Relics

by K. T. Tomb

  ***

  Peter went back to his house for the first time since he left Phoe there to go find the Lair of Beowulf. As soon as he opened the door, a wall of emotions hit him. He couldn’t bear to go to her funeral. Even if there was no body to bury.

  He took a deep breath and stepped through the doorway. He looked around as if he expected Phoe to walk out from one of the rooms and say something sarcastic. It felt like years since he had last seen her.

  He grabbed one of the chocolate milks from the fridge that he bought for Phoe and smiled as he let a tear roll down his cheek. After kicking off his shoes, he sat on the sofa and turned on the television. While channel surfing, he saw Symone Armette’s image appear on CNN. He turned up the volume. It was the same story that Eric had shown Simon. Peter’s eyes widened as he saw the charitable contribution Symone had made, even at the risk of getting caught. “That’s… really strange.” His mind raced with the implications of what he had seen.

  He knew what he had to do. He would sell the solid gold statue of Thor and search the world for Symone Armette. He jumped up with renewed vigor as he made his way to the room with the statue in it. The look of surprise returned as he noticed that the statue was gone. Gone?

  There was a note on the floor where the priceless artifact once stood.

  “Peter. I can only imagine what you’re thinking about now. I know you’re pissed, but just remember the Head of Olmec. I gave Olmec to Eloise Rojas and the Museum Association of Taos. I also paid for the extra security for it. I told them that the donation was from both of us, in case you have plans for taking it back. You would just look like a bigger ass than you usually do. Anyway, you would be surprised how much some things are worth.

  “I need to spread my wings, Peter. In spite of all of the crap between us, I love you. Not the way that you would like, but it’s love, nonetheless. I hope the fact that you have kick-started my new life will be some consolation for losing… again. I’m sorry. I’m really having too much fun. You always will have a special place in my heart. Thanks. Wish me luck. Thalia.”

  Peter could do nothing but smile. “Godspeed, Thalia.”

  ***

  A modified lightweight private jet received clearance to enter Turkish airspace. The pilot looked relaxed, in spite of who his passenger was. The cockpit door opened and Symone Armette stepped inside. “I think that’s it, Sanchez.”

  Sanchez smiled. “If you don’t mind me saying, that’s a whole hell of a lot of shit you just went through.”

  “I don’t mind you saying that at all,” she responded while fighting off laughter. She sat down in the seat next to Sanchez. “It was worth it. I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to see where we’re going.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” he responded. “Will we be staying in Istanbul long?”

  She glared out the window. “I don’t think so. Looking for a new base of operations.” She got up and walked back to the passenger area. When she arrived at her seat, she picked up a fanny pack and opened it. A familiar hypodermic needle was pulled from the pack. Thalia took the cover off and stabbed the needle into her leg. She then injected part of the liquid into her body.

  It only took a few moments before the transformation started to happen. She trembled as the image of Symone Armette morphed into the true owner of that body. The true owner of the body was Jeremy Riddick.

  His left eye twitched underneath the scar as he clapped the captain on the shoulder and headed into the main cabin once more.

  The bathroom door opened, and Thalia walked out. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you helped out like this.” She had on khaki shorts, a black tank top, and a fanny pack that could be Jeremy’s equal.

  He laughed. “I can say that I don’t believe it, even though I experienced it. Hell, the money was good, and you’ll have me back at Kessler Industries before my vacation runs out. I’ve got to say, though, I was a little fidgety about posing as that bitch after you left Cali.”

  “I needed someone I could trust that wasn’t already involved,” she responded. “I thought that I could bribe you to help out. I had to keep an eye on you in case you got caught, though; plus, I still had a few other things to take care of.”

  “Anytime you need me, babe,” he replied.

  She smiled. “It’s Thalia. Not babe. Thalia.”

  Jeremy got up and headed to the bathroom. “You didn’t leave any surprises for me in there. Did you?”

  Thalia grimaced.

  “Hey,” he continued. “If you ever need my services after my obligation to Kessler is up…”

  “I’ll keep it in mind… if I need a minion,” she replied, laughing.

  He laughed as he entered the bathroom.

  She pulled out something long and covered in cloth from under her seat. She unwrapped part of it to reveal the sword of Beowulf. Hrunting hadn’t disappeared, nor did it seem that it ever would. “You are an enigma, my friend,” she said, directing her words to the sword. “I can’t explain why you’re still here, but it looks like I have an artifact that goes beyond priceless. You simply shouldn’t exist. I hope that just by you existing, it doesn’t cause some weird shift in time or whatever.”

  With that said she replaced the sword under her seat and took out a large bottle of aspirin from her fanny pack. She opened it up to reveal a large number of familiar-looking blue pills. “Whatever life has in store for me now, I have a feeling it’s just starting to get interesting.”

  The End

  Phoenix returns in:

  The Fountain of Youth

  Return to the Table of Contents

  THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

  by

  K.T. TOMB

  A Phoenix Quest Adventure #4

  The Babylonian Basilisk

  Published by K.T. Tomb

  Copyright © 2014 by K.T. Tomb

  All rights reserved.

