Galen looked back at the Mayan temple. They moved further and further away and the temple faded into the distance. Purdue was back there, probably celebrating and feeling so superior to everyone else.
Davy was probably so happy—but Galen wouldn't let him feel that way for long.
17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – THE BOOKS
After making their way back to a small Scottish town, Purdue had managed to get them a car for free. There were quite a few people in Scotland that were willing to help him or felt obligated to help when Purdue cashed in old favors. From there, they were able to get to the airport where Purdue chartered another private plane. Following Elijah's instructions, they made their to the Order of the Black Sun's home base.
Purdue wasn't impressed with what he saw. He expected more from such a prestigious secret society. It was actually somewhat of a dump. A hidden base in the middle of nowhere.
“So what now?”
Sam straightened his posture. “I say we pack up all of the artifacts that they took and then we burn this whole place to the ground, just like they did to your house. We wipe the Order of the Black Sun off the face of the Earth for good.”
Purdue shook his head. “If you ask me, that would be a truly terrible waste.”
Both of his colleagues' mouths practically dropped to their feet. Nina and Sam exchanged concerned glances and then just kept gawking at Purdue. They were definitely not expecting to say anything like that. This was their chance to finally eradicate the Black Sun for good but Purdue had given it a lot of thought, despite what everyone thought he would naturally want.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Sam's cheeks were red. “We can finally end this! We won. The Black Sun lost.”
Purdue understood Sam's reasoning, but he still gave another firm shake of his skull. “Beating Julian...burning their headquarters down...taking all of the artifacts away from here...it won't get rid of all of the Black Sun members. If we scatter all of these megalomaniacs to the wind, do you really think it ends here? You think no one will try and take charge? That they won't reform and come after us again? Hell, I bet that is what that bastard Galen is up to already.”
The risk was too great. All they had done was cut the head off of the snake, but the rest of its body was still very dangerous and in this situation, capable of growing an entirely new head. And the next one might even be more venomous than the last.
“It may be better to keep the order together as best as we can. We can steer the Black Sun into a more...positive...direction.”
Sam looked utterly bewildered by what he was hearing and all of Purdue's reasoning apparently washed over him without even crossing his mind. “So we just ignore everything that happened? Let bygones be bygones? The Order of the Black Sun tried to kill us so many times!”
“And they won't ever again,” Purdue said firmly. “Not if we're the ones calling the shots from now on. They had bad leadership—really, really bad—but the Black Sun has resources that we don't have on our own. We could use the Black Sun as a tool to help us.”
“This is ridiculous,” Sam said, crossing his arms.
“Is it?” Purdue let out a little laugh. Sometimes Sam could be so hardheaded. “Seems sensible enough to me. Honestly, I think you're still a bit sour that the Black Sun girl fooled you with a pretty face, aye?”
“That's not it!” Sam snapped, but wasn't very convincing.
“Of course it's not,” Purdue teased with a wink. “You want the Black Sun out of our hair, then this is the best way to neutralize them for good. Otherwise, we're just putting out one fire and waiting for another to come along.”
Nina had stood by and listened to the debate but neither of the two men were budging on their positions. She was watching two little boys fight over something petty when they should all be on the same page. She got between them, ready to knock their heads together.
“If anyone should be making this decision, it should be me. I was the Black Sun's prisoner for a long time. Sure, they tried to kill you. Sure, they took your things. They didn't lock you in a small little box for months! I want to get rid of this whole group just as much as you.”
Sam looked pleased, finally getting some support.
“But Purdue is right.”
Sam's expression fell immediately.
“The only way to really beat them is to take control of them. And their resources could be absolutely invaluable to us. You should see their deep vaults. They've got everything you can think of in there.”
“I don't believe this,” Sam groaned. “So if we can't beat them...join them? That old chestnut?”
“No,” Purdue said. “We beat them, and we're not joining them. We're redefining the teams altogether.”
“Charles didn't deserve to go out so bloody.”
That was the undeniable truth and it was all Purdue could think as he looked at Charles. He was lying so still, but his chest was still stained with dry blood from the wound that had killed him. In those last moments, he had looked so afraid. During his time in captivity, he must have felt at least a little comfort after gaining immortality from the Spear of Destiny. He hadn't attained it by choice but once he had it, he must have felt at least a little happy that death wouldn't be able to touch him. But it had, and now he was gone for good.
Purdue thought about all of the times he had been there for him. Whether it was helping him prepare for his many exploits or just helping him move around the artifacts in the collection room. All of those delicious dinners that Charles had prepared, the rides he had given him that were always filled with such wise words of advice during hard times. He had always been there to support him. By the end of it all, he was the closest family he had.
Most butlers would have advised against the majority of things David Purdue took part in. Most would have never, ever gone along with any of his plans or his ideas for success. They would have tucked tail and run, thinking that Purdue was nothing more than a billionaire thrill seeker who was willing to throw his life away for some excitement. They never would have understood why he really did what he did.
