by Jules River
Taking deep breaths, they slowly descended the steps, then began to weave through the sharks with smiles on their beautiful lips and shrewdness in their eyes. They nodded at a few people they had seen before, but did not know well.
As they made the rounds of the display cases, looking at the items to bid upon, they saw the sword. Excitement coursed through their veins. They knew it was the sword they sought, and they knew better than to show their elation. They had experience holding their poker faces, keeping their emotions hidden, a skill learned both by actually playing poker with their father as they grew up, and by shrewdly dealing in this business for so long.
So they walked past their treasure and placed several bids, one on the sword, three on other items they would like to have for resale. They had champagne with their host and several other men until the bidding ended. The overly suave host, William Blankenship, considered himself quite the ladies’ man, and was trying to charm them into staying for a private party after the auction. Mira and Faye respectfully declined the invitation. They did not care to be a part of his ‘private party,’ as they had the distinct impression they would be the entertainment for Blankenship and a few of his oleaginous friends.
After the bids were tabulated, the high bidders were handed a card confirming their win for each item. Those who did not secure a bid were asked to leave. Both Mira and Faye were given a card.
Mira noticed a group of men leaving, and one held her attention. His oddly colored eyes held a quiet disdain as he looked at her dismissively. He was a distinguished man in his early to mid-40s, with a very noble look about him. Despite his fashionable attire, he had an aura of antiquity about him. Something about him was oddly menacing, and it was clear he had no regard for the sisters. She knew that man would be trouble at some point. The fact that she was sure he knew she held the winning bid on the sword had her concerned. Discretion was always of utmost importance in these situations.
Mira discreetly nudged Faye to look at the intriguing man, so she too would be aware of the threat. Faye gave a slight nod of understanding.
Eventually Mira and Faye were called to a private room to watch as the sword and the other item they had purchased were packaged for immediate transport. Rejoining their security team, the sisters got in the limo waiting to take them to a small, private airstrip; they would travel to Amsterdam by helicopter and overnight there before their morning appointment with a private dealer. On their way, their security noticed they were being followed.
They had anticipated something like this happening, and had an extra security detail outside the gate of the airfield, ready to waylay any who sought to keep them from leaving. Their security team was in contact with the other team at the airfield, and kept them apprised of what to expect. As they drove through the gates and onto the runway with their newly acquired treasures, gunfire was exchanged, but there were no injuries, at least not to their own.
As soon as they arrived at the hotel in Amsterdam, they called Lyra, even though it was very late, early morning actually. They didn’t want her to worry. “We made it to Amsterdam fine,” Mira said, “and we have the sword! We also had an unfriendly follow us and shoot at our security. We need to try to figure out who he is.”
Lyra asked, “Did you see him?”
“Yes, he was giving me a killer look after we won the bid. He was a handsome man in his early 40s with a distinct Roman look about him. I’m not sure how he knew we won the bid, either. I think he will be a problem.”
Lyra agreed, “Yes, it sounds like it. I will do some digging and see if anyone knows of anyone else actively searching for the sword. I’m glad you two are safe. Good luck tomorrow.” Mira started to say, “We’ll call you tomorr -,” but Lyra hung up before all of the word was out of her mouth.
Mira looked at her phone and rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Faye shook her head, lightly laughing, “I’m glad I'm not the only one she does that to”
***
Mira and Faye met with the dealer before lunch and luck was most definitely on their side or something. The sweet older gentleman was pleasant, and had tea ready to serve when they arrived. The sisters took an instant liking to him, and enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey while they chatted.
“Mr. Michelson, you have a lovely home,” Faye said sincerely.
“Thank you, I do enjoy it here. It is a nice place to retire, but I am sure you are wanting to talk business.” Mr. Michelson smiled as he uncovered several items on the coffee table.
They had found the axe.
“I think we can come to an arrangement, Mr. Michelson. This is exactly the type of artifact we were hoping to find,” Mira said demurely, struggling to contain her excitement. After a price was agreed upon and funds transferred, Mira said with true warmth, “It was a pleasure meeting you Mr. Michelson. If ever we can be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact us.”
“The pleasure was all mine. I am the one who was fortunate enough to spend time with you lovely, young ladies,” Mr. Michelson genuinely relayed. Saying their goodbyes, the sisters took the limo back to the helicopter and went straight to the castle in Germany where Lyra, the statue, and the dagger awaited.
On their way they called Lyra and told her the good news and asked her to cancel their appointment for that afternoon with the museum in Prague. The excitement was very high on the journey home.
Mira said, wonderingly, “Doesn’t it seem that suddenly all of this was way too easy? I mean, we have been looking for these four items for years, and now out of the blue they all practically drop into our hands in a matter of days, really.”
Faye agreed, “It does seem as if it was meant to be, almost like fate, if you believe in that kind of thing. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Let’s not worry right now. We should celebrate instead.”
“Yes, you’re right, we should celebrate. This has been a long time coming. After all, we have spent years searching and researching, and now it’s paying off, that’s all.” Mira smiled, feeling more comfortable with the situation, but feeling that their lives were about to drastically change.
