“This thing is a piece of junk. I’m surprised it shoots at all,” Clay said, closely examining the handgun he’d taken from Talbot.
Ness sat in the pilot’s seat of the amphib she had rented for them. “It seems to shoot just fine. At least it’s more predictable than you. Killing Talbot wasn’t part of your orders. I’ll take your word for it if you say it wasn’t out of some personal vendetta for what he did to your girlfriend.”
“It wasn’t vendetta, it was self-defense,” Clay said calmly, “but I will grant you I almost enjoyed it. Besides, I didn’t trust him to keep his word, much less keep his mouth closed. He’d have sold me out to the authorities for the reward or Jade Shield for the bounty, probably both. We just need to keep this safe. It’s going to be our ace in the hole.” He patted the plastic case of Shard.
“What about the dozens of others hooked on Shard you’ve doomed to die just to save one girl?”
“The smart ones will go to the government to get their fix. They have no loyalty to their employers. They can cut deals with the Tokusha in exchange for what they know.”
“That’s not a good thing, Clay. Things are tense enough between the crime organizations as they are right now. Tachibana’s Shadow is using Hoefer’s murder as an excuse to strike at the Dark Serpent Cartel. What if this spreads into a bigger war that could get your precious civilians killed?”
Clay changed the subject. “Why does Tachibana’s Shadow think Dark Serpent had anything to do with it?”
Ness smirked. “It was all over the news, or rather, it’s who Prevo and Mother Eye want them to fight. It’s a perfect setup, really. Dark Serpent is the only organization they stand a chance of outmaneuvering. Both sides have mutual allies as well as mutual enemies. If it gets out of control, it will either destabilize everything, or Cerberus will step in, put a stop to it, and get even stronger.”
Clay nodded. “And Prevo knows he’s about to get a lot of leverage from the Shard addicts I just sent him, so I doubt he’s concerned about either outcome.”
Ness nodded. “I told you everyone has a side. I just can’t figure out whose you’re on.”
“I just want to finish this mission, get Keraunos, and get off this planet. Local politics are not part of my mission objectives. Right now, objective one is in Markus Klein’s hands. I need to get it from him.”
Ness pointed to a hilly, forested island ahead of them. At the summit of one of the largest bluffs, an ornate mansion and compound looked down on crashing ocean waves striking jagged rocks. “Don’t tell me I have to climb that,” Clay moaned.
Ness shook her head and steered the amphib to the left, following the shoreline counterclockwise around the island. “His pilgrims are camped in a cove on the other side of the estate. The approach is much easier from there, theoretically.”
Clay nodded. Ness had previously explained that despite a half-dozen pilgrims attempting the trek up the proverbial mountain every fifth night, there was no indication that the number of observed acolytes in the temple was growing by equivalent numbers.
“I still wasn’t able to get any good information on the makeup of the camp or their disposition toward sudden new arrivals, nor do I have any idea what the basic tenets of Klein’s cult are. You may or may not fit in at all.”
“I’m not worried about that. I just need to get to the temple,” Clay said. Klein already knew him as Alexandre Girard, and as Girard, Clay had already made it perfectly clear he was out to strike a partnership to develop Keraunos for Bonai Saigo. Showing up now, as a pilgrim was easily passed off as a businessman’s simple act of desperation to save a deal.
“That’s the other part I still don’t get, Clay. Jade Shield is a mid-level player at best. They’re just a fringe religious cult with a few decent fighters and no strategists. They don’t have the brains or the bankroll to do anything with Keraunos, they don’t have the muscle to hold on to it when Cerberus decides to take it from them, and frankly, I’m shocked Klein even found the ambition to go against the big boys and take it. Do you think maybe he knows what it is after all?”
“Well, hopefully, I’ll find out tonight,” Clay said, fitting the stuncaps into his shoulder holster next to his plaser.
“You’re the boss,” Ness said wryly and activated the schooner’s repulsors as she steered the amphib into a cove, up the beach, and over an outcropping of rock, finally setting it down at the bottom of low outcropping of rock that provided just enough cover to hide the craft. “You’ll find the wannabes camped just over that ridge. They start their pilgrimage to the temple tonight at sundown. That gives you about two hours. You should be able to infiltrate them and follow your way up. Be careful though. It’s pretty obvious not all of them make it.” She pointed to rocks and handed Clay his pack. “There are easier ways to get into Klein’s estate, you know.”
“If you’re right, and Keraunos represents a massive deal for Jade Shield, he’ll be on high alert. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t at least doubled his security, expecting Cerberus to pay him a visit. Just be ready to pick me up fast. Once I have Keraunos, I’ll be in a hurry to get off this island.”
