“Buzzing,” Purdue finished for him.
Julian flashed a fake smile full of perfect white teeth and held out his hand in greeting. “Precisely.”
His hand was scarred on both sides. A circular wound that suggested it had been impaled straight through, from the palm to the back of his hand. His other hand bore a nearly identical scar. His hand floated above the ground, waiting for Purdue to take it.
“Julian Corvus.”
Purdue looked down at the waiting hand and chuckled. “Yeah, I'm not shaking your hand.”
Julian withdrew his hand and nodded like he completely understood Purdue's decision. He looked past Purdue at the rest of them.
“You must be Mr. Cleave. And you're the Irishman, Galen Fitzgerald. Which makes you ... Dr. Gould.”
None of them shook his hand. Galen looked like he wanted to spit on it.
When Julian stood in front of Nina, their eyes met and she was immediately startled by the icy radiance of his gaze. She immediately felt cold looking into his eyes. Like there was nothing but a frozen wasteland behind his irises. Like his eyelashes had been made into icicles just from being too close to his eyeballs.
“Please. Sit.”
Julian sat down casually in one of the castle's leather seats. Nina looked to Purdue and Sam to see what they were going to do and they both uneasily followed Julian's lead until they were all sitting in a warped circle.
“Sasha tells me you all are just relentless in your search for the Spear of Destiny. Ironic, considering you already found the Spear of Destiny some time ago, if I recall. All that messy business in the Himalayas to get this.”
This? Purdue leaned forward as Julian reached into his suit jacket and pulled out the rusty spearhead that Purdue hadn't seen since it had been sticking out of his own chest. It was the blade that had almost killed him during his fight with Willard. The Spear of Destiny that April had stolen. The one that was supposed to be long gone.
“And it turns out, this spear you so proudly flaunted in your collection might not be as legitimate as you believed. It could be the spear that pierced Christ. Or it might not. Ancient history is rather muddled, isn't it? Difficult record keeping.”
“How the hell did you get that?” Purdue asked through gritted teeth. “April give it to you?”
“Oh, rest assured, she didn't hand it over willingly. It took some pressure from us to recover it from that pathetic little miscreant. You no longer have to lose sleep over it. It obviously wasn't safe with you since some low-level thief could snatch it from under your nose. It will be far safer with us. You need not worry about that thief either. She has been dealt with. You're welcome.”
“You killed her?” Nina asked, but was already sure of the answer.
“She was dealt with,” Julian repeated, and struggled to hold back a sick smile. He pointed the old spearhead at Purdue, who flinched a little, remembering just how much the tip of that blade hurt. “And you've quickly grown into something of a nuisance, Mr. Purdue.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Purdue said, leaning back in his seat like he was extremely comfortable. “You've already said that. I'm a buzzing fly who won't stop buzzing. I heard you.”
“Yes, a fly that's come into conflict with our order time and time again. It's starting to feel ... personal. You get in the way each and every time, hopping from continent to continent and absconding with items that we have already laid claim to. Why is that?”
Nina answered. “We've gotten used to stopping your Black Sun friends from defiling the past.”
“Defiling? That's curious. You'd prefer these crucial parts of history are kept in a billionaire's private collection? Filed away, left to gather dust and fuel his inflated ego. And yet, you say we're the defilers.”
“There's not a speck of dust in my collection.” Purdue said, feigning offense.
“The point remains,” Julian said. “We'd like to bring an end to this feud.”
“Only because you're losing.”
Galen coughed loudly, trying to announce his own presence and remind them that he was even there. “So, you're Sasha's boss, eh? Mind telling me why she shot my leg to pieces?”
“I'm sure she had good reason,” Julian flashed a glance in Sasha's direction. “Be thankful it wasn't your head.” Julian leaned forward, his cold eyes looking straight into Galen's. “Speak out of turn again, and it will be.”
Julian readjusted in his seat, turning away from the quivering Galen.
