The Maiden Medallions: Beastkeeper

by Edward Shawn

  Micah turned to Galen. “Visit the Spirit Guardian. See if he knows anything more regarding the location of the medallion hidden within the Amazon.” Micah paused, then began again. “Tell him whether he wants it or not, the Spirit Maiden’s awakening has begun–he cannot stop it now.”

  Galen nodded, then left the room.

  “I want to help, grandfather,” Wren said, attempting to get off the couch.

  “A noble gesture, but really, your first priority is to heal. Your injury won’t allow you to use your bow.”

  “But I can help,” a voice said from behind.

  James turned around and found Kay standing in the doorway.

  “You’ve been listening? How long have you been eavesdropping?” Micah asked, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening, his mouth forming a frown.

  “I heard enough to know that you’ll need my help,” she answered.

  The shaman’s features eased up. “I have a feeling you’re not going to listen if I refuse the offer.”

  “Why should you refuse? You know I can help.” Her eyes lingered on James’s face. “I want to help you.”

  James looked at Micah. “I don’t have a problem with it.”

  Micah seemed to consider the idea. “I can’t deny the both of you, and I do believe you can help us, so...yes, you can come. Now go and get ready.”

  “Oh, thank you, grandfather.” Kay bowed, then quickly departed the doorway.

  “I have preparations to make. I will return shortly.” Grabbing his staff leaning against the wall, Micah followed his granddaughter out.

  “James.” Wren was staring at him. “I see you didn’t deny my sister’s request. Because of that, I’m putting it on you to watch over her. She has skill and can look after herself in most instances but your world and its ways are things she has never experienced. You accepted her help without thinking it through, so the responsibility of her well-being is on your shoulders.”

  Rising off the couch, Wren stood face to face with James. “Do not fail her, for if you do, you can consider me your enemy as well.”

  36

  Shane’s accommodations reminded him of a scene in a movie he once watched as a youth. With painted white walls, the cell was brightly lit and contained bathroom fixtures of cold stainless steel bolted into the concrete. Though the cell appeared clean, he doubted he was the first person to spend time in here.

  It had been hours, perhaps almost a day since the auburn-haired harpy stole his medallion and her people rendered him unconscious. He didn’t know how he arrived here but had a vague recollection of being hoisted upwards. He also recalled seeing shadowy figures inside a military helicopter, but that was the extent of it; further details of how he ended up in this cell were unknown.

  A plastic tray with a cold sandwich and a carton of milk lay on the floor in front of the cell door. Eating the cheese sandwich, he drank most of the milk before tossing the garbage onto the tray. His upper arms and shoulders ached. Massaging the purplish-blue bruises he assumed were from his handlers, he glanced around for anything that might help him escape.

  Footsteps approached his prison cell. The door hatch slid open and a face peered through the glass. He recognized the voice the second he heard it.

  “Our guest is awake,” Evelynn said with a sweet sneer. “Open the door.”

  The door slid into the wall. A guard entered first, his shotgun aimed directly at Shane’s chest.

  “Wait in the hall. He’s in no position to do anything.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Stepping outside, the guard stayed within view of the open door.

  “So, how are things?” Evelynn’s tone dripped with insincerity. “I hope the accommodations are to your liking. Your stay is going to be an extended one.”

  “Why did you bring me here?”

  “My...boss wants to meet you.”

  “And like all good little soldiers, you just follow orders, right?” He saw it on her face. He had touched a nerve.

  “You should consider yourself lucky. If I had my way, I would have left you in the same condition my people were in, you know, dead.”

  “I had nothing to do with that.”

  “Then who did? Who murdered my team?”

  Shane hesitated, unsure of the answer. He did, however, have his suspicions.

  Evelynn stared at him, her eyes sharp and unblinking as a frown shaped her mouth. “Your medallion is ours now, and that means you’re powerless. Since you’ll be here for awhile, you will eventually answer all of my questions, so get comfortable and enjoy the view.” Exiting the cell, she nodded at the guard. “Lock it up.”

