Sixth Seal

by Thornbrugh, Josh

  Lee slowed the car as they approached a tee. He turned to the right and brought it back up to speed. She could see he intended to get up on the highway that connected the airport to Frankfurt proper.

  “Just me? I thought they need all of the protectors to open the seals.”

  “They do. Which leads me to another unsettling conclusion.” Lee tapped his fingers on the wheel and stared out the window absently.

  “Which is?”

  He chewed on his lower lip for a moment before speaking. “Remember how I said I was having trouble locating any of the other protectors?”

  Ana nodded.

  “I think the Horsemen have all of the protectors too. Besides you anyway.”

  “How can that possibly be?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s the only explanation for their aggressive action here.”

  Lee guided the BMW onto the highway. The road rose up out of the dense forest that surrounded the airport. Soon they were racing on a thread of pavement between the treetops.

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “I’m not sure. I need some time to think and come up with a new plan of attack. I hadn’t anticipated this development.”

  Ana wiped away a thin bead of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She spoke in a low, determined tone. “We must get the book back from them. At any cost.”

  Lee placed a hand on her knee. “Don’t worry, Ana. I have a safe house in Berlin. We’ll go there and assess our options. I might be able to call on some old friends who can help us with the agents of the Horsemen.”

  She put her hand on his, feeling the connection between them. He looked at her as though he was going to say something else. Then his eyes went wide. Ana turned back toward the window just in time to see a large, black sedan come even with their car. The windows were dark, but she had no doubt who was inside. More agents.

  Lee pressed down on the accelerator again and they briefly pulled away from their pursuers.

  “Shit! There’s another car behind us.”

  Ana twisted herself around and looked out the back window. Another black sedan, a Mercedes, lunged toward them. Something stirred deep inside her. It wasn’t fear or nervousness. It was unbridled anger. The same anger she had felt in the parking garage when she stepped on that man’s throat. It consumed her and a part of her welcomed it, gave into it.

  “Hit your brakes!”

  Lee looked at her in disbelief.

  “Do it!”

  The tires squealed under the intense pressure, and Ana braced herself as the car reacted to the sudden change in momentum. The Mercedes behind them swerved to the right to avoid rear-ending them, but it over-corrected and grazed the concrete barrier wall sending up a plume of sparks. The car that had been beside them was now in front of them. Ana rolled down her window and fired at the black Mercedes. The rear passenger window exploded. The man who had been sitting in that seat was now a bloody mess.

  Lee wasted no time. “Hang on!”

  He gunned the BMW once more. The car pressed down on the roadway and sprang into action. Lee guided it over the center median into oncoming traffic. Cars swerved wildly out of the way, slamming into each other and the opposite concrete barrier. A twisted symphony of blaring horns fought for dominance over angry tires and the harsh contact of metal on pavement. When they passed the two black sedans, now side by side in the middle of the road, Lee whipped the BMW back across the median.

  Ana threw her thumb back over her shoulder. “They’re coming for us again.”

  “I know. We need to get over the river and into the city. I think I can lose them there. Then we can find a new car.”

  “How much ammo do you have for this thing?”

  Lee pointed to the glovebox. “Should be a few more clips in there.”

  She nodded, then looked in the side mirror. Both black sedans loomed larger. Lee was right, she thought. The BMW stood a better chance of loosing their pursuers in the city, where the narrow streets and tight corners would play to its strengths.

  Lee kept his hands low on the wheel, making short, rapid movements, weaving the car in and out of traffic. She was definitely glad he was driving. He seemed to be completely focused on the task at hand, never a wasted effort or motion. She was so mesmerized by his skill she nearly missed the car now flanking their rear fender. In fact, if it hadn’t been for a quick dart of Lee’s eyes, she might have missed it entirely.

  They were going too fast now for her to turn around and shoot. Instead, she switched the gun to her left hand, aimed with the side mirror, and then squeezed off several rounds. She only managed to knock out a headlight, but it was enough to make the car slow a bit and swerve.

  A second later, she grabbed onto the door handle as Lee turned the wheel sharply. In the same instant, the engine made a low growl and the tires protested the sudden change in direction with violent screeching. The next few moments seemed to play out in slow motion. The BMW was almost completely sideways now, and Ana noticed that one of the black sedans was coming straight for them. The other sedan was to the right and several car lengths behind it, but still coming on strong. Ana stared directly into the window of the first sedan. She didn’t know whether or not they could see her, but she flashed them a devilish smile all the same. She wondered briefly what surprised them more, her smile, or the three shots she fired through the windshield.

  As Lee expertly maneuvered the BMW off the highway, down an exit ramp, the bullet-ridden sedan pitched to the left, jumped the median, and careened over the concrete barrier into oblivion. They weren’t so lucky with the other car. The driver had obviously anticipated Lee’s move, and was now barreling after them down the ramp.