“You helped us get this far. You didn't know it at the time, obviously, but still, here we are. One step closer to finding the spear. All differences aside, we make for an effective team.”
“You trying to recruit me? I think I speak for all of us when I say—go jump in a very deep hole. You want us to all hold hands and work together? We can all be happy history buffs together, is that it? Excuse me while I pour motor oil down my throat.”
Julian let out an exasperated sigh. “I tried. But you just keep on buzzing. How about this then? You agree to cooperate, you live, and you help us find the spear, or the bodies will drop. I'm tired of this game and when I get tired of a game, I don't keep playing until it ends. I quit and flip the board.”
“Well that's terribly unsportsmanlike.”
“What do you mean the bodies will drop?” Nina asked.
“It's just as it sounds. Believe me when I say that if you don't comply, I will kill everyone on this island. This old rock will be red by day's end.”
He spoke about mass murder so cavalierly—so casually—that Nina almost couldn't even process what he was actually saying at first.
“No. No, you wouldn't actually do that.”
“Really? Odd, because I've done far worse.”
Nina was finally understanding why Sasha was so afraid of Julian. He wasn't a man—not really. He was a blood-thirsty monster, hiding his fangs and claws with a business suit.
“You're just a crazy bastard, aren't you?” Purdue asked. He didn't look afraid but his smile had dimmed. If anything, he looked concerned, like he was trying to figure out just how serious Julian was with his threats.
“There are kids here,” Sam spoke up. “People just doing their jobs. Tourists everywhere.”
Julian didn't look at all bothered. It was just another day, for him. “And they'll all be dead because Purdue can't stomach anyone sharing in his prizes. After all, if you have all the money in the world, the only things of value are things no one else has. Isn't that right?”
“You're not wrong,” Purdue said. “You know me so well.”
“So, what will it be?”
“I don't think there's much of a choice is there?” Purdue said, submitting to the threats.
Julian grinned. “Now you're catching on, Mr. Purdue. I hope this is a start of a beautiful friendship between us. A final peace treaty between our warring factions.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Purdue scoffed. “Cheers to being best friends forever.”
9
Castle Walls
They all split up to search the old fortress. Purdue, Nina, and Julian Corvus all checked the west side. Two of Julian's men joined them, though they seemed far more interested in keeping an eye on Purdue and Nina rather than helping in the search. Sam was forced to go with Sasha and other members of the Black Sun to search the east side. Galen, being far more immobile than anyone else, remained in the courtyard of the castle with Maddox and a couple of armed guards.
“More of our friends are on the way to do a thorough search of the island,” Julian explained as they walked down a long corridor. “And if we can't find the spear, we'll just keep looking as long as it takes.”
“And we're included in that we?” Purdue asked.
“Of course, Julian said. “One big happy family. I just want to let you both know now that if there's anything, let's say clandestine, that you have planned, to forget about it now. You try anything at all, and your friend Mr. Cleave will die first. He is the most expendable to us, and Sasha does love t
o discard expendable things.”
“We already agreed to work with you,” Nina said. “You can stop it with the threats.”
“I'm just making sure that we're on the same page,” Julian snickered.
“Same page ... probably different books,” Purdue muttered under his breath and then spoke up. “You must be real fun at those fancy Black Sun galas. You probably threaten all the waiters, don't you?” Purdue strained his voice into a bad impersonation of Julian. “Another glass, garcon, or I'll slaughter everyone you've ever met.”
Julian's thin smile never faltered but it was hard to tell if he was amused or insulted. Maybe somewhere in between.
“Out of all the members of the order that we've met, you are without a doubt the biggest ass.”
“Thank you,” Julian said, his smile growing wider. “Always a pleasure to gain a new fan.”
Their tour of the castle was long and arduous. There was nothing obviously out of place or that stuck out to them as a possible clue. They weren't going off of much. Just the notion that if the Hospitallers were going to take their prize home from the Holy Land, it would be here. And that was with the optimistic hope that it had made the journey.
