The Traveler (17 page)

Vicki Fraser watched Hollis and Gabriel grab the motorcycle and lift it into the back of the van. "You drive," Hollis said as he tossed the keys to Vicki. He and Gabriel crouched beside the motorcycle while Maya remained in the front passenger seat with the shotgun on her lap.

They turned west and got lost on the narrow residential streets that cut through the Hollywood hills. Gabriel kept asking Maya questions about his family's background; he seemed desperate to find out everything as quickly as possible.

Vicki knew only a few facts about the Travelers and the Harlequins, and she listened carefully to the conversation. The ability to cross over into other realms seemed to be genetic, inherited from a parent or a relative, but occasionally new Travelers appeared without a family connection. Harlequins keep elaborate lineages of past Travelers and this was how Thorn had known about Gabriel's father.

Hollis lived a few blocks away from his storefront capoeira school. The single-family homes in the area had front yards and flower beds, but gang graffiti was spray-painted with dripping lines on the walls and billboards. When they turned off

, Hollis told Maya to move to the back of the van. Sitting up front, he instructed Vicki to slow down whenever they saw groups of young men wearing extra-large clothes and blue bandannas. Each time they stopped beside these gang members, Hollis would shake hands with the young men and use their street names.

"Some people might come around and ask about me," he told them. "Tell 'em they're in the wrong neighborhood."

The driveway of Hollis's two-bedroom house was blocked by a chain-link gate woven with plastic strips. Once they drove the van down the driveway and closed the gate, the vehicle was concealed from the street. Hollis unlocked the back door and they went into the house. Each room was clean and uncluttered, and Vicki didn't see any signs of a girlfriend. The curtains were made out of bedsheets, oranges were stored in a clean automobile hubcap, and one bedroom had been filled with barbells and turned into a gym.

Vicki sat down at the kitchen table with Gabriel and Maya. Hollis took an assault rifle out of a broom closet, snapped in an ammunition clip, and placed the weapon on the counter. "We'll be safe here," he said. "If someone attacks the house, I'll keep them busy. You jump over the wall to my neighbor's backyard."

Gabriel shook his head. "I don't want anyone to risk their life for me."

"I'm getting paid for this," Hollis said. "Maya is the one who's doing it for free."

Everyone watched as Hollis filled up a kettle and boiled water for tea. He opened the refrigerator and took out bread, cheese, strawberries, and two ripe mangos. "Is everybody hungry?" he asked. "I think I've got enough food."

Vicki decided to make a fruit salad while Hollis made grilled-cheese sandwiches. She liked standing at the counter and slicing up the strawberries. It was uncomfortable to sit next to Maya. The Harlequin looked exhausted, but she couldn't seem to relax. Vicki thought that it would be painful to go through life always being ready to kill, always expecting to be attacked. She remembered the letter that Isaac T. Jones had written to his congregation about Hell. There was a real Hell, of course. The Prophet had seen it with his own eyes.
But my brothers and sisters, your main concern should be the Hell you create within your own hearts.

"You told me a few things about the Travelers when we were in the van," Gabriel said to Maya.
"But what about the rest of it?
Tell me about the Harlequins."

Maya adjusted the cord on her sword's carrying case. "Harlequins protect Travelers. That's all you need to know."

"Are there leaders and rules? Did someone order you to come to America?"

"No. It was my own decision."

"But why didn't your father come with you?"

Maya's eyes were focused on the salt shaker in the middle of the table. "My father was killed a week ago in Prague."

"The Tabula did it?" Hollis asked.

"Correct."

"What happened?"

"That's not your concern." Maya's voice was controlled, but her body was almost rigid with anger. Vicki felt like the Harlequin was ready to jump up and destroy all of them. "I've accepted an obligation to protect Gabriel and his brother. When that's done, I'm going to hunt down the man who killed my father."

"Did Michael and I have anything to do with this?" Gabriel asked. "Not really. The Tabula have been hunting my father for most of his life. He was almost killed two years ago in Pakistan." "I'm sorry—"

"Don't waste your emotions," Maya said. "We feel nothing for the rest of the world and expect nothing in return. When I was a child, my father used to tell me:
Verdammt durch das Fleisch. 
Gerettet durch das Blut.
It means: Damned by the flesh.
Saved by the blood.
Harlequins are condemned to fight a battle without end. But maybe the Travelers will save us from Hell."

"And how long have they been fighting this battle?" Hollis asked.

Maya pushed the hair away from her face. "My father said that we are an unbroken line of warriors that has lasted for thousands of years. On Passover, he would light candles and read from chapter eighteen in the book of John. After Jesus spends the night in the garden at Gethsemane, Judas shows up with Roman soldiers and officers sent by the chief priest."