  The Fountain of Youth

  Background

  The Fountain of Youth is a spring that supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years, appearing in writings by Herodotus (5th century BC), the Alexander romance (3rd century CE), and the stories of Prester John (early Crusades, 11th/12th centuries CE). Stories of similar waters were also evidently prominent among the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean during the Age of Exploration (early 16th century), who spoke of the restorative powers of the water in the mythical land of Bimini.

  The legend became particularly prominent in the 16th century, when it became attached to the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, first Governor of Puerto Rico. According to an apocryphal combination of New World and Eurasian elements, Ponce de León was searching for the Fountain of Youth when he traveled to what is now Florida in 1513. —Wikipedia

  Prologue

  Reuters World News Service

  HEADLINE: Vatican Explorer Phoenix Quest Recovers Battle Armor of Genghis Khan

  It has been announced today by the Vatican news office and the governments of Russia and Mongolia that the battle armor of Temüjin, also known as Genghis Khan, has been discovered in a series of caverns in the Altai Mountains in Siberia.

  Following a series of legends and clues, the explorer and a team of Buryat historians ascended the mountains in search of what is locally known as the Temüjin Temple, a place thought to be a spiritual home to Genghis Khan throughout his reign. Believed to be only a myth, the temple was said to be a series of natural caves which were occupied by a group of very powerful and mystical Buddhist monks. It was said that Genghis Khan visited these monks before and after every battle, spending weeks on end with them in the mountains where they prepared his body and mind for the rigors of battle.

  “The more we asked about the legend of Temüjin,” explorer Thalia Phoenix explained, “the more we realized that not only was there widespread knowledge of the story among all the tribespeople of the northern Mongolian region, but al
so among the Buryat from all around the Lake Baikal area.”

  Her counterpart, Friar Angelo Batista added, “Once we realized that the people in the area put such deep-seated honor to the story of the temple, we just knew that it must exist in some shape or form. The leap that the armor might be there wasn’t a far one, considering how much time he was fabled to have spent there and how much he loved and cherished the monks who were said to have lived there. We thought that at the very least, we would find a few interesting artifacts relating to the great warrior and his time, but we hit pay dirt.”

  Phoenix and Batista are sponsored by the Vatican Museum, which has arrangements with the Russian and Mongolian governments to send the armor on tour for three years before relinquishing ownership to both governments jointly.

  ***

  Thalia Phoenix looked at the computer screen onboard her Beechjet 400A aircraft as Jennifer, the stewardess, placed a tall frosty glass of chocolate milk down beside her.

  “Anything for supper, Ms. Phoenix?” she asked.

  “I had asked for some sushi from Asanebo to be delivered. Did it make it?” she asked, wrinkling her nose in worry. It would be a shame if it missed the flight and went to waste, although the food from that restaurant was so epic that Thalia would actually wait for it to arrive.

  “Indeed it did, Ms. Phoenix,” Jennifer confirmed. “I just assumed since you asked for milk, you were planning on having the sushi later.” The waitress smiled, gesturing at the glass beside Phoe’s elbow.

  “Oh!” She laughed. “So right. I’ll have a small cheese plate, Jen. Save that delicious food for later. We have such a long flight to Venice and it looks like I need us to make a quick detour as well.”

  Jennifer nodded approvingly and went back into the galley to prepare fruit, pickles and four types of cheeses with jellies and jams to go with the toast points and various crackers for her boss’s snack.

  Phoe stood and approached the cockpit. She would have to have a quick word with Captain Sanchez before he set any flight plans with air traffic control. From the details revealed in the Reuters article, she knew that her two-year absence from her real life had come to a halting, abrupt and unexpected end. The jig was up. Simon Kessler would be the first to see it and then it would only be a matter of time before her mother, brother and Charlotte knew. It wouldn’t take Simon long to single Peter out and then he would ceremoniously spill the beans.

  “Captain,” she said as she slid into the co-pilot’s seat.

  “Yes, Ms. Phoenix,” he replied, smiling and setting aside a clipboard he had been using. “How can I help you?”

  “We have a slight change of plans. How much notice do you need to give our friends in the tower if we were to head over to Taos, New Mexico, for a quick stop?”

  “If I cancel the Venice request now, we should be able to take off in about a half an hour,” he replied.

  “Awesome. Cancel them and change our destination. Then come join me and Jennifer in the cabin for a snack while we wait.”

  She stood and headed for the cockpit door.

  “Sounds great, Ms. Phoenix. I’ll be right there.”

  Back in the cabin, Thalia could see that, as usual, Jennifer had not disappointed her with the spread of food laid out on the central table. The platter was large and heavy, laden with green and red seedless grapes, slices of apple and cantaloupe and pegs of Valencia oranges. The center of the tray boasted a small wheel of Brie, a wedge of Danish blue, slices of sharp white cheddar and Phoe’s favorite, Havarti cheese. Toast points of rye, pumpernickel and white bread sat neatly beside water crackers and tiny rolls of smoked salmon, pastrami and prosciutto.

  Yummy. And too much for one person, as I knew it would be.

  Thalia was convinced that Jennifer must have previously worked for a very gluttonous or perhaps wasteful person. She envisioned a pork-faced, potbellied billionaire who scarfed down prime rib and whole bottles of French brandy. She laughed.

