Sam was thinking about Galen now. They should’ve finished him off back in the Arctic, the last time they saw him when they were in that teleporting Mayan temple. Then Galen wouldn't still be around to stalk Purdue and the others. That man couldn't get the hint that they didn't want him around. Either that, or he was begging Purdue to let him back into the order. Whatever that crazy Irishman was after, it couldn't be good.
“You wish you were there, don't you?” Elijah asked, eyeing Sam curiously. “Look at you. You're just a walking, talking ball of anxiety.”
“Thanks,” Sam said. “I didn't realize that it was that obvious.”
“It is.”
The deep vaults fell silent for a few minutes as Elijah kept looking through some old scrolls. Sam peered around at the trophies that Purdue liked to put on display, relics that he was especially proud of. The rest of the Order of the Black Sun's vast collection were stored down in the pit underneath the room. He saw the tall curtains blocking the immortal Julian Corvus' cage from view on the other end of the room. The box had a speaker system so he wasn't actually able to hear any discussions out here unless they wanted him to. Sam was fine with his old enemy being trapped in such a small box. It was what Julian deserved after what he did.
A ball of anxiety...Elijah hit the bullseye with that assessment. Sam was practically itching to get out and do something. He hated being completely useless thousands of miles away from where his friends could be in danger.
He let out a frustrated groan. “How did this happen? How did we get stuck back here? Why are we the ones that got left behind? We both have proven that we can contribute, haven't we? Hell, we helped bring down Corvus. Why should we get left in the dust while the others all get to go make a difference?”
Elijah rolled his eyes behind his glasses. “I don't mind at all. I actually prefer it this way. I don't have the stomach for field missions. That one trip up north to that temple was plenty enough for me. I'm content sitting right here, and waiting for all of the others to bring me the spoils of their adventures. I get to see the best part of it, no need for everything else.”
“That's right,” Sam said with a snicker. “I forgot that you like boring places like this. Some of us need to be out there, making a difference. You wouldn't even get those relics if not for people like that. You know that right?”
“I can't argue that,” Elijah conceded. “It's true, but my point still stands. For me, this is certainly the best place for my talents. This is my adventure. You can have yours. And what about yours, Sam? You seem on edge, so what are you going to do about it? Are you planning on racing to China to come to their rescue? Purdue and Dr. Gould chose their team for a reason. It might bother you, but they also opted not to take you for a reason. You should respect your friends' decision, shouldn't you?”
Elijah wasn't wrong—he rarely was. Sam did want to go help Purdue and Nina. Sam wanted to be the much needed reinforcements that could turn the tide in the eleventh hour to whatever trouble those two got themselves into. But Elijah had a point, as always. Sam should respect Purdue's decision, not only as the leader of the order now but also as a friend. Obviously leaving Sam behind was done for good reason and it was a decision that was made for everyone's benefit. Throwing himself into the mix would complicate things, or maybe even make things worse for everyone involved? He didn't want to be responsible for that.
Sam decided to take a seat across from Elijah and make himself comfortable. He wasn't going to be going anywhere, so he might as well get used to hanging around for a bit. Elijah looked pleased with his decision, like he’d just disarmed a ticking time bomb. He handed Sam a scroll and a translated version of it.
“Look over these. There might be something important in them. If you notice anything...anything at all, just say so. Even if it's useless.”
Even if he wasn't out in the field, Sam could still be helpful to the mission. Maybe he could assist from back home, doing the research and acting as the brain for Purdue and Nina? That could be just as important of a job as hiking through treacherous terrain or diving deep into the sea. Before Sam got too caught up in the words he was reading, he looked up at Elijah.
“Did they give a more specific place where they're going?” Elijah looked at him with some annoyance, thinking that Sam was contemplating going again, but he wasn't. “I'm just curious. Do we have a more precise idea of where they are.”
“They're going to investigate some more over at the location of one of Genghis Khan more well-known triumphs. The Great Wall of China.”
10
THE OPTIONS ON THE WALL
The Great Wall of China was recently considered one of the wonders of the world, but the truth was that it always had been one of the world's most impressive wonders. Stretching across twenty-one thousand one hundred ninety-six kilometers, and standing nearly thirty feet tall in some places, it was still to this day a marvel to behold. Especially given when it was built, it was incredibly impressive. Much of it had been renovated and added onto over the centuries, but its primary function had always been to protect China from foreign invaders. Among those invaders were the Mongols.
One of Genghis Khan's most infamous accomplishments was breaching through the Great Wall to invade the dynasties of China in the early thirteenth century and sweeping through North China with ease. He brought down China on his road toward world domination.
Of course, breaching the Great Wall hadn't been some legendary siege or anything like many would imagine it. Genghis Khan was indeed a great commander but not much advanced tactical prowess was even needed at that time. Genghis Khan and his Mongols simply found the parts of the Great Wall that had been falling apart at that time—and much of the wall had holes in it—and they rode their large amount of mounted cavalry straight through those openings into China. The wall was much more solid now than it’d been back in the 1210's.
