Victor stared at him for some time.
‘Yes,’ he finally admitted. ‘As does Dimitri Reznak.’
Asgard inhaled sharply. ‘Dimitri? That old fox?’
Victor sighed. ‘He’s a few years younger than you. If anyone should be called an old fox, it would be you.’
‘Who’s Dimitri Reznak?’ said Ethan.
‘He’s the Head of the Crovir Immortal History and Culture Section, and a member of their First Council,’ said Victor, his gaze locked on Asgard’s face. ‘He’s also my closest friend of more than six centuries and the one partly responsible for thwarting Kronos’s plans to destabilize the world a few years ago.’
Asgard tensed. ‘What?’
In the hour that followed, Victor retold the events of the winter when the Catholic Church was almost toppled by Kronos, the sect of pureblood immortal-human half-breeds whose history they’d discovered was intimately linked with that of the immortal races.
‘Kronos stole a pair of tombs and a stone box containing ancient scriptures from a cave in the Eastern Desert Mountains, in Egypt. Dimitri spent centuries looking for the location of that burial site. His life-long obsession has always been to discover the truth behind the origins of the immortal races and he was certain the cave contained the answers he sought. Kronos was after the tombs for entirely different reasons. Their first goal was to destroy the Catholic Church by revealing the existence of immortals and casting doubt on the texts that make up the Bible and thus, the identity of Jesus Christ himself. Their second aim was to try and achieve true immortality by using the contents of the tombs to make the Philosopher’s Stone.’
Asgard ran a hand through his hair. ‘So Kristof, Natalia, and I were right all along,’ he muttered.
Victor nodded curtly. ‘Kronos stole an important artifact, a sun cross pendant, from a Buddhist sect founded by Guru Rinpoche, the Lotus-Born Second Buddha. It was a seal for one of the tombs and had apparently been left in their care by an immortal in—’
‘—1415,’ breathed Asgard.
Victor drew in a breath sharply. ‘That immortal was you?’
Asgard nodded shakily. ‘That pendant was passed down generations of my family. Kristof and I also discovered another element said to have been crucial to making the Philosopher’s Stone, namely the Emerald Tablet. We entrusted it to the Freemasons in the latter half of the fifteenth century.’ He hesitated. ‘We never uncovered the whereabouts of the Mutus Liber.’
Victor’s heart thudded against his ribs. The enormity of what was unfolding was not lost on him. Fate sure moves in mysterious, twisted ways.
‘Alexa King, Dimitri’s goddaughter, took the Emerald Tablet from the Freemasons. It was later stolen from Dimitri’s estate in Sumava and was subsequently recovered in the Ural Mountains, when Alexa defeated Kronos. As for the Mutus Liber, Kronos discovered it in an abbey in Breggia, in 1989.’
Asgard opened and closed his mouth soundlessly.
‘What was inside the tombs, the ones Kronos stole in Egypt?’ said Ethan.
Victor looked at him steadily. ‘The remains of Crovir and Bastian, the first immortals. Their embalmed hearts were found inside a second cave located beneath the first one.’
Asgard’s eyes widened further.
‘Come again?’ said Ethan dully.
‘Crovir and Bastian are not just the names of our two races. They were men born in the thirty-eight century BC. They were brothers, actually.’
‘Brothers?’ Asgard repeated.
Victor dipped his chin. ‘Crovir and Bastian’s father was a man called Romerus. From the Sumerian scriptures Dimitri found in Egypt and the ones he subsequently recovered from Kronos, it seems Romerus was a direct descendant of Adam and Eve.’
Asgard shared a dazed glance with Ethan.
‘Crovir and Bastian had three sons and three daughters each, ‘ Victor continued. ‘It was their children who gave rise to our races. Not only that, it seems some of those siblings were truly special indeed.’ He hesitated. ‘Lucas and Anna are the pureblood descendants of Tobias and Baruch, the first-born sons of Crovir and Bastian. As such, they possess the gift of true immortality and will survive their seventeenth deaths. Lucas did just that three years ago, during the incident that cost your father his life and almost led to a second war between the immortal races. He bears an alpha and omega birthmark on his chest.’
