Jason folded his arms and stared at the hammer. “So, what’s the verdict on this thing? Have you gotten it working at all?”
“Come closer and have a look at this.”
The Curator moved to one side of the table and Jason approached from the other. Carefully, the old man wrapped his hands around the hilt. He closed his eyes and much to Jason’s surprise, the runes began to project bright, blue light. Jason unfolded his arms and moved closer, setting his shaking hands on the edges of the table.
“You did it?” He looked up at the Curator.
“Not quite.” The Curator released the hammer and the runes returned to normal. “So far, that’s basically all it does. The power you said Elisa commanded when she first wielded it, there’s no traces of that. Our computers show no atmospheric disturbance or unusual weather patterns in the area, either.”
“So what’s with the light show?”
The Curator shrugged. “Damned if I know. We’ve had this here for months and it’s basically been little more than an old artifact. Beautiful, yes. Expertly made, certainly. But otherwise completely useless.”
“When did the lights start?”
“Just the other day. I’ve been scanning it with every instrument we have. It is giving off energy, but like nothing we’ve ever seen before, and it’s unclear how that energy works or what purpose it serves. The runes glow whenever a person grasps the hilt, but it does nothing more.”
Jason continued to stare at the hammer. He reached his hands for the hammer and slowly wrapped his fingers around the hilt. Just as it had for the Curator, the runes began to glow and Jason released the hammer in surprise, nearly jumping back.
“I…felt something?”
“I know, so did I,” said the Curator. “Like a charge.”
“Why now?” Jason looked up at the Curator. “We had this thing for months and nothing. But all of a sudden, it turns into a heavy glow-stick?”
“I can’t say anything for certain, but I have two theories. One is that when Elisa used the hammer, she simply drained it of its energy and now, it’s been able to recharge.”
“How would it do that?”
The Curator shook his head. “I have no idea. Perhaps it absorbs energy from the atmosphere, that’s the only thing I can think of. If this theory is correct, that means we’ll shortly see the hammer start to behave as it did in Corbaton.”
“You mean we’ll start seeing some strange weather coming in,” said Jason. “But you said you had two theories…?”
The Curator took a breath. “Right, the other one. Well, that’s a bit harder to prove and frankly, the implications frighten me.”
Jason folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
The Curator looked from side to side, as if he was expecting someone to eavesdrop. He leaned in closer and his voice dropped slightly. “It could be an omen.”
Jason looked down at Mjolnir, studying the intricate runes. “What kind of an omen?”
“This thing fell to Earth for seemingly no reason whatsoever. We have no idea where its true owner is.”
“What are you saying?”
“All this time, we’ve believed Thor lost Mjolnir. Or that he fell in battle and somehow it crossed into our realm. But what if that’s not the true story? What if the hammer was sent here?”
Jason rubbed his chin. It would probably explain why the power faded until now. And why even now, the power was far more muted than it had been when Elisa first picked it up.
“So what does that mean? That when Elisa used it, it was what? A defense mechanism?”
“It was a precarious situation. Maybe the hammer was trying to protect itself. Maybe it could sense what Sandoval’s men were up to.”
“Sent here, I can buy that. Except it raises an important question—sent here for what?” asked Jason.
“That’s the question that worries me.”
Jason and the Curator locked their gazes. Neither was willing to speak, they both just stood there in silent contemplation. The sound of Jason’s ringing phone finally ended the silence.
As he reached into his pocket, Jason hoped he would see Asami’s name on the screen. Instead, it was a blocked number. Which meant it was probably work-related. He sighed and answered the call.
“Shroud here.”
The man on the other end spoke quickly, his voice curt. Shroud listened to the words, nodding and throwing in the occasional, “uh-huh.” Then the man asked him a question.
“You mean right now?” asked Jason. “With all due respect, sir, my hands are a little full at the moment. My people are doing everything in their power to try and track down the Order. And we have some news about the hammer, which if true means that the Order is an even bigger priori—Yes, sir… Yes, I understand that, sir… Of course. I’m leaving right now. Thank you, sir.”
Jason heard the click on the line. He put the phone back in his pocket and met the Curator’s questioning glance.
“The Grand Master?”
Jason nodded. “The Grand Master. He wants a meeting right now.”
CHAPTER 6
Laki pulled her car to a stop in front of the departure terminal at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. She shifted the car into park and looked at her passenger with worry in her eyes.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with?”
Elisa gave her a smile of reassurance. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. Asami and I are gonna meet up at Heathrow and then we’ll get to work on trying to figure out what happened to Max.”
“And the coordinates?”
“Until we know what Max was doing out in the middle of the ocean, they’re not a whole lot of use. I passed them onto Jason, though, and he said he’ll look into it.” Elisa opened her door and climbed out of the car. Laki duplicated her movement, then circled around to the back of the car and opened the trunk. Elisa had two bags—a small satchel she could carry on the plane and a larger duffel bag that contained her clothes as well as her myth hunting gear. Laki passed her the satchel and Elisa draped it over her shoulder, at which point Laki took out the duffel and handed it to her.
