Quest Call

by Kirk Dougal

  “He wasn't pure,” DeBrest said. “Only the pure may enter the tomb. Remember, the Holy Mothers are the ones to tend to Oshun, and they must be pure like Oshun was or whoever enters will die when they come back outside. It is the curse of the tomb.”

  Sour bile rose in my mouth. This was a problem I did not know how to fix.

  “Pure?” Card asked. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

  Saleene shrugged. “It is the Temple of the Blessed Virgin.”

  “Well, I'm out,” Card said. “I've got a kid.”

  “Not me,” Saleene said and stared at me. I just rolled my eyes in response.

  “I can't go in, either,” DeBrest said.

  The room grew quiet. After a few seconds, Bree let out a sigh.

  “Well, shit. I can go inside the tomb,” she said. “I'm still a virgin.”

  *****

  The crier had sounded midnight before we left the Lion and the Lamb, all five of us sneaking out the door in the kitchen into the side yard, packs loaded and on our backs. If all went well, we would head straight into the desert after we stole Oshun's heart, traveling fast to reach the rendezvous point with Yemaya in time for her to take us back to Maegdon.

  We walked close to the buildings, holding onto the darkness like friends in the night. The shadows were deep and black as an almost full moon traveled across the sky, throwing enough light for anyone to see movement. No cries rang out, however, and we continued toward the center of Tsamib, the Golden Tower a glint-topped spire leading us to our goal. I dropped back to walk between Saleene and Bree.

  “I suspect Oshun was made into a mummy,” I said to Bree, leaning close so I could whisper. “Early Egyptian mummies had their hearts kept inside their bodies and the stomach, intestines, lungs, and liver were placed in four canopic jars. You'll need to find a way to push the sarcophagus lid off the bottom and cut out the heart if that's the case. If this religion follows later Egyptian and other cultures around the world that mummified their dead, then the heart was removed and will be in a fifth jar near the sarcophagus.” She stared at me in the moonlight, hair shimmering. “It was a research project,” I said. “I studied the ancient burial procedures of cultures around the world.” That was all Bree needed to know. I did not feel like telling her Ghost and I had been planning a second game after The Kindred, one that revolved around the ancient gods and the afterlife. It was scrapped when doctors made the discovery of DIOD, and I disappeared into the games, the addiction ravaging me as well as thousands of others.

  I looked to my right to see if Saleene had anything to add, but she was already gone, a shadow leaping over the edge of a roof and out of sight. Card led us around the next street corner, and I stopped, my head craning back.

  I had seen the Golden Tower every day we had stayed in Tsamib. I knew it was big, big enough to stand out even when we traveled to the prison. But standing in front of it, I was slapped with the realization of just how massive a structure the king had built for his dead daughter. Its white walls, bathed in moonlight, circled around large enough for at least one hundred people to stand inside without touching each other. Even though it tapered as it rose, the gilded dome capping the top was still half the size as the base, a golden display of wealth that was mind-boggling.

  Card hissed and I stumbled out of my trance, trotting to catch up with the others. I followed them through one of the semi-circle openings, set in the four corners of the compass, and entered the holy area, walking next to Oshun's resting place. Although it was darker inside, I could still see the shape of the tomb, the white in the marble nearly glowing.

  “Watch the east, Duke,” I said and then turned to Card. “You take the south. As soon as Bree's inside, I'll go to the north. Saleene will watch our escape route.” I put my hand on Bree's shoulder. “We're counting on you. Make it fast.”

  She nodded and put down her gear, bow and quiver leaning against the bulging pack. With her dagger in one hand, she reach into the pouch tied at her waist and pulled out the sun gem. Bree opened her hand, leaving it resting on her palm, and walked forward.

  For the first two steps, I wondered if the creature beside DeBrest had been lying, one more tempting treat of despair for her taste. But by the third step, a spark glowed in the jewel's center, a firefly throwing light into the darkness. With each succeeding, halting step, the light in Bree's hand grew until I had to turn away or be blinded to the night. A second later, the brilliance disappeared, and I was thrust back into darkness. I ran past the corner of the tomb and watched the north opening, glancing back over my shoulder every few breaths to see if Bree had returned.

  Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days. A week passed and then a season. I grew old and died, my body decomposing into the ground, returning from where it came to nourish the next life. Ages flew by and the people of Tsamib were forgotten, dust and half-razed stone walls the only testament to their lives. The sun winked out of existence, releasing the cold and dark of space on the world and still Bree did not return. Time had no meaning for me now, I was beyond it, my eternal wait all that I knew.

  A glow began in the center of the tomb wall, and I rushed back. The light gleamed, intensifying until it was bright enough to see by under the dome. The marble colors danced and swayed, becoming less and less solid until they were only shadows, wisps of smoke that anyone could blow aside and see Oshun's resting place.

  I blinked. Bree stepped away from the wall and coughed, sucking at the night air like a sailor drowning in the sea. One hand still held the sun gem but the other arm was wrapped around five jars, clutched close to her body. I rushed forward to grab them before they crashed to the ground.

  “I wasn't sure which one was the heart,” she said between gasps. “So I grabbed them all. They were just on a shelf at the feet of the sarcophagus.”

  “If they were that easy to find, what took so long?” I asked, my mind still captivated by the illusion of time sweeping by me in a rush.

  Bree tilted her head. “What do you mean? I was only gone a few seconds.”

  I shook my head, realizing something had played a trick on me. Perhaps another part of the curse to convince people to leave the tomb alone. I sat the jars carefully on the ground and shrugged out of my pack.

  Card ran to my side, glancing down as he slid to a halt. “Got `em? Good. Take them all, Beast, and we'll sort them out later. I think I saw people moving down my street.”

  “Me, too,” DeBrest said as he trotted close. “Whoever it is, there's a lot of them.”

  I yanked out everything but Yemaya's box from my pack and shoved the jars inside, hoping they would not break. Grabbing the straps in one hand, I leaped to my feet and ran out the western opening of the Golden Tower…

  …and nearly lost my feet, my body vibrating from the sound ringing from the dome. Another peal staggered me sideways into Card, both of us stumbling under the assault. My eyes blurred, and I watched DeBrest crawl along the ground, one hand covering an ear, the other clawing into the hard-packed street, pulling himself forward. The dome rang again, beating on my shoulders and head in waves. The ringing must have been more magic, a warning system if someone succeeded in leaving the tomb alive.

  Buzzing rattled in my ears. I managed three more steps, each one faster, before I realized the noise was the sound of rage filling the air. I glanced back and a massive dark wave surged forward, men running to avenge the attack on their sacred beliefs.

  Card was lifting DeBrest to his feet when I ran past, my feet finally coming to life. Bree was already a dozen strides in front of me and pulling away, her silver braid waving me forward across her back. Spears clattered along the ground behind me, too far away to do damage, but an arrow skipped by a breath later, missing my leg by the breadth of a finger, and I found even more speed. DeBrest surged beside me, then dropped back, appearing again, and then slowing out of sight behind me.

  Bree rounded the corner in front of us, swerving into the turn and out of our v
iew. We followed a few seconds later, and I glanced up to see how big a lead she had now.

  She was nowhere in sight.

  An arrow whistled through the night from my left, raining death down from the roof. A shadow screamed and fell into the moonlight across the street, a man who twitched on the ground. Another arrow, another body. But then, more shadows stepped out from the walls, one shouting instructions, shouting in a voice I recognized.

  “Get the other woman!” Grol screamed. “She's on the roof. Alive! She's worthless dead.”

  A man crossed in front of the slaver, racing for the building beside us, and dropped to the ground, an arrow sticking through his head. It had been aimed for Grol's heart but luck and timing had been on the trader's side. He backed up, allowing more of his men to surge forward.

  Bree screamed, terror filling the air and echoing down the street. The sound crawled into my heart and squeezed. I tried to yell in response, but I never heard the words.

