Purdue had to keep moving. He hoped that the images of that gruesome scene would be swept away in the morning breeze. However, with each step he took, Shin Wo's petrified face refused to leave Purdue’s muddled mind. All Purdue could see was the blood bellowing from Shin’s slit throat. Whoever had killed him was ruthless. It was brutal and executed to deliberately send a message. And as much as he didn't it want it to be, that message was probably intended for Purdue.
Purdue felt like the room was spinning, so he bent over and heaved.This mission was supposed to be different.
“Top of the morning, Davy. Literally. You're up early, eh?”
Purdue froze, still staring down at the ground where he nearly regurgitated. He knew that sinister voice. He knew it very, very well. That Irish accent was one thing, but that smug tone that seemed so sure of itself was unmistakable. And there was only one person in the world who called him that, at least with such sick pleasure. When Purdue looked up, he knew what he’d find—and it was exactly who Purdue had expected it to be.
Galen Fitzgerald was standing mere meters from Purdue, leaning on his cane and smiling broadly. That mad Irishman had always caused problems, especially lately, but Galen looked particularly ready to aggravate Purdue. Purdue hoped that Galen would find some rock far away and slink under it for the foreseeable future after their last encounter. And now that Purdue was running the Black Sun, Galen had fled society and left without a word, probably terrified that Purdue would have had complete power of him in that position.
Today was already stressful. Galen's sudden reappearance just made it that much worse. He would’ve hated seeing him again on a normal day, but after what Purdue had just seen, it was just another horrible event to add to the list, and the sun hadn't even fully risen yet.
“Seriously, Galen? How many more times do I have to reject you before you take a hint? I'm not working with you. We're not friends. Stop your whining and go home.”
“I'm not here to be your friend or be on your team, you daft bastard.”
“So you came to give me back the Spear of Destiny, aye? How thoughtful of you.”
“The Spear was never yours, Davy. I took it fair and square after Julian lost it. So no, I can't say I’ve any intention of giving it back...because to give something back, someone needs to have something in the first place.”
“Funny thing is, Galen, in a roundabout way, that spear is mine. Julian took it for the Order of the Black Sun. It was the order's property and now that I'm leader of that order...well...I'm sure you can fit those pieces together. That spear belongs to the Order of the Black Sun and the Order of the Black Sun now belongs to me. You understand now?”
“Forget the spear, Davy. I'm not giving it to you, and you'll never see it again. I'm here to talk about the future, not the past. I thought we should have a wee bit of a chat before we get into the endgame of our acquaintanceship. Before things start to get messy.”
Purdue shook his head. “Things are already mess--”
Purdue froze. In Purdue’s shock of seeing Galen, Purdue’s mind had gone back to their old grudges, to their past disagreements. It was an automatic response, and had completely clouded his thoughts to the present—to the situation here and now.
“Wait...” Purdue felt that same urge to throw up return to his stomach. “Did you...did you do that?”
Purdue pointed back at his tent and Galen looked past him, following the trail his finger started. He raised a brow and shook his head. “Did what? I don't see a damn thing. You're going to have to be a bit more specific and start explaining things properly--”
Purdue lost his control and rushed forward, grabbing hold of Galen's collar. Purdue put his face right up to Galen’s, so their noses were practically touching. Purdue sneered, tightening his grip and ready to tear the Irishman apart. Purdue didn't know what kind of game Galen was playing, but Purdue wanted to skip to the end.
“Easy, Davy, easy,” Galen chimed with some nervousness. “Let's at least have a good chat first before we trying beating each other to death. You should know that I'm not stupid enough to come here alone, eh?”
Another familiar face appeared behind Purdue and put a small knife up to his throat. It was Oniel. He was just like Purdue remembered; tall and lanky with long arms and a shaved head. Those blank eyes were hard to miss. Purdue wouldn't forget someone as terrifying as Oniel. What Oniel lacked in words, he compensated for with death stares and murderous intentions. It had been awhile since he saw him, too. He'd nearly forgotten that both Galen and Oniel were working together though. They were an odd pair that had formed out of nothing but a mutual hatred for someone else—Purdue.
