by K. T. Tomb
Mueller was on his back as Phoe continued her assault.
Phoe was an opportunist. She rarely let an opportunity go by when she saw a chance to accomplish something great. She saw Mueller’s grasp on the Spear weakening, so she made a decision she would later regret.
Phoe grabbed the Spear.
Mueller tightened his grasp on it. Everything went crazy from there.
Phoe’s and Mueller’s minds expanded and melded at the same time. She could see him as a child being bullied by other children. Mueller could see Eric leaving his family to pursue a quest for the Spear.
Their thoughts and desires all became part of each other. Phoe was basically a good person and Mueller was basically… not. The mixture of good and not-so-good overwhelmed both of them. Thoughts and feelings became one as the aura around them changed constantly from black to blue and back again.
The struggle for control was overwhelming.
As quickly as it started, it ended. Phoe’s vision was blurred, but she managed to make out a figure towering over Mueller.
It was Eric. “You’re done, Lukas. Nobody fucks with my family! Nobody!”
Phoe noticed the Spear lying on the ground. Eric had found some way to separate them from it. Mueller was slow to recover from the Spear’s mind meld, but he had just enough strength to hold his hand out toward the Spear. It immediately flew into his hand.
Mueller levitated to a standing position and grinned. “Thank you both for showing me how to control the Spear.”
The black aura that surrounded Mueller pulsated as he lifted the Spear into the air. Black energy arched out in all directions. Eric helped Phoe regain her feet as she realized that those energy bolts had specific destinations.
She and Eric looked on in horror as each one of Mueller’s men was hit with the black energy. That was nothing compared to what came next.
The darkness completely enveloped each of Mueller’s men. There was almost a cocoon of ebony energy that writhed and moved in harmony with the men.
When the energy faded, the men had gone through a transformation. Each man stepped forward with a new look. Each man had a short sword reminiscent of the early Romans. In fact, everything about their wardrobe was early Roman. They had broad iron strips fastened to the internal leather straps covering the torso. The strips were arranged horizontally on the body, overlapping downward. The upper body and shoulders were protected by extra strips and breast and back plates. They had no head protection, but the sandals were quite noticeable.
The newly attired minions of Mueller formed a line in front of their boss. There were fifteen men protecting Mueller.
Angelica came out from behind the tree and stood with Eric and Phoe.
Phoe smiled.
“I thought you didn’t know how to fight, Eric,” Phoe said sarcastically.
“I said it before and I’ll say it again. Nobody fucks with my family!” he replied.
Mueller’s men all charged at once with swords in hand. Angelica went into action first by knocking two of them to the ground with a spinning hook kick. Eric grabbed the sword out of one their hands, hit him in the head with the hilt, and continued to parry and counter attacks. Phoe did a flip over one of the rushing men and made a beeline for the head honcho. She started with a thrust kick to the gut, followed by a spin kick to his head and a solid punch to his chest.
He just stood there and laughed.
Uh-oh.
Mueller raised the Spear and thrust it again into the ground. The shockwave was more intense as it not only knocked everyone down, but it started to crack some of the headstones that were close. It even uprooted some small trees.
Once he found his feet, Eric made a discovery of his own. “These assholes still can’t fight! All it did was give them some old armor and shit! Phoe! Take out Lukas! We’ve got these weenies!”
Phoe did a sweep kick and tried to knock the feet out from under Mueller. Still no effect.
Mueller thrust the Spear into the earth again. The shockwave was bigger as it started to uproot the huge beech tree. Several headstones fell into pieces and large crevices in the ground appeared.
Angelica called out to Phoe. “If this keeps up, it will alert someone to the fact that Oregon is about to get its first major earthquake since 1993!”
Phoe nodded. She knew the risks. She always knew the risks, but this time, the risk involved a major population. This hero shit was getting old.
Again and again, Mueller thrust the Spear into the ground. The shockwaves turned to tremors, as larger crevices were created. A couple of the Mini Coopers were lost in one of the bigger cracks. The beech tree was lying practically on its side, and several of Mueller’s men weren’t quick enough—they plummeted to their deaths.
The ground was shifting as Angelica and Eric tried to keep their balance. Eric noticed that Huber and Danworth were gone.
Every time Phoe had gotten close to Mueller, he created a stronger tremor. He laughed maniacally as he raised his hands in triumph.
Phoe thought hard about her plan of attack. Can’t hurt him. Can’t get close to him. Can’t stand to look at him anymore. The obvious plans of attack don’t work. Think! If it’s not obvious then it has to be simpler than that!
Phoe wasn’t sure if she even understood it herself, but she knew she had to try something. She held out her hand and concentrated.
The spear flew straight to her.
She was as surprised as Mueller. He stood there in shock. All he could mutter was a whiny, “Oh, shit.”
She found the gloves that Mueller had discarded earlier. She put them on and then felt no effects of the Spear. It only worked while in contact with flesh.
Eric walked over to Mueller. “Hey, Lukas. It’s time for you to go away,” he said, as he pushed the wannabe gangster into one of the crevices.
Lukas would never be heard from again.
Epilogue
Phoe, Angelica, and Eric stood next to Simon’s hospital bed. Phoe carried the long pool stick case.
