“It's at least a sensible place to start,” Nina said, realizing how moronic it probably looked to be agreeing with Galen about anything. “All we know is that he was from here ... we need to work with what we have. Ask around, maybe check the local museums for old spears.”
Purdue rubbed his chin, looking around the streets around them. “I can get behind that.”
“I'll search the museums. If anyone can spot the right spear, it'll be me,” Galen said confidently.
“Weren't you just pushing for us to go to the churches?” Purdue asked.
“Aye,” Galen said defensively. “And now we're doing both. All I'm saying is my experience would be far better used in a place full of blades than bibles, don't you think?”
“Fine,” Purdue said. “I'll go with you. You could use another set of eyes.”
“I already have Maddox for that. His eyes may be cross-eyed but I think they'll suffice.”
Purdue shook his head. “I insist.”
“Do you really not trust me, Davy? Think I'll run off with the spear if I find it?”
“I don't think you'll be able to run off anywhere for a good, long while.” Purdue tapped Galen's crutch with his foot. “I'd just prefer that our two parties find the spear together, rather than risk keeping it from the other one. Nina and Sam will visit some of the old churches and cathedrals. You and I will take a gander at the museums.”
“And what about me?” Maddox asked.
“I forgot about you,” Purdue said with a snicker. “I've been meaning to ask, are you at all helpful in an actual civilized environment? Or are you only a benefit when we're in a war zone?”
Maddox didn't look pleased with the implications. “I'm adaptable.”
“Right. Real adaptable.” Purdue took a step closer to Maddox. He wasn't at all intimidated by the mercenary's large stature. He recognized him for the rather simple lummox that he had proven himself to be. All he knew was how to cause violence. He was generally useless doing anything else. “I forgot that you're a regular chameleon. Like on Rhodes when you started shooting off bullets in the middle of a tourist attraction!”
“I was saving your lives,” Maddox said sharply. “If I hadn't, we'd all be dead or still stuck as Sasha's prisoners. You're welcome.”
“The point is ... I would rather not draw attention to ourselves. And you've proven to be somewhat bad at that. You stick with Nina and Sam or you go off and try to do some investigating of your own. It's up to you. Makes no difference to me. Just try not to blow anything up. I'll stick with your boss here. We have some catching up to do.”
Maddox looked to Galen uncertainly, but the Irishman waved him off. As Nina, Sam, and Maddox took off, Galen muttered, “I see what you're doing. Without my bodyguard, you could easily take me down if you have to.”
“Galen, I would be able to do that either way. With or without your mercenary here. Whether you're crippled or not. I just hope you don't give me real reason to since we're such good old friends.”
Galen's brow furrowed and he looked at Purdue uneasily. There was a lot of history between them, and some tension that had never been resolved. “The best of friends, Davy. The best of friends.”
The churches in Norwich were large and old—lasting monuments to a time when the city was thriving as one of the richest cities in the land in medieval times. The cathedrals there were structures that had hosted thousands upon thousands of masses. They had been places of worship since the times when Christianity was at war with the so-called heathens and pagans. Nobles from centuries ago had prayed under the same roofs as web designers and fashion models nowadays. Those old churches had seen generation after generation walk through its doors for a millennium.
Norwich Cathedral was the oldest of them and that was where Nina and Sam were heading first. There was no real logical reason to check the oldest church first. Plenty of churches in Norwich had already been built and were around during Arthur Rosewell's lifetime. If he really had decided to hide the Spear of Destiny at a church, then there were plenty of options for him to choose from.
But being the oldest one, there might have awarded the cathedral some more reverence than the others. If he really did bring the spear to one of the places that worshiped its victim, then why not pick the oldest and most sacred?
Nina could see the steeple of the Norwich Cathedral down the street. It was massive, cutting through the sky like an enormous obelisk. Sam did his best to keep up with her brisk pace as they walked past dozens of citizens and tourists on the sidewalk.
It was the first time the two of them had spent any real time alone together in a long time. Usually Purdue was always present, and the three of them spent every waking moment together figuring out clues rather than having any real moments to connect. They were too busy diving into danger and running for their lives. What happened on Rhodes was just a reminder of that.
Nina had almost forgotten Sam's dry wit but was reminded as he made comments about people that they walked passed.
“He just got thrown out by his girl. She just lost her job at the train station—no—no I read that wrong. Definitely McDonald’s. He's not quite sure what he's even doing here. Probably woke up in garbage twenty minutes ago.”
His observations were equally inappropriate and accurate. He had her laughing most of the way to the church. Sam had a hard life and she knew his forays into crass humor were his best way of coping with the memories that still plagued him.
Just as they were reading the old structure, their time alone was cut short.
Maddox was coming up from behind calling for them to wait. They reluctantly came to a halt and both were silently blaming Purdue for sticking them with the mercenary. It could have been a strategy to make his time with Galen easier, but Purdue had made their own search even more irritating. Maddox wasn't the kind of guy who helped find things. He'd be too busy banging pots and pans in the corner of the room. He could turn a pleasant afternoon into a gunfight—as recent events proved.
