Stone

by Linda Mooney

  And black despair sunk its claws into her stomach. The idol lay in two parts. Somehow she’d broken the head off of the body. Frantic, she searched for the missing piece, finally discovering it lying in her lap, between her thighs. She breathed a sigh of relief, until the gravity of what she’d done hit her like a blow to the gut. She’d destroyed a rare and irreplaceable piece of ancient Egyptian art, and she was about to become violently ill from the guilt.

  The tiny gold band rolled between her fingers and fell onto the paper sketch.

  Brielle blinked as her mind tried to comprehend what she’d just witnessed. The gold ring wasn’t part of the figurine?

  Turning the idol upward toward the light, she noticed the slender opening in the thing’s neck. She picked up the head with her other hand and placed it under the magnifying glass. There, clearly, an extension jutted from beneath the skull.

  “A stopper.” She caught herself starting to hyperventilate from the discovery. “This isn’t an idol. It’s a vial. This thing is a—”

  The museum curator part of her brain took over, and she fought the inclination to sniff the miniature container. Holding the body back under the light, she peered through the lens. The interior wasn’t large. Plus, there appeared to be some kind of dried up residue left at the bottom.

  She started. Residue?

  “Oh, shit!”

  Jumping up from the chair, she rushed over to the cabinet on the other side of the office and grabbed a couple of sterile swabs from a drawer. Taking them back to the desk, she broke one from its plastic wrap and carefully daubed the inside of the vial. After sealing that swab back into its wrapping, she repeated the act with the second swab. When she was finished, she placed both swabs inside the top desk drawer. They would go straight to research to be analyzed in the morning.

  Picking up the gold ring, she set it back on the body, where it nestled perfectly in its miniature groove above the shoulders. And when she replaced the head, it also fit snugly and securely in place. The head was the cork for the body, and the ring sealed them together.

  “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  “That remains to be seen,” a strange voice spoke from the doorway.

  Brielle glanced up in horror to find a black-clad man standing there, a pistol with a silencer pointed straight at her.

  Chapter 10

  Confrontation

  Her eyes locked onto the pistol. Any second now she expected the man to fire it. For the bullet to plow into her chest, explode inside her heart, and kill her almost instantly. Or for her to be knocked backwards, and she would bleed all over her uncle’s office. All of those scenarios flitted through her mind within the span of the handful of seconds before the black-clad man spoke again.

  “Where is the kalorshai?” he demanded.

  Brielle frowned, and she decided to play it dumb. “Where is the what?”

  “The kalorshai. The seal. The idol.” He gestured with his other hand. “What’s that in your hand?”

  Rather than answer, she pressed the issue. “What are you talking about? What kind of seal?”

  “From the ruins outside of the Valley of the Kings where Dr. Kelling has been digging. We know a shipment just arrived from that location.” He waved his gloved fingers at her. “That thing in your hand. Give it to me.”

  “It’s not a seal,” she argued.

  “Give it to me anyway.”

  “It’s a vial. See?” She popped the head off of the figurine and showed it to him.

  He fired a shot into the desk. She jumped at the sound of the pop that was no louder than a cork being pulled from a wine bottle, but he’d made his point. Brielle replaced the head on the idol and held it out to him.

  The man snatched it from her hand and stuffed it into a small bag suspended from a belt loop on his jeans. “What else do you have?”

  “I told you—”

  He pointed the pistol at the middle of her face. The man was done with the delaying tactics. “The rest of the shipment. Now.”

  Holding up her hands, she slowly got to her feet. The man moved aside to let her pass him, then followed her down the hallway to the area where the crates were stacked. Brielle pointed to them.

  “It’s all in there. We’ve only inspected the items that were in that one crate on the table. We haven’t had the chance yet to inventory what’s in the other crates. We just opened them to make sure everything arrived safely.”

  The man went behind the long table and quickly rummaged through the items lying there. Taking a couple of things, he stuffed those into the bag. He walked over to the other crates, knocked their lids onto the floor, and began pawing over the antiquities inside. Brielle quickly glanced over at the doorway and wondered how far she could get before the man shot her. The guy must have sensed her plan.

  “Don’t try it. I only came for the seal. Would be a shame to have to kill you because of some stupid stunt you pulled.”

  She chose to stay put.

  The man found one more object to take with him, then turned his attention back to her. “Okay, sweetheart. Come here.”

  She saw him pull out the handcuffs from behind his back, and her survival instincts kicked in. He may have a gun, but she was willing to bet her life that he wasn’t that familiar with this place. If he was, he would have known to come directly to this room first, since this was where every new delivery was unpacked, sorted, photographed, and tagged before it went anywhere else.

  She started to walk toward the big table, then suddenly shoved it into the man, catching him at waist level. The push was enough to knock him temporarily off his feet. As he stumbled and caught himself, she bolted out the door and made straight for the elevator.

  Luck was with her. The doors promptly slid apart, which made her believe that no one had used them since she’d gotten there. Seeing the man coming from the inner offices, she jumped out of view and slapped the button. If she could make it up to the first floor, she could flag down one of the guards who was always on duty.

