Relics

by K. T. Tomb

  ***

  Phoe went to work dressing Angelo in a clean pair of pull-up diapers, a shirt and a pair of shorts, and then she went to see about washing his dirty clothes. Peter put a plate of cut up pancakes in front of the child and served some breakfast to himself and Phoe. Eric came in with his guitar, just as everyone had sat down to eat.

  Peter stared at him.

  “Where the hell have you been? You going to sing for your breakfast, bro?”

  “Guess so.”

  Eric sat down and began to pound out some old Woody Guthrie songs about injustice and greed, until he made Angelo start crying.

  That got on Thalia’s nerves.

  “Enough already. Come over and eat.”

  She handed him a mug of coffee and a plate piled with pancakes.

  Eric joined everyone at the table.

  “Who’s the new guy?” he asked, pointing to Angelo.

  Peter pulled the child’s shirt up so Eric could see.

  “He’s the newest little Phoenix. Aren’t you, big guy?”

  “You don’t say. Hmm. Seems to me I’ve seen that tatt somewhere, but never one as fancy as this one is. You almost expect to see it take wing and fly off the kid’s back.”

  Thalia patted the little boy on his head.

  “I wish it would. So, what’s up with you, Eric?”

  “Not so fast, Phoe. You said you’d fill me in at breakfast. Spit it out fast so I know what we’re getting into with this kid.”

  “It’s Angelo.”

  “I know his name is Angelo. Come on!”

  “No, I think this is Angelo. As in Friar Angelo Batista.”

  Eric and Peter looked at each other in bewilderment.

  “What you talking ‘bout, Willis?” Eric quoted his favorite old TV comedy with a questioning look on his face.

  Phoe took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.

  “A few months back, I went with Angelo Batista to the Altai Mountains in Siberia, where we found the armor of Genghis Khan. The thing is, Angelo never went back to Rome with me. I brought the armor back on my own while he went to Tibet with the others.”

  “Yeah, we know all that,” Eric said around a mouthful of pancakes.

  “Yeah, Phoe. So?” Peter finished for him.

  “So, they were looking for something really ridiculous. Up until this morning, I thought that he must have been the stupidest person I know. He was chasing after a fairy tale, as far as I was concerned. They were looking for the Fountain of Youth.”

  “Oh, shit!” Eric exclaimed, suddenly giving the conversation his full attention.

  “The thing is, I think they found it, guys. I think this is Friar Angelo. I think he found the Fountain and drank from it and this is him. In fact, I’m pretty fucking sure. Either this is him or someone tattooed a two-year-old with an elaborate tattoo just to try and play a trick on me. Angelo is the only person I have ever met that has a tattoo like that. We even made jokes how we were destined to be friends since he wore a Phoenix and I am Phoenix.”

  “Christ, Phoe. Do you even have a clue what this would mean?”

  “I do, Peter,” she replied. “It would mean that for once, Kessler wants to send me out to find something utterly ridiculous and before I even have a chance to say no, I just may have proof that it actually exists. I have a feeling that we may not be chasing after a ghost this time, Peter.”

  “Kessler knows about this?” Eric asked flabbergasted.

  “Simon told me this morning that Angelo had gone to Tibet to find the Fountain and that he needs me to find it as well, immediately.”

  “Yeah, I heard you on the phone,” Peter confirmed. “He talked to me, too. Also told me that Angelo and his entire team were missing.”

  “I guess that saves me a little explaining. Are you willing to come?”

  “Of course, Phoe; you know I’d rather work with you any day than compete with you. Don’t you?”

  Angelo toddled out of the kitchen toward the living room. Eric strolled after him, leaving Peter and Thalia sitting at the kitchen table talking. Then he turned and said to Eric, “Señor, quieres tu.” Telling Eric he wanted the older man, Angelo held up his arms. Eric picked him up and took him out onto the balcony to look at the view over the Grand Canal.

