The Mayan Temple

by Preston William Child

  “No, no, Sam. Must you always be so cynical?”

  “Yes,” he cut in real quick.

  “I've learned quite a lot. I've learned that temple has been popping up all over the world for hundreds of years in all kinds of places. Never for long, but long enough for some to see it. But by the time they try to really get a good look at it, it's nowhere to be found. It teleports. I don't know how and I don't know why but it's constantly on the move.”

  “Okay...” Sam still didn't seem overly enthused by the story.

  “That's not even the most exciting part, if you believe it. No, the legends go far beyond just it moving around all over the world. There's something about this place obviously, but something even more. There are stories that if you perform a sacrifice at the altar founding this particular moving temple...well...you get whatever you want.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Exactly as it sounds,” Purdue said, and was satisfied hearing a little bit of interest coming from Sam. “You perform the sacrifice at the altar, and the temple's power—or the gods or whatever the hell it is—will grant you one wish in exchange for the sacrifice. If the legends are true, then there's no limits to the wish. You want the meaning of it...well the meaning is that we could fix everything that's gone wrong. We could free our friends, get rid of the Order of the Black Sun, or even just get ourselves our dream lives. All in an instant. We won't have to cut our way through legions of bastards to hopefully come out with a win in the end.”

  Sam wasn't quite as resistant now. That aspect of the Moving Temple of Ah Puch was enough to ease his skepticism, but he still wasn't entirely convinced.

  “And you think it's true?”

  Purdue did, but he didn't want to sound too enthusiastic or he might spook Sam from hearing him out.

  “Who knows until we try?”

  “And why has no one else done anything with this?”

  “It isn't exactly easy to track down the place. It could be anywhere at any time. But listen, Sam, this is too good of an opportunity that we can't let go to waste. If the stories about the altar inside that temple are true...then...”

  “I know,” Sam said irritably. “You don't need to explain again. I know what that might mean for us. It could change everything. This run of bad luck could finally turn around. I get it.”

  “Good,” Purdue said. “So you're coming.”

  He didn't make it sound like a request, because it really wasn't. He needed Sam's help on this one and their list of alternative allies to assist him had grown remarkably short in recent days.

  Sam was silent on the line for a moment and Purdue could just picture him shaking his head. Whoever Sam was with must have been quite the woman but Purdue knew that Sam's loyalty to Nina and the others was too strong to completely spit in the face of. He had to come along; all it took was just a wee bit of convincing.

  “Fine.”

  “Brilliant,” Purdue said, filling with excitement. He stared at the television screen where the temple was sitting in the Arctic. Part of him felt like the Moving Temple of Ah Puch was going to wait for them, it needed to. If that temple wanted to make a really good wish, then they were the perfect ones to come for a visit. “I'll send you the details of where we should meet soon. I just have to make a quick stop first.”

  “A quick stop where?”

  “I'll explain later,” Purdue said with a laugh. “I just want to make sure that we at least have some idea what we're in for up there in the Arctic.”

  Purdue was glad to have Sam by his side once again. He was one of his oldest colleagues and despite butting heads some times and having some opposing viewpoints here and there, he knew that Sam was reliable and trustworthy. Plus, the two of them made a pretty good team when they found themselves backed into a corner.

  JULIAN CORVUS WAS STILL TRYING to get used to receiving reports from those beneath him in the Order of the Black Sun. It was one of the parts of leadership that he had been dreading the most and it was just about as tedious as he expected it to be when he took over the secret society. There were so many things that just didn't interest him, or seemed superfluous. How many cursed shrunken heads did they need? How many sacred talismans? How many holy weapons? The only ones that mattered in the end were the ones that could be useful to their future goals, and those were few and far between.

  Right now, the Black Sun had more pressing concerns, and he appreciated that the current report at least had more connections to his actual interests than most of the ones he heard. It helped that he didn't hate who was presenting the report.

  Boris was nothing more than a low-ranking grunt within the Order of the Black Sun, but Julian saw something in him—a spark of something more useful. Boris had a way with computers and surveillance so naturally that Julian put him in charge of monitoring the order's activities all around the world. He sometimes was a little too proud of his work, but he was good at it so Julian couldn't fault him too much.

  “We haven't heard a status report from Lucius or Charlotte,” Boris said. “They were stationed out of Honduras, part of the web you set up for Purdue.”

  Julian was well aware that they were part of his network that he had put in place. He had his operatives spread all over the world at any historical hot spots that might catch David Purdue's attention; old unexplored caverns, lost citadels, and abandoned burial grounds. In this case, a strange temple that had appeared out of nowhere. They were small teams scattered, but he hoped they would be enough to at least alert him of Purdue's whereabouts or even bring him in as a prisoner. But alas, he'd grown to know his enemy more than that.

  “So I imagine that he fell right into that web then...and being Purdue...probably immediately set fire to it. Burnt the entire thing down. Every thread we put up is gone.”

