A Covenant of Thieves

by Christian Velguth

  “Or a Grail hunt,” Kai muttered.

  “It’s not a Grail hunt!”

  “You’ve mentioned that before,” Estelle said, looking around at Kai. “What does it mean?”

  He grinned. “While back Rick was convinced he’d found the location of the actual Holy Grail. We sank all our funds into a four-month search. Slogged through frozen bogs in Scotland, ended up getting rabies from some bats in a cave --”

  Rick cut him off. “Look, this is different, alright? We have an actual trail to follow, and sure, maybe the Templars did beat us to it. But we have to try, right?”

  “You’re right,” Nasim said. “I’ll arrange a flight to Jabal Musa.”

  He blinked at her curtness. “Really? Just like that.”

  She nodded. “Just like that. If we’re lucky we can depart tonight…though I think it would be best if we waited until morning. I’ll have to make a few calls to clear our way. In the meantime, we need to decide what to do with you, Kai.”

  Kai looked up. “Uh -- do with me?”

  “What’re you talking about?” Rick demanded.

  “He’s in no condition to travel into the Sinai Desert,” Nasim told him calmly. “Not without proper care and accomodations, which we don’t have the time to arrange.”

  “Well, we’re sure as hell not leaving him behind.”

  “I wasn’t suggesting that,” she went on, not rising to meet his temper. “I can, however, have him transferred to the Radical Dynamics campus in Cairo. There he could continue to receive the very best medical treatment and even begin his regenerative therapy while you recover the Ark.”

  “I’m not sure…” It still sounded awfully close to leaving Kai behind for Rick’s taste.

  “Actually,” Kai said. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

  Rick stared at him. “Seriously?”

  “Why not? Look at me. I’m not going to be a whole lot of help for a while yet. I’d just slow you down.”

  “Yeah, but…” But we started this thing together. Once they both agreed to start a job, they’d never failed to finish it together. Or at least fail together. The thought of finding the Ark without Kai by his side felt fundamentally wrong to Rick. He was sure Kai felt the same way, but he didn’t want to talk about it here, now, in front of Nasim and Estelle and Booker.

  “Ok,” he said, trying to inject some enthusiasm into his voice. “Ok, that works.”

  Nasim nodded. “Good. I’ll make the calls. Everyone get some rest. We’ll be leaving as early as possible tomorrow morning.”

  The others filed out of the room, leaving Rick and Kai alone. “You know I’m right,” he said, before Rick could open his mouth. “I’m just dead weight until I get patched up.”

  “I know, I know.” Rick sat in the chair with a sigh, putting his feet up on the bed frame. “It just feels…wrong. Bad juju, you know?”

  “Sure. But you’re not superstitious, so that doesn’t matter.”

  “What about Ibis? Leaving you alone…”

  “I won’t be alone, I’ll be in a Radical Dynamics facility.”

  “Yeah, his home turf, remember? If we’re right about him working inside Pharos, then he might be able to waltz through the front door.”

  Kai shrugged. “If that happens, I’ll deal with it. You know I will. You’re just looking for reasons to argue.”

  “I have plenty of reasons. I don’t trust anyone else to watch my back. Estelle’s alright, but I don’t want to go crawling through the desert with Booker Hopkins and Nasim al-Faradi.” He indicated the scab on his chin. “Booker decked me. Sucker punch, right out of nowhere. Totally unprovoked.”

  Kai patted him on the shoulder with his functional hand, looking sympathetic. “I believe in you, kiddo. Just try to make friends. Think about the Ark. And the money. Mostly the money.”

  “Fine. Enjoy the Radical Dynamics Deluxe Egyptian Spa Package. I’ll be out in the desert, getting enough sand up my ass for the both of us.”

  * * *

  Rick stayed the night at the hospital with Kai, curled up in the uncomfortable chair. At five in the morning Nasim called him and informed him that a vehicle would be coming to pick up the two of them in fifteen minutes. No sooner had he hung up than the door opened and a team of medical staff came to prepare Kai to be moved.

  “I really must advise against this,” said the doctor in charge of Kai’s care. “It is far too soon --”

  Rick slapped the man on the back, moving out of the way as Kai was transferred to a wheelchair. “I agree, but when Nasim al-Faradi says jump, you say…y’know. Sure, ok.”

