The Mayan Temple

by Preston William Child

  Galen's face was dark red. He looked like a child who was being ignored by his parents despite all of his efforts to win their attention. He was practically dancing on top of a moving car, screaming for them to look at him. He wasn't getting any of the validation he was hoping for. In fact, all he was getting was scorn.

  There was some laughter from the fellow members of the order but Galen just glowered at anyone that was chuckling. He gave one last hateful glance at Julian before sitting back down in his seat.

  Luckily, that moment of mutiny passed quickly and Julian felt like he was back in control of the room again. He would punish Galen for that insubordination at some point, but for now, he needed every member of the Black Sun to be united against Purdue. As much as Galen may have scoffed at the idea of a final battle against Purdue, it was exactly what Julian wanted.

  It was too perfect. Who better to grant him his immortality than Purdue. He could kill him on the altar, make him his sacrifice, and then gain the godhood that he had in mind. And if the stories about the temple were incorrect, then at least Purdue would have died in a fashion that Julian could appreciate. He would be satisfied either way.

  The Order of the Black Sun would just have to accept it.

  Their satisfaction didn't really matter to him.

  ELIJAH DANE COULD FEEL the change that was happening within the group. Things in the Order of the Black Sun had only grown more intense since they learned about David Purdue's survival and the failed attempts to put him down for good. While Julian Corvus was an intimidating force, he was proving that he wasn't nearly as efficient as they all believed when he first made his claim for leadership. All of his posturing about ending Purdue hadn't amounted to anything of real substance. Despite all of his threats and the fear he inspired, Julian was just as ineffective as the old leadership had been. But no one would ever voice thoughts like that aloud. At least, that's how it used to be. But the cracks were starting to show, and he wasn't the only one noticing. It would start with someone like Galen Fitzgerald, someone easily angered and who wasn't afraid to loudly give his controversial opinions. He would speak his mind enough to get others thinking and soon enough, there would be dissention within the ranks.

  There was a time when Elijah would have done his best to nip a revolt like that in the bud. But now, after deciding that Julian wasn't the leader he wanted to follow, he wouldn't do anything to try and contain that brewing spark of rebellion. No, if anything, Elijah would do all he could to fan the flames until the Order of the Black Sun burst into an inferno of resistance against their leader. A swift mutiny would be nice, but he would settle for an internal civil war if it came down to it.

  Elijah didn't enjoy talking to Galen. He was an unpleasant, arrogant jerk that spent all of his conversations patting himself on the back. He was a narcissist and a prick but he was the perfect person to start openly questioning Julian's commands. And he was petty enough to hold even the smallest grudge and let it fester into full blown disdain.

  While most of the operatives filed out of the room, Elijah approached Galen and kept his voice low. “Quite the meeting, Galen.”

  The Irishman looked surprised that Elijah was even speaking to him. Usually their conversations were reserved for the brief moments that Galen would drop off artifacts that he had collected to the deep vaults for Elijah to tend to. Those chats weren't long and were usually just small talk. Mostly, it was Galen just bragging about how he had managed to obtain the relic he was delivering and Elijah spent most of the time trying to restrain himself from throttling the smug Irish bastard.

  “Aye, quite the meeting indeed. Can you believe this? Even with this temple up for grabs, our fearless leader is still fixated on Purdue. I hate Purdue too, we all know this, but--”

  “You want to kill him yourself,” Elijah said, adjusting his glasses. Galen wasn't a complicated man and he was very easy to read. There was nothing mysterious or ambiguous about him. He wasn't upset that Julian was too focused on Purdue for the sake of the order. He was upset because he didn't want Julian to get to Purdue first. “He humiliated you. I understand why you would want his head.”

  Galen looked taken aback but then clicked his tongue. “So what if I do? I deserve it more than Julian, don't I? He had his shot. He missed. Purdue is still alive because he had to make a big scene of it all. I would have bashed Purdue's head in until there was no way he was ever coming back from it. That's what I would still do...but somehow we're still following his lead, eh?”

