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It only took a moment for the jovial yet menacing voice of Andrew Lynch to fill the line. “Seth!”
He was like a piranha; every time he opened his mouth you could see the razor-sharp teeth ready to devour you.
“I’m sorry to call you so late, but I suspect you are still up.”
A statement, not a question, and one I was confident he knew the answer to. It was the how that concerned me.
“I hope you’re not stalking me, Andrew,” I replied. “That would be a violation of my trust and your agreement.”
“Stalking? That seems a little harsh. After our last meeting was so rudely interrupted, I am simply keeping an eye on a valued future member of my organization.”
My organization. Interesting words for a man who was meant to be part of a greater whole. But then again, that was the problem with power. The more of it you had, the more it tended to corrupt.
“Besides, if anyone should be upset, that would be me. After all, you led an assassin into my home. He killed a dozen of my men and trashed the place to top it off. You stole a car and left me to fend for myself.”
“If I remember rightly, you told me to make a run for it, and I think we both know you owed me the car. You blew up mine, after all.”
“Yes, I did smile just a little when I discovered which car you’d taken.” Lynch chuckled. “For a man of near limitless means, you get so very attached to things. Seth, it’s not healthy. Life is a very temporary condition.”
I was hardly in the mood for a philosophical lecture.
“Yes, attachment is my most pressing issue. I’ll be sure to raise it with my therapist next week. In the meantime, what do you want, Lynch? It’s after midnight.”
“So it is, but I suspect we both know where you’re headed.”
“I know where I’m headed,” I replied. “And you might be tracking me, but I doubt very much you have any idea what we’re doing. I’m on a personal errand for a friend.”
“Oh yes, your driver,” Lynch said. “Interesting man, Seth. Though you might want to tell him to look out for himself.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
It sounded like a threat. I checked to see if we had a tail, but the A303 was pretty quiet.
“Because someone just posted his picture, along with eleven others, on the dark web. It was accompanied by the most interesting tale I’ve heard in some time.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, which was true. I had no idea what was on the dark web, but it sounded ominously like Murdoch and the Circle’s identities had been exposed there. Why would someone do that?
My mind raced. Was that how the Inquisition had found Ben?
“Yes, if the post is to be believed, your friend is one of twelve men who know the location of the Holy Grail. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
I suspected my lack of reply spoke volumes.
“Fanciful stuff to be sure, Seth. Men have chased the Grail for a thousand years. I was inclined to divert some of our resources until I discovered your driver’s face among the names. I wouldn’t want to violate our agreement and I did promise you thirty days. So, it’s rather serendipitous, really.”
“How do you figure that? You’re still more than three weeks early. I told you I need time to deal with my curse.”
“But you aren’t dealing with your curse, are you?” Lynch spoke with the confidence of a man used to getting his way. “I’m a generous man, Seth. I wanted to offer you an alternative. After all, if the rumors are true, you might have more to bargain with than last we spoke.”
I was pretty sure I knew where he was heading but had no desire to verbalize it with Murdoch listening in. He was concerned enough about my presence.
“My circumstances haven’t changed,” I replied. It was the truth. I might be trying to recover the Grail, but it wasn’t mine to bargain with.
“Well, let me clarify things,” Lynch said, “so that I cannot be misunderstood. It’s your father’s frailty that presents the most pressing need for us to consolidate our power. If you were to recover the Grail and restore your father’s health, we would have no need for you to swear yourself to the cause. You’d be free, Seth. Free to pursue whatever life it is you wish for. Of course, we would need the Grail, just to be sure. But you’d be free.”
“And all would be well in the world,” I replied.
“Naturally,” Lynch answered. “The Brotherhood would continue preserving life as we have for four-hundred years. But, like I said, it’s an alternative agreement. One I thought might interest you.”
“Good night, Lynch,” I replied calmly, then hung up the phone.
“What did he want?” Murdoch asked.
I wouldn’t lie, no matter the stakes.
“We both know the answer to that, and he can’t have it,” I replied.
Murdoch had said little about the Grail’s true power, but if it really did grant eternal life, giving that power and longevity to one of the most powerful men in the world was a dangerous game.
“But something he said might interest you.” I leaned forward in the seat.
Murdoch never took his eyes off the road. “And what was that?”
“Lynch told me that the identities of twelve men purporting to guard the Holy Grail were posted on the dark web. If he’s telling the truth, I suspect that’s how people discovered Ben. He said your face was among them.”
Murdoch’s shoulders sagged. “That may explain how we were targeted, but not how our identities were discovered. None of us would have outed ourselves.”
“Well, somebody figured it out. Interestingly, they didn’t ask for a ransom or a reward for capture. They simply posted the twelve identities and the world declared open season on the Circle.”
