He flipped to a random page and found himself deep into one of the Irishman's many expeditions. This one involved him deep in the heart of Japan, searching for the first western cannon ever utilized by the Japanese government during their industrial revolution. Apparently, Galen could speak fluent Japanese and everyone in the Tokyo had been stunned by his linguistic skill.
“They wondered if I had been born and raised here, and many of them demanded my autograph and volunteered to help me in my search,” Sam read aloud to himself, filling his room with laughter. “And the next morning, I found myself in bed with six women from the village over, who I had wooed with my charms.”
Sam had to admire Galen's dedication and attention to every detail when it came to painting himself in a good light. He really liked to embellish just how worldly he was. But when Sam knew him, he was far from the charismatic, experienced, funny, and well-dressed heroic figure that he liked to paint himself as.
For all of the biography's glaring flaws, it was really was a wonderful piece of fiction.
And Sam Cleave was excited to see how Galen depicted this hunt for the spear in the sequel.
Dr. Nina Gould lay in bed for a long while, staring up at the ceiling. She was just as restless as she had been at that rundown motel in Norwich. The danger was over with. She knew that. She'd expelled it from their lives herself when she slid that spear into Julian Corvus' chest. She had put an end to that cruel man and maybe saved all of their lives.
She should have felt relief—she didn't. All she was feeling was unease, and even a good measure of fear.
But why?
Because the Order of the Black Sun was still out there? Sure, but they had always been every time they had beaten them before, and she never lost any sleep worrying about it.
Because that killer, Sasha, had maybe gotten away and could be trying to hunt them all down to get some retribution? That was a possibility. She did see Nina kill her boss after all. Nina would probably be the first on her hit list. No, she wasn't really worried about Sasha. She actually hadn't even crossed her mind all night until that point. Sasha was dangerous but she didn't seem that close to Julian. If anything, she seemed as terrified by him as everyone else did. She might even be happy that he was no longer going to be her superior.
Then why did she feel so anxious.
Because she'd killed a man? She wondered if she should feel guilty about it, but she didn't. She hadn't just needlessly killed another person. He wasn't even a person at all, though, not really. Some sort of evil incarnate wrapped in a human skin. Something oozing with twisted ambition and sadistic glee. He took so much pleasure in his victims' suffering, that it had felt good to see him look genuinely afraid when the spear was penetrating him. His victims weren't just his play things anymore. They were fighting back.
Some part of her even liked that her face might have been the last thing Julian saw. He would die knowing that he wasn't the second coming of Christ like he seemed to want to be. He was just a man, and men were mortal, no matter how insidious they were.
Yet for some reason, she still felt haunted by his gaze. The darkness of her room felt so cold, like his stare was piercing every wall. A morbid thought danced through her mind that he may have died with his eyes open, and those chilling shards would remain open, allowing that feeling to permeate into the air and remain in the world ... at least until his body decayed and his eyes fell out of his sockets. Maybe when that happened, she wouldn't feel those shivers anymore. He would really be gone then.
Until that time, though, Julian Corvus still haunted her. She'd never met anyone as completely despicable as him. He was irredeemable and the world was probably a much better place without him. His footprints alone were probably spreading thoughts of violence into the air.
Nina tried to think better things; of brighter things. Despite how horribly the quest had gone, and putting aside the fact that she practically threw the Spear of Destiny away, there had been some nice moments in the journey. Any time she spent with Purdue and Sam was usually pleasant despite the mixed up relations she'd had with both of them in the past, to varying degrees. It was never awkward between them. Things just felt right when they were together, exploring the world and discovering new, unexplored roads to traverse.
She hoped they didn't blame her too much for what happened to the Spear of Destiny. Galen made his opinions of her crystal clear before he left but that didn't bother her. She didn't need to be liked by one of the least likable people she had ever met. If she ever had to see Galen again, or especially work with him, it would be far too soon. It would take a good few years to scrub all of his obnoxious bragging out of her ears. She wouldn't be planning any trips to Ireland for a good long while, especially if it lessened the chance that she would bump into him.
Then there were the Rosewell children. She had so much respect for that entire family, despite having been nearly blown away by Arthur's shotgun. To see a living breathing legacy carried on for generations like that was a real treat for her. It was rare to see the physical ripples across time that one person's decision could make. Roysten Rosewell might not have known it at the time but when he took the Spear of Destiny from Rhodes and brought it home, he was recruiting all of his descendants into a war they had no chance to sign up for or to avoid. And from the looks of it, how long it had lasted, for nearly five centuries, the Rosewells were a dutiful family who took their heritage seriously.
She didn't blame Isobel and Ben for walking away. It was the first chance to leave the spear that their family had probably ever received. It would be foolish not to take it, take control of your life back from the duty you were born into. They were barely adults, probably hoping to forge their own lives. It would be a lot easier to do that without the weight of a centuries-old decision a man they never knew made. They could finish their education, find more suitable, maybe even mundane, jobs. Or even raise a family without ever having to worry about that weapon again. It must have felt like absolute freedom.
