Cassie’s eyes narrowed to slits. “That fossil is planning to double-cross us.”
The Scrivener laughed wryly. “It’s hard to summon up a proper sense of righteous indignation when we’re arranging a betrayal of our own.”
“Yeah, but we’re the good guys.” The Pythia’s voice held a note of outraged innocence.
Her partner cocked an amused eyebrow. “I’m quite sure Mr. Metcalf would say the same about himself.”
Chapter 6—Smoke And Mirrors
Cassie and Griffin stood hesitantly before the Chatelaine’s office door. The Pythia gave her partner a wry glance. “Brace yourself. Here goes nothing.” She knocked tentatively. “Maddie, can we come in?”
Rather than the Arkana’s resident Amazon, the door was opened by a spiky-haired teenager. “Oh, hi guys. C’mon in.”
“Zach! What are you doing here?” the Scrivener asked in surprise.
The duo stepped into the room.
“Maddie has me organizing some budget reports.”
“Have you seen Faye today?” the Pythia asked softly. The Memory Guardian was still comatose in the Vault infirmary.
“Yeah.” Zach’s shoulders sagged. “Same old, same old. I hate seeing Gamma like that. Alive but not alive. When is she gonna snap out of it?”
“You know the doctors had to induce a coma to avert the risk of permanent brain damage,” Griffin reminded him.
“Give it time, kid,” the Pythia counseled. “It might be a month or more before the swelling comes down. Faye took a nasty tumble during the Nephilim raid. In fact, we’re lucky she’s alive at all. She needs time to heal.” Cassie paused and sighed ruefully. “Considering how hard we’ve been slammed in the last few weeks, I think we all need time to heal.” She stepped forward and gave the boy a hug.
He returned the embrace gratefully. “Gamma will be alright. I know it. She’s a tough old lady.”
“She is that,” Cassie agreed.
Scanning the office, Griffin asked, “Would you happen to know the whereabouts of our Chatelaine?”
“She’s up in the chimney.” Zach referred to Maddie’s personal smoking lounge in the converted bell tower that capped the building. “Have you guys noticed that she’s been smoking more lately?” He peered at them earnestly. “I think everything that’s happened has sent her around the bend.”
“Oh, this is nothing,” Cassie countered. She traded a significant glance with Griffin. “You’ll know when Maddie’s gone completely around the bend.”
Undeterred, Zach persisted. “Seriously. Somebody needs to have a long talk with her about quitting cigarettes.”
“NO!” Both Cassie and Griffin shouted in unison.
“Jeez, you guys,” the tyro muttered. “It was just a suggestion.”
“And it’s an excellent one,” the Scrivener agreed diplomatically. “But perhaps we should defer your proposal until after this Nephilim business has been sorted out.”
“Promise us you won’t say anything to Maddie til then,” Cassie insisted urgently. “Okay?”
“Okay, whatever,” Zach agreed warily. “But I don’t get what the big deal is.”
“If you want the scoop on what happened last time she quit, ask one of the other tyros about the war club incident,” Cassie advised him.
The boy’s eyes darted to the massive wooden club resting against the back wall. “Oh.” He hastily changed the subject. “So did you talk to that Diviner dude?”
“Yup. That’s why we’re here,” Cassie informed him. “To figure out a strategy with Maddie, assuming she’s willing to cooperate.”
“We’ll just go up to the chimney and speak with her there.” Griffin turned on his heel.
“Great! I’m going with.” Zach darted past the Scrivener and out the door.
Cassie eyed her partner and shrugged.
Griffin shook his head and fell in line behind the others.
They took the elevator to the second floor, traveled through the corridor of empty offices and conference rooms, and climbed the spiral staircase at the far end.
The scent of cigarette smoke hit Cassie’s nostrils before they were halfway up. “Oh, wow.” She waved her hand in front of her face and coughed.
“See, I told you she’s smoking more,” Zach murmured from behind her.