“That’s because they are trying to flush out the Grail,” Murdoch replied. “Revealing our identities would force us to extract the Grail and go to ground. Otherwise, it would simply be a matter of time until we are all hunted down, our keys recovered, and the Grail stolen. It also encourages those who might steal a key to make an attempt on the Grail, for fear that someone else might get there first. They have no idea how the portals function. Perhaps they think a single key will grant them access.”
“Whoever is behind the leak probably plans to seize it in the chaos,” Lara added. “Much easier than trying to take it under normal circumstances. Easier yet, they could hit it in transit once another party has recovered it from the sanctuary.”
“At least we know what we’re up against,” I said. “It’s not just the Inquisition. There could be anyone at Glastonbury. Lynch said he wasn’t going to get in my way, but we all know we can take that with a grain of salt.”
“Everybody could be waiting for us.” Lara cracked her knuckles. “The Inquisition, the Brotherhood, hell, if it’s on the dark web, Section 9 might make an attempt.”
I didn’t want to dwell on what might happen if we came face-to-face with Lara’s old team. The director seemed content for her to remain absent, but based on my measure of the man, I was confident he felt her time with us would serve the organization’s interests. I doubted he could resist the Grail’s lure.
“Not to mention most of the criminals in the known world,” I said. “The dark web is their playground.”
Truth be told, it wasn’t any ordinary criminal I was worried about. It was Edward Knight. He had possessed the power of Ares, the god of war, for a week and used it to devastating effect. He’d proved adept at navigating supernatural politics in spite of being a normal, and the gods only knew what he would do should he succeed in gaining the Grail for himself.
“All hell is going to break loose,” Dizzy said.
“It already has,” Murdoch replied. “But it changes nothing. Not for me. I’m going to retrieve the Grail if it’s the last thing I ever do on this earth.”
Silence settled in the Humvee. The A303 would take us to Glastonbury. The site would be closed for the night, but I suspected those coming for the Grail would have little respect for things like opening hours. We needed a plan.
“How do you want to proceed?” I asked. The question was for Murdoch. He knew better than any of us what we were up against with the Grail’s defenses.
“We scout out the abbey grounds,” Murdoch replied. “Find out who is making a move on the Grail. Next, we determine whether or not the four gateways have been discovered. Hopefully we can find Lucius at the Abbey House, though he might have been forced to go to ground.”
It was as good a plan as anything I had, but my stomach was unsettled and it had nothing to do with the burger and shake I’d just devoured. Our enemies were multiplying faster than we could keep track of them. There was no telling who else might be waiting for us at the abbey.
“Best get what rest you can,” Murdoch said. “We’re about a half hour out.”
“We can continue this discussion later,” Lara whispered, closing her scrapbook.
I leaned in close to her, so that only she could hear me. “I meant what I said. I know it doesn’t feel like we’re getting any closer, but we are. We’re going to be free to live the life that we want.”
“Or we’re going to die trying,” Lara replied as she smoothed the blanket on our lap. There was something in her words I couldn’t quite place. She wasn’t one to be afraid. Was she disappointed that I’d turned down Lynch? She hadn’t heard his offer, but she had a brilliant mind. She’d have put two and two together before the call ended.
She tucked her binder under the seat and nestled in against my shoulder. Half an hour wasn’t enough time to actually sleep so I set my mind to the question that had been bothering me since New York City. How was I going to deal with Andrew Lynch?
No matter what happened at Glastonbury Abbey, if I lived through it, my day of decision was coming. I would either have to join the Brotherhood or go to war with it.
When the time came, would my father help me? If it came to a choice between his own son and the organization he’d spent his life building, who would he choose?
Not knowing the answer to that was the most maddening question of all.
Of course, I’d have to survive whatever was waiting for us at Glastonbury, and I needed to keep a close eye on Murdoch. He seemed fixated on revenge and while he might be able to weather the storm unhurt, we were placing our very mortal lives in his hands. There was a small part of me that was worried he just might get us all killed.
I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice Murdoch coming to a stop, until Lara stirred.
“We’re here,” Murdoch said. “Or as close as I’m willing to get in this particularly stealthy vehicle.”
The four of us piled quietly out of the Humvee and made our way to the trunk.
I handed out the bullet-proof vests and slipped mine over my head as everyone went for their weapons. Lara loaded her MP5 and an abundance of spare magazines. Dizzy fastened her hunting bow over one shoulder and strapped a quiver full of arrows on her back.
Murdoch loaded an AA-12 automatic shotgun with a fresh drum and clipped it to a harness over his shoulder. He grabbed a duffel that I suspected was laden with ammunition drums and the second AA-12.
