Blackstone

by C E Johnson

  “I’m fascinated by the progress of our plans.” Tebah tried to encourage both men. He was dying to learn their secrets and leave the Middle East forever. “You two are completing the most difficult portions of the challenge. Martyrdom is close.”

  “I won’t fail,” Akhil spoke in a voice cold as ice despite the heat. He was middle aged, close to forty, in good shape, but not particularly agile. His hair was black, peppered with streaks of silver, and his eyes were an interesting gray color with flecks of black, yellow, and brown.

  Unfortunately, I’m going to make certain you fail, Tebah thought to himself. He sipped on his Jallab, a drink made of dates, grape molasses and rose water, hoping to soothe his nerves. There were raisins and pine nuts on the top of his drink and he chewed slowly on a raisin before addressing Akhil. “Zaki has acquired the bombs for project Sparkstorm, how close are you to supplying the missiles for our massacre?”

  “Where exactly are you keeping the bombs?” Akhil’s dark eyes studied Tebah as he spoke.

  This man misses nothing, Tebah thought as he watched Akhil purse his pale lips. He’s a master at masking his emotions, always so blasted calm. “They’re well hidden,” Tebah answered cryptically, hoping to keep his chiefs under his control by giving them only small fragments of information without revealing too much. Tebah set his square jaw. He thought about Hadrian’s revelation about his identity possibly being compromised, and beads of sweat formed on his brow. He tried to keep his true intentions cloaked in the deepest darkness of his worried mind.

  “How long until you get these missiles?” Zaki asked Akhil impatiently, looking down his hooked nose at the older man. “Will you ever complete your task?”

  “When our plan is fully put in motion, our dreams will be fulfilled,” Akhil spoke softly. There was an inner light building in his eyes. “Our dedication will change everything.”

  “Of course it will change everything,” Zaki replied impatiently. “Tebah, make him finish this off with no more delays.” Zaki stood, balling his hands into fists. His lips curled at the edges into a bitter grimace. “Encourage Akhil to do his part. I can’t listen to him anymore.” He put up the hood of his cloak and departed, rapidly blending in with the crowds on the busy street.

  “Akhil, when will you obtain the missiles?” Tebah lowered his voice to ensure no one else could hear his words. He sipped on his drink again and crunched a pine nut, trying to hide his own inner level of rising impatience.

  “They aren’t easy to procure,” Akhil answered in an even tone, devoid of emotion. “They must be strong enough to reach the central United States from a position off their coast.”

  “Are you close to completing the transaction?” Tebah asked again. At times like this, he felt the weight of the world on his back with so much responsibility that he longed to shed, but he shouldered his burden and waited for Akhil to answer.

  “My contacts are ready. Don’t doubt me, Tebah.” There was iron in his words and more ice in his voice. “I will be able to obtain the missiles for you, but I would like to see the payload Zaki has delivered to you first.”

  Tebah raised an eyebrow. What were Akhil’s underlying motives? he wondered. Why would he want to see the bombs? Tebah paused in deliberation and stared to the west, trying to suppress the moisture on his forehead that was beginning to weep all the more rapidly. “Of course, you’re right to be curious. I will show you several of the pieces of the puzzle if you want verification of our accomplishment.” Tebah stood. “But we must go now.” I’ll take him before he has time to hatch some other plan, Tebah thought while rubbing an ache that had formed in his temples.

  Akhil rose. At the same time two pale men in sunglasses sprang up from a nearby table, men Tebah hadn’t noticed. They were tall, strong, appearing treacherous, like lurking silver shadows. Akhil made a quick hand gesture to the men and they sat back down. “Body guards?” Tebah questioned.

  “Soldiers for our war,” Akhil gave Tebah a mocking smile. “They’ll remain here.”