For all they knew, the Holy Lance wasn't on Rhodes and never had been. Maybe the symbols in that tomb on Jerusalem meant something else entirely and this was all just a waste. It wouldn't matter though, if Julian was serious about scouring the island until they found something. They could be there for weeks, months, even years if he was as determined as he seemed.
“Why are we still here? You already have my spear.” Purdue glanced at Julian's suit jacket.
“Your spear?” Julian snickered. “The spear that used to be in your unreliable hands is just one of many possible spears. I prefer to be certain. So, the one taken from the tomb by the crusaders needs to be found, verified, and then we can decide which blade is the actual Spear of Destiny.”
Part of Purdue wanted to focus on just getting his stolen spearhead back, but then there was the curious part of him that loved the thrill of the search. He needed to know just as much as Julian which spear was the real deal.
They were looking through an old armory filled with antique spears when Purdue took more notice of the scars on Julian's hands.
“What's with your palms?” he asked bluntly, not caring if he was rude to his captor.
“Your prowess in observation is commendable, Mr. Purdue,” Julian said dryly. As for 'what's with my palms,' it's a simple matter of wanting to understand the subjects of my studies. That subject being the man known around the world as Jesus Christ. I've always had a fascination—something of an obsession—with him and not in the hallelujah kind of way. It is the man that fascinated me. The mortal man. Not the messiah. Think about it—what other man in the history of this planet convinced millions throughout two thousands of years that he was the embodiment of God himself? Maybe he is, maybe he's not. Either way, to be able to have that lasting of an impact ... remarkable. Especially if he was just a normal man. Fooling people to worship him for millennia.”
“You've got a hard-on for Jesus then,” Purdue said. “Plenty of people are obsessed with him. Doesn't explain the scars.”
“These scars come from the same nails that scarred Christ's own body. I have possession of those very nails and stuck them through my own palms.”
“Why?” Nina asked, repulsed and a bit frightened.
“To feel what he felt,” Julian said simply. “To understand that pain, and to see if something that once was stained with his blood would do anything special, much like the rumors of the Spear of Destiny. Bathed in the blood of God. I already have the nails that pinned him to the cross. I have the crown that stabbed and adorned his head. I need the spear now. It's something of a passion project for me.”
“I'm sure the Black Sun just loves having some Christ-obsessed fanboy on their roster. They clearly didn't have you go through a psych evaluation before you joined.”
Julian's expression remained passive but there was something angry radiating from his gray eyes. He wasn't going to show he was upset, but Purdue could tell that maybe he'd struck a nerve with him.
“Mr. Purdue, let's speak privately for a moment.”
It wasn't a request. Julian knew Purdue would have to. He was his prisoner and prisoners didn't usually have a choice. Purdue would have declined anyway but was nudged forward by the Black Sun guard behind him. He reluctantly walked over to Julian, who was staring out the window at the ocean that stretched out to the horizon in front of him.
“We may have started off on the wrong foot,” Julian said, still staring through the window.
“You mean when you compared me to an annoying gnat.” Purdue didn't really feel like hearing some fake apology from one of the Order of the Black Sun's cronies. It would just be a load of shit that he wasn't going to fall for.
“You'll have to forgive me for my rudeness.” Once again, it wasn't a request. Julian wasn't asking for forgiveness. He expected it. “I had already heard so much about you from members within the order.”
“All good things, I hope,” Purdue said with a knowing smile. It felt good that he was really getting under the secret society's collective skin. He hoped they all hated him as much as he hated them, because at least he was beating them to relics. They could hate him as much as they wanted but had proven they couldn't beat him.
“Not exactly,” Julian replied. “And obviously I formed some preconceptions about you. I still don't know if they were accurate or not. Time will tell. Still, it would be foolish of me to ignore your obvious prowess. If you could ruin the order's plans over and over again, then you can't be nearly as moronic as they say.”
“You're making me blush.”
