The Mask of Destiny

by Richard Newsome

  Gerald couldn’t accept what Green was saying. It was impossible. His head swam with memories of the past two months. ‘But you tried to kill Sam in the burial chamber under Beaconsfield,’ Gerald said.

  ‘Convincing, wasn’t it. And yet,’ Green spread his arms wide, ‘here we are. Simple Sam, loyal Sam—leaving little messages along the way. Do you remember the pigeon post that you used in India? Sam slipped in an extra note for me. And Ruby…such a pretty girl, don’t you agree? So resourceful. So convincing. I bet you thought she liked you. Maybe, even a little more than just liked you.’

  ‘You’re lying!’ Gerald cried. ‘Ruby would never deceive me.’

  ‘Really? How many times have you been on the brink of giving up this chase? Of going home and enjoying your massive fortune. A dozen times? More? And who has been the voice in your ear, urging you on? Giving you little hugs and words of encouragement.’

  Gerald felt like Green was landing hammer blows to his temple. Could it be true? Could Ruby have been playing him for a fool from the very beginning? Gerald’s mind shot back to when he’d first met Ruby and Sam. It was in the British Museum, when the thin man was dragging him away. Ruby had turned up out of nowhere, batting her eyelids and stealing him to safety. Then, time after time, when Gerald had been on the verge of giving up, Ruby was always there—with a smile, or a squeeze on the arm, or a peck on the cheek. A laugh and a kind word. There were times when she was the only reason he’d kept at it.

  Green hovered over him. ‘Just last night at Charlotte’s house, didn’t you think it odd that you were the only one captured; that the others miraculously got away, only to come back just in time to rescue you?’ Gerald screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to listen. ‘But not before Charlotte was able to give you a little taste of one of her marvellous medicines—just enough to help you find this place. Just enough for you to lead me here.’

  Green was eyeing Gerald closely, watching his expression. ‘They deceived you, Gerald. It’s amazing what money will convince some people to do.’

  Gerald’s mind was awash with memories, and with the pain of treachery. ‘It can’t be true.’ A sob caught in his throat. A tear budded in the corner of an eye and rolled down his cheek. His head slumped. After everything he had experienced, this was the hardest blow.

  ‘Come Gerald, don’t take it to heart. People can be cruel. The secret is not to grow too attached to them. I never do.’

  Gerald jumped to his feet, but Green had his sword in his hand. ‘Don’t be foolish, Gerald.’ The tip of the blade was at Gerald’s throat. ‘You’re in denial. You’re feeling shock. Anger. Rejection. It’s all perfectly natural. Sam and Ruby betrayed you. Accept it. Then do something about it.’

  Gerald looked into Green’s eyes. They were snake’s eyes—cool, without emotion, calculating.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I have no further use for them,’ Green said. ‘Take your revenge, Gerald.’ Green’s lips spread like he was part crocodile. ‘It’s delicious.’

  A lump the size of a golf ball lodged in Gerald’s throat.

  The old man shouted up the stairwell. Seconds later Ruby and Sam appeared in the doorway. They were laughing.

  Gerald couldn’t believe it. They were actually laughing.

  ‘Hi Gerald,’ Ruby said brightly. ‘How have you been?’ Sam sniggered behind her. It was as if they were drunk with victory.

  Gerald couldn’t look at them. His knees buckled. He thought he was going to be sick.

  Charlotte followed Ruby and Sam into the chamber. She held her ivory hairpin in one hand. ‘You will behave, won’t you, Gerald?’ she said. She tapped Ruby and Sam on the shoulder. ‘Come, children. Sit by me.’

  Ruby smiled up at Charlotte and nodded like an obedient puppy. ‘Okay,’ she said. Charlotte sat between Ruby and Sam on the far side of the shallow pit. Sam whispered something to Ruby and she burst into giggles. Gerald had to look away.

  Green sheathed his sword and crouched down. He picked up one of the three golden rods and carefully held it by its ends. Then he twisted his hands. Gerald watched in amazement as the rod telescoped outwards, extending to about a metre in length. The intricate engraving on its surface transformed to reveal the image of a python twisted around it.

  Green’s eyes shone at the golden shaft balanced in his hands. ‘Did you know, Gerald,’ he said, ‘that a three legged stool will never wobble?’

  Gerald edged back to the lip of the pit and sat down. ‘What are you talking about?’