  The cars at the intersection they were rapidly approaching slammed on their brakes, giving Lee just enough of an opening to squeeze through. He hit the brakes again and whipped the wheel in the opposite direction. The car skittered around the nearest corner, coming within inches of the curb. Lee quickly straightened the wheel and punched the gas, forcing the car down the narrow side street. He hammered the horn and flashed the lights when a lady looked as if she was going to step off the curb.

  Ana glanced back out the window. “Damn, they’re still on us.”

  As if in response to her words, Lee turned at the next intersection, barely letting off the gas. She steadied herself and waited until they were on a straight trajectory before dropping the used clip out of her gun and replacing it with a new one. Again, out of the side mirror, she noted that the Mercedes was sticking with them.

  “They still back there?”

  “Yes.”

  Lee nodded. “Okay. Hold on. This could get bumpy.”

  Before she could get a firm handhold, Lee punched the brakes, cut across oncoming traffic, and funneled the car into an impossibly narrow alley. Ana held her breath while a blur of brick rushed by her window. The tight space changed the pressure in the car, and her ears popped. It took her several seconds to realize Lee was yelling at her.

  “Did they make the turn?”

  She turned to look out the back window. The BMW was kicking up a whirlwind of dust and debris in its wake.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Good. They’ll probably try to cut us off at the next intersection.”

  Lee let off the gas a little. The wind coming through Ana’s open window whipped her hair across her face. When she finally pushed it away from her eyes, she had just enough time to brace herself as Lee hit the brakes and whipped the car down another alley. This one was even narrower. She screamed reflexively when her side mirror made contact with a stucco wall. It shattered and threw plastic and glass shrapnel into her lap and onto the floorboard. She glared at Lee, but he seemed to be too preoccupied to notice.

  A second later they hit a trashcan, launching it into the air. Ana heard it hit the ground behind them. She tried to get control of her breathing as they erupted out onto a city street, nearly plo
wing into a tiny red Fiat. The blaring of horns drowned the driver’s curses out. None of it appeared to faze Lee. He merged in with the flow of traffic, signaled, and then turned right at the next intersection.

  He looked in the rearview mirror and slowed the car. She watched him settle back into the seat and loosen his grip on the wheel.

  Ana turned to him. “Do you think we lost them?”

  “I think so, but once they realize they went past us, they’ll double back.” He scanned the side streets as they drove by. “We need to see if we can find another car.”

  “You mean steal one?”

  He laughed. “Of course. Unless you have a better idea.”

  Her reply was interrupted by gunfire. In an instant the black sedan was at Lee’s side, windows down, agents firing. She was pressed back in her seat when Lee punched the gas. Again, they were racing through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic. The Mercedes obviously hadn’t been prepared for them to take off so quickly. They were quite a distance behind them, but Ana knew they could make up the gap on this relatively straight road.

  “We need to turn off this street while we still have the lead.” Ana pointed to a road that curved to their right.

  When Lee shot past it, she looked back to him. “Why didn’t you take that street?”

  He didn’t answer. He just kept looking ahead. Ana rechecked the back window. Their pursuers were gaining on them. She knew they needed to act quickly if they were going to lose them. At the next intersection she screamed at Lee and grabbed the wheel, turning the car sharply to the right. Lee struggled to keep the BMW from hitting the tree-lined center median.

  “Keep going, Lee.” She watched out the back window as the black sedan shot through the intersection. “They missed the turn, but they’ll be back.” She turned back to Lee. “Take another side street.”

  Lee nodded, but he didn’t seem right. He coughed and winced as he slowed the car and steered into an alley. He parked halfway down and turned off the engine.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He coughed again, and for the first time she noticed the blood at the corner of his mouth. Then her eyes moved to the dark spot forming on his shirt, near his side.

  “Oh my god, Lee! You’ve been shot.” She pressed her hand firmly against the wound, feeling the warm blood pooling beneath her fingers.

  He put his hand up to her cheek and looked into her eyes. “I’ve failed you again, my love.” His words were raspy and wet, his breathing labored.

  “Don’t say that. You rescued me. You believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

  She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it gently. He managed a gentle smile.

  “Go to Berlin. There’s an address in the glovebox.”

  Warm tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision. “Don’t leave me. I love you.”

  He coughed again, dotting her cheek with tiny droplets of blood. “Take the eye…” He sputtered and gasped.

  Ana looked into his eyes. “Take what?”

  “The eye of Jupiter.”

  She watched the light behind his eyes go dark. She was alone again.

  The Light of Day

  Hannah awoke to a thunderous explosion. The lamp beside her table shook, teetered, and then fell to the floor shattering the bulb and sending glass shrapnel in all directions. She swung her legs over the bed, taking care not to step on any of the fragments. A truck rumbled past her window on the street below. She stepped through the miniature minefield and drew back the curtain. There was no obvious damage from this vantage point, but more trucks and soldiers were heading toward her building, or at least to the square in front of it.

