by C Lee Tocci
Her arms still crossing her chest, the woman watched them thoughtfully. “Jojoba comes to the library every Tuesday. He could return them for you.”
Todd’s jaw dropped at the mention of the Tracking instructor.
“You know Jojoba?” Lilibit beamed before Todd could stop her. “He’s my favorite!”
The woman dropped her arms to her side and her face warmed with a slight smile. “Mine too,” she admitted. She bent to scoop up the books that Lilibit had squirreled away under the table. “Pick out three to take with you. When Jojoba returns them on Tuesday, I will give him three more to replace them.”
Lilibit looked down at her plunder with dismay. “Only three?”
The librarian bit her lip and took pity on her. “Okay then. Four.”
Lilibit dropped to the floor and lost herself in the elimination process. Todd cleared his throat and met the woman’s eyes.
“Um, Ms…”
“Balainya. Ms. Balainya.”
“How… um… well do you know Jojoba?”
“I believe, what you really ask is, am I aware of Jojoba’s calling and what he does when he is not visiting us here in Alamos Tierra?” Ms. Balainya spoke slowly. “There are many people here in Alamos Tierra who have heard the legends of the mountains and we do not question too closely those who may, or may not, be answering the call of the land.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Not everyone in Alamos Tierra can be trusted, but there are many here who support those who hear the call. You must tread carefully whenever you leave the valley. Even here it is not always safe.”
She might have said more, but she was interrupted by Lilibit rising to her feet. With the attitude of a person about to jump of a cliff, she thrust her choices into Ms. Balainya’s hands. “These, please!”
Ms. Balainya shuffled through the books, nodding as she noted The Little Prince, Mary Poppins, and Peter Pan, but the fourth one made her pause. She tapped questioningly at the thick volume entitled Bulfinch’s Mythology.
“Oh that’s just in case I finish all the others before Tuesday,” Lilibit said seriously.
Two minutes later, they were running down the stairs, Todd pulling at Lilibit’s arm. It was after four o’clock and they had to find the others, get to the horses and get back to the Sienna Sentries before sunset.
It was going to be close.
Marla stood in front of the bookstore, pacing anxiously. She looked relieved when she saw Lilibit, but that quickly morphed into anger. She would have given Lilibit an earful, but Todd cut her off.
“Not now,” he said, looking up and down the street. “Where’s Jeff and Donny? We need to get going.”
As if on cue, Jeff and Donny appeared from around a corner.
“Lilibit! Oh good---” Jeff started but Todd cut him off.
“Not now,” he said again and headed north towards the spot where they had left the horses.
“No, wait a second!” The urgency in Jeff’s voice stopped Todd in his tracks. “Lilibit. The woman in the bookstore said you tried to buy a book with a gold nugget. What happened to it?”
“I told you gold was a silly stone!” said Lilibit. “The lady in the bookstore didn’t want it either.”
“Yeah, but what did you do with it?” asked Jeff.
“I left it somewhere.” Lilibit shrugged towards the nearby alley. “Down there, I think.”
Jeff ran down the alley, the others followed.
“Where’d you put it?” Jeff asked, searching frantically behind the trashcans.
They all knew that Lilibit would never just toss a stone away, even a silly one, but would place it gently on the ground, finding a home for it. Lilibit walked over to a clump of weeds that grew in a crack of pavement and sunlight. She parted the leaves.
“That’s funny.” She stroked the grit and the stems, as if they might answer the mystery. “It’s not here anymore.”
Todd’s scalp crawled, but there was no time to waste looking for the nugget. “C’mon. We’ve got to get going.”
They ran to the outskirts where the horses waited. Todd kept looking back over his shoulder. He could almost feel eyes watching him, but he didn’t see anyone following. They mounted and headed north, back to the Valley of Kiva.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Kingdom of Endrune
From where he sat, David “Duke” Dauntry could see his own reflection in the mirror. And it pleased him very much. He really was a devilishly good looking man. Movie star looks. Charmingly handsome. All these things and more had been said about him. And they were all true. He tilted his head and admired the clean cut of his chin. They may have even understated it. He really was a remarkably handsome man.
