The campus opened up into a series of lush green lawns interspersed with single story buildings amidst a scattering of tall palm trees. “It doesn't seem all that bad,” Samantha countered. “It's a bit warm, granted. And this looks more like a military base than a university, yet life goes on.”
“Imagine this abandoned, decaying. These sweet-smelling borders will become unkempt and wild. That lake ends up foetid and filled with the skeletons of creatures that once called it home. That is all I see of this place—a future shrouded in death.”
Was this memory coming from this most unique man she had dragged halfway around the world on a whim, or was it from outer forces? “Io, how could you know that for certain?”
He turned to her, his eyes fierce. She could see the belief, the utter conviction as he held her shoulders in gentle hands she was sure could have crushed her. “Because I can feel it. I don't know why, nor how, but you have set me on the right path. I don't belong here. This place, its future haunts me. These people. These so-called pious innocents. All shall die. The earth shall be wiped clean of their flesh.”
Io pointed past her at the side of a building. Groups of brightly dressed students walked past a small area of graffiti on the side of a building, paying it no mind. Samantha recognised the logo, running forward as if waiting any longer could worsen the situation.
“Your God is Dead,” she read aloud. Underneath, three vertical lines not unlike the towers of the logo she had seen at Hunter's Ridge were painted in black. “Aeon Fall have reached here too.”
“Their curse is not death,” Io said in a low voice so that only Samantha could hear. “It is apathy. Your people don't care because they are being conditioned that way, slowly, subtly, and to think their conclusions are their own ideas.”
Samantha turned from the graffiti to her companion. “Mom always said that something life altering happened when she was down there. I don't understand what Hell has to do with humanity forsaking Heaven. We aren't suddenly a bunch of devil worshippers.” She paused, recalling her own skill and the damage it must have caused. “Well, we didn't mean to be.”
“What is, is. This group must be stopped. They will ruin you all.”
The profound change Samantha now felt in her companion was noticed by other passers-by. Io's repeated gesticulation at the graffiti had drawn a crowd of men, students probably, who watched him from a dozen steps away with hostile expressions.
“I think we should move,” Samantha suggested. “We aren't here for a confrontation.”
The righteousness had clearly turned to belligerence as Io said, “You think a few of them are enough to stop me?”
“It's not us I'm worried about,” she replied. “Come on. We aren't here to start a fight. This pattern could be what sets you free. Let's see if they can help and then go from there.”
“And if it doesn't?”
“Then let's hope we get you back before Aeon Fall start blowing up nuclear power plants. Or before Karael finds you once again.”
* * *
The bookshop turned out to be in one of the single story buildings on the campus, in woodland furthest from the main road, where the land fell away in a series of cultivated crop fields. The hostile looks directed at them continued, though the students kept their distance.
Samantha pushed the door open, the almond scent of mouldy literature washing over them as they walked in.
“You can just smell the education,” she said as they passed down a narrow aisle crammed from floor to ceiling with texts.
“I smell the concentration of decay,” Io replied, his clipped tones revealing his obvious distaste. “It is like the feeling on the campus compounded. This education is ignored. Wasted by those that have forsaken prayer.”
“The sooner we get you away from here, the better,” Samantha decided.
At the back of the shop was a simple table with a cash register. The cashier, an old man in a white shirt, watched them approach.
Samantha greeting him in English, hoping the man understood. “Hello,” she said, “I have a book bearing a print mark from this store. I wonder if you could tell me anything about it?”
The man stared at her for a second, chewing on the inside of his mouth. “A book,” he said in a very thick accent. Clearly, he wasn't used to speaking English.
Samantha nodded, opened her bag, retrieving the crow predictions. “I got this from my sister a long time back, and it's sort of a conundrum that I'm attempting to solve. Maybe if you have a look?” Samantha's words tailed off into silence. The second she had revealed the book, the old man's eyes had widened in horror.
“Where did you get that?” he gasped.
“From my sister. I wondered. Do you know anything?” She pushed the book forward and the man recoiled. “No. No, I don't want any part of it. That shouldn't be here. I don't know anything.”
“Sir, please. We've travelled a long way.”
The old man shoved his seat back, standing and taking a step back. “No! You take that and get out of here now! You hear? Get out!”
Chapter Fifteen
In a panic, the old man rose from behind the table, revealing his considerable bulk to push them back. “Out!” he cried moving around the table.
Samantha grabbed the book, clutching it tightly to prevent the now loose extra pages from falling to the floor. Io glanced back, his face questioning, but a moment later they were outside, the door locked behind them. The metallic rattle of lowering shutters followed quickly.
Io stared at the door. The lights inside winked out “He's leaving. Maybe we can find him out back.”
Samantha opened the book, securing the loose pages. “I don't think it would do any good. Did you see the look on his face?”
“He was terrified,” Io agreed. “Beyond the capacity for rational thought.”
“He knows something but we're never getting any answers out of him—not with this in my hand.”
“Can I help you?” A small woman, not much taller than Samantha's shoulder peeked her head around the corner of the building. Long black hair past her shoulders framed a pretty face.