  Another bullet zinged inside the cage, but the doors closed before the man reached her. The elevator shuddered slightly and began its ascent. It went up one floor and stopped, and she threw herself out of the elevator, only to realize she’d hit the wrong button and ended up back at the delivery warehouse.

  The sound of footsteps pounding up the stairwell alerted her that the man was almost upon her. Panicking, she made straight for a pile of lumber stacked near the opposite wall. She did her best “slide into home plate” maneuver as memories of her years playing softball came back to her, and hid behind it.

  Peering between a couple of slats, she watched as the man in black burst through the door, noticed the elevator still with its doors wide open, and headed straight for the rear exit on the other end of the room. But when she heard him jiggle the bar, her heart sank. She’d forgotten that the outer door would be locked at this time of night.

  She glanced at the other exits left to her. She couldn’t get back to the public elevator or the stairwell without him spotting her. The service elevator was directly across from her, but to get there would also put her in clear view for the shooter. The man had her trapped, and he’d soon discover that fact as well. After that, it would only be a matter of time before he found her.

  Unless I’m lucky. Unless he gives up looking for me and leaves of his own accord.

  She really didn’t believe she could be so lucky, but, as far as she could see, it was her last hope. Not unless a guard, for some reason or another, decided to check the warehouse during his shift, which she seriously doubted. Yes, eventually someone would make it down here, but not before this crazy man with the gun discovered her.

  She heard him moving around, the sound of his feet echoing on the concrete floor inside the large room. She could also hear him mumbling to himself, although she couldn’t make out the words.

  The sound of the stairwell door opening caught her attention. It was also noticed by the black clad man, who whirled around
and raised his weapon.

  “Look out! He’s got a gun!” she screamed at whoever had come downstairs, hoping it would save the person’s life. She heard the pistol fire, and expected to either hear a returning shot, or a body to hitting the ground.

  Something stepped into view. Something she didn’t fathom at first. It was tall. Huge. Bulky.

  Inhuman.

  The man fired again. The bullet zinged off of the thing’s chest, but it never faltered. It continued to walk toward the man with slow, lumbering steps. Brielle caught sight of an immense pair of wings rising above the thing’s shoulders. Rising and spreading outward, almost blocking her view of the man.

  He fired twice more, and both times the bullets ricocheted off. One struck close to her, and she shrieked as the wood planks next to her exploded in splinters.

  The creature advanced on the man and reached out with muscular arms that ended in hands bearing thick claws. The man in black bolted for the back door where he fired twice at the lock, then barreled into the door with the side of his body. The door slammed open, and the man vanished out the rear.

  The creature stopped just short of the exit as the claxons went off. Brielle saw this as her opportunity to make a run for it and tried to make it to the service elevator, which was closer.

  She never believed the creature could move so fast. Before she was halfway across the room, it was there, blocking her way. She zigzagged in an effort to elude it, when its hand snagged her by the arm. She screamed and tried to fight it off, but her fists were ineffective. It tossed her over its shoulder and carried her out the broken back door, where it launched itself into the air.

  Chapter 11

  Contact

  Something didn’t feel right. A queasiness filled him and sent a strange chill through him. He got the feeling that a balance had been disrupted. That the world had tipped in a direction away from him, and that which he sought was no longer going to be within reach.

  Garenth got to his feet and walked out of the room where he’d been sitting. He found himself in a second room, much like the one he’d left, except this one contained clear, lighted boxes set on top of short, blocky daises. Inside the boxes were various items, some of which he could actually identify. There were knives and swords, and battle-scarred helmets. He noticed pieces of what could be armor, and sheets of finely woven papyrus that bore faded inscriptions.

  The uneasiness was stronger in here, but he had yet to find the actual source. Another open doorway loomed ahead, and he passed through it.

  This time he entered a wide hallway. Further down he could see where there was a doorway to another large room. He took a few more steps in that direction, but it was quickly evident that what he was looking for would not be in there.

  He heard a rumbling sound. It came from nearby. Placing his palm against the wall, he was surprised to feel the wall give a little. It was a fake wall. There was something behind it, but what?

  The rumbling stopped. At the same time, a small shock went up his arm, surprising him.

  The mother idol. It was there. It was connected to the vibrating wall.

  He had to find out what was on the other side of the wall.

  A sign he was unable to decipher was posted beside a strange-looking doorway. A metal bar was set in the door, but he couldn’t tell how it was barricading the portal. Experimentally, he shoved on the bar, and the door opened to reveal a set of stairs going up and down. Letting the call of the idol guide him, he followed the steps downward.

  At the next level was another door. This time he was faced with an oddly-shaped ring pull. Through a small window in the door he could see a large holding area. The mother idol was in there. He knew it without question. Grabbing the ring, he opened the door and stepped inside.

  A man dressed all in black ran into view. At the same time he heard a shout of warning. Another step, and the man pointed something at him. There was a small explosion, and Garenth felt something impact him in the center of his chest. It stung, but it didn’t wound.