  “I feel like Olive Oyl,” Phoe said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Remember those old Popeye cartoons? No one ever said where Sweet Pea came from.”

  “Yeah. She was just my type. I think that’s why I like you so much.”

  Thalia raised her hand to slap Peter on the shoulder. He easily caught it and put it behind her back.

  Thalia stuck her tongue out at him.

  “You know I could throw you on the floor, without batting an eye.”

  “Yeah, but you’re not going to.”

  He leaned over and gently kissed her on her forehead before letting her go.

  “When do we leave? Kessler was pretty insistent about this.”

  Thalia got up from the table and ran hot water in the sink to get the dishes washed. Ever since he had managed to keep her biggest secret for the better part of two years, Phoe had decided that Peter Kellerman could indeed be trusted. He had ultimately proven himself to her and that had meant a lot. He would definitely be coming with her, now that she had the ability to choose her own crew. But, something told her they would have to guard Angelo constantly.

  “We’re going to need a good babysitter.”

  Peter nodded in agreement. She decided to call Charlotte to see if she could help them out of their little predicament, in exchange for an all-expense paid trip to lovely Venice, Italy. There weren’t many people whom she trusted enough to take on a mission like this. Even though Charlotte knew nothing of the art of espionage, she was sharp and steadfast. Thalia would be proud to have her on this journey—if she were willing to come. Charlotte was not the sort of woman to let the grass grow under her feet, just because her life had been turned upside down. But one thing was for certain, even though she was in Taos overseeing the operations of the rebuilt Simple Treasures, she was itching for something else to do, or at least the chance to spend some time with Thalia. Phoe knew that Charlotte would have no other plans, and even if she did, she would have no problem dropping them and being ready to leave on very short notice.

  “Would you call Jonathan to make sure he’s ready to leave? You know Simon’s sending him along, whether he told us so or not. I’ll call Charlotte. Who knows what she’s up to? It’s been too long since we talked.”

  “I know. All of three days.”

  Thalia left the room so she could have a little privacy when she spoke with Charlotte. She had always had a close relationship with her, but there were some things Phoe had never told her about the nature of the artifacts Simon sent her to find. The fact that sometimes these things did not come from the same reality everyone takes for granted could make this quest so sinister that Charlotte might not want to get involved with it. The fact that she wanted Charlotte with her to take care of a little boy whose origins she could only guess at, could also be a turn-off to her friend.

  While she was on the phone with Charlotte, Peter was talking with Jonathan Kessler. Jonathan was upset.

  “Hey, have you seen the news on the Internet about the disappearance of those explorers in Tibet?”

  “No, but your dad told us. I can’t believe it’s hit the Internet already. It sucks, doesn’t it?”

  “I have a very bad feeling about this. China is already on the defense and the Vatican is preparing to apply pressure. I don’t know what my dad is sending you to find this time, but my gut is telling me that there’s going to be big trouble.”

  “We were going to ask you if you wanted to come.”

  “Would I? You’re kidding me, right, Peter? It’s like you guys still don’t know my dad at all. He called you to let you know about a job he wants you to do and it’s urgent. Don’t you think I’m already on the jet and on the way to Venice to pick you guys up? Sheesh! For a set
of smart people, y’all are still too dumb!”

  “Shit! Did you leave L.A. already?”

  “We’re about to.”

  “Great! Talia’s on the phone with Charlotte. Can you please her pick up in New Mexico for us?”

  Peter hung up the phone, stunned, and turned to Phoe.

  “Jonathan’s in the Gulfstream and leaving L.A. any minute. He’ll get Charlotte for us.”

  Phoe rolled her eyes and continued her conversation with Charlotte. It was surprisingly easy to convince her. Simple Treasures seemed to have picked up with business exactly where it had left off and the shop assistants had everything under control. Charlotte was bored and feeling a tad bit old and useless.

  “I was wondering what I would do with myself besides driving up to the retirement village and checking myself in. I’ll pack my bags and be at the airport in an hour.”

