“Could you have been mistaken?” Angel asked. She seemed to be searching for a reason not to believe the skulls came from actual, living creatures. “A shadow on an oddly-shaped rock or something?”
“Does a rock have glowing eyes that reflect a flashlight beam? I know what I saw, and I have never gone back.” Adler’s gaze turned flinty, and his countenance grew cold. “I fear that is all I can tell you. I hope you will exercise caution if you investigate the subject any further.”
They thanked him for his help, and he assured them it was no problem. He spared a minute to print out a copy of his paper on the Magi cult and then saw them out.
Dane could not stop thinking about the mountain, the icefall, and the mysterious caves below. “Professor Adler, does Sternspitze have a meaning?”
Adler gave him a wry smile. “As a matter of fact it does. It means Starspike.”
Ubel Karsch heard footsteps on the other side of the door. He hurried across the hall, slipped inside his office, and peered out through the small window set in his door. He watched as Adler saw his visitors out, and what a group they were: two men, one of them the biggest American Indian he had ever seen, the other a blond man whose serene face stood at odds with the danger he exuded with every step. Both of them had a military bearing about them, though the big Indian tried to hide it with his ridiculous motorcycle jacket and juvenile t-shirt. The women were unusual too— one American Indian and one Asian.
It was not the strange visitors he cared about, though. It was the story Adler had told them. In the seven years they had worked together, Ubel had probed him on many occasions for stories about the Magi, and the old fool had never told him the legends surrounding his own home town.
He grimaced. How would his news be received? Would he be praised for finally ferreting out this new information, or would he be treated as a failure for having taken so long to uncover it? It made no difference. There was nothing he could do now except make the call and hope for the best.
He looked up and down the hallway, making certain no one was about. He turned on the radio and turned it toward the door. “We Three Kings” wafted from the speakers. Fitting.
Heart pounding and throat tight, he punched up the number. When someone picked up on the other end, he spoke the two words that would gain him immediate access to his Elder.
“Heilig Herrschaft.”
Chapter 13 — Drekonhas
Drekonhas was the epitome of the classic Alpine village. Nestled amongst the snow-capped mountains, the place made Dane feel like he’d been sent back in time. The morning sun set everything aglow. Except for the occasional vehicle they passed, the scene was like something out of a picture book.
“This is a pretty cool place. I wonder where the Burgermeister Meisterburger lives.” Bones turned toward Dane. “What’s the plan?”
“Make like tourists,” Dane said, pulling into a parking space near a small pub. “Bones, you hit the pub and see if you can meet up with anyone talkative, preferably an old-timer. See what you can learn about the caves and the icefall.” Bones fist-pumped. “Two things,” Dane added. “Don’t get too pushy with the questions; and take sips, not gulps.”
“Dude, I know the drill. When it comes to pubs, this is not my first rodeo.”
“Oh, and don’t get distracted by any babes you might meet.”
Bones rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dad.”
“Angel and Jade, you check on lodging and do a little browsing in the shops. Act like normal visitors. I’ll scope out the well. If it looks like a one man job and no one’s around, I’ll take care of it myself and well move one to the next phase. I think the stones in the crowns are compass stones and they’re pointing the way to whatever is under the icefall.” They had purchased climbing gear and warm clothing in anticipation of climbing Sternspitze. “If not, Bones and I will have to go back after dark.”
“I don’t like you going by yourself, Maddock,” Jade said. “Let one of us go with you. It doesn’t take two to see if there’s ‘room at the inn.’“
“No offense, but you three will stand out like crazy in a German village. I’m a blue-eyed blond. The only thing conspicuous about me is my good looks.”
Jade made a face, but relented. The three of them left the car and spread out. Dane waited for them to disperse before heading for the old village well.
Jade checked her watch as she stepped outside of the cozy in where she’d managed to secure the last available rooms. She glanced at her watch. That hadn’t taken long. She’d meet up with Angel, wander the village for a little while. Maddock shouldn’t need more than an hour, then they could firm up their plans.
She ignored the shiver of worry that passed through her as she thought of Maddock out on his own. He was as solid a man she’d ever known— smart, capable, and resilient. He wouldn’t get himself into anything he couldn’t handle.
Snow crunched underfoot as she wandered through the town, returning the occasional wave. Adler had made Drekonhas sound like a small, secluded pocket of paganism, sort of an Alpine version of Deliverance, but it didn’t seem to be the case. It was bigger than the “village” she had pictured in her mind, and seemed tourist-friendly. The woman at the inn had been pleasant enough, and there was a warm, friendly vibe about the town. The mystery notwithstanding, this might be a fine place to spend Christmas.
A strong hand seized her by the arm.
“Quit messing around Bones.” She turned and what she saw made her jaw drop.
“Hello, Ihara. Missed me?”
Sunglasses and a scarf hid much of his face, but she knew him immediately.
“Issachar!” She froze in shock for only an instant, but that was her undoing. Before she could lash out with a punch or kick, he yanked her toward him and crushed her in a bear hug.
“Isn’t this nice? Two old friends reunited.”
His warm, damp breath on her ear and his sickly sweet tone turned her stomach. She squirmed, trying to break free, but he held her so tight that she could not move an inch. He held her face pressed into his coat, preventing her from crying out… or breathing.
“Thought you got rid of me out in the desert, didn’t you? I’m not so easy to kill. Your friend Maddock will find that out soon enough, but first, I have a job to do and you’re going to help.
Jade tried again to fight, stamping down on his foot, but he avoided it with ease. She was already feeling the lack of oxygen and her strength was waning.
“Go to sleep, little traitor. You’re going to need your rest.”
Maddock, Bones, Angel, somebody help me! Her thought faded as blackness overcame her.
When she came to, she was face-down in the back seat of a car. Her arms and legs were bound. Where was she? What had happened to her? Slowly, as if gluing together the pieces of a shredded picture, she remembered. And when she did, she screamed. At least, she tried to scream, but all she managed was a weak cry. The vehicle backed up fast, sending her rolling forward, and she found herself wedged between the seats, not quite down on the floorboard. They were moving forward now. She must have been out for only a short while— long enough for Issachar to put her in the car and tie her up. She took a deep breath and called out again.