Stunned silence fell across the cabin.
‘Catarine’s son survived his seventeenth death?’ Asgard said hoarsely. ‘And he is one of the marked ones?’
‘Yes,’ said Victor. ‘Although Dimitri was involved in stopping Kronos from achieving their goals that same year, it was his goddaughter, Alexa, who defeated the man we believed to be their leader, a pureblood immortal-human half-breed called Alberto Cavaleti. Alexa is the descendant of Mila, Crovir’s third daughter. It was Mila who killed Crovir and Bastian during the very first immortal war over four millennia ago, a war triggered by the original immortals’ cruel reign over the empire they ruled. Mila was the greatest warrior in the kingdom and forged the very first three-spear weapon. Alexa bears the mark of a trishula on the back of her neck and is quite likely the strongest and most physically deadly immortal alive today.’
Asgard rubbed his face with trembling fingers. ‘And the last immortal? You said there was another one. A man who can heal and…gift life?’
‘His name is Conrad Greene. He’s a semi-retired senior intelligence operative working for the Bastian First Council and was one of the best generals I ever had when I was in charge of the Bastian Corps. He’s the pureblood descendant of Rafael, Bastian’s second-born son and the greatest healer who ever lived in those times. Conrad bears an Aesculapian snake birthmark around his left forearm. Rafael used those very snakes in many of his healing rituals and was said to keep them as pets.’ Victor studied the two shocked immortals guardedly. ‘Conrad can do much more than Rafael though. Two years ago, he gifted one of his seventeen souls to the US president, after the latter was fatally wounded by a sniper.’
A deathly hush greeted the end of his narrative.
‘Dimitri discovered old cities in the complex of caves beneath the Ural Mountains where he chased Kronos to,’ Victor added. ‘He believed they were the birthplace of the sect.’
‘The cabin where I tracked Jonah must not have been far from there,’ said Asgard with a dumbfounded expression. ‘So you’re saying the sun cross pendant was a seal for one of the original immortals’ tombs? The one who gave rise to our race, Bastian?’
Victor shook his head. ‘Not Bastian. The Godards’ seal was for the tomb of Crovir. Anna has the second seal, passed down to her by her Crovir father. Hers should open Bastian’s tomb.’
‘What?’
‘Whoever made those seals gave each one to the other brother’s family.’ Victor smiled humorlessly. ‘We think this was a deliberate move and a clever one at that. Maybe they knew that war would eventually break out between the brothers’ descendants. This could have been their way of ensuring the lineage of the original immortals would never dare commit the unthinkable and attempt to do anything to their ancestors’ remains.’ He faltered. ‘It might even have been the Seer of that time.’
‘There’s one thing I don’t get,’ said Ethan in the silence that ensued. ‘Okay, so there’re many things I’m not getting,’ he confessed reluctantly. ‘Don’t crows come for our bodies upon our final death?’ He looked between Victor and Asgard. ‘So how the hell did these guys, these original immortals’ bodies and hearts survive?’
‘That is a puzzle indeed, and one that Dimitri and I have been unable to solve,’ said Victor. ‘We believed Kronos intended to use the hearts in combination with the Mutus Liber and the Emerald Tablet to create the Philosopher’s Stone and try to achieve true immortality, beyond the seventeenth death. But—’
‘But?’ said Asgard.
‘Dimitri always suspected Alberto Cavaleti was working with somebody else,’ Victor said quietly. ‘From what
you’ve told us, that someone was Jonah Krondike.’
Asgard gazed blindly at the table. ‘I agree. Kristof, Natalia, and I also hypothesized that Jonah and Kronos wanted to achieve true immortality. But there was something else, some other twist to his plan we felt we were missing.’ Lines furrowed his brow. ‘It may have something to do with his work with the US Army and the experiments he carried out on me and the other immortals he captured in the mid 1900s.’ An urgent light blazed in his eyes as he gazed at Victor. ‘There are a few things I had yet to mention. From the data we stole in San Diego a few days ago, Madeleine thought Jonah was involved in a research program to create super soldiers. We interviewed the widow of a ranger who was said to have died in Afghanistan but who had apparently been recruited into the study in 2009. He phoned his wife a month after his alleged death. She traced the call to Sierra Vista, in Arizona. That’s where Ethan and I were yesterday. We went to Fort Huachuca to see if we could find any trace of whether he had ever been there and, if so, where he was taken to afterward.’