Purdue ignored the knife at his neck for the most part, at least the threat of it. But feeling it against his throat did immediately remind Purdue of Shin Wo's corpse. It was making sense now. These bastards were here to try and get back at him, and there weren't kidding around this time. They were dropping bodies. Purdue leaned in closer to Galen, pushing Galen’s neck past the blade.
“Shin Wo. You two killed him, aye?”
Galen laughed nervously. “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”
“The dead man in that tent back there! The one with his throat slit!”
Galen glanced at Oniel who didn't react at all. Oniel was just glaring at Purdue with those hollow eyes. Galen looked a little perplexed, but his arrogant smirk returned soon enough. Galen gloated, “It seems like you're having a rough morning, old friend. Let's not make it any rougher. We didn't come here to throw blows just yet. You know me: I'm a rather patient kind of man. This contest between us will finally end, but I want it to end right. I wanted us to have a chance to speak again before the real fun began.”
“Your fun hasn't already begun, you beast? You killed an innocent man who had nothing to do with you and me. You want to kill someone in their sleep, you should’ve just gone for me!”
Again, Galen looked perplexed and glanced at Oniel. The thought crossed Purdue's mind that Oniel had done the murder of his own volition and not on Galen's orders. Purdue actually wouldn't put it past Oniel. Oniel was a murderous psychopath who had spent years killing people for the Jamaican crime boss, the Wharf Man. Oniel had no qualms about gutting someone in his bed.
Galen started laughing again. “We'll put an end to this, Davy. Just not quite yet. I see you're looking rather hard for Genghis Khan's tomb. My sources were right about that.”
His sources? Purdue had a feeling that Galen still had connections with some of the old Black Sun members, but there were only a select few who knew about their current search. The only ones who knew were Elijah and Sam back at the compound and Purdue’s team back at the tent. No one else had any idea that Genghis Khan's tomb had anything to do with their assignment.
“We'll let you get back to work then...” Galen snickered, knocking Purdue's hands away from his collar. “Just remember that we're around. You and I will have to settle our score very, very soon, Davy.”
This was all some sort of stupid scare tactic, nothing more than a threatening warning to try to intimidate Purdue. Galen couldn't just sneak up on him and shoot Purdue in the back of the skull. Galen needed to be seen and acknowledged. He needed Purdue to know that he was coming for him, and of course he would do it in such a direct way. Galen always liked being the center of attention, and he’d just placed him at the very core of Purdue's.
“A phone call would’ve sufficed,” Purdue growled and glanced at Oniel. “And it would’ve spared an innocent old man from getting his throat ripped out.”
Oniel still had the knife up to Purdue's own throat. Purdue wondered if it was the same exact blade Oniel had used hours earlier on Shin Wo. Purdue hoped that at some point, he'd get to take that blade and slide it across Oniel's throat. That lunatic should’ve been put down a while ago. Both of these guys should have, but Purdue had been too merciful on his enemies.
Purdue wanted to focus on finding Genghis Khan's tomb. He didn't want to worr
y about old enemies who should’ve been finished by now. All of his evil chickens were coming home to roost and he hated that he’d ever let them get away with their lives. Of course they’d come for him at some point. He should’ve known better.
“We'll be back, Davy,” Galen winked. “When you least expect it. I love surprising you. You should have seen your face when you saw me.” Galen let out a high pitched shriek and contorted his face in terror. “You looked ready to shit your pants.”
Oniel pressed the knife even harder against Purdue's throat. Purdue wanted to knock the knife away and beat Oniel to death for what Oniel did to Shin Wo, but it was too risky. Oniel was a highly skill killer, and he could easily end Purdue before receiving a chance to defend himself. As angry as he was, Purdue knew that he was in a losing situation. If they weren't looking to end this now, then he should just along with that and live to fight another day.