  After pressing a sequence of keys on the pad, the door slid shut.

  She was right and he knew it. Without the medallion, he was indeed powerless. But they had let him live and even went so far as to bring him here. That told him they needed him alive, but for what, he could only guess.

  ***

  Susan stared at Jeremiah, her golden eyes shimmering in the dim light of his bedroom. Seated on a chair, she sat straight, her body frozen as if unaccustomed to sitting in one.

  Jeremiah’s spirit was buoyed by the recent successes of his people: Evelynn had returned from Seattle and delivered the second medallion while Carl brought in the man that used to own it. Shane Carter, now locked away in one of the holding cells, was cut off from the world. Soon he would suffer the same fate as Susan and become Jeremiah’s second soldier. But that would take place after his trip to the Amazon and his rendezvous with Marcus.

  Placing the medallions in Susan’s lap, Jeremiah stepped back and waited for a reaction. To his disappointment, there was none; her eyes remained fixated on his face.

  “My dear, could you do me a favor? I want you to choose one of those.” He pointed at the objects resting on her thighs.

  Gazing down, Susan picked one up.

  “Very good,” Jeremiah said with a broad smile. Picking up the remaining medallion, he placed it into a safe hidden behind a painting entitled The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.

  “It’s time for us to go.” Holding out his hand, Susan took hold of it.

  She responds to you.

  “Yes, she seems to, which makes things easier for us.” Jeremiah grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses from his side table. Sliding them over Susan’s eyes, he escorted her out of his quarters.

  They left the mansion through the front door where the usual mode of transport–twin black Range Rovers–waited to take them to Gainesville Regional Airport. From there they would fly to Peru and meet with Charles, Jeremiah’s previous pilot, who would then deliver them to Marcus Quint. Having located the hidden temple with help from some of the locals, Marcus already cleared it of traps so that Jeremiah could walk in and recover the medallion without repercussion when he arrived.

  Having neutralized Shane Carter, Jeremiah expected his enemies to be more cautious from this point on. Though it was still unclear who murdered Dalton and his team, he was sure Carter wasn’t the killer. Using a bow didn’t fit his profile, which meant the murderer was still at large. It was the reason why both Evelynn and Sandra were accompanying him. He wasn’t about to take any chances being so close to adding a third medallion to his growing collection.

  Carl’s report indicated one of the men he encountered when invading Carter’s condo had exhibited some strange abilities. Jeremiah suspected these men had something to do with the murders. Pity his people didn’t have time to bring them in as well before the police arrived.

  Sandra and Carl engaged in casual conversation by one of the vehicles. Sandra’s smile disappeared the moment she saw the stranger by Jeremiah’s side.

  “Who’s this?” she asked, her eyes roaming over the woman wearing dark sunglasses.

  “Some outside help.” Opening the rear door of the backmost vehicle, Jeremiah assisted Susan inside.

  Sandra stared at the woman getting comfortable in the back. “Will I need to safeguard her as well?”

  Jeremiah smiled. “I doubt it.
Oh, and one more thing,” he said as Sandra opened the front passenger door, “she doesn’t understand our language all that well, so don’t speak to her.”

  Shooting him a questioning look, she shrugged her shoulders before entering the vehicle.

  “I heard a member of your team was injured during the mission,” Jeremiah said to Carl. “How is he?”

  “Severe cuts to his face and eyes but he should recover, though his time with Omega Team is likely over. It’s doubtful he’ll regain full vision.”

  “I see.” Jeremiah rubbed his chin. “Have accounting issue him a generous bonus check. Perhaps a position as a security officer on the estate grounds might serve him better in the future. Whatever the case, see that he’s looked after. ”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Carl said, the men shaking hands. “You’re absolutely sure you don’t want any Omega Team members present?”