“It looks like our plan worked, Phoe,” Simon uttered with a smile. “I would love to know how you figured it out about Charles Danworth and put everything else together. I must say, I am impressed.”
Phoe took a deep breath. “Well, you asked. Andrew Selig, a.k.a. Charles Danworth, somehow acquired the wooden part of the Spear of Destiny. He managed to become Dr. Feather’s assistant when Feather was testing the spearhead that he had to see if it was the real Spear of Destiny or not. Danworth was hoping he could find the spearhead and put the two pieces together.”
“What does it do when both pieces are together?” Eric interrupted.
Phoe continued, “I’m not sure, but we saw that the wooden part takes on the persona of whoever is touching it. I’m not sure what happened when Mueller and I both touched it. Anyway, when Dr. Feather declared that the spearhead he researched was not the true spearhead from the S.O.D., then Danworth became desperate to find it. He must have heard of me from all of the press I got from the Hammer of Thor. When Mom advertised for someone to help her with her project to stop me from treasure hunting, Danworth saw that as his opportunity to recruit me to find the real spearhead. He had his own agenda.”
“That’s not fair, Thalia,” Angelica scoffed.
“Do you deny that it’s true? You didn’t want to stop me from treasure hunting?” Phoe rebutted.
Angelica remained quiet.
“Good. I’ll continue then,” Phoe said triumphantly. “Danworth sought out Emmerich Huber because he must have been related to Fritz Huber. Fritz was a German soldier who had been interrogated by Americans around World War II. Fritz gave up information about the Spear of Destiny. Yes, it was the same one that was discredited by Dr. Feather. I don’t know why Danworth stuck by Huber after the trail of the real Spear went cold. Maybe it was to have a translator in Germany.”
“What about the postcard? It hurts my head just thinking about that,” Eric added.
Phoe paced as if she were She
rlock Holmes exposing the truth about one of his many mysteries. “I’m glad you asked about that, Eric. You gave me the first clue when you said you didn’t send it.”
Angelica looked confused.
Phoe continued, “Danworth had found out the mysterious shopping list needed to access the even more mysterious black room, which just so coincidentally also happened to be here in Portland. I’m assuming that Danworth didn’t have what it took to find out the answers he needed from the room, so he sent a postcard to Mom with the shopping list on it, with hopes that the postcard would get to me. Once Mom became involved with Huber and Danworth, Charles decided that he could hide his part of the Spear in Portland. So, he took a Jewish name and became a part of the Jewish community here, so that he could bury the Spear part in the cemetery.”
“That’s some crazy shit, Phoe,” Eric said.
“I know, Eric,” Phoe replied. “It’s the only thing that makes sense, though. Huber and Danworth had hoped to recruit me once I arrived in Germany. Mom thought they were going to try to persuade or even force me to stop going after artifacts, but they wanted me to find the Spear. They kept getting in each other’s way and in trouble with the law in Nuremberg, which slowed their progress and made me distrust them. Danworth hoped that I would put two and two together and realize that I had to ‘shop’ in Portland, once Eric told me that he didn’t send the postcard. We actually thought that Mom sent it to throw us off.”
Angelica was angered by all of the accusations, even if they were legitimate.
Phoe took another deep breath. “Once Danworth and Huber realized that they weren’t going to get any help retrieving the spearhead, they left with their butts intact, but without the wooden piece.”
“Bravo, Phoe!” Simon applauded. “You are a true detective as well as a treasure hunter! I, of course, played my role by sidetracking the police and the press by being laid up here in the hospital. My fish is bigger than Mueller, though. He was blatantly stupid and had to have a benefactor. I am closer to that trail, even as we speak. He cost me a good driver and a good man. This debt will be paid.”
Phoe placed the long box on the bed. “Be careful with this, Simon. Handle with gloves. Here’s my part of the deal. Are you sticking to your end?”
Simon smiled. “Phoe, my dear. The deal was for the Spear of Destiny. However, this piece is a rare treasure indeed.” He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Eric.
Eric opened it to reveal a cashier’s check made out to Eric Phoenix for one million dollars.
“Holy shit!” Eric exclaimed. “Is this real?” He looked at Phoe with tears in his eyes. “This was your payment? You helped me? I don’t know what to say.”
Phoe hugged her brother. “Can you go out in the hall for a minute with Mom? I have one more thing to talk to my boss about.”
“Sure thing, sis.” Eric was choked up.
As he left, Angelica put a hand on Phoe’s shoulder. “Well, well, Thalia. Or should I call you Phoe? You’ve earned it. To see you in action like this”—she, too, started to cry—“I am so proud of you, my daughter. Keep treasure hunting as long as you desire. Make sure you eat, though. I love you, Phoe.”
They hugged each other tightly and then Angelica left the room. Phoe couldn’t help but shed a few tears of joy.
Simon glared at her. “You know where the Spearhead is, don’t you, Phoe?”