  Tebah nodded and led Akhil down an alleyway crowded with noisy people, but the beating of his heart was louder than their voices. They walked through a maze of buildings, through many courtyards and passages, finally entering an old building nearly as large as a mosque. As Tebah walked through the doorway, a blast of cold air blew on his cheek and a shiver went down his spine. They wound their way back and forth along a twisted staircase before arriving at a closed stout wooden door with a black metal device on the adjacent wall. Tebah placed his hand on the screen. “A fingerprint scanner,” he said in a quiet voice.

  “I’m impressed by your security.” Akhil flashed a patronizing smile while appearing to mock Tebah. His haughty attitude sent new cold fingers along Tebah’s sensitive spine.

  Tebah steeled himself to Akhil’s disdain, and he didn’t immediately reply. He opened the solid wood doors, five inches thick, and entered his office. At a computer monitor, he began to type in codes and passwords. Once completed, he turned the screen to Akhil. “This is a direct feed. I keep a constant video monitor of the devices. They’re ready for attachment to your missiles.”

  Akhil was silent for a moment, studying the images before speaking in a low tone laced with awe, “These weapons are at your safe-house?”

  “Yes, in my vault.” Tebah began breathing rapidly as a sense of dread began to close around his heart. Will I survive this assignment? Have I shown Akhil too much?

  “Can I send one of my nuclear technicians to inspect these weapons to make sure they’re operational?” Akhil spoke slowly with a dangerous smile.

  “Why?” Tebah felt apprehensive. “I can assure you that they are fully functional.” Was Akhil playing him for a fool? What was his underlying intent?

  “I want to be sure they will work before I risk my life on obtaining the missiles.” There was more than a touch of irritation in Akhil’s voice as he answered. His eyes glimmered with something cunning and dangerous.

  “Fair enough.” Tebah knew there was no way to avoid this viewing without arousing suspicions. “Send one of your operatives that I’ve already cleared through my security checks.”

  “I will send him to meet you here tomorrow.” Akhil gave Tebah a measured look. “You can blindfold him if you want to keep the location of your safe-house secure.”

  “Fine, are we finished?” Tebah tried to grin, but his lips felt crooked and his mouth felt dry. I’m definitely being played, he worried.

  “Yes, we’re finished, Tebah.” There was a note of finality in Akhil’s voice. “I’ve wanted to see the devices to make sure of the reality of our plans for quite some time. Once I’m assured of their function, I will purchase the missiles.” Akhil left the room with his characteristic slow and steady pace.

  “Do you need a guide to get back to your bodyguards?” Tebah called.

  “I know where I am, my friend. Don’t worry about me.”

  Tebah walked to another worktable to watch Akhil depart on a monitor. Once he was far enough away, he reached under the table and depressed a button. A small black cylinder-shaped device rose from the edge of the table. Tebah rotated the cylinder until it was horizontal and then placed his eye up to the retinal scanner. A red light appeared and scanned his eye. A door opened in the back corner of the room. Tebah rushed to a separate computer and sent an encrypted message to his director.

  He wrote:

  Hadrian,

  Akhil is ready to finish his transaction. Once I have the full information on the missiles, we can finish off this mission. Be ready to move. Something doesn’t feel right.

  T

  Tebah breathed a sigh of relief, but it was empty. The stress from this mission was intense. He pulled back up the image of his safe-house weapons room and peered at the devices thinking about the potential for destruction that was in his possession. These bundles could change life on Earth for everyone.

  C H A P T E R 8

  Thief City

  The rising sun sent out tendrils
of light that shimmered on the peaks of the pale rock formations, making them shine like giant pearls. Droth and Lambo crouched by the outskirts of the base of the mountain range where the woods met stone. The two warriors were by a cluster of barely visible cave openings with the shadowy entryways largely concealed by the overgrowth of plants and ivy.

  These caves would be hidden to all except those with exceptional eyesight, Droth thought to his eagle with pride. I’m impressed that you found the opening.

