The Oracle's Message

by Alex Archer

  And she wanted to know why.

  So she stayed put and let the motion of the boat move her about. The real task would be staying concealed when the shadow stopped the boat and prepared to dive.

  That came sooner than she expected. A quick peek out from under the tarp revealed that the shadowy coastline in the distance appeared to put them in the same location that Annja had dived earlier with Spier and his team.

  But what would bring someone else out here on a night like this?

  The tarp shifted and Annja froze. She heard nothing that would indicate the identity of the shadow she shared the boat with, but judging from the motion of the boat, he was strapping on his diving gear.

  A few moments later, Annja heard him go over the side.

  She crept out from under the tarp. Rain still pelted her, and the cloudy sky overhead gave her very little ambient light to see anything.

  She checked the equipment and found that one of the arc lights had gone over the side, as well.

  As if on cue, a circle of light came from below the boat. Annja peered over the side and saw that the shadow had set up lights around the coral reef.

  “What is he doing down there?”

  She glanced back at the gear. There were enough oxygen tanks, she figured. Enough other gear, as well.

  Before reason could prevail, Annja pulled her dress over her head and, in her bra and panties, started strapping into the diving gear. In a few minutes, she was ready.

  Over the side she went.

  The water embraced her and she slid into the dark liquid without being able to see anything except the light in front of her far down below.

  There was a real danger, she knew, of running into another shark. They fed at night, and in the inky darkness of the sea she could easily be mistaken for food.

  She sank deeper toward the light. That would be the safest place to be, she supposed.

  At the bottom, she could see the shadowy figure working on another light rig. She didn’t think he’d brought much over the side with him, but she saw that there was a lot more gear down here than she’d expected.

  Maybe this was his second trip out to the site?

  She didn’t know. He could have been ferrying supplies out here all evening for all she knew. Another potential reason why this couldn’t possibly be Spier or his men.

  Annja drifted slowly farther down, trying to remain just out of the light’s ambient pool. If the shadow turned and saw her, the jig would be up, of course. And Annja wanted to know what he was doing down here.

  A dark shape shot past her in the dark. She winced, feeling the burst of adrenaline and fear flood her system. She was exposed, she knew, but she had little choice until the shadow moved again.

  When he did, he crossed over the top of the reef to the other side.

  Annja sank lower and wound her way slowly around to where she could spy on the shadow without him seeing her behind the coral. He wore a dark wet suit that covered his entire body. The mask he wore obscured his face and Annja had no idea who she might be diving with.

  She smiled. But at least she wasn’t alone. The dive master would be so proud.

  The shadow put another set of lights down near the base of the reef and flicked them on. Bright yellow light illuminated an area of the reef and the fish responded accordingly. Most of them backed into their tiny crevices, into the darkness.

  But Annja saw that the larger fish crowded around the light as if to investigate this burning sun in their world. The shadow ignored them and immediately started focusing his attention on the various outcroppings nearby. With a silver-bladed knife, he pried into them.

  Annja recognized the part of the reef as being where Hans had found the covered marble. But the shadow wasn’t near that. Was he looking for it?

  Annja frowned and checked around her. Something about floating in the dark sea made her feel as though a thousand eyes were upon her.

  She smirked. Of course there were. All of the life on the reef would know she was there.

  Well, everyone except for the shadow.

  Another dark shape on the edge of her vision darted past her. Annja whirled, kicking up a disturbance in the sand, but by the time she’d turned, the shape was gone.

  Another shark?

  She swallowed and fought against the rising tide of fear. She should leave, of course. The boat was above her.

  Somewhere.

  Provided she didn’t screw up too much, she would be able to find it again. But what then?

  She peered around the edge of the reef and the shadow was gone.

  Annja whirled around. Where did he go?

  She crept around the edge of the reef, thinking he must have moved on to another section. She looked around trying to find his air bubble trail. If she could see that, then she could pinpoint his location without too much difficulty.

  But she saw nothing.

  It really was almost as if he had disappeared right off the coral reef.

  Annja looked behind her into the depths but saw nothing there, either. He had to be around there some place, she thought.

  But where?

  She crept around to where she’d seen him last. She recognized where he’d scraped off a few barnacles, but the outcroppings yielded nothing that gave her a clue as to where he’d gone.

  What were the chances that he’d been taken by a shark? She shook her head. No, there’d be some sort of evidence of an attack. His tanks would be lying on the ocean floor. His weight belt would have been shredded.

  She frowned. Unless something even bigger than the fourteen-footer had simply taken him in its jaws and swam off.

  Her stomach ached.

  Annja’s mouth went dry and she glanced down at her oxygen gauge.

  It was running close to empty.

  Her mind whirled. The tanks should have been filled if they were going to be used for diving.

  Why hadn’t this one been filled all the way?

  She hadn’t been down that long!

  She needed to get back to the boat. But in the next instant, she knew where the shadow had vanished to.

  He’d resurfaced.

  The boat engine roared overhead, its sound muffled through the water, but Annja glanced up and saw the white foam as the boat suddenly shot back the way they had come out.

