Stone

by Linda Mooney

  Brielle sighed and shut the safe, sliding the drawer closed. She made sure to turn off the light when she left the office, but she wouldn’t lock it until the unemptied crates were stored inside first.

  There was a lot more work to be done before she could call it a day.

  Chapter 7

  Arrival

  It was well past midday when he spotted land in the distance. The buildings looming up from the ground were as strange looking as the ones he’d left behind. The air also had a rancid and bitter stench he didn’t like. Although the odor was foul, it reminded him of the cell where he’d been imprisoned.

  Garenth closed his eyes. He didn’t want to remember that place. He didn’t want to relive the pain and brutality he’d endured. To do so renewed the anger and thirst for revenge against the man who had deliberately set him up. Who had gone out of his way to disparage his name and destroy him in the eyes of his pharaoh. The man who had sought to destroy him.

  A tiny smile creased the corners of his wide mouth. For all of Serasin’s plotting and planning, it had been for naught. I am the one who has survived. I have outlived and outlasted you. This may not be a form I would have preferred to be in, but it is life, and it sustains me.

  He glanced down at his deformed hands with their thick claws. Like them, his feet bore equally dangerous-looking talons. But his hands and feet weren’t human. Neither were his legs and arms. He touched his face and grimaced. The familiar planes were gone. He dreaded to think what it looked like now.

  He drew nearer to the town and the numerous temples that filled it. The mother idol was here, in this vicinity. Somewhere below. He glanced down at the people, tiny specks of movement, and wondered how much civilization had changed. He saw strange boxes moving below. Boxes which appeared to be litters to carry people and cargo from one place to another. Like giant land boats that needed neither wind, nor animals, nor slaves to haul them around. He wanted to get closer to inspect them, but forced himself to abstain and remain on course.

  Another small smile crossed his lips. At least his curiosity remained intact.

  He passed over a large expanse of trees. At least, he assumed they were trees. They were nothing like the date or palm trees he was accustomed to seeing.

  Ahead was one particularly tall building. Its tall spire reflected the sun’s light like a beacon, drawing him closer to it. As he circled the structure, he was stunned to catch a glimpse of himself. Unable to resist any longer, he landed on one of the upper ledges and stared at the reflection.

  Despite the slightly distorted image staring back at him, his worst fears were realized. Lifting a hand to his face, Garenth watched in growing horror as the creature in the mirrored surface also stroked its grossly distended jaw. Its nostrils flared in its broad, flattened nose. And its dark eyes glared back from beneath a ridged brow. Behind it, the wide wings were almost golden in the sun’s rays.

  His gaze dropped to the genitals between its thick legs. He felt some satisfaction knowing his manhood remained intact, but for what purpose other than to distinguish him as being male? There were no females of his ilk, as there would be no human females who would tolerate his caresses.

  If he could be so blessed, it would be that his mortal urges had become as desensitized as the rest of him.

  Turning around, he rested his haunches on the ledge and gazed out at the expanse. He had arrived. The mother idol was here, buried somewhere down there amid the mass of humanity. Given a little more time, he hoped to be able to hone in on it and detect its exact location so he could retrieve it…

  And then what?

  He cocked his head, suddenly unsure. What would he do after he obtained the mother idol? Where would he go?

  He almost twisted around to stare back in the direction from where he’d come. He realized he no longer wanted to return to that sandy grave where he’d emerged. But where could he go?

  Up here, the wind was becoming brisk, but it didn’t affect him. He couldn’t worry about where he’d go or what he’d do after he found the vial. Those were secondary matters. First he had to retrieve it. Retrieve it so he could keep it safe, because if anything happened to it, he knew it would mean his destruction. His end. And regardless of how he looked now, he valued what life he’d been granted. He wanted to continue living, and he would do anything and everything to keep it.

  Adjusting himself in a crouching position with his hands and feet grappling the edge of the ledge, Garenth studied the immense village of stone and steel. Sooner or later he would discover where the idol was. All that was required of him at that moment was patience. And after thousands of years, he’d learned that lesson well.

  Chapter 8

  Decision

  Marc Finestra hurried down the hallway until he reached Leo Elso’s office door. Without knocking first, he let himself in to find the man on the phone, leaning back in his plush leather chair, and with both feet propped on the expensive carved desk. Elso barely glanced at him as he continued with his conversation.

  “Yes, yes. That shipment should clear customs by the end of the week. No problem. Yes, I understand your predicament, but you forget you work by my timeclock, got that? You’ll have the vases by the first of next week. Not Thursday, not Friday. Monday. Maybe Tuesday, but no later than that.” There was a silence while he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. By the muscle clenching and unclenching in the guy’s jaw, Finestra could tell the man was more than slightly agitated. He was close to being thoroughly pissed, and that would not bode well for the poor son of a bitch on the opposite end of the call.

  “Listen, Travelle, you’ll get your shipment on Monday. Period. And if you don’t like the delivery date, fuck you. Go find your vases elsewhere.” This last was spoken in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice, as if Elso had just ordered a pizza to be delivered.