“Will do,” Ness said. “Good luck.”
Clay worked the pack’s straps over his shoulders, zipped up his coat, and made his way to the top of the embankment. The Notosian winter nights were bad enough, but this one was accompanied by a spray of freezing ocean mist, which added a biting dampness to the chill. His bones ached in complaint.
At the summit, he looked out over a wide cove where three dozen people, he estimated to be in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties, sat huddled around a dozen or so makeshift tents and six blazing campfires. The scent of some sort of earthy vegetable caught his nose, likely from one of the giant pots being lovingly tended over one of the fires.
The largest group was gathered together around the largest fire, singing a folk song of some sort. The remainder were scattered separately, appearing to be sitting in quiet contemplation, watching the picturesque crimson sunset over the ocean.
No one seemed alarmed at all as he approached the group and slowly circled the perimeter of the encampment. One or two of the men gave him a noncommittal smile and an awkward nod, but there were no shouts or alarms, and no one approached him, demanding to know why he had trespassed on their camp. The first time anyone acknowledged and spoke to him was when he clandestinely tried to peek inside one of the tents.
“Are you hungry?” the female voice rang clear and confidently.
Clay turned and saw an attractive girl in a cream-colored surplice standing behind him. Its neckline was surprisingly low, and the loose fit showed off far more skin than should have been comfortable, given the freezing temperature. However, she showed no sign of discomfort, much like the yorohito at the starport had ignored the weather that night. She was short, no more than twenty-five years old, with a bob of mousy brown hair and wide green eyes. Almost instantly, he detected an unusual energy about her, an almost palpable confidence, that set her apart from the others in the group.
“Me? No, thank you,” he stuttered, feigning nervousness.
“You’ve come to join us?”
He avoided her gaze, half-intentionally. “Well, I thought I might …” he paused for a moment, “of course I understand I’m probably too old–”
“We’re never too old for wisdom.” The girl smiled. “I’m Prudence.”
“Girard. Alex Girard,” Clay responded, bowing slightly out of some sort of natural compulsion.
She took in the name and nodded a general acceptance. “Why don’t you go inside?” She smiled and gestured to the tent he had been attempting to get a look inside a moment earlier.
“Oh, no, I wasn’t … I mean … I was just curious. I would never … I don’t even know whose tent this is.”
“It’s mine.” She smiled, lifted a flap of cloth, and walked past him into the tent. He caught a glimpse of the shimmering tattoo on her shoulder blade as she passed.
Clay froze. “You … don’t have to do this.”
She turned and regarded him with an arched eyebrow. “Do what, exactly?”
“You’re yorohito.”
She gave him an impish smile and motioned for him to follow her. “I know.”
Unsure of himself, Clay entered the tent. It was made of sheer white cloth that let in plenty of light, but was remarkably effective at keeping out the cold while retaining the warmth generated by a portable heating generator in one corner. Prudence crossed over an ornate rug to the far side, then turned on one heel and sat down cross-legged on a large cushion in one smooth movement. A casual finger motioned for him to take a similar cushion opposite her. Sheepishly, he sat down with far less grace than she had. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, as his thoughts began to run wild in his mind.
“You’re not one of the pilgrims,” Clay said. “You must work for Klein.”
She smirked and shrugged. “We call him ‘Teacher,’ but yes. I watch over the pilgrims.”
“So, you’re the one who chooses those who are to ascend.”
She shook her head and smiled. “The Teacher chooses those who ascend. The mountain chooses those who reach the Teacher. I merely choose those who are ready to take the first steps.”
“How do you do that, exactly?”
She regarded him with interest. “I just … know. Some are ready. Some are not. Some are close to being ready but just need a little time to focus. Some are here for all the wrong reasons and will never be ready.”
“Sounds like vague nonsense to me.”
“Happiness, peace, and contentment are things you don’t easily find on this world. But you’re an off-worlder, aren’t you? You know what you’ve lost. Some of them,” she gestured to the tent entrance, “have never known it. They may not even believe what you once had is possible.”
Clay shifted uncomfortably under the weight of her gaze. She was studying him intently.
“Why are you so tense? I’m not going to harm you,” she said, almost laughing at him. “Do I make you uncomfortable?”
“You? Not at all. I just don’t …” He thought for a moment, thinking he might have inadvertently insulted Vivaine earlier by questioning her motives. “I admit, I’m unfamiliar with you yorohito.”