  The doctor’s mouth thinned. “Quite.”

  Rick followed as Kai was wheeled down the hall, listening as the doctor explained how Kai’s medical data was being shared with the Radical Dynamics Cairo facility, listing things to watch out for en route, shoving bottles of medication into his hands with dosage instructions. They exited the hospital, Rick stepping and Kai rolling out into a cool, misty morning. Apart from the orange glow of streetlights, it was almost perfectly dark. Only a bluish-grey tinge to the sky indicated that dawn was on its way.

  Before leaving them to wait, the doctor had one final bit of advice. “I have no idea how it is you ended up in such a state, Mr. Villeneuve --”

  “Bear wrestling,” Rick informed him.

  The doctor stared at him for a beat, before finishing: “But I must strongly recommend against ever doing it again.”

  “Don’t plan to.” Kai shook hands with the man. His right one remained in a sturdy-looking cast. “Thanks for everything, doc. Hope I never need to see this place again.”

  “So do I.” The doctor nodded to Rick, then turned to go back inside. He muttered something as he went, which sounded to Rick like the Amharic equivalent of doubt it.

  “Nice guy,” Rick said, turning back to watch the darkened road. He checked the time: still five minutes until their ride showed up. He glanced down at Kai and caught him wincing. “You ok? I’ve got enough painkillers here to party with an elephant if you need anything.” He shook the small bottles like maracas.

  “I’ll wait,” Kai said. There was a bit of a strain to his voice. “Want to stay clear-headed.”

  “For what?”

  “Don’t know. Just got a feeling. Kind of a creepy morning.” He glanced around through the fog. “Think Ibis is out there?”

  Rick folded his arms, looking around. “Well, now I do. Although, if he hasn’t come for us yet…”

  Two minutes later a van pulled up, the door sliding open and a chair lift descending for Kai. The interior was spacious and empty, and when Rick climbed in after Kai he saw that there was no driver. It was fully automated, like the car that had picked them up from the airport.

  The van began moving as soon as he slid the door shut. Seconds later, Nasim’s voice emanated from the speakers: “Good morning, gentlemen.”

  “Uh -- hi?”

  “We’ll be stopping to pick up Estelle and Booker before proceeding to the airport.”

  “Cool,” Rick said. “Where are you?”

  “Already in Egypt. I needed to meet personally with President Tawfiq to smooth things over and get the Ministry of Culture’s approval for our expedition. Everything should be ready by the time you arrive.”

  Such a casual display of power was something Rick would never get used to. “Expedition? Exactly how big is this thing going to be?”

  “It’ll be sufficient,” was all that Nasim said.

  They rode the rest of the way in silence. Nasim said nothing more, and neither Rick nor Kai wanted to talk for fear of being overheard. Not that they had anything sensitive to discuss; it was more out of principal.

  It was a quarter to six when they pulled up to the Gondar Hotel. Rick slid the door open and leaned out, feeling the cool mist on his face as he waited for Estelle and Booker. A few minutes later they appeared in the entrance, both carrying a duffle.

  “Hang on,” Rick muttered, squinting as they approach
ed.

  “What? What’s happening?” Kai’s wheelchair was locked into position in the rear of the van, so he couldn’t see outside.

  Rick watched as the two of them walked, barely an inch between them. Estelle’s hip brushed Booker’s, and they both smiled in a way that they were hasty to try and cover.

  “Holy shit. They’re coming out together.”

  “So?”

  “No, I mean they’re coming out together.”

  A pause. “Oh,” Kai said. Then, after another pause: “How is it you’re oblivious to flirting when it involves you, but you can pick up on that shit with other people immediately?”

  “Gift and a curse,” Rick said. He leaned further outside and called: “Hey, lovebirds! Pick up the pace!”

  Estelle ducked her head and did not look at him as she climbed into the van. Booker made a point of holding Rick’s gaze with a frown. “The Ark isn’t going anywhere,” he said.

  “You don’t know that.” Rick slid the door shut and buckled up. As with the car Nasim had sent to the airport, the seats in the van were arranged so that they faced each other, which left Estelle and Booker little room to escape as he sat back and grinned at them. “So. Get a good night’s sleep?”