Charles understood him, he always had.
There was no one more reliable in the world than that butler.
It hurt to think that he would still be alive if Purdue had just been a little bit more normal; if he had less dangerous hobbies, then Charles would have spent a quiet life serving dishes, cleaning up after some spoiled rich brat, and taking leisurely drives around the countryside. Instead, he served a house that had been invaded and destroyed by a secret society.
There were probably very few butlers in the world that had been taken hostage by murderers and been stabbed by a holy weapon like the Spear of Destiny. He was an oddity among his peers, but that was part of why he was gone.
Purdue couldn't help but think about what Charles might have been thinking at the end. Did he regret helping Purdue? Did he regret supporting all of his globetrotting adventures or obsession with collecting some of history's most interesting relics? Did he regret it all? He hoped not.
“He was a good man,” Sam said with a nod. “Always was. He was wonderful to talk to anytime I was over the house. And he could prepare a hell of a meal. And if it wasn't for Charles, you never would have been able to maintain that place. It would have burned down a lot sooner than it actually did, wouldn't it?”
Purdue managed a laugh. “That's true.”
“You should have seen him when we were prisoners,” Nina interjected. “He gave them hell for what they did to you. When we all thought you were dead...he wasn't giving them an inch. Wanted to kill all of them for hurting you. Through the failed escape attempt and even when he was killed and revived by the Julian to test the Spear of Destiny, he never broke down and never gave up. He was resilient to the very end.”
As terrible of an image it was to think of Charles rotting in some dungeon, it was comforting to know that it never beat him down and that he persevered through it all. Despite his a
dvanced age, that old man was tough as hell. No one could take that away from him, even now.
And in the end, he did help triumph over the Order of the Black Sun.
Purdue absolutely felt guilty about his role leading up to Charles dying but he also took comfort that it seemed Charles wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
He couldn't stop thinking about the moment when bullets were racing toward him and Charles had stood in the way. He blocked the bullets' path with his own body. He may have been immortal at the time and able to withstand them, but Purdue knew the truth—that Charles would have put himself between his boss and those bullets no matter what, with or without the immortality.
Charles was more than his butler. He was his friend.
He always had been.
They covered his body, but made sure to keep Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea beside him. His last wish on that altar as he died was to conjure that book out of thin air. It was a simple wish and a far cry from Julian's hopes of godhood and world domination, but it was no less important. They would honor his final wish.
Purdue thought back to a night when Charles was sitting in one of the lounge chairs by the fireplace. He had built the fire himself and was sitting beside it with so much pride, knowing that his hard work had brought him immeasurable relaxation. He had Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by his side like he usually did during his rest times.
“It's always that one,” Purdue had said. “I feel like you've been reading it for years. What's taking so long? Slow read?”
Charles just gave a knowing smile. “I would give anything to be able to read this novel for the first time again, but alas, my first reading of it was long ago when I was a very, very young man. No, I have loved this book for decades, sir. I have read it hundreds of times.”
“Hundreds, aye?” Purdue stood over him, his arms folded, bewildered by what he was hearing. “The same story hundreds of times. You know all the characters. You know all the plot twists. You know how it ends. Hell, you must know every single word on every single page by heart by now. Don't you ever get bored?”
“Bored?” Charles looked stunned by the question, like he couldn't fathom why it would ever be asked. “Heavens no, sir! How could I ever be bored by such a perfect story. The exploits of the Nautilus, led by the steadfast Captain Nemo! Going out of his way to explore places that the world had never seen. Facing challenges that most men could never comprehend. Persevering through it all despite all of the odds being stacked against him. Adventure. Discovery. It has it all.”
It just occurred to Purdue—looking at his butler's lifeless body resting beside that book that he loved so much—that Charles' favorite novel might have been exactly why he had so diligently helped Purdue for so long. He didn't just want to read about the exploits of one man traveling the world and discovering amazing things, he wanted to be part of it. He wanted to help make that story he loved become a reality, and David Purdue was just as much of an adventurer as Captain Nemo.
Without Charles, those exploits he went on would be far different. There wouldn't be a warm meal and a smooth drink waiting for him upon his return from his travels. There wouldn't be someone he could count on to make the preparations for his expeditions.
Nina took Purdue's hand and squeezed it tight.
“He loved you like a son, you know.”
Purdue smiled and picked up the Jules Verne novel. Charles wouldn't have wanted him to just throw it away or bury it with him. He would want Purdue to read it and take in every single page of it. And that was exactly what Purdue intended to do.
“Aye, I know he did.”
There was another book besides Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea that was on Purdue's mind, but he hadn't given it much thought since Jean-Luc had used it to help hurt Julian. It was only when Jean looked like he was ready to depart, that that book of shadows found its way back to the forefront of Purdue's thoughts.
Jean gave them all a curt nod. “It's been...a crazy few months...but I'll be on my way then. Hopefully, they haven't cleared out my shop.”
