Stone

by Linda Mooney

  He couldn’t explain to her how he would be able to find the mother idol. Its presence was ingrained in every inch of his body, giving him a strong, clear beacon to follow. Yet, this woman had managed to block that beacon, leaving him confused and hesitant.

  He sniffed the clothing she’d worn. Yes, he could find the mother idol, but before he could do so he had to remove himself as far away from this woman as possible. Give his head a chance to clear.

  Garenth stared at the item of clothing in his hands. But there was something else that didn’t make sense. Something that told him his goal might not be as easy as he anticipated. The mother idol’s scent was on her garment, but it was so minute, so faint, that it was almost impossible to detect until he pressed his nose directly into it.

  Then why was he drawn to this female? It couldn’t be because of her contact with the mother idol, but something caused it. Something he couldn’t fathom.

  Impulsively, he sniffed again. Her fragrance was there, and for the first time in millennia his body tightened. There was a spasm of pain…

  He pressed a hand to his chest. The pain was centered around his heart.

  His heart?

  Closing his eyes, he focused on what he felt within himself. It could be his imagination, but he thought he could feel a faint vibration beneath his palm.

  Could it be he still had a heart? If he had a heart then, yes, there was blood flowing through his veins. It was truth, not a belief. And if there was blood, he had a brain. And lungs.

  He breathed deeply as realization crept back. His humanity remained with him, but it lay buried beneath this stone shell that used to be skin. His true self was still here underneath this hideous mask that in no way looked like him.

  He touched his face and felt the hard curve of elongated teeth jutting out of his jaw. Glancing back at the woman, he half-expected to see fear in her eyes, but there was none. There was compassion and curiosity, and a lot of confusion, but not fear. She didn’t fear him. She didn’t feel threatened by his appearance. How could he explain to her that once, long ago, he had been a man? That he had been as human as she was? But if it hadn’t been for him changing into this ghastly effigy, he wouldn’t have survived all these centuries.

  Brielle was speaking again into the shiny stone that spoke a crude version of his language. Despite the difficulty he had listening and understanding it, nonetheless he was grateful for it. Otherwise communication between them would be impossible, and there were a thousand questions he wanted to ask her about this time and place…after he recovered the mother idol.

  “Garenth, if you find the mother idol, what then? What will you do? Will you go back to Egypt?”

  They were the same questions he’d had hovering in the back of his mind ever since he’d emerged from his paralysis. Right now his whole focus was on the hunt, but after he had the mother idol safely back in his possession, what would he do?

  Minbar had never conceived this would happen…or did she? Did she foresee my resurrection? Did she know I would awaken to a new and frightening world?

  “Garenth?”

  He didn’t realize he’d been gazing unseeing into the distance until Brielle reminded him he hadn’t answered her last question. “I do not know what I will do. But I do know I cannot and will not return to that dark prison from where I awakened.”

  The woman seemed to ponder as she listened to his response. A shaft of sunlight came through the clear wall, highlighting her from behind and illuminating her in its glow. And in that moment, he could almost see Hanashep’s face smiling at him—the same dark hair, the same oval face, the same brown-gold eyes, and the same delicate arch of her eyebrows as she gave him a curious stare.

  “Garenth, have you been asleep all this time? I mean, from the time you were imprisoned until now?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you only woke up when my uncle removed the mother idol from your temple, correct? You woke up because you had to get it back?”

  “I must. But I was not in a temple. I was in a prison,” he repeated.

  Her expression grew more puzzled. “Are there more of your kind in that prison?”

  “There are no others of my kind. Or there are none that I know of.”

  “So you’re the last of your kind? The last living gargoyle?” She’d moved closer to him, until her womanly scent wrapped around him like a gentle blanket.

  “No, Brielle. I am not what you see. I am a man. I had to take this form in order to survive. In order to be able to protect the mother idol.”

  Her eyes widened. “You changed into a gargoyle?”

  “I was changed, yes, but I had no control over it. The priestess did it to save me. To allow me to get my revenge on those who falsely accused me, and who condemned me to die.”

  “The priestess of the god of war, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “How? How did she change you?”

  “She gave me a potion to drink.”

  “A potion? Was it in that vial?”

  “It was in the mother idol.”

  “And after you drank what was in the mother idol, you changed into the form you’re in now?”

  “Yes.”

  An odd expression came over her face. “Then if we somehow manage to find an antidote to what you drank, is it conceivable you can change back into a man?”

  Garenth felt his body stiffen at the question. Change back into a man? Was it possible?

  She laid a hand on his arm “There are too many questions we don’t have answers to,” she wisely remarked. “We don’t know what will happen to you once you recover the mother idol. Or what would happen to you if you don’t. You yourself don’t know where you’ll go after all this is over. But….”

  “But what?”

  “But whatever happens, I want to be there with you when it does. I want to see this to the end with you, Garenth, if you’ll let me.”

  It was then he knew that was exactly what he wanted, as well, and he nodded. “I also wish for you to see this through to the end.”