The Pythia paused at the top of the steps, steeling herself for an uncomfortable encounter. The last words she’d spoken to Maddie during the Circle assembly nearly resulted in a punch in the face. With false bravado, she strode into the bell tower. “Hey, Maddie. How’s it going?”
The Chatelaine was sitting on a couch by the front picture windows, one arm slung over the back of the sofa, contemplating the view as she puffed away at a half-smoked cigarette. She turned with a start. “You!” she barked accusingly.
“Me.” The Pythia smiled sheepishly. “And Griffin too.”
The Scrivener came to stand beside her. “We were hoping to have a word with you.”
The Chatelaine snorted. “I couldn’t stop you if I wanted to. Michel Khatabi and his delegation made it pretty clear that the Circle voted in your favor. Everybody seems to think I should fall in with whatever hare-brained scheme the two of you have cooked up.”
Cassie crossed the room and took a seat in an armchair near the couch. Griffin claimed a chair opposite her.
Zach slid into the room, presumably wishing to remain invisible.
“I see you brought your mascot,” Maddie remarked sarcastically.
“He is an interested party in what we have to say,” Griffin reminded her.
“Fine.” Maddie ground out her cigarette in an ashtray on the coffee table. “I’m listening.” She shifted to sit forward and face them. “Sit down, kid,” she commanded.
Zachary dragged a chair closer to the group and plopped down wordlessly.
“We met with the Nephilim yesterday,” Cassie began.
Maddie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You did what?” She seemed more intrigued than angry now. “How did you manage that?”
Cassie and Griffin recounted the various events which had occurred after Maddie stormed out of the Circle convocation: the decision to use the labrys key as bait, Daniel’s unexpected offer of assistance, and the meeting in Federal Plaza.
Once they’d finished, the Chatelaine said nothing for several moments. She drummed her long, lacquered nails on one knee while considering the facts. Then she reached for her pack of cigarettes, lit a fresh one and took a long drag before speaking. Blowing out a puff of smoke, she finally said, “You’ll both be walking a tightrope here.”
“We are well aware of the intricacies of the situation,” Griffin agreed.
“Our biggest problem is how to keep Daniel out of the way while we hunt for the Sage Stone,” Cassie concluded.
Maddie shook her head. “I don’t think you can do that without making Metcalf suspicious.” As she pondered the dilemma, it was clear that she’d forgotten her grudge against them.
“Guys, please try to remember you’re gambling with my girlfriend’s life.” Zach looked at them beseechingly.
“Don’t worry, kid.” The Chatelaine’s expression softened. “We wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize Hannah’s safety.”
“She’s safer now than she was before we cut this deal with the Nephilim,” Cassie reassured the teenager. “Metcalf knows if he lifts a finger to hurt her, he’ll never get his hands on the Sage Stone. She’s his only bargaining chip.”
“I spoke to Daniel at length about Hannah’s situation,” Griffin added. “He visits her every day. She’s being held under lock and key but is otherwise well-treated.”
“So he says,” muttered Zach. “He could be lying.”
“I don’t think he’s lying about that. He’s Hannah’s ally.” Cassie frowned in concentration. “But Zach raises a good point. We don’t know how far we can trust Daniel when it comes to the Sage Stone.”
“And we have to work side-by-side with him during the most critica
l phase of our artifact quest.” Griffin slumped forward and clasped his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. “His presence complicates our search enormously.”
“It doesn’t have to.” Maddie was gazing off into the distance, puffing pensively on her cigarette.
“I beg your pardon,” Griffin sat up in surprise. “How are we supposed to beat the Nephilim to the Sage Stone with the Diviner’s son in tow?”
“Maybe you’re not.” Maddie gave a cryptic smile.
The other three peered at her blankly.
“Maybe you two aren’t going to find it first.” She paused. “We are.”
“We who?” Cassie asked.
“The Arkana,” Maddie explained. “You feed us whatever info you uncover along the way and we do the heavy research and the preliminary legwork.”
“I volunteer.” Zach’s hand shot up in air.
“For what?” the Pythia challenged.