Julian turned and finally faced him, his cold gaze staring at him, trying to figure him out. “So, why are you wasting your time working with a pathetic vulture like Galen Fitzgerald?”
“It's not ideal,” Purdue admitted. “But sometimes you've got to work with conditions that aren't really what you want if you want to get things done.”
Julian looked positively elated. “I was hoping that was how you saw it. So, despite all of the bad blood between you and the Order of the Black Sun, why not put that behind us? As you said, sometimes you have to work in uncomfortable conditions to make real progress. You're obviously good at this. Tracking down artifacts. I've heard the stories about your collection. You could absolutely be an asset to the new Black Sun.”
“The new Black Sun?”
Julian gave a small stifled laugh, like he'd remembered a joke he'd heard days before. “Once we have the spear—and we will—the order will be going through some changes. Some very big changes. It would be a perfect time to wipe the slate clean and—”
“What? Join the order?” Purdue couldn't believe he was hearing this pitch again. He'd heard it before and had already made up his mind about that possibility. “Sorry but I've taken a few steps on that road before. Stuck my toe in the water and it wasn't my temperature. I'm never going to even consider it again. You know that old saying ... if you can't beat 'em, join 'em?”
“I have heard it,” Julian said, grinding his teeth, knowing where this was going.
“Well I've been beating you lot just fine. Every time. There's no need to join you, is there? You have nothing to offer me that I can't do by myself. You want proof? Just ask about all the other times I outsmarted your big, bad club. I don't care if Black Sun is going in a new, bold direction because I know that no matter which direction that is, I'm not stupid enough to sign over my soul to a whole bunch of devils that I already know.”
Julian's expression darkened. He strained his lips into something trying to be a smile. Purdue felt a tinge of fear at the strange sight but stood his ground.
“You could be a king of the new world, you know.” Julian tried.
“I've never really had any interest in being a king,” Purdue said. “Crowns seem uncomfortable.”
A si
lence fell between them for a few seconds, and Purdue noticed Julian's fists were clenched together tightly.
“I see you haven't quite made up your mind yet,” Julian said, looking away back out the window. “You need more time to consider. I understand and will respect your decision.”
He'd ignored everything that Purdue said, and was making it so Purdue reconsidering was the only real option he had. He didn't care how much the Order of the Black Sun were going to change or how fresh of a start he was going to have with them. He knew that he didn't want to be associated with people like that. Nothing they had planned would be anything good, he knew that much.
But Julian was clearly not going to accept the word no, so Purdue just rubbed his head and nodded awkwardly.
“I'll think about it.”
He'd think about how to get out of it.
For the next hour or two of snooping around the ancient castle, their conversations were minimal. Julian Corvus spent much of the time examining every inch of the walls. Purdue imagined that Julian was hoping to find some convenient lever that would open up a secret room. He would glance at Purdue and Nina every so often, like he was making sure they hadn't run. There was no need; his Eclipsed goons made sure of that. They were almost always directly behind Purdue and Nina, shadowing their every step.
“Get any closer, and I'm going to think you want a piece of my ass,” Purdue said to the man directly behind him. “And unfortunately, you're not really my type, I'm afraid.”
The man let out a low growl from his closed mouth. The two Black Sun foot soldiers hadn't said a word for hours. Not even to Julian. They probably only spoke when spoken to and Julian didn't seem very chatty with them. Purdue hoped that his shadow would come up with some pithy comeback or tell him off somehow, but that growl was all he got. Disappointing.
“I'm trying to ignore the irony that you're standing in my shadow, Mister Black Sun Man. I think I'm taking all your sunlight.” The man remained silent. “No? Nothing. You got a name or are you just one of nameless henchmen that exist in this world? Are you all designated by numbers, or…?” The man continued to be unresponsive. “No name? Shame. I think it's only right I give you one then. Lindsay. Lindsay's a nice name, don't you think? I know it seems to mostly be used by women, but I assure you it also a man's name. What about your stalker, Nina? He got a name?”
Order of the Black Sun Box Set 9 Page 7