practically see smoke coming out of his ears from being so angry. He assumed that he had a greater claim to Purdue because of his rocky past with him. He didn't. That had no bearing on how Julian was going to handle this situation. The truth was that Galen was just a pawn, and he didn't owe him anything, especially not a chance at getting in the way of killing Purdue.
“Please,” Galen said, thinking that begging and groveling would somehow improve his chances. “At least let me be there to see...”
“No,” Julian said firmly again. “You will remain here until I assign you to be somewhere else...and you will be happy about it.”
Galen bit his lip hard and grumbled something under his breath before limping away. Julian didn't mind treating Galen like a spoiled little boy because that's how he always acted. He would kick up some dirt, spit profanities, and then complain in the next draft of his second autobiography. Turning him away was harmless.
Refusing Oniel's request was a different case, though. Julian didn't know him very well, and he had no idea how he would react to being denied his vengeance. A man like him might break out into a violent outburst and try and kill Julian. Luckily, the Spear of Destiny's power that coursed through him made Julian a little less worried about that. Oniel didn't fly into a frenzy, surprisingly. He just glared at Julian and then turned away. He had nothing to complain about. Julian had let him into the order when he could have just as easily killed him.
The pair of them may have had history with Purdue, but their depths of hatred didn't go nearly as far as Julian's. Their grievances were superficial. Julian's entire life's work rested now on putting Purdue back into the ground. Purdue's survival had made a mockery of everything Julian had been striving toward.
And since none of his subordinates could get the deed done, he would have to dirty his own hands. Part of him was happy about it. He wanted to see Purdue for himself and to be the one to finish him for good this time.
12
CHAPTER TWELVE – THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS
Purdue sat in his latest motel room. He had been moving to a new hotel night after night, hoping that staying mobile would keep Vincent Moore and his friend with that bow off his trail. Surprisingly, it seemed to work, as no one had kicked down his door. His only worry was that Sasha was probably expecting him to still be back at the old room, in a completely separate place. He had no way of contacting her and likewise, she had no way of contacting him. He'd lost one of his only ways to figured out how to break the curse of the sword. He needed her to help him with this one, as much as he hated to admit it. Frankly, he wished she'd just told him where to go rather than have to wait around for her. Now, he was pretty much stuck.
There was a knock on the door. Purdue got up from his bed with the Scarlet Sword in hand. He crept carefully across the carpet, trying his best not to make a sound. He knew better now than to open the door without checking to see who it was. He didn't want another situation where three armed hitmen were at his door, ready to kill him again.
He peeped through the eye hole and was startled by who was on the other side.
“Let me in,” Sasha said, waving her hand. “For God's sake, Purdue, open the damn door.”
Purdue pulled the door knob, and she came marching in. “I tell you to stay put in one place, and you move all the way across this town. What the hell were you thinking?”
“Circumstances changed,” Purdue said, checking around the entrance for anyone that might be watching before shutting the door. “By the way, I'm fine, thanks for asking. How about you? How the hell did you figur
e out where I was?”
“Finding things is what I do, Purdue. It's what I've always done.” She said it like it somehow answered his question. “I'm honestly surprised that you lasted this long without me.”
Sasha looked pale and worn out, like she'd been through a whole lot since Purdue last saw her. It didn't seem like her time away had been kind to her, based on her appearance. That was fair, since Purdue hadn't exactly had an easy time either in her absence.
But hopefully Sasha was bringing some kind of good news back with her.
“I managed,” Purdue said. “What did you find out? Anything going on with the order? Anything useful?” He felt like he was being obnoxious with his questions, but he was desperate for answers and for hope that they could get this curse off of him.
Sasha gave a pained little chuckle. “I learned some important things. You could definitely say that, yeah. For one, Julian has sent a group of his top killers to hunt you down.”
“I know, I met them,” Purdue said, making Sasha look at him with some alarm, like there was no way he should still be standing in front of her if he had come face to face with those assassins. He felt a bit of pride that he had surprised her like that. It must have been some feat to get out of that fight alive. “Like I said...I managed without you. But it wasn't exactly easy.”
“You killed them? All three of them?”
Purdue almost burst out laughing. Now that would have actually been impressive, but he'd been lucky to only sort of kill one. “No, not all three. Not even close. Just one, and I didn't even do it myself. Not really. One of the other two did it by accident. But...I will say...he was the biggest one so that counts for something, I suppose.”
Order of the Black Sun Box Set 10 Page 29