The Oracle's Message (7 page)

“I must say that I find your choice of lingerie particularly…compelling.”

Annja blinked her eyes and found herself for the second time in as many days on another boat other than the one she’d arrived on. It was still night and she felt drops of rain on her skin.

But she was alive.

And that was what mattered most, she supposed. Even accepting the rather sarcastic voice that had greeted her upon her return to consciousness.

Worse, it was a voice she knew.

“Hello, Roux.”

His face hovered closer. “So you do recognize me. Well, that’s good at least. Means you didn’t sustain any lasting brain damage when you blacked out.”

Annja rubbed her head and sat up. Her sometime mentor, Roux, draped a thick woolen blanket around her shoulders. “Keep this around you—it’ll warm you up some until I can get us back ashore.”

“What are you doing here?” Annja’s teeth chattered and her pulse raced. She took some deep breaths and willed herself to calm down.

“I’d ask the same thing of you,” Roux said. “You should be in New York.”

“I was. I got tired of being there.”

“So you flew halfway around the world?” Roux smiled. “Your ability to surprise me is without limits.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said, hugging the blanket tighter.

“Please do,” Roux said. “I meant it as such.” He pulled the engine cord and the tiny motor sprang to life. Roux sat down and, with one hand on the rudder, guided the boat toward the darkened coastline.

“Where are we going?”

“The trip back to Club Noah will take us too long. I’m afraid you might have hypothermia, so we need to get you some place warm as soon as possible.”

“I’m fine,” Annja said.

“No,” Roux said. “You’re not. Now stop being your usual stubborn self and let me help you at least.”

“And why would you do that?”

Roux put a hand over his heart. “Is that any way to treat an old friend? Honestly, if I wasn’t such a nice guy, I might take real offense at that statement.”

“You’re an old swindler,” Annja said. “Stop pretending otherwise.”

Roux shrugged. “Fair enough. But I’m still enough of a friend that I plucked you out of the water and saved your life.”

“Thank you for that,” Annja said. She pointed. “And what’s with the wet suit? Were you diving?”

“That was the plan. Until you interrupted it by floating in the ocean in your underwear.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t realize I was going to be going for a dive tonight.”

“No? Then what brought you out here?”

“I saw someone back at the resort. I followed him.”

Roux shook his head. “And why on earth would you do a thing like that? It was the middle of the night. And there was a storm raging. What possessed you to follow him?”

Annja shrugged. “My natural curiosity?”

“I know all about that natural curiosity of yours, Annja. And I also know it’s gotten you into trouble more times than any of my other friends.”

“You don’t have any other friends, Roux.”

Roux sighed. “More sharp-barbed commentary from the wounded exhibitionist. Honestly…”

The tiny boat bobbed over the swells and then Roux guided it into a small tree-lined cove. The waves grew less violent and he beached the little craft on the sandy shore. Stepping out, Roux held out his hand to Annja. “Is it all right to offer my hand to a young maiden like yourself?”

“It’s a bit outdated,” Annja said. But she accepted his help, anyway, and stepped onto the beach. “Where are we?”

“On the other side of the island. Your resort is over the mountain there. You’re welcome to head back that way, although I think the bugs would eat you alive before you’d get close.”

Roux busied himself with making a fire and, despite the deluge that had fallen, the older man managed to have a blazing fire going in a few short minutes.

He stepped back and admired his work. “There, that should warm you up nicely in no time. Plus, it’ll keep the bugs away.”

Annja moved closer to the flames and felt the heat surge through her body. Her teeth no longer chattered and she felt more alert. But she kept the blanket wrapped around her. No sense giving Roux any more of a peep show than necessary. Annja thanked her lucky stars that it hadn’t been Garin Braden who’d found her. He would have had a hard time restraining himself.

Roux and Garin had become as much a part of her life as Joan of Arc’s sword. The two men had followed the sword through time ever since Joan’s death, and now that Annja possessed the sword they all tried to understand—and sometimes fight—the power that linked them.

“Whiskey?”

Annja looked up at the small thermos cup Roux had produced from somewhere. She took it with a nod. “Thanks.”

Roux found a log and rolled it over to sit on. “So, you’re here expressly for the purpose of relaxing? Is that it?”

“Relaxation has taken a backseat in my life, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Well, sure,” Roux said. “What with you choosing to save the world all the time.”

“I don’t
choose
to do anything. I simply seem to be in bad situations that need correcting. More often than I’d ever want, for that matter.”

“More problems accepting your destiny, I see,” Roux said. “I do find it so amusing sometimes. Honestly, I do.”

“Well, I’m thrilled I can provide you with endless amounts of fun.”

Roux took the cup back and drained it before refilling it. “So the Philippines called out to you for rest and relaxation.”

“There’s a reef here I wanted to explore, as well,” Annja said. “Apparently it hadn’t been properly cataloged.”