“For research. I’ve been told I’m pretty smart.” He paused to register their expressions of disbelief. “By people who aren’t you, anyway. I get good grades at school. Please, guys. You’ve got to let me help. I can’t just sit here and fret about whether Hannah is OK or not.”
Maddie let out a long sigh. “Fine. You can help. But I still expect you to finish your martial arts and weapons training.”
“Absolutely!”
“Zach, with all that stuff on your plate it means you’ll have to be here full time,” Cassie pointed out. “What are you going to tell your parents?”
“No worries. Only a couple more weeks before school’s out for vacation. I’ll tell them I got a summer job.” He paused as another thought struck him. Turning brightly to Maddie he said, “Of course I’ll need to make it convincing. My folks will expect to see a paycheck.”
“A paycheck!” Maddie glared at him. “That’s unheard of. Tyros don’t get paid.”
“I’m operating undercover,” the boy protested. “I’m a special case.”
“You’re a special case alright,” the Chatelaine grumbled. “I’ll give you minimum wage.”
“What?” the boy yelped.
“I can go lower,” Maddie warned.
Zach held up his hands in resignation. “Fine, fine. Minimum wage.”
“But what are we supposed to do while the staff at the Vault is searching for the Sage Stone?” Griffin persisted.
“Buy us time.” Maddie fixed them with an earnest gaze. “You’ll be decoys. You can still follow the trail of whatever clues you find but drag your feet a little. Let us get there two steps ahead of you.”
“Suppose your plan works and you do get to the Sage Stone before we arrive with Daniel,” Cassie challenged. “We still have to produce an artifact for Metcalf at the end of the day.”
“We could leave the hiding place empty. Make it appear as if robbers had gotten there first,” Griffin suggested.
“Too risky,” Zach objected. “Daniel’s dad might suspect we pulled a fast one and then he’d refuse to turn Hannah over to you guys. We have to give him something.”
“We can do what we always do,” Maddie suggested. “Substitute a replica.”
“As long as the old dude thinks it’s real, he’ll go ahead with his master plan,” Zach cautioned.
“True,” the Chatelaine conceded. “But between now and then we should be able to figure out what his master plan is and how to put a crimp in it. When things blow up in his face, he’ll be forced to conclude that the Sage Stone had no power to help him after all. Then he’ll have to call it quits.”
“As an added bonus, he might completely lose credibility with his flock,” the Scrivener pointed out. “His failure could demoralize the Nephilim for generations.”
“Fine by me,” Cassie said. “If they crawl back under their rock for a couple hundred more years, they’d be doing the world a favor.”
“So what’s our first step?” Zach regarded the others eagerly.
“We’ll have to give you some initial momentum,” Griffin said.
“I can think of a good starting point.” Cassie smiled mischievously. “Australia.”
“Australia!” the other three exclaimed in unison.
“Yup, Australia. Since the final clue points north from China, Australia is the one place on the planet we can be sure the Sage Stone isn’t.”
The Chatelaine nodded her head approvingly. “That’s a good idea.”
“Marvelous,” Griffin said ironically. “I can’t imagine how you intend to sell the idea to Daniel.”
“Easy,” the Pythia replied. “By faking a trance.”
Chapter 7—Top End Down Under
Cassie slouched out of the hotel dining room trailed by Griffin. She sank into one of the lobby’s upholstered wicker chairs and rubbed her eyes. “I feel like my eyeballs are crusted with broken glass.”
The Scrivener took a seat beside her. He smiled knowingly. “Your special brand of Pythia jetlag appears to be asserting itself this morning.”
“The mother of all understatements,” the Pythia murmured. ‘I think Maddie got her revenge for our mutiny by booking us coach.” Her head swam as she recalled the grueling trip from Chicago to Darwin, Australia. Thankfully, Darwin was located at the very northern tip of the continent. “Top End” as the locals called it. Cassie shuddered to think how much worse she’d have felt if they’d continued all the way to Sydney. Australia was about the same size as the continental United States with a sizeable gap between its northern and southern coasts. “What day is it?” she inquired feebly.