With the trouble my arm was giving me, I was at reduced capacity. I could barely hit the broad side of a barn on a good day, at least with a gun. And every time I channeled magic through my right arm, the pain threatened to knock me unconscious. I wasn’t fit for combat. I hadn’t even recovered from the last one.
I took a compact Sig pistol and tucked it in a holster I fitted on my left hip. Pulling on my combat rigging, I loaded up the other goodies I’d brought from the vault. I hoped they would be sufficient. If I had to shoot it out, I was going to be in dire straits.
Last but not least, I tore off my boots and pulled on the old pair of high-top sneakers. They were a little small, just like I remembered.
The grounds of Glastonbury Abbey should have been quiet but even at this distance, the commotion was evident.
Creeping through the undergrowth, we made our approach to the Lady Chapel. The Inquisition were there in force: dozens of commandos, work crews, and excavation equipment. It reminded me of Panama all over again.
They had picketed both the Lady Chapel and the remains of the old abbey. That meant they either had two keys and had deduced the locations of the corresponding gateways, or they were simply taking their best guess. In either case, there were too many of them to attempt to get any closer.
“We can’t try to infiltrate that,” I whispered. “If we’re caught, it will be a gunfight and we’ll be outnumbered twenty or thirty to one. Murdoch, you have to know that.”
“Just because I know it doesn’t mean I have to like it,” he said. “We’ll head around the perimeter and make for the Abbot’s Kitchen. If they are there also, then three of the four keys are accounted for.”
We gave the Inquisition a wide berth as we crawled on hands and knees around the southern perimeter. All the while, I prayed silently that Murdoch could contain himself. We didn’t need him to try and exact his revenge for Ben and give us all away. I just hoped he was keeping one eye firmly fixed on the bigger picture.
A branch broke in the darkness. My heart leaped into my throat. I reached back to stop Murdoch and held up a finger, before pointing ahead.
Three foot soldiers of the Inquisition patrolled through a small copse of trees. They weren’t carrying any torches, which was probably how we’d missed them in the first place.
We hunkered low to the ground, waiting out the patrol. If we were discovered, the reinforcements would swarm us. We waited for what felt like an hour in the darkness, but when I checked my watch, I realized it was more like fifteen minutes. Eventually, the patrol headed away from us.
As they vanished into the darkness, we started to move. Crawling with my injured arm was an absolute pain in the ass, but I wasn’t game to try walking. The lower our profile, the better our chance of making it across the field without being discovered.
It wasn’t long before the Abbot’s Kitchen came into view, light pouring from its windows.
We crept closer. Someone was in there, but from out here, we couldn’t make out who.
“We need to take a closer look,” Murdoch said. “We need to know who’s in there.”
That sounded like an awful idea. The lawn around the kitchen had been freshly mown and there would be a clear view of our approach. We inched forward to the edge of the stand of trees and considered our next move.
“I’ll go,” Dizzy whispered, starting forward.
She’d barely made it a step, when a form stepped into the doorway of the Abbot’s Kitchen, a massive silhouette illuminated by the lights behind it. It had to be close to seven feet tall.
The shape took a step forward, revealing a warrior wearing an old brass Corinthian helmet with a crimson plume. Across his broad chest he wore a cuirass of bronze that looked fresh out of ancient Greece, and matching greaves and bracers were strapped around his arms and legs.
I would know that armor anywhere. I’d seen it dozens of times at the Areopagus. It belonged to the personal guard of Ares, the god of war.
My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my ears.
“Who the hell is that?” Murdoch whispered. “The clothing looks Greek. Is there a festival on we don’t know about?”
“No, that’s the real deal,” I replied. “That is Ares’ personal guard, which means we are either dealing with the god of war, or somehow Edward Knight has managed to extend his favor with Ares in an effort to secure the Grail. We need to leave.”
“Make for the Abbey House,” Murdoch replied. “If three of the four keys are in place, whoever finds Lucius and his key will be able to open the gateways.”
Abbey House sat at the northern end of the property, the furthest point from the other portals. We circumnavigated the field and headed north. The more distance I put between us, the Inquisition, and Ares’ guard, the better I felt.
Nearing the Abbey House, we crouched behind an old stone wall. The lights of the Abbey House were on, but there wasn’t anyone in sight. If it wasn’t for the hour, I would have thought they might be hosting a function inside. We sat behind the small stone wall, watching and waiting.
“We can’t sit here all night,” Murdoch said. “Lucius could be in there.”
“Have you heard from him?” I asked. “There’s every chance he made a break for it when the Inquisition turned up. We could be walking into a trap.”
The sound of a throat being cleared behind us sent a shiver down my spine.
“Seth, is that you skulking about in the dark?”