  An entire section of the street in front of me blew skyward, sand and dirt mixing with blood and bone. Through the swirling haze, I saw the first row of Grol's men had disappeared, a gaping hole remaining where they had stood. A second later, the next row was gone as well, and this time, I saw some of the legs and arms twirling off into the night, raining down on nearby buildings. I glanced to my right in time to see Card's arm flash forward, the stones wrapped around his hand pulsing in blue light. Another explosion followed.

  Grol's ranks broke, his men scattering in front of us. I sprinted past some who limped away, injured by the shrapnel of their friends' bodies. I turned to see if DeBrest was still with us and saw the greaves I had found hidden in the Breton armory glowing as brightly as Card's stones. He looked me in the eye and smiled before leaning forward even more.

  In two breaths, he was at the end of the next block, his legs a blue blur. He stopped, staring down the side streets and waved Card and I forward. We had nearly reached him when Bree screamed again, the shout cutting short.

  “That way,” I said between gulps of air, waving to the left.

  “We've got to hurry,” Card said. “The crowd's getting closer.” Another roar confirmed his warning.

  I shrugged out of my backpack and held it toward DeBrest.

  “Take this,” I said. “The heart is inside. Run as fast as you can to the rendezvous point with Yemaya and we will follow.” DeBrest took the pack but then stared behind me toward the oncoming crowd. “Go!” I yelled.

  The duke glanced back one more time, and then sped down the street, leaving Card and I panting in his wake, his legs a glowing blue blur.

  “The greaves,” Card said.

  “I saw them.” A black figure raced across the rooftop beside us, and I ducked. The shadow kept running, however, and I noticed the moonlight glinting off her hair. “Follow Saleene. She'll lead us to Bree.”

  An arrow bounced past my feet, then another landed just past Card. Luckily, Saleene jumped an alley, springing from rooftop to rooftop, and then veered to the left. We followed her, putting solid walls between us and the pursuit. She led us in a zigzag pattern, straight and then turn, turn again, and back to straight. She slid along the edge of a building, her hand nocking an arrow and pulling the bowstring before she was completely stopped. I ran around the corner as she released it, a giant buzzing cutting the night.

  I watched a man fall in the middle of the street, skidding across the ground, an object over his shoulder rolling free. He clawed at the packed dirt, pulling himself forward and up to a knee. That was when I noticed the arrow sticking through the back of his leg. I did not hesitate.

  Stitch heard my pounding feet and had his sword halfway out the scabbard when I slammed into him, his body tumbling away as the sword flew into the night. I leaped forward again, my foot connecting with his ribs, and I felt the bones break, a gurgle echoing down the street. Warm liquid sprayed over my legs and the sound stopped, another arrow sticking out the front of his throat.

  I turned and Card was already freeing Bree, cutting the bindings on her feet and wrists. Saleene let herself down from the nearby building, hanging from the side before dropping to the street.

  “Can you move? I asked Bree.

  She nodded. “I'm not hurt. I just need to get some feeling back into my feet.”

  A single shout at the last intersection turned into the roar again, letting us know the crowd had found us.

  “No time,” I said, jerking Bree to her feet and wrapping her arm over my shoulder. “Get us out of here, Saleene!”

  Card turned as I moved, his fist striking forward. I was already dragging Bree into the best run she could manage so I did not see what he did but a huge orange light bathed the buildings around us and the yelling turned into screams. A few seconds later, he was beside me, pulling on Bree's other arm.

  Saleene led us toward the edge of the city, using alleys and side streets whenever possible. Twice the crowd found us again; twice Card threw something at them that stopped the noise for a little while. But the effort was taking a toll and, soon, he lagged behind, staggering from exhaustion every few steps. I opened my mouth to tell Saleene to find a place for us to rest for a few minutes when she stopped in front of us, loosing an arrow and reaching for another while the first was still in the air.

  I never saw the bolt fly out of the night, never even heard the twang of the crossbow. But Bree jerked back hard enough I lost my grip on her waist, and she slid down the side of my body. It did not matter that Saleene's arrow had killed the shooter a split second too late. All that was important was the bolt sticking out of Bree's chest, her hands grasping feebly at the end. She looked up at me, and I leaned over.

