by Geonn Cannon
“Is that why you tried to kill me?”
“Well.” He shrugged. “It was the easiest course of action. We hired that masked miscreant to make weapons that would dispose of anyone who might stand in our way, and then it didn’t matter if we were working with second tier professionals. There was no longer anyone who might pull the rug out from under us, as it were. But then you and Trafalgar fell right into our laps...” He laughed and slapped his thigh. “Trafalgar! Who could have imagined the luck? We sent word back to London about having her with us, and our people are positive it’s a sign we’re destined to succeed.”
Dorothy chose not to respond to that, instead looking out the window at their surroundings. She was more clear-headed now and found it easier to focus. It was good to know there was a society left behind in London; it would give them something to do when they got back. When she looked behind them she could see the airship traffic above Heraklion, five or six fat ships riding high enough to be seen from so far away. When she faced forward again she saw Orville was watching her. There was something unsettling about his gaze, something knowing.
“Knossos,” she said. “I should have known when you said we were traveling to Heraklion. You want to excavate Knossos.”
He nodded. “Very good.”
“Arthur Evans...”
“Mr. Evans did a lion’s share of the work for us, but he and his men were... ultimately misguided. They wanted to protect the ruins from further degradation. What good is preserving a site if no one is going to appreciate it? There are treasures here waiting to be found, treasures that the Watershed Society believes will change the course of history. We managed to convince him to focus his efforts elsewhere and hand the site over to us.”
Dorothy said, “If ancient civilizations had the means to change the course of history, don’t you think it’s telling that they chose not to? They hid these items away so they would never fall into the wrong hands.”
“And who is to decide which hands are wrong? Who is the arbiter of worthiness? You do the same thing we do, but you couch your thievery in terms of exploration and knowledge.”
“You’re trying to take over the world,” Dorothy said. “Believe me, while our interests occasionally intersect, we are far from the same person.”
He sighed. “The events of today will dictate the rest of your life, Lady Boone. You can choose to be friend of the society or you can decide we are enemies. If you intend to deceive us, I should remind you that Milena had a full day to get acquainted with your mind. She’ll know even before you do.”
The truck turned onto a heavily-rutted dirt road. Grass and weeds clawed at the sides of their vehicle as it bounced and rocked through the scrub. The trees parted and ahead Dorothy saw the crumbling yellow brick of a wall on either side of the dirt path. Another truck was parked on the grass just beyond the fortification and Orville’s driver took them past it to a wide, open area that butted up against a stone courtyard. Trafalgar was standing in the courtyard surrounded by four leatherjackets and a woman who looked identical to Milena. The wind caught Trafalgar’s coat, which Dorothy was surprised to find she had been allowed to keep, and she held her arms behind her back so it was impossible to tell if she was restrained or not.
Once they were parked Milena gestured for Dorothy to get out of the car first. She walked onto the stone slab with her captors following.
“Miss Trafalgar. Glad to see you’re in one piece. Although you could have avoided any injuries by fleeing when you had the opportunity.”
“Lady Boone. If that’s your way of thanking me for coming to your rescue...”
“Some rescue!” Dorothy said, gesturing at the leatherjackets around them.
Trafalgar shrugged. “The day is not over yet.”
Orville greeted one of Trafalgar’s guards with a hug, patting him hard on the back before letting him go. “We are here, Daniel. We’ve done it. We’re a step away from everything we’ve dreamed.”
Dorothy remembered Orville mentioning his brother was named Daniel. The man had the countenance of a weasel or some other vermin. If he was truly Orville’s brother then there had definitely been winner in their family’s genetic lottery. The weasel-faced brother looked at her and smiled with tombstone-spaced teeth.
“Is this her? The infamous Boone? I expected her to be much older.”
“You’re thinking of her grandmother.” Orville looked at her. “Mr. Solomon and our society had a few dealings with Eula Boone. She was a thorn in our side.”