Roux took another sip of his drink and grinned. “And so, yesterday you arrived and promptly went diving by yourself.”

“How do you know I was here yesterday?”

Roux spread his hands. “Annja, Annja…now really, after all this time that we’ve known each other. Are you really so surprised that I know where you are all the time?”

“You seemed surprised enough when you fished me out of the drink.”

“That’s because I assumed you were safely and soundly tucked away in your cabana with your new boyfriend. I didn’t think I’d find you bobbing dead to the world on the swells out here, waiting for some shark to grab you. Again.”

“You know about that, too?”

Roux shrugged. “I heard some things. How did the sword work underwater? Slice him right through, did it?”

“It did the job.”

“Ah, yes, you wouldn’t see the glory in killing such a fine beast, I suppose.” Roux shook his head. “Shame, really. I wish I could have seen it.”

“Well, next time a huge shark wants to have me for its lunch, I’ll be sure to let you know first.”

Roux nodded as if that was the most logical thing in the world. “Excellent. I’d appreciate that.”

“I’m sure you would,” Annja grumbled. The fire crackled and, despite everything that had happened, Annja felt sleepy. She leaned back against the tree and let her eyelids droop slightly. “Tell me why you’re here, Roux.”

“Maybe I’m on vacation, too.”

“You’re an awful liar,” Annja said. “Didn’t Garin ever tell you that?”

“More times than I care to remember. Such insolence from that spoiled lothario. I don’t have to tell you that you’re lucky I found you tonight instead of him. You wouldn’t still have those white lacy things on if he had.”

“I already considered that,” Annja said. “Now stop trying to change the subject.”

“Was I?”

“You were.”

Roux let a few seconds pass while more of the wet wood crackled in the heat of the fire. Finally, he stood and helped himself to more whiskey. “Very well, since you seem to already be tuning in to the nature of this place, I suppose it’s only fair to tell you what’s going on.”

“And what is that?”

“You’ve heard of the Pearl of Palawan already. I know that guy Spier has told you about its powers.”

“He’s really said nothing about the supposed powers it has,” Annja said. “Right now, he just wants to find the damned thing.”

“Let me guess,” Roux said evenly. “You don’t believe it exists, do you?”

Annja shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe actually. You know I look at everything with a healthy dose of skepticism.”

“True enough,” Roux said. “But you are simultaneously emboldened by a sense of wonder. It’s what makes you so utterly charming.”

Annja frowned. Whenever Roux handed out compliments, something was definitely up. “Uh, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, my dear.” Roux chuckled. “So, Spier is looking for the pearl that once belonged to the great Queen Esmeralda of the Moros.”

“Was there really such a person?” Annja asked. “I couldn’t find any reference to one today when I searched online.”

Roux sniffed. “More reliance on technology.” He shook his head. “If the world were to end tomorrow—”

“You’d probably be behind it,” Annja said. “Yes, I know all about your hard-line stance on overreliance on technology. Of course, you’re a hypocrite because I know you use the same technology to keep up with things that happen all over the world.”

“It’s more of a when-in-Rome situation, I assure you,” Roux said. “I don’t go in much for being at the mercy of machinery.”

“Queen Esmeralda?”

Roux shrugged. “I’m sure there probably was a Queen Esmeralda at some point long ago, but that’s not really important anymore. She’s such a passing figure in the legend, it’s scarcely worth mentioning her name, to be honest.”

“So what is important, then?”

“The real origin of the pearl, of course.”

Annja looked at him. In the flickering firelight, Roux’s features seemed to age and show his true lifeline of six hundred years. He’d seen an awful lot over the centuries. But sometimes it was hard figuring out where his knowledge ended and where his manipulation of facts began.

“Let me guess, you think it came from Lemuria or Mu, too?”

“Is that what Spier believes?”

“I think so.”

“How interesting.” Roux rubbed his chin thoughtfully and tossed another log on the fire. It blazed and hissed as the water evaporated, but then started to catch, tossing up plumes of smoke into the air.

Annja watched it drift skyward. The bugs were kept to a dull roar thanks to the heavy cloying smoke that surrounded them.

“Roux?”

“Sorry, Annja. I just get caught up thinking sometimes. Forgive an old man, would you?”

“Fine.”

“Spier is certainly more resourceful than I’ve given him credit for thus far.”

“Thus far?”

“Oh, certainly. I’ve known of his search for the pearl for some time now. I didn’t think he’d get so close, though. Especially when I was also searching for it.”

“Why?”

“Its powers, of course. The pearl is reputed to be incredibly powerful when possessed by one with the ability to tap into its true nature.”

“And what sort of true nature would we be talking about here?”

Roux smiled. “The power to control the world, of course. Isn’t that what all these ancient relics are supposed to do?”

“Some,” Annja said. “Not all.”