  “Of course we're following his lead,” Elijah said with a bored yawn. “Leading is what leaders do. And he is the current leader of the order.”

  Galen lowered his voice to being barely above a whisper. “Maybe he shouldn't be.”

  “Maybe not,” Elijah said, knowing that Galen was following his verbal breadcrumbs straight to the conclusions that he wanted him to make. If he wanted to turn some of the Black Sun against their sadistic leader, then Galen was the perfect one to target first, and this was proof of that. “And what do you intend to do about it?”

  “Whatever I have to, eh?” Galen muttered with a crooked smile. “If a good opportunity ever presents itself, I will make sure I grab it with both hands and not let it go to waste.”

  Elijah nodded, acting like he was enthralled by Galen's notions. “I must say, I'm impressed, Galen. You clearly have a dizzying intellect.”

  That was how to get Galen Fitzgerald on your side. You just had to feed the Irishman some compliments and then he would love you forever. He was a petulant and sometimes dangerous force, but he could be very easy to manipulate once he was buttered up a little.

  “I joined the Order of the Black Sun to try something new,” Galen explained, suddenly looking very serious. “But the most important thing to me has always been...well...me. That hasn't changed, eh? When it comes down to it, I don't care what Julian says. He doesn't control me.”

  Elijah cleaned off his glasses, feeling victorious. “You're right. He doesn't.”

  8

  CHAPTER EIGHT – SEEING CLEARLY

  Elijah barely knew what to even pack for this trip. He was so used to just being able to stick to the facility and the few rooms he traveled throughout it; his bedroom, the hallways, the deep vault, and even the kitchen on occasions when his growling stomach gave him no other choice than to give in and take a break. They were traveling north so he knew enough to pack warm but as far as the specifics, he was at a loss.

  Elijah was completely useless with firearms. He would be lucky if he didn't blow off his own head or one of his own teammates' once he had a gun in his hand. He still couldn't fathom why he was being dragged into the field. It must have been a matter of numbers, which didn't make him feel any better. His knowledge and talents with curating the artifacts the order collected made him far too valuable of an asset to just put on the front lines.

  Why would Julian risk letting Elijah get killed?

  Did Julian already suspect that Elijah may not have been entirely loyal to him anymore? If so, what had given him away? He couldn't think of anything that he might have done. He'd been so cautious, especially when he was around any of the Black Sun. Or perhaps Julian didn't really care about the artifacts that the Black Sun collected...that seemed more likely. Julian seemed to prefer the hunt, rather than actually finding and taking the artifacts.

  He turned to find Julian standing in his doorway. It took all of his strength not to scream and cower in the corner. Maybe Julian did know after all, and if he did...then he would make sure that Elijah was given a slow, painful death that would probably last years.

  Julian's cold gray eyes scanned the room and stopped on the bag that Elijah was packing. He clapped his hands together once and stepped into the room, flashing a twisted smirk that didn't have any sort of real friendship behind it.

  Elijah didn't know how he would defend himself if this got ugly, but he would do his best. His best wouldn't be enough though, he was fine admitting that. Julian was a trained ki
ller that had once been the Black Sun's top enforcer, he had even been penalized for being too brutal with their targets. If they fought, Elijah would be killed. It was as simple as that. No matter what advantage he had, it wouldn't be enough. Then there was the matter of Julian's immortality, and that just sealed the deal. There was no way to win against an opponent like that.

  “I've been giving it some thought, Mr. Dane. Perhaps it would be best to leave you behind. I would not put it past David Purdue to try and use this as an opportunity to try and come in here, to take back what we won from him. You are the guardian of all of those items in the deep vault. So maybe it's for the best that you stay that way and remain to protect our prizes from any possible thieves.”