“Come along, O,” Galen said to Oniel. “You'll get your chance soon enough. Trust me. Davy doesn't have much longer to live.”
Oniel looked bemused that he had to back down, but he listened to Galen and pulled the knife away from Purdue's neck. Oniel stared at him with that empty gaze and Purdue stared straight back at him. Oniel couldn't really speak that well, but he’d made Purdue a promise once that Oniel was going to be the one to kill him. Purdue hoped not, but he wouldn't be too surprised. After all, he’d allowed these ghosts from his past to come back to haunt him, and they were the vengeful kind of spirits.
“Sorry to tell you, Davy, but your reign is going to be rather short.”
Galen and Oniel walked away, but Oniel did so backwards to ensure that Purdue wouldn't try to follow them. Purdue merely watched as two of the people that hated him the most disappeared around the bend.
Shin Wo's death was a terrible way to start the morning, and the return of Galen and Oniel was just making it worse. This was already turning into an awful day, and Purdue didn't think it was likely that it was going to get any better. He somehow felt so much sicker than he already was.
Purdue rushed back to camp and burst into the tent where everyone was still standing around Shin Wo's body in tense conversation. They all looked nervous, some even afraid, and the tension only amplified when Purdue came in abruptly. He took Nina by the shoulders, not meaning to look so alarming but couldn't hide his panic and confusion.
“Galen! Galen is here! He's back, Nina. He's here.”
Nina shook her head in alarm, trying to calm him down at the same time. “Hold on, hold on, what are you talking about? How would Galen be here? What do you mean?”
“I mean I went for a walk and bumped right into that bastard. Him and Oniel. They're here!” He pointed in the direction that they had departed in, not that it helped much since he was pointing right at the tent wall. “They were right outside. Right out there.”
Nina took hold of Purdue's arms and gently removed them from her shoulders. “Easy, Purdue. Easy. You're not making any sense. You're saying Galen...like the Irish prick that we all hate...is right out there?”
“Yes...I think...I think he...or at least Oniel...I think they killed Shin...” Purdue glanced at Shin Wo's corpse. “They had a knife to my throat, too. I was ready to rip them apart, but...”
“You would’ve died,” Nina finished for him, knowing how dangerous those two could be. “Why would they come just to talk to you?”
“You know Galen...”
“Unfortunately,” Nina muttered.
“That sick asshole likes to make an entrance.” Purdue gestured toward Shin Wo's body and then pointed toward outside the tent. “I guess this was his grand debut. Galen wanted me to know that he was coming for me, for all of us.”
Yusuke and Riley were both listening with some confusion. They had no idea who Galen or Oniel was, as these villain were before their time with the Black Sun. Purdue must have sounded like he was going crazy with everything he was recollecting. August, meanwhile, stood tall in the corner of the tent, his big arms crossed. Unlike the other two, August knew Galen and Oniel, so he wasn't exactly surprised by a stunt like this.
Purdue's mind was racing, swirling with questions and concerns.
How did Galen find them? What sources was he talking about? Who would’ve told him about their current search? Who would’ve turned on Purdue so quickly and sold him out to Galen Fitzgerald?
Purdue turned to August. Purdue didn't really want to jump to conclusions but there were only a few possibilities and only one glaringly obvious one. August was part of the old Order of the Black Sun, just like Galen had been. They might have even worked together during that time. It wasn't like Purdue knew August enough to fully trust him.
“You keeping in touch with your old pals, aye?” Purdue blurted out angrily. He tried to keep calm, but his heart was pounding in his chest. He just needed to figure out what the hell was going on and he needed to do it fast, even if it was a messy way to get answers. “Is that it?”
August raised a brow. “What are you talking about?”
Purdue couldn't hold back his anger much longer. “I'm talking about Galen, obviously! You let him know where we were. You sold us out, didn't you?”
August scoffed and shook his head. “You really think I’d do that?”
“It makes sense.”
“No, it doesn't,” August said coldly. “It doesn't make any goddamn sense at all actually and you couldn't be more wrong. I never liked that prick, and I definitely wouldn't work with him. Not ever. That's for sure.”
