The Tenth Order (35 page)

The arms hauled her upright. Jackie found herself face to face with a man holding a large revolver.
Looks like a .45,
she thought.
It’s going to kick like a drunken mule. If I can surprise him…

“Any more of
that
,” the man gestured with his gun at the two fallen figures. “And you’ll never see your Apkallu again.”

Jackie stopped.

“I thought that’d get your attention,” the man said. “Now, would you like to come peacefully, or…” he gestured again to the fallen attackers. “Your choice.”

Jackie said nothing, but her shoulders relaxed. The man—Jackie still couldn’t make out his face in the darkness, but his voice was masculine—holstered the gun and held his arms wide. “Welcome to Jerusalem,” he said. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had guests.”

Something crashed against the back of Jackie’s head, and darkness followed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Valdis paced the tiny room, wishing for the hundredth time he had a watch. How long had it been since they were taken prisoner? Three hours? Three
days
? It was impossible to tell. The light hadn’t changed since they were escorted here; it flowed from the hallway in an uninterrupted glow, separated from the prisoners by ancient steel bars.

Valdis’ head throbbed with a ferocity he hadn’t felt since…well, he couldn’t even remember how long, and his hands were still shaking. He tried to remember the last time he’d eaten. Two days ago? Could it have been that long?

Still, despite the steel bars and the lack of amenities, Valdis couldn’t keep a smile from his lips. He’d made it. Through all the obstacles—the derision from his colleagues, the disapproval of the church, the silence from his mother—Valdis had made it. He was
inside the Order of Venus
.

A groan wiped the smile from his face. Jackie was huddled in a corner, her jeans and white button-down shirt crusted with dirt. Valdis couldn’t remember how they had arrived here—a scream, a gun-shot, then darkness—but his short time with the detective had convinced him that Jackie would always choose fight over flight. In this case, it looked like she should have chosen the latter.

Moving to her side, the priest knelt and examined her injuries once again. Once his fingers brushed her brow Jackie turned to Valdis and moaned. Her eyes flickered open, squinting against the feeble light. “Are we dead?” She croaked.

Valdis’ grin returned. “No, my friend. For the moment we’re most definitely alive.

“Good,” Jackie pushed herself to her feet, wobbling, and waved off Valdis’ assistance. “No, no, let me move around a little. Jesus Christ, what did those guys throw at me? A tank?”

Valdis, assured his companion was going to survive, went back to studying their prison. It was a small space, hardly wide enough to accommodate the two, and consisted of a low, single stone bed with a thin blanket and a dented chamber pot. The walls were rough cut rock, dark and wet to the touch.

Running a hand gently down the sweating stone, Valdis rubbed his forefinger and thumb together thoughtfully. “Underground.”

“You sure?” asked the detective, placing a hand on the wall to steady her trembling legs. “Maybe it’s just humidity. We
are
next to an ocean.”

“No. We are several feet below the city. Most likely connected to some forgotten sewage systems or ancient tunnel that dates back to the Crusades. Remember, Ms. Riese, we’re in a city that has seen constant turmoil for three thousand years. Who knows what kind of thoroughfares and escape paths they’ve constructed under Jerusalem.”

Jackie didn’t look convinced, but any further debate was cut off as a shadow crossed the weak light. A figure came into view, at first nothing but silhouette, then sharpening into the familiar form of the brown-eyed man. In this light his sharp chin jutted in crisp, severe lines, turning him into a cartoon devil. Valdis smiled, thinking of the fellow holding a pitchfork and twisting a long mustache.

“I’m pleased you’re awake,” the man said as he approached the bars. “And in good humor.”

Valdis dropped the grin. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I assure you, keeping us imprisoned is completely unnecessary; we’ve been looking for you since we arrived. In fact, you might have heard of me, my name—”

“Is Anthony Valdis. Yes, we’re familiar with your work. It created a bit of a stir around here. I’m not sure it was…prudent,” Brown-eyes said, the corners of his lips fluttering. “What made you think to publish an article examining the Sumerian demi-gods, the ‘Apkallu?’ You had to expect trouble.”

I hoped for it
, Valdis thought smugly. But he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he did his best to keep his appearance disarming. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” He said with a shrug.

Brown-eyes shook his head in amusement, then motioned down the corridor. Two other figures came into view. One was the taller man with the squeaky laugh from before, the second a boyish-looking fellow with long blond hair and wide eyes. He swung back and forth between Brown-eyes and Squeaky-laugh, bewilderment on his face. Brown-eyes waved toward the bars, and Squeaky-laugh pulled a single key from his pocket, unlocking the gate. The lock squealed as he turned the key, bits of rust flaking off the bars and floating to the ground. It looked like it hadn’t been used in a hundred years.

It probably hasn’t
, Valdis realized.
This prison is likely leftover from the Crusades, and the last one was…what? Seven hundred years ago?
Valdis closed his eyes, cursing silently.
We probably could have pushed these bars down.

Of course, Valdis had never planned to escape.

Squeaky-laugh swung open the gate and gestured to the corridor. Valdis followed immediately, and to his surprise Jackie shadowed him. The priest had expected another struggle from the detective, but she left the cell meekly, remaining silent as the three men led them down a dark corridor. It looked almost identical to the one they had followed on their way out of the dance club, but this time there was none of the sweeping, exotic writing that had accompanied them before. Valdis repressed a sigh of regret; there would be plenty of time for research. Now, he needed to focus on getting the Order to trust him long enough to get the information the priest needed.

The three men led them down the tunnel, turning occasionally at forks in the path, the same soft light illuminating their steps. The glow seemed to come from the walls themselves, but Valdis didn’t see any bulbs or wiring.