  The mother idol’s call was coming directly from the man. Its song was pure and clean, which meant he was in possession of it. Yet there was no mistaking the man’s intent—he was either protecting the idol, or trying to get away with it. Regardless, he was defaming the idol, and for that Garenth meant to recover it.

  He advanced on the man, who pointed his weapon at him a second time. Like the first impact, this one stung, like a snake’s bite, but his body remained unaffected.

  Garenth rose to his full height and extended his wings. He never slowed, never hesitated as he continued to cut the distance between himself and the man.

  The man used his weapon again, twice. Both projectiles bounced off, but somewhere behind him he heard of shriek of surprise or pain. Someone else was in the room with them. Garenth pushed that bit of information to the side to concentrate on the person facing him. The man had also heard the cry, and his attention shifted to a spot over Garenth’s left shoulder. It was a second’s worth of diversion, but it was enough, and he lunged for the man.

  At the last moment the man saw him approaching and twisted his body. Garenth felt the whisper of cloth slip through his fingers as the guy twirled around and ran away. Garenth took off after him when the man reached one of those barred doors. But instead of pressing down on the metal handle, the man fired twice at it before ramming it with his body. The door sprung open, and the man stumbled out, caught himself, and fled on foot into the darkness.

  Overhead, the screaming sound of the alarm he’d heard earlier filled the room. Garenth paused. His first impulse was to go after the man and continue trying to retrieve the idol, but there was a second vibration still inside the big room. Another vibration that shouldn’t exist.

  He whirled around in time to see another figure making a dash for the stairwell. With a powerful sweep of his wings, he managed to intercept the person halfway.

  It was a woman.

  Without thinking, he grabbed her arm. The vibration rose in intensity, and he knew this woman was the source.

  She fought him, without success, but he couldn’t waste any more time in this room. He had to go after the man who still had the mother idol, and he had to take the woman with him, if for no other reason than to find out why he was sourcing on her.

  Throwing her over his shoulder, he rushed to the doorway and launched himself into the night sky. The woman went still as he flew them high above the building. Below he could see multi-colored lights converging all around the structure. As he lifted them further upward, he watched as more uniformed figures emerged from their litters and entered through the broken door. Because they no longer concerned him, Garenth turned his attention to finding where the man had gone.

  He arched over the tall temples, but it soon became apparent that having the woman was throwing his senses into a whirl. Her closeness was affecting his ability to track the mother idol, which left him with two choices. He could dump her somewhere and continue going it alone, or…

  He landed on a flat roof and eased the woman onto its gravel surface. The moment he released her, she scrambled backwards, got to her feet, and tried to make another run for it, but only made it as far as the edge.

  She turned a pale face to him, her body tense as she breathed heavily. She spoke to him. Her tone was demanding even as waves of fear rolled off of her.

  Garenth shook his head. He could read her emotions, but he couldn’t understand what she was saying. Shaking his head again, he remained where he stood and didn’t make any further advances toward her. He didn’t want to risk her diving over the side of the temple, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to catch her before she hit the ground.

  She called out to him again, pointing her finger in the direction from which they’d come. She was indicating the big building. Garenth grunted. “Who are you? Why do I sense the mother idol with you?”

  The woman stared at him. She spoke again, this time with less vehemence. Almost questioningly.

&nb
sp; He pointed at her. “Were you with the mother idol?” He took a small step toward her to reassure himself that she was the source. He felt a slight pulse an instant before she backed away again, pressing herself against the low wall.

  A light from overhead, along with a roar like a rock avalanche, shone down on them. He glanced up to see a strange bird fly by, heading toward the building he’d left. He looked back at the woman, half-expecting her to use the momentary diversion to try to make another run for it. Instead, to his surprise, she remained standing where she was, but now she appeared to be scrutinizing him. Studying him. The fear was gone, yet she continued to be wary of him.

  She spoke again. This time she took a couple of steps toward him as she patted her chest.

  “Bree-elle. Bree-elle.”

  Then she pointed at him and gave him a questioning look. When he didn’t answer her, she tried again.

  “Bree-elle.” She pointed to herself, then pointed at him.

  “Garenth.”

  “Garenth,” she repeated and, surprising him, smiled. She took another step closer, but her eyes were no longer focused on his face. She was staring at his chest. Curious, he glanced down to see four small depressions in his chest where the man’s weapon had struck him. She continued to talk to him in an almost soothing manner and reached out. Her fingertips touched the edge of one of the holes, and suddenly he felt his chest cracking, breaking until tiny fissures opened up between the four impressions.

  The woman jumped back at the unexpected reaction. At the same time, his sense of the mother idol swelled. This woman had touched it, had handled it, had been in intimate contact with it. His eyes dropped to where he could see a minute glow beckoning to him from between her thighs. He started to reach for it, when a second loud bird went shrieking overhead.

  Fearful that they would be discovered before he had the chance to figure out all of these new revelations, he snatched her up again. But this time he lifted her into his arms, rather than throwing her over his shoulder. The woman didn’t fight him, throwing an arm around his neck instead and pressing herself against him.