  Elijah's nervousness eased up a little. He wanted to be happy about the decision. He knew that he would be useless out in the field and would likely be killed out there if he went. This was what he originally wanted to happen but after learning the details about Julian's plans, part of him wanted to be close to the action. If he was near to where everything was happening then maybe he could even sabotage Julian's efforts before it was too late. Staying behind now meant that he wouldn't have that chance. He couldn't exactly stop Julian from his desk in the deep vault.

  “You will have a small crew to keep you company and to help keep watch. I'm not expecting trouble, but I would prefer to be overly cautious rather than to put all of my eggs into one basket. I would hate to have them all crack apart at once.”

  “I understand,” Elijah said, trying not to look conflicted. He forced a tight little smirk. “That makes sense.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  Julian may not have been expecting trouble but that didn't mean it wouldn't come, even from within. No, Purdue probably wouldn't be coming to visit since he didn't even know where the Order of the Black Sun's facility was located. But plenty of Purdue's friends were inside and Elijah had already given one of them a key to freedom.

  In fact, this Mayan temple may have given them all the perfect chance for a jail break.

  ONCE ALL OF the helicopters departed, flying north toward the mysterious Mayan temple, Elijah immediately went down to the order's holding cells, straight to Nina Gould's cell. He was glad that she was still there. She must have been tempted to use that key and escape earlier but he was thankful that she didn't. Any earlier would have just gotten her caught; and leaving any later they might risk the majority of the Black Sun returning to base or even the after effects of whatever wish Julian was planning on making at the temple. This was the only perfect time to unlock her cell and make a break for it.

  “It's time,” he said. “The majority of the order is off on a mission. Julian, Boris, Galen...they're all gone. This is our chance to get the hell out of here.”

  Nina looked happy but nervous. “And go where?”

  This mission they're on...it could end up giving Julian complete control over everything...and we don't want that, do we? Not to mention...your friend David Purdue might be there as well.”

  He didn't need to say anything else. Nina was reinvigorated and shot up to her feet just from hearing Purdue's name. She picked up the cell key from where she had hidden it on the floor. If it meant stopping Julian and helping Purdue, then she was very clearly willing to get moving. It was the only proof she needed to confirm that it was the best tie to break free from the chains she had been bound in for far too long.

  Nina reached her arm through the bars and used the key to open the door to her cell. “What are we waiting for? Come on!”

  From there, they went directly to Charles and Jean's cells, letting them loose. Both men were very suspicious of Elijah and he couldn't really blame them. The last time the three of them tried to escape, Elijah was the one to turn them back over to their Black Sun captors. They wouldn't be smart to completely trust him again—but they would see that he was sincere this time. Before, he was still loyal to the Order of the Black Sun but in the short time since then, Nina had opened his eyes to the truth. He was on the wrong side and was nothing more than a tool for the Black Sun to use.

  There was nothing more that Elijah cared about than the artifacts inside of the deep vault, the precious and priceless items that were under his care. He had watched the Order of the Black Sun misuse them time and time again. They didn't care about the things they collected. All they saw was an arsenal of weapons or things they could use for leverage. That went against everything Elijah stood for and he wanted it to end. If he had enough hands, he would empty the deep vault of everything inside and snatch it from the Black Sun. They didn't deserve those artifacts, but unfortunately, he would have to leave them behind. Unless...Purdue came out on top and brought down the order. Then maybe there was still a chance he salvage those relics that he had worked so hard to maintain and keep safe.

  Not to mention all of the horrors he had seen Julian commit as the leader.

  He knew he was on the right team this time. He could feel it.

  “What's happening?” Charles asked, glancing around nervously. Of course he would be on edge. During their failed escape, the former butler was killed and then revived by the Spear of Destiny, giving him immortality. Julian had used him as a lab rat, and since then, kept Charles in a hole where his immortality wouldn't make a difference except to drastically prolong his suffering. Julian enjoyed being powerful, and he couldn't stand the idea of someone that shared his power walking around. If anyone was going to be his equal, he would do his best to change that, even stuffing an old man into darkness for eternity.

