Nina dropped to her knees. Her gaze lingered on the chasm, even when Julian and the spear faded into the blackness and out of sight. She hoped he kept falling all the way down until he reached hell—it was where a monster like him belonged.
CHAPTER 19 – THE STING OF FAILURE, THE JOY OF SURVIVAL
Nina stared down into the abyss while the fighting continued around her. Her mind was racing, flashing images of the last thirty seconds. The spear in Julian's chest. The blood to pouring from his lips. Those gray eyes that had plagued her finally wide with fear. His form disappearing into the darkness; matching what was probably within.
“Nina.” Purdue crouched beside her, slinging his arm around her and holding her tight. She realized how much she was shaking when she felt herself reverberating against his arm. She was a quivering mess. “It's okay. You're alright. Let's step back.”
Purdue helped her away from the edge, rising back up to her feet. She could barely stand but he offered himself as support so she leaned against him. The man Purdue had been fighting, Luther—or Dana—was on the cave floor, unconscious. She heard a crack and saw Sam had just laid out his opponent, whose head had smacked against a rock.
“What did you do!?” Galen shouted from across the cavern. “Where the hell is the spear!?” He was limping toward them, looking around feverishly.
Sasha was at his feet, getting back up. She was staring at the edge of the chasm. Galen must have missed the spear and Julian falling but Sasha hadn't. She glowered at Nina but a lot of the fight looked like it had been taken out of her. She looked around, realizing all of her allies were down, and quietly slipped away back through the tunnels and out of sight.
Hopefully she wouldn't be able to find her way out. They didn't need her running back to Black Sun and stirring up even more trouble for them.
Nina couldn't focus. Her vision was hazy and Purdue propped her tightly against him to keep her balance. “It's okay,” he kept repeating.
“Where's the spear!?” Galen repeated, practically spitting in Nina and Purdue's faces. “Where did you put it!?”
“It's gone, Galen!” Purdue roared, wanting him to back off. “It's gone, alright?”
“No...” He seethed, shaking his head. “I can't believe you really did that. I can't believe you were stupid enough to just throw it away—”
“You're going to walk away,” Sam said, stepping between Galen and Nina. “You're going to walk away right now.”
Galen was still fuming but retreated a couple of steps, letting Nina and Purdue pass. The young Rosewells were standing by their father's body. Sam walked over and offered to help carry him out of there and asked if they knew the way.
“We do,” Ben said confidently, still glancing at his father's corpse.
“What about them?” Isobel asked, pointing to the two unconscious Eclipsed goons.
“Leave them,” Sam said. “They can find their own ticket out of here.”
It was dark by the time they had all climbed out of the cave system, past the rotted out roots of the old tree guarding the entrance way. Nina had been tucked under Purdue's arm the entire journey back through the tunnels as the Rosewell children guided them out of there. Sam heaved Arthur Rosewell's body while Galen followed up the rear, limping a few steps behind.
Nina finally felt herself regaining her balance and hugged Purdue tight.
“Thank you,” she said and started walking on her own toward the Rosewell children. “I'm sorry,” Nina said. “Both for your father and for losing the spear.”
“Right,” Sam chimed in. “It was quite the family heirloom.”
“Thank you,” Isobel said. “It's probably exactly like he would have wanted. My father never stopped talking about defending the spear. He finally got to. And he succeeded. They didn't get it. That's all that matters.”
“So, what will you do now?”
“I don't know,” Ben said. “It's liberating, actually. You go your whole life thinking you'll have to do one thing, but now that it's no longer in the picture...”
“You're not going to try and get it?”
“I don't think so, no. I'm not interested in spelunking for it. My family defended the Spear of Destiny, and my father died to protect it. If we let it fall, just like it did, then it's safe.”
“Until Galen comes with an excavation team.”
“They can look all they want,” Isobel said. “Our father told us how deep those caves go. They'll have a lot of trouble.”