“Well, the ones worth going after all do.” He chuckled. “And naturally, Spier wants the pearl for his own purposes.”

“What purposes would those be?”

Roux shrugged. “I haven’t quite figured that out yet.”

“All right, then. Why do you want the pearl?”

Roux smiled at her. “You know I have an affinity for possessing items of antiquity such as the pearl.”

“Yeah,” Annja said. “I know.”

“Well, I want the pearl most especially so. I’ve discovered something of its true nature, you see….”

“And what would its true nature be?” Annja asked. A log cracked in the fire, tossing sparks and embers onto the wet sand where they fizzled and grew dark.

Roux smiled. “Well, now that would be telling, wouldn’t it? And honestly, I’m not certain that you should know just yet.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a loyalty issue,” Roux said. “You have this annoying habit of running off to do good whenever you sense an injustice. Frankly, that’s caused my personal agenda some problems over the past few years.”

Annja frowned. “You were the one who told me to embrace my destiny. You were the one who told me to step up and accept the responsibility that the sword placed on me.”

“Well, sure,” Roux said. “But within reason, Annja. After all, we’re in this together.”

“We?”

“You, me, Garin.” Roux shrugged. “Who else knows about the sword and what it can do?”

“A few people who have seen it in action over the years.”

Roux looked horrified at the thought. “You should have killed them.”

“Why on earth would I do a thing like that? They didn’t deserve to be killed for simply seeing the sword.”

Roux shook his head. “I don’t think I would have left any witnesses behind. No sense giving people something to talk about.”

Annja shook her head. “And what would they say? ‘Oh, I saw this magical sword’? Please.”

“They might,” Roux said. “And what happens then? The next time they see you, they try to take it away.”

“Yeah, good luck with that plan. No one has succeeded yet.” Annja stared at the fire. Between the woolen blanket and the heat from the flames, she was warming up rapidly. “If it was possible to take the sword, don’t you think someone would have done it already?”

“Maybe the time isn’t right yet,” Roux said quietly.

Annja glanced at him. She’d always suspected Roux had several agendas operating at any one time. She also suspected that he would have loved to possess the sword. He’d denied it, of course, but there was something about the way he looked at it from time to time that led Annja to believe it in her gut.

She shifted. “Well, if anyone wants it, they don’t have to attack me. Maybe I’ll just give it to them if they ask real nice.”

Roux sighed. “You know that won’t work, Annja. Based on my research, it might even destroy the sword.”

“Destroy it how?”

“It might shatter again. Thousands of pieces that would have to be reacquired and pieced back together. I can’t tell you how hard it was to find them all the last time that happened. I’d rather not do it again.”

They were quiet for a minute. Annja cleared her throat after inhaling a gust of smoke. “Tell me about the pearl, Roux.”

“I said no.”

“You said no, but I also know you. And you’re dying to let me take a peek at the knowledge you have. So what is it? What is it about the pearl that makes you so excited?”

Roux tossed another soggy log into the flames and watched it for a moment. “You won’t believe me, Annja.”

“Try me.”

Roux glanced at her. “Fine. The pearl isn’t organic. It’s man-made.”

Annja shrugged. “So what? What’s so incredible about that?”

“The pearl dates back to a time in earth’s history when such a thing would have been supposedly impossible to create.”

“Our understanding of history’s been wrong before,” Annja said. “How old is the pearl supposed to be?”

“Roughly twenty-five thousand years.”

Annja gasped and looked at Roux. “That’s impossible.”

“See?” Roux shook his head. “Honestly, Annja, I don’t know why I bother with you sometimes. After everything you’ve seen in connection to the sword and after all the experiences you’ve had, you still cling to this ridiculous notion that the world is as the world seems to be.”

“My skepticism keeps me from becoming a loony,” Annja said. “Anyone else would have flipped out if they’d suddenly found themselves with Joan of Arc’s old sword. Me? I seem to handle it pretty well.”

“Maybe you’re Joan of Arc reincarnated,” Roux said.

Annja waved her hand. “You know, I thought of that once. But, to be honest, I don’t know what I believe. If I was Joan of Arc in another time, then I ought to have some of her memories locked away somewhere inside my head, right?”

“Only if you happen to believe the usual silliness that most New Agey types espouse.”

“You don’t think I’d have her memories?”

Roux shrugged. “I don’t know for certain. What I do believe is that the process of reincarnation might prove so traumatic that the soul does its best to almost cocoon itself from the trauma. That would mean that memories, emotions and the like would only be released very, very gradually throughout the next life. In some circumstances—say, something like being burned at the stake—the soul might never release any indication of the former life.”

Annja looked at the fire and tried to imagine what it would be like to have the flames lick their way through clothing and flesh, burning from the outside in while a crowd watched.

She shook her head. It was too awful to think about.

“It was a terrible sight to behold, Annja.” Roux said this quietly above the winds that still rustled the nearby trees.