They waited for him to catch up as he nearly shoved a few people on the sidewalk out of his way. They started walking again, both staring at the sidewalk and not even greeting Maddox.
“I don't like this either,” Maddox said. “I'm being paid to protect Galen.”
Sam snickered at the thought of Galen's limp. He murmured under his breath, “Bang up job so far.”
“I'm taking a big risk letting him go off with Purdue. I really didn't want to.”
“You didn't have to,” Nina said, hoping to send him back in Purdue's direction. “You could have just followed them. Kept any eye on Galen from a distance without being noticed.”
Maddox looked away. It was obvious that he hadn't thought of that. He glanced over his shoulder like he was considering going back.
Nina thought they'd convinced him but he turned back around and said, “No idea what museum they went to. Would waste a few hours just trying to find them. You guys could use an extra pair of hands.”
“Yeah...” Sam and Nina both struggled to hide their disappointment.
They came to the great doors of the cathedral. Nina stared directly up, straining her neck to see the top of the church. She paused a moment to take in the sight of it before entering the building with Sam and Maddox behind her.
A wave of silence and tranquility swept over them the second they stepped through the doors. There were people scattered about. Tourists poked around in awe, speaking to each other in hushed tones. Other people were kneeling in the pews, their hands clasped tightly together in prayer.
Enormous stained-glass windows brightened the perimeter of the interior with beautiful artwork.
Nina was struck by the undeniable gravitas of such a historic place. It was just like how she'd felt when they were at the Palace of the Grand Master. There was something so mesmerizing about being in places like this. She imagined the crowds of worshipers packing the cathedral, far more plentiful and fearful of God than the patrons of the church these days. Ba
ck then, they listened intently while the priest preached in Latin. Hopefully a knight with a spear strapped to his back had been waiting for the procession to end—just over there by the bowl of holy water—so he could find a place to store the weapon he carried.
The cathedral's massive doors swung opened behind her, allowing light to briefly pour in before being snuffed out. She felt her body flinch, realizing she'd tensed when the door closed. She was on edge—afraid, even—but calmed when she saw that the new arrivals were an elderly couple and not the enraged members of the Eclipsed that part of her was afraid would be standing there.
It was only now occurring to her how much Julian Corvus had gotten under her skin. He'd slipped inside like a splinter and was still wedged underneath the surface. She was scared he would find them, even if it wasn't likely.
She thought back to when Sasha had initially described Julian on their way to Rhodes.
“A boogeyman.” That's what she'd called him. A being capable of haunting even your waking moments and would continue to torment you know matter how you'd try to shake him off. Currently, that was an incredibly apt description. She couldn't get those icy eyes of his out of her head. She felt like they were watching her; two gray orbs with nothing behind them but more ice.
She could almost picture him appearing right behind her out of the darkness, reaching around her to grab her face with his scarred hands. She felt her legs trembling, lost in her own fear.
“You okay?” Sam asked, breaking her out of her paranoia. “You look real tense right now.”
“I'm alright,” Nina said. “Just been a rough couple of days.”
“Rough for you?” Maddox snorted. “My team—some who I have fought shoulder to shoulder with for years—was slaughtered by a woman we thought was one of us. You haven't had it rough. You've had it mildly irritating in comparison.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “No one was comparing, Maddox. I'm sure you miss your murderer friends.”
“I should have had her at the castle. I would have if there had been another shot. Just one more shot.” Maddox was getting worked up and he looked like he was lost in his own memories of the past day. Rather than be petrified with fear of Julian Corvus, he was filled with rage over Sasha's betrayal. This Eclipsed group hadn't just gotten into Nina's head after all. Their attacks were far more psychological than the rest of Black Sun's had ever been.
Maddox continued, his hands twitching he spoke. “Even when this is over ... even if they never catch up to us and we find the damn spear... I'm going to find her. I'm going to find her and put as many bullets in her as she put into my team.”
“Hunting down a covert shadow organization sounds like an easy way to put yourself into a grave,” Sam said bluntly.
“Probably.” Maddox clicked his tongue. “But I'll make sure Sasha's dead before I am.”
“If you boys are done fantasizing about revenge...”
Nina walked over to an older woman working as the greeter and walking information center by the cathedral entrance. She struck up a pleasant conversation with her before introducing Sam and Maddox as “friends who are touring England with me.” The woman, whose name tag read Barbara, greeted them with all of the smiles and hospitality she was being paid to provide. When Nina inquired if a tour of the church would be possible, and it turned out that it was, they were told they just had to wait a few minutes for one of the guides to show up.
The minutes went by and along came George, an older gentleman with a worn but kind face. Every time he smiled, the wrinkles in his cheeks smiled with him.
He led them throughout the enormous cathedral. They examined the beautiful glass windows and then did a lap around the pews, looking over the stations of the cross spread on the walls—artist renditions of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
“Look, I found the spear,” Sam whispered. He pointed out a soldier holding a tall spear in the background of one of the art pieces. “Who knows? Maybe that's the seventh son guy who had the spear originally. The guy who stabbed Christ's body.”
“Septimus,” Nina said. “His name was Septimus.”
“Yeah. Him.”
