SoulQuest (8 page)

“H-hey, what are you—”

“Quiet, I have a theory.” Fredericks stared at Bowers’ fingers. Specifically his index finger. He rubbed that finger with his free hand and held it up to Tanus’ face. “Do you see what that is?”

Tanus squinted as he stared at the gloved finger. Flecks of white stood out against the dark cloth. “Is that—?”

“Powder. Someone sprinkled powder on the keypad, so they could see which numerals had fingerprints and determine which numbers were part of the code,” said Fredericks. “And it appears to be quite fresh. This happened recently.”

Bowers scowled. “I had the safe open last night, and the stone was still there. It must have been stolen sometime between then and before I opened the office this morning.”

“So there’s a chance they’re still nearby,” said Tanus.
 

Fredericks considered this. “If this is the work of an outsider they would require a ship. Corvil is quite small, they would have to leave the ship far from the mining outpost in order to avoid attracting attention.”

Tanus shut the safe and engaged the locks. “They may still be in town, you mean.”

Fredericks nodded.
 

“Good,” said Tanus. “I’m going with you.”

“What? Why?” asked Bowers.

“I help him, it shows the company we had nothing to do with the theft,” said Tanus. “And maybe you put in a good word for my boss so he can get back to his family in Serenity.”

Fredericks paused but then nodded. “Yes, I believe that’s an arrangement that can be made—provided we recover the stone.”

“It’s too hot,” said Ekala as she stared out the window of the inn.

“What?” asked Zarim from the bed. He held an old book in his hands, weathered from over-handling. He had picked it up at a used shop in town. “It’s balmy here. Corvil’s nice this time of year.”

“Wasn’t talking about the temp, Zee. I mean stayin’ here. Too hot, we’re runnin’ a risk.”

Zarim nodded. “Yeah, I know. But what choice do we have? We couldn’t bring the Excalibur too close and it’s not like I planned on the sky-cycle’s grav belt going.”

Ekala turned away from the window and sat on the edge of the bed. “Then we leave it. With those other jewels we took from that safe, we can get a new one.”

Zarim shook his head. “No way. That thing’s a classic, worth too much to just leave it behind. Besides, we got away clean. Even if they find it gone, they’ll look inside their own ranks first.”

A knock came on the door. “That’s room service.” Zarim leaned forward and gave Ekala a quick kiss on her cheek as he jumped from the bed and walked to answer. “Trust me, by the time they even begin to suspect someone in town, the grav belt will be fixed and we’ll be back on the Excalibur.”

He opened the door and found himself staring at two men. One was tall and thin, but appeared to be quite athletic and wore a purple suit with a cape and leather helmet. The other was quite large, with broad shoulders, dark skin, and a metallic arm.
 

“I beg to differ.” Fredericks announced his presence with a high kick that knocked Zarim from his feet.

Once the sky pirate got back up, he reacted quickly, reaching for his weapons on the dresser, but Fredericks was quicker. He held his cane up to Zarim’s throat and by activating a switch, the cane began to hum with energy as it began to glow brightly.

“Pulse sword,” said Zarim. “Nice.”

Fredericks smiled. “I’m inclined to agree. Now where is the stone?”

“Right here,” said Ekala.

Fredericks stepped further into the room, moving from the tiny foyer into the larger area. Zarim stepped back with each step forward his opponent took, his eyes still glancing at his weapons on the dresser. Tanus took notice of this as well, and raised his metallic arm, his hand sliding open to reveal the pulse cannon hidden within.

“Don’t even think about it, thief.”

“...Now that’s a neat trick,” said Zarim.

Fredericks glanced at Ekala, who stood on the bed, holding the Soulstone in her hand. Her eyes were hard as steel, not showing the slightest bit of emotion—no fear, no anger, just cool precision. He admired that. Clearly, she was a professional, more adept at this than her boyfriend, who seemed more invested in this on a personal level.

“This is just a job, okay?” she said. “Take the stone and let us go.”

“Ekala, what are you doing?” asked Zarim.

“Trust me, Zee,” she said.

“Zarim and Ekala, famed sky pirates,” said Fredericks. “I’m inclined to tell you, this is quite an honor, having the opportunity to meet you both. If only we had more time to get acquainted.”

“Just give us the stone and everything will be okay,” said Tanus.
 

