As much as Julian hated Purdue and the trouble he caused the Black Sun, he respected the man's tenacity. Even with the fortune he had—up until about two minutes ago—it couldn't have been easy to get any of those relics. They each would have pushed someone to their limits to get, and yet, Purdue had many. Had he gone past his limit that many times?
Julian walked through the rows of display cases and examined each and every item through the glass.
The whole room was fascinating. Putting aside the high-tech security system in place that practically turned it into a bunker, the collection itself was a marvel. The Black Sun's artifacts were stored in a much more locked down manner, deep in the order's vaults, filed away to never see the light of day until they were individually pulled up from the depths of their storage. It was the safest way to protect them. To keep them away from the fickle world.
The Black Sun's collection was certainly not up for display.
Despite the lengths he had gone through to protect them, Purdue's collected relics were kept like souvenirs, for him to view whenever he wished; probably to remind himself of all of his accomplishments. It was a vain display of trophies to himself. Worst of all, they looked like they were out so others could look at them as well. This was nothing more than a museum exhibit, with a big door.
The mass of artifacts would be far better protected with Julian, stored deep in the Black Sun's chambers.
As he looked around the room, Julian saw Felicity's handiwork. Charles and Jean still lay in a heap on the floor, unconscious and oblivious to what was going on around them. Whatever she had done to incapacitate them, it was very effective.
“Get them up and out of here,” Julian ordered to a group of his subordinates.
He didn't think either Jean or Charles would be any kind of threat in their current condition but was slightly weary of Jean-Luc Gerard. Julian didn't know nearly enough about magic to try and risk a confrontation with someone like Jean who knew how to use it.
After seeing what Felicity had done to Purdue ... he didn't want to suddenly be unable to move his body; and he certainly didn't want anything magical to happen that was even worse than that.
He saw Felicity Perry across the room, lingering in the corner where she watched the Black Sun operatives begin dismantling David Purdue's collection piece by piece. She clutched that old witch's book with both arms, hugging it securely like she was keeping it from being just another artifact for Julian's soldiers to take away.
“Well done, Miss Perry!” Julian called from across the room. “You held up your end of the bargain spectacularly.”
“And now you will hold up yours,” Felicity said. It wasn't a question or an assumption. It sounded like a command and Julian glanced at the book in her arms with a tiny bit more trepidation.
“Of course,” Julian said. “As agreed, the book of shadows is yours.”
Galen hobbled up beside him, looking around with a sneer on his face. “So, this is the private collection of the legendary David Purdue ... it's not all that great in the end, is it? Bit of a let down, eh?” Galen tried to sound unimpressed, even disappointed, but he couldn't hide how green he looked.
“Wow,” Sasha said earnestly from behind them. She was openly gaping at the room around her. “I have to hand it to Purdue. He's got a pretty nice lock box. He really got himself a nice hoard of stuff.”
“Not nearly as much as he acted like it was,” Galen grumbled.
“And now it belongs to us,” Julian said proudly. “None of this would have been possible without all of his hard work. I should really go thank him.”
18
BLACK FLAMES
The magical paralysis had worn off, but it hardly mattered since they’d tied Purdue down to a chair outside of the vault doors. He was almost just as restricted as he had been by her spell, but he could at least speak normally again.
Julian called to the men still outside the collection room. “Pack it up. All of it.”
The Black Sun soldiers marched past and filed into the vault room through the doors that had given them so much trouble before. They all disappeared from sight, but Purdue could hear them already breaking down his collection, display by display. Glass cases shattered. Fixture were unscrewed from the floor. Men walked by carrying large containers. Some came back minutes later with those same containers, now noticeably heavier and being heaved back toward the trailer trucks. For the items that were too heavy to lug back to their vehicles, the soldiers rolled in enormous, wheeled carts.
It was quite the efficient operation. It didn't take long to strip the room of all of its fixtures.
Purdue could only watch as they took relics that he'd spent so much time finding. He'd run all over the world in his quests to acquire them. It had taken him years to accumulate such a collection, but now the Order of the Black Sun were practically shopping at a market for the world's rarest items. It was so easy for them, when he had worked so hard for it all.
Excalibur gleamed from where it was tucked under a man's arm, like he was casually carrying a piece of plywood instead of the most legendary sword in existence.
Purdue couldn't do anything to stop them from callously taking all of his most prized possessions. He had so many memories attached to each one of those items. Joy and laughter. Fear and worry. He'd nearly been killed dozens of times trying to get those relics; and now he was going to be killed when they were taken away.
All of that hard work and all of that money spent. It was all going to be for nothing. There wouldn't be anything to show for any of it. A complete waste. He wasn't just going to lose everything. He was going to lose it to the people he had tried so hard to stop; a society of sociopaths who had no real respect for history.