The trepidation that had been simmering in Victor’s mind since Asgard Godard revealed the extraordinary story behind his disappearance all those centuries ago intensified.
He leaned forward. ‘And?’
‘They went to Yuma, Victor.’ Asgard’s voice had gone deadly. ‘As in the Yuma Proving Ground.’
Silence fell inside the aircraft.
‘Shit,’ muttered Anatole.
Chapter Twenty-Six
President James Westwood placed his hands on the Oval Office desk and leaned toward his computer’s video camera. ‘What?’
Victor watched him steadily. ‘I said that it looks as if a rogue branch of the US Army has been assisting an immortal by the name of Jonah Krondike in an illegal research program aimed at creating super soldiers. From the evidence I’ve heard in the last few hours, it appears this state of affairs has been in play since the middle of the last century. Possibly longer, James.’
The brown eyes staring at them from the other end of the video conference grew stormy.
Ethan swallowed his surprise. He knew that a handful of the human world’s leaders had been made aware of the existence of the supernatural beings who walked among them. He just hadn’t expected Victor Dvorsky to be on first-name basis with the most influential one of them all.
‘And you trust this source?’ said Westwood.
His gaze shifted briefly to the man opposite Victor.
The Bastian leader looked at Asgard. ‘Yes.’ He hesitated. ‘Asgard Godard is, technically speaking, a contender for my current role.’
Westwood raised an eyebrow.
Ethan watched Asgard carefully. A few years after he had gotten to know the Bastian, he had asked him what he would do if he was ever given the opportunity to take over the role that should rightfully have been his.
‘Yeah, as if I need that headache,’ Asgard muttered presently. ‘Trust me, the last thing I want is to assume the mantle of leadership.’
Ethan hid a smile. Asgard had just given President Westwood and Victor Dvorsky the same answer he’d given the Crovir back then.
Victor scowled. ‘You’re right. With your people skills, we’d be at war with the entire world within a month.’
A sullen hush descended inside the cabin as the two immortals glared at each other.
‘Are you sure you guys are friends?’ said Westwood.
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ Asgard grumbled.
Westwood tapped a finger on the desk. ‘I’ll talk to the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs.’ He hesitated. ‘I’d be surprised if Bill knows anything about this, Victor. Some of the guys in the DoD, on the other hand, can be laws unto themselves. I’ll get in touch when I know something.’ He was about to end the call when he seemed to think of something. ‘How’s Greene?’
Victor’s face relaxed slightly. ‘He’s on a mission in Chile.’
Westwood gave him a look of disbelief. ‘Really? How the hell did you manage that?’
‘I sent Hartwell there first,’ said Victor. ‘Then I called him and said she was in trouble.’
Westwood straightened. ‘Was she?’
‘Of course not,’ Victor replied. ‘Besides, it’s kind of my pre-wedding gift to them.’
Westwood made a face. ‘So you’re saying Greene and Hartwell would like nothing else but to be charging through a jungle killing bad guys, rather than lying on a beach somewhere?’
‘All the action makes for great sex, Pres,’ said Anatole cheerfully.
This earned the bodyguard a battery of wooden stares from the president and the two nobles sitting across the table from each other. Ethan could only gape, aghast at the immortal’s familiar tone with the leader of the free world. There had to be some history between them he was missing.
‘I mean, think about it,’ the red-haired immortal continued unabashed. ‘Intense life-and-death situations. All that adrenaline pumping through their veins. I bet they’re making out like bunnies.’
‘I thought I had lost the ability to be surprised at the stuff that comes out of your mouth,’ said Victor dully. ‘I stand corrected.’
Anatole grinned. ‘Why, thanks boss.’
Westwood shook his head and sighed. ‘Tell Greene I say hi.’
The view of the Oval Office blinked out to black.
Asgard gave Victor an inscrutable look. ‘You appear to be on friendly terms with him.’