Dorothy narrowed her eyes. “Someone sent a box of dead roses to her memorial. I had forgotten it until now. Was that you?”
Orville smiled and put a hand on his chest, bowing at the waist. “Not me personally, but the society felt it was necessary to mark the occasion.”
“Aha. That is... enlightening.”
Orville ignored the threat in her tone and stepped out across the courtyard. Even in its state of decay, lost and forgotten for over a thousand years, the site was still impressive. A large hill to the north would have protected them from the sea, and any attackers coming from inland would have been forced to attack from a downhill position. Standing in the courtyard, even though it was open on three sides, Dorothy couldn’t help but feel snug and secure. Imagining the grounds in their prime made her realize just how powerful Minos had been.
“Welcome to the Palace of Knossos, the home of the Minoan dynasty,” Orville said. “First inhabited eight thousand years ago, threatened by earthquakes and volcanoes and floods but always rising again from the rubble to regain their strength. The first kingdom to have a navy, which helped them rule the Aegean Sea. This was the heart of civilization and King Minos had his hand around that heart like a steel vice.” He turned to face them. “King Minos also possessed the chalcedony stone. It’s still here somewhere, hidden in this palace. It’s your job, Lady Boone and Miss Trafalgar, to find it for me.”
Dorothy held up her hands. “I can’t do much while I’m bound.”
Trafalgar looked at her oddly. “You’re not bound.”
Dorothy looked at her wrists and saw the ropes had faded. She glared at Milena, who didn’t even have the grace to offer a smile. Dorothy envisioned a bullet puncturing the insufferable woman’s forehead directly between her eyes, imagining all the gory details that went along with a good headshot, and she thought she saw Milena’s cheek twitch in response to the image. Dorothy looked away from her and faced Orville again.
“We’ll need space to work. And we’ve never collaborated, so there may be a bit of a learning curve. Don’t expect immediate results.”
Daniel said, “It’s disturbing that you’re starting off with excuses...”
“This is a science and an art, Mr. Weeks,” Dorothy said. “It cannot be forced or strong-armed into providing the results you want on a set timetable. You have kidnapped us and dragged us here and now we have no option but to help you. We intend to do that but you must understand that a lack of results won’t necessarily be for a lack of trying. I will not be executed or further tortured simply because the site isn’t cooperating.”
Orville nodded to his brother, who accepted the terms with a dismissive flap of his hands. Orville looked at them and smiled. “You have your space.”
Trafalgar said, “And we will not have your twins interfering with our work.”
Orville waved them off. Milena and the other one seemed to relax slightly as they moved off to stand together near one of the stone pits. Dorothy watched as they joined hands and turned to face the hills in the distance. Though silent as always, she had no doubt the sisters were engaged in a deep conversation that only they could hear. Orville moved to speak to his brother, and Dorothy found herself alone with Trafalgar.
“Well,” Dorothy said as she scanned the courtyard. “I see you had your own inquisitor.”
“Mircea Petric,” Trafalgar said. “She was... unpleasant.”
“Her sister Milena is no walk on the beach, either.” She scanned the h
orizon. “If we make a run for it, I doubt we’d get far. Even without the skittles-ball twins, we have no means to get home. This Watershed Society would only catch up with us and drag us back kicking and screaming. The only bright spot in all of this is that Beatrice and Leola seem to have gotten away.”
Trafalgar said, “What do you intend to do?”
“We help them. It’s not ideal, but for the moment I don’t see that we have any other option. Yes, they may intend to kill us when we’ve outlived our usefulness, but up until that time--”
“They don’t intend to kill me. They intend to use me as bait and then as the host for this demon they are summoning.”
Dorothy said, “Still? After all their work establishing the identity of Felix Quintel, it seems odd that a female host would still be viable.”
“They claim it is destiny.”
“Damn. You have my assurances I won’t allow it to get that far.”
Trafalgar looked at her. “Why?”
