Have Artifact, Will Travel (The Immortality Curse Book 5)

by Peter Glenn

  “Yeah, what does that old codger want?” Isaiah shouted.

  I winced at his words, hoping Rick wouldn’t hear. But of course he did.

  “Old codger?” Rick whined. “What did I ever do to–”

  “Probably the ancient alien bit, dude,” I said, cutting him off.

  “Oh. Yeah.” There was silence on the other end for a couple seconds. “Well, it’s not like anyone knows for sure either way!” The last part was practically screamed through the phone, likely for Isaiah’s benefit.

  Isaiah shook his head but said nothing further.

  “So anyway,” I said, returning my attention to Rick, “What’s up? Why you calling so late?” It was about eleven o’clock where we were, which would mean it was nine at night back in Seattle.

  “You know me, Damian,” Rick replied. “I always work late, especially when I’m working on an interesting case.”

  I laughed. “Too true. If there’s one thing I can count on in this world, it’s you working later than you should.”

  “Thanks. I think.”

  “Don’t mention it, Rick. So what’s up? You still haven’t told me.”

  I heard Rick mutter something under his breath that sounded like a swear word, but I couldn’t quite make it out. “Right. Sorry. I’ve been doing some more research on that Jade Jaguar that you talked so much about.”

  I was so surprised I almost fell over. “You don’t say? But we didn’t ask you to or anything, did we?” In that moment, I couldn’t remember.

  “Nah, it was just interesting is all. More interesting than this giant stack of papers I need to grade, at least.”

  I barked out a short laugh. “Fair enough. So tell me, what did you find out?.”

  “Quite a bit, really. It’s got a fairly interesting past.”

  “Hang on a sec, Rick, I’m going to put you on video phone so you can tell all of us.”

  “All of you?” Rick paused. “Wait? Did you say video call? Please no, you know I hate vi–”

  I pulled my phone away, ignoring his protests and pressed a couple buttons. Seconds later, I could see his droopy, tired-looking face staring at me on the screen of my phone. He had large rims under his eyes like he hadn’t slept much in the past couple of days.

  Had he been hunting for info on the Jade Jaguar this whole time?

  I beamed at Rick. “Hey, buddy! Long time no see!”

  Rick growled and pulled on his face. “Hi, Damian. I’m really not sure why we need to do this. I could have told you over the phone just fine and–”

  “Yeah, yeah. It’s better this way.” I waved a hand dismissively. “Now, tell me. Whatcha got?”

  Rick let out a long sigh and lowered his head, then sat back in his chair and resigned himself to his fate. He looked straight at the camera. “Well, for starters, I was right about its location. It is indeed located in an old Olmec Ruin.”

  I shared a knowing glance with Isaiah. “You don’t say?”

  “Uh huh, and there’s a big series of traps that you need to go through just to free the artifact, each one more perilous than the last. And…” His voice trailed off.

  I couldn’t help but to giggle just a little. “And what, Rick?”

  He glared at me through the phone screen. “And you already know all this, don’t you? You already found the damn thing.”

  “Who, me?” I flashed him a sheepish grin.

  Rick rolled his eyes. “Ugh. How are you always one step ahead of me on these things?”

  It was true. The last time Rick had called me with pressing info, it had been on another case, and I’d stumbled upon the right information just before he had. It was starting to become like a competition or something.

  “Don’t know. Just lucky, I guess.”

  Rick shook his head. “Whatever. I’ve got more information for you, and this, you probably don’t know about.”

  My ears perked up. “Yeah? What’s that?”

  Rick’s face took on a very intent look. “There’s this strange end of the world cult that’s after the artifact. Turns out their leader believes pretty heavily in the theory that the Jade Jaguar can open up a portal to the underworld. He’s supposedly got a team in Mexico right now that’s hunting for it.”

  “Huh. Really? How freaky is that?” I suppressed another giggle.

  “Oh my God.” Rick groaned. “How? How did you know that, too?”

  I shrugged. “Call it a hunch.”