Purdue had been to the Great Wall of China before, as both parts of expeditions and for pure leisure. It was one of the benefits of having so much money over the years and for having the hobby that he did. He found his way all over the world for one reason or another. But, in situations like this, sometimes he looked at a place completely differently based on why he was there. Looking for any clues about Genghis Khan's remains was much different than just trying to take in the sights and walk the length of the wall as a tourist.
“You really think there's anything here?” Nina asked. “I've got to be honest. I'm not convinced. This is one of the most frequently visited places in all of Asia. It's not exactly an ideal place to secretly bury Khan. Even then, it probably wasn't the best place. And with all of the construction that's been done over the centuries, I imagine someone would have stumbled upon his tomb, right?”
“To be honest, I don't expect there to be much, no.”
“So this is a waste of time?”
“A waste of time? No. Not exactly. It gives me a little more time to figure out what to do about the problem we have on this team.”
Nina followed Purdue's gaze down the top of the wall where August was standing and looking around for any little detail that they might miss, trying to find any clue he could about Khan's burial place. If Purdue was right, then August wouldn't find much no matter how carefully he looked, but that wasn't the point of this stop, not really.
“You mean with August?” Nina inquired with a shake of her head. “Purdue, I really think you're wrong about him.”
“And if I'm not?” Purdue asked, trying to hold back his frustration. “An innocent man is already dead, aye? And if it was August, then that's on me for even allowing him to come along on this trip. I could’ve picked someone else...someone new or even Sam even. Hell, I could’ve dragged Elijah out from the deep faults to go on a field mission. None of them would’ve hurt anyone. But instead I brought along August just in case I needed the extra muscle...but that extra muscle might be the very thing that kills us. It's a bit of a mess and to be honest, I'm a bit on edge, if you couldn'
t tell.”
Nina took a breath and ran a comforting hand against his back. “I know. I know, it's just...there's not enough evidence. Circumstantial things are all we have. Yes, if you're right and he really is working against us from within, then we could be in some serious trouble...and yes, Shin Wo's death truly would be on our hands...but if you're wrong, you could be condemning someone completely innocent for nothing. He could be an asset. You know he could. That’s why you really brought him along. What he lacks in brains, he makes up for in strength; and sometimes you need a combination of both on these journeys. Sometimes you, me, and Sam could have used a big strong guy like that watching our backs, couldn't we?”
“There would have been a few situations where they would have been nice, aye.”
Nina patted him on the back and walked the other direction to go see if she could see anything. There was only the tiniest chance that anything related to Genghis Khan would still be here so Purdue wasn't expecting much. This was all just a small detour to give him time to think about all of the bad things that had transpired...and August's possible role in them.
Purdue stared out to the lands North of him. Walls that divided people were interesting and usually didn't last. The Berlin Wall, for example. By their very nature, walls seemed to beg to be torn down by both sides that it kept apart. The Great Wall of China, on the other hand, didn't serve the defensive purpose that it once did, but it was still standing proud and stretching endlessly for miles and miles.
Purdue turned and nearly knocked a woman over who was suddenly standing right beside him. He hadn't noticed her before but she didn't seem bothered by the near collision. In fact, she was standing extremely close to him, only inches away. She was staring right at him and from the looks of it, she’d been gawking even before he almost smashed into her. She was flanked by two large men on either side of her.
She was an Asian woman with deep red lips, and those red lips tilted into an odd smile of recognition.
“David Purdue.”
Purdue flinched at the sound of his own name. Someone knowing his name usually meant one of three very distinct options:
One, she was someone interested in the archaeological world and an avid fan of his work. but those kinds of people were few and far between. It wasn't like he had legions of fans chasing him all around public when he was seen. His work had a relatively small audience compared to many other lines of work.
Two, she was someone from his past travels that he’d met but couldn't possibly remember. He’d encountered hundreds if not thousands of people briefly over his many travels and it would’ve been impossible to store all of their faces in his memory.
The third and worst option was that it was someone with ill intentions; someone who was there specifically to find him and to do him harm. Given how the two men she was with were glaring at him, he had a feeling that it was option number three. Of course it was...he was rarely ever lucky enough for it to be option one or two.
“Can I help you?” He asked innocently despite his mind racing with different ways to defend himself from an ambush. He’d see if conversation would lead to the truth before panicking. “Are you familiar with my work?”
“Not especially, no.”
Well, that ruled out option number one and his hopes that he was about to make a fan's day.
“You’re looking for the Great Khan's tomb.”
She didn't ask it as a question. Instead, she stated it as a known fact. She knew exactly why he was there and that was another big red flag for him.
That certainly ruled out option number two as well. This wasn't a simple bystander from the past or a brief collaborator from a previous trip. This person was here because of his current goal, and that made it very obvious that he was face to face with option number three.
“Aye,” Purdue said. “Maybe I am?”
He glanced back to see where his teammates were and none of them were noticing the conversation he was having. Despite his suspicions, he really would have loved August to come barreling over. He could probably take both of the guys with this woman quite easily.