“I don't know,” Samantha replied, hugging the book close. “Can you?”
The young woman approached. “My name's Adreana.” She spoke in an Australian accent. “Adreana Black. I work in the bookstore for Mr. Vaitai. What just happened in there?”
“We've travelled a long way seeking answers about a book marked with the Divine Mercy Publications stamp. I must admit, I didn't expect the reaction I got.”
“Mr. Vaitai is a very superstitious man. May I ask what book you showed him? I was out back at the time and only caught the tail-end of it.”
“Where did he go?” Io asked.
“Oh, he's well gone by now. He lives off campus. He tore past me telling me to close the shop. I've a free day today and have far less hang-ups about looking at a book, if you care to share. Though I must admit things have been a bit strange around here recently.”
“How so?”
Adreana furrowed her brow. “Well take that mural over there.”
Samantha looked back to where they had come from. “The graffiti? Aeon Fall?”
“Yeah. This is the last place you'd expect that. Since the broadcast, people have stood there, denouncing God. Here—in a place built around worship!”
“Religion has failed.” Io announced, his voice booming with conviction.
“Shhh! You want to get us lynched? Look if there's anything I can do to help, I will. It's the least I can do after Mr. Vaitai's reaction. Just not here. You've drawn far too much attention already.”
Samantha turned to Io. “What do you think? Can she be trusted?”
“You believe I can tell this?”
Samantha smiled. “You had a very solid reaction to certain people in Dubrovnik. I trust your instincts, Io.”
He stared at Adreana, who stood waiting, confused by their conversation. “I believe this one has a pure heart. She wants to help.”
“Who are you?” Adreana asked.
“Trust me. You'd laugh if you heard some of the theories offered about my friend. Just not here. We've got a car. Do you fancy a road trip?”
Adreana shrugged. Why not? I've no more lessons this week and Mr. Vaitai won't likely be back today.”
* * *
Samantha led her companions back to the ARC car and the waiting Genesis Koto. Without much comment he drove them off the campus, sparing only a glance for Adreana.
Io would have known if Adreana were false. He had clocked Lucas in a second on pure instinct. As it was, they all breathed a little easier once back on the highway.
“Could you sense it?” Io asked. “The unease, the buried malevolence? Something was at work there. It's at work everywhere but there more than most places.”
“I know I didn't like being there one bit,” Samantha admitted. “The way people looked at us. It wasn't hatred as such, more the slow building of anger. It festered there. Adreana, did you ever notice this?”
Adreana's face had a serious demeanour as she said, “I know that the campus is not what it was. Religion doesn't drive the establishment like it once did. The church is seldom used and when it is, the numbers aren't great. But the student numbers have been consistent over the past few years. I saw how people looked at you, Io. It was as if you embodied everything they resent.”
“Perhaps they fear my belief,” Io said.
“That, or your righteous nature,” Samantha added.
Genesis Koto took the small group to a hotel called The Raintree Lodge, a white stone building surrounded by tropical ferns and clad with so much bamboo it looked like part of the jungle. With promises to pick them up in the morning, Koto insisted that anonymity would serve better than armed protection. The three of them were led into a white-tiled suite full of the crisp scent of clean linen on two beds by a smiling old man whose grin never went beyond his mouth. His eyes betrayed signs of alarm every time he looked at Io. For his part, her companion never even noticed the man, lost in the wonder of the suite.
“What is that?” he asked, pointing to the far side of the room as the old man backed out door, closing it with a barely-audible click.
“It's a bed, mate,” Adreana said, her voice incredulous. “You sleep on it. Seriously? You can't remember beds?”
“I can't remember anything of comfort.” He sat on the edge of the bed, pushing his hands down on the mattress as if testing it for the first time. “It's an alien feeling.”
Adreana stood opposite him. Despite Io being seated, she was barely above the top of his head. “What's going on in there?”
“You've found him in the middle of a massive case of amnesia,” Samantha provided. “We're hoping this little trip might jog his memory.”
Adreana stared into Io's eyes, touching his face with her fingertips and tilting it up toward her. “No, that's not just it. There's something in there. Something blocked.”
“How do you know?” Io asked.
“I was always told by my mother that I was empathic. I could sense the nature of others.” She turned away. “Do you want to show me what brought you to the bookshop? I don't need empathy to know you came a very long way for an answer. Add in the fact that you show up within hours of the earth being dragged halfway to hell and that you clearly recognise graffiti denoting Aeon Fall, then mention Dubrovnik—this tells me you're tied up in this. Your guy Io here is somehow the key. Try denying it.”
“I can't,” Samantha admitted. “We don't even know much more about him than his name. Io Vel.”
“Io. Well that could be anything. The name is used all over. A moon of Jupiter, a name from Greek mythology, the incorrect chemical symbol of Thorium.”
“Thorium?”
“Yeah. It's used in those new-gen nuclear reactors.”
Samantha looked at Io for a second. It couldn't be that there was such a profound link and she'd never seen it. She removed the book from her bag and passed it to Adreana.
“I've had this in my possession for years.”
“Crow divination?” Adreana asked, flicking through the pages.
Samantha laughed. “Is there anything you don't know about?”