  “You already squared off against them, didn’t you?”

  A wry grin crossed my lips. “Maybe.”

  “Ugh, Damian, you’re the worst, you know that?”

  “My goal in life is to upset you, Rick.” I gave him a mock bow.

  “Whatever.” Rick ran one of his hands through his hair. “Well, this I’m sure you don’t know. The cult has a base somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. If you fought them and lost, they’re probably headed there right now, off to run some sort of ritual to bring about the end of the world. Assuming the Jade Jaguar actually works, that is.”

  “I’m still holding out that it grants unlimited money, personally.”

  “Always the optimist, aren’t you, Damian?”

  I laughed again. “Whatever you say, Rick. I don’t suppose you’ve got a better clue as to their whereabouts than the middle of the Rocky Mountains? That’s not exactly narrowing it down much.”

  Rick gasped. “So they did steal the artifact from you, then.”

  I heard Isaiah wince. I spared him a quick glance, and he looked like he was in pain, then I turned my attention back to Rick. “Something like that, I guess. So, any info?”

  Rick shook his head. “Sorry, Damian. I’ll keep looking for something definitive, but that’s the best I can do for right now. Sheesh, if I’d known you’d already found the artifact, I could have spent more time looking into the cult, but–”

  “Don’t worry about it.” I waved him off. “I’m sure we’ll find them somehow.”

  “Sounds good. Best of luck stopping the end of the world, Damian. Again.”

  “You too, buddy.”

  My screen went dark a moment later as Rick dropped off the line. I hoped for his sake that he’d go home and go to sleep after the call, but I knew he’d probably stay up and look into Kedron’s cult instead.

  Poor guy. He was a little too devoted to his research, sometimes.

  I glanced over at Allie. She was still huddled in her blanket, trying her best to look like she hadn’t just heard that entire conversation, even though I knew she must have. Rick was pretty loud, and the phone had been on speaker. But she didn’t budge. Maybe in the morning she’d be up to talking.

  “Well, that wasn’t very useful,” Isaiah said a moment later. He was coming back over in my direction.

  I shrugged. “At least we have a vague idea of where they’re headed now.”

  “Pfft. For all the good that does us.”

  “Unless you want to give us any better ideas to narrow it down,” I said in a raised tone, glaring over at Allie.

  Her head perked up from underneath the blankets just a little, and she shook it slightly. “Sorry. They… they had a place for special ceremonies but I… I never went there.”

  Well, at least she was talking. That was a good sign. Even if it was still no help to anyone.

  “So still back to square one, then,” Isaiah said with a huff.

  “Pretty much.” I let out a long, slow sigh and leaned against the crate I’d been sitting on earlier. I was starting to feel outright exhausted. I’d been up for hours, and everything was starting to really take its toll. We’d need to stop for the night somewhere soon.

  “Well, I guess it’s back to the states tomorrow,” Isaiah muttered.

  “Fair enough.” My eyes trailed down to Grax’thor at my side, and the wheels in my head started to spin. Maybe there was an answer yet. It was a bit of a long shot, but it was there.

  “Still, don’t give up just yet. I’ve got another idea for how to track t
hem down.”

  12

  It was the morning of the next day. We’d headed back to the hotel and spent a somewhat fitful night. Or at least I had. And judging from the icy stares I got from my companions, their sleep hadn’t been much better than mine.

  No one in town had had any healing bourbon, so I was still suffering a little from my own injuries. But Allie was the one that really looked awful. She hadn’t been in the best shape last night, but in the light of day, she looked like something out of a nightmare. Not even a shower and clean clothes had made that much of a difference.

  Poor thing.

  Damn it. There she was, making me feel for her again. She had to stop doing that.

  At any rate, we had all just sat down to enjoy some breakfast at the hotel’s buffet. Not many hotels had breakfast buffets anymore, but the two we’d stayed at on this trip had, and this time it was a pretty decent spread. And by that, I meant they had tea and bacon. Two of my breakfast staples.