She watched him for a long time, then slowly slid toward him and took his hand. “We’re not sirens or harpies. We just want to make others happy. I couldn’t force you to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable if I wanted to.” She paused, looking deep into his eyes, then gently grabbed his hand.
“Look, you’re very attractive, but I’m old enough to be your grandfather.”
She laughed a little. “Pleasure and happiness don’t have to be physical, Alex. Sometimes just emotionally or spiritually close to someone can be even more intense.”
“I understand,” he practically blurted out the words to end the conversation.
Prudence looked deep into his eyes. “I don’t think you do. You’re very alone. It’s obvious.”
“I thought you didn’t want to make me uncomfortable.”
“You just don’t understand the conditioning. You can’t accept that someone wants to provide happiness and pleasure of their own free will. It’s in your eyes.”
Kind eyes, Clay thought. He’d done dozens of deep cover missions and had never been picked apart this badly. He was definitely losing his touch. “I’m afraid I understand it too well,” Clay said, and starting to pull his hand away. Prudence grasped tighter with one hand and activated the holo on his ring with the other. The image of his daughter materialized, almost appearing to stare judgmentally at her. She cocked her head to one side and smiled back at the image.
“You let your personal feelings cloud your judgment,” she said, dismissing him without looking away. “Pretty girl. Do you want to tell me about her?”
Clay thumbed the image off and pulled his hand away. “Not really.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just got the sense it was a weight on you. I’m always a bit too eager to please, I suppose. Especially when people aren’t ready.”
The very words seemed like a trap, as if she was guilting him into a confession he didn’t want to make. On the other hand, if she really did derive physical pleasure from the happiness of others, perhaps she sensed something, a secret he was even keeping from himself for so many years. He got the distinct impression that if he was going to be accepted into the group, he was going to have to indulge her in one way or the other. It was only a matter of figuring out which made him less uncomfortable.
“She was 19,” he said at last, pausing to remember a story he hadn’t told in nearly two decades. “She was studying music at one of the best conservatories in Vienna, on Earth. Like any silly kid, she decided to hop planets during the summer recess. Went to Lumen with a group of friends to hear some musician play there. I’d made the trip a dozen times for business reasons, but I didn’t think anything of it.” His voice broke, and he looked away, wiping a tear from his eye.
“I’m sorry, Alex. You don’t have to–” Her voice was sincere, and he could see in her eyes that she didn’t want him to stop, but she seemed to be even more uncomfortable than he was.
“No.” Clay waved her off. “It’s fine.” He sighed heavily and recomposed himself. “Anyway, we got the call. Four of the eight girls disappeared during a museum tour.” He shook his head. “A damned museum. Not at a party. Not in a seedy neighborhood. Someone targeted them, assessed them, and then followed them until the opportune moment arrived.” He stopped, continuing to stare out the window. He was being uncomfortably honest with this stranger. “There was security footage showing several foot soldiers from one of the local slaver cartels watching them. So local authorities know exactly who took them, why they took them, and how they took them. They just never found out where they took them.”
“But you tried, didn’t you?” She prompted.
“Of course I did.” He visibly controlled his rage and settled back to his usual calm demeanor. He’d almost told her how he’d personally disregarded orders and conducted his own investigation into the group that took the girls, but stopped short when Division 5 threatened him with dishonorable discharge and potential charges of treason for conducting unsanctioned operations off-world. “Lumen authorities put up the minimal required effort, but there was only so much pressure I could put up … being an off-worlder more than two dozen light-years away. Sol Directorate was powerless to do anything since it was a local law enforcement matter on an independent world.” His voice cracked again. Embarrassed, he avoided her gaze and stared out the tent entrance at the assembled pilgrims beyond, still singing, dancing, and eating.
“What more could you have done?” she asked.
Clay thought about it for the first time in years. “Honestly, I did more than I should have. It nearly cost me everything.”
“You would move heaven and earth to protect her. I’m sure she knew that, just as I am sure you know she would have done the same for you,” Prudence whispered. “What you won’t let yourself believe is that she was old enough to understand there was nothing you could do, and though she wanted you to come riding to her rescue, she would never blame you because you couldn’t.”
Clay sat, dumbfounded, unable to meet her gaze, using every ounce of his strength to keep from breaking down. In the end, he managed a nod of acceptance, and she let out a long, contented sigh. That was her reward, he realized. The conditioning was absolute.
“That was a powerful truth,” she said at last. “Thank you for sharing it, Alex.” She stood slowly and walked gracefully toward the tent entrance. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for tonight’s ascension.” Without looking back, she left him alone with his own thoughts.
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