They went deeper into the cathedral, climbing up a spiraling staircase. As they ascended each step, Nina managed to shift George's usual rehearsed insights in a more conversational direction.
“I imagine an old church like this gets a lot of visitors,” Nina said.
“Oh, yes. Quite a few.”
“Gifts and donations too, I bet. To make sure a historical site like this isn't going anywhere. Or just to support the church too.”
“Of course,” George said. “Donations have always been a backbone of the church.”
“Always, huh?” Nina asked with a fake casualness, as she glanced around at the surroundings. “Like even hundreds of years ago?”
“Even more back then,” George said. “Back when the Christian faith was at its strongest.”
“Right,” Sam interjected. “Like when the church and Christians had entire legions of knights fighting in the Holy Land.”
Nina jabbed Sam's rib with her elbow. Sometimes Sam struggled with being subtle. There was no need to try and push the question about Rosewell until it organically came about.
“And it's not just financial donations, is it?” Nina said, a little louder hoping that she could downplay Sam's interruption.
“You're right. Many things this cathedral possesses were given as gifts of good faith or turned over because the giver believed the church was the best place for it. That we would be able to use it properly.”
Now they were getting somewhere. That sounded a whole lot like how Roysten Rosewell might have viewed ownership of the Holy Lance. If he had turned it over to the church for safekeeping...
“Like what, exactly?” Nina asked.
“Chalices. Bowls. Silverware. Even some statues.”
“And are these still kept here? In the cathedral?” She was trying not to sound pushy or forceful. She made sure every question that left her mouth was oozing with innocence.
“Some of the donations to the cathedral over the years were given to museums, but many of those items still remain down in the basement.”
Nina was suddenly perfectly happy that Purdue and Galen were investigating the museums, especially now that it seemed entirely possible that the church could have given to spear to one of them.
“Would it be possible to see the basement?”
“I can bring you down,” George said. “But the room that houses the donations is roped off. You'll just be able to see inside from the hall. Some of the things we keep in there are hundreds of years old.”
Hundreds of years. Nina couldn't help but smile with hope. “Perfect.”
Although, they were going to have to figure out how to get a closer look.
The whole way down to the basement she thought about it. They couldn't exactly force him to let them into the room. And she couldn't think of a good enough excuse to somehow accidentally end up in there right in front of him.
George led them into the basement which had been spruced up for tourists. The hall had a handful of rooms that you could look in but not actually enter due to the barriers in between the door frames. They reached a room on the left which was roped off just like George said it would be. They all gathered in the entranceway as close to the rope as they could get, examining what they could of the room inside.
It was an old dusty space with shelves and tables and a number of different items. Some were in glass cases to help better preserve them.
“There used to be far more before we gave some away. It's a real shame, I think. Donations to the church should remain at the church. If people want to see them, they should come here and not to some museum. The original donors didn't give these to the museum, after all.”
“We can't go in?” Nina asked sweetly, playing dumb.
“I'm afraid not, George said. “Best way to preserve things that old is to make sure not just anyone can touch him.
Would degrade them. Everything in there is rather fragile, as you might imagine.”
“Understood,” she said but shot Sam and Maddox a look.
Sam raised his eyebrows and shrugged, clearly having no idea how they should get in. Maddox, on the other hand, took a couple of steps back, moving with surprising stealth for such a lumbering man. He slunk behind the unsuspecting tour guide.
“George...” Nina said, her voice trailing off as she tried to get his attention but also nervous about what was about to happen.
“Yes, ma'am?”
Maddox slung his arm around George's neck and put him in a headlock, squeezing tight. Nina let out a gasp and put her hands on her mouth. Sam grabbed onto Maddox' arm, trying to pry him off the old man.
“What are you doing? Get off him!”
“Only way,” Maddox grunted from behind, still squeezing George's throat and cutting off the man's air supply.
“You'll kill him!” Nina cried.
“Relax,” Maddox said as George's eyes rolled up into his skull and he suddenly slunk down, his head hanging. Maddox gently lowered him to the floor and loosened his grip. “He's fine. Just passed out. Which gives us plenty of time to rummage through that room.”
“This isn't—” Nina started but realized it had given them exactly what they need. “Uh ... thanks.”
“Who knows how long we've got, so look fast.”
Nina and Sam stepped over the rope barrier and entered the dusty old room while Maddox waited outside to keep watch, and to make sure George didn't come to before they were gone.
Some of the items they had were astonishing; with even some of the plates and silverware looking like actual works of art from the Renaissance. To think that such beautiful pieces of history were being stored in the bottom of a church, rather than out in a more public place for people to appreciate. She tried to enjoy the opportunity while still looking thoroughly for her real item of interest.
They looked all over the room and the closest thing they found to a spear were some of the dinner utensils. Otherwise, nothing. Plenty of fascinating things but nothing holy or deadly. They made their way back over the rope and stepped over George's unconscious body. Nina felt guilty as she passed their tour guide. He'd wake up very confused, and maybe even a little afraid. A nice guy like him didn't deserve that. They should have found another way rather than assaulting the poor man. He'd done nothing to them and Maddox had attacked him without hesitation.
Order of the Black Sun Box Set 9 Page 11
