Chapter Six

AXL

“Magnum! Come to attention!” As the squad flowed in from the upstairs vestibule, a group of unsmiling acquirers converged in the dimly lit prayer room. “I apologize for pulling you all out of bed at such an early hour.” I locked my hands behind me as I paced around the room. “Unfortunately, the news I have cannot wait.”

I took a breath, looking at the defeated faces surrounding me. There were dark gray bags under the acquirers’ eyes. We all needed to get more sleep. Even Barthan, blessed with an ability to smile at the darkest of times, looked unmistakably distraught. He wore his scraggly dark hair down out of respect for the fallen. Although he stood at attention, I detected a faraway look in his eyes. “First, I would like to extend my gratitude to the shaman for permitting us to use the temple’s prayer room as our temporary headquarters.”

“Think nothing of it.” The shaman lit candles in the corner of the room. “It’s the least we can do after Magnum recovered the tablets of Kualu four years ago.”

I nodded and turned back to my squad. “Empress Angkora summoned me to the imperial palace last night. She is asking us for a favor.”

There wasn’t time for me to finish before Isley interrupted me. “She can’t be serious. Has her eminence forgotten that thousands of Urwanians are homeless or deceased? There are more important things for us to do than be her personal servants. I’m sure I’m not the only one who things the Empress is being selfish by making a special request.”

To my surprise, Tariq had something to say. He was typically unflappable. “I concur.” He folded his arms across his chest. I could see the cords in his neck tighten. “Shouldn’t the Empress be concerned with containing the chaos?”

Isley was on a roll. “It seems that she wants to take over all the available military resources. It’s not enough that her precious palace doesn’t have a scratch on it. Perhaps she has forgotten all the Urwanian cities that have fallen to shambles around her.” There were murmurs of agreement. “Rather than issue a decree for all acquirers to aid the Urwanian troops or help with the distribution of relief packages, she sends us off like dogs to fetch something. What is so important to her at a time like this?”

“Isley, I will not stand here and allow you to disrespect the Empress like that.” Skirop squared his shoulders next to her. “Your words are highly inappropriate.”

“I can take a guess. Is speculation disrespectful? Has one of the jewels in her crown come loose?” Isley raised her voice slightly. “Perhaps one of her jamlo bears has run away from the palace? Maybe she’s on the hunt for a new brain? We are the best acquirers, but I hope her eminence knows that we are not miracle workers.”

“Yes, I think it’s a little disrespectful.”

“Enough!” I boomed, slamming my fist against an open palm. The acquirers quieted down at once, but the air was still ripe with tension. “I understand your objections, but this is no time to be fighting with each other. Now, more than ever, the time has come for us to stand together as one body.” I moved to the front of the room. “The Empress has requested that we recover the pillars of Galzen. We don’t need to get all of them. One is sufficient.”

The acquirers looked at each other. Some faces lit up, entranced by the mere mention of the mystical pillars. Others had the same expression I had during my conversation with the Empress – eyebrow-raising confusion and fidgety reluctance.

“I might have misheard you. I am still half-asleep.” Tariq’s unmistakable voice broke the silence. “Did you say the Empress has sent us on a quest to retrieve a legend?”

“You got it in one.”

“Of course she’s sending us on a chase to nowhere.” Isley tossed up her arms in exasperation. “Time is of the essence, but that is a concept lost on the royal household. She would rather have us chasing a relic that exists in her childhood dreams than help people in front of her face. I trust you rejected her offer.”

“It is one thing to disrespect the throne,” Skirop snapped. “It is quite another to be blasphemous.”

“On the contrary, Isley. I accepted the offer.”

The acquirers fell into stunned silence. “I hope she promised you something spectacular.”

“Our fee is a new headquarters. Workers will complete the construction within three months.”

“That’s pretty good, but it just puts us back to where we were before the invasion,” Isley grumbled.

“I wasn’t finished. We will receive one and a half million credits upon delivery.” The announcement of the staggering sum was enough to satisfy all the disbelievers. “That’s after our expenses. The money will be distributed evenly among the squad, one share per person. If you don’t want to participate, say something now. I don’t want to carry any dead weight.”

No one made a peep, as I expected. The vocal disbelievers, in particular, hung their heads and played with their hands, avoiding eye contact. I glanced in Natya’s direction. She had an undecipherable vacant expression on her face.

“Where could we even begin looking for these?” Barthan stroked his chin thoughtfully. “One of my uncles swears he’s seen a pillar in Lithgard before. One the other hand, he thinks he’s a goat half the time he’s conscious. There must be thousands of rumored sightings over the years.”

“If we want to investigate all of them, we should leave as soon as possible. The Empress is prepared to give us extra spacecraft and some personnel. We will split up into teams to follow as many leads as possible. Half of us will conduct a planet-to-planet search. The others will be responsible for revisiting all known locations of previous sightings. Are there any other questions?”

“What happens if the mission fails?”

“We’re not going to fail, but the Empress has guaranteed a fixed rate of two hundred fifty thousand credits, even if we don’t succeed.”

Isley opened her mouth for a moment but quickly closed it again, dropping her gaze.

“We’re all in agreement, then. Go home, get packed, and get some rest. Do whatever you have to do, but I expect everyone back here tomorrow and ready to leave. Dismissed.”

Natya lingered behind when the squad headed for the winding stairwell. She joined the shaman in the sacred prayer square located in the center of the room. As the shaman knelt on a prayer rug, thumbing through a chain of prayer shells, Natya reached for the divination tools on the rose-gold altar. She removed three triangular pieces of Zamoan incense from the silk table runner.