Chapter 3
Lyra took some time that morning to research the reality behind the legend of the three warriors who were turned to marble. They had trouble in the past finding information on the warriors, but Lyra was able to find some new and interesting information this time when she searched. It only entailed hacking into a few places. What information she was able to uncover told of successful, respected, honorable, and powerful men. Warin Faust was the name of the eldest brother; he was called the ‘Fist that Protects’ by his people and he was his clan’s warrior chieftain. His two brothers, Dunstin and Cenric Faust, were equal second-in-command’s, each with his own area of responsibility. Warin was the chieftain over thousands of men, commander of one the largest armies at that time, with his brothers at his side. They were not conquerors; they were fighting to keep their people’s freedom. He and his brothers were noted for fairness, and for providing well for their fighting men and their families. They were also known for constant training and superior skills that made them victorious in battle, time after time. Lyra was duly impressed. They certainly looked the part of leaders and great warriors.
Lyra stood up from her desk, and walked over to the statue to admire the three figures. “Well it seems like you were the good guys. You have quite the reputation for kicking ass and taking care of your own. You all were a pretty big deal in your day.” As she walked around them and scrutinized their faces, she thought to herself that it seemed perfectly natural to talk to the statue. “So who’s who? I wonder.” As Lyra’s phone rang, she reluctantly pulled her gaze away and got back to work.
When Mira and Faye arrived that afternoon, Lyra was waiting at the door. They all felt a nervous excitement; unbeknownst to the sisters, the warriors felt it, too.
The sisters were all talking at once. Mira was saying, “The trip was a raging success.” wh
ile Faye was saying, “We absolutely must celebrate.” All the while Lyra implored, “Come show me the new lovelies!” They all but floated into the castle, carrying the newly acquired weapons with them.
Once they were in the office, Mira and Faye’s eyes went straight to the statue; the pull was that strong. They wanted to touch the statue, but they both resisted. They each had a weapon to admire when they sat in the seating area, and they began to study them carefully.
The sword had etched on its blade the Latin word ‘Liberum,’ meaning free, and the axe had ‘Robustissimi’ etched on its blade, which meant warriors. Each one of them kept glancing at the statue. To keep from going over to the statue Lyra told her sisters, “I dug a little deeper into who these guys were supposed to be today and I was actually able to find out more this time. I needed to, because, you know, in case there really is something to this curse, I wanted to make sure we would not be inadvertently letting loose a few Attila the Huns on society.”
“Well, what did you find out?” Faye asked, getting irritated that her sister would not just come out and tell them.
“Well, apparently they were kick-ass warriors who were pretty much in charge of the armies, big armies, not just a couple hundred guys, more like thousands. The oldest one, Warin, was the warrior chieftain and known as ‘The Fist that Protects,’ which is not very original if you ask me, since that’s what his name means.”
Mira agreed, “Right, Warin means protector, and Faust means Fist. I think it’s cool.”
“Well, it is, it’s just not very original,” Lyra complained.
“Is there more?” Faye encouraged.
“Yeeess, they were known for providing well for those in their charge. They were also successful, very respected, honorable and powerful. Oh and fair. Yeah, not only did they have mad fighting skills, they must have been pretty smart, good with strategy, because they won all the time. Dunstin and Cenric were Warin’s second in command, they each had their own army under their command as well. Dunstin was the middle child, and Cenric was the baby. They were 30, 29 and 28. I wonder if they had any of the typical characteristics? Like Warin -- I’m the oldest, I make the rules. Dunstin -- the rules were made because of me. And Cenric -- the rules don’t apply to me.” Lyra finished her recount of her findings.
Mira laughed, “Well they sure apply to us.”
“No they don’t, I make the rules.” Lyra pretended to pout.
“Whatever, baby girl,” Faye laughed as she tweaked Lyra’s cheek, then she said, “Wow, they were just a few years older than us. Can you imagine leading armies? I mean, I’m not saying I couldn’t do it, I would probably enjoy some of it, I’m just saying I don’t think I would want to, the military is just too rigid for me.”
Both Mira and Lyra busted out laughing, then Mira laughingly said, “Yes, you would have been great in the military except for how regimented it is. You would be off fighting one minute, then next your crazy butt would be dancing to music only you can hear, trying to start a flash mob or something.”
Faye laughed, “Well there is that.” All three of them laughed and were in full agreement.
Once they settled down, Lyra inquired, “I wonder if the weapons fit in the warriors’ hands. I mean, if you look at them, each has a hand that looks like it had been holding something, and they are posed like they were ready for a fight.”
Faye agreed, “I had noticed that, too, and wondered if the weapons would fit once we found them.”
Mira declared, “I’m not sure I’m ready to find out yet. Hey, I thought we were going to celebrate!” And she jumped up, singing, “She put de lime in de coconut, she drank ’em bot’ up,” dancing her way to the kitchen to make the drinks.
Faye looked at Lyra and smiled, “Oh, this is going to be a fun night! We both know Mira doesn’t cut loose often, but when she does, she’s hilarious!” Lyra smiled back and they started singing along, and they danced out to help Mira with the drinks.