  Green laid the extended rod on the floor, and Gerald noticed three notches in the stonework by his feet. They formed a large triangle.

  ‘The mystery surrounding the Oracle of Delphi has confounded scholars for centuries,’ Green said. He extended the second rod with a turn of his wrists and placed it by the first. ‘You may have heard that the temple was situated over a fault in the earth and would fill with gas, sending the Oracle into a drugged frenzy.’ Green picked up the last rod and unlocked it with a twist. He placed it with the other two: three identical poles, each decorated with a twirled snake. ‘I think the gas was actually a trap for intruders. It’s what sent you off to sleep, Gerald. If I hadn’t opened a vent you would have quietly asphyxiated. No, the true power of the Oracle resides in these three legs.’

  ‘They’re legs?’ Gerald said. ‘Legs of what?’

  Green fixed him with a steady stare. ‘The Oracle’s chair, of course. The holy tripod of legend. The ultimate seat of power.’

  Green picked up the rods and slotted each of them in turn into the three notches in the floor. Their tops came together to create a tripod. The moment the third rod fell into place, a low rumble sounded from deep beneath the shallow pit. Three fine cracks appeared in the stone floor, connecting the base of the tripod. A triangular paving stone sank, revealing a hole in the ground.

  Green reached into its depths and his face lit up with the thrill of discovery. He pulled two objects from the fissure in the earth. ‘The Oracle would sit on this saddle atop the tripod,’ he said. He held up a jewel-encrusted seat, which he fitted onto the apex of the golden rods. ‘And she would wear this to see the secrets of the future.’ Green held a gilded mask, moulded to fit above the nose and entirely cover the eyes.

  Gerald couldn’t believe the look of absolute desire on Green’s face. Across the pit, Charlotte straightened. Her eyes were fixed on the object in Green’s hand.

  ‘The Oracle’s mask,’ Green whispered, his eyes reflecting the dance of gold light from the mask cupped in his hands. ‘It would blind her to this room, but open her eyes to all eternity.’

  Green dragged his gaze away from the mask and locked onto Gerald.

  ‘And now, it is mine.’

  He crossed to Gerald’s side and hauled him up by the shirtfront. ‘This is where you get your revenge, Gerald. The power locked in this mask is unlike anything known to this world. Such power is dangerous. For over a thousand years only women held the role of Oracle. There must have been a reason for that, so I’m not taking any chances.’ Green looked to Charlotte and dropped his voice so that only Gerald could hear. ‘My niece has graciously volunteered to be the first Oracle of the modern day. Through her, I will see all. But I want to test it first. And that’s where Miss Valentine comes into play.’

  Gerald’s eyes paused for a second on Ruby’s face. A knot of hate twisted in his gut.

  Green nodded at his niece.

  Charlotte stood and held out a hand to Ruby. ‘Come along,’ she said. ‘We’ve got a surprise for you.’

  Ruby rose unsteadily to her feet and grinned at Sam. ‘I love surprises,’ she said.

  Gerald frowned at her. What was she on about?

  ‘Put her on the tripod,’ Green instructed.

  ‘You want me to sit up here?’ Ruby said to Charlotte. ‘Okay. But you stay close in case I fall off!’ She laughed then climbed into the saddle on top of the three golden rods. Charlotte stood behind her with a steadying hand on one shoulderr />
  Green held the mask to Gerald. ‘Put this on Miss Valentine’s face,’ Green said. ‘I want to see it at work.’

  Gerald looked down at the mask. It glowed.

  He reached out and Green tipped the mask into his hand. As it touched his palm, it softened; it seemed to mould to Gerald’s fingers. He swallowed a jagged ball of pain as a lightning bolt shot up his arm and into his chest, piercing his heart like a blade. It took all his strength to stay upright, to hide the torment he was suffering.

  And the scales were blasted from his eyes.

  The golden rods had given Gerald a clarity of sight. But it was nothing to the purity of vision that he experienced holding the Oracle’s mask. A white surge cleared everything from his mind; a wave of light silenced the usual mental noise leaving a perfect emptiness.

  Nirvana.

  Gerald felt he could control the power in his grasp; he could direct it to whatever ends he desired. And he saw a way forward.