The dumpy man with the coke-bottle glasses was still talking. One of those private detectives he’d hired. He must remember to smile at him. Smiles cost nothing but frequently returned quite amazing dividends. The Duke smiled.
Oh dear. When was the last time he’d had his teeth whitened? A month ago? As soon as he returned to civilization, he must schedule another appointment. They were still quite bright, but they weren’t blinding. He must always have blinding white teeth.
The dumpy man had stopped speaking and was staring at him, evidently waiting for his response. Duke smiled again. The man smiled back, a little uncertainly. On the table in front of him lay several dozen photographs and an impressive nugget of high grade gold.
Oh, that’s right. The reason he was here in this backwater slum. The rumor of a gold strike here in Alamos Tierra. He supposed if an elusive motherlode was hiding anywhere, it would probably be in a primitive pisshole like this. He picked up the nugget and let it roll between his fingers, wondering if it was genuine. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Endrune, the world’s largest mineral exploitation conglomerate, he really should know something about rocks and geology and such rot, but that’s what he paid others for. The Duke knew he had only two fortes: a good head for numbers and an almost psychic ability to find an individual’s weakest spot and exploit it. Oh, and he mustn’t forget his incredible charm and fabulous good looks. He smiled at himself again. Four fortes. More than enough to make him a very rich and very powerful man.
The dumpy man began to sweat quite badly. “R-r-really!” he stuttered. “That’s all I was able to find out. There were only the five children. It was the smallest girl who dropped the nugget. They left Alamos Tierra on foot. North of the town, they got on horses and that’s where I lost them. According to the map, there are no roads anywhere near where they headed.”
Oh, fun. This time the smile brought on guilt and fear. The Duke never knew what the smile would get him, but he was rarely disappointed. He set the nugget back on the table and looked at the dumpy man. What was his name? Chuck something.
“Well, Chuck, that’s not very helpful, now. Is it?” Actually, the information was very helpful, but there was no need to burden the fool with that knowledge. “We already knew that the only link to the phantom gold mine was a couple of kids. And since we haven’t found a trace of them within the town, it’s obvious that they must live outside the town.” The Duke shook his head mournfully. “No, I must admit that this information is not very helpful. I really must ask that you return the advance that we paid you.”
Dumpy Chuck paled. To a private detective, returning an advance was the only unforgivable sin. “But, but… what about the rock?”
The Duke carelessly flicked the nugget with a seeming disregard for its value. If it was a similar grade to the last nugget, then it was probably worth ten or fifteen times the detective’s advance. Again, there was no need to tell him that.
“A tiny scrap of ore like that?” He lobbed the nugget into the trash. “Hardly worth the cost of cleaning it up. No, Chuck. I’m afraid you’ll have to return the advance. If it’s not received back in our offices within two weeks, you’ll be hearing from our legal department.”
The Duke nodded his dismissal. Two burly flunkies who had been standing in the dark corn
ers of the room stepped forward, stood on either side of the detective and escorted him out, stuttering and shaking.
The Duke took a moment to admire himself in the mirror. Contentment added a complimentary gleam to his usual striking good looks. He always got that glow whenever he cheated hard working slobs out of their rightful compensation. It wasn’t about the money. It was about power. And Duke had all the power.
By the time his assistants had closed the door, the Duke had already forgotten the dumpy detective. With a nod, he directed one of his men to pick up the trash barrel and bring it to him. Gingerly, the Duke lifted out the nugget. He wiped it clean with a tissue before letting it rest in his palm.
He had commandeered the best inn that Alamos Tierra had to offer. It was still a rank slum, but he didn’t mind. He was roughing it. Prospecting for gold. Out amongst the riff raff. It would all become part of the press release that would document the incredible good luck of David “The Duke” Dauntry when he discovered a major gold strike while on a survival retreat. He wondered how many wild animals he was going to fight off with his bare hands. He sipped a glass of chilled ’94 Vouvray and decided he would consult with his publicists before making that determination.