  At the thought of a pizza, Finestra’s stomach growled. It had been a while since he’d last eaten, and way too long since his last cup of coffee.

  Elso casually replaced the receiver in the cradle, then gave Finestra a curious look. Finestra held up the flash drive before tossing it to him. The man caught it, removed his feet from the desktop, and inserted the drive into his computer without asking any questions. Finestra knew he wouldn’t. Not until he checked out what was on the stick.

  “You know my rule about interrupting me without my prior approval,” the man intoned softly as he opened the files. “I will only forgive it if it falls under one of three categories. If there’s a nuclear strike, the stock market is crashing, or it’s the zombie apocalypse. Which one is it, Marc?”

  “They’ve found a kalorshai.”

  Elso froze. His eyes shot back across the room where his associate casually stood with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for that reaction. Finestra tried not to smile. “Yeah, you heard me right the first time. Check folder number sixteen.”

  Without waiting for the man to answer, he went over to stand behind Elso’s desk and watched as the man opened the jpeg files. His boss clicked on the first image, which filled the monitor’s screen.

  Elso stared at it for several long seconds, then sat back again in his chair and brought a hand up to his cheek. “Where is it?”

  “Word is it was delivered today to the Natural History Museum.”

  “Who found it? Kelling?”

  “Yes.”

  “Outside of the Valley of the Kings?”

  “Yes. At that spot where he’d gotten clearance to dig.”

  Elso tapped his index finger against jaw. “Any word if they’ve discovered anything else?”

  “Word is there may be more images, but the site’s been plagued with mishaps.”

  Elso cast his eyes up at him, a smile half-hidden behind his hand. “Did we cause any of them?”

  Finestra smiled but shook his head. “Not yet.” He waited a beat before continuing. “What’s your plan of action?”

  “What plan of action?”

  Finestra snor
ted. Elso always had a plan of action, but the man rarely referred to it in that manner. “When do you want us to…gain access to the seal? Want us to wait a bit?”

  “Do we know exactly where it’s located at the museum?”

  “In the offices in the basement.”

  Another hard stare. “I said exactly.”

  Finestra mentally shrugged off the sting. “It shouldn’t take much time to find out its exact location. I just need to know if you want us to recover it now or at a later date.”

  Elso sat up in his chair and clicked on a few more pictures. Finestra knew what the man was thinking. Would it be more advantageous to go after the idol right after the staff had obtained it, when everything was still fresh and they were unguarded? Or should he wait until the museum staff had decided where to place it, and risk having it relocated to an area that was more secured? There were pros and cons to both scenarios. With the former, the kalorshai was still new and interesting, and therefore being scrutinized and studied intently. But the thought of it being confiscated would be the last thing on the museum’s mind, giving Elso the best chance of getting to it. With the latter, as the newness wore off and fewer people were inclined to examine it, there’s the possibility it could be hours, if not days or weeks, before a staffer discovered it missing. However, by that time it could have been placed in a vault or other location that would make obtaining it more difficult, if not impossible.

  Finestra knew what he’d choose, and he had an inkling the boss would be similarly inclined.

  “How soon can you have a crew ready?” the man inquired almost nonchalantly.

  Finestra mentally pumped a fist. “Two hours, sir. With a little luck, I could have it on your desk in time for your morning coffee and chocolate cruller.”

  Elso sighed and clicked out of pictures. Finestra watched as the man removed the flash drive and placed it to the side. Once the associate was out of the office, the boss man would lock it up in the safe he thought no one knew about behind the wet bar.

  “See what you can do, Marc,” Elso said. He made no further eye contact, but continued staring at the blank monitor instead.

  “Yes, sir.” Finestra resisted the urge to bow and hurried out of the office, closing the door firmly behind him. When he reached the elevators, he stopped and whipped out his cell phone to place one call. “The game is afoot,” he informed the person who answered. “I’ll meet you there in one hour.”

  Chapter 9

  Discovery

  Nighttime had arrived, but the lights coming from below almost kept the moon and stars at bay. Neither did the noise abate. Garenth had hoped that the squawking and growling would lessen after the sun god went to sleep, but nothing seemed to change. If anything, it almost became more frenetic.

  He’d come to the conclusion that sitting atop this tall temple would not help him find the missing vial. He needed to move about while keeping his senses open for it. At least the semi-darkness would help somewhat in keeping him out of the public eye.

  Shoving himself away from his perch, he soared over the streets clogged with litters. This era was filled with many marvels that were nearly magical in their construction. He’d seen enormous boats moving upon the waters. Boats which needed no sails, and he assumed no oars. More astounding were the loud birds who moved overhead. Birds whose wings never flapped.

  There was so much to take in, and deep down he hoped he could explore the wonders of this new world. But first, the vial.

  Something tugged at him, like an invisible rope. He followed the siren call as he wove between the tall temples, soaring on the warm air currents rising from the streets. Within minutes he found himself gliding over the treetops, skimming just above their surface as the pull grew stronger.

  Large buildings ringed the area of trees, almost barricading the greenery with their stone walls. One in particular, a large rectangular block, drew him to it. He circled the structure several times, looking for a way in. He didn’t want to use the large doors which faced the street. He needed a back way. A rear entrance. A rooftop opening. Perhaps a window.