  “So about this idea of yours for finding the cultists?” Isaiah started.

  I finished chewing on my current piece of bacon and set the other one I was holding back down on the plate. “Right. Yes, well, it’s a bit of a longshot, really, but I have a friend up in Canada that I think might be able to help us out.”

  Isaiah took a sip of his coffee and set it down. “Yeah? Do they know the area well, then?”

  “Something like that,” I said with a slight chuckle. “You should really eat something, you know,” I added, looking at Allie.

  Allie shot me a death glare. “I can keep after myself, thank you very much.”

  I put my hands up defensively. “Just a suggestion. Unlike talking, food has always helped me get over unwanted situations.” I flashed her a tiny grin.

  Allie continued to glare at me, but her hand snaked forward and grabbed a small piece of bacon from my plate. Excellent. She was feeling up to eating something. That was always a good sign.

  Ugh. I was doing it again. Why was I getting paternal vibes toward her now? Could we please go back to her just getting on my nerves? That was so much easier than my fickle, conflicted heart.

  Just had to get through the rest of this case, I told myself. Then we could go our separate ways. Just a bit longer.

  Wait, why did it have to be that long? Surely, we could go our separate ways now? Sure, Allie still had a bone to pick with her cult leader mentor, but her life wasn’t in immediate danger anymore. Did she really have to stick with us any longer?

  Maybe we could drop her off at a bar downtown or something...

  “Well then, we can fly up to Canada after breakfast,” Isaiah offered. “Allie, you’re of course welcome to join us if you want. I totally understand if you want to see this through to the end.”

  Allie nodded slowly as she munched on the piece of bacon. “Thank you,” she said in a quiet tone.

  “Of course, you’re welcome to stay behind, too, if you like, but I figured you’d want to come along.”

  “I… I’ll come,” Allie said after a moment.

  “Great!” Isaiah exclaimed. “It’s settled, then. The three of us will head to Canada after breakfast.”

  My jaw went slack, and I stared at Isaiah for several seconds. That little snake. Had he really just shattered my dream? And for what? A waif of a girl with a sobby backstory? Those things were a dime a dozen! Maybe I’d misjudged him after all…

  “We’ll be happy to have the help. Isn’t that right, Damian?” Isaiah continued. He looked over at me expectantly.

  “R-right,” I managed through clenched teeth. “Of course.” No of course, you dweeb. I could punch you right now. But instead, I gave him a broad, fake grin. “Just what I always wanted.”

  The flight to Canada had taken about seven hours. Combine that with the fact that we didn’t even leave until noon, then had to get another rental car, and it was once again starting to get dark by the time we found ourselves pulling up to the small side street in Surrey, B.C. where my friend lived.

  “Go forward about four more houses, and she’ll be on the left-hand side of the street,” I told Isaiah from the back seat.

  Allie had taken shotgun. Another sore spot between the two of us, but I was trying to be the bigger person for once and not bring it up. Still, if she pulled the same crap on the way back from Sheila’s, well… Let’s just say I wouldn’t be so nice the next time.

  “Here?” Isaiah asked, pointing at one particular house.

  “Uh huh. Pull over here.”

  The house in question was a small, humble looking, one-story building. Well, technically two. It had a basement, but not an upper floor. The roof had a little bit of moss growing on it, and the house paint was a faded blue that had started flaking in a few spots. One of these days, I was going to come up here and repaint the place. I kept threatening I’d do it, but then I’d forget and let it go a short while later. The place could really use a fresh coat, though.

  And a better color than blue. A light pink, maybe, or a yellow. I don’t know, though. Neither of those colors really suited Sheila all that well.

  “Okay, if you’re sure,” Isaiah replied. He wrinkled his nose a little bit. “Sure doesn’t look like much, though.”

  I waved him off. “It’s the right place, I promise. Just trust me on this one.”

  “You got it, sir.” Isaiah gave me a mock salute and turned off the car.

  All three of us piled out of the car, and I took a good look at the rest of the house. It had been months since I’d been up to see Sheila. I hoped she was doing well.