  When the interpretation came through, she smiled at him with both her mouth and her eyes, and Garenth would swear he felt a lightness in his body that he had never felt before.

  Chapter 17

  Findings

  At Brielle’s urging, Garenth promised to remain at her apartment until it got dark before resuming his search for the vial. As she rode the Metro to the museum, her thoughts were on the man creature, replaying over and over what he’d told her.

  He had been a man once, but some sort of curse, or drink, or something had changed him into the being he was now. On the surface, the whole idea, the entire scenario was ludicrous. Similar to the plot of some fantastical movie or book, until one got a good hard look at Garenth. There was no way anyone could deny what he was, even if they chose to disbelieve his story.

  I mean, how could his explanation for his existence be anything but the truth?

  Brielle steadied herself. She had to get those swabs tested ASAP. Hopefully the guys at the lab might be able to come up with some sort of answer as to what had been contained inside that vial. She was lucky she’d had the foresight to gather that evidence before the intruder took off with it. The seal. The kalishari, or whatever it was he’d called it.

  The seal to what? What was its purpose?

  Was it even feasible the man hadn’t absconded with what he’d come for?

  The more she thought about it, the more she realized the guy really had no clue as to what he’d been seeking. All he probably had was a vague idea of the size of the item, considering what he’d taken with him that she’d been able to get a glimpse of. But was his intel even correct? Was it possible he’d gotten the wrong information, and the seal could have been much bigger than what would fit in that little black bag tied to his belt?

  She phoned the museum, hoping to catch Cassidy. Luckily, her assistant answered on the first ring.

  “Acquisitions.”

  “Cass, this is Br
ie.”

  “How are you doing? How are you feeling?”

  “Fine. I’m doing okay. Listen, I need you and Packy, is Packy working today?”

  “Yeah. Me, Packy, and Oscar.”

  “I need you three to stop whatever you’re doing and run an inventory check on everything Dr. Kelling sent in that shipment.”

  “Now?”

  “Now. Are you able to get to the crates?”

  “No. The police have them taped off as evidence.”

  Brielle muttered a curse word. “Okay. Let me get back with you. How about Dr. Kelling’s office? Is it still off limits?”

  “Yeah. Are you on your way here?”

  “Yes. I should be there in about fifteen. Hopefully by the time I arrive I’ll have some good news. Talk to you then. ‘Bye.” She ended the call and placed a second one, this time to the museum’s curator. It was picked up by one of the assistants.

  “Curator’s office. Candace Truman speaking.”

  “Candie, this is Brielle Van de Camp.”

  “Oh, hey, Brie! How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine. I’m heading for work now. Listen, is Director Moring available?”

  “She’s in a meeting at the moment, but she told me earlier she wanted to talk to you about what happened last night.”

  “I’ll come straight over when I arrive,” Brielle promised. “I need you to do something for me first. I need to get the police to grant me access to my uncle’s office and that shipment that was broken into. I need to run a complete inventory check of everything to see what was taken.”

  “I think that’s what the director is wanting you to do. I know she’s been talking to the police about the robbery, and they’re both needing to know exactly what is missing.”

  “But until we get that police tape removed from the back rooms, our hands are tied.”

  “I’ll tell the director you called,” Candie told her. “See you when you get here.”

  Ending the call, Brielle stared out the bus window at the passing scenery. She debated on whether to call her uncle, but there wasn’t anything to update. Not until she was able to do the inventory, or have the swabs analyzed. In fact, there wasn’t anything she personally could do once she got to her office. Might as well check to see what Cass and the others are working on and lend a hand.

  The bus pulled up to the stop, and Brielle exited out the rear door. She entered the museum and went through the STAFF ONLY door. A guard gave her a smile and a nod as she went by without checking her credentials. At first that little slight didn’t bother her, but something about it niggled in the back of her mind.

  She went directly to the director’s office where Candie was waiting for her. The big smile on the petite brunette’s face was a dead giveaway, and Brielle answered with her own smile.

  “The restriction’s been removed,” the woman told her. “The police got here right after our phone call to take down the tape.”

  “Great! Is Adele here?”

  “She’s downstairs with the police.”

  “Okay. I’ll head that way now. Thanks.”

  Brielle entered the empty elevator and started to insert her pass key into the slot when she paused. Neither this nor the service elevator allowed museum visitors to exit onto the floors where the offices and workshops were, even if they pressed the correct button. Without a pass key, the elevators wouldn’t stop at those locations, much less allow the doors to open. Which was why the general population had no knowledge of the lower levels. Or if they did, didn’t know what they contained.

  But the intruder not only knew about the offices, but he knew exactly where to go. He knew where the shipment was located.

  Hitting the button for her floor, she leaned against the inner wall. “He wasn’t just an intruder. He had been briefed on the layout of those floors. That means someone…someone who knows this museum inside and out gave him the info.”

  The revelation hit her with enough force to knock the air out of her. Someone on the inside, a person with intimate knowledge of this place, had to have given that man a detailed map of the museum, with an equally detailed description of each room. “How else would he know where to go? Or that he’d have to use the stairs?”