Finally, the priest noticed the light changing, growing brighter. The sweating walls had dried, and the musty smell of mildew receded, replaced by the bouquet of fresh baked bread and sausage. Saliva drenched Valdis’ mouth as he was reminded how long it had been since he’d eaten.
The flight
, he remembered.
I had a packet of peanuts and a salad
.

The light led them from the stone walls into a gigantic hall. Valdis’ eyes widened as he followed the ceiling to a domed roof that covered a space the size of a large ballroom. It was roughly circular, with several other tunnels connecting to it around the edge, and the center was occupied by a podium that sat three people—an old man, a lady, and a boy who couldn’t be older than seventeen. Before the tall dais were two folding chairs.

The priest looked at Jackie. Her eyes were as large as Valdis’ as she took in the monstrous chamber. Finally noticing the empty chairs and the three individuals seated above them, her eyes narrowed and the cornered, angry look that Valdis recognized fell over her. He placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder, and gave it a firm squeeze.
It will be alright
, he tried to tell her silently, but Jackie didn’t look reassured.

Well, I was never great at confession
.

Taking their seats in the dingy, off-white chairs, Valdis folded his hands in his lap and looked up at the three figures with a warm smile. These individuals were the ones Valdis would have to charm if he was to have any chance of examining the Enochian script in the tunnels. He fixed the smile on his face, tried to calm his writhing stomach, and pressed his folded hands tightly against each other.
This is it, Anthony
.
Twenty years and it all boils down to this. As Jackie would say, ‘Don’t fuck it up.’

“Thank you, Victor,” the elderly man seated at the left of the podium said. He was an ancient figure, with a dirty white beard and a patch over his left eye. “You may leave.”

The brown-eyed man—Victor—frowned. “General, is that wise? You know what they did to my men.”

They?
Valdis thought with amusement. He didn’t remember much of the battle, but Valdis hadn’t put up a fight. One blow to the head had sufficed for the priest.

The elderly man only shook his head, silent. Victor grit his teeth in frustration, then turned and waved his two companions toward a tunnel on their left. The boyish-looking fellow followed Victor and Squeaky-laugh, his eyes still wide. There was something there, Valdis knew, but he forced himself back to the three judges. The boy could wait.

The three watched Valdis and Jackie from the wooden podium, their faces grave. Valdis gulped audibly, which brought a smile to the white-bearded “General.”

“No reason to fret, my friends,” the General said in a friendly voice. “Despite appearances this is just a…well, let’s call it an informal gathering. No death sentences today.”

The woman seated next to him, a matron with deep, hard lines in her face and severe gray-brown hair, shot the General a withering look. “Don’t coddle them, Ezekiel. This is serious.”

The elderly man rolled his single eye, but dropped the smile. He nodded and motioned for the matron to continue. She looked back at the priest and the detective, her mouth pressed in a tight line. “Anthony Valdis.”

The priest jumped a little at his name. He knew many nuns who would have killed for the authority in this woman’s voice. She was only a few years older than Valdis, but at the moment he felt like a kid who had been caught goofing off in Sunday school. He tentatively met the matron’s eyes, and gave her a strangled smile. “Yes maam?”

“We have been following your work for some time. Considering the content of your writings, coupled with the fact that you have managed to find your way to the Order, I don’t expect this will come as a surprise.”

Valdis glanced over at Jackie, but she was staring at the floor, chewing her lower lip. No help there. The priest shrugged. “I had my suspicions. My area of study draws a certain kind of attention.”

“Yes, we’ll need to address that at some point.”

The General, Ezekiel, snorted. “Get to the point, Mary. We don’t have all night.”

Mary frowned, a bloom of red rushing to her cheeks, then snapped back to Valdis, her lips pressed even tighter. “What
is
surprising, Father Valdis, is that you arrived here. In Jerusalem. Right on our doorstep. How you ascertained our location is a discussion for—”

“It took me quite awhile, actually. The first clue was a change in translation when I looked at the original Hale Enochian versus—”

“
Yes
,” Mary bit the word, silencing Valdis. “Like I said, we’re aware of your academic skills, Father Valdis. I’m not surprised you found us. I
am
surprised, however, that you would choose to approach us in this manner; running all over Jerusalem like a lost child
. And to bring a civilian…” The matron shook her head.

“Madam—Captain, yes?” Valdis stammered. “Allow me to apologize. I had planned on a better time and place to formally petition the Order, but circumstances have changed. Our need is such that—”

Jackie suddenly stood and Valdis stopped, his eyes widening in horror.
No, oh God, please just keep her silent. I’m so close to the answer!

“Where’s Friskin?” Jackie demanded. Her voice was commanding but Valdis thought he saw uncertainty in her eyes.

The three figures looked at her, their faces unreadable. Valdis swallowed against the rising gorge in his throat. Jackie looked back and forth between the three, and focused on the elderly man, Ezekiel. “You,” she pointed at him. “I doubt anything happens in this rat’s nest without your approval. I don’t know why the priest brought us here, and right now I really don’t care. You show us what you did with Friskin, or forget about getting one more fucking answer out of us.”

“
Detective
,” Valdis whispered frantically.

Jackie shot him a dirty look and turned back to the General. “What’ll it be?”

Ezekiel stared at her, his one good eye traveling up and down her figure in frank assessment. He drummed his gnarled fingers against the wood of the podium, his lips twisting back and forth. Finally, his drumming ceased and he smiled broadly, revealing a mouth full of broken black teeth.

“You certainly live up to your reputation, Detective Riese. I had heard you were…blunt.”

“That doesn’t sound like an answer.”

“Very well, my dear. Your friend, I believe you call him…Hunter?” Ezekiel looked over at Mary, who gave a small nod, and then back at Jackie. “He is well. Better off than you two, truth-be-told, and in a much better position.”