  “Jonathan’s on his way. You have half that time to get to the airport.”

  “I’ll be there, Phoe. You know that I have always wanted to go on one of your adventures. This will be fun.”

  “Among other things, yes. I just got off the phone with Santino. He’s on the way and the limo is at the parking garage and ready to go.”

  Peter and Thalia met in the hallway and gave each other a high five.

  “The team’s on their way and we’re a go,” he said as she led him back to her living room.

  “Between the stuff I keep on the Beechjet and the gear I already have packed, I’m good to go—always. How about you? Have you got to go get your things packed up?”

  “Everything I need is in the trunk of my car. It’s at Tronchetto as well.”

  “Then all we need to do is pick up some clothes for this little guy.”

  Thalia added a few small things she would need to take along in an overnight bag. There were changes of clothes for everyone on the jet, except Charlotte and the toddler; still, she had some things that had never left her side over the last couple of years. The katana she’d had made especially for her in Niigata, Japan by the first apprentice of the legendary Akitsugu, was the first. The Beretta Px4 Storm handgun she had taken to carrying in a custom-made holster at her hip was the second. She liked it because it was small and didn’t weigh her down when she needed to move quickly. Phoe had never felt the need to carry weapons before she had branched out on her own, despite having been well trained to handle them. But on her own, she had quickly realized that she was no longer dwelling in the strange pseudo-reality that Simon’s quests seemed to always send her on. She had been immersed in adventures that took her to places and in contact with people that required her to actually defend herself. Shit sometimes got thick in the field for her these days.

  Eric walked in the door just ten minutes before Peter’s set departure time, flushed from racing the clock to get packed and chasing after Angelo. He arrived downstairs carrying a large bag filled with the things he thought he would need on a trip to Tibet. He set it down in the entry and asked, “Where is that little boy, you who can’t keep himself still?”

  Angelo came toddling down the hall. With his dark wavy hair flopping over one eye, he looked as cute as a button in the little corner store change of clothes that Thalia had managed to rustle up for him. They were so big that the child had to grab hold firmly to the waistband of the shorts to keep them from falling down as he trotted through the house on his little bare feet.

  “Tío! Tío!” he called when he spotted Eric.

  “Oh, my. Aren’t you the sweet one,” Eric said, picking him up. “You’re going to be a lady killer like your Uncle Eric when you grow up. I can tell.” He looked over at Thalia. “You said his name is Angelo? It fits.”

  The two of them came out to the living room where Peter waited.

  He tapped the little boy’s shoulder and said, “We don’t have any solid evidence that this has anything at all to do with the Fountain of Youth that Kessler wants us to find. You know how cryptic the old man can be, and how much he loves a good mystery. This tattoo has Thalia thinking that this kid is more than he appears to be. And if that is the case, we could have something more than the run-of-the-mill adventure on our hands. For the time being, he’s important enough to keep a close eye on at all times, so do that. At least until Charlotte gets here. Do you understand?”

  Eric took a deep breath. Looking after a toddler is always work, no matter where in the world you are. Besides, whatever the tattoo meant, it could only have been put there by a savage. He didn’t want to think about it.

  Thalia tapped him on the shoulder.

  “Now, you cannot let him out of your sight for one minute. Do you understand?”

  Eric swallowed.

  “Yes, and I’m ready to go.”

  “Then you and I need to go shopping. I have all sorts of things on both the aircrafts, but I don’t have anything that would fit this little guy and I doubt Simon stocks children’s clothes.” She picked Angelo up and crooned, “What do you say we get you some shoes and overalls and shirts?”

  The doorbell rang just as Thalia and Eric were getting ready to leave with Angelo. Santino Tedesco, Thalia’s personal guide and chauffeur, was there waiting to take them wherever they needed to go.

  “We won’t be long, Peter,” Thalia called as they stepped through the door.

