Tyranny of Coins (The Judas Chronicles) (Volume 5) Paperback (6 page)

“Yes, this is true,” confirmed Roderick.

He released a low sigh and eyed me sullenly, as if forced to re-explain his preferred protocol to an imbecile for the umpteenth time. Unlike the mortals in our midst, he and I had avoided rest and consistent meals the past few days. He was running himself ragged, looking for an alternative solution that wasn’t there. As much as he dreaded it, risking a direct confrontation with Krontos was necessary in gaining an edge.

“Then let’s quit this frigging charade and go to Germany,” said Cedric, to which Amy and Alistair agreed heartily. “William made the same suggestion last night, after you, Roderick, gave us the latest info on the coin’s price. There must be some other way to snag the sucker before the official auction event takes place. There’s still five days to go, and last we heard, the early bid was sitting at eighteen million. It’s probably higher now, since we haven’t heard a damned thing all day!”

“You still fail to understand what Krontos is capable of doing to
all
of us if we disobey his admonishment to stay here!” said Roderick, angrily. “We need to stay put—right here—until he says otherwise. He will summon us to New York again, or even Europe very soon. I’m
certain
of it.”

To Roderick’s credit, he was right. Krontos would likely be enraged if we weren’t relaxing at our Sedona ranch when he made contact again. But I was surprised to find my druid pal’s usual gumption had been sucked dry since the strange experience the other day. Roderick’s growing subservience to Krontos made it increasingly clear the sorcerer’s subtle attack on Roderick’s psyche was successful. My buddy’s normally clear perspective on all things had been muddied.

“So, when the auction takes place in five days, you’re content to just sit here and bid remotely for the Stutthof-Auschwitz coin? And that’s if we can come up with the money,” I said. “You sure you’re ready to simply take your chances from five thousand miles away?”

“Yes,” he said softly, shaking his head as if he understood he couldn’t defend his point of view.

“Meanwhile, we have one of the most diabolical minds you and I have ever dealt with—maybe the worst in all of recorded history—residing in New York, or more likely, someplace in Europe.” I closed my laptop and notepad, signaling my resignation from the bullshit exercise. “He could very well be in Berlin right now. Do you honestly believe Krontos is going to leave the bidding for the coin to chance?”

“Perhaps not. But if we can’t win fairly, he would beat us anyway!”

Roderick’s voice shook, and I worried our adversary had tapped into our latest conversation.

“Well, I’m done, too. I guess we should clean up here and pick out a movie to watch tonight,” said Alistair, closing his laptop. Amy and Beatrice did the same, and I expected Cedric to soon follow. “Pops, we’ll have to see about this coin some other time. Hopefully, it won’t be in some twisted new reality created by Krontos.”

Well done, my boy!

Roderick continued to type updates into his laptop. But I could tell Alistair’s words affected him.

“Is everyone forgetting about the coin photographs and carbon dating reports promised to us from the dealer?” asked Roderick, pleadingly. “We’ll have as much information as anyone physically in Berlin will receive. What if we traveled there and the coin turned out to be a fake?”

“All the more reason to give up now and polish up the Dragon Coin for his highness, Krontos Lazarevic,” I said, rising from the table. “I’m done, my brother.”

“But… but you can’t quit. It’s your coin, and
your
responsibility!”

I was on my way to the splendid plasma television set, wondering if it was too late to place a friendly wager on the Monday night football contest coming on in twenty minutes. But Roderick’s dig could not go unanswered.

“Do you even hear yourself?” I rebuked him, while everyone else began clearing the table. Time to put things back in order. “It is indeed my coin
and
my responsibility, Rod!”

I moved to him and felt overwhelming sadness emanating toward me. He looked up with a bewildered expression, as if he didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to carry out the impulses prompted by something other than his gut. Was it his mind or heart that had been meanly hijacked? Perhaps both?