  “Yes,” Estelle said, meeting his eyes with firm dignity.

  “Uh huh. And you, Booker? Put that bed to good use?”

  “Leave them alone, Rick,” Nasim said. But there might have been a hint of a smile in her voice.

  Both Estelle and Booker had started when she spoke, and were now looking around. “Where --?” Estelle began.

  “Egypt,” Nasim replied. “I’ll meet you when you land. You’ll be flying directly to the Cairo campus, where you’ll meet up with the rest of the expedition team and we’ll all prepare to go to Sinai together. Except for you, Mr. Villeneuve. There’s already a suite waiting for you.”

  “Shiny,” Kai muttered. Coming from behind Rick’s head, his voice sounded rather sullen.

  “I have to go,” Nasim said. “Safe flight and I’ll see you soon.”

  * * *

  The van forewent the parking lot and pulled out onto the tarmac instead, where a large VTOL was waiting for them. As they pulled to a stop and Rick hopped out, a figure emerged from the aircraft. A man, wearing a flight suit with a Radical Dynamics logo stitched on the breast.

  “Good morning,” he said stiffly to Rick. He spoke with a strong local accent. “You are ready to board?”

  “Yeah, my friend just needs some help…”

  The man nodded, but did not move to lend a hand. Rick rolled his eyes and lowered Kai to the tarmac via the chairlift. He looked to be in a far worse mood than when they had left the hospital. He sat stony-faced, not speaking, as Rick pushed him towards the open rear cargo ramp of the VTOL. “You sure you don’t want anything?”

  “I’m not in pain. Just hate this chair, is all.”

  “Yeah, it’s…” Rick trailed off. Pushing Kai up the ramp took all of his concentration and effort. Booker hurried to help, and together they managed to roll him up into the VTOL.

  “Thanks,” Booker panted to the flight personnel already seated in the cabin. There were three of them, all men, also wearing uniforms with the Radical Dynamics logo. “Thanks a lot, really helpful.”

  “Spared no expense,” Rick grunted, ducking to secure Kai’s chair to the floor. He glanced over his shoulder as Estelle came up behind him. “Remind me to thank your boss for the wonderful service.”

  “This was all very last-minute,” she said defensively. “We’re lucky Nasim even pulled it off at all.”

  “Please be seated,” said the man who had greeted them on the tarmac, coming up behind Estelle. “We will be taking off momentarily.”

  Rick checked that Kai’s chair wouldn’t roll, then took the seat closest to him, with two of the flight personnel to his right. Estelle and Booker sat opposite him, one more uniformed Radical Dynamics guy next to them. The envoy hit a switch to close the cargo ramp, then moved up the aisle toward the cockpit. Apparently he pulled double-duty as the pilot.

  Soon enough they were in the air, Gondar falling away through the small round windows. Rick leaned back in his seat, backpack between his legs on the floor. The cylinder seal was in there, carefully packed with some medical gauze and cotton balls he’d stolen from the hospital. It probably had nothing more to teach them, but he was going to hold onto it until this thing was over. It would make a nice addition to his collection, though it would be nothing compared to the Ark.

  The Ark. A frisson of excitement ran through him at the thought of it, hidden somewhere on Jabal Musa. Mount Sinai. Only a few hours away. Assuming he was right, and it was there at all.

  Please be there.

  Estelle had closed her eyes, her head resting on Booker’s shoulder. Booker looked nearly asleep as well. Kai was sitting in his chair, staring straight ahead at nothing. Rick leaned over to open his backpack, wanting to pull out his notebook and go over the cylinder seal translation one more time, just in case he’d missed something, just to assuage his own pre-job jitters --

  He froze, still doubled over. From this position he could see beneath the seat of the Radical Dynamics employee sitting opposite him, beside Estelle and Booker. He could see the large black assault rifles that had been stowed down there.

  Not stowed -- hidden.

  Oh fuck.