  A light glinted off a shiny surface. It was on the side of the building where the glare from a tall lantern was blocked by another tree. Landing, he strode across the expanse of greenery that covered the ground, up to the wall of stacked stone blocks. It looked like a window, except there was a thin sheet of some sort of clear rock covering it. He scraped it with one talon. It squealed like an iron blade on rock, but it didn’t appear to be impenetrable. Pressing his palm to the covering, he sensed a slight vibration. There. What he sought lay just beyond, on the other side.

  The mother idol.

  After giving the window another close examination, he made his decision. Walking some distance away, he turned to face the strange clear wall. Spreading his wings, he lifted himself high into the air, then swooped down, his head tucked as he hit the window.

  The clear wall shattered like a thousand drops of solid water. The pieces flew inward as he dove into the building. He hit the floor and rolled, but immediately jumped to his feet. At the same time, the darkened room lit up. A raucous noise screeched overhead, and he realized he must have triggered an alarm.

  The room was filled with large creatures. Some were nothing more than skeletons. Knowing there was no time or place to hide, what he did next was purely instinctive. Pressing his back against the nearest wall, he dropped into a crouch and froze in that position.

  Several people in odd-looking clothing rushed into the room and went directly to the busted window. They examined the destruction. One man tried to see outside but the sill was too high up off the ground. He left the room as the other two began checking the place for signs of the intruder. As Garenth expected, they glanced over at him but neither man found his being there odd or out of place.

  He continued to watch as they conversed among themselves, speaking in a language he didn’t recognize. They checked the room again, bypassing him as if he belonged there. The third man rejoined them, and by their actions he could tell they were stumped. Finally, they left, and the lights were doused.

  Garenth remained there, listening to the sound of their voices and footsteps as both died away. He would wait and give the men time to grow lax before moving on.

  The mother idol was here. Its presence was almost a quivering in the air. All he had to do was follow its silent call. That, and have a little more patience. After thousands of years, he was in no rush.

  *

  It was long past quitting time, but Brielle couldn’t call it a day without checking out the unusual little idol she’d stashed in her uncle’s desk safe. All during her meeting, she’d spent the time drawing a picture of it on her notes, trying to get it as life-size as possible as she recalled the features on its face.

  She’d handled similar statuettes before. Usually referred to as Venus figurines, they were generally maternal in shape, meant to boost fertility or promise the owner children who would live to see adulthood. But those idols were always featureless, without faces or discernable hands or feet. Just the noticeable breasts, wide hips, and sometimes the labial slit between the legs.

  Why this particular Venus had a face, and a horrendous looking one at that, was a mystery. Which was why she was eager to sit down when she had some free time to study it under a magnifying glass. But since she had no idea how hectic things would get tomorrow, she debated with herself whether or not to scoot back over to the office after hours to do a little investigating off the clock.

  Once the meeting was over, she allowed Tanner to talk her into getting some Thai food. In the middle of her red pork noodle soup, she realized she wouldn’t be able to get any decent sleep until her curiosity was assuaged. So when they were done, rather than head for home or spend the night at her sister’s place, she begged off, saying she had some work she needed to finish up before the next day.

  She let herself into the museum via the side delivery door, into the large warehouse. A guard met her as she step
ped into the main hallway.

  “Trying to amp up those overtime hours, Miss Van de Camp?” the man she knew as Chancy teased.

  “You know me. Once I get my hands on a new find, I’m like a dog with a bone.”

  “Well, let me know when you’re ready to leave, and I’ll wait with you outside until the metro bus arrives.”

  She thanked him for the gesture and took the elevator down to where the offices were located for the staff. Her first impression when she stepped into the hallway was that it appeared no one else was down here, or had returned since they’d left for the day. She was alone, and that was fine with her.

  Maybe I can actually get something accomplished without having to answer questions or put out little fires every fifteen minutes.

  She went directly to her uncle’s office. Grabbing a pair of latex gloves from the box mounted to the wall, she removed the idol from the desk drawer safe and sat in the chair. Clicking on the magnifying lamp, she swung the neck down to where she could examine the figurine more closely.

  From the back, the idol looked like a typical mother statuette if one disregarded the gold band around its neck. Flipping it over, the sight of the hideously distorted facial features sent a chill through her, surprising her. She’d never had such a gut reaction to an art object before. Why did this one?

  “You are one freaky looking gal,” she muttered. “So what are you supposed to represent? And why have you been given a bangle of gold?”

  Pulling a sheet of paper from the printer tray behind her, she grabbed one of the pencils from the cup on the desk and began sketching the figure. She was deep into her work when the building erupted into a cacophony of shrieks.

  Stunned, she sat there for a moment to assess what was happening. It was the burglar alarm, not the fire alarm. Someone had breached the premises after closing. She glanced down the hallway to make sure she had closed the main door. Reassured she’d locked it, she knew she wouldn’t have to leave. And at least one guard knew she was on the site. Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked back down at the idol…