“Sure, it’s right here.” Ekala tossed the stone and it seemed to move through the air in slow-motion. When she threw the stone, she also threw something else with her free hand, several smoke pellets that struck the wall and exploded in Tanus and Fredericks’ faces. She jumped from the bed, moving for the window after obtaining both her and Zarim’s weapons belts.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zarim twisted away from Fredericks’ pulse sword, delivering a knife-hand strike to the masked man’s collarbone. He snaked between Fredericks and Tanus, jumping up and locking his fingertips on the free-floating stone, then directed all his strength into a kick that knocked Tanus against the wall. Zarim jumped for the bed, bouncing on the mattress and then landed by the window beside Ekala.
 

“Next time, we leave the sky-cycle, got it?” she said before climbing out the window. She grabbed the ledge above, pulling herself onto the roof.

“You’re the boss.” Zarim followed her, climbing up to the roof behind her.
 

Inside the room, the smoke faded and Tanus gestured to the window. “Go after them, I’ll try to get to the roof from inside!”

Fredericks slid his cane into his belt and moved swiftly. He jumped through the window and grabbed the overhead ledge. He used his momentum to pull himself up , flipping in the air and landing onto the roof in a crouch. He drew the cane once more and activated the pulse sword again.

“This is the end of the line, my compatriots,” he said. “You cannot escape me.”

“Wanna bet?” asked Zarim. He and Ekala broke into a sprint for the roof’s edge with Fredericks giving chase. But before they could reach the end, the rooftop entrance burst open and Tanus aimed his pulse cannon at the pair of them.

“Not so fast,” he said.
 

“So what now, boss?” asked Zarim.

“Think you can take that guy with one hand?” asked Ekala.

Zarim shrugged. “Worth a shot.”

She slipped Zarim’s gun into his free hand. He opened fire on Fredericks, but the masked man waved his sword, slicing it right through the bullet. Zarim’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I think I just realized who it is we’re dealing with, babe...”

“Yeah, an’ who’s that?” she asked.

“Templar,” said Zarim. The very long, quite creative stream of expletives that flowed from Ekala’s mouth made him realize just how much trouble they were in. Templar himself simply smiled.

“My, my, my, it seems my reputation precedes me. I’ve often speculated as to which of us would prove to be the superior swordsman. Care to try your luck, Zarim?”

“I’ll draw the big guy’s fire, you shoot that smug bastard!” Ekala jumped towards Tanus, hurling one of her boomerangs at his head. Tanus, despite his size, was quite swift and dodged it. But he wasn’t prepared as it swung around and struck him in the back. Ekala threw the second boomerang, but Tanus fired a pulse at it, stopping it dead in its tracks.

“Got no more weapons, do you, darling?” he asked.

Ekala just smiled, her hand snaking behind her back and drawing her throwing knives. “Wanna bet on that?”

The knives flew from her fingers, and Tanus tried to shoot as many of them as he could, but missed two of them. He raised his metallic arm as a shield, the daggers striking it and bouncing off the frame. He took aim again and fired. Ekala back-flipped to avoid it, now trying to determine what to do next. She thought about a different route.

“So tell me, how much is Templar paying you?” she asked.

“What are you talking about?” asked Tanus. “Who’s Templar?”

Ekala chuckled. “Seriously? He’s only one of the finest thieves in the entire world!
And
the guy you’re working with!”

Tanus raised his cannon. “This is a trick.”

She shook her head. “No trick, handsome. All of us are thieves. Difference is, we’re after that stone for someone who can use it for good. Templar’s after it for...well, I dunno
why
he’s after it, to be honest.”

Tanus glanced over at Templar, watching him and Zarim fight. His eyes traveled back to Ekala. “How about we wait this one out for a few moments?”

“Fine by me.”

Templar definitely lived up to his reputation as an expert swordsman. Zarim fired several shots to open the battle, but Templar was able to either dodge them or expertly deflect the rounds with his pulse sword. Zarim tossed the gun away and drew his own blade and Templar smiled.

“Now we’re getting somewhere.”

The two men closed the distance between each other, their blades connecting with a burst of energy and sparks as steel met pulse. Zarim pulled away first and thrust at Templar’s ribs. Templar twisted, the blade narrowly missing Zarim’s back. He followed through with his movement, doing a complete turn and swinging his pulse sword from low to high, trying to slice Zarim from the waist to the shoulder.