“He used to say it goes all the way down to the center of the Earth,” Ben cited with some nostalgia.
“Did anybody see what happened to Sasha?” Sam asked. “She could still be out here.”
Purdue shrugged, still holding Nina. “Or she's lost in the tunnels. Either way, I think she's pretty useless without her leader. She bolted the second he went down. He was unpredictable. Erratic. That girl wasn't much different than the members of Black Sun we've faced in the past. Just a newer model off the order's assembly line. She's a follower. Not nearly as much of a threat as Julian was.”
Sam wasn't sure Purdue was right. Back when he had spoken with Sasha in the castle, standing in front of the tapestry, she seemed certain that she wasn't a mindless lackey of the Order of the Black Sun. She was loyal to her group, but far from being a drone. If she had escaped the tunnels, they would be smart to still watch their backs.
It was a long trek through the swamp but they finally managed to make it back to the Rosewell house. When they got there, they all settled in but Galen was anxious to leave. Despite his injured leg, he was storming past them with surprising agility.
“Off to write your next novel?” Sam asked, as Galen's shoulder slammed into him.
Galen turned around and laughed to himself, like he'd just heard a great joke. He looked at the group of them like they were all incompetent morons. He inched his way forward with his bum leg, shaking his head in agitation. He was red-faced, veins pulsing in his forehead.
When he spoke, his words were shaky, and meticulously laced with complete disdain.
“When I called you and asked for your help, I expected to have the spear in my hands by the end of all of this. Instead, your lady friend tossed it off a cliff!”
“Sorry to disappoint,” Purdue said with a shrug. “You're welcome to go down there and get it yourself. Look at the bright side. We might not have it, but neither does the Eclipsed ...the Black Sun ... any of them.”
“You think I give a damn about any of them!? Secret societies. Pfft. Please.” Galen moved to leave but stopped—clearly not done and still seething. He swung back around, licking his lips. “All I ever hear about is the great David Purdue. No matter where I go. No matter what I find—the great David Purdue has done better. The great David Purdue found every secret of the fucking universe. The great David Purdue has God himself locked away in a box in his collection, on display for the world to see.”
“I'm flattered that everyone thinks I'm great.” Purdue took a few steps toward Galen, who flinched with each step he took, like he expected to be hit. “Jealousy isn't a good look for you, old friend. Makes you seem even more petty than you already are.”
Galen spat on the floor. “Eat shit, Davy.”
The Irishman started limping away but Purdue still wanted to make one thing very clear to his old colleague. “Galen.”
Galen peeked back, looking scornfully at Purdue.
Purdue continued, “Next time you feel like making a mockery of what we do, don't both calling. In fact, do me a favor and lose my number.”
Galen showed him his middle finger. “It's lost.”
They stayed in Norwich for a few more days to pay their respects to Arthur Rosewell. They hadn't known him long—hardly at all—but Nina felt strongly that they should at least attend his funeral. They had been among the last people to see him alive. They'd been present in his final moments as he chose to resist the overwhelming power the Eclipsed. And if they had never gotten as far as they did, and
by extension led Julian straight to him, Arthur Rosewell might even still be alive.
Sam and Purdue couldn't argue with those points, as much as they wanted to go home and put this expedition far behind them.
It was a nice, simple burial in the Rosewell family's private lot. The tombstones there were withered and worn, monuments to the fallen Rosewells dating back centuries. A burial site for generations of protectors of the Spear of Destiny.
Arthur was right where he belonged. Resting beside the ancestors that he had tried so hard to honor. Though the spear was no longer protected and secure, Arthur had helped prevent it from ever leaving that cavern in the wrong hands. He'd proven that he was worthy of the Rosewell legacy and done all of his ancestors proud.
The spear was gone—safe—and the Rosewells could finally rest easy. They had fulfilled their shared destiny.