“Wish I was going with you,” Laki said as she closed the trunk.
“It’s okay, you saved me from wasting money on a hotel, chauffeured me around town, and helped me find Vijay.”
“If you need anything else, let me know.”
Elisa gave a nod and then held out her arm. Laki stepped closer and the two friends embraced each other. Once Laki pulled away, she took a breath.
“Okay, you should get going. Don’t wanna miss your flight.”
“Thanks again, Laki.” Elisa stepped onto the curb and approached the front doors. She turned back and gave Laki another wave, and her friend returned it. Elisa walked through the entrance and approached the check-in counter. After checking her bag, Elisa took her ticket in hand and crossed the distance of the airport, going towards security.
A lifetime of myth hunting gave Elisa extremely sharp instincts and she could tell she was being watched. It felt as if there were several sets of eyes monitoring her movements. She remained casual and showed no outward sign of any issue. Her hands found the pockets of her jeans and she slightly increased her walking speed. With any luck, she could lose whoever it was in the crowd. Thankfully, the airport was fairly packed and Elisa was certain that if she could get through security, they wouldn’t be able to follow.
Elisa boarded an escalator and took it down to the arrivals terminal. That feeling was still with her. Whoever these guys were, they were very good at tailing. She took careful glances around when she had an opportunity to do so as inconspicuously as possible. There were a few suspects. An man with a baseball cap who got on the escalator with her, the bill pulled down to cast a shadow over his face. A woman whose face was buried in her smartphone.
The escalator steps ended and Elisa stepped off, approaching a coffee shop. After ordering, she glanced around to see if the two from before wer
e around. They seemed to have gone, but she caught a man sitting in a chair near the windows, bopping his head to music piping through his earphones.
Once the coffee came, Elisa sipped and her eyes explored the floor. It felt like everyone around her was a potential suspect. Was she just being paranoid?
“Ms. Hill?”
Elisa cursed herself for letting someone sneak up on her. She turned and saw a man in a suit standing behind her. His face was completely expressionless and she instinctively took a step away from him.
“My employer would like to have a word with you.”
“Employer? And who might that be?”
The man clasped his hands in front of his body. “You know him as Wade.”
“Right…” Elisa took the top off her cup and then threw the hot coffee in the man’s face. He screamed in pain and Elisa delivered a quick cross to knock him down. As soon as the punch connected, she turned and ran back for the escalator.
Commotion grew around her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the man with the earphones on her tail. The escalator was crowded, so she had to shove people aside as she tried to ascend it. Her pursuer was right behind her. Grabbing the railing, Elisa jumped, flipping over to the escalator going back down and then shoving her way back to the floor.
Risking a look back, she saw he was struggling with the crowd to try and get back down and continue his chase. She smiled, but skidded to a stop when she saw the man with the baseball cap. Elisa pivoted on her foot and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to take him down.
She wished she had her weapons. But of course she’d never get them past security in a carry-on. No matter, she’d make do, she always did. Elisa came to another set of escalators and moved up them, going a little slower so as not to draw attention to herself.
Once she reached the top, the woman with the smartphone was waiting for her. And there was no mistaking that she was looking right at Elisa. Their eyes connected, but Elisa remained calm as the steps reached the top.
“We just want to talk,” she said.
Elisa responded with a punch, drawing concerned gasps and shouts. She turned to run, but her wrist was grabbed and she felt herself pulled backwards. Stumbling, Elisa fell on the ground. A blink and then she saw the woman’s shoe coming straight for her head.
The myth hunter grabbed the foot and yanked, her attacker falling. Back on her feet, Elisa was about to stomp on her, but the woman rolled away and avoided it. She leapt back up and launched into a punch.
Elisa blocked and struck with her elbow. Before the woman could recover, Elisa sprung forward with a kick to her chest that threw the woman into a luggage cart.
“Hey!”
She looked and saw security guards. Damn. Elisa took a few steps back and raised her arms as they approached. They restrained Elisa and the woman she was fighting, slapping cuffs on her wrists.
“Does this mean I’m going to miss my flight?” asked Elisa.
CHAPTER 7
The limousine pulled up to the front entrance of a large, castle-like mansion. Jason reached for the handle on his door, but before he could, the door was opened by an elderly man dressed in a tuxedo. Jason emerged and the butler bowed, then closed the door.
“Mr. Shroud, welcome. The Grand Master waits in his den. If you would be so good as to follow me.”
Jason nodded and followed the butler up the steps to the front door. He took Jason through the main halls until they reached a heavy, oak door. The butler knocked a few times and a voice from the other side said, “Enter.”
The butler opened the door but did not step inside. Instead, he gestured for Jason to enter. The Freemason gave a tip of his head and walked inside, the butler closing the door behind him.
It was definitely a large den. There were a few bookcases with thick, leather-bound tomes, a liquor cabinet, and an ancient globe. A massive oriental rug lay across the floor. And a large, L-shaped desk in front of the bay window doors leading out to a patio with the curtains open. Behind the desk was a massive leather chair and seated in it, a cigar clasped between his lips, was a man with short, silver hair, a beard, and dark eyes. He stood from the desk.