  “Something funny, Ms. Phoenix?” Jennifer asked as she placed a condiment plate on the table beside the platter.

  “Not really, Jen. Would you mind joining me and the captain for a pre-flight snack?”

  Jennifer blushed and looked down at her beautiful black Louboutin stilettos.

  “I prepared too much food again, didn’t I?” she asked sheepishly.

  “No, Jen. You prepared just the right amount for the three of us. Come on and sit down. I need to fill you in.”

  ***

  In New Mexico, the hard part for Phoe was about to begin. She had spent the last couple of years avoiding doing just this, but time seemed to have finally caught up with her and it was time to face the damn music. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom. Her guests were all seated and waiting for her. Collectively, they all gasped.

  Peter stood and walked over to her with his arms extended and Phoe rushed into his embrace.

  “It’s so good to see you, Peter,” she whispered into his ear as the tears began to flow.

  “I know, Phoe. It’s so good to finally see you as well.”

  He held her tightly until her sobbing subsided. Then Phoe let go of him and faced the others. They wouldn’t be so easy.

  “Well?” her mother started. “You owe us an explanation, Thalia Phoenix, and I think we’ve waited long enough to hear what you have to say for yourself.”

  Phoe sat down across from the people gathered on her aircraft and looked at each of their faces for a moment; taking in the varied expressions. Her mother was angry, her brother Eric was amused, Simon Kessler was intrigued and Charlotte was betrayed.

  Oh dear! What have I done?

  She cleared her throat and began.

  “I’m so sorry, everyone. I really am. I know I’ve put you through a lot these past couple of years, but I had to do what I did.”

  “Why, Thalia?” asked Simon.

  Charlotte hung her head and was slowly shaking it from side to side. Phoe groaned softly at the painful sight.

  “Firstly, the way that the Lair of Beowulf turned out, I had no way of knowing if the Armette connection was really taken care of. I mean, look at it. You were all convinced that I didn’t make it out alive; suppose someone from the Armette camp did think I was alive? Or if Kadan’s allegiance had been compromised?” She sighed before she continued. “I just couldn’t be sure. They firebombed my house. Who could tell how much further they were willing to go?”

  Charlotte lost it at the mention of the fire, breaking down in uninhibited sobbing. She still remembered what it had been like; she had gotten shot in the shoulder during that whole Beowulf affair. Phoe rushed over to put her arm around the woman’s shoulder in comfort.

  “After what they did to Charlotte and tried to do to Kadan, I couldn’t take the risk.”

  “So, you just disappeared?” Eric asked.

  “No, I sent Jeremy on a world tour disguised as Symone Armette. I wanted to keep the authorities busy, so no attention would be drawn to my disappearance and also see if the ruse would flush out either of the real Armettes. It took a while, but neither of them surfaced and then I heard that Simon had taken Kadan Alexander under his wing at Kessler Industries after his release. So, I knew he was trustworthy.”

  “So why didn’t you just come home, Phoe?” Charlotte wailed. “We had a funeral for you and everything. There’s an empty grave at Los Cruces cemetery with your name on the stone. That was just wrong. You shouldn’t have put us through that.”

  “She had the best reason, Charlotte,” Peter interjected. “You, of all of us, should be most cognizant of that fact.”

  “I suppose. But it still hurts.”

  “I know, Char. It wasn’t malicious.” She turned to them all and said, “I want you all to know that I wasn’t acting selfishly or maliciously. I just couldn’t have lived with myself if my own carelessness had gotten any of you hurt or killed.”

  They were all silent for a few moments as the revelations sank in. Her premise was plausible eno
ugh; her reasoning sound and selfless. Perhaps forgiveness was not an elusive response in this case. Thalia breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to get these things off her chest. It felt even better to be with her family and friends again.

  “I wanted to come home as soon as I was satisfied that the Armettes were no longer a threat to you, but that’s when I got the first call from the Holy See. Apparently, the shaft of the Spear of Longinus was quite coveted by the Roman Catholic Church and they wanted to know how open Simon Kessler would be to donating it to the Vatican Museum. They also wanted to know what happened to the spear’s head.”

  She smiled at Simon. Thalia knew that he had agreed to lend it to them for as long as it took for the relic to tour every Catholic church in the world; a generous offer. They both knew he might never see the artifact again.

  “Then they sent me to recover the Image of Edessa, which was quite an escapade, then immediately after that to locate the Temple of Solomon. After that, I decided to join a priest I had journeyed with on both adventures on a trip to Siberia, where he sought to locate the fabled battle armor of Genghis Khan. It’s been a very busy time for me and liberating, to say the least.”

  “We have read of your success, my dear, although we didn’t know they were yours,” Angelica Phoenix said. “You have certainly done well for yourself.”

  Is that pride I see in her eyes?

  “So now what?” asked Peter and Eric simultaneously.

  Simon Kessler raised an eyebrow as if he had been inexplicably beaten to the punch.

  Ha! Look at his face! Priceless!

  “Well, it’s funny that the two of you would ask me that!” Thalia said with a strange smile playing on her lips.

  ***