  Leaving Annja all alone in the dark ocean.

  She glanced back down at the comforting lights surrounding the reef. He’d left them on, which had to mean he was coming back, right? Why would he leave them on otherwise? It didn’t make sense.

  She had to get to the surface.

  And that meant leaving the comfort of the light.

  But Annja had no choice. She was already feeling the chill of the cooler water entering her body. She’d be hypothermic if that guy didn’t bring the boat back soon.

  She guessed they were about a mile offshore.

  She could swim for it.

  But in the storm it would be a tough slog.

  First things first, she thought. Let’s get to the surface. She watched the bubbles rise in front of her and made sure she ascended slower than they did.

  Almost there.

  She tasted the staleness of the air in her tank. It was almost gone.

  The darkness around her seemed to expand and envelop her.

  Annja fought for breath. She was twenty feet from the surface.

  Fifteen.

  Ten.

  The darkness closed in as Annja took her last breath.

  She broke the surface.

  And then passed out, bobbing in the swells.

  12

  “I must say that I find your choice of lingerie particularly…compelling.”

  Annja blinked her eyes and found herself for the second time in as many days on another boat other than the one she’d arrived on. It was still night and she felt drops of rain on her skin.

  But she was alive.

  And that was what mattered most, she supposed. Even accepting the rather sa
rcastic voice that had greeted her upon her return to consciousness.

  Worse, it was a voice she knew.

  “Hello, Roux.”

  His face hovered closer. “So you do recognize me. Well, that’s good at least. Means you didn’t sustain any lasting brain damage when you blacked out.”

  Annja rubbed her head and sat up. Her sometime mentor, Roux, draped a thick woolen blanket around her shoulders. “Keep this around you—it’ll warm you up some until I can get us back ashore.”

  “What are you doing here?” Annja’s teeth chattered and her pulse raced. She took some deep breaths and willed herself to calm down.

  “I’d ask the same thing of you,” Roux said. “You should be in New York.”

  “I was. I got tired of being there.”

  “So you flew halfway around the world?” Roux smiled. “Your ability to surprise me is without limits.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said, hugging the blanket tighter.

  “Please do,” Roux said. “I meant it as such.” He pulled the engine cord and the tiny motor sprang to life. Roux sat down and, with one hand on the rudder, guided the boat toward the darkened coastline.

  “Where are we going?”

  “The trip back to Club Noah will take us too long. I’m afraid you might have hypothermia, so we need to get you some place warm as soon as possible.”

  “I’m fine,” Annja said.

  “No,” Roux said. “You’re not. Now stop being your usual stubborn self and let me help you at least.”

  “And why would you do that?”

  Roux put a hand over his heart. “Is that any way to treat an old friend? Honestly, if I wasn’t such a nice guy, I might take real offense at that statement.”

  “You’re an old swindler,” Annja said. “Stop pretending otherwise.”

  Roux shrugged. “Fair enough. But I’m still enough of a friend that I plucked you out of the water and saved your life.”

  “Thank you for that,” Annja said. She pointed. “And what’s with the wet suit? Were you diving?”

  “That was the plan. Until you interrupted it by floating in the ocean in your underwear.”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t realize I was going to be going for a dive tonight.”

  “No? Then what brought you out here?”

  “I saw someone back at the resort. I followed him.”

  Roux shook his head. “And why on earth would you do a thing like that? It was the middle of the night. And there was a storm raging. What possessed you to follow him?”

  Annja shrugged. “My natural curiosity?”

  “I know all about that natural curiosity of yours, Annja. And I also know it’s gotten you into trouble more times than any of my other friends.”

  “You don’t have any other friends, Roux.”

  Roux sighed. “More sharp-barbed commentary from the wounded exhibitionist. Honestly…”

  The tiny boat bobbed over the swells and then Roux guided it into a small tree-lined cove. The waves grew less violent and he beached the little craft on the sandy shore. Stepping out, Roux held out his hand to Annja. “Is it all right to offer my hand to a young maiden like yourself?”

  “It’s a bit outdated,” Annja said. But she accepted his help, anyway, and stepped onto the beach. “Where are we?”

  “On the other side of the island. Your resort is over the mountain there. You’re welcome to head back that way, although I think the bugs would eat you alive before you’d get close.”

  Roux busied himself with making a fire and, despite the deluge that had fallen, the older man managed to have a blazing fire going in a few short minutes.

  He stepped back and admired his work. “There, that should warm you up nicely in no time. Plus, it’ll keep the bugs away.”

  Annja moved closer to the flames and felt the heat surge through her body. Her teeth no longer chattered and she felt more alert. But she kept the blanket wrapped around her. No sense giving Roux any more of a peep show than necessary. Annja thanked her lucky stars that it hadn’t been Garin Braden who’d found her. He would have had a hard time restraining himself.

  Roux and Garin had become as much a part of her life as Joan of Arc’s sword. The two men had followed the sword through time ever since Joan’s death, and now that Annja possessed the sword they all tried to understand—and sometimes fight—the power that linked them.

  “Whiskey?”

