The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (62 page)

“And what’s your sister’s name?”

“Harriet. But these days she goes by Belladonna.”

CHAPTER VII

Kaslov in Peril

Leonid Kaslov had long wanted to visit Easter Island. The Russian superman stepped from the small personal airplane he’d piloted to this Pacific island and felt a chill go through him. It was a windy day, and the air was laced with an almost-painful bite to it that tore at his exposed skin.

Kaslov had set his craft down not far from the famed moai statues, near a former quarry known as Rano Raraku. The quarry was actually a volcanic crater formed of consolidated volcanic ash, or tuff. Rano Raraku had been a quarry for about five hundred years, until the early 1700s, and it was the source of the stone from which almost ninety-five percent of the moai were carved.

Leonid passed by a number of moai, marveling at the monolithic structures as he did so. They were truly marvelous things, and were capable of fueling an intense curiosity in all who saw them. They spoke of ages past and mysteries still unknown.

It was sights like this that kept Kaslov on the move. He had achieved so much in his life that it would be understandable for him to be a jaded figure, immune to the beauty of life. But he was far from unfeeling, despite his often reserved nature. As he stood before one of the intact moai, he wished desperately that Libby were here with him, so she could have shared this moment. He decided then and there that he was going to work out their problems and win her back—she was a part of him that had been away for far too long.

Kaslov broke from his reverie and looked around. He had little idea where to begin looking for Stickman and his mysterious companion, but the island itself was only sixty-three square miles, meaning that if anything strange happened on the island, Kaslov was very likely to spot it.

Kaslov began wandering, trying to orient himself. On the way over, he’d studied several old maps and identified areas that had had been rich in rongorongo writings. It only took him five minutes to reach a spot where several moai stood in a semi-circle. In the center of the clearing were several pieces of wood, carefully arranged so that they were buried in the sand but still visible. Each was covered with the bizarre pictograms that Kaslov recognized as rongorongo script.

Leonid leaned down and ran his fingers across the carved images. He saw what looked like a bird in flight, and smiled softly. It looked a lot like the image that Max used to include on his calling cards—the Peregrine taking flight. Max had abandoned those when he’d picked up his branding ring, preferring now to mark the foreheads of his enemies. Kaslov thought it all rather barbaric, but he knew better than to broach the subject with his friend.

Leonid suddenly felt the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end, and a peculiar scent touched his nostrils. He whirled around and narrowed his eyes. Not more than twenty feet away, a fiery circle was appearing in the air. As Leonid stared in wonder, the circle grew in size until it was large enough for two people to step through.

One of them was an attractive young woman dressed in blue and black. Her skirt ended just above her knee, and she wore boots that almost reached the skirt’s hem. Behind her was a figure straight out of a young boy’s nightmare: a walking tree-man with features that seemed to radiate evil.

“I told you I could get us here quickly,” Stickman murmured, glancing around as the fiery circle closed behind them. “The Orb of Hagen was an artifact I found in Brazil. Works perfectly for precise jumps like this.”

“Fascinating,” Belladonna replied, sounding like she didn’t mean it at all. “Looks like someone’s beaten us to it, though.”

Stickman followed her gaze and began growling deep in his throat. “Leonid Kaslov,” he said, taking several lumbering steps towards the famous adventurer. “This is a surprise. I go years without running afoul of any vigilantes, and now I’ve crossed paths with two in the space of a week. It’s getting a little old already.”

Kaslov faced the villain unarmed, knowing that his well-honed body was weapon enough. “Abraham Klee, I presume?”

“Call me Stickman!” Klee roared, raising both hands and extending his claws. He rushed towards Kaslov, bloodlust making him a bit sloppy. It was his great failing as Stickman—Klee found himself enjoying his ability to kill with ease a bit too often.

Belladonna watched for a moment as the two men squared off, Kaslov ducking under Klee’s first attempt to claw him to death. She finally pulled the translation key from her bag and trudged past them, amused that they were so wrapped up in their manly display of aggression that they barely noticed her. She plopped down on the ground next to the rongorongo tablets and started the translation process, resting the translation key on her knees.