  These people didn't have to trust him. He'd done nothing but help the monsters that kept them in cages for months, that had upended their lives and taken away their freedoms. But, whether they liked it or not, they were all on the same side now. Julian Corvus had to be stopped.

  “We're getting out of here.”

  Elijah led the three prisoners down the halls, carefully peeking around each and every corner they came to just to be safe. So far, they had managed to avoid any obstacles. The less messy of an escape, the better. But that luck wasn't meant to last apparently.

  “Elijah?”

  The young guard that approached was a fairly new recruit named Marco. He was distinguished from the rest of the new blood by the spiky dyed blond hair on top of his head. He was a broad-shouldered man but wasn't overly intelligent. Like far too many of the new Black Sun members, he was recruited for his muscles and his talent for causing harm rather than for his brains. That was Julian Corvus' Order of the Black Sun—a group that valued strength over knowledge.

  The young guard looked from Elijah to the others, his eyes narrowing. “What's going on here exactly?”

  Elijah could feel Jean and Charles' suspicious gazes searing into the back of his skull. This was probably the moment that they expected him to hand them over, but he didn't intend to do any such thing; not this time. He was going to make up for his mistakes and choose the right side of the line to stand on. And that meant being able to stand up to those who were on the other side of that battle line, even if they were once people he considered allies.

  But, if he could get out of this without violence, that would still be best. The best course of action was to use his status, throw the weight he had within the order around a bit. He may have been a burly grunt of a man, but Marco was still new and could probably be rattled quite easily.

  “That's none of your concern, Marco. You were assigned to help me keep this place secure.”

  Marco's eyes flicked from Elijah to the prisoners again, not seeming very convinced.

  Elijah continued, “But if you really must know, Julian contacted me. He has decided that he would like to bring the prisoners to the temple. So that's what I'm going to do. You're welcome to try and hold me up some more but delays aren't appreciated within this order.”

  Marco stared hard at him with those beady eyes of his. His brain was obviously working hard to make sense of what he was hearing, but unfortunately, his brain wasn't nearly as stro
ng as the rest of him was.

  Still, he had that hesitation that most rookies working at a new job had. He didn't want to make a mistake and didn't want to make a tough decision by himself. He wanted guidance and reassurance from a superior.

  Marco smacked his lips nervously and said, “Okay, let me just confirm it.”

  “Don't you trust me?” Elijah asked.

  Marco stuttered uncomfortably and cleared his throat. He straightened his posture trying to look as confident in his response as possible. “It's not that. It's just a precaution. For security. Verification. You understand, yeah? We all got to do our jobs right, don't we?”

  “Of course,” Elijah said with a faked chuckle. “I'm only testing you. Go on. Julian can confirm it...though I'm not sure he will for a guppy like you. And you might be interrupting something important going on over there...”

  Marco let out a nervous laugh and reached for his radio, but still stared at the prisoners cautiously. If he made contact with Julian, then the whole plan would be exposed. Elijah would be outed as a traitor and there was good chance none of them would ever have another chance to make it out of that hellhole again.

  The second that he clicked down on the button to speak, Elijah threw as hard of a punch as he could muster. He wasn't a fighter at all and wasn't good in a brawl. Marco, on the other hand, was a well-trained soldier. If it turned into an actual scuffle, Elijah wouldn't stand much of a chance at all. Hopefully, Nina, Jean, or even Charles would hop in to help in time.

  Thankfully, Elijah's punch crashed against Marco's face with enough force to knock him out cold. A sucker punch may not have been the honorable way to win, but it was still a win.

  The young guard crumbled to the floor in a heap, limp and unconscious. When Elijah turned to check on his trio of escapees, they all looked at him with a mixture of surprise and admiration. That one punch might have just proven that his claims of having changed might actually be true. They dragged Marco down to the cells and locked him in the cage that they had been keeping Nina in. It felt like justice, even if Marco hadn't tormented her personally. Now he would at least know what it felt being on the other side of those bars.