“I should’ve done this days ago, and as your friend and eternal companion on this earth, I’m doing it now,” I told him. He nodded slightly while his eyes flashed defiantly. But I clearly saw the Roderick of old still in there. “I’m taking over from here on out. Whether you like it or not, we
are
going to Germany, and will leave as soon as I can confirm the arrangements.”

I half expected unseen fingers to invade my personal space. Perhaps something like an acute headache, and Krontos would use his voyeuristic talent to probe inside my brain. But nothing happened.

After making sure Beatrice was up to entertaining Alistair and Amy in my absence, I headed for the office Roderick and I shared. Cedric accosted me before I reached my destination, as I thought he might.

“Man, this is almost too damned jacked-up for me to deal with,” he said, his left fingers caressing a pencil as if it was the cancer stick he craved. “Just promise me that you won’t back down on what you said in there. I remember long ago reading how the Nazi influence in Europe was so gradual the Jews became blind to the encroaching danger—like frogs in warm water that’s steadily brought to a boil. Know what I mean, man?”

“Alistair came home with that fun frog fact when he was a young lad in Glasgow,” I said, chuckling at how the group’s perception of me had gone from bullheaded ass to demure pup, after I allowed Roderick to lead us from Abingdon undeterred. It seemed high time I took the reins again. “Don’t worry about me changing my mind, Cedric. Everything points to us going to Germany, and I‘d need a damned good reason to abort the idea.”

“You’re not worried about Krontos carrying out his earlier threats against Beatrice, Alistair, and the rest of us?” His warm brown eyes danced as he studied my facial reaction to his question. There wasn’t a reaction… at least not a physical one.

“I was,” I admitted. “Until the rose and note shit found its way here. There’s no way to protect my beloved wife and son, as well as you and Amy. Besides, the six airline tickets delivered to us the other day confirmed my hunch he views us as one big happy family. Trying to hide any of you from Krontos will do no good, and might make things exponentially worse.”

“Good. So, we’re definitely traveling with you to Germany. Right?”

“First to New York, and if that goes without a hitch, then yes, we’ll be on our way to Berlin,” I assured him. “Regardless how this turns out, we’re operating as a complete group going forward.

Cedric nodded. “I’ll never forget Paititi, man. Everything seemed perfect until news of the coming war with Bochicha and his son, Hurakan, reached King Bashaan. He dismissed that shit as if it would never get serious enough to worry about,” he said, glancing longingly toward the living room where Beatrice, Amy, and Alistair erupted into boisterous laughter. The tension release called to us both… although I needed to take care of our travel arrangements first. “If Krontos is successful in restoring his Silver Trinity of Death, I believe things will go very badly for all of us. Hell, the entire world will be up shit’s creek if it comes to that.”

Cedric’s voice cracked and he looked like he wanted to add something, but grimaced instead. With a nod, he left me to take care of our travel arrangements. I watched him move back down the hall to the living room, where more laughter drifted toward me.

Fun times, though perhaps not for long. My heart ached, as every decision from now until we reached a permanent resolution carried the potential for lasting happiness or perpetual hell. I muttered a prayer from my youth, asking The Almighty for wisdom and His mercy to envelope us all… and to make sure I didn’t screw this up.

Chapter Six

“What if we are never here again? What if he wins and we lose?”

Beatrice stood facing the sunset from the open doorway to the cabin at the western edge of the ranch’s expanse. Secluded enough to where she could feel comfortable in her negligee, where the sun’s dying rays revealed her taut nakedness beneath white satin lace. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I watched goose bumps rise from the evening’s coolness seeping in from outside, wrestling with the warm blaze in the nearby fireplace. Or, perhaps her skin’s response arose from the mention again of our inevitable face-to-face confrontation with Krontos.

“He won’t win—not in the long run,” I assured her, coming up close behind. I placed my hands gently around her waist to pull her near. She relaxed against my bare chest, and I kissed her softly on the right side of her neck. A slight groan arose from her throat. “I pray we stop him, but unlike previous excursions, it is my foremost priority to keep all of you safe and sound. Then, when our business is done in Germany—and hopefully we win the coin by bid or some other means—I will bring you back to this wonderful place…. When it’s safe enough to be here, of course.”