Dorothy frowned. “What do you mean ‘why’? This entire debacle has made us allies.”
“Yes. But if you have to risk your life to preserve mine...” Trafalgar let the thought trail off. “Perhaps I have been wrong about you, Lady Boone.”
“You’re not entirely to blame. I’ve acted like you’re my enemy in the past. If you believe me to be the kind of person who would leave you at the mercy of these scoundrels... then I share the fault. Right now neither of us is going to get out of this mess without the other’s help. I doubt they left you with any weapons?”
Trafalgar shook her head. “Of course not. You?”
“No. But if we want to stay on their good side, we should get started. Any ideas?”
She gestured at the wide space around them, an open area reminiscent of a forecourt. “This area we’re in now is called the caravanserai. Pilgrims coming to visit the king would stop here to bathe before they entered the presence of the king. There were facilities for running water and drainage...” She looked around and then pointed at three large openings in the center of the space. “Along there.”
“These pits are drainage pipes?”
“No. They were most likely used for storage. They lead far below the palace grounds. The courtyard would be, for the most part, a staging area. If we’re actually going to look for this stone, we’ll need to start in the palace.”
She started walking and Dorothy fell into step beside her. The Weeks brothers noticed and followed them across the courtyard. The eastern wall was unbroken by any obvious entrance, and the southern expanse was a sharp descent marked by trees. Trafalgar turned north and led them along a wide path that took them past what was once a large theatre. They were forced to walk in a single file, and Dorothy scanned the ground they crossed for any rocks sizable enough to act as a weapon.
There was a point where the wall had been destroyed enough for them to pass into the palace’s interior. Dorothy was about to ask for a torch when Orville stepped forward and held one out to her. It was a sleek black tube with brass fittings, the lens angled outward so she could aim it directly ahead without raising her arm. She turned it on and twisted the end cap to widen its beam before she swept it across the room ahead of them.
“Remarkable that it’s still intact.” Trafalgar looked up at the ceiling. “Imagine the work that must have gone into this. Even though so much of it has fallen to rubble the fact that any of it--”
Orville said, “There will be time for sightseeing later. Please, let us carry on. Treasures await.”
Trafalgar glared at him. “It is precisely that attitude which renders you unworthy of whatever we find here. The history of our species, the world from which we grew--”
“Has fallen to dust and rubble,” Orville interrupted again. He picked up a stone and hurled it at the far wall. “Nothing but bricks and faded artifacts. These people had their moment and it passed. The Romans had their moment. England’s moment is fading. Now is the time for a new society to rise up and take control, to lead the world into the new millennium. The only thing we have to gain from these people is whatever trinkets they left behind that can help us hold onto our power for as long as possible before the next era comes along.”
“Oh, my God,” Dorothy said. “You’re a child who just wants to play with his big brother’s toys.”
Orville glared at her. “Need I remind you of what Milena is capable of, Lady Boone?”
“Spare me,” she said, rolling her eyes as she moved the light along the far wall. “We should explore as much of the palace as we can before it gets dark. I think your depilated goons would be better served setting up light sources so we won’t be cast into darkness as soon as the sun sets.”
Trafalgar said, “On the other hand, the veil of night could provide us the perfect opportunity to escape.”
“An excellent point,” Dorothy said. “By all means, Mr. Weeks, leave your bald-pated twerps to linger and threaten us while we do our work. A much better use of their time.”
Orville’s good humor seemed to have completely faded, but he motioned for Milena and her sister to go fetch the lights from their vehicle. Dorothy motioned for Trafalgar to follow her to the other side of the room.
“Do you believe it’s necessary to antagonize them?” Trafalgar asked when they had nearly reached the far wall.
“Antagonizing them makes them angry. Angry people act with their guts rather than their brains. Just remember that if I provoke them too far, I’m the expendable one.”
Trafalgar snorted. “I would prefer a bullet in my head to some arcane beast.”