  Jeremiah released Carl’s hand. “Yes, I am. I have local mercenaries performing the same role that Omega Team would. Those men know the area and are also expendable, while team members are not, especially considering the time and expense dedicated to train each one.”

  Carl nodded. “Then, I wish you good hunting, sir.”

  Evelynn strolled through the front door.

  “Is our guest comfortable?” Jeremiah asked.

  “As comfortable as he could be in a cell, I suppose.” Evelynn paused. “What exactly do you want with him?”

  “I...need some information. I plan to speak with him when we return.” It was a lie, but she couldn’t possibly know that.

  Evelynn climbed into the back of the lead vehicle, then stared through the window at her grandfather.

  “And we’re off,” Jeremiah said to himself.

  ***

  The gruff-looking men stood around in the stifling heat, the still air stinking of sweat and cigarette smoke. Wiping his forehead with a drenched handkerchief, Marcus gazed past the hired mercenaries to the temple beneath the jungle canopy.

  A small pyramid made from blocks of heavy stone, plenty of blood had been shed in order for him to gain entry. But for the money Jeremiah was paying, the spilling of local blood was a small price to pay from his point of view.

  Marcus didn’t know how Jeremiah came across the information regarding one of the medallions being stored within this temple. The information proved correct, however, and now his old friend was coming to personally collect what was located inside. He thought it odd Jeremiah would come all this way just to recover a hidden artifact. He had seldom done so in the past, especially in recent years. The fact that someone had placed the medallion within a pyramid full of traps made him uneasy about the whole affair. But Jeremiah paid him well for the service he provided, and even if things didn’t feel quite right, he trusted his friend and always would.

  Charles, another of Jeremiah’s trusted associates, departed the area not more than an hour ago. It would be quite a few hours until he returned with Jeremiah and his entourage.

  37

  James waited outside with Kay as Micah spoke to the caretaker of the portal. They were here to obtain the fruit they needed to access the gateway between worlds.

  “Thank you,” Micah said, stepping out from the cabin. “I will do my best to bring you new gardening tools, but I can’t promise. There won’t be any shops where we’re going.”

  Rikayla followed him out. With pink flowers in her long, graying unkempt hair and dressed in cut off jeans and a t-shirt smeared with soil, it was clear their arrival had interrupted her gardening. “Well, that’s disappointing. My old tools will have to do then, at least until the next supply trip.” She looked at James and then at Kay. “Dressed for battle, child?”

  “We’re heading into dangerous territory so I have to be prepared,” Kay replied. Her upper body was sheathed in a full-sleeved, dark leather vest adorned with white fur along the shoulders and around the wrists. Knee-high leather boots were wrapped in the same fur and a burgundy pouch, similar to that of her grandfather, hung from her waist.

  Rikayla smiled at the young girl. “Yes, Earth can be a dangerous place. But dressed like that, you’ll be drawing eyes to yourself.”

  “We aren’t traveling to any cities,” Micah said. “She’ll be fine where we’re heading.”

  The smile vanished from the elderly woman’s face. “And where might that be?”

  “We’re going to the jungle,” Kay informed her.

  “Hmm, I guess I really won’t be getting those tools I asked for. Well, good luck, good luck to you all.” Walking from the cabin, she headed for a flower patch and resumed her gardening.

  Micah led the way up the hill to the spot where the totem pole stood. As it came into view, they saw Galen standing in front of it.

  “What did the guardian have to say?” Micah asked as everyone gathered around the old man.

  “He revealed the area, but could not be more precise. The exact location of the temple was lost long ago. He wishes to meet with you and James when this is over, no matter the outcome.”

  “That will be fine.” Micah handed out pieces of dried fruit to the youngsters before placing some into his mouth.

  James chewed on the sweet and sour morsel. Gradually, the energy flowing around him became visible. From the nearby trees to the ground beneath and the sky above, everything gave off some form of it. Even his companions emitted energy, especially Galen who glowed much brighter than the others.