With her eyes closed, she clutched the yellow sticks in her fist and pressed it against her heart as she whispered a prayer. Once Natya opened her eyes, she held her hand to the flame of a flickering candle and ignited every piece. Natya tossed the burning incense into a bowl like dice. Green sparks flew into the air as they struck the silver lining and disintegrated into burnt yellow powder.

I waited patiently on the sidelines. I only felt comfortable approaching Natya after she spun a rickety prayer wheel. “If you have a moment, there’s something I would like to discuss with you.”

“Of course.” Natya smeared some powder across her forehead before following me to the corner of a room adjacent to the door of the temple sacristy.

“Do you know anything about the object sought by the Empress?”

“It will be difficult to find.” Natya’s eyes shifted from side to side.

“That’s not what I thought you were going to say. We all know it will be hard. But do you believe it’s possible?” I leaned against the wall, tightening my lips. “Are you telling me that these pillars are real?”

“Pillar,” Natya corrected me. “Only one remains in existence today. I might have a contact we can pursue. He is a disgraced shaman and unscrupulous, but I trust him.”

“I’m counting on you. Compile a list of destinations, and I’ll send it to our pilot.” I had more questions to ask, but the rest of my words died in my mouth as I saw a willowy form wearing a white hooded cloak linger a few feet from the altar. Slender fingers protruded from the end of its sleeve, caressing the Zamoan hieroglyphics engraved on the walls. As the figure surveyed the surroundings, the blood-red trimming on the train of its cloak grazed against the black stone tiles.

“You don’t like that guy?”

I pushed myself off the wall and averted my gaze. “I didn’t realize I was staring. Is it one of the shamans or a temple worker?”

“Unlikely.” Natya tilted her head away from me for a better look. “Shaman coats are usually marked with a visible Zamoan crest.” As Natya spoke, I heard a sequence of clicks to our right.

I decided that the time for subtlety had passed. “Hey, what are you doing over there?” I strode towards the lurker, who I now noticed was wearing a sizable camera around their neck. They acted like I hadn’t said anything, and resumed their photography session.

“I’m talking to you, buddy.” I gave them a hard prod on the back. “You can’t be in here.”

The figure swung around and slowly lowered their hood, spilling wavy brown hair around one side of their neck. My lips parted slightly as the foreign woman’s spellbinding blue eyes burned into mine, her eyebrow’s natural arch made steeper with her annoyance.

“Hi, there.” She removed her earbuds and looked at me politely. “Can I help you with something?”

“You could, as a matter of fact. You can give me a hand by vacating the premises.” I spread my legs apart and folded my arms. “This section of the temple has been rented out to my company. You’re on private property, for now, and you have no business being here.”

She lowered the camera, letting it dangle from her neck. “I guess that means you’re not part of the welcoming committee.” I caught a glimpse of the weapon belt strapped around her waist and legs. She carried at least one pistol. “Relax. I’m not hurting anything. I’ll be out of your hair in a second. Just let me finish what I’m doing here.”

I started to slide a hand down my back, reaching for my weapon. The woman threw her palms into the air immediately. “Whoa! Take it easy there.”

“Who do you work for?” I wrapped my fingers around the stock of my neutralizer, ready to draw it in an instant. “What are you going to do with those photographs?”

“Axl?” The shaman rose from the rug, putting the prayer shells into his pocket. Natya appeared from the other side of the room. “Is everything all right?”

“My name is Christine, and I’m from Earth. I work for myself.” The woman sounded cautious, and I saw her casually place a hand around the grip of her pistol. “I work alone. I understand your concerns given the recent tragedy. Understand something. I do not have ties to any political or rebel party. I’m here for personal research and nothing more.”

She held her head up high and looked directly into my eyes. Her voice sounded shaky, but she did not stutter once. Maybe she was an experienced liar. She did enough to convince me.

“This girl is nothing but a mere Earthling.” The shaman slowly blinked at me. “I’m quite certain she has nothing to do with anything here. Perhaps we should let her go on her way.”

“You heard the man.” I removed my hand from my weapon, gesturing at the stairwell with my chin. “Your business here is finished. Feel free to leave.”

“You are more than welcome to explore the rest of the temple,” said the shaman affably, doffing his cylindrical hat. “Make sure you visit the main courtyard, if you haven’t yet. We have quite a few things that you can’t find on Earth. I can give you a tour if you like.”

“Thank you. That is very kind.” Christine’s voice sounded sweet, but she flashed me a sour look before turning back to the shaman. “I’m sure I can find my way around here by myself. I should get going. Have a lovely day.”

“May Zamos be with you.” The shaman walked her to the foot of the stairwell.

“Good.” I nodded and faced Natya. “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get started on your list.”

As Natya pulled out a Magnum-issued computer from her bag, I found myself giving a second glance over my shoulder at the train of the woman’s cloak before it dragged up the stairs and out of sight.

“Is something on your mind, Axl?”

“Me? Of course not.”

A fluttering noise filled my ear. I awkwardly twisted my head around, raising an eyebrow at the baby lomas bird merrily beating its fluorescent purple wings over my shoulder. Behind me, Natya’s face perked up with mild surprise. She cooed at the tubby chick.

“How did that animal get in here?” I chased the bird, pushing it away with a light wave of my hand. “This isn’t an aviary. Shoo.”

As the twittering bird flew out the exit, I took the computer from Natya’s hands. “Let’s get down to business.”