“It didn't have to be like this, Mr. Purdue.” Julian leaned forward until he was directly in front of Purdue. “You had plenty of opportunities to work with us. To really work with us. To be on the right side of all of this. Instead, you chose to be—”
“A fly.” Purdue remembered the first time he and Julian met. How could he forget how Julian had so eloquently described him? “A fly that just keeps buzzing ... and buzzing ... and buzzing. Aye, I remember. And I did choose the right side. I chose to be against your order because you don't deserve any of this. And this cheap stunt of yours just proved my point. You should have done this to begin with. Waiting for me to do all the heavy lifting would have saved you from all of the failures I put you through over the years.”
“That was the old guard,” Julian hissed. “As you can see, things will be different from now on. Just like you suggest, we'll make the smart move to begin with. When someone speaks out against us, we'll ring their necks until they can no longer speak. When we want something gone...” Black Sun operatives walked past, splashing gasoline on the walls and furniture of his home. “ ... We'll turn it to ash.”
Purdue forced a laugh. “Burn me alive? Seems a bit much.”
“I think it's fitting. Burn away with absolutely nothing left. No money. No friends. No prizes from all of your escapades. You'll leave nothing behind. Absolutely nothing.”
Julian took a couple steps back and looked at the small audience that watched. Charles was shivering, still looking dazed from being knocked out. Nina had tears rolling down her cheeks. Galen and Felicity both looked rather pleased with the view. Sasha remained just as passive as ever, like she just wanted it all to be done with.
“Still,” Julian said. “I want it to be clear to the society that I am not without mercy. You have been a worthy adversary for us. Just one that we can't tolerate anymore. I'll give you a chance to say your goodbyes.”
Galen stepped up first, limping forward with a disturbing amount of enthusiasm. He had wanted to see Purdue squirm for quite some time and wasn't going to miss his chance to gloat, especially since he had been part of the billionaire's defeat, even if only minimally. He poked Purdue in the gut with his walking stick and cackled, like he was prodding a caged animal that couldn't fight ba
ck.
“How the mighty have fallen, Davy. We really could have been great friends if you weren't such an arrogant bastard. Always thought you were better than me ... but look at us now. Still think you're better, boyo?” He bopped Purdue hard on the nose with his cane and then spat on his cheek. “I don't think so. Sorry, but I won't miss you, Davy.”
Galen shot him one last scornful glare and limped away looking pleased with his parting words. Purdue didn't let it bother him. As annoying as it was for Galen to be in a position of power, he knew that if his hands weren't bound, Galen would never have talked to him like that. He could punt that Irishman across the room with little effort. Galen was the same entitled little coward that Purdue always knew he was. He wouldn't miss him, either.
Purdue brought his attention to Jean, who was being held by both arms by Black Sun soldiers.
“Don't you have some spell to get me out of this?” Purdue asked, flashing a smile.
“Unfortunately not, my friend. We both know magic doesn't work that way. I trust you've seen enough to understand that.”
“I guess you're right. We had a good run. I'm sorry that you won't see the ten million that convinced you to come along in the first place. But at least we found the book.”
“We did.” Jean glanced at the book in Felicity's hands solemnly, looking just as disappointed that they had been duped by her after coming so far. When he looked back at Purdue, he gave him a simple curt nod of respect. “Do not worry about the money. It is just money. It seems Mama May's visions of your future were true after all, no?”
Purdue looked around at the scene around him. His life in shambles, his entire collection stripped away from him. “Huh. Would you look at that ... she was right after all. Do me a favor. When you get home—I hope you do—you tell that old bat that David Purdue said she can piss right off for not being more specific.”
“I will do that,” Jean said, managing a smile, but it faded away soon after. “I hope ... I hope you rest well, my friend. I hope you find peace.”
He managed a small laugh. “Me too. Don't be using any of those occult books of yours to raise me from the dead, understand? No necromancy allowed.” Purdue scanned the line of people until he saw his butler. “How did this happen, Charles? You were never supposed to let strangers into the house, remember?”
“My apologies, sir,” Charles said, his wrinkled lips curving into a weak smirk. “I don't know what came over me. It will not happen again.”
“It better not,” Purdue said. “Or I'll have to fire you and throw you out into the streets. That would be a shame after all these years of incredibly loyal service to this house.”
Charles glanced around at the gasoline being spread about the room. “I'll do my best to clean up whatever mess is made, as I always have.”
“Thank you,” Purdue said. “Thanks for everything.”
Purdue had struggled to even look at Nina. She was a trembling mess and he couldn't bear to see her that hurt, especially over him. He looked at her and stared hard at her tear-filled eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.
He didn't do much better. “Nina...”
She bit down on her lip, holding back sobs, looking completely broken.
Purdue sucked in a breath and did his best to continue without breaking down too. When he spoke, his words were shaky and hoarse. “You ... you take care of yourself, you hear me? You'll be much better off without me dragging you into this shit. This ... this might be for the best.”
Nina shook her head. “N-n-no.”
“Yes,” Purdue said sternly, finding some reserve strength to keep himself together. “You live a happy, boring life. You sit at home and you read your books. Leave the adventuring to the fictional people you read about.”
“Touching,” Julian said and snapped his fingers.