"I know that passage in the Bible," Hollis said. "Actually, it's kind of a strange detail. Jesus is supposed to be the Prince of Peace. Throughout the New Testament, no one has ever mentioned weapons or bodyguards, but suddenly one of the disciples—"

"It's Peter," Vicki said.

"Right.
Now I remember, Anyway, Peter draws a sword and cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant, a man named ..."

This time Hollis glanced at Vicki, knowing that she would have the answer.

"Malchus."

"Right again." Hollis nodded. "So the bad guy is standing there in the garden with only one ear."

"Some scholars feel that Peter was a member of the Zealots," Maya said. "But my father believed that he was the first Harlequin to be mentioned in a historical document."

"Are you telling us that Jesus was a Traveler?" Vicki asked.

"Harlequins are fighters, not theologians. We don't make pronouncements about which Traveler is the true embodiment of the Light. The most important Traveler could be Jesus or Muhammad or the Buddha. Or it could be an obscure Hasidic rabbi who was killed in the Holocaust. We defend Travelers, but we don't judge their holiness. That's up to the faithful."

"But your father quoted from the Bible," Gabriel said.

"I come from the European branch of Harlequins and we have close ties with Christianity. In fact, some Harlequins read farther in the book of John. After Jesus was taken away, Peter—"

"—backed out on Jesus."
Hollis turned away from the stove. "He was a disciple, but he denied his Lord three times."

"The legend is that Harlequins are damned by this. Because Peter didn't stay loyal at that moment, we must defend the Travelers until the end of time."

"Sounds like you don't buy that," Hollis said.

"It's just a story in the Bible. I don't accept it for myself, but I do believe that there is a secret history of the world. There have always been warriors defending pilgrims or other spiritual seekers. During the Crusades, a group of Christian knights began to protect the pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. Baldwin II, the crusader king of Jerusalem, let these knights occupy part of the former Jewish temple. They began to call themselves the Poor Knights of Christ and Knights of the Temple of Solomon."

"Weren't they usually called the Templars?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes, that's the common name. The Templars became a rich, powerful order that controlled churches and castles throughout Europe. They owned ships and would lend money to European kings. Eventually the Templars stopped occupying the Holy Land and started to defend people who made spiritual journeys. They developed connections with heretical groups, the Bogomils in Bulgaria and the Cathars in France. These people were Gnostics who believed that the soul is trapped within the body. Only individuals given a secret knowledge are able to escape this prison and enter into different realms."

"Then the Templars were destroyed," Gabriel said.

Maya nodded slowly, as if reminding herself of a story she had learned long ago. "King Philip of France feared their power and wanted to seize their treasury. In 1307, he sent his troops into the Templar headquarters and arrested them for heresy. The grand master of the Templars was burned at the stake and the order ceased to exist—publicly. But only a few Templars were killed. Most of them went underground and continued their activities."

"Lunchtime," Hollis said. He set a plate of sandwiches on the table and Vicki finished making the fruit salad. Everyone sat down and began eating. Maya had relaxed slightly, but it was still
an
un comfortable atmosphere. The Harlequin stared at Gabriel as if she was trying to decide if he had the power to cross over. Gabriel seemed to know what she was thinking. He looked down at his plate and picked at his food.

"But why are you called Harlequins?" Hollis asked Maya. "Isn't that some kind of actor with a painted face, like a clown?"

"We took that name in the seventeenth century. The Harlequin is one of the characters in Italian commedia dell'arte, usually a clever servant. The Harlequin character wears a costume with diamond shapes. Sometimes he plays the lute or carries a wooden sword. The Harlequin always wears a mask, concealing his identity"

"But that's an Italian name," Hollis said. "I was told that Harlequins used to be in Japan and Persia and just about every other place in the world."

"In the seventeenth century, the European Harlequins began to contact warriors from other cultures who were also defending Travelers. Our first alliance was with the Sikhs living in the Punjab. Like the Harlequins, devout Sikhs carry a ritual sword called a
kirpan
. Around the same time, we also made alliances with Buddhist and Sufi warriors. In the eighteenth century, we were joined by an order of Jewish fighters in Russia and Eastern Europe that defended rabbis who studied the Kabbalah."

Vicki turned to Gabriel. "Lion of the Temple, the Harlequin who defended the Prophet, came from a Jewish family."