She’d expected to see the Peregrine here. but maybe he’d decided this wasn’t worth his time and turned it over to his buddy Kaslov. She couldn’t help but feel a bit insulted. She’d read about the Peregrine for some time and considered him quite capable, and she’d really hoped he’d have followed them here.

Bella had heard her brother’s warning about unlocking Heaven’s Key, but the temptation was simply too great to ignore. When the gate was opened, a heavenly figure would appear. He would then grant the wish of anyone who was standing before him. If there were multiple people and their wishes conflicted with one another, the angel would choose to go with whoever had the strongest will. Bella wanted to take her chances on getting her wish, but if things spiraled out of control, she wanted the Peregrine around to save the day.

Guess it’s up to little ole me,
she thought with a grin.

She’d thought long and hard about what her wish would be, and in the end, she’d finally come up with the perfect answer. All the crimes she’d committed, all the men she’d slept with, all the dangerous games she’d played… they’d all been attempts to fill in this gaping hole she’d felt inside her soul ever since that German doctor had worked his evil on her. But if she came face-to-face with an angel, she was confident that they could make her whole again. She’d be a complete, healthy person, and that would be enough.

While Bella started her work, Kaslov was grunting with pain. Stickman had finally connected with one of his punches, and the impact felt like nothing less than a tree trunk slamming against Kaslov’s ribs. The Russian staggered back and Stickman reached out, grabbing hold of the sides of Kaslov’s head and squeezing. The pressure began to build in Kaslov’s skull, and he felt like his head was about to burst like a grape.

Kaslov reached up and grabbed hold of Stickman’s arms with his fingers. Exerting all of his incredible strength, Kaslov began to slowly push upwards. Stickman’s arms began to bend, deep rifts appearing in the wood-like skin of his flesh.

Crying out in shock and pain, Stickman released Kaslov and yanked his arms free. The bottom half of his arms now hung loosely, and the villain knew it would be hours before they had recovered enough for him to use them effectively.

Kaslov charged forward, lowering his shoulder and slamming into Stickman’s midsection. Once again, Kaslov was struck by how dense his enemy’s flesh was, but he had generated enough force to knock Stickman off his feet. The killer slammed down hard on his back, howling in pain.

Kaslov snagged one of Stickman’s injured limbs and yanked, snapping it in two. This elicited another anguished wail from Klee, and Kaslov placed one foot on the man’s chest, holding him down.

“Give up, or I swear I’ll tear you apart, piece by piece!”

Kaslov’s eyes suddenly went wide and he fell off of Stickman, a thin sheen of ice forming over his entire body. He stared at Stickman through frost-covered lashes.

Klee looked over at Bella, who was now standing nearby. She crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh. “That’s the last time I save your life, Klee. Now get over here and help me.”

Stickman staggered up, his ruined arm dangling helplessly. He stared over at Kaslov, who was shivering badly. “Why didn’t you kill him like you did Osh? He’s still alive…”

“Leave him be,” Bella said dismissively. She had turned her attention back to the translation key. “I’ve got the first half of the spell translated. This is definitely the spot where we need to be.”

Stickman staggered over to her side, glaring at her. “Answer me, bitch.”

Bella froze in place and slowly looked up. “What did you call me?”

“I want to know why you didn’t kill him.”

“And I want to know why you’re insulting me after I just saved your useless ass.” Bella and Stickman stared at one another for a long moment before Bella finally looked away and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t usually kill. Osh wasn’t human, and was planning on hurting a lot of people. Killing him was almost a good thing. Killing Leonid Kaslov… the man helps thousands every year. I’m not going to bump him off just because he has the good sense to not like you.”

“I sometimes wonder if you’re in the right line of work.” Stickman glanced back at Kaslov. “I can finish the job so you don’t have to bloody your hands.”

“We’re about to open up a gateway to heaven, and you’re going to do it after butchering someone in cold blood?” Bella snorted in disbelief. “You’re right. I’m in the wrong line of work. You’re an idiot.”

“Don’t push me, Belladonna. As soon you’re finished with the translation, I won’t need you anymore.”