Once they had filled glasses, and a full pitcher on the coffee table in the office, as well as shot glasses, limes, salt and a bottle of tequila they’d been saving for a special occasion, they put on the music and started drinking, laughing and dancing together.
The sisters had changed into cute, low-rise sweats, and little tight tees. “Time to relax and celebrate!” Mira said. Faye and Lyra spoke in unison, “Oh, yeah!”
Faye had dance-mix tunes on with some great music from when they were in the high school dance team for the few months they actually went to a private school, that time they stayed in New York. They talked about their time in school. They recreated several dance routines, laughing all the while. They drank some more, goofed around, and had a blast together.
***
When Lyra had walked over to the warriors and spoken out loud about her concerns, they had worried. But when she told her sisters what she had found out about them, they were so relieved that the women would not have issues about trying to find a way to free them.
The warriors talked at once when all three of the weapons were brought into the room. It had been seventeen hundred years since they had last seen the sword, dagger, and axe in the same place. They were exuberant, hoping the sisters were about to free them from their marble prison. But Mira seemed to have a case of cold feet suddenly, and was not ready to do anything with the weapons, at least not right then. Impatient as they were, when the sisters started dancing the brothers were surprised, thoroughly entertained and content to remain silent stone observers for just a while longer.
The brothers had never seen dancing like that; when the televisions had been on they showed mainly the news, but it was surprising how much commercials revealed. After hearing in detail about all the horrific side effects, the brothers agreed they would most likely never take any prescription medications.
Cenric moaned, Such sweet torture. Dunstin replied, They can torture me like that anytime. Warin sighed, I guess it won't hurt us to wait a bit longer. Damn, have you ever seen anything so alluring?
The brothers were completely enslaved as they watched and listened to the sisters celebrate. Suddenly, getting free was even more important to them; they were ready to live. Freedom itself was not the only thing they wanted desperately. They had been taken with the women’s beauty at first sight, but now they actually liked and respected them. The brothers would do whatever it took to claim their women.
I have a need to be free now even more than when we were first cursed, Dunstin told his brothers.
It’s more than a need, Cenric said. What is happening to us? We had never been able to feel anything until these women touched us.
I think they are part of ending the curse. They have importance to us, in more ways than one, Warin speculated.
***
After the sister wore themselves out dancing, they fell back on the couches and did a few shots of tequila. Lyra was sitting between her sisters. Faye and Mira looked at each other mischievously, then they both licked a finger and touched Lyra on her arm. They laughed hysterically when Lyra gave a full-body shudder of disgust, screamed “Groosssss!” And slapped at them both while she tried to get away before her sisters playfully attacked her. Faye had her in a headlock, messing up her hair, and Mira was tickling Lyra. Lyra was screaming, thrashing, elbowing, and laughing. Faye let out an “ugh” when Lyra elbowed her in the stomach. Mira squeaked, “Ouch, she has her claws out now.” As Mira and Faye laughed, they jumped up to get away from Lyra’s wrath. Lyra stood panting, sulking, and fixing her hair. “You two suck!”
Mira and Faye said simultaneously, “But do you?!” then they laughed even harder when Lyra blushed brightly as she mumbled under her breath.
It had been a while since the sisters had a chance to laugh and just act silly with each other. Life had been so serious since their father’s death, and they had worked so hard to complete his dream.
They continued to tease and joke with each other quite a bit, which reminded Faye she had a new move she wanted to show
them. They asked the staff bring a fighting dummy in from the castle’s fitness room and Faye showed them a really cool defensive move she had seen and been working on a few weeks earlier.
“You take a running jump up from behind the person and wrap your leg around his neck, then twist him down to the ground, giving a quick punch to the face as you go,” Faye explained. She and Lyra tried it a couple of times each and then Faye said, “Cool, right, but I'm having trouble getting up that high. I need to push off of something first. A hallway would work best or a wall, I think, but there are too many nice things on the walls in here to do that.”
Mira gave her the idea, “Use the back of the couch to push off of for now.” Faye agreed, “Yes, I think that’ll work.” She tried it, and it worked and was effective. A bonus was it looked really cool, too. So they all took a few turns and got the move down. They acted sillier and cornier each time they did the move, but they gained confidence with each attack and soon each sister added her own spin to the move.
The buzz had mostly worn off, after all of their activities, and the girls were ready to wind down.
Faye held up the dagger, and decided to see if it would fit in one of the warrior’s hands. She walked around the statue slowly, looking carefully at the hands. When she came to Cenric she tried the dagger in his hand. It slipped into place as if it had never been apart. Faye exclaimed, “It fit! Try the other ones!”
Mira picked up the sword, Lyra grabbed the axe and they walked over to the statue. Each of them slipped a weapon into a warrior’s hand. The sword belonged in Warin’s hand, while the axe went to Dunstin.
The sisters looked at each other and the statue, with just a touch of apprehension clouding their features. Quietly, almost reverently, they spoke aloud the trio of words engraved on the weapons.