Hollis looked amused. "You know, I've been in that town in Arkansas where they lynched Isaac Jones. Thirty years ago, the NAACP and some Jewish group got together and put up a plaque in honor of Zachary Goldman. They make it like a peace-and-love brotherhood thing because this Harlequin killed two racist bastards with a crowbar."

"Was there ever a Harlequin gathering?" Gabriel asked. "Did the different groups ever meet in one room?"

"That would never happen. Harlequins respect the randomness of battle. We don't like rules. Harlequin families are connected to each other by marriage, tradition, and friendship. Some families have been allies for hundreds of years. We don't have elected leaders or a constitution. There's just a Harlequin way of looking at the world. Some Harlequins fight because it's our destiny. Some of us fight to defend freedom. I'm not talking about the opportunity to buy fourteen different kinds of toothpaste or the insanity that drives a terrorist to blow up a bus. True freedom is tolerant. It gives people the right to live and think in new ways."

"I still want to know about `Damned by the flesh, saved by the blood,' " Hollis said
. "
Whose blood are you talking about?
The Tabula, the Harlequins, or the Travelers?"

"Take your pick," Maya said. "Maybe it's everyone."

***

THERE WAS ONLY one bedroom in the house.
Hollis proposed that the two women share the bed while he and Gabriel sleep in the living room. Vicki could tell that Maya didn't like the idea. Now that she had found Gabriel, she seemed uncomfortable when he wasn't in her sight.

"It'll be okay," Vicki whispered. "Gabriel is only a few feet away. We can leave the door open if you want. Besides, Hollis has the rifle."

"Hollis is a mercenary. I don't know how much he's willing to sacrifice."

Maya walked several times from the living room to the bedroom as if she was memorizing the position of the doorways and walls. Then she went into the bedroom and slid the blades of her two knives between the box spring and the mattress. Both handles were sticking out. If she dropped her hand down, she could instantly pull a knife from its sheath. Finally she got into bed, and Vicki lay on the other side of the mattress.

"Good night," Vicki said, but Maya didn't answer her.

Vicki had slept with her older sister and various cousins during vacations and was used to their restless movements. Maya was different in every way. The Harlequin lay flat on her back with her hands clenched into fists. It looked as if an immense weight was pushing down on her body.

When Maya woke up the next morning she saw a black cat with a white throat sitting on the dresser. "What do you want?" she whispered, but didn't get an answer. The cat jumped down onto the floor, glided through the doorway, and left her alone.

She heard voices and peered out the bedroom window. Hollis and Gabriel were standing in the driveway, inspecting the damaged motorcycle. Buying a new tire meant a monetary transaction and contact with a business that was connected to the Vast Machine. The Tabula would know all about the damaged bike and activate their computer search programs to monitor motorcycle tire sales in the Los Angeles area.

Considering her next move, she went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. The finger shields that had gotten her through United States immigration were starting to peel off her index fingers like dead skin. She got dressed, strapped both knives onto her arms, and checked her other weapons. The black cat reappeared when she left the bathroom and led her into the hallway. Vicki was washing dishes in the sink.

"I see you met Garvey."

"Is that his name?"

"Yes. He doesn't like to be touched, and he doesn't purr. I don't think that's normal."

"I wouldn't know," Maya said. "I never had a pet."

There was a coffeemaker on the counter. Maya poured coffee into a bright yellow mug and mixed in some cream.

"I just made some corn bread. Are you hungry?"

"Definitely."

Vicki cut a thick slice of corn bread and placed it in a bowl. The two young women sat together at the table. Maya smeared some butter on the corn bread, and then added a spoonful of blackberry jam. The first bite was delicious and she felt a moment of unexpected pleasure. Everything in the kitchen was clean and organized. Patches of sunlight glowed on the green linoleum floor. Although Hollis had broken away from the church, a framed photograph of Isaac T. Jones hung on the wall beside the refrigerator.

"Hollis is going to buy some motorcycle parts," Vicki said. "But he wants Gabriel to keep out of sight and stay here."

Maya nodded as she swallowed her corn bread. "That's a good plan."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm not quite sure. I need to contact my friend in Europe." Vicki picked up the dirty dishes and took them over to the sink.

"Do you think the Tabula know that Hollis was driving yesterday?"
"Maybe.
It depends what those three riders saw as we passed them."

"And what will happen if they learn about Hollis?"

Maya's voice was deliberately flat and unemotional. "They'll try to capture him, torture him for information, and kill him."

Vicki turned with a dish towel in her hand. "That's what I told Hollis, but he made a joke about it. He said he's always looking for new sparring partners."

"I think Hollis can protect himself, Vicki. He's a very good fighter."

