“Welcome!” Ofar chimed with his hands clasped. “I hear you might have good news for us?”
“I hope so, or by tomorrow we will be under the desert with an ocean over us,” the cynical grunt of Penekal reverberated from the elevated section where he was looking through the telescope.
“Looks like you bunch have been through another World War,” Ofar remarked. “I hope you did not sustain any serious injuries.”
“They will leave scars, Master Ofar,” Nina said, “but we’re still alive and kicking.”
The entire observatory was adorned in antique maps, loom tapestries, and old astronomical instruments. Nina sat down on the sofa next to Ofar, opening her satchel and the natural light of the yellow afternoon sky gilded the whole room in a magical atmosphere. When she revealed the stones, the two astronomers immediately approved.
“Those are the real ones. King Solomon’s diamonds,” Penekal smiled. “Thank you all so much for your help.”
Ofar looked at Purdue. “But weren’t these promised to Prof. Imru?”
“Would you take the chance of leaving them in his possession with the alchemical rites he knows?” Purdue asked Ofar.
“Absolutely not, but I thought that was your deal,” Ofar said.
“Prof. Imru will learn that Joseph Karsten stole those from us when he tried to kill us at Mount Yeha, so we would be unable to hand them over, understand?” Purdue explained with great amusement.
“So we can keep them here in our vaults to thwart any more sinister alchemy?” Ofar asked.
“Yes, sir,” Purdue affirmed. “I’ve procured two of the three primes through private sales in Europe, and according to the deal, as you know, what I bought remains mine.”
“Fair enough,” Penekal said. “I would rather you keep them. That way the primes will be kept apart from King Solomon’s…” he gave the diamonds a quick estimate, “…other sixty-two diamonds.”
“So the Magician used ten, all in all, so far to release the plagues?” Sam asked.
“Yes,” Ofar confirmed. “By using one prime, the Celeste. But those have already been released, so he can do no more harm as long as he cannot obtain these and Mr. Purdue’s two primes.”
“Good show,” Sam said. “And now your alchemist will undo the plagues?”
“Not undo, but stop the current damage, unless the Magician gets his hands on these before our alchemist had transmuted their composition to render them powerless,” Penekal replied.
Ofar wished to change the morbid subject. “I hear you did an entire exposé on the MI6 corruption debacle, Mr. Cleave.”
“Aye, it will air on Monday,” Sam said proudly. “I had to edit and narrate the whole thing in two days while my knife wound tortured me.”
“Well done,” Penekal smiled. “Especially when it comes to military matters, a country should not be left in the dark… so to speak.” He looked out over Cairo, still out of power. “But now that the missing head of MI6 will be exposed on international television, who will take his place?”
Sam grinned, “It looks like Special Agent Patrick Smith is up for a promotion for his outstanding valor in bringing Joe Carter to justice. And Col. Yimenu has backed his unfailing feats on camera too.”
“That is splendid,” Ofar cheered. “I hope our alchemist makes haste,” he sighed, pondering. “I have a bad feeling when he is tardy.”
“You always have a bad feeling when people are tardy, my old friend,” Penekal said. “You worry too much. Remember, life is unpredictable.”
“It certainly is, for the unprepared,” a malicious voice spoke from the top landing of the stairs. They all turned, feeling the air grow cold with malevolence.
“Oh my God!” Purdue exclaimed.
“Who is that?” Sam asked.
“That… is… the Sage!” Ofar answered, shivering and clutching his chest. Penekal stepped in front of his friend as Sam stepped in front of Nina. Purdue was standing in front of everyone.
“Are you to be my opponent, tall man?” the Magician asked suavely.
“I am,” Purdue answered.
“Purdue, what do you think you’re doing?” Nina hissed, terrified.
“Don’t do this,” Sam told Purdue with a firm hand on the shoulder. “You cannot be a martyr for guilt. People choose to do daft shite with you, remember. We choose to!”
“I have run out of patience and my course has been delayed enough by that two-timing pig in Austria,” Raya snarled. “Now, hand over Solomon’s stones or I will flay all of you alive.”
Nina held the diamonds behind her back, unaware that the unnatural creature had a sense for them. With callous strength, he tossed Purdue and Sam aside and reached for Nina.
“I’m going to break every bone in your little body, Jezebel,” he growled, revealing those awful teeth to Nina’s face. She could not defend, as her hands held the diamonds fast.
With terrifying force, he seized Nina and swung her around against him. Her back against his belly, he held her against him to pry open her hands.
“Nina! Don’t let him have them!” Sam barked, getting to his feet. Purdue was stalking them from the other side. Nina wept in terror, her body shaking in the Magician’s horrid grasp as his claw gripped her left breast painfully.
A strange wail escaped him, escalating into a cry of terrible agony. Ofar and Penekal stepped back and Purdue stopped his creeping to ascertain what was happening. Nina could not flee from him, but his grip on her lightened rapidly, along with his screech growing louder.
Sam frowned in confusion, having no idea what was going on. “Nina! Nina, what’s happening?”
She only shook her head and mouthed, I don’t know.
It was then that Penekal got the gall to step around to determine what was happening to the screeching Magician. His eyes stretched as he watched the tall, gaunt sage’s lips disintegrate along with his eyelids. His hand was on Nina’s chest, shedding skin as if he was suffering electrocution. The smell of burning flesh filled the room.
Ofar exclaimed and pointed to Nina’s chest, “It is the mark in her skin!”
“What?” Penekal asked, taking a closer look. He noticed what his friend referred to and his face lit up. “Dr. Gould’s marking is undoing the Sage! Look! Look,” he smiled, “it is the Seal of Solomon!”
“The what?” Purdue inquired, holding out his hands to Nina.
“The Seal of Solomon!” Penekal repeated. “A demon’s trap, a weapon against demons said to be granted to Solomon by God.”
Finally, the wretched alchemist fell to his knees, dead and dry. His corpse folded onto the floor, leaving Nina unharmed. The men all stood in amazed silence for a moment.
“Best hundred quid I ever spent,” Nina said unremarkably while caressing her tattoo, moments from fainting.
“Best moment I never got on film,” Sam lamented.
Just as they all started recovering from the unbelievable madness they’d just witnessed, Penekal’s appointed alchemist came trudging lazily up the stairs. Sounding quite indifferent, he announced, “Sorry I’m late. The repairs to Talinki’s Fish & Chips held me up for dinner. But now my belly is full and I’m ready to save the world.”