by Wilson, Maer
Thulu nodded, saying, “That's all right, Mrs. Mason. You don't need to go over that again. I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how you feel, but if there's anything we can do, please let us know. I know there is nothing we can say or do that will make this easier, but please accept the thought for what it's worth. Meanwhile, I'll leave you in the capable hands of Reo and Sloane.” He handed her our card from his card case, stood up and thanked both of them for trusting us with their story. The others seemed taken aback, but hid their reactions. I suppressed a smile. My Thulu knew where the dagger was.
If Matt and Carolyn thought our departure was abrupt, they didn't say anything. Thulu and I shook hands with both of them and went out of the room, followed by Jones.
“You know where it is.” Jones wasn't asking.
Thulu nodded.
“I will need to stay here while Reo and Sloane help Matt recover his memories and plant the one of the accident. We can leave for the site in a few hours, if that is all right.”
“That's fine. We need to pack a couple of things anyway.”
Jones actually chuckled. “No need. We will go directly to the site and back again.”
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“I can open portals on Earth to other places on Earth.”
“Handy.”
Jones smiled, a bit smugly, I thought.
Chapter 35
Stuart, Thulu and I went to a nearby café to wait for the others to finish. Thulu called to check in with his dad. Everyone was still in shock. A lot of people had been by, and Erik had covered for me and Thulu, saying we needed time alone and to please respect that. Carter had been delivering messages from the dead. Nana Fae and Mama Deb were making sure he didn't get overloaded, and Erik was keeping the messages to a minimum, but it did give the family some continuity.
“So the dagger came clear just like that?” I asked when he got off the phone.
“Yeah,” he said, “everything just seemed to break open, but I'm not sure why. There wasn't anything special that triggered it.”
“Sometimes, we just take the gift and don't ask,” I said pragmatically.
It didn't take long before we got the call to go back and pick up the others. Reo looked a bit washed out. Even Sloane seemed to droop a bit. Reo said it had been a success, probably because Matt already knew the story from Carolyn. He and Sloane had been able to guide Matt as he broke his self-imposed amnesia.
The adjustment to change his memories of the break-in to the apartment went easier than expected, too. With Carolyn walking outside with Sloane, Jones was able to implant the new memories quickly. Since Carolyn “remembered” Matt being unconscious, Jones only had to remove the break-in. He added the sightseeing trip, flashes of the other car, the roll down the embankment and Matt's blackout.
That distasteful episode over, it was time to move on to actually getting the dagger.
Sloane said he'd be in touch soon, but had to leave. He gave a warm smile to Reo before he popped out with a small popping sound of displaced air. I looked at Reo questioningly, but he was looking bemused at the spot where Sloane had disappeared. He looked up to see me watching him, shrugged and turned to Jones, abruptly.
“I think we need to get these relics sooner rather than later.”
Jones gave him a sharp look and seemed to take him at his word. Reo's tension was contagious, and we all quickly got into the limo. Stuart drove a lot faster than he usually did to Jones's estate.
Once there, we went into Jones's library. Heavy leather furniture was scattered around in several comfortable groupings. The two story walls were covered with books, and I immediately was in love with the room. A dark wood table held Jones's computer, which rather surprised me, but it probably shouldn't have.
Jones lost no time in calling in Aela and asking for her help. Reo was frowning and was definitely uneasy. Thulu explained where the box with the dagger was and said it was in a remote enough area that we shouldn't be interrupted.
“Maybe not by humans, Thulu, but I want the fairies there in case Gabriel is somehow watching you.” Jones glanced over at Reo, who was looking out the window.
Aela quickly gathered her warriors. I almost laughed when I heard her call them that, but I covered it with a cough.
She put her hands on her hips and flew inches away from my face and looked at me suspiciously. “I happen to be a very well-respected warrior among my people, Fiona Thulukan.”
I put my hands up in surrender. “I believe you! I've seen you in action.” I didn't say it out loud, but the refrain I do believe in fairies. I do, I do, I do believe in fairies went through my mind. The thought of a warrior being ten inches tall, with a thing for red nail polish, was just something I'd have to get used to.
While Aela organized about a dozen of her troops, Jones went to the computer and called up a map. He asked Thulu to pinpoint where the portal should go. Jones moved away, pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. He asked for a small shovel as he moved back to look at the monitor.
I inched in a bit closer to peek between them. Thulu had located a spot on the map west of Chicago. He zoomed in to show us exactly where the dagger was, checking to see that Jones got the location. After a moment, Jones nodded and looked around to see if everyone else was ready.
Reo was going to stay on this side to keep an eye out, with a couple of fairies to help.
“Why not just teleport the dagger to you?” I asked Jones.
“Because I cannot teleport objects or other people.” That answered that.
With our party arranged, Jones opened the portal. It grew quickly to about seven feet. The fairies went through first, followed by Jones. A moment later his arm came back through to motion us forward. Thulu looked at me with a shadow of his old grin as he stepped through. Next, it was my turn to step into the swirling pastels.