  ‘Isn’t it funny, Gerald.’ Green’s voice cut through the white silence. ‘The number of times I’ve tried to kill you, only for you to wriggle free. And then you lead me right to the object of my desire. It’s as if you were destined to live for that purpose.’

  Gerald’s focus was absolute. He took a step towards Ruby perched on the Oracle’s tripod. She was smiling at him. ‘Hello, Gerald,’ she said. ‘What do you have there?’

  Charlotte and Green leaned forward.

  Gerald raised his hand, holding the golden mask between his fingertips.

  ‘That’s it, Gerald,’ Green said, his eyes wide. ‘Let’s witness the birth of a new Oracle.’

  Gerald’s course was set. He couldn’t let this treachery stand.

  Nothing is certain.

  Gnothi seauton.

  Know thyself.

  Ruby smiled again, her eyes calm and relaxed.

  Gerald moved closer. The mask was centimetres from Ruby’s face.

  ‘Gnothi seauton! ’ Gerald cried. ‘Know thyself!’

  Then he thrust his hand forward, and drove the Oracle’s mask hard onto Charlotte’s face.

  The moment the mask bridged Charlotte’s nose it moulded onto her, sealing itself against her skin with a burning hiss. She howled with pain, throwing her hands to her face to tear at the metal veil across her eyes. The poisoned hairpin flew into the air in a lethal arc.

  Gerald pulled Ruby clear of the tripod just before the pin skewered the seat. He threw her across the pit, straight into Sir Mason Green. The impact knocked Green sideways and he fell, striking his head on the stone floor.

  Green lay motionless. Sam sat on the side of the pit, his eyes wide.

  ‘I can see!’ Charlotte howled, her hands pressed to her temples. ‘I can see everything.’

  Gerald raced to Ruby lying on the floor. She blinked up at him as he rolled her over and inspected the skin near the inside of her elbow. ‘Just as I thought,’ he muttered. He was looking at a fresh puncture wound.

  ‘All the future is mine!’ Charlotte stepped out of the pit and was stumbling towards the doorway. ‘The future is mine!’

  Then she stepped across the white marble line in the floor.

  The moment her foot touched the stone on the other side, her spine snapped straight. Her screams reached a new level. Her arms flung back and her chin tilted up. She was like a white swan in the moment before flight.

  A blinding pulse of energy burst through the eyeholes in the mask. White light filled the room like an exploding star. Gerald threw himself over Ruby and shielded his face. He could sense the raw power against his back. The brightness was overwhelming. Then Charlotte’s screams stopped, and the temple was silent.

  For a few seconds, Gerald didn’t move. Then he slowly righted himself.

  Charlotte stood frozen in place near the door to the temple, the mask still on her face.

  Gerald yanked the hairpin from the Oracle’s chair and held it out like a dagger. He circled to the front of Charlotte and looked up at her.

  Her skin was a chalky white and her head was still tilted up, as if she was staring into the furthest corners of eternity. Gerald reached out a hand and tapped Charlotte’s arm. At his touch, the limb disintegrated into a fine powder.

  Gerald jumped back. ‘Holy cow!’ The tip of the hairpin brushed Charlotte’s shirt, and the rest of her body caved in. Like an imploding building, Charlotte collapsed in a mound of crystalline sand. Feet, legs, torso, shoulders—they all went down like a house of cards. Last to go was her head, which landed intact on the pile of sand on the floor. The mask fell free, revealing a pair of calcified eyes, sealed against all light.

  Gerald stared in shock at the fossilised head that gazed sightless back at him.

  He moved only when he heard the muffled groan coming from Ruby.

  ‘What happened?’ Ruby was gulping in air. She wiped a hand across her face. ‘I feel kind of woozy.’ She raised herself to her elbows and looked around the chamber. ‘What happened to Charlotte?’

  ‘Never mind her,’ Gerald said. ‘Do you remember anything after we fell asleep in here?’

  Ruby thought for a second, then she placed a hand on her forearm. ‘There was a needle,’ she said. ‘Oh my gosh! She injected us with something.’

  Sam’s voice floated across from the far side of the pit. He was flat on his back on the floor. ‘Whatever it was, it made everything hilarious.’

  Gerald grinned. ‘I knew it,’ he said. ‘Green tried to convince me that you were working for him.’

  ‘Are you serious?’ Sam said. He stumbled over to them. ‘Who would ever believe that?’

  Gerald cleared his throat. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Ridiculous.’