Purdue didn't miss the dark leather-bound book tucked under Jean-Luc's arm. He gave a cough and then nodded toward the journal.
“And where do you think you're taking that book?”
Jean faked some surprise, acting as if he didn't realize he still had the book of shadows but Purdue saw right through that faux embarrassment.
Purdue continued, shaking his head. “I seem to recall that we found that spell book together, and we determined that it would be the safest in my care, aye? Isn't that right?”
Jean gave a little laugh, but it just barely slipped through the tension that was starting to form on his face. He was getting defensive.
“We did decide that it would be safest with you, yes...but how well did that turn out?”
Purdue couldn't exactly argue with that point. Almost immediately after they had put the pages of the book of shadows together, all of Purdue's artifacts were taken and then all hell broke loose. The book of shadows was the only thing he had been able to hold onto at that time. The one thing he could salvage from that horrible defeat.
“I kept it out of the Black Sun's hands at least,” Purdue said.
“But if was far too close of a call for my comfort. Looking for this book is what began our partnership...I have just as much claim to it as you do. More even...since I have proven that I understand how to use its contents.”
He wasn't wrong about that either. Jean-Luc Gerard was an expert in the occult studies and his years of accumulating that knowledge had allowed him to use far more of the book's power than Purdue ever could. Hell, Purdue was so intimidated by the pages inside that he barely ever opened the book at all. When it came to a supernatural—one might even say haunted—relic like that grimoire, he was a novice. Maybe he wasn't the best person to be the book's keeper after all.
Jean could clearly see the wheels turning in Purdue's head. He smiled, knowingly. “You know I'm right.”
“I do,” Purdue admitted. “It's just...we went through a lot to get that book, remember? It's tough to part ways with something that you worked so hard to get.”
“I understand and I agree,” Jean said, having been with him every step of that way of that particular journey. “We went through a lot to get that book but you have your collection of all kinds of artifacts back, and the items in the Black Sun's vaults too. You have more than enough old trinkets to keep you company.”
Purdue did feel a little selfish, but he wasn't used to having to give away his things. He much preferred hording them and keeping them safe. But after Julian Corvus and the Order of the Black Sun raided his collection, his faith in himself was rattled. He wasn't as confident that he could protect his own belongings anymore. And now that he had all of those relics back, he wanted to hold onto them more tightly than ever.
But when it came down to it, Jean was right. He was a better choice to keep the book of shadows safe.
Jean gave a toothy smile. “If you're really that heartbroken about losing it, you're always welcome to come on down to the store and take a peek at it...with my permission of course.”
Purdue smiled back. “Fair enough.”
Jean's face flushed with surprise. “Really?”
“Really. I trust you, Jean. Just think of it as a reward for the months of shit you went through with the Black Sun.”
“Wow,” Jean said, looking at the old book in his hands. “I thought I was going to have to pry the book out of your cold, dead hands.”
Purdue put his hands up in surrender and chuckled. “There's no need for anything like that. It's yours.”
Jean's fingers tightened on the book in his hands, squeezing it tight, like he was afraid it was going to blow away. It was no secret how long he had been hoping to read the completed book of shadows. He had started off with only one page, and now here he was, finally in possession of the book, with no one setting any parameters or restrictions. He could finally read it
and study its power to his heart's content.
Jean looked up, his eyes wide but full of appreciation. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Purdue said with a causal shrug, trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal at all. “Honestly, that journal gives me all kinds of bad feelings. My life will be a lot nicer without it being around to creep me out. That witch, Mona Greer, has been haunting me far too long...but I'm sure I'll be in New Orleans at some point, so you owe me a whole fun day on Bourbon Street.”
“Drinks are on me,” Jean said, holding the book up. “Or maybe I could just conjure us up as many drinks as we want. Who knows?”
“Happy reading,” Purdue said. “And safe travels home. I'll see you around at some point.”
When Jean-Luc Gerard was gone, Purdue realized that some of his more recent acquisitions were finding their way into others' hands. Galen took the Spear of Destiny and now Jean-Luc could finally add the book of shadows to his little bookshop's shelves. The people who had been part of those respective ventures were winding up with those artifacts in the end—for better or worse.
But if Purdue had his way, then Galen wouldn't have the Spear of Destiny for long. That would need to be addressed. The less threats that he had from now on, the better things would be. The things Purdue had in mind for the future would be hard enough without having to worry about grudges that should have been buried a long time ago.
When the news stations dared to go back to the Mayan temple in the Arctic, there was very little for them to find. The temple was nowhere to be found and left no trace that it had ever been there at all. The only things that remained were the circle of black helicopters that once formed a perimeter around the place. The other was the body of a young woman, who coroners later determined had died from a large fall. They would never discover the handful of guards that were dead under the ice a short distance away. No one could explain it but many of the reporters regretted listening to that mysterious organization that demanded that they leave for a short while. Whatever had happened, it had taken their big news story from them.
Order of the Black Sun Box Set 10 Page 51
