James grunted and leaned forward. It was a good thing he hadn’t eaten much after they’d arrived in Dar es Salaam. The flight had killed his appetite, and Shay had wanted to leave right away, so they hadn’t stopped anywhere. She’d eaten a few meal bars on the way, and he figured he’d survive until later.
If God had wanted us to fly, he would have given us wings. If he wanted us to swim, he would have given us gills.
James nodded, satisfied with his impeccable logic.
Shay sat next to James, her face its normal color. She showed no signs of seasickness. She leaned over to whisper, “Just bond Whispy. You look like you’re turning into one of those frog guys from Russia.”
James turned toward her. “Whispy? How could he help?”
“If he can do shit like change your eyes, I’m sure he can do something about your little problem. We’ve paid this guy decent money to take us to a dangerous island, and we have weapons with us, so he’ll just assume it’s a magical artifact, even if he knows what’s going on.”
James reached under his shirt and pulled the spacer off. The pain was a welcome distraction from the relentless churning in his stomach.
Initiation, Whispy sent.
Do something about this fucking seasickness, James commanded.
Adjusting inner ear fluid balance. Mild defensive reduction required.
It’s fine. Shift shit back once we’re on the island.
It was good to know about potential issues if he ever had to have a major fight on a ship in the future.
A sharp piercing pain shot through his ears for a brief second, then receded.
James blinked several times as his stomach settled. “Huh, that shit worked. Good call.”
Shay nodded at the driver. “He didn’t notice,” she whispered.
“Ten or fifteen more minutes,” the driver offered. He muttered something in Swahili before switching back to English. “I’m glad to take your money, but let me tell you what I tell all the treasure hunters. Those ruins have been empty for hundreds of years. No refunds, though, boss.” He shook his head. “The rebels use the place too. They don’t much like treasure hunters.”
Shay chuckled. “We know. You already told us.”
“Maybe you don’t understand, though. These aren’t like in movies. They won’t show respect for your bravery. They’ll take you and use you as hostages if they don’t kill you, or worse. Ruthless killers, the rebels, even if they’re all fools.”
“Fools?”
“The war,” the boat driver explained, gesturing with one hand. “Men pledging themselves to a mchawi king.” He shook his head. “Mchawi are everywhere now. He’s not special. They have others in the rebel army, so why follow him?” He frowned.
“What’s a mchawi?” James asked.
“A wizard,” Shay explained.
The other man furrowed his brow and mimicked flourishing a wand with his hand. “Wizard. Yes. Sorcerer.” He looked at them both and pointed to the pendant around Shay’s neck. “It’s magic, yes?”
Shay nodded. “Among other things.”
The driver nodded. “Maybe you’ll survive, then. I don’t hate the rebels, but I don’t mind if they die either.”
The island grew closer. They were heading straight toward a stretch of open beach that quickly gave way to a dense forest. There was no sign of rebel forces, magical or otherwise.
James grinned. “Yeah, I’m not afraid of a few wizards. Do you recognize me?”
The man stared at him for a few seconds before turning his head forward. “Are you son of the man who was in the movie about the runaway train? You were in the one about the man who is a runaway dragon, right? Two Wings of Terror?”
Shay laughed.
James chuckled. “Nah. Not an actor.” He shrugged, not insulted that the man didn’t recognize him. Sometimes having a rep made things easier, but here it wasn’t necessary. “Just think of me as the hired muscle.”
The beach grew larger as they moved closer. A few seagulls circled overhead. There was still no sign of any rebels.
The driver slowed the boat. “Everything is as I told the woman. You call me on the satellite phone and I’ll come to get you, but it will take two hours. I will wait for two days. If you don’t call me by then, I will assume you’re dead and offer a prayer for your souls.”
Shay checked her tactical vest and grabbed her backpack. “Understood.”
“If rebels are on the beach when I come, I won’t pick you up. They leave me alone, but I don’t interfere with their business either.”
James grunted. “Unless they want fewer rebels, they’ll leave us the fuck alone.”
“That’s the spirit, boss.” The driver pulled the throttle back even more and slowed the boat to a crawl toward the beach. “Your boots waterproof?”
Shay nodded. “Yeah.” She slipped her backpack on and nodded to James.
He also put on his backpack and checked all the straps on his tactical vest.
The driver killed the engine, letting the skiff drift forward until it stopped in the shallow water.
Shay hopped out of the boat, the water splashing around her boots. James followed. A few steps took both of them into the wet sand of the rocky beach.
The driver waved and put the boat in reverse. “Don’t die. I need the other half of your money.”
Shay smirked. “We’ll keep that in mind.”
James looked around the dense trees. “You said there are no monsters on the island?”
Shay shook her head. “I said I hadn’t heard anything about monsters on the island. It’s like our friend on the boat said. I’ve mostly heard that rebels occasionally use the island. If there were a bunch of monsters on it, I doubt they would hang out there, even if they have wizards with them.”
They continued toward the tree line.
James looked over his shoulder at the retreating boat. “Why hasn’t anyone found the map, then?”