“I am not disappointed.” An unfamiliar voice interrupted the Duke’s musings. “I have heard so much about Duke Dauntry and I must admit, you are everything I expected.”
The Duke dropped his glass. White wine and glass splinters skittered across the floor. A stranger was in the room, standing by the window. But how did he get in? The doors and windows were closed and locked. His bodyguards surged from their corners, but something in the stranger’s demeanor made them pause and they wavered nervously, waiting for the Duke to react.
The stranger was tall and pallid with a gleaming bald head. His grey eyes were pale, almost white. The Duke noticed that his suit was expensive and superbly tailored. His long slim fingers were finely manicured and his shoes were custom-made Italian leather. The Duke eased back into his chair. He may not recognize the face, but he knew a player when he saw one. With a flick of a pinky, his flunkies cleaned up the broken glass and receded back into the shadows.
“And you would be?”
“I have been called by many names, but you may perhaps know me as Serafino Sexton.”
“The lawyer?” Despite himself, the Duke was impressed. Attorney Serafino Sexton was as legendary as he was elusive. He was rarely photographed and little was known about the private life of one of legal systems most eloquent orators. He gestured to a chair. “Please be seated, Mr. Sexton.”
“Call me Syxx,” he said with a graceful smile. “That is what my closest associates call me.”
The Duke felt a warm thrill at being included amongst the “closest associates”. He filled two fresh glasses with wine. “I must tell you, Syxx, that I followed that Medical Institute criminal trial very closely. Your defense was very impressive.”
Syxx nodded graciously as he accepted one of the glasses.
“So tell me.” The Duke leaned back in his chair. “What brings a man of your stature to Alamos Tierra?”
“Much the same that brings you here,” Syxx purred. “We both seek the source of that gold.”
The Duke was only mildly surprised that Syxx knew of the phantom ore. He expected no less from a man of his ilk.
“Are we competing? Is this a race?” The call of the chase hummed through the Duke’s veins. Nothing so plebian as scrounging in the dirt for ore. This contest would be on the Duke’s turf with the Duke’s weapons: board rooms and bank accounts.
Syxx smiled, the wine swishing around his glass. “As entertaining as such a matchup might be, I am actually proposing a partnership. The payoff here may actually be higher than you currently appreciate.”
The Duke picked up the nugget and let it roll between his fingertips. “And what do you bring to the table? I’ve got all the resources I need. I could buy this entire county and have it stripmined flat in a month. What do I need you for?”
“Knowledge. I know the source of the ore. And as a show of good will, I’ll give you a small advance. No charge.” Syxx bent towards the Duke, locked his eyes and whispered. “There is no mine. That nugget did not come from a vein.”
Syxx leaned back, his eyes still fixed on the Duke. The Duke stared at the glittering lump in his palm. If this nugget turned out to be the same caliber as the last one, it would be pure gold. His staff mineralogists had been baffled by that. Nature doesn’t produce raw ore that pure. With a glance, he dismissed his flunkies. When the door had closed behind them, he turned to Syxx and placed the rock on the table. “You have my attention. What are your terms.”
“Thirty percent of the net profit from the operation,” Syxx answered smoothly.
“Fair enough,” the Duke answered quickly. Net Profit? He couldn’t be that naïve! No one negotiated for net! When the dust settled and the accountants were finished, net profit was nyet profit!
But Sexton had a reputation for being smooth and shrewd, so whatever Syxx sought from this deal, it wasn’t money. Then again, this was not a man to be shoved out the door like the hapless Chuck. The Duke would have to tread carefully.
Syxx reached forward and dragged a long pale finger across the stack of photographs, splaying them across the table before pausing, hovering above the picture of a dark haired, slant-eyed waif who seemed to stare impudently directly into the camera.
“That one,” he hissed.
“She’s the one that knows where the gold comes from?”