“Hmmm…. I believe you mean it, William,” she said, her voice husky as my steady assault of tiny kisses resumed. Her native Scottish brogue comes through strongest when incited by heightened passion, be it sex or anger. “But what… what if he’s stronger than you think. He’s… he’s crafty, and I can tell that from my limited… limited….”

“Limited experience with him?” I finished for her, grinning slyly, though she could only catch a glimpse of the impish glow in my eyes as she glanced back at me. I gently brushed her loosened locks aside so she could better see me. “Am I distracting you?”

“You could say that.” She moaned, and tried to turn and face me. But I wasn’t done with her neck yet… time to move on to the other side. “What are you doing to me, my love?”

“Would you like for me to stop?”

“No… no, I don’t.”

“Good, then I’ll continue.” I moved up to her left ear, gently nibbling on the back of it.”

“Oh, my God… you are such a
scoundrel
sometimes, William!”

“You know… if I truly was a lesser man, and wanted to take advantage of you right now, I could damn near hypnotize you simply by seduction, and allay all your fears until we safely returned home,” I said, glancing in the mirror beside the door. Despite all we had been through lately, the virile intensity in my deep blue eyes remained, surely inspired by my wife’s closeness. “What do you think of that?”

“Ah… ahh… I think…. I think it’s bullshit, William.”

And just like that, she was out of my sensual charms and whirling around to face me directly.

“Well, that was fun while it lasted,” I said, wearing the smirk she adores almost as much as she loathes.

“You can pick up where you left off in a moment,” she said, holding me in her fiery gaze. Her emerald eyes burned easily through all my defenses, and now I was the sexually disadvantaged prey. The tables had turned in an instant. “But first, I want the truth about everything we can expect. No bullshit, darling.”

She brushed her hand against my chest, and a rush of tingles swept through me. I daresay had she threatened to tear my fingernails and eyelashes off one by one, as they used to do in Cambodia forty years ago, she wouldn’t have gotten as far as she did with those eyes boring into me. It was as if she could literally see inside my very soul.

“I think I need to sit down.” Truly, I did. Her heat was intoxicating, and I wanted to make sure I told her what she needed to know. Telling her more than that could keep her up the rest of the night. Not to mention, some things presently outside her awareness could prove dangerous if that knowledge influenced her decisions once we entered Kronto’s realm, or the realm of his Hungarian mafia cronies. “Let’s move back to the edge of the bed, and we can sit together while I tell you whatever you want.”

“You sure this isn’t a trick to get me to join you
in
bed?” She laughed softly.

“Well, we’ll have to see where your mood is once we have our little talk,” I said, and moved to close the door. I checked the lock to make sure it was secure. Meanwhile, she waited for me on the bed, and it took my strongest resolve to not ravish her on the spot.

“Was that necessary?” She cooed, pointing at the door. “I’m particularly fond of sunsets here, as you know. It does mean you’ll have to find someway to make it up to me. On
my
terms.”

Her deepening huskiness was driving me nuts… but I needed to stay focused on telling her enough of the truth to count as ‘no bullshit’. Not sure why I suddenly worried about uninvited guests showing up. Those familiar with my physical prowess know I’m unafraid of most predators, since it takes a direct hit to my most-vital organs to kill me. Then again, Beatrice’s remarkable return to full youth had admittedly heightened my protective instincts. No, she’s not a frail-bodied weakling by any stretch. Yet, as mentioned earlier, a mortal wound could kill her—same as it would kill Alistair, Amy, or any other vibrant twenty-something kid.

I worried some of what caused Alistair’s recent youthful perspective of invincibility might also occur in this gorgeous young woman who once managed a tough Scottish pub clientele at the end of World War II. Hell, it was the very thing that attracted me when I first laid eyes on Beatrice as a feisty barmaid.