  Santino held her hand gently while she tried her best to cross the boat landing and maneuver herself into the long seat on the vaporetto safely with Angelo firmly pasted to her hip. Eventually, the other passengers boarded and the door was closed beside her. After a short ride on the water bus and an even shorter walk to the garage, they were comfortably seated in the air conditioning of her limo and Santino went around to start the vehicle.

  Chapter Three

  A story of the “Water of Life” appears in the Eastern versions of the Alexander romance, which describes Alexander the Great and his servant crossing the Land of Darkness to find the restorative spring. The servant in that story is in turn derived from Middle Eastern legends of Al-Khidr, a sage who appears also in the Qur’an. Arabic and Aljamiado versions of the Alexander Romance were very popular in Spain during and after the period of Moorish rule, and would have been known to the explorers who journeyed to America. These earlier accounts inspired the popular medieval fantasy The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, which also mentions the Fountain of Youth as located at the foot of a mountain outside Polombe (modern Kollam) in India. Due to the influence of these tales, the Fountain of Youth legend was popular in courtly Gothic art, appearing for example on the ivory Casket with Scenes of Romances (Walters 71264) and several ivory mirror-cases, and remained popular through the European Age of Exploration. —Wikipedia

  ***

  “Hey, hold on!” Peter said. “Maybe you shouldn’t take him out of the house.”

  Phoe lowered the car window and replied, “We’ll be all right.”

  Peter ran his fingers through his hair, thinking hard.

  “Maybe we should go out together, just in case.”

  Thalia gave him an odd look.

  “Don’t you have plans to make, or something?”

  “Nope. And I think we should take a car that is less conspicuous than your chauffeur-driven limousine.”

  “Perhaps you’re right. We need to get in and out of that store as quickly as we can. We’ll pick up what we can find and get him some nice things on our travels.”

  Thalia instructed Santino to stay close by and on alert, then the four of them piled into Peter’s cherry red Alfa Romeo and drove to the department store.

  “Now, Eric. We need to stick together. You are not to go wandering off to the electronics or music store.”

  “Aw, gee. They don’t have anything I want, anyway. I already checked. There are some really bad-ass Gibsons about to hit the market, but that will be in L.A. of course.”

  The friends dashed through the store, looking at clothes for children and toddlers. Even though none of them understood the real story behind the tattoo, they
did not dare expose the child’s back in public. They decided to start with shoes, rapidly trying first one pair on him and then another. Sneakers, Phoe told them. They would need to be roomy enough to go on his feet easily, and snug enough to fit comfortably. It took longer than any of them thought it should to find the right pair.

  Then, it was off to find shirts and overalls. Already, Thalia was glad she had asked Eric to come; her older brother wrangled the excited child expertly while she combed the store for exactly what she was looking for. Peter, on the other hand, was fumbling and at a complete loss as to what to buy, or how many changes of clothing the child would need. They decided on six pairs of overalls, six pairs of pants and a dozen shirts, along with two large cartons of disposable pull up diapers. Thalia grabbed a half-dozen pairs of socks and pajamas for the little boy on their way to the checkout counter.

  While she waited in line, she used the overhead display mirrors at the checkout counter to confirm what she had been suspecting for a while. Three young men appeared to have been following them as they had made their way through the store. The guys, who were dark and handsome, seemed to be keeping inconspicuous by engaging each other in conversation which they held in very rapid Spanish. And they’re speaking Spanish too?

  They spoke too quickly for Thalia to be able to make out more than a few words, here and there. They appeared to be innocent enough, except for the small cluster of stars that were tattooed on their right temples. She didn’t know what they meant, but made a mental note to find out later.

  Every time Thalia and the others had made a turn down another aisle, they had always appeared somewhere nearby. She wouldn’t have thought too much of them, except that when Angelo saw them, he’d burst into tears and try to hide his face in her shoulder. She tugged on Peter’s sleeve and said, “Anyone who disturbs this little guy disturbs me. Let’s get him out of here, quickly.”