“Because they didn’t know it was here. Even if they did, they didn’t have the activation incantations that Smite-Williams passed along to me to reveal the stupid thing.” Shay made a pained face. “Or if they did, they didn’t have the patience to go through dozens of them. Love how he didn’t mention that part until we were just about to leave.”
James chuckled. “Saying shit’s less annoying than fighting.” Pain shot through his ears, and he grimaced.
“What’s wrong?” Shay looked concerned.
James held up a hand. “It’s fine.” The pain faded. “Just Whispy readjusting my ears to land mode.”
“Huh. That makes sense.”
Inner ear fluid balance readjusting for maximum land efficiency, Whispy reported.
Shay knelt and pulled her backpack off. She reached inside and removed a metal box. She flipped the lid and pulled out two folded-up microdrones. After unfolding the drones, she wiped off their solar cells and set them on the ground.
James slipped in his ear receiver, and Shay did as well. She took a moment to link the receivers with her satellite phone.
“Are you there, Peyton?” Shay asked.
Peyton’s loud, long yawn came through the receiver. “It’s past my bedtime. I should get overtime.”
They’d decided that Peyton would take first support watch, and Heather would sleep and take over by the time it hit the evening local time, which would be morning for her and Peyton. Time zones were the eternal bane of international jobs.
A whine came from the two drones, and they rose.
“These aren’t the best, but nice for a quick island hop,” Peyton explained.
“I didn’t want to haul more than we could easily carry with us,” Shay explained. “Especially since this was a quick island hop, and things are unstable because of the war. It’s also why I didn’t bring the tachi. It might stand out a bit.”
“You just brought Brownstone,” Peyton observed.
“True, but he just looks like any other thug mercenary around here.’
James chuckled. “’Any other thug mercenary?’”
“Well, a handsome one.” Shay winked.
Peyton cleared his throat. “If you could stop flirting for a second, I’ve got some information for you. According to the satellite density scans, you should just head northeast from your current position. Walking a few miles inland should bring you to the ruins, and it looks like most of the old stone road is still there, so it won’t be a painful walk.”
Shay pulled out her phone and brought up the compass app before nodding. “Easy enough.” She grabbed her backpack and put it back over her shoulders. “If we’re lucky, we won’t even run into any rebels.”
Thirty minutes later, they were walking along the remnants of a stone road in the center of the forest. The high trees surrounding them protected them from the worst of the midday sun, but their sparse placement allowed plenty of the blue sky to peep through.
“Trouble,” Peyton reported.
James grunted and slowed his pace. “Trouble?”
Shay frowned and pulled out her 9mm. “Care to elaborate?”
“I’ve tagged ten guys coming your way, nine with rifles and one with some sort of gold-tipped wooden staff. They are creeping along slowly. I think they were hoping for an ambush. Hard for me to make out a lot of details with the drones from a distance, but if I get any closer, they’ll probably take it out. Wait.”
Shay furrowed her brow. “What’s wrong?”
Thunder echoed through the forest.
“What the hell was that?” James asked.
Peyton groaned. “Yeah, the staff is the guy’s wand. He just took out both the drones with some sort of lightning spell.”
Shay chuckled. “So now they know they won’t be able to ambush us. They’ll probably rush us instead.”
“Good,” James replied. “It helps to get shit over with.”
Minimum adaptation potential, Whispy complained. Kill enemies and proceed to stronger enemies for maximum adaptation potential.
Several men shouted in the distance. Shay activated her defensive artifacts but didn’t raise her gun. James folded his arms over his chest and waited.
Men in green and yellow camouflage uniforms emerged from the trees, their AKs pointed at James and Shay. Their wizard brought up the rear with his gold-topped dark wood staff. They sprinted toward the couple and spread out around them in a half-circle, all shouting.
They fell silent as the wizard stepped forward and grinned at James. “Too big to be a tourist.” His gaze cut to Shay’s gun. “And too well-armed for tourists.” He gestured at Shay. “And the magical silver around your skin. Some sort of artifact? More tomb raiders who have come to pick the carcass of the Sultanate clean? You’re hundreds of years too late, but your kind keeps coming.”
“I’m not going to deny I’m a tomb raider, but what I’m looking for isn’t valuable to you,” Shay replied. “You probably won’t believe this, but me getting what I’m looking for will actually benefit you, along with a lot of other people on Earth in the long run. So, why don’t you guys all turn around and leave us alone? There doesn’t have to be trouble.”
He chuckled and said something to his men in a mixture of Arabic and Swahili. They all laughed.
“Put down your weapons, tomb raider,” the wizard ordered. “I’m sure there’s someone back in Australia who is willing to pay for you.”
James grunted. “Australia? We’re Americans.”
The wizard shrugged. “All your accents sound the same to me.”
“How the fuck does an American accent sound the same as an Australian accent?”
Shay eyed James. “Is this really the conversation we need to be having right now?”
Kill the enemy, Whispy recommended.
I’m thinking about it.
James cracked his knuckles and stepped forward. “I’m James Brownstone. I don’t give a shit about your rebellion; I’m just here to help her get something. We don’t have time to drag your ass somewhere for a bounty, so you can back the fuck off, or you can die.”