“Mr. Shroud, I’m glad we’ve finally had this opportunity to meet.” He extended his hand over the desk. “Aldrich Connelly.”
Jason approached and shook the hand. “It’s an honor, sir.”
“Please, sit.” Connelly motioned to a chair in front of the desk and Jason accepted. After sitting back down, Connelly reached across the desk for a box and opened the lid, revealing a collection of cigars. Jason declined by holding up his hand.
“Sir, forgive me for asking, but why am I here? You’ve only ever made contact through phone or email in the past, or sent intermediaries. What’s different this time?”
Connelly puffed on his cigar. “How long have you been working with us, Jason? Do you mind if I call you Jason?”
“Not at all. And I’ve been with the organization since completing my doctorate.”
“Your father was one of ours as well, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, that’s correct, sir.”
“Jason, I’m gonna cut to the chase—the reason I asked you here today is I have some concerns.”
Jason shifted in his chair, but tried to hide the confusion he felt at Connelly’s statement. “What sort of concerns?”
“It’s about this Elisa Hill you’ve been working with. Now I understand that she’s helped us on a few occasions…”
“If I may, she’s done a lot more than helped. She’s saved the world more than once, and saved my life more times than I can count in the process.”
“Be that as it may, and despite her family’s reputation, she’s done a number of things that I’ve found questionable. Chief among them destroying the Spear of Destiny.”
“It had to be done. If any Thule remnants or the Order got their hands on it—”
“We have ways of containing these artifacts, you know this better than anyone. More than that, some of her associations are troubling.” Connelly placed the cigar in an ashtray and picked up a file from the other half of his desk. He opened it as he leaned back in his chair. “Scott ‘Stubby’ Sheen, Lucas Davalos, Rufus Stone…the list goes on. And then there’s her partner.”
“Asami’s been a valuable asset to us.”
“She’s a creature who worked for one of the Dragon Kings.”
“Yeah, and she turned against them.” Jason sighed. “What’s going on here?”
“I understand she’s helping you with the search for the Order,” said Connelly.
“And I have some news on that front.” Jason retrieved his phone from the pocket and brought up the image Elisa sent. He slid it across the desk.
Connelly put his glasses on and held up the phone, studying the photograph. Jason couldn’t tell if the Grand Master was surprised, curious, or just bored by the picture. The man had an unbelievable poker face.
“What am I looking at, son?”
“That photo was taken by Max Finch, Elisa’s mentor. Along with coordinates and a message asking for help. Since then, we’ve heard nothing from him. But my guess would be this skeleton is why he’s missing.”
Connelly returned the phone and leaned back. “Did you look into these coordinates?”
Jason gave a nod. “I did. Right now, there’s nothing there. But it turns out there was a ship out there conducting a deep-sea excavation. The head of the excavation is this man.” Jason brought up another photograph and held the phone so Connelly could see. “Dr. Russell McCartney, a protégé of Professor Finch. Given the nature of that strange find and Finch’s history, it’s my bet he’s been taken by the Order.”
“An interesting theory.”
“Asami and Elisa are both on their way to London to see if Max’s own investigation into the Order’s whereabouts can turn up anything.”
“Now that I would advise against.”
“Why?”
“It’s a waste of time and resource
s. Especially in light of what we’ve recently learned.” Connelly took another file from his desk and slid it towards Jason.
The Freemason picked up the folder and opened it. What he saw inside nearly made his jaw drop. His gaze connected with Connelly. “Is this for real?”
“It is,” said Connelly. “We have reason to believe that the Order is searching for Atlantis. And if they can open that door, it could mean disastrous consequences for all mankind.”
“But this could be connected to Finch and that skeleton. It’s the only lead we’ve got on the Order.”
“There’s not much sense in going where the Order has already been when we can learn where they’re going.”
Jason blinked. “How do you plan to do that?”
“Read the file.”
Jason continued to read the file and as he did, Connelly rose from his seat and approached the liquor cabinet. He fixed himself a martini and asked Jason if he wanted something as well. Shroud declined, never lifting his eyes from the documents in the folder.
“There is a man in Morocco, Omar Badat.”
“I’ve heard of him, claims to be a psychic.”
“I think he’s the genuine article.” Connelly returned to his chair and sat back down, taking a sip of his drink. “As you well know, archaeological evidence of Atlantis is almost nonexistent. So we have to rely on other sources. And Badat has claimed to have visions of a war in Heaven, with demons battling angels. The skeleton here and what Wade told Elisa Hill during the period you held him captive could suggest that Badat had actually seen a war between Atlantis and Lemuria.”
“The Akashic Records. We haven’t heard of anyone else tapped into those since the Necronomicon affair.”
“Badat is capitalizing on his link to the Akashic Records, writing books about the spiritual world. He’s apparently working on one now called The True History of Mankind. Your cover is you and your team are making a documentary film.”
Atlantis Rising (The Myth Hunter Book 6) Page 3