Bella stopped working and threw down her tablet. She stood up and looked upwards into the far-taller Stickman’s face. Jabbing a finger at his bark covered midsection, she began to issue forth a tirade that momentarily left Abraham Klee flabbergasted. “If you think I’m not watching you like a hawk, then you’re even dumber than I thought. But you better watch yourself, because for all you know I’ve got plans to have you planted in a grave somewhere. Without me, you’d still be nursing your hurt feelings about Osh getting killed and you having wasted a trip after that Onyx Goddess! So step back, shut up, and show some goddamned respect!”

Satisfied that she’d made her point, Bella sat back down with a huff and resumed her translations. Stickman moved about in silence for a moment before looking up in surprise. There was a strange chirping sound coming from one of Kaslov’s pockets. The villain reached down and rifled through the frozen Russian’s clothing until he pulled out a strange transmitter device. He stared at it for a moment before depressing a flashing button.

Immediately a familiar voice rang out, one that Stickman would recognize for the rest of his days: it belonged to the Peregrine.

“Leo? Are you there? I should be joining you on Easter Island in a few minutes. I’m in the air now. I won’t be coming alone, and I wanted to give you the head’s up. A professor by the name of Zadak Aldritch is coming with me. He’s an expert on this Heaven’s Key situation.”

Bella’s head jerked up when she heard her brother’s name, but she managed to keep her expression neutral. She returned to her work, though her hand had begun to shake somewhat.

At this moment, Stickman abruptly cut off communication. He looked over Bella and hissed. “Quickly! We need to have this completed before he arrives.”

Bella nodded, working as fast as she could. It wouldn’t do to make any mistakes—a single mistranslated word could have catastrophic effects. But she couldn’t stop thinking about her brother… he was coming for her. It was just like Zadak to play the noble knight, attempting to rescue a damsel in distress. It was one of his best qualities, though she tried to pretend not to admire it.

She just hoped it wasn’t about to get him killed.

* * *

“Something’s not right.” Max set aside his long-range telephone device and focused on piloting his plane through the clouds. His modified aircraft was the fastest thing in the sky, which was why he expected to arrive on Easter Island in record time. But the fact that Kaslov hadn’t said anything in response was unnerving.”

The man at his side was gripping the armrests of his seat with white knuckles. Zadak Aldritch was not one for flying, especially not at speeds like this. He glanced over at the Peregrine, his jaw clenching as he spoke. “He must have run into Klee and my sister.”

“It doesn’t bode well if they were able to handle Kaslov, though. Leonid’s one of the most dangerous men on the planet.”

“I can’t speak for Klee, but I know that Harriet’s not a killer. And if there were any way she could have stopped Klee from killing him, she’d do it. So that means there’s a good chance that your friend’s still alive.”

The Peregrine started to respond but he suddenly tipped forward in his seat, knocking the controls askew. The planet began to dib noticeably, and Zadak let loose a small cry of alarm.

Max wasn’t aware of Zadak’s words or of the falling sensation associated with the crashing plane. In his mind’s eye he was standing in a misty field of gray, staring at the face of a man long dead: Warren Davies.

Max’s father was wearing the same suit he’d worn when he’d been gunned down, though the blood that had splattered the suit afterwards was nowhere to be seen. He had much of the same look about him that Max did, though his body was not quite as battle hardened.

“Son,” his father said, nodding his head in greeting. “I’m sorry about bothering you again, but your vacation’s over.”

“What vacation?” Max asked with anger lacing his words. “Just because you haven’t been jabbing at me with a stick doesn’t mean I’ve been taking time off. I’ve worked my ass off as the Peregrine without you badgering me.”

Once again, the old hurts resurfaced. Max had loved his father so much, but when he’d learned that his painful visions were actually projected into his head by his father, he’d been incensed. He’d never be completely sure if becoming the Peregrine had been his idea or if his father had used his own son as an unwilling instrument for his revenge.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean that the way it came out.” Warren stepped through the mists, his expression softening. “The spell that Doctor Satan put on you is still intact. You’re not able to access any of the other abilities you had: the telepathy, the telekinesis… those are gone, probably forever. But it’s time I started to visit you again. And there’s no manmade spell that’s going to keep me away from you.”