  The familiar ribbon of shifting blue energy pulsated before the pole. Micah placed the end of his staff into the churning vortex. The portal expanded outwards, the chamber within The Void coming into view. After the framed portal finished rising from the chamber floor, Galen stepped through followed by Kay, James and finally, Micah.

  “Which gate do I need to activate?” Micah asked Galen, the portal they just used sinking back into the ground.

  The old man pointed across the chamber. The shaman crossed the room, Galen following close behind.

  James gazed around at the circle of evenly spaced totem poles placed along the wall. Turning to ask Kay a question, he found her staring at the representation of the solar system, her eyes sweeping over the depictions of the celestial bodies rotating above.

  “Do you know why it’s there?” James asked. “There must a reason for having a model of the solar system hanging from the ceiling.”

  Kay continued looking upwards. “This place, The Void, it’s powered by the universe. That beautiful arrangement up there, it’s one of the connections between this place and that source of power.”

  “James! Kay! Stay close to me,” Micah yelled from the other side of the chamber.

  Standing in front of a totem pole, Micah removed a black feather from his staff, then shook it like a thermometer before inserting the now rigid feather-key into a groove in the pole. Turning it, the pole immediately flared with violet light that shot up into the vacant stare of the topmost carving. A likeness of a large feline with its jaws open and fangs bared, the empty sockets filled up, then twin beams of purple light burst forth. Striking the ground, a framed portal began rising through the collected pool of violet energy.

  “This will take us to the Amazon Jungle,” Micah informed his youthful companions.

  “We have some distance to travel when we reach the other side,” Galen said as he stood before the portal, the others standing nearby.

  An image of a lush, damp jungle with a shallow stream and nearby waterfall appeared through the gateway. Large moss covered rocks lay haphazardly within the stream and overhanging branches from bent trees jutted across sections of the flowing water.

  Galen entered the framed portal sparking with intense purple energy. Appearing on the opposite side, he moved off a short ways, looking upstream towards the waterfall. Kay stepped through next; James quickly followed with Micah close behind.

  James couldn’t understand the lack of sensation as he moved from one world to another. He likened it to stepping out of a closet and into a roo
m. Perhaps someday in the future, the portals would be adapted for traveling around the globe, that is, if he’s able to convince the Spirit Maiden to leave the world as is.

  A light rain was falling, the jungle glistening and slick as the last traces of sunlight were locked behind thickening storm clouds. Holding his pointed hat at shoulder height, Galen shook it once; black birds shot out and landed on a nearby branch.

  Six in total lined up in a row, the crows sat quietly and watched Galen approach. “Seek out the temple. It will be west of here. Speak with your cousins and find its location, then return to me.” One of the crows screeched before flying off into the jungle. The rest quickly followed after it.

  Galen faced the others. “I will summon the Mist horses.” Nodding at Micah, the old man sprinted off through the trees.

  James looked at each of his companions in turn. “I know he’s called a crow spirit, but to see him in action like that...I always thought of him as just a strange old man.”

  Kay grinned but didn’t say a word.

  “We wait here until Galen returns,” Micah said, gazing up through the treetops at the darkening sky. “When he does, we will ride the horses the rest of the way after the crows return with the information we need. In the meantime, Kay, you should erect a shield to shelter us from this rain and protect us from any unseen dangers.”

  “Yes, grandfather.” The young girl reached into her pouch. “Move closer to me,” she said to her companions. Taking her hand out, she held something in her fist. “Do your stuff, Crystal-dust,” she spoke into her closed hand. Flinging her fingers open, Kay tossed a bronze powder into the air.

  Floating above their heads, the substance began to sparkle, the individual particles spreading out and then downwards. As the powder drifted towards the ground, it left a solid yet semi-transparent bubble behind enclosing all three of them.

  Micah smiled at his granddaughter. “You were right to insist on coming with us.”

  “I said you would need my help.”

  “Does everyone in your land have power?” James asked, staring at the see-through, bronze colored bubble.