"He's much too confident. I think he should ..."

The screen door squeaked open and Hollis strolled in. "Okay. I've got my shopping list." He smiled at Vicki. "Why don't you come with me? We'll buy a new tire and pick up some food for lunch."

"Do you need money?" Maya asked.

"You got any?"

Maya reached into her pocket and pulled out some twenty-dollar bills. "Use cash. After you buy the tire, leave the store right away." "No reason to hang around."

"Avoid stores with surveillance cameras in the parking lot. The cameras are able to photograph license plate numbers."

Maya watched Vicki and Hollis leave. Gabriel was still outside in the driveway, pulling the tire off the motorcycle's wheel rim. Maya made sure the gate was closed, concealing Gabriel from anyone driving down the street. She thought about discussing the next step with him, but decided that she needed to talk to Linden first. Gabriel had seemed overwhelmed by everything she had told him yesterday. He probably needed some time to think it over.

Maya returned to the bedroom, switched on her laptop computer, and got onto the.
Internet with her satellite phone.
Linden was either asleep or away from his computer. It took her an hour to find him and follow him to a safe conversation room. Using soft language that wouldn't trigger Carnivore, she described what had happened.

"Our business competitors responded with aggressive marketing tactics. Right now I'm at my employee's house with our new associate." Maya used a code based on random prime numbers and gave Linden the address to the house.

The French Harlequin didn't answer and after a few minutes she typed: "Understand?"

"Does our new associate have the ability to travel to distant locations?"

"Not at this time."

"Do you see any indications of that ability?"

"No. He's just an ordinary citizen."

"You must introduce him to a teacher who can evaluate his power."

"Not our responsibility," Maya typed. Harlequins were only supposed to find and protect Travelers. They didn't get involved in anyone's spiritual journey.

Once again, there was a delay of several minutes as Linden appeared to be considering his response. Finally words began to appear on the computer screen. "Our competitors have gained control of the older brother and have flown him to a research facility near New York City. They plan to evaluate his ability and train him. At this point, we don't know their larger objective. But we must use all our resources to oppose them."

"And our new associate is our main resource?"

"Correct. A race has started. At this moment, our competitors are winning."

"What if he won't cooperate?"

"Use any means necessary to change his mind. A teacher is living in the southwestern United States, protected by a community of friends. Take the associate to this location in three days. During this time, I will contact our friends and tell them that you're coming. Your destination is . . ." Another pause and then a long set of coded numbers appeared on the screen.

"Confirm transmission," Linden typed.

Maya didn't answer.

The words appeared again, this time in capital letters that demanded her agreement. "CONFIRM TRANSMISSION."

Don't answer him, Maya told herself. She considered leaving the house and taking Gabriel across the border into Mexico. That was the safe thing to do. A few seconds passed,
then
she placed her fingers on the computer keyboard and typed slowly. "Information received."

The screen went blank and Linden's presence disappeared. Maya decoded the numbers with her computer and discovered that she was supposed to travel to a town called San Lucas in southern Arizona. And what will happen there?
New enemies?
Another confrontation?
She knew that the Tabula would be looking for them using the full power of the Vast Machine.

She returned to the kitchen and opened the screen door. Gabriel sat on the driveway next to the motorcycle. He had found a coat hanger, straightened it out, and bent one end of the metal rod. Now he was using this improvised tool to make sure the rear wheel axle was properly aligned.

"Gabriel, I'd like to look at the sword you're carrying."

"Go ahead. It's sticking out of my knapsack. I left it next to the couch in the living room."

She remained in the doorway, not knowing what to say. He didn't seem to realize the disrespect he was showing toward his weapon.

Gabriel stopped working. "What's wrong?"

"This particular sword is very special. It's best if you handed it to me yourself."

He looked surprised, then smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure. If that's what you want. Give me a minute."

Maya brought her suitcase into the living room and sat on the couch. She heard water running through the plumbing as Gabriel washed the grease off his hands in the kitchen. When he entered the living room, he stared at her as if she were a crazy person who might attack him. Maya realized that the outline of her knives was visible beneath the sleeves of the cotton pullover.

Thorn had warned her about the awkward relationship between Harlequins and Travelers. Just because Harlequins risked their lives to defend Travelers didn't mean the two groups liked each other. People who crossed over into different realms usually
be
 came more spiritual. But Harlequins would always remain earthbound, tainted by the death and violence of the Fourth Realm.