The light tasted like butterscotch and smelled like orange blossoms. I could see bright jewels of color within the slowly swirling, pulsing of the portal. There were colors I never knew existed, twirling in rainbow dances around me. I watched them in amazement, lost in sensations I'd never experienced before. I caught other flavors and scents too: fresh coffee, strawberries, gardenias, honeysuckle. They came and went, flirting with me, before darting off to be replaced by others. I didn't quite feel like me. There was an “otherness” that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I was content to just be.
I existed in that place for ages and ages. I counted my heartbeats since I'd walked into the portal - one. I heard the soft music of bells or maybe it was the ting of fine crystal, with wind-though-trees accompaniment. I hardly had time to think that I was actually passing through a portal before I finished my step and stood in a tiny clearing. I looked at Thulu. He smiled, pulling me close for a one-armed hug. I gave my head a shake to clear it.
Trees hemmed us in on all sides, with a faint game trail leading out. There was barely enough room for me, Jones, Thulu and our guards. Jones had quickly reduced the size of the portal to about a foot across once I was through.
Thulu carried the small shovel. He motioned me and Jones to step closer to the trail and give him some room, which we did.
He stood thinking for another moment before he started to dig. The ground seemed soft, and he didn't seem to be using much effort. It didn't take long, although it felt forever. Thulu was about two feet down when we heard the thud of metal against wood. In no time, he had the box out and immediately handed it to Jones. Jones quickly took the box, re-opened the portal and motioned Thulu through, then me. The return trip through the portal seemed much faster, but there were just as many sensations as the first time. I still got the butterscotch and orange blossoms. I'd have to ask Thulu if his experience was like that too.
Within a couple of seconds we were back in Jones's library. Jones and the fairies came through right after me, and Jones closed the portal before taking his prize to his desk.
He opened the box with none of the care Thulu had used wi
th the box containing the cup. He simply snapped the lock.
I cringed as Jones looked at me questioningly. “La Fi, it's a box.”
I sighed my annoyance as he pulled forth a bundle covered in tattered silk and removed the dagger. If the plate and cup had been awesome, the dagger was even more so. I wanted to yell, “Mine!” but managed to keep my mouth shut and my hands at my sides. These dragon artifacts were just too damned tempting.
The dagger was about a foot long, with the hilt at five inches and the curved blade encased in a matching gold sheath. The gold hilt was a dragon, formed much like the pitcher and curving into the cross guard. Jones pulled the blade from the sheath. It was made of a material I had never seen before: a silvery iridescence, with swirls and folds of color I'd never seen in metal before. I wasn't sure if they were actually moving or if it was simply an effect of the light. It almost glowed, and the edge glinted and looked very sharp, even after all this time.
Jones smiled in satisfaction and gave us each a chance to look at the dagger. I reached out for it, and Jones handed it to me. It slipped into my hand with a feeling I'd never had for a blade before. It said “I'm home,” and I sighed with contentment. The dragon shape of the hilt felt weird at first, before seeming to conform to my hand.
Jones allowed me a few moments before he laughed and gently took it from me. He returned it to its sheath, effectively dimming the magical pull it had on me.
Aela said something about checking outside, and the others flew after her as she left.
“May I see all three relics together, please?” asked Thulu. He had that look he gets when he's in finding mode.
Jones nodded and led us through the house, down the elevator and through his museum to his hidden vault.
Reo whistled softly. “You weren't kidding about this.”
“Told you,” I responded, with a roll of my eyes.
When the door was opened, I was surprised to see the flutter of fairy wings and not too pleased to see tiny arrows pointed in my direction.
There were three of them, and one flew close and spoke to Jones in a language I didn't know, but I understood anyway. That was sometimes unsettling - when I could understand a language I never studied – most of it anyway. The fairy was a Wedgewood blue male, with long black hair pulled back. He wanted to make sure Jones was there of his own volition and we hadn't forced him. Like we could force Jones to do anything. There was an exchange of a password, but I didn't catch it.
Thulu ignored all of this and stepped into the room. He turned to Jones and held his hand out for the dagger, which Jones immediately surrendered. He pulled the plate and cup out as well, placing them up on a black velvet covered tray in front of the cases holding the panels.
The rest of us stepped out to give him space. Even the fairies flew to the doorway. Reo wandered around some of the exhibits close to the vault. “Fairy guards?” I asked Jones.
He nodded. “There are at least three at all times inside the room, with others outside of it. More are patrolling the grounds, along with several other races. Aela has hand-picked them, and I trust her judgment.”
That surprised me, but I shouldn't have been surprised at anything any of these creatures did. Any familiarity was misleading. They were all the very definition of the word “alien.”
Jones looked at me. “Aela really is a powerful warrior among her people, La Fi. I am much happier knowing she is on our side. Do not let her small size mislead you.”
I nodded. “I know. I've seen her kill, but it still just amazes me that her tiny arrow took out a Light One. I saw it, but I still don’t know how she did it.”
Jones just smiled enigmatically.
It wasn’t long before Thulu called us back. He'd replaced the plate and cup, but left the sheathed dagger on the tray. Jones opened an empty case and placed the dagger inside. The three fairies took up their places. I wondered about it being air tight, but looking up I saw small air vents placed throughout the room. There were enough to allow air circulation, but no way was anything getting through them. Not even a fairy.