  Another possibility came to her. If the guy knew so much about the museum, it was also feasible he could have been given a pass key to use the elevator if he needed to.

  What if he wasn’t some burglar who’d known about the shipment from some outside source? What if someone from the inside, someone who worked or works here in the museum, hired him to steal the items?

  She shook her head as the elevator came to a halt. Forget that. It’s utter nonsense. If someone here in the museum wanted those pieces, why would they go to the trouble of hiring someone to steal them when they could just amble in at their leisure when no one was here and take them themselves? Geesh, girl. You’ve watched too many spy movies.

  Chiding herself, Brielle pasted a smile on her face as the elevator doors parted, and she headed for her office.

  Chapter 18

  Humanity

  A sheet of paper slid onto her desk, in front of her. Brielle glanced up to see Cassidy’s nod. Without asking, she picked it up and scanned the list, some of which had check marks next to them. She mentally counted the checks. Five. Five items. That seemed to match the number of items she’d seen the intruder stuff into his black bag.

  “Thanks, Cass.”

  She checked the clock at the bottom of her computer screen. It was almost half past three. The director should still be in her office. But to be certain, Brielle called upstairs.

  “Curator’s office. Candace Truman speaking.”

  “Candie, this is Brie. We just finished checking the inventory. Is Adele there?”

  “Yeah, she’s still in her office. I think she’s been waiting to hear from you. Are you on your way up?”

  “I was getting ready to email her the results.”

  “I think she’s wanting a printout.”

  “Then she can print out what I email her,” Brielle suggested. She was at a loss as to why all of sudden the curator wanted a printed copy of the inventory.

  Candace sighed. “I think she’s wanting the original inventory that was included in the shipment,” the woman rephrased.

  Okay. Scratch being at a loss. Now she’d suddenly jumped into the “unprecedented” realm.

  Brielle rolled her eyes. “Okay. I’ll bring it up there. See you in a bit.” She hung up to find Cassidy still staring at her.

  “You have that slightly pissed off expression on your face,” the assistant remarked. “Anything wrong?”

  “I think Adele Moring has recently had an anal procedure done.”

  “A what?”

  “She’s had a stick rammed up her ass,” Brielle explained. She knew she could trust Cassidy not to repeat what she’d said. Hell, the girl had made worse comments herself about the curator’s snarky attitude and her holier-than-thou treatment of the staff. “Get this. She wants me to bring up the original inventory list that my uncle included in the shipment.”

  “Whatever for? She knows that manifest is supposed to be kept filed down here.”

  “I know, I know. Apparently she wants a printed copy. And, no, before you suggest she print off the list we made on the computer, that was shot down.” She got to her feet. “Where’s the original manifest? Still with the other artifacts?”

  “Yeah. I saw Packy place it on the examination table.”

  Brielle chewed her lower lip, then got to her feet. “I’m going upstairs.”

  “Want us to repack everything?”

  “Yeah. Dr. Kelling is due to arrive back here sometime soon. I’d rather he take over the distribution and display details since he has best knowledge of the artifacts.”

  Cassidy bobbed her head and left. Brielle followed her into the examination room to retrieve the original inventory. Picking up the paperwork, she placed it back inside its clear plastic envelope and we
nt upstairs…but not until she made a short detour first.

  Adele Moring was waiting for her when she arrived. The curator held out a hand for the paperwork without responding to Brielle’s greeting. Nonplussed, Brielle gave her both the original inventory and the copy they’d used to mark the items that were missing.

  The curator pulled out the papers, including the government forms clearing the artifacts through customs from the envelope and flipped through them. “Is this all of it?”

  Brielle frowned at her. “Yes.”

  “Good.” Shoving the papers back inside the envelope, including the revised inventory sheet, she slipped them into one of her desk drawers. “Thank you, Brielle. That’ll be all.”

  Brielle opened her mouth to ask a couple of questions, but at the last second thought better of it. Instead, she responded with a, “You’re welcome,” and exited the office.

  As she waited for the elevator to take her back down, her stomach reminded her that she hadn’t had any lunch. Other than a couple cups of coffee and a candy bar, she hadn’t eaten anything substantial since breakfast. That is, if she considered her half-eaten bowl of cereal a full meal. When the doors opened, instead of going down to her level, she punched the button for the basement where the cafeteria was located. As far as she was concerned, she was done for the day. Until her uncle arrived, there was little more she could do. Hell, it was Friday. Half of the crew would be gone before three, anyway.

  The elevator dinged and the doors parted. She was immediately overwhelmed with the tantalizing odors, and she thought of Garenth. He didn’t sleep, he wasn’t affected by bullets, and he appeared to be immortal. But could he feel emotion? Did he ever get hungry? Or tired?

  She eyed the roasted chicken. If she took some home with her, would he eat it?

  For that matter, what had he been doing this whole time while she was away?

  *

  Garenth went back into the small room where the shiny sheet of metal hung on the wall and stared at the visage that stared back at him. He vaguely remembered what his human face had looked like, but he knew it in no way resembled the monstrosity he viewed now.