  “Stitch said Saleene and me were Grol's payment,” she said, blood trickling out the corner of her mouth. “He brought the city guards and crowd to take care of you while they grabbed us and took us away so he could sell us later.” She coughed. “Master Grol always made up… for his…losses.” She held a hand out to the night, her eyes not seeing. “Saleene.”

  Bree's hand dropped to the ground before her friend reached it.

  “We've got to keep moving,” I said, rising to a crouch.

  “We can't leave her,” Saleene said, her voice catching.

  “I won't.” I jerked the bolt out of Bree's chest and stood, bringing her body over my shoulder. Heat radiated down from my armbands. “Go on. We've got to catch up to DeBrest before Yemaya arrives.”

  Chapter 40

  Heat rose off the sand, the air shimmering waves, distorting the path until I wandered into the soft sand and stumbled.

  “Son of a bitch.” Swearing did not help cool me off but the release felt good.

  “Do you want me to take her for a while?” Saleene asked.

  I shook my head. “I'm okay. Sweat got in my eyes, and I lost the trail.”

  Card stood at the top of the next rise, rivulets of sand rolling down from his feet. “I see the rocks.” He glanced up at the sun, shielding his eyes with a hand. “We got just enough time to make it by noon.” He turned and stared at me before his gaze drifted up, looking over our heads into the distance. “Run,” he shouted. “Run!”

  I picked up the pace, managing a decent trot up the hill with Bree's body still slung over my shoulder. When I reached the peak, Saleene was already there, pointing back toward Tsamib.

  A shimmering black blob floated over the desert floor, undulating up and down in rhythm. As I watched, the mass broke into individual bodies, galloping across the sands.

  “Horses,” I said. “Don't those bastards ever stop?”

  We turned and ran toward the boulders. Card and Saleene made good time on the hard path, and I did my best to keep up. The thought of dropping Bree, leaving her for the desert scavengers, crossed my mind but just as quickly left. Dead or not, our group had been through too much to leave anybody behind to our enemies.

  My lungs burned from sucking the desert air, but now my legs joined them, fires racing up and down my calves, my
hamstrings screaming with every slip of a foot. I shook my head, sweat flying off my face. Some still ran into my eyes, but I was able to make out Saleene waiting beside the rocks, Card already moving around them off the trail and into the dunes. I stopped when I was beside her, turning to look at the approaching soldiers. They were easier to make out now, close enough to see the men riding on the horses as separate beings, the ground beginning to beat with their hooves. I whirled again, this time stopping to search for Card. He was standing two dunes away.

  “I see it,” he yelled. “But DeBrest isn't here.”

  My stomach flopped. Our escape was meaningless if we did not take the heart to Yemaya when she sent the gate. I wondered what she would do to us in her anger at our breaking the bargain, realizing we were all too worn out to put up much of a fight. A shadow fell over me, and I skittered sideways, waiting for the attack from above.

  “I'm here,” DeBrest said, moving out from the shade of a massive stone block. He held my pack out. “Let's go home.”

  The duke stepped out of sight as he made his way down to the sand, and Saleene and I struggled through the shifting ground, swimming up the hills and sliding down. In a few minutes, we reached Card as DeBrest, slipping and swooping like us, came around another dune and joined the group.

  “Let's hope Yemaya's not late,” Card said. “We're sitting ducks here in the open.”

  Saleene moved close to me, placing a hand on Bree's back. “Thank you for bringing her.”

  A laugh rose in my throat, coarse and short. “It doesn't mean anything if we don't make it back to…” I stopped as shouts rose from beyond the dunes we had just climbed. The pursuers were close enough they had found our trail off the road. They would be on top of us in a couple of minutes. I laid Bree's body on the sand and pulled my sword.

  Card shouted, and I spun, wondering how the soldiers had flanked us already. But it was not the men from Tsamib that caused his cry. Instead, a whirling ring of air and fire was expanding over the ground, growing large enough to reveal a moonless night on the other side. A cool breeze caressed my cheeks.