“Not a lot. I was brought up outside of the standard education system. It was more tribal than formal. A lot of irregular beliefs and strange takes on humanity.”
“And yet you wanted to come to a university run by Pacific Adventists?”
Adreana looked up from the book. “I wanted a place that would allow me to study why pre-religious tenets—pagan beliefs—would outlast mass religion. This book is an ideal example. Have you tried it?”
“I have, with varied results. The most recent is what led us here.”
Adreana shook her head just a touch as she pursed her lips. “I don't follow.”
Samantha turned the pages until the unmarked glyph showed. “The crows formed this in Dubrovnik.”
“And there's no writing. Any idea what it means?”
Io stood. “Karael,” he said in a booming voice. “It is his mark.”
Adreana shrugged. “I don't know what that means.”
Samantha withdrew the loose pages from the back of the book. “I hope you're prepared to have your belief tested, Adreana. Karael is an angel.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“It's true,” Samantha insisted, unfolding the pages. “He was wearing the body of a man I knew to be dead, mostly because Io threw him through a wall. He, in turn, did the same thing to a man who was part of our rescue team in the city. We escaped purely by blind luck. He was after Io.”
“Why?”
“Isn't it obvious?” Samantha locked eyes with Io. The gaze that met her was so knowing, so agelessly wise that she couldn't deny what she saw. “Io is an angel too.”
“You are?”
“I know not what I am,” he admitted. “I have no memory. I woke up in this.” He stretched out his arms, turning his palms upward. “I am that I am.”
“We're here because Io is in danger. We all are. We need to jump start his memory. All we have so far are fragments of information and impressions.”
Adreana took a step back, giving Samantha the impression they were losing her co-operation. Her voice cautious, she said, “Suppose I do help you, all these crazy pronouncements aside. What do you want from me?”
“The book was stamped with the name of the shop where you work. We found these inside the book, sealed in the cover.” Samantha handed over the pages. “Be careful, they're very delicate.”
Adreana took the pages and placed them on a nearby table. “These figures look like lunar distance navigation.”
The term flummoxed Samantha. “What?”
“It's a way of working out where you're going based on the night sky and the use of a sextant, and a nautical almanac with tables of lunar distances.” She looked up from the numbers. “These haven't been used since the nineteenth century. It was before chronometers and clocks were readily available.”
“And you just happen to know this? It all sounds very random.”
Adreana shrugged. “You asked.”
“Can you make anything meaningful out of it?”
“I can't, but I know a guy who might be able to. These all point to some sort of a trail. Maybe we can map them and get GPS points or something? You're gonna have to let me take this, though.”
The book felt suddenly heavy in her hands. Samantha looked to Io, who nodded encouragement. “Everything?”
“No, only these pages. I don't see anything in there that will help work out co-ordinates. I can tell you this though, that book has a twin. You see the stamp? The number underneath the name? Mr. Vaitai's family have been running a bookshop of sorts for decades. Their book stamps are like a badge of office. There are three. One with the common stamp and two with numbers on, for rare books when they come across them.”
“How bizarre. What if the set is more than two books?”
“They put
a mark through the stamp. This one has a two in the print, with no other markings. Somewhere it has a sibling. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Just sit tight.”
Another book? Samantha considered this as she sat next to Io on the bed. She remembered when Nina gave her the crow book; she had not mentioned any other book. Perhaps the copies were already separated much earlier—they were, after all, more than a hundred years old.
“What's wrong?” Io didn't sound concerned but clearly he detected her unease.
“I'm just thinking about stuff. The book. Nina. You know, Io, time is running out. Aeon Fall said just a few days until they hit a nuclear facility and we're currently on the far side of the world. My sister could be in terrible danger and I'm doing nothing. I'm out of the way.”
“You're helping this … me,” Io countered. “You're helping me.”
“Can you contain a nuclear reactor meltdown?”
Io's face rose in an approximation of a smile as he shrugged. At least an approximation from a man, a being who had never knowingly smiled before. “I don't know. Maybe?”
Sighing, Samantha said, “Well maybe we should try to get some rest. You take this bed, I'll have the other.”
“What do I do?”
“Lie down, close your eyes. You haven't slept since you found me. Your body must be exhausted. I know I could do with the rest.”
Io lay on the bed, smiling with amusement.
Samantha watched him for a moment as robotically he shut his eyes. She stretched out, turning away. It was still light outside and there was nothing to do but wait.
* * *
Samantha woke to a sound in the room now shrouded in darkness. Where was Adreana? She wondered. It must have been hours. Samantha sat up, listening as the breeze from the open window wafted the sound of crickets through the net curtains in gentle eddies. Maybe that was it, the movement of the curtain. Something nagged at Samantha, an itch, a premonition. She wasn't alone.
“Io?”
“I'm here,” he said in a voice not much above a whisper. “Stay where you are. Don't move or they might come back.”
“What?” She turned to see the outline of her companion facing her on the next bed. Lit by the glances of streetlight that made it through the trees, she saw that his arms were bound behind his back.
Thornfalcon (The ARC Legacy Book 1) Page 13