Phoe remembered the video that she watched in the dark room under the Jewish grocery store…
There was a hill just north of the Damascus Gate. There had been a crucifixion a few days prior. The Son of God they called Him. The crosses and bodies were long since removed. There was no one there now, save one lone Roman soldier, Longinus. The blind soldier had pierced the side of Jesus with his spear and gained his sight back through the blood. He had sat with his head bowed, praying, “Lord God. I believe. I have the blood of your Son on my spear. There will be those who will want to claim this spear for whatever reason. There is no reason why it should be claimed by anyone.” With that said, Longinus stood and raised his spear for the final time. He thrust it deep into the ground. There was a small tremor as the Spear dug into the ground about half its length. When he pulled it up, the blood that was on the wooden piece was no longer there. The spearhead was gone as well. Longinus had then spoken once more: “Lord. They will hunt for the Spear, for what it represents. They will become so obsessed with the Spear that they will overlook following the path of a humble soldier to find it.”
Phoe shed another tear as she answered, “You know what, Simon? I’m not really sure if I could remember anything that happened in that room. Especially the whereabouts of a spearhead. Maybe it’s best if it wasn’t found. Just saying. I will say one thing, though. It sure is nice to see the light.”
The End
Phoenix returns in:
The Lair of Beowulf
Return to the Table of Contents
THE LAIR OF BEOWULF
by
K.T. TOMB
A Phoenix Quest Adventure #3
The Lair of Beowulf
Published by K.T. Tomb
Copyright © 2014 by K.T. Tomb
All rights reserved.
The Lair of Beowulf
Prologue
Cecil Bullock had always been a kind man, especially where his family was concerned. He made sure that they never had to do without. In his younger days, he had been a valued computer programmer and Cecil had a knack for being able to hack into any system and reprogramming it to meet his specifications. There had been a point where he thought no one could trace his IP address or counter his programming. At one point, he had been right.
He was also a literary scholar and had a great affinity for the classics, mostly from the ninth and tenth centuries. He dreamt of being in on one of the greatest archeological finds of all times, based on one of those masterpieces of fiction, but he had no idea where to even begin. That’s when he’d met Simon Kessler. Treasure hunting was the one thing they had in common.
It took him four years to get his security clearance at NASA For him it was worth the wait. In 1994, they approved him for the highest level of authorization. On certain projects, he worked with the Department of Defense and answered only to the vice-president or the president himself.
He had been approached many times by private organizations as well as foreign nations, who had tried diligently to persuade him away from his government work. Kessler Industries had been one of the corporations that wanted Cecil’s brilliance all for themselves. Even after all the refusals, Simon Kessler had always expected Cecil to land back on his doorstep, but he’d never dreamed it would have happened quite the way it did.
***
Whenever Simon Kessler was in Geneva on business, he stayed in the Presidential Suite at the Hotel d’Angleterre and tried his best to travel alone whenever he could. His son Jonathan was with him that time. Jonathan was busy on his laptop as his father was ready to call it a night. It was 9:04 pm when there was a frantic knock at the door.
“We aren’t supposed to have visitors right outside the door,” Simon said. “You know the procedure, Jonathan.”
His son grabbed his laptop and headed straight for his room, while Simon took a more hands-on approach. He opened the drawer on an end table near the sofa, pulled out his Glock 17 and inserted the fully loaded clip. He then made sure to turn off all of the lights except the one near the door. Simon unlocked the door and stepped back into the darkness, dropped to one knee, and aimed his gun at the entryway.
The doorknob turned slowly as Simon held his breath to get off a straight shot. The door opened to reveal a figure silhouetted against the hallway light. The figure seemed to have trouble with gravity as it fell over into the suite.
Simon got up, turned the lights on, and pulled the body into the room, closing and locking the door immediately. The figure rolled over to face Simon.
It was Cecil Bullock.
Cecil had just turned sixty-five and had al
ways loved to celebrate his milestones in Geneva, a fact that Simon knew quite well. Cecil’s unconscious face showed his age. His face resembled that of a much older man, with wrinkles and bags under his blue eyes. His hair was practically gone except for the tufts on either side of his head. He’d always loved his woolen trench coat, which he wore. His glasses were held tightly in one hand, while something else was gripped in the other. There were two bullet holes in his lower abdomen.
He opened his hand and let the glasses fall, while he struggled to lift his other hand as he opened it. There was a crumpled-up envelope that he held up to Simon, who took it and straightened it out before opening it. Cecil tried to sit up but just flopped back down to the floor. He glared at Simon and uttered his final word: “Beowulf.”
Chapter One
Thalia Phoenix was the kind of woman who enjoyed being involved with her community in Taos, when she wasn’t off treasure hunting. The Museum Association of Taos had created a special award for Phoe for all of the help she had given them. She’d also donated several of her artifact reproductions to the association to distribute throughout their museums as they saw fit.
Eloise Rojas was a big fan and follower of Phoe and lived vicariously through her exploits. Eloise had had a love of archeology since she was a little girl digging holes to China in her backyard and had been with the association almost all of her adult life. She was born and raised in Albuquerque, but moved to Taos when she found out about the wonderful history being presented through the museums there.
It was only a matter of time before she received her archeology degree and settled into her life’s dream of being surrounded by artifacts that represented the near and ancient past. Authentic or reproduced, it was all real to Eloise.