  Ruby gave him a curious look. ‘What happened to Charlotte?’

  ‘She crossed the line,’ Gerald said.

  ‘I saw that,’ Ruby said. ‘But what happened to her? It was like she turned to salt.’

  ‘I think she was…’ Gerald struggled to find the right word, ‘…I think she was consumed. When I held that mask, it was like I could see what was going to happen down here. I could see Charlotte stepping over that line in the floor and then petrifying like that.’

  ‘But why did it happen?’ Sam asked.

  ‘I think it’s the reason the Oracle did her thing locked up in this chamber. If you’re going to see into the future, you can’t actually exist in the present.’

  ‘In English, please.’

  ‘Ruby was right. It’s like that walk around the table at the restaurant back in London,’ Gerald said. ‘Everything anyone does has an impact on future events. The future isn’t some predetermined place that we’re travelling to—it’s something that we create with every decision we make. By crossing that line on the floor, Charlotte must have moved from a place where the Oracle could have no impact on the outside world, to one where she could.’

  ‘And every step she took further into the outside world was changing the future,’ Ruby said. ‘Every time she moved, the future she was seeing had to be recast in her mind.’

  ‘It was too much for her brain to take. She couldn’t process it,’ Gerald said. ‘It ate her up.’

  Sam let out a grunt. ‘I guess she didn’t see that coming, then.’

  Gerald looked down at the mask, pitched into the pile of sand. ‘Each Oracle must have been condemned to stay in this room. If she crossed that line, she’d end up like that.’

  Ruby looked over at the tripod in the centre of the shallow pit. ‘That was the only safe place for her to sit until the day she died,’ she said.

  Gerald scanned the line of busts along the wall. ‘This must be all that’s left of the Oracles of Delphi. What a sacrifice.’ He knelt and picked up Charlotte’s head. It was surprisingly heavy. There was a vacant plinth at the end of the wall and Gerald lifted the head onto it. As he settled it in place, he saw there was a neat Charlotte engraved in the base. He looked at the bust next to it.

  ‘Clea,’ he said. ‘Looks like she knew how all this wo
uld end from the very start.’

  Sam nudged the mask with the toe of his shoe. ‘What do we do with this thing?’

  Gerald pulled his T-shirt over his head and wrapped it around his right hand. Gingerly he scooped up the mask and carried it back to the opening beneath the tripod. ‘It was locked up safe in here for sixteen hundred years,’ he said. ‘No reason it can’t stay here for the next sixteen hundred.’

  Sam suddenly shouted, ‘Nico!’ He made a dash for the door. ‘They tied him up back in the temple.’

  Gerald went to follow, but Ruby held him back.

  She looked up at him. ‘You know Green was lying, don’t you. About Sam and me.’

  Gerald raised and lowered a shoulder. ‘I know. He just wanted to use you as a test dummy and he wanted me to do the honours. He almost had me convinced though. What he said was true—you’re the only reason I kept pursuing this thing. You’re the one who kept me going. He made it sound like you’d put on an act. I couldn’t believe you’d be interested in…’ His voice trailed off.

  Ruby smiled. ‘In you?’ she said, her face lighting up. ‘Oh, Gerald. I kept urging you on because I know how important it was for you to solve this mystery, to do what your great aunt asked. I would never lie to you.’

  Gerald bit his bottom lip. ‘You’re a good friend,’ he said.

  Ruby hugged him. ‘So are you,’ she said.

  And, for the first time, Gerald hugged back.

  A low moan sounded from the floor. Sir Mason Green was starting to come to. Gerald pulled the laces from his shoes and bound the old man’s ankles and hands.

  ‘There,’ Gerald said, beaming up at Ruby. ‘Best defence to a murder charge there is—the victim with a pulse.’

  Epilogue

  ‘Eight hearts!’

  Mrs Rutherford studied Sam over the top of her glasses.

  ‘A brave bid indeed, Master Sam,’ she said, rifling through her hand. ‘Are you sure?’

  Sam grinned with supreme confidence. ‘No guts, no glory, Mrs R.’

  The game of Five Hundred had been a battlefield for the best part of an hour. Sam and Mr Fry were partnered against Ruby and Mrs Rutherford, and the scores were even. The tension over the card table in the drawing room at Gerald’s Chelsea townhouse was starting to build.