  Rick glanced up, just in time to meet the gaze of the man beside Booker. They locked eyes for a second that stretched into eternity -- and then Rick was scrambling, tossing his backpack aside and reaching beneath the seat beside his, between the legs of the man sitting next to him. He felt the solid bulk of a weapon --

  Blinding white light exploded in his vision as something collided with his temple. Rick’s head snapped to the side and sickening pain filled his skull. He lost his grip on the hidden rifle and suddenly the cabin was full of shouts -- Estelle screaming -- Booker bellowing -- he could sense movement around him, heard the click of weapons. Someone was tugging on his wrist, removing his wristband, and a distant part of himself thought, stupidly: Not again, I just got a new one.

  Rick binked away tears, vision clearing. All three of the flight personnel were on their feet, all three of them aiming down the barrel of an assault rifle. One man stomped a boot down on Estelle’s glasses, shattering them with a loud crunch.

  Booker had his hands in the air. “Ok,” he said, voice loud but striving for calm. “Alright, easy. Let’s all just --”

  “Quiet!” spat one of the armed men, and he cracked the stock of his rifle against Booker’s head.

  Booker crumpled forward like a rag doll. Estelle gave a wordless shout and grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him back up into a seated position. Booker’s eyes were squeezed shut, blood covering the side of his face. Estelle looked up into the face of the assailant, meeting his gaze with a strength and fury that caught even Rick off-guard.

  “Who are you?” she demanded.

  “They are all that remains of a fallen kingdom,” said a voice from the cockpit. “They are the seeds of a new one.”

  It felt as if the cabin had suddenly filled with quicksand. Rick turned slowly, a helpless dread and flailing disbelief seizing him. A woman emerged from the cockpit, leaning on a cane. One ear had been torn off by the collapse of Dungur and she looked even thinner, but K’ebero’s eyes blazed with a bright and mad amber light that was very much alive.

  “You’ve got to be shitting me,” Rick said flatly.

  “Oh no,” he heard Estelle breathe.

  K’ebero grinned, hobbling slowly down the aisle towards them. She was missing two teeth. “I did tell you. I have the blood of the Solomonic line. My destiny is one that cannot be denied. Although you tried, Richard Álvarez -- you tried so very hard.” She came to a stop before him, looking down at him with an expression of mad emotion that he couldn’t parse. “In a way, I should thank you. A true savior must always pass through death before their apotheosis. And I passed through
it. I came so very close to losing myself to it.”

  “How are you here?” It was Booker who spoke, voice a grunt, eyes narrowed against the pain and the blood flowing into them. “The army --”

  “Chased their own tails, as they always do. Meanwhile, my most faithful came to me, and together we left the ruins of the old Ethiopia behind. Left it to burn as it deserves.” She spat on the floor of the cabin. “There is nothing there now. Nothing but dust and corruption. The true kingdom -- my true purpose -- lies with the Ark.” She turned slowly back to face Rick. “As soon as you tell me where it is we will find it.”

  “You can get fucked.”

  K’ebero laughed, a shrill and crazy sound that was broken up by rasping coughs. “My angel told me to expect such resistance from you. Though he need not have. I am already familiar with your… unique mind, Richard Álvarez.”

  “Angel?” It was Kai who spoke. He sat in his chair, gripping the armrest like he was trying to crush it into tin foil. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “She’s insane,” Booker said. The same man who had struck him raised his rifle a second time, but K’ebero stopped him with a wave of her hand.

  “My benefactor,” she explained to Kai. “The messenger sent to me from God, to show me the path forward. He found me with my disciples. Sought me out. Told me where to find you. It was how I knew my work was not yet done. After that, it was only a matter of waiting for the right moment. This moment.”

  She turned on the spot, looking each of them in the face in turn, as if daring them to deny it, to question her total authority, her ultimate victory. Nobody spoke. Finally her gaze came to rest, once more, on Rick. “So. The Ark. Tell me where we will find it, or I will open the ramp and let Mr. Villeneuve fall back to Ethiopia. I still owe him, after the way he hurt my Adyani.”

  Rick stared up at her, a numbing disbelief fogging his mind. This wasn’t fair. Now, after everything, when they were finally so close to the end -- it wasn’t fair.

  K’ebero sighed and gestured. One of her men moved to the rear of the VTOL and slapped a switch. With a howl of cold, swirling wind the cargo ramp began to lower. Estelle hunched, eyes squeezed shut, hair flying. The man moved to release Kai’s chair.