  I can’t fly, but I can still see well. Arn flapped his wings from his perch on Droth’s shoulder with more than a hint of pleasure in his tone. Droth closed his eyes and delved into the depths of nature around him through the senses of his bondsmate and the world fairly pulsated with life.

  “Any day, uncle.” Lambo spoke softly, his words glittering with hope and excitement.

  Droth opened his eyes, while echoing Lambo’s words, “any day.” Droth knew Lambo wasn’t teasing him or saying the words in an attempt to rush him; he was simply saying the words in a manner of respect because he knew how important they were to Droth. He reached down to the ground and plucked several blades of grass.

  He knows you live by those two words, Arn whispered. Droth felt that any day could be his last and he attempted to live every moment to its fullest capacity. Every mission could spell his end and he was fully aware of the potential dangers and pitfalls with each endeavor he undertook; therefore, he never failed to soak up moments such as these that were so important to him and yet so fleeting.

  Does Lambo fully relish the cool caress of the dark green tall grasses on his hands? Droth wondered. Do the cries of the flock of dancing starlings on the blue horizon far overhead speak to him? He studied the birds interweaving amongst themselves as they soared through the bright clouds as if they were braiding unseen ringlets of air.

  Not yet, Arn answered, but one day he will. A cool breeze rustled through the trees. Have you sent your communication to Janishka?

  I’ll do it now. Droth sent a quick, but important message of love in a modified dream-link to his wife, incorporating components of the surrounding nature into his theme knowing she would understand the significance of his import. If he died, he wanted her to know he was thinking about her in his final moments of life. She often told him his messages were a visual treat, like a bouquet of flowers wrapped in images rather than physical substance and she placed each special message into her memory with spells. Droth was proud of his growing artistry.

  “Do you see the gateway to the passages?” Lambo cocked his head like a bird as he questioned Droth.

  “Yes, Arn found the entrance.” Droth pointed out the opening they would take. The two commandos were in northern Acacia by a secret entrance to the City of Thieves. The underground complex was also called Susanan. This was an access point that few aside from the Bird Clan were aware of. The Clan had detailed records on almost everything, like a sophisticated secret service agency on Earth, and for generations they had preserved in writings anything that might be important for a future operation. Every fragment of intelligence that came to the ears or eyes of a clan-member was faithfully written down with the repository detailing not only the history and geography of regions, but also fine points of their people. The intelligence was indexed away in documents that were catalogued in a massive library with portions of the material only accessible to the families of leaders and council-members.

  “What did you learn from the libraries?” Lambo’s breath was warm, and a faint mist rose from his mouth in the cool morning air.

  “There haven’t been too many successful missions into the Thief City.” Droth peeked over the rock they were hiding behind. “I know of the general layout of the area.” The wisdom from the library was filed into sections and even failed missions were exhaustively elaborated upon. With his heightened thinking and reading, Droth was able to rapidly pour through volumes of information in a manner no mission organizer before him had ever dreamed possible. Droth passed Lambo a breakfast of bread, cheese, and smoked turkey, and they ate in silence, watching the entrance warily.

  “And our mission is to recover a stolen set of magestones?” Lambo wore an easy smile as he questioned Droth between the large bites of his breakfast.

  “Yes. Besides you, only several on the executive board know the full details of our mission.” Droth flexed his fingers while thinking about their target. “I wanted to keep this attempt quiet. A master-thief named Grayson Raiken stole a complete set of magestones and hid them here in his vaults.”

  “Perhaps they’ve been moved.” Droth thought he could hear a touch of worry in Lambo’s tone as he rocked back and forth on his heels, chewing his last mouthful of bread. “What if you get all the way in there only to find Raiken has hidden his treasures elsewhere?”

  “This is the thieves’ stronghold.” Droth answered firmly. “I think they’re here.”

  Lambo began to stretch, preparing for their approach. “What stones are in his set?”