Nina was glad that both of the young Rosewells had a chance to find happiness, despite the loss they received to even get the chance. She told them at Arthur's funeral that if they ever needed anything, to give her a call, and she meant it. They may need help or advice, and she was going to be there when they did. If their ancestors could stay responsible enough to continue guarding an old weapon for hundreds of years, she felt she owed it to them to at least be there for them anytime they needed her.
Even with all of her pleasant thoughts she was focused on, she still felt that same cold wash over her, like Julian Corvus was at the foot of her bed, staring down at her vulnerable body. She hugged her blankets tighter, trying to absorb some warmth from them, but she couldn't stop shivering.
Was she being haunted? The thought crossed her mind. Maybe Julian really was standing at the foot of the bed, invisible and intangible—but still watching her with those gray eyes. Would he keep haunting her? Did this always happen to someone's killer? Did they have to deal with the ghost of the person that they expelled from this life.
She hid under the covers and her pillows, hoping that she'd stop feeling that chill creep up her skin if she was out of sight from any potential ghosts in the vicinity. She buried herself beneath her blankets, and hoped that would be enough to let her sleep.
It wasn't.
Nina tucked herself even tighter in her bed. She reeled in her cellphone from the bedside table, taking care not to accidentally throw off the blankets when she did. Part of her was afraid she'd reach her arm out and someone's hand would grab it.
She didn't know who she was going to call but she had to dial someone. Just to hear someone's voice. Other people might be able to drown out the horrible thoughts running through her mind.
She felt like Julian Corvus was lying next to her in the bed now, whispering all of the ways he was going to torment her for killing him. He was probably yelling in her face but she couldn't hear him.
There were only so many peopl
e that she really felt like talking to; but she called one of the people she knew might be able to make her feel a little bit better about the situation.
She called David Purdue. He would know exactly what to say. She'd hear him go on passionately about their potential next quest and the ghosts that plagued her would be driven away. She'd feel warm again.
Purdue looked at the empty glass case he had already prepared before he went on their failed expedition. Of course, he didn't know how long the spear would be so he just took a guess at how large the case should be. Having now seen the spear, he knew for sure that it wouldn't have fit. Still, the empty space made him feel a little disappointed.
They had been through so much on this journey. Bounced all over the world and followed clue after clue to finally find their prize. If only they hadn't faced such formidable opposition. Julian Corvus. Sasha. The rest of the Eclipsed. Even Galen Fitzgerald in some moments was more enemy than friend ... or at least a hindrance.
If a few of those factors hadn't been in the mix, they might have actually gotten the spear. Arthur Rosewell might be alive and well. Nina wouldn't have had to skewer a man with the item they were searching for.
It was rotten luck. All of it. He wasn't as vocal about his disappointment with the results of the venture as Galen had been, but Purdue felt pretty let down by the whole affair. When there was nothing to show for everything they went through, it didn't feel worth all of the trouble it had taken.
Julian Corvus was the scariest member of the Order of the Black Sun he had ever had the displeasure of coming across, yet he had still offered him a place in the order just like he had been offered before. Why did Julian even think Purdue would say yes to that? Did the two of them form some close bond or at least mutual respect for each other, and Purdue just hadn't realized it? Was Julian just playing some kind of practical joke?
It didn't matter. He hoped this blow to the Black Sun was a reminder to them to just let Purdue and his colleagues continue their own ventures and to stay out of it. Then again, maybe the message would be as grand as he hoped. Julian had told him that the Eclipsed were barely members of the Black Sun. At the very least, they were the ugly step sisters that the rest of Black Sun tried to hide. Stashing them away to not give them a bad reputation.
Purdue could never again be tempted to be part of something like that. As much as they preached about the power of history, their influence over the future, the Black Sun had always been a band of self-important morons who barely paid any attention to the actual reality around them.
If he had say yes to Julian, though, even temporarily, he might have had a chance to manipulate the situation so that he really did end up with the spear, and could have been looking at it in the glass case he had prepared. Instead, he shot down Julian's invitation without a second thought. It was honest, but maybe a little foolish.
He just wished that they had overcome their enemies just a little sooner. The spear might not have taken a plunge into a pit.
Or at the very least, he would have recovered the spearhead from the other supposed Spear of Destiny. That could have been a small victory to celebrate, even if it was a consolation prize, but even that was long gone. Part of him hoped that the spearhead that used to be part of his collection was as fake as Julian believed; at least then the Black Sun wouldn't have gained anything of real value.
Purdue was pulled out of his own regretful contemplation by a voice.
“Another successful expedition, sir?” Charles asked from the doorway. The butler clearly didn't see the empty display case that Purdue was standing in front of. If he had, surely he would have been able to figure out the answer for himself.
“Not exactly,” Purdue said. “Hit a handful of speed bumps along the way, I'm afraid. Nearly got myself killed a few times in interesting different ways. You know me, though. That comes with the territory.”