The wizard looked him up and down. “James Brownstone?” He turned to his men and shrugged. “James Brownstone?”
They all shrugged back.
Shay snickered. “You need better PR in East Africa, apparently.”
James grunted. It didn’t matter if they didn’t know who he was. A reputation was just a record of achievements, and he could start a new record there with these men.
He stepped toward the wizard. The men all shouted and pointed their guns at his chest.
“Better shoot me,” James rumbled. “Or better yet, get the fuck out of my way, because if you don’t, I’m gonna force you the fuck out of my way.”
The wizard snorted. “Kill him.”
The men fired in near perfect synchronicity, a crack volley of high-powered bullets that would have shredded most men. The bullets ripped through his overshirt and t-shirt before bouncing off his hardened skin.
Maximum adaptation achieved against attack type, Whispy observed.
James shrugged. “That all you got? Fuck, at this rate, there’s no way you’ll win your little rebellion.”
The wizard pointed at James’ head. “Shoot him there, fools.”
Nine bullets struck his head but left only a few scratches.
The men took a few steps back, fear on their faces.
The wizard muttered something under his breath before pointing his staff at James’ chest. Sparks danced around the tip for a few seconds before a white bolt crackled from the staff and slammed into James’ chest.
The acrid scent of his charred clothing filled the air. The attack blew a hole through his shirt and undershirt and singed his tactical vest, but it’d only left him with a slight sting and some redness. The damage to his clothes revealed the amulet beneath.
Maximum adaptation achieved against attack type, Whispy observed.
The wizard’s eyes widened as he also stepped back. “You have a powerful artifact.”
James nodded. “You want to keep this shit up or should I just kill you now? We don’t have time for too much fun.”
The wizard sprinted for the trees, and the other men fell in behind him.
Shay laughed and holstered her gun. “Now that wasn’t very fair.”
James’ eyes flicked down for a moment as he took in his chest. With the amulet half-embedded and the shape of the many tendrils visible beneath his skin, it must have looked like the amulet was trying to consume him. In a way, that was true.
“They were the dumbasses who attacked us without knowing if they could win,” James muttered. “Not my fault they didn’t know who they were fucking with. At least they were smart enough to run away.”
Shay shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m getting at.”
“What then?”
“They shot you with bullets and a spell, and I didn’t get a chance to threaten them before they ran.”
“That important?” James asked.
“No. Just fun. You’re not the only one who likes to screw with people’s heads.” Shay pointed into the forest. “We should get going.” They had walked only a few yards when she spoke next. “Peyton, you still there?”
“Yes, I’m still here,” the hacker responded.
“I’ll get another microdrone up and running, but it’s the last one,” Shay explained. “You’ll still need to watch our asses once we find the place in case those assholes decide to come back with something more impressive, like a tank.”
“Okay,” Peyton responded, half-yawning. “I’ll double-check all your flight stuff out of the country and go get something with caffeine.”
“Thanks.”
17
No one else bothered Shay and James during the rest of their hike through the forest. The ruins consisted of piles of old stones and a few half-standing walls. Something impressive might have once stood on the island, but nature, or perhaps other tomb raiders past and present, had long since stripped it down to its current
sad state. The remnants of the stone road leading to the ruins were more impressive than anything at the site.
Shay pulled her AR goggles out of her backpack and slipped them on. She set them to thermal mode, and soon found a noticeable thermal differential in a round shape in the ground and walked to the shrub-covered dirt. “I think this is going to get annoying, or at least as annoying as a normal archaeological dig, but it’s as good a time as any to get used to it.”
James headed toward her. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Shay pulled a collapsible shovel off the side of her backpack and expanded it. “Because I’m pretty sure this is the entrance to the tunnel. Underground, anyway. According to the Professor’s briefing information, I should be able to put my hand on the entrance and say the opening incantation and get inside, but I’ve got to be able to touch it directly for that to work.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” James stared at the ground.
“Sure, but it means we’ve got to dig it up. From what I can tell with my goggles, it’s a few feet down and at an angle. Any explosives might collapse the tunnel, so it’s time for some good old-fashioned digging. It’s interesting, though.” Shay scratched her eyelid. “I looked over satellite imagery in different bands for this area, and so did Peyton. According to all those images, there’s nothing buried on this island.”
“Cover-up?” James suggested.
“Maybe, or possibly just a decent spell. Even if the people who set it up didn’t know about satellites, it might have been some sort of general defense to protect it from tracking from far away.” Shay crouched and picked at the dirt. “One thing doing this job has taught me is never to underestimate the ancients.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re here now.” James grunted and held his hand out. “Give me the shovel. I’ll get this shit finished as soon as possible.”
Shay passed the shovel to him. “I knew I should have brought two shovels.”
The minutes went by as James flung dirt and rock over his shoulder with surprising speed. His efforts had revealed most of the dark circular stone door, but Shay was looking for a particular combination of glyphs to touch before she used the entrance incantation. She could detect mild heat emanating from the door with her goggles, but there was nothing to pinpoint the location of the activation glyphs.
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