“What do you say we try to avoid either?”
“Sounds like the best plan. Lead the way.”
Dorothy fanned the light across the wall until she found an opening that led into a wide corridor. She led the way, with Trafalgar behind her and the Weeks brothers bringing up the rear as they ventured deeper into the ancient palace.
Chapter Sixteen
The first time Ivy went out completely naked, she had to overcome the fear and anxiety of the act before she could even leave her front walk. Her mother grew up in an age when flashing the ankle was considered scandalous. Women in trousers were still given a sidelong glance in mixed company. But there she stood on the street outside her house, the wind hardening her nipples and caressing her most private curves, and no one glanced at her even once. In a way it had been an experiment; it seemed likely that her invisibility would fade at the worst possible moment, and what moment was worse than standing in public without any clothes on?
Her theory failed, but she found herself emboldened to start walking. She stood among commuters at a street corner and no one even turned their head. Occasionally people would look up as she approached, but then they would check left and right before furrowing their brow and going back to what they were doing. It was an interesting revelation at how people can sense someone is nearby even without sight. They heard her footsteps, they became aware of her breathing, or her passage disturbed the air. Soon she was more comfortable going out in the nude than she was clothed. Dressing was armor, caking makeup on her face so it would be seen was literally a mask between her and the world, and she felt separated from everything that happened when she was seeable.
At the moment she was striding confidently through the Heraklion airdock with her shoulders back and her chin up, scanning the crowd for signs of the leatherjackets. Her eyesight had changed after she became permanently invisible; shapes were sometimes indistinct if she didn’t hold her head still. Sometimes right after she woke up the entire world was a blur of colors and abstract objects. She’d lived with it long enough that she could manage. She barely even remembered what it was like to see like everyone else, and her invisibility let her see far more than anyone else ever could.
She let herself into the airdock security office, slipping through when someone else held the door open a moment too long, and scanned the chalkboard hanging above the departures desk. When the dispatcher left, Ivy steppe
d behind the desk and scanned her paper.
“Ooh.”
“What is it, Myra?”
“Felt like someone just walked over my grave, that’s all.”
The reports were written in English, to Ivy’s relief, and she scanned each page until she found the name she was looking for. She memorized the information and went back to the door. She rapped her knuckles against the wood. The heavyset man who had spoken to Myra came to open the door, but he blocked her exit. He looked out, shrugged, and shut the door again. Before he could get far she knocked again. He sighed, opened the door, and stepped outside.
Ivy ducked out behind him. He scanned the area with his hands on his hips, searching for the prankster as Ivy ran back to the Skylarker.
Bodhi, a member of Captain Crook’s crew, was smoking by the gangplank. She whispered, “Back onboard,” as she passed him. He casually smashed his cigarette and walked up the ramp. He secured the door behind him, nervous and fumbling. Ivy smiled, knowing he was anxious about the fact he was standing in a small room with a naked woman. Even if he couldn’t see her he knew she was there and his body was betraying that knowledge. She decided there were more pressing concerns than teasing the poor boy, and she slipped into the uniform she’d borrowed when she came aboard in Athens.
Ivy tugged the collar of her turtleneck up over her nose, covered her eyes with goggles, and pulled a knit cap low on her forehead so she wouldn’t be a headless specter when she met with the others. She found them waiting for her in the passerelle standing in front of a map of the world: Araminta, Leola, and Beatrice. The four of them were the only chance Dorothy and Trafalgar had of getting out of their current predicament unscathed.
“News?” Araminta asked.
“They’re here. According to their slip request, they expect to be parked here for a week. The question is what they’re looking for.”
Beatrice said, “The Palace of Knossos. We know the Watershed Society is looking for an ancient stone. Dorothy has done a bit of research on the palace here, but she’s never had the time or patrons willing to fund a full excavation. If I was looking for some ancient stone, that’s where I would look.”