20
Homecomings
Galen limped past the tank in his front yard. He was usually very proud of that particular souvenir, but he felt nothing as he brushed his hand along its rusted tracks. The tank was nothing in comparison to what he almost had—what he could have been bringing home.
He had spent his whole flight home alone on his private jet. To pass the time, he spoke to the crutch that the Black Sun had given him. The bugged crutch that they used to track him and listen to all of his conversations. He hoped they could still hear him. Then they could hear him cuss them out. He used just about every foul word that ever existed. It must have looked ridiculous to anyone else. A grown man alone on his plane, cursing at his crutch.
Now the crutch helped him walk, something even toddlers could do better than him.
When he opened the front door, there was no one there to greet him. The lovely Matilda was just a greeter he paid for the day, to make a good impression with Purdue and his friends. Not that it mattered anymore. Letting them in on his quest was a terrible mistake. They brought all of their baggage with them, like that damn secret society that shot him in the leg. And then Purdue and his friends threw the spear into an abyss.
They weren't just a hindrance, they were the cause of their failure.
He passed by his shelves of bullets, his racks of pikes, and walls of shields until he reached the study. A woman was sitting in front of his fireplace. A woman he recognized very well. His leg seared even more at just the sight of her.
Sasha.
“The hell you think you're doing here?”
Sasha looked very comfortable and held a metal poker in her hands, having snatched it from beside the fireplace. Her expression was impossible to read. She just looked down at the pointy end of the tool and then to Galen.
“Here to finish me off, eh?” Galen said, throwing his crutch at her. “Get your revenge for me taking a shot at you, is that it? I hit you now you've got to hit back. Well go on then. Take your anger out on a poor cripple like me. Get your rocks off. Do it.”
He was speaking far louder than he meant to, his shouts rebounding throughout his entire house. Sasha sat there, letting him scream at her, just looking at the poker, maybe waiting for him to quiet down. He hobbled toward her, practically hopping on one foot.
“What are you waiting for? You a coward?”
Sasha looked up at him and let out a long, tired exhale. She was already bored of how much of a spectacle he was going to make his death. “I'm not here to kill you, Galen.”
“No? Then why the visit? You miss me already?”
“Not at all,” she said simply. “You're insufferable, vain, and suffering from delusions of grandeur. And that's what must make this so hard for you. You think you're destined to be something great. You've always thought you were meant for something greater. And for most of your life, you've seemed better than a lot of other people, at least in your eyes. But now you see that you're not nearly as great as you pretend you are, don't you? You finally are seeing yourself in a real mirror.”
“You're wrong,” Galen said. “The only thing I did wrong was getting involved with my old friend, Davy. Because with Davy, came you lot. And with you lot, came the bullet holes in my leg. Otherwise, I did everything right. Almost had the spear too.”
“Again. Delusional.” Sasha snickered. “But you do have other qualities. Things we can put to good use.” Sasha picked up the crutch and held it out to him. “You failed. The Black Sun failed. We all failed. But I recognize a potential candidate when I see one.”
“Candidate?”
“Yes,” Sasha said. “How do you feel about a job opportunity? A chance to have a place in deciding the future for this world?”
“You want me to join that shit order of yours? After you crippled me and helped ruin my chance of getting the Spear of Destiny? I think I'll wait to see if any other secret societies come calling.”
“The Order of the Black Sun is made up of powerful minds with influence, and a desire for knowledge. You, as self-entitled as you are, would make for a fine addition to our ranks.”
“You made this same offer to Purdue didn't you? He was your first choice. And here I am, just the consolation prize. As always, I'm nothing compared to the great David Purdue. Why don't you go ask him again? It's a short swim to Scotland.”
“Purdue was too blind to realize what he was giving up. To be able to make real progress in this world. To make real change. To spin the Earth on whatever axis you like. People like you and him. Born into wealth and trying desperately to find a challenge ... this is the only way you'll ever have anything of real value. Break through that ceiling that you were born touching and reach a new level. You have to admit, you've gotten bored of life the way it is. Why else would you spend all your time and money trying to find things that should be otherwise impossible to find? You want a challenge like that. Now you could have it. Join us, and soon you'll be standing taller than you ever have before.”