When Maya was fourteen years old, she traveled through Eastern Europe with Mother Blessing. The moment the Irish Harlequin gave a command, both citizens and drones jumped to obey her.
Yes, madam.
Of course, madam.
We hope there aren't any problems.
Mother Blessing had stepped over some kind of line, and people sensed it immediately. Maya realized that she still wasn't strong enough to have that kind of power.

Gabriel went to the knapsack and took out the sword—still in its black lacquer scabbard. He presented it to Maya with two hands.

She felt the sword's perfect balance and knew immediately that it was a special weapon. The ray-skin hilt was wrapped in thread with a fitting of dark green jade.

"My father passed this on to your father when you were a child."

"I don't remember that," Gabriel said. "It was always around when I was growing up."

Holding the scabbard on her knee, Maya drew the sword slowly, then held it up and stared down the length of the blade. This was a
tachi
-style sword, a weapon meant to be worn with the edge downward. The shape was perfect, but the real beauty was shown in the
hamon
, the border between the tempered edge of the blade and the untempered metal of the rest of the sword. The bright areas of the steel, called the
nie
, contrasted with a soft pearl-white haze. It reminded Maya of patches of ground among a light spring snow.

"Why is this sword so important?" Gabriel asked.

"It was used by Sparrow, a Japanese Harlequin. He was the only Harlequin left in Japan: the last survivor of a noble tradition. Sparrow was known for his courage and resourcefulness. Then he allowed a weakness in his life."

"What was that?"

"He fell in love with a young college student. Yakuza working for the Tabula found out and kidnapped this woman. When Sparrow tried to rescue her, he was killed."

"Then how did the sword get to America?"

"My father tracked down the college student. She was pregnant and hiding from the Yakuza. He helped her flee to America and she allowed him to take the sword."

"If this particular thing was so important, then why didn't your father keep it?"

"It's a talisman. That means that it's very old and contains its own power. A talisman can be an amulet or a mirror—or a sword. Travelers can take talismans with them when they cross over to another realm."

"So that's why we ended up owning it."

"You can't own a talisman, Gabriel. Its power exists independently of human greed and desire. We can only use a talisman or pass it on to someone else." Maya looked again at the edge of the sword. "This particular talisman needs to be cleaned and oiled. If you don't mind ..."

"Sure. Go ahead." Gabriel looked embarrassed. "I didn't spend time polishing it."

Maya had brought along supplies to maintain her own sword. Reaching into her suitcase, she picked up a piece of soft
hosho
paper made from the inner bark of a mulberry tree. Willow had taught her how to treat a weapon with respect. She tilted the sword slightly and began to wipe the dirt and smudge marks off the blade.

"I've got some bad news, Gabriel. A few minutes ago I contacted another Harlequin through the Internet. My friend has a spy inside the Tabula organization and he confirms that they've captured your brother."

Gabriel leaned forward in his chair. "What can we do?" he asked. "Where are they holding him?"

"He's being kept at a guarded research facility near New York City. Even if I knew the location, it would be difficult to free him." "Why can't we contact the police?"

"The average policeman might be honest, but that doesn't help our cause. Our enemies are able to manipulate the Vast Machine—the worldwide system of computers that monitors and controls our society"

Gabriel nodded. "My parents called it the Grid."

"The Tabula can break into police computers and insert false reports. They've probably placed a message into the system that you and I are wanted for murder."

"All right, forget about the police. Let's go to where they're keeping Michael."

"I'm just one person, Gabriel. I've hired Hollis to fight, but I don't know if he's reliable. My father used to call fighters `swords.' It's just a different way to count up the people on your side. Right now, I don't have enough swords to attack a research facility defended by the Tabula."

"We've got to help my brother."

"I don't think they'll kill him. The Tabula have a plan that involves something called a quantum computer and the use of a Traveler. They want to train your brother to cross over into other realms. All this is new. I don't know how they're going to do it. Travelers are usually taught by someone called a Pathfinder."

"What's that?"

"Give me a minute and I'll
explain ..
"

Maya checked the blade again and saw a few small scratches and pits in the metal. Only a Japanese expert called a
togishi
could sharpen this weapon. All she could do was
cover
the blade with oil so that it wouldn't rust. Picking up a small brown bottle, she poured oil of cloves on some cotton gauze. The sweet smell of cloves filled the room as she gently wiped the blade. For a second, she knew something with complete certainty. This sword was very powerful. It had killed and would kill again.

"A Pathfinder is a special kind of teacher. Usually it's a person with spiritual training. Pathfinders aren't Travelers—they can't cross over into other realms—but they can help someone who has the gift."

"And where do you find them?"

"My friend has given me the location of a Pathfinder living in Arizona. This person will find out if you have the power."