  Annja looked up at the small thermos cup Roux had produced from somewhere. She took it with a nod. “Thanks.”

  Roux found a log and rolled it over to sit on. “So, you’re here expressly for the purpose of relaxing? Is that it?”

  “Relaxation has taken a backseat in my life, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “Well, sure,” Roux said. “What with you choosing to save the world all the time.”

  “I don’t choose to do anything. I simply seem to be in bad situations that need correcting. More often than I’d ever want, for that matter.”

  “More problems accepting your destiny, I see,” Roux said. “I do find it so amusing sometimes. Honestly, I do.”

  “Well, I’m thrilled I can provide you with endless amounts of fun.”

  Roux took the cup back and drained it before refilling it. “So the Philippines called out to you for rest and relaxation.”

  “There’s a reef here I wanted to explore, as well,” Annja said. “Apparently it hadn’t been properly cataloged.”

  Roux took another sip of his drink and grinned. “And so, yesterday you arrived and promptly went diving by yourself.”

  “How do you know I was here yesterday?”

  Roux spread his hands. “Annja, Annja…now really, after all this time that we’ve known each other. Are you really so surprised that I know where you are all the time?”

  “You seemed surprised enough when you fished me out of the drink.”

  “That’s because I assumed you were safely and soundly tucked away in your cabana with your new boyfriend. I didn’t think I’d find you bobbing dead to the world on the swells out here, waiting for some shark to grab you. Again.”

  “You know about that, too?”

  Roux shrugged. “I heard some things. How did the sword work underwater? Slice him right through, did it?”

  “It did the job.”

  “Ah, yes, you wouldn’t see the glory in killing such a fine beast, I suppose.” Roux shook his head. “Shame, really. I wish I could have seen it.”

  “Well, next time a huge shark wants to have me for its lunch, I’ll be sure to let you know first.”

  Roux nodded as if that was the most logical thing in the world. “Excellent. I’d appreciate that.”

  “I’m sure you would,” Annja grumbled. The fire crackled and, despite everything that had happened, Annja felt sleepy. She leaned back against the tree and let her eyelids droop slightly. “Tell me why you’re here, Roux.”

  “Maybe I’m on vacation, too.”

  “You’re an awful liar,” Annja said. “Didn’t Garin ever tell you that?”

  “More times than I care to remember. Such insolence from that spoiled lothario. I don’t have to tell you that you’re lucky I found you tonight instead of him. You wouldn’t still have those white lacy things on if he had.”

  “I already considered that,” Annja said. “Now stop trying to change the subject.”

  “Was I?”

  “You were.”

  Roux let a few seconds pass while more of the wet wood crackled in the heat of the fire. Finally, he stood and helped himself to more whiskey. “Very well, since you seem to already be tuning in to the nature of this place, I suppose it’s only fair to tell you what’s going on.”

  “And what is that?”

  “You’ve heard of the Pearl of Palawan already. I know that guy Spier has told you about its powers.”

  “He’s really said nothing about the supposed powers it has,” Annja said. “Right now, he just wants to find the damned thing.”


  “Let me guess,” Roux said evenly. “You don’t believe it exists, do you?”

  Annja shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe actually. You know I look at everything with a healthy dose of skepticism.”

  “True enough,” Roux said. “But you are simultaneously emboldened by a sense of wonder. It’s what makes you so utterly charming.”

  Annja frowned. Whenever Roux handed out compliments, something was definitely up. “Uh, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome, my dear.” Roux chuckled. “So, Spier is looking for the pearl that once belonged to the great Queen Esmeralda of the Moros.”

  “Was there really such a person?” Annja asked. “I couldn’t find any reference to one today when I searched online.”

  Roux sniffed. “More reliance on technology.” He shook his head. “If the world were to end tomorrow—”

  “You’d probably be behind it,” Annja said. “Yes, I know all about your hard-line stance on overreliance on technology. Of course, you’re a hypocrite because I know you use the same technology to keep up with things that happen all over the world.”

  “It’s more of a when-in-Rome situation, I assure you,” Roux said. “I don’t go in much for being at the mercy of machinery.”

  “Queen Esmeralda?”

  Roux shrugged. “I’m sure there probably was a Queen Esmeralda at some point long ago, but that’s not really important anymore. She’s such a passing figure in the legend, it’s scarcely worth mentioning her name, to be honest.”

  “So what is important, then?”

  “The real origin of the pearl, of course.”

  Annja looked at him. In the flickering firelight, Roux’s features seemed to age and show his true lifeline of six hundred years. He’d seen an awful lot over the centuries. But sometimes it was hard figuring out where his knowledge ended and where his manipulation of facts began.

  “Let me guess, you think it came from Lemuria or Mu, too?”

  “Is that what Spier believes?”

  “I think so.”

  “How interesting.” Roux rubbed his chin thoughtfully and tossed another log on the fire. It blazed and hissed as the water evaporated, but then started to catch, tossing up plumes of smoke into the air.

  Annja watched it drift skyward. The bugs were kept to a dull roar thanks to the heavy cloying smoke that surrounded them.