  The house still had the same metallic white door on the outside that looked to almost be falling off the hinges, but the slight hole in the steps leading up to the wide porch looked like it had been fixed, and if I wasn’t mistaken, the tired old porch swing had been replaced with a newer model.

  I could see where her priorities lied, then, when it came to fixing up the place. Maybe I really would paint the place pink one of these days just to spite her.

  Oh, who am I kidding? That took follow-through. I wasn’t all that great at follow-through.

  “Nice house,” Allie said with a sneer.

  “Pfft. I don’t see you owning something better?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “For your information, big boy, I have a two-story rambler out in Denver, Colorado. Brand new interiors, a great room, everything.”

  I gave it fifty-fifty odds she was just trying to impress me, but I let it drop. It didn’t really matter. “Whatever, freakazoid.”

  Walking past her, I made my way over to the door. There was a small buzzer next to the door, so I pressed it. A small series of chimes reverberated through the house. It was a pleasant little sequence.

  “Come on in,” a friendly voice said from somewhere within the structure.

  I’d told Sheila to expect us this evening, so she must have known it was us. She couldn’t possibly get that many visitors at night living on a street like this.

  Testing the door handle, it turned without much resistance, so I pulled the door open and walked into the house proper. It was fairly dark in the next room, but I knew my way around well enough.

  We were in the drawing room. There was a large, paisley couch that took up a good portion of the interior, and a small table next to it that held a newish-looking lamp. A lamp that I had been responsible for replacing after my last visit up here.

  I’d bought her what I thought was a nice replacement lamp. The base was vase-shaped with a blue background and little flowers painted all over it. An ornate, lacey lampshade completed the look. Fit very well with the overall decor of the drawing room, I thought. It was nice to see that Sheila had put it up. Either that meant she agreed with my assessment, or she didn’t care enough to argue.

  Whichever it was, I’d take it.

  At any rate, I left the lamp alone, even though the room was fairly dark. I knew better than to run up Sheila’s electricity bill unnecessarily. I’d made that mistake once, and y
es, she had made me repay her.

  “Don’t touch anything in here,” I urged my companions.

  Allie balked, but her hands didn’t stray.

  A bright light from the next room was beckoning us onward, so I made my way around the furniture into the room beyond, Isaiah and Allie fast at my heels. I sensed a great deal of hesitance coming from both of them but ignored it. Sheila was good people. They had nothing to be nervous about.

  The majority of the next room was taken up by a big, circular table adorned with four chairs, only one of which was occupied. In the middle of the table was a small, black cauldron with some sort of white, smoky substance billowing out of the top of it. It was the exact kind of thing you’d expect to see in one of those cheesy movies about witches.

  I smiled as soon as my eyes made contact with the person sitting across from the cauldron. She had pale, freckled skin and black, tousled hair that went down past her shoulders. She was wearing her typical black dress that, while form-fitting, didn’t give much away.

  “Sheila!” I exclaimed. “How the heck are you?”

  “Damian!” Sheila replied. She got up from her chair. “Come here, you. Give us a big hug!”

  I obliged her, making my way around the table and embracing her. Her hug was warm, and the fabric of her dress was soft and shimmery, so it was nice to the touch. We hugged for maybe a second longer than we probably should have, then pulled apart.

  “So, who are your friends?” Sheila asked a moment later.

  “Oh, of course!” My cheeks flushed. “Where are my manners? Isaiah you might know. He’s been hanging out at Mei’s for a few years now.” I pointed to him as I spoke.

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Isaiah said, nodding at her.

  Sheila gave a slight curtsy. “Nice to meet you as well, young man.”

  Pfft. Young man. He was at least forty. But whatever.

  “And you are…” Sheila’s voice trailed off as she got a good look at Allie.

  I had to admit, the girl had cleaned up nice. She had managed to tame her hair, and she was wearing a nice satin scarf around her neck to hide the mark left behind from Kedron’s dagger. The scarf really accentuated her eyes quite nicely.