  Droth squinted up at the light falling on the lofty mountain peaks looming above them. He could tell the time by the location of the sun. It was almost time for them to go. “A complete magestone set has six colors; Raikens has blue, red, green, black, silver, and gold stones.” The sets were incredibly rare as the stones put together had to match and only certain magicians could detect which stones fit together in a mated harmony of balanced coordination. A complete set was often handed down as a treasured item from a teacher to a student upon the mentor’s death. Determining the master spell empowered by a set was an intricate mystery in itself, and only the most intelligent dragons or the most skilled magicians were able to uncover the secret and reveal the inherent hidden powers.

  “Who was the original owner of the stones?” Lambo finished his warm-up. He began to prepare his weapons.

  “A powerful magician who for now wants to remain anonymous.” Droth turned away from the mountain and rubbed his eyes. “If we succeed, his identity will be revealed. He made a large prepayment and he guaranteed a vast amount of further riches along with a promise to bestow a prophecy with the return of the stones.”

  “A prophecy?” Lambo echoed. He set his jaw stubbornly. “We could find out how to heal Arn with a prophecy.” Lambo withdrew his sword from its scabbard, running a finger lightly along the blade. “I’m glad they selected you for this mission, but then again you are the squad leader with the highest mission success rate.” Lambo flashed a teasing look at Droth as he continued, “You don’t really need the treasure and you can probably give any extra gold to your partner in crime.”

  Droth chuckled. Lambo was right. He didn’t require more treasure because he was already wealthy, but the prophecy had been the incentive to draw him into this mission. Could this prophecy lead me down the track toward mending Arn?

  Don’t worry about me, Arn whispered. His bondsmate was always in his mind, always unselfish, noble. Concentrate on completing your mission.

  Droth refocused on their objective. “In addition, our patron gave me a portfolio detailing exactly where Raiken has his living quarters.” Droth shifted his position, trying in vain to find comfort while his back was against a very hard and pointy rock.

  “Will they come after us?” Lambo glanced at Droth sideways.

  “Perhaps,” Droth admitted while unconsciously letting his shoulders slump. How can I know? How can I keep us safe?

  You’ve done all you can, Arn attempted to reassure him. Only a couple councilmembers know of our involvement and only Lambo is helping on this undertaking. We aren’t leaving many clues for Raiken to follow.

  Droth stretched his back before kneeling before his Dobermans. He checked each of their footpads and legs for debris or injury. “If I’m unsuccessful, the death of a warrior trying to steal from the city will likely pass unnoticed and the Bird Clan will not be punished. I just want you to get away clean.”

  “I’m not talking about failure, and I’m not worried about our clan.” Lambo pu
lled out his crossbow and began to check its parts. “I just don’t want a bunch of bandits coming after us once we succeed.”

  Droth laughed and stood. He studied the caves a last time. “We’ve watched these entryways to their city for several days now, and no one’s gone in or come out. I don’t think they’re used very often. Our patron thought this would be the best time to enter, between shift changes. I want you ready for anything.” Droth put a hand on Lambo’s shoulder and looked into his silver eyes. “I’m impressed you’ve been so patient.” Lambo looked pleased with himself. Droth strode to a massive ironwood tree where he placed Arn on a large low branch. You’re going to have to stay here my friend. I’ll come back for you soon.

  My black brothers will watch over you, Arn whispered. The three Dobermans moved as one, like dark shadows gliding across the grass. The massive dogs gazed upon their master with eager eyes.

  Orel also appeared eager to leave the camp. The eagle moved impatiently on Lambo’s shoulder, his pale-yellow round eyes darting around in a nervous fashion, searching for any motion headed their way. The small group all looked to Droth for direction.

  “This series of tunnels is the closest access point to Raiken’s treasure room. We’ll be in and out,” Droth promised. He began to detail all the steps of their plan and Lambo nodded and remained focused even through Droth had gone over their strategy many times. Droth again marveled at the improving patience of his nephew. Hopefully he’s come to the realization that the repetition puts my mind at ease.