“But I doubt I'll find it,” Purdue replied with a shrug. “Many have tried. Many have failed. Are you also looking for it?”
The woman's red lips twisted even more into an ugly sneer. “You’ve come to a very dangerous place, David Purdue.”
“You keep saying my name. What's yours?”
“My name is Wai Lin. Your search is going to stop here, I’m afraid. Right in the place where the wall should’ve been able to stop those Mongols' influence all those centuries ago.”
“So who are you working for then?” Purdue asked, questioning both her and her two cronies. “Given that you even know about our search, I imagine Galen has been buying off some local assistance, is that it? That bastard is really starting to get annoying. How about you go back and tell that Irish shit that he's already caused me enough problems. I don't know what he's got going with August, or if there's even anything at all, but I'll beat him just like I always have.”
Wai Lin frowned and surprisingly looked confused by what most of what Purdue was saying. Before he had a chance to really wonder why, her scarlet smile returned to her face and she flashed a large grin.
“We’ll make you stop your search. Now.”
Her two goons stepped forward and Purdue immediately retreated back a few steps before breaking into a full sprint away from them. He heard Wai Lin yell at them to follow him and Purdue called out to his team. Thankfully, despite the size of her men, they still had numbers on their sides.
“A little help, lads!”
August, Yusuke, and Riley all looked over from where they were examining the wall. He was impressed with how quickly all three of them came rushing to his aid. He was also very thankful for it, since before he could be brought down by his two opponents, he already got his reinforcements. August threw his large body at one of them, slamming against him, and knocking the man straight off of the wall and plunging to the Earth below. Yusuke held out an arm as he ran past and tripped the other onto his stomach. He then jumped onto the man's back and grappled him to the ground with Riley's help.
Purdue turned and couldn't help but smile. He looked toward where Wai Lin was standing and saw her trying to slink away. Luckily, Nina was right behind her, having been standing on the other side of her in her examinations of the wall. Purdue rushed to Nina with August, but Nina already had it handled. Wai Lin tried to strike her, but Nina caught her arm first and held Wai Lin steady.
“Really?” Nina asked through gritted teeth, trying to hold the woman's arm back. “Can't we have like five minutes of peace without people trying to kill us?”
Some tourists around them were watching with gaping mouths, looking nervous about whatever brawl had just broke out. Soon enough the authorities would come, so they had to get out of there with Wai Lin and her friend in tow. Purdue looked over the edge of the wall and saw Wai Lin's other lackey laying on the ground thirty feet below. He turned to August who shrugged his broad shoulders, looking guilty. “Didn't mean to push him quite that hard.”
Purdue didn't smile. He knew that August was capable of killing people, but he was so casual about it. That man had tried to hurt him, sure, but while the others had all managed to beat and capture their enemies without ending their lives, August had killed the man within seconds. He wasn't like the rest of them, that much was obvious
“Let's get out of here,” Purdue insisted. “I’ve some questions I want to ask these two.”
They led their prisoners down the wall and tried their best to ignore the muttering spectators who all looked terrified by what transpired. Yusuke, thinking quickly on his feet, called out to the audience and started yelling out to them in their language. They all seemed to ease after his words and Purdue turned to him. “What did you say exactly?”
“That we’re the police,” Yusuke said. “That there’s nothing to worry about and that these are bad people.”
“Half a lie,” Purdue chuckled with a smile.
“Yes, and half a truth.”
Some of the tourists on the wall actually started applauding as they led their prisoners by. Purdue was still impressed by how his team had reacted to threat, though August's method was a bit unnerving.
11
PICTURES FROM DAYS LONG PAST
They brought Wai Lin back to the suite along with her man. They got plenty of strange looks on their trek back to their room, but Yusuke continued to calm people's nerves all along the journey. Once in the suite, they tied both of them to chairs but put them in two separate rooms. Yusuke took the man into the bathroom to question him, since the man seemed unable to speak English. Wai Lin had already proven to speak their language, so Purdue felt confident in asking for answers from her. The only problem was getting her to actually give them anything useful.
“Who told you about us?”
Wai Lin tilted her head down but and just giggled under her breath. When she looked back up, that deep red smile returned.
“Why should I tell you anything?”
Nina surprisingly stepped forward and smacked Wai Lin with the back of her hand. Everyone in the room looked taken aback, especially Wai Lin, whose red lipstick on her lips now streaked toward one of her cheeks.
“How dare you!?”
Purdue turned to Nina and she gave an uncomfortable smile. “We need answers. Why hold back from getting them, yeah?”
Nina wasn't usually the type to get that violent with people. There were times when she had to of course, but it usually wasn't without some real provocation or her defending herself from being killed. This seemed so sudden and without warning that she looked like she’d surprised even herself. Maybe her long time spent as a prisoner of the Black Sun had changed her more than anyone thought? She was angrier now, even if she didn't always show it. Or perhaps she wanted their attackers to be dealt with as quickly as possible just like Purdue did; she just might have been better about throwing around accusations but was just as upset about what happened to Shin Wo and about Galen's return.
Order of the Black Sun Box Set 11 Page 8