“You’re not going to ask the time?” Griffin protested in mock surprise.
“I know it’s eight AM here but between twenty seven hours of flight time and crossing the international dateline, I’ve lost track of the day.”
Griffin glanced up at the numerous clocks ranged behind the reception desk, all intended to reorient international travelers. “Friday,” he informed her.
“Thanks.” Cassie yawned expressively and blinked as she tried to bring her surroundings into focus. The open doors on either end of the lobby created a breezeway between the pool on one side and the porte-cochere on the other. The Pythia judged the outside temperature to be a balmy seventy-five degrees. It was a perfect sunny summer morning. Only it wasn’t summer.
“Isn’t June supposed to be winter in these parts?” she asked suspiciously.
“It is, but you must remember that Australia is warmer in the north and colder in the south. Darwin is only twelve degrees away from the equator which makes its climate tropical. The region basically has two seasons. The winters are warm and dry while the summers are warm and wet. Conversely, southern Australia is closer to Antarctica making it somewhat chillier in winter though still not what we might consider cold. However, there are ski resorts in the mountains of New South Wales and Victoria.”
Cassie leaned forward and rubbed her temples. “I definitely need more coffee to process those factoids. Let’s recap, shall we? In Australia, summer is winter and winter is summer. It’s colder in the south and warmer in the north.”
“Exactly so,” Griffin agreed brightly. Seemingly from out of nowhere, the Scrivener produced a To Go cup of coffee and handed it to his partner.
“When did you...?” she trailed off in surprise. “Never mind.” She gratefully accepted the proffered drink, sipping the hot black brew cautiously. “What would I do without you?”
Griffin seemed flustered by the remark because he cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Our contact should be here at any moment.”
“So should Daniel,” Cassie added. The extra jolt of caffeine was helping her scrape off another layer of jetlag. “He said he’d meet us in the lobby at eight.”
The Scrivener’s attention was caught by a woman striding purposefully toward them. “Ah, she’s here.”
They both rose for introductions.
“Cassie, allow me to present Alma Jones. She’s an anthropology professor at Darwin University who moonlights as a scout f
or the Arkana in this region.”
The Pythia did a double-take. The utterly commonplace Anglo name of Alma Jones was borne by a dark-skinned aborigine with broad facial planes. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, of medium height and sturdy build, but it was her hair that fascinated Cassie most. The Pythia had always disliked her own limp locks. Alma’s hair was bushy as a rhododendron and flared around her shoulders. She had made an attempt to subdue it with a colorful headband but its energy refused to be confined.
“Pleased to meet you.” Cassie extended her hand.
“An honor to meet the new Pythia,” Alma replied.
Cassie blinked again. Another contradiction. The scout’s intonation didn’t contain an exotic lilt. Her accent was outback Aussie. The Pythia half expected Alma’s next words to be “G’day, mate.”
The scout exchanged a hug with Griffin. “Nice to see you out of the Vault for a change.”
“Lately, it seems I’m never in it,” he retorted.
At that moment, the elevator doors parted to reveal Daniel. He immediately spied the trio standing in the middle of the lobby and headed toward them. He was dressed in a silk camp shirt and linen trousers with a cotton sweater draped casually over one shoulder.
Griffin performed the introductions but Alma seemed less than enthusiastic to meet the newcomer.
“Is that what you’re planning to wear today?” she asked cautiously.
Daniel apparently noted for the first time that his three colleagues were all dressed in t-shirts, khaki shorts and hiking boots. His eyes widened in alarm. “Is there a problem?”
“You look like you just stepped out of an Armani ad,” Cassie remarked gently. She glanced at the Scion’s Italian tassel loafers. “You’ll never make it in those shoes.”
“We’ll be doing some rock-climbing today over rugged terrain,” Alma informed him. “It’s going to be hot. Shorts and a cotton shirt might serve you better.”
“I... uh... I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” He cast a panicky look back toward the elevator. “I’ll go and change immediately.”
The Sage Stone Prophecy (Arkana Archaeology Adventure Series Book 7) Page 4