Zarim bent backwards, and the pulse sword passed over him. He righted himself and kicked Templar in the chest and then moved for another thrust. Templar deflected with his blade, then jumped over Zarim and swung again. Zarim spun, parrying Templar’s blade with his own. The two men took a few steps away from each other, each sizing the other up, each taking a brief reprieve to catch their breath.

“You are every bit as good as the legends say,” said Templar.

“Not too bad yourself,” said Zarim. “Nice pulse sword by the way. Where’d you get that?”

“Fancy it, do you? It’s custom,” said Templar.

“You’ll have to tell me where to find the guy who made it.”

Templar grinned. “And ruin my unique image? Not a chance, friend.” He raised his pulse blade up. “Round two?”

Zarim nodded, lifting up his own sword. “I’m just gettin’ started.”

A pulse burst kept the pair apart, though. Tanus stepped towards them, holding his cannon at the ready with Ekala by his side. He focused his gaze on Templar, and he didn’t appear the least bit pleased. “I think we’ve had enough for now. I’ve still got some questions that need answering. Such as why the company would employ a known thief.”

Templar grinned again. He deactivated the pulse sword, and one of his hands quickly moved to his belt, activating a small device. “Oh, that. Well, you see here’s the thing, Mr. Dreyer. I’m not really working for your company. I was hired to obtain that stone for a very, very important person. Someone who pays quite handsomely, might I add.”

“And you?” asked Tanus, glancing over to Zarim.

“We were hired, too. But we’re not doing it for money—”

Ekala buried her face in her hands. “Please don’t say it, you’re gonna make me look stupid...”

“—We’re doing it to save the world,” said Zarim.

“...aaaand there it is.”

“Right, and I’m supposed to believe that,” said Tanus. “Here’s what’s happening. You’re gonna give me that stone. I found it in the mines owned by my company, that means they have the rights to it. You boys want to get it, you can work out an agreement with them.”

“Anyone else hear that?” asked Ekala.

Both Zarim and Tanus listened and they could hear it, too. It was the sound of a propeller and the grinding of an engine. Templar just smiled. He lunged for Zarim, activating his pulse sword as he did and driving his blade right through Zarim’s side. The pirate doubled over and the Soulstone rolled from his slackening grip. It came to a stop against Templar’s foot and he kicked it up, catching it in his hand.
 

“I am afraid I must bid you all a fond farewell, but have heart, we shall meet again, of that I am sure.” Templar bowed gracefully and ran to the edge of the roof, jumping off.

“Wait!” cried Tanus, but shortly after Templar fell out of sight, he appeared again, rising up. He stood on the wing of a small, single-passenger plane with a propeller at the front end. Templar saluted them and jumped into the open cockpit, then flew off into the sky.
 

Ekala ran to Zarim, checking to see if he was severely wounded. “C’mon baby, stay with me.”

“Let me see him,” said Tanus, approaching the pair. His cannon retreated into his arm on his approach. Ekala took a moment to consider this and then allowed the former soldier to examine her partner. Tanus saw that the wound had been cauterized by the pulse sword. And where the strike was, it seemed like no organs were hit. “Tell me how you feel?”

“Been better,” said Zarim. “Feels like I just did a belly-flop on a campfire.”

“Looks like he wasn’t tryin’ to kill you, just wound you to cover his escape,” said Tanus. “He’s good. But we should still get you to a doctor just to be sure.”

Tanus hefted Zarim in his arms, rising up. Ekala stood before him. “Wait, what’s this
we
stuff?”

“That stone is my company’s property,” said Tanus. “I need to get it back from Templar. And I have a feeling you plan on doing the same. So we might as well help each other.”

“Why should we trust you?”

“Because either I help you and your boyfriend out of this mess in exchange for tagging along, or I take him to the magistrate instead of the doctor. Your choice.”

“Y’know what they say...” muttered Zarim through gritted teeth. “The more the merrier.”

Once Templar reached Serenity, he knew of a private airfield where he could leave his plane. He rented a hangar there for just such occasions, and rented out numerous other places as well all over the world. It never hurt to have plenty of ground to go to in the event one needed to find a place to hide. Hitting the tarmac, Templar steered the plane down the runway, decreasing the speed on the throttle until skidding to a stop. He climbed out of the plane and pushed it towards his hangar, opening the door and rolling it inside. Templar went back to the cockpit and retrieved both his cane and the satchel containing the Soulstone, then removed his mask, folded it neatly, and placed it inside his jacket.