When everything was back in place, we went back upstairs to the library. Thulu lost no time in bringing up another map. No one questioned him. It was best to let Thulu do his thing in quiet. He'd talk when he was ready.
He called us over. “There is a panel here,” he said, pointing to the screen. He zoomed out to show us Xi'an, China.
“That's where I used to live,” said Jones.
Thulu pointed. “I checked the address. This spot is inside the Shaanxi History Museum. It's in a storeroom. The place has good security, so I don't know how we'll get in. Can you open a portal right on top of it?”
Jones stared thoughtfully at the screen. “It might take a few tries, but of course it can be done.” He had Thulu zoom in to the exact spot on the map.
Aela flew back in, followed by her some of her warriors. They flew in formation and landed lightly on the desk, arrows nocked and ready. Jones explained what Thulu had found and asked her if she would peek into the storeroom without fully entering. We needed to know about the security.
She went one better and said she could tell him exactly where to position the portal. She could guide his hand right to it, and he could lift it out before anyone was the wiser. While that sounded simple enough, it took some time to find the exact spot. Aela only stuck her head through the first time, but quickly said no one was in the room.
Thulu reminded her about cameras, lasers and other possible security measures. She, Thulu and Jones worked at positioning, with Thulu letting them know when it was closer. She was finally able to see the panel, and it took only two more positioning tries to get the portal right over the panel.
Aela put her head through the portal, and Jones slipped an arm through. Within a few moments, he was withdrawing his arm. Aela stayed a few seconds longer to see if there was any reaction. It was weird seeing her little headless body at the portal, but after a few seconds she jerked her head back. A look of alarm was on her face. Jones immediately closed the portal.
Aela said, “It was quiet. There was no reaction to our taking the panel, but alarms started going off all over and I saw wings. Wings of the Light Ones.”
We exchanged worried glances and picked up the pace considerably. Jones set aside the panel as Thulu brought up another map and zoomed in. “The last panel is in this house. It looks like a private collection.”
He quickly researched the location, coming up with the address of a villa in Tuscany. Jones knew who the owner was and said this one would be touchier, but since Gabriel had been so close in China, he didn't want to wait any longer.
We all felt the pressure. I wondered how Gabriel had known that location and had gotten there so quickly.
This time the process went much quicker, but with more delicacy. Jones said the owner definitely used lasers. Because the panel was displayed and not just stored, Thulu was able to explain the location easier.
My heart was racing. I wanted to tell them to stop talking and get the panel before Gabriel did, but of course I knew better than to intrude at this point. Aela popped her head in, and they only had to reposition once.
Hurry, hurry, hurry, I thought. I could feel that something was about to happen and watched with my heart in my throat. Jones created the portal, and Aela again put her head through to guide his hand. The seconds dragged out, but he pulled his arm back with the panel. Aela withdrew from the portal, shaking her head. Jones shut the portal quickly.
“It set off alarms,” she said, “but I didn't see any Light Ones.”
There was a collective sigh of relief. Two to go.
“Okay, Thulu, now the pitcher and the scroll.”
Thulu looked at me and shook his head. “I don't know where the other two relics are. What I do know is that they are definitely not on Earth.”
We looked around the room at each other, the same thought crossing our minds. It was Reo who voiced it though.
“Gabriel.”
Chapter 36
We all looked at Jones. Still holding the panel, he sat in the chair behind his desk, lost in thought. This would need to be Jones's call. He knew Gabriel and what would and wouldn't work. Obviously, we had to get the pitcher and the scroll from him, but I felt Jones had to take the lead on this.
A thought occurred to me. “Gabriel will be able to copy what's on the scroll and still have the spell or incantation or whatever it is you do, right?” I asked.
Jones nodded. “Yes, but it will not do him any good. I put some rather powerful spells on the scroll. He will not be able to decipher the language. Also, I used a private code of my own, so he would have to break through quite a few layers to get to the actual instructions and incantations. Gabriel is not known for his patience.”
“But won't he just give the job to someone else to solve? That seems more like his style,” Reo asked.
“True, but he doesn’t have the other relics or panels, so he doesn't have everything to open the portal.”
“And we don't have everything to close it,” Thulu pointed out.
“I want to know how the hell he knew where to go. Is it possible he's breached this room? Both times, someone was right on top of us.” I shuddered.
Jones leaned back in his chair as his eyes scanned the room. Everyone in the room looked around. Aela and her warriors, Sloane, Reo – I couldn’t imagine any of them betraying our side.
I did my own scan and opened myself up as much as I could. I found a presence I didn't want to find.
“That damned bitch!” I said vehemently. “Lynda-Jean, I'm so going to find someone who can banish your ass, and you will never, ever see your son again. I don’t know how, but I'm going to find a way. Count on it.”
The others looked around, trying to see her.
“She's hiding in the walls like the rat she is,” I said.
Several expressions made their way across Jones's face: surprise, thoughtfulness, irritation. He closed his eyes for a few moments and did something that caused Lynda-Jean to howl with frustration as her spirit was slammed out of the room and up into the air. I was able to follow the progress for a bit, but lost sight eventually.