  The events of the night before still troubled her, but she knew she needed to get back to the book. Would Doctor Altman even let her in the lab? She wondered if Henryk had already given his report detailing her nocturnal activities. And what had become of the Bishop? She had been quite surprised when the soldier brought her back to her room. She had expected to be placed in a cell. Perhaps Henryk was planning on using this event as leverage. She shuddered at the thought of any of these lecherous bastards laying a finger on her.

  Now she could hear shouting outside and the unmistakable rhythm of soldiers marching in formation. There was definitely something going on. She crossed the tiny room to her armoire, pulled out her uniform, and did her best to get all of the buttons in place and her cap on straight before dashing out the door. The guard who had been stationed by her room must have been called away in all of the commotion. She thought briefly of trying to flee to the countryside in order to meet up with the Resistance on her own, but the book’s subtle call convinced her otherwise. For the first time since she woke, she realized that it had been reaching out to her. It was calmer now, less frantic. In fact, it was almost enticing.

  Hannah took the steps down to the foyer two at a time, and bolted for the door. Before she reached it, the door swung open. Doctor Altman stood in the doorway framed by the morning sky and wisps of grayish-white smoke. His hazel eyes scoured the scene before coming to rest on her. She stopped where she was, waiting for him to speak.

  “Hannah, my dear, thank goodness you’re alright.” He grabbed her by the arm. “Come with me. Quickly now. The lab will be a safer bet this morning.”

  She was so bewildered by everything going on around her that all she did was nod. The square was full of trucks and soldiers running in every direction. The Citroen she had been delivered back to her apartment in was smoldering. All of the windows had been blown out along with much of the roof. The tires were melted to the ground and a breeze pushed the acrid smell in her face, nearly taking her breath away. She coughed, reflexively squeezing the Doctor’s arm.

  He handed her his handkerchief as he guided her along the periphery of the scene. “I do hope you are alright, my dear. It looks like these damn resistance fighters managed to hit us right at our doorstep.” He held onto her arm and walked briskly toward the Capitole building.

  She nodded. “I’m fine, Doctor. Have you spoken to Lieutenant Wozniak?”

  The Doctor gave a half salute to the soldier still standing guard at the front doors. The man jumped to action, holding the doors open for them.

  “I spoke to him earlier, dear.”

  Hannah tensed. She stopped in the doorway, forcing the Doctor to turn around.

  “What is it, Hannah?” He narrowed his eyes.

  “Did he say anything about me?”

  The Doctor took her hand and patted it. “Oh, I know what this is all about.” He smiled. “You’re worried that I’ve learned your secret.”

  She hoped the Doctor couldn’t see the look of horror on her face that she knew must certainly be there. Was he just toying with her? Had he been planning on walking her calmly to a cell, or worse yet, was he going to let Henryk have his way with her?

  “My secret?” Was all she could manage to get out.

  “He told me all about your midnight stroll.” The Doctor made a tsking noise and smiled again. “He was a little upset that you snuck out and broke curfew, but I think he was more worried about you than he would care to admit. Now come along, dear, I want you to take a look at the artifact. I’ve turned off the electromagnetic field, so you should be fine.”

  The Doctor urged her forward. Her mind reeled at the implications. Was that truly all Henryk had said to the Doctor? If so, there was only one possibility, he was definitely going to use what he knew as leverage. Another shudder ran through her. She decided she would have to step up her plans to steal the book. Maybe she could be out of France before she ever had to deal with the bastard again.

  Apparently most of the soldiers had left the building to attend to the chaos outside. The Doctor opened the door to the lab and ushered her in. All of her other worries fell away. The book was now resting on top of the table, out of the box it had been in before. This time she absorbed the waves of energy that radiated from it. Unlike before
, the energy was gentle, delicate. It still held a note of desperation, but she could tell that her presence somehow reassured the book, although she really didn’t understand how that was possible. The book wasn’t really sentient, was it?

  The Doctor brushed past her, turning on lights and making his way to the table. “I want you to look at the inscriptions on the artifact, and tell me what you make of them.”

  His words brought her out of her thoughts. She walked to his side, watching him bent over the book, studying its edges. There was something in his old, gentle eyes that lit up when he looked at the book. She had come to think of him like a father. She would be sad to disappoint this man when the time came to take the book from him.

  “See this, dear.” He pointed to the golden ring set in the book’s center. “There is a faint line of script around the edge. It looks vaguely like Arabic, but there are other symbols here as well.” He pointed to one of the smaller rings below the larger one. “This one is lined almost entirely with strange symbols. What do you make of it?”