  Julian wasn't surprised by Purdue's tenacity anymore, and he was even less surprised by his underlings' utter incompetence. He had come to terms with the fact that if Purdue was outnumbered ten to one by even the most high-ranking members of the Black Sun, he would most likely find a way to come out on top in the end. It was what made him such a dangerous opponent—Purdue always found a way, no matter the odds.

  Julian had underestimated him once; took his things and left him to burn in his own house. It had felt like a real victory at the time but sure enough, Purdue bounced back and had cheated death yet again. Julian knew better than that now, and if he ever thought Purdue was dead again, he would be sure to check and be certain that it was true this time.

  Now, it was just a matter of getting him.

  “We sent a drone out to their location to check on Lucius and Charlotte.”

  “And it never came back, did it?” Julian guessed, knowing it was completely possible that Purdue had brought one of those little robots down.

  However, he was immediately proven wrong. “It did...but there was nothing there. No sign of Lucius. No sign of Charlotte. No sign of Purdue. Not even any sign of that temple that they were stationed at.”

  Julian's curiosity was more than piqued by that last part. “What do you mean?”

  “The temple that had supposedly only been there only a short period of time...it's gone.”

  “Elaborate,” Julian said, not fully wrapping his head around that notion. “What do you mean it’s gone? Someone tore it down and moved on?”

  “Unlikely. It seems more like it just vanished into thin air.”

  “Ancient buildings don't just vanish into thin air.”

  “True,” Boris said, looking pleased that they were on the same page. “But they also aren't supposed to be able to just appear out of the blue either...but this one did according to everyone who lived in that jungle. If it can appear out of nowhere—then who’s to say that it can't just disappear right back into nowhere too?”

  Julian was intrigued but mostly still focused on Purdue. There was a possibility that they were connected. Perhaps Purdue was inside of that temple when it miraculously disappeared. He did go to Honduras after all;
he took the bait just like Julian knew he would and went to investigate something unusual. Maybe that Mayan temple had disintegrated into nothing and taken Purdue with it. That would solve most of Julian's problems. He would just have to wait and see. If Purdue was out there, he'd be coming soon enough, considering that the Order of the Black Sun still had his little friends as prisoners. Purdue was already making preparations to try and rescue them. From everything Julian had heard, Purdue had been gallivanting all over the globe, trying to recover his funds and finding new items to use against the Black Sun. If Purdue hadn't dissipated with that temple, and that inevitable fight was still coming, then Julian couldn't wait.

  After all of the trouble Purdue had caused them, and especially after Julian's own blunder of beating him but not killing him, they needed to get rid of him for good.

  Another agent burst into Julian’s office. He nearly murdered the grunt right there on the spot for daring to barge in like that and interrupt but something on the young man's face told him that it was an emergency.

  “I'm so sorry, sir, but you may want to turn on the news. Everyone is talking about it.”

  “Talking about what?” Julian asked, still fighting the urge to murder the man. “Spit it out.”

  “It's a temple in the Arctic, sir.”

  3

  CHAPTER THREE – THE PERFECT GIRLFRIEND

  Sam hung up the phone. He'd gotten calls from David Purdue so many times, but this one felt different than all of the others that had come before. There was a tension between the phone lines, like both men knew how dangerous their world was right now. But Purdue was right: that temple's power might be able to fix everything. They might not even have to actually fight the Order of the Black Sun anymore. It all depended on if the stories about that place were true.

  “What's wrong?”

  Kendra looked at him with some concern. They hadn't been together long—they weren't even an official item or anything—but he was always smitten by how beautiful she looked.

  “Nothing,” Sam fibbed, pulling her into his arms. “Everything is perfect.”

  “No, really,” she giggled. “You can tell me, you know?”

  Sam relented. He would feel guilty if he kept lying to her. “I just have to leave for a little while. I'm not sure when I'll be back...”

  “Going off on another adventure with that rich friend of yours? David, right?”

  “Yeah...I hope it's not too much of an adventure, though. A nice leisurely expedition would be nice for a change.”

  Kendra put a hand on his cheek, looking worried. “Are you going someplace dangerous?”

  Sam wanted to tell her no, to reassure her that everything was going to be fine, but he knew better than to ever assume how one of these journeys with Purdue would end up. There was no way to really tell what would be ahead or how bad it could be. So many of their trips ended with risking their lives, running from danger, or having to fight the Order of the Black Sun.

  Still, he didn't want to worry Kendra.

  “I don't think so,” Sam said. “No, I think this time is just going to be some reconnaissance work. Only looking around at that temple that popped up in the Arctic.”

  “I saw something about that! That's so weird.”

  “It is,” Sam said. “It gets even weirder. Purdue says that this temple will grant you your heart's desire if you perform a sacrifice inside. Sounds crazy to me, but that rich bastard has proven me wrong before...I guess he's not all that rich these days...but still. So we're probably just going to take a look around and see what's going on.”

  Kendra looked somewhat sad about his news but it only flashed for a moment before turning into a smile. Even when she was upset, she still was willing to put that aside to make things easier for him. That was a wonderful trait that she had. She wasn't selfish or clingy or anything like that. He would have to make it up to her when he returned.

  “Be very careful...and pack warm.”