“Did she suffer for long?”

“I have no way of knowing exactly when she lost consciousness,” Roux said. “So, I can’t say.”

Annja shook her head. “The people who did to that her…”

“They paid for their crimes—I’m certain of it,” Roux said.

Annja looked at him. “How are you so certain?”

Roux shrugged. “Because I have to believe that any just and loving God would never allow one of His children to be killed in such a manner without repercussions to those who committed the grievous act.”

“That’s rather Old Testament.”

“I happen to like the Old Testament, Annja. It’s a lot more properly intimidating than the new huggable versions they perpetrate on the unknowing these days. Imagine if more people thought they’d be facing God’s wrath when they faced Him, instead of a big welcome hug. People might actually check their ridiculous behavior from time to time. That would be a good thing indeed.”

Annja sighed. The night was growing long and she needed some sleep. Hans was expecting her at the dock in the morning.

She looked up at Roux. “You were going diving tonight.”

“Yes.”

“So that was you back on the resort stealing oxygen tanks?”

“No. That was your dive master actually. I paid him a nice little bribe to bring all that gear out and set it up for me to use.”

Annja frowned. “You might have a word with him about his inability to fill oxygen tanks all the way to capacity.”

Roux smiled. “Well, he probably didn’t think he’d have another person using them. You didn’t happen to notice the label on the back of the tank you used, either, did you?”

“What label?”

“The one that said it wasn’t to be used. I had him bring out two that were half-empty so I could use them for inflating several flotation devices if I found anything down there worth bringing to the surface.”

“I must have missed that,” Annja said.

“I’m not surprised, considering you were in the midst of a rainstorm.” Roux stood and looked out at the ocean. “Although it certainly seems to be calming down now.”

“Is this your way of telling me to skedaddle?”

Roux looked back at Annja. “You’re not in much shape to go diving, Annja. You’re not even dressed for it.”

Annja grinned. “You’ve got a point there.”

“I can take you back to the resort.”

Annja nodded. “And then you’re going to return to the dive site.”

Roux shrugged. “I paid good money to get that gear out there. It would be a shame to see it being squandered like that.”

“And what will you do if you find something?”

Roux cocked an eyebrow. “Why, what do you expect me to do?”

“I don’t know…maybe share it with the world?”

Roux laughed. “And attract publicity? Good Lord, that’s the very last thing I ever want.”

“People deserve to see what you find, Roux.”

“People,” Roux said, “have tried their very best to destroy this planet time and time again. I don’t believe they deserve anything except a serious slap across the face to wake their collective pathetic soul. I sometimes doubt mankind would know what to do with something good. Most likely they’d simply try to destroy it.”

“Don’t forget, Roux. You’re part of mankind, too.”

“A regrettable thing that,” Roux said. “And if it helps, I don’t actually consider myself part of the human race any longer.”

“You don’t?”

“Annja, I’m six hundred years old. Somehow that makes me a bit more than just another human, don’t you think?”

“Well, you’ve certainly got the ego for it, I suppose.”

Roux frowned. “The thanks I get for saving your life.”

“Are we leaving?” Annja asked. The fire had started to die down and more rain was falling. Annja shivered and realized that she needed a hot shower and some serious sleep.

She glanced at Roux, who kicked sand onto the dying embers and then led her back down to the beach. In all probability, he wouldn’t find anything at the dive site tonight. That meant Annja would have to try even harder tomorrow to come up with something.

But what?

She wasn’t sure what she believed about the story of some lost civilization. Nor was Roux’s tale that the pearl itself was twenty-five thousand years old particularly believable. How would people back then have made it? How could they have possibly created a round sphere like that?

The problem was, as much as Annja might not believe it, Roux did. Worse, if Spier got wind of that theory, it would drive him on like nothing else had before.

And Annja still didn’t know what his motives were for possessing the pearl.

With Roux, that was fairly easy. Roux didn’t want anyone to have anything remotely powerful. So he simply tried to grab everything he could.

But Spier…

“Let’s get going. I want to dump you at the resort and then get back here before I lose the darkness.”

“You might find more in the sunlight.”

Roux shook his head. “As soon as the sun comes up, you and your merry band will be back out there. That’s the last thing I need.”

“Sorry to be a thorn in your side.”

Roux eased the boat out into the waves and then hopped on board. Annja sat near the bow.

At once, the engine sputtered to life and Roux guided them away from the beach, pointing them out toward the bay. “Annja, you’ve been a thorn in my side before, but it hasn’t stopped me from following my personal plans. And whether you agree or not, we are in this together.”

“We are?”

Roux nodded. “You just don’t see the situation for what it is. Yet.”

“Yet?”

“But you will someday. I really do believe that.”

“I guess I’ll look forward to someday, then,” Annja said. Because right then she didn’t think she and Roux were on the same page at all.