The spectators were pulled out of the room by the Black Sun operatives. Purdue got one last glance at Nina as she was shoved around the corner and out of sight. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that it would be the last time he ever saw her or any of them. He only had minutes, he knew that. Everything he saw was the last time he'd see anything.
“You couldn't have kidnapped Sam Cleave too? Would have loved a chance to see him cry over me. At least I could have told him to have a good life.”
“I'll pass that along,” Julian snickered. “We'll deal with Mr. Cleave in due time. He hasn't been forgotten. He will be another that we cross of the list. Just like you all are. Names that will be scrubbed clean and never heard about again. No longer able to meddle in the Black Sun's affairs. You'll all be gone. You are just the first.”
That sent a wave of rage up Purdue's spine. He wanted to break free of his constraints and kill every single one of the Black Sun that had come to his home. To stop them from hurting anyone else. From taking anything else. He wanted to protect his possessions, but most importantly wanted to protect the colleagues who had become his best friends.
“It's a shame. You might have made up some of your financial losses by auctioning off pieces from that lucrative collection of yours. I suppose that's not an option anymore either.”
Julian looked down at him with twisted satisfaction as more gasoline was splashed about the room. He could hear more of them moving all over the house, bathing it in flammable liquid. It was going to be quite the bonfire.
Julian raised his radio to his mouth and said, “Let's light it up. I want a man on every side of the building. Make sure our former billionaire doesn't make a dramatic escape. Ensure this whole place burns, him included.”
“Rude to talk about someone like that when they're right there,” Purdue said. “Couldn't you just put a damn bullet in me already? Get this over with. I'm sick of hearing your voice.”
Julian pulled a lighter from his pocket and held it in front of his captive's face.
“A bullet? No. You don't deserve a quick death. You deserve punishment. One man thinking that all of that history belonged to him and him alone. You were a fool, Mr. Purdue. The Order of the Black Sun are the only ones who can use the past to save the future.”
Julian clicked down and a small flame rose in front of Purdue's eyes. Behind the sway of the little fire, a sick smile stretched all the way across Julian's face. “You've lost, Mr. Purdue. It has been a pleasure to bring your little empire down.”
Julian tossed the lighter onto a puddle of gasoline on the floor, and the small flame immediately burst into a growing blaze, which danced across the floor and up the walls, following the trail of gasoline with utmost devotion.
Julian paused and admired his handiwork, the birth of the inferno he'd triggered. With a wall of fire behind him, he seemed even more demonic than usual. His cold gray eyes found Purdue's own gaze one last time. Despite the heat emanating around the room, Purdue could still feel a chill when he looked into Julian's eyes.
Julian Corvus turned and walked out, vanishing behind the growing haze of smoke and flame. The fire was already engulfing the room, eating away at it, and soon would reach Purdue and devour him too.
The heat stung his skin and the smoke pushed its way down his throat and into his lungs. He only hoped he would die of smoke inhalation before the flames came to burn his flesh.
All of the transports had been completely loaded with the stolen relics, and Julian watched the rest of the tractor trailer trucks back out of the battered and burning home of David Purdue. They pulled away and made their way up the driveway in a single file line, leaving an enormous cloud of exhaust in their wake. They were like tanks on parade after a successful conquest of a foreign land.
Julian wasn't going to leave just yet. All of his plans for getting rid of the Black Sun's greatest foe had actually come to fruition. He was going to enjoy the moment, and as he watched the house burn, it was like he was watching fireworks that were in honor of his great victory. A perfect end to cap off a glorious evening.
The only truck that remained was the one he had arrived in. W
hile most of the men who had come with him had formed a perimeter around the burning house to ensure no survivors, some of them pushed Jean-Luc Gerard, Charles, and Nina Gould toward the last truck on the property, to be taken prisoner. They passed Julian as they were transported to the trailer and Julian signaled his men to stop in front of him.
He looked over the fallen Purdue's allies. Jean-Luc looked sad, but not cripplingly so. It made sense, considering he had only known Purdue for a short time. He was probably more upset about the check not going through than he was about Purdue's death. The old butler, Charles, looked shell-shocked, and Julian felt a bit of pity for a man of his age having to see something as violent as that happen to his boss. Still, elderly or not, Charles had made his choice and now he was dealing with the consequences. And then there was Nina ... and Julian loved how completely devastated she looked. Such a far cry from the triumphant face she'd made when she ran him through with that spear.
Julian addressed the three of them with fake reassurance. “This must be difficult for all of you.” He took a moment of pause, again in some false display of sympathy, before he continued. “Rest assured, things aren't as bad as they may seem right now. Your lives will be far better without David Purdue holding you back, dragging you along on his selfish crusades. Work with us, the Order of the Black Sun, and you will be part of something far greater than yourselves. You will come out of this,” Julian gestured toward the home that was still filling with fire, “unfortunate business ... far stronger than you have ever been before.
The old butler shook his head firmly. “I doubt that very much.”
Charles was usually always courteous and formal with everyone he met. At the very least, he almost always addressed people with “sir,” “mam,” or another variation. He didn't offer such respect to Julian, and the anger lingering on Charles' wrinkled face was enough reason to understand why.
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