“Please do refrain from dying, sir,” Charles said. “I'd very much like to remain employed for as long as possible. Your demise would dampen that dream.”
“I'll do my best for you,” Purdue said with a smile.
“Please do.”
Purdue's phone rang and he worried for a second that it was going to be another call from Ireland. Galen grumbling and screaming about how Purdue had cost him so much money and had been entirely responsible for the failure. He would have declined that call without a second thought, but when he looked down at his phone he instead saw Nina's name on the screen. He put it to his ear, still looking over the glass case.
“Make it home safe?” Purdue asked.
“All things considered, yeah. We somehow survived another one of your adventures. I don't know how we did it.”
“We're like cockroaches,” Purdue said. “Three cockroaches running around with old trinkets that they barely understand. There's something poetic about it. I didn't get a chance to tell you before we parted ways, but you did good with the spear.”
“Really?” Nina laughed on the other end. “I thought you would have been furious that I tossed it into an abyss.”
Purdue ran his finger along the empty glass case. He had to admit, he did wish that the spear was in this collection rather than at the bottom of a deep, dark cave in the stomach of a mad man.
There hadn't been any other choice, though. He knew that. He couldn't be mad at Nina for just trying to defend herself and using the only weapon that was in her hands. He let out a little sigh, feeling silly that she thought he would be mad.
“It was a good throw,” Purdue said with a smile. “Perfect form. Would have thought the impaled man on the end of it might have hurt the accuracy.”
Nina gave a pained laugh and then fell silent. It took a few moments but she finally spoke again, in an equally pained voice. She might have even been crying. “I killed him.”
Purdue didn't know what to say. He wasn't the best at comforting people. Everyone handled things in their own way. Him? He'd find a way to laugh it off. But Nina was different. She'd been in tense situations before but Julian Corvus was one of the scariest things they'd ever faced, and she had to look into his eyes when she ran him through and pushed him into the dark. Those images would stay with her for the rest of her life and she'd go every day knowing that she was responsible.
“You did,” he said bluntly. “But he was a monster. It was the only way we were going to get out of that cave alive.”
“I know ... it's just, when you called and asked for me to come with you, I knew it was going to be dangerous. It always is on these. I just... I didn't expect what we got. Even the Black Sun was never that bad. Everything that happened.
“It's okay,” Purdue said, feeling a tinge of guilt. “I shouldn't have asked you to come along. Working with Galen never ends well. I should have realized earlier that it was going to get bad.”
“It's not that, really,” Nina said. “It's that man. Jul-Ju-Julian. He really messed me up, Purdue. Even before we saw him again. Even in Norwich, all I could do was think about how he was chasing us. How he'd find us. And he did. He did. And even now, I can feel him watching me—”
“He's gone, love,” Purdue said. “We all saw it. You're right. You did kill him. I know it was hard but it was the only thing you could've done and it was the right thing to do. I honestly believe there are people in this world who shouldn't be here. People who are more like monsters or demons. He was one of those people, Nina. You did the right thing. The entire world is better off without him. Hell, the Order of the Black Sun will probably be better without him.”
Nina was quiet again, sniffing back tears. “I know. I'm just ... I'm so glad it's over. That was a hard one.”
“Aye,” Purdue said, realizing that the empty glass case wasn't the only thing left hollow from that quest. “Aye, it was.”
Epilogue
SURVIVE AND THRIVE
Julian Corvus was dead—until he opened his eyes.
The Spear of Destiny was still piercing his chest but he otherwise felt perfectly
fine. Better than fine, even. There was a feeling filling his body up. It felt like it was too much; going to spill out of his pores.
He gasped for air. He'd almost never breathed again. Now he savored each breath.
His heart was pounding in his chest, but he could have sworn that the spear had at least partially pierced it. But he could hear it, thumping away like he was the healthiest he had ever been.
Julian stared at the long shaft implanted in him. That damn woman had tried to kill him. No. She did kill him. The spear had been pushed through him. He fell. He was gone.
Yet, here he was.
He put both hands on the spear's long shaft and slowly began to pull it from his own body. It slid out of his flesh painlessly. The second the blade left him, the hole where the spear had pierced him stitched itself together until there was no sign of any injury at all. He put his finger tips through the tear in his shirt, feeling the patch of newly healed skin. It was so smooth, so whole. Healed completely.
The power he was feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt. It burned through his veins and he felt ready to fight an entire legion of enemies with the spear. He felt as good as new, better even, than he'd felt in a long, long time.
Julian rose to his feet, a little unsteadily, and raised the spear's point up to his face. There wasn't any blood on the blade. It was like he had never been stabbed by it at all. He tightened his grip on the weapon, and slowly started to let out a hoarse, choked laugh.
Survive and thrive. That had always been his creed. The words with which he viewed the entire world around him. Not even death could keep him down. And soon, nothing would ever be able to harm him again. There wouldn't be a second chance to get rid of him.
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