“No.” Syxx leaned back and held the Duke’s eye, his voice a sliver. “She’s the one that can summon it.”
“Summon it?”
“She can actually beckon minerals. Not just gold. All elements. She can draw water into the desert and oil into your kitchen sink.”
If it had been anyone else saying this to the Duke, he’d call security and have him escorted out of the building, but there was something about Syxx that made the absurdity almost believable. He held his tongue.
“Whoever controls that child, controls all the natural resources of the planet.” Syxx’s eyes narrowed as he whispered. “Just think about it, Duke! Not only could you draw oil into a barren field, you could cause your competitors fields to dry up! You could stockpile your reserves and then cause a worldwide shortage that would drive prices through the roof. You could be in complete control of the earth’s energy resources.”
The Duke’s eyes weren’t focused anywhere near this little shack of room in Alamos Tierra. From where he sat, he watched a golden future unfold before him.
“I would be the richest, most powerful man on earth,” he breathed.
Syxx stood and moved behind him to whisper into his ear. “You will rule the entire planet.”
“Yes!” The Duke’s words were slow and slurred, already drunk with power. “Tell me what I need to do.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Truants
The eastern cliffs of the Sienna Sentries dimmed from a flaming red to a shadowy slate as the sun disappeared. Todd clutched Midnight’s mane, crouching down and pressing his calves into the mustang’s flanks to urge him faster. To his right, Lilibit clung to Old Auntie, her favorite mare. The others galloped behind them, but Todd wasn’t letting Lilibit out of his sight until she was back safe into Kiva.
They were as winded as the horses when they pulled up at the rocky foothills that buffered the Sienna Sentries from the desert floor. Todd gave Lilibit no time to give a farewell pat to Old Auntie, pulling her off the horse’s back and tugging here into the maze of shards. The others followed quickly.
“There it is!” Jeff pointed at the rope, which in spite of the darkening sky, they could still see dangling down the eastern face.
“Devon and Nita must have seen us coming.” Todd sighed with relief. “They must have dropped the roped back down.”
Todd sent Marla up the rope first, waited until she’d disappeared into the dark, then nudged Lilibit’s shoulde
r. “Okay, you next.”
“Hey!” Lilibit yelped as he grabbed her book bag. “Give me that!”
“I’ll give it to you when you get to the top,” Todd said as he slung it over his shoulder and wedged his quaybo staff under it. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Lilibit huffed indignantly and grabbed the rope. He watched her for a moment as she scaled the cliff and then turned to Jeff and Donny. Donny still stared mournfully in the direction where they’d left the horses.
“You two wait until we’re all the way up. I don’t want to strain the rope.”
Jeff muttered something rude sounding as Todd began to climb. He kept one eye on Lilibit while watching the horizon in all directions. He hadn’t seen anything unusual when, above him, Lilibit squeaked out a frightened “whoop!”
Looking back up, he saw Lilibit jetting straight up into the air. Before he could grab his quaybo or even call out, he too began falling up.
Falling up was the best description he had for it. It was if gravity had flipped and the earth was now up and the sky, down. He twisted in the air, instinct and logic warring for control. Should he aim his feet to the sky where he was headed, or to the ground? He flailed through the air like a pinwheel.
Yells and grunts from Jeff and Donny warned him of their plummeting ascent before he caught sight of them. Like Todd, Jeff was flapping and spinning, but Donny just rose like a bullet, his face more puzzled than frightened.
When they’d reached a height some twenty feet above the mesa, they stopped abruptly. Frozen in the air, they hung about half a mile above the desert floor. If the gravity shifted back now, they’d fall to their deaths.
Todd squirmed around so his feet were once more oriented to the earth. Instinctively, he pulled out his quaybo. The light was failing and it was difficult to see in the gloam, but he could make out Lilibit and Marla hovering nearby. Every inch of Marla was tensed, one hand clutched the stone at her neck and the other, cocked back in a fist as if to strike at some invisible attacker. Like Todd, her eyes darted around trying to find some enemy, but he could see no threat.