“And, what, I'm supposed to just believe that?”
August folded his arms and kept shaking his head. “You can believe whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me.”
Purdue glanced at everyone else. They all stood around them, watching it all with uncertainty. They were wide-eyed and just as nervous as Purdue. Part of him wondered if he was just being paranoid but no...no there wasn't any other explanation. It had to be August. It had to be.
If it wasn't, then who could it even be? August was the most likely suspect. August was part of the Black Sun when Galen was. The others weren't. It was the only theory that made sense. But if they spent too much time arguing among themselves, then they’d never find the tomb.
Purdue thought over the other potential suspects that could’ve been working with Galen, but none of them added up as concisely as August. Nina hated Galen even more than Purdue did, and she’d never even consider teaming up with Galen. Plus, she and Purdue had been through far too much together for her to just stab him in the back now. Nina wasn't a real option, as far as Purdue was concerned. There was no chance in hell that she would be turn into a traitor.
Yusuke didn't seem very likely either, but maybe that was just Purdue's bias? They’d been getting along so well in the short time that they’d been working together. Purdue, Yusuke, and Galen had all been healthy and successful hunters of artifacts—less wealthy and successful in Galen's case—so they’d traveled in similar circles. Hypothetically, it was possible that Yusuke and Galen could have met before but why would Yusuke work with the Irishman over the order? There was nothing that Galen could offer that was better than what the Order of the Black Sun had already given Yusuke. Yusuke’s induction meant that he had allies, resources, and support from like-minded individuals. Working with Galen wouldn't get Yusuke anything more beneficial than those. Even their personalities seemed so oppositional and unlikely to function well together. It was possible, but it was certainly unlikely.
Then there was Riley Duda. She was someone that Purdue was a little less sure of. He liked her a lot, but he didn't know her as well as Nina or feel as connected with her as Yusuke. This whole expedition was Riley’s idea, though, so why would she work with someone like to Galen to interrupt it and throw a wrench into the mission that she started? That didn't make any sense either.
August was the only one that had a concrete history with Galen, the only one who might share Galen's grudge against Purdue, and the only one with a motive
that seemed remotely sensible. It had to be August. Even if it wasn't, they had to be careful.
“Purdue,” August said grimly. “Remember what we talked about on the plane? You remember that? I was serious about everything I said then. Dead serious. That was all the truth. Right now, it's still the truth. I'm on your side.”
Purdue reached into his bag and pulled out some rope. “My side...yeah...then you won't mind if we put this around your wrists, aye?”
“Of course I’d mind that,” August mumbled with gritted teeth. “Anyone would.”
“Well tough luck, lad, because that's what we're going to do until we sort all of this out.”
August's head was still shaking, just as it’d been during the whole conversation. “You can't be serious about this.”
“Very serious.”
“You really think I’d kill Shin? I liked the guy!”
“Well, it's not a huge leap, is it? You have a history with violence. You've probably done plenty of murders like this before.”
“Not like this,” August remarked firmly. “I’ve more respect than to cut someone's throat in his sleep. That's coward shit. When I was enforcing for Julian, I always made sure that my opponent had some sort of fighting chance! Killing him in his sleep doesn't sound like much of a fighting chance to me. And you’re so quick to point fingers and throw around accusations, but I remember that Dr. Gould there killed Julian Corvus at one point, right?”
Nina frowned, and Purdue felt a tinge of anger that August even mentioned it. Nina had been fighting for her life back then. It was kill or be killing, self-defense, and definitely not murder. The person she killed had also been one of the cruelest men Purdue had ever met, not some old sleeping historian.
August continued. “Sure, Julian was brought back to life by the Spear of Destiny, but she still killed him.” August looked at the others. “I'm sure we all have at least some blood on our hands. Mine have just been stained a bit more than the rest of yours—more than most peoples' probably. But I’d never, ever do this.”
Order of the Black Sun Box Set 11 Page 6