Sasha waved the crutch in front of him, enticing him to take it.
Galen looked at it, the only thing that helped him walk. The only thing that led him move forward. It had been given to him by the Black Sun and now they were offering him it once again. She wasn't entirely wrong about him.
He had grown bored of his collection. He'd grown bored of his enormous house. He'd grown bored of the act he put on. He'd grown bored of trying so hard to prove himself to be as good as he knew he was. He'd grown bored of being constantly overlooked and overshadowed.
Maybe becoming part of the Black Sun was the only way to finally step out of the shadow of the rest of the world.
“So, can you put your ego aside just a little and be part of something bigger?”
Galen reached out and took the crutch, becoming the newest member of the Order of the Black Sun.
The flight home was far better than any of their other flights they had gone on during their hunt for the Spear of Destiny. They weren't on their way to an Irish manor filled with bullets and tank decor, unsure if they were wasting their time or not. They weren't on a plane full of Black Sun assassins on course for Rhodes, thinking they were about to be unwilling accomplices in their enemy's scheme. And unlike their flight to Norwich, they didn't have to be nervous that Julian and the Eclipsed were somehow following close behind this time.
It was actually relaxing. They hadn't gotten the Spear of Destiny but they had survived the attempt—which was an almost comparable reward. It hadn't seemed likely at the time.
Purdue was just relieved that Julian was gone. He thought back to Julian and him speaking in the Palace of the Grand Master, and Julian's attempts to sway him over to the Order of the Black Sun. All his talk about changes within the Black Sun and becoming kings of the new world. None of that mattered anymore. Whatever changes Julian was going to make to the Black Sun were never going to come to pass. Black Sun would remain the same old, shady secret society that Purdue, Nina, and Sam had all grown used to. Julian wouldn't be able to twist it into something even worse.
Purdue could handle the usual variety of obstacles the Black Sun threw at them. Bu
t a wild card like Julian shouldn't even be allowed to be part of the game. The usual rules hadn't applied to him. He was just chaos and death.
Purdue looked over at Sam and Nina both fast asleep in their seats. As much as he got on their nerves or as much as things got complicated—especially with his relationship with Nina—he could always count on them to stick with him throughout all of the close calls on their adventures.
He secretly dreaded the possibility that someday they may all find themselves journeying somewhere they wouldn't be able to escape from. This one had felt like that. He really thought at points that they weren't going to make it out still breathing. Had Julian gotten the spear, they all would have been executed. He was sure of that.
But here they were, exhausted but alive.
Purdue couldn't wait to get home and see Charles. Hopefully his trusty butler had prepared something delicious for dinner.
When Sam got home, he felt like his body was going to cave in beneath him. It had been far too long since he had a real good night's sleep. He tucked himself beneath a mound of blankets and puffed up his pillows. He wanted to be as cozy as possible and hopefully sleep for the next forty-eight hours. Although, given the amount of energy he expelled during this trip, whether it was pushing the stone door aside at the tomb or fighting for his live in some swampy cave outside of Norwich, he would probably need even more rest than that.
His mind wandered to Nina and Purdue, even to Galen and Sasha. He wondered if they were all as beaten down by fatigue as he was. Would they all be sleeping for the next few days, too exhausted to make any other moves. Were they all trying to find the first comfortable night of sleep in months like he was?
He always loved reading before bed. There was nothing more relaxing than passing out with a book in his hands. Unfortunately the only piece of reading material he had was a signed copy of Glaives, Guns, and Guinness: The Life and Discoveries of Galen O. Fitzgerald that Galen had slipped into his pack during their weeks in Jerusalem. It wasn't exactly prime bedtime material but it was all he had. At least it would be boring enough to fall asleep easily.
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