  “Of course,” Sam said. “You going to be waiting for me when I get back?”

  “Maybe,” Kendra said with a wink. “Though, I can't make any promises, especially if some other well-traveled man comes storming into my life while you're gone.”

  Sam really hoped that didn't happen. His time with Kendra had been some of the best times he'd had in a long time. Especially given how much of an insane turn the rest of his life took. He needed those moments with her, to just enjoy life and not let all of the garbage with the Order of the Black Sun and ancient artifacts get him down. He didn't want to rush things, but he was constantly surprised by just how wonderful of a companion she was.

  Sam started packing his belongings, and Kendra was quick to lend him a hand. They may have taken a break or two just to say a proper goodbye to one another, but soon enough he was nearly ready to go. He'd gone on so many expeditions with Purdue, but usually he didn't have much to look forward to coming home to. Now there was someone who inspired him to get the job with Purdue done.

  Kendra was perfect and he loved everything about her, but he couldn't voice it out loud. He was scared he would sound like he was moving too fast and scare her off. He had to keep his admiration in check, and not go over the top. Maybe after all of this and a little time apart, those feelings would just grow even stronger. That was how the saying went after all: parting makes the heart grow fonder.

  “So you'll be here when I get back?”

  Kendra just giggled. “Of course I will be. Just don't freeze your ass off up there! It's a nice ass, and I feel like frostbite wouldn't do it any favors.”

  Sam grinned. “I'll do my best to protect this asset.”

  “Appreciated.”

  They shared another parting kiss before Sam turned to leave his place. She already had a key to it so he didn't have to worry about leaving her there. Maybe things were moving too fast, but who was he to question it? Who was anyone to question it? There was no magic formula that dictated what was really the right time to do anything, especially when it came to relationships of the heart. He was happier than he had been in a long time.

  Even if this Moving Temple of Ah Puch contained the altar that could grant any wish, Sam didn't have to worry about wishing for anything for himself. There was no need for some ancient Maya legend to give him what he wanted. He already had it. No Mayan temple could give him another Kendra.

  As much as he enjoyed his trips with Purdue, and as much as he was hopeful that this could be what finally saved Nina and also got rid of Julian Corvus and the Order of the Black Sun, he couldn't help but feel more excited by the idea of seeing Kendra again. He didn't know how long this one would be. It was impossible to ever know how long these adventures might last or if he would even get through it alive at all. But if he did make it back, no matter how long it had been, he really hoped Kendra would be there. He couldn't wait to see her again.

  THE DOOR to Sam Cleave's current home closed behind him, and she listened to his car pull out of the driveway as he went off on another one of the adventures he liked to tell her about so much. But those adventures weren't very impressive compared to some of the things she had been through. He'd never been assigned the missions that she had been assigned by the Order of the Black Sun.

  Kendra had to admit, there was a certain joy seeing how Sam Cleave's eyes lit up every time he looked at her. He was so entranced by everything about her, and why wouldn't he be? She worked hard on the performance she gave, harder than most of the world's best actors probably did. There was more at stake in her roles; no camera to appeal to, no audience to impress, and no script to memorize. She had to truly become that character, to make any other person in the scene believe that it was real, to not even know that all they were doing was playing in a scene that only she knew the last line of.

  Sam Cleave may not have said it, but he was head over heels for her. He had been the instant she started speaking to him. He may have seen a lot of things in his career, and been through all kinds of hardships, but that just made h
im even easier to manipulate. He tried to act jaded and experienced, but really he only wanted someone to love him, to make him feel needed. No amount of trips with the infamous David Purdue could replace how good she could make him feel. There was a difference between time spent with a friend and time spent with someone that you were in love with. It was a somewhat slight distinction, but it could make all the difference.

  She may have even felt a little bad about using him if he wasn't so stupid. He made it far too easy for her. When Julian Corvus had assigned her the task, she thought it was going to be difficult but it was one of the easiest things that she had ever done. She just had to bat her eyelashes, give him a few kisses, hold his hand here and there, and offer him comforting words to make him feel good about himself and even better about her. It was a simple script to know. She could almost predict all of the pathetically sappy things he was going to say before he even started speaking them.

  Once she had played along with those small prompts and done all of those things, that buffoon would tell her anything; not because she asked him to but because he felt like he could. He had someone who he could talk to without any judgment being passed. Little did he know that she was judging him all the time.

  Kendra was his safe space where he could be honest and sincere with all of those little feelings he had. He had no idea how unsafe of a space it really was.

  The secrets he shared weren't secrets at all anymore once they reached her ears—they were information at that point, and those former secrets then belonged to the Order of the Black Sun from that moment forward.

  And the information he had just given her was no different.

  Kendra pulled out her phone and dialed the number for the leader of the order. Julian would probably be happy with what she had to say. He usually was. Compared to the rest of her colleagues and co-workers, she had a great track record for actually being useful to the Black Sun. She knew what was needed and didn't waste anyone's time like so many of the others did. When Kendra called, Julian knew that he was going to be listening to something of actual value to his plans.