Victor shrugged. ‘He owes us his life.’ The scowl returned to his face as he watched the man opposite him. ‘Why did you not come to us earlier with this information? From what you’ve told me, Jonah Krondike and Kronos appear to have been behind many of the wars the immortal societies have fought for more than half a millennium.’ Anger hardened his voice. ‘Was it pride that stopped you, Asgard? If so, then you’re a bigger fool than I gave you credit for.’
‘We didn’t know who to trust,’ said Asgard.
Victor seemed unconvinced.
‘The only way Jonah Krondike got his hands on so many immortals for his experiments was because someone in the societies was helping him,’ said Ethan. ‘Hell, there may be more than one person giving him assistance.’
The Bastian leader froze.
‘After all that time trapped under a mountain and a decade spent in Jonah’s clutches, I wasn’t going to waltz into the Bastian headquarters seeking help from people who may very well have been my enemies,’ Asgard added vehemently.
A muscle jumped in Victor’s jawline. ‘I know we’ve had our differences over the years, but you should’ve known me well enough to realize I could’ve been trusted.’
‘Could you?’ Asgard’s tone turned sour. ‘My own father refused to believe me, Victor. And who can tell how you could have changed over the years? The heart of a man can go from the purest white to the darkest, most rotten black in the space of one lifetime. Who knows how evil the heart of an immortal can grow in several hundred years?’
Pain flickered in Victor’s eyes.
‘You are the son of the man whom I loved as much as my own father,’ he finally said in a low voice. ‘You are the brother of the woman whom I treasured more than life itself.’ He closed his eyes briefly. ‘And you are the uncle to the immortal whom I consider my godson.’ He paused. ‘You can trust me, Asgard. I am not your enemy.’
Asgard’s face flushed with emotion. He watched the Bastian leader for silent seconds before swallowing and nodding. Ethan felt some of his trepidation dissipate.
Victor sighed. ‘Anatole, if you don’t wipe that asinine grin off your face, I’ll wipe it off myself.’
Anatole’s smile slipped from his lips. ‘Geez, boss, you’re such a buzzkill.’
Westwood got back to them two hours later. Unease trickled through Asgard when he saw the look darkening the president’s face.
‘What’s wrong, James?’ said Victor cautiously.
‘I’ve just had a meeting with the National Security Council,’ said Westwood. ‘The Chairma
n of the Joint Chiefs is finding the prospect of a rogue US Army branch working to create an army of super soldiers hard to swallow. He wants concrete proof before he goes barging into the DoD to accuse his staff of treason.’ He paused. ‘I didn’t mention the immortal aspect of our problem, obviously.’
‘What proof we had was destroyed by Jonah Krondike and the soldiers in his employ,’ said Asgard. ‘Howard Titus no doubt has backup of the data somewhere but, without him, we can’t access it.’ He glared at Westwood. ‘Our friends are in the hands of one of the most dangerous immortals on this planet. Aside from the super soldiers he’s intending to create, if Krondike succeeds in harnessing Olivia Ashkarov’s powers, then God save your army and every other military force in the world.’
‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, then,’ snapped Westwood. He looked at Victor. ‘I’ve convinced the Security Council that we should send some men to investigate.’ He sighed. ‘The timing of this couldn’t be worse, Victor. There’s a huge international training exercise taking place in Yuma right now. It involves most of our NATO Allies, with some three thousand military personnel on the ground as of today and more joining them tomorrow. I can’t terminate the operation without incurring some serious questions from our foreign friends.’
‘What are you saying, James?’ said Victor.
Asgard glanced at the immortal, sensing the question was redundant.
‘I’m saying you’ve got two hundred and fifty men, Victor. Unofficially, of course. They’re all special ops and are among the best-trained soldiers on the planet. They’ll assist you inside Yuma.’ Westwood smiled faintly. ‘The personnel at the proving ground will be told your movements are part of an unscheduled exercise. With all the action taking place there, they might not notice your presence anyway.’ His expression hardened. ‘Find me the culprits, Victor. I guarantee you I will have them prosecuted with the full force of our laws.’
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