Outside was dark. Blackness. He tried not to think of the endless ocean beneath them. Yet the horrible fantasy that something would happen, something rendering Allan incapable of piloting, and leaving him to somehow man the controls, kept playing through his mind. The jolting turbulence was worse at the front, and each bump and shimmy fueled his imagination.
“ That’s a pretty cool trick you do with Ibenus,” he said, breaking the latest mental scenario. This one involved freezing in the North Atlantic with a severed leg. “How does it work?”
Allan shrugged. His voice came in through the headphones. “I just swing and step. Nothing to it.”
“ How far can you go like that?”
“ Just a couple steps. Not far, but enough to keep a demon off me.”
“ Or a shooter.”
The Englishman chuckled. “That, too.”
“ I’d like to check it out sometime, if you don’t mind. I’ve never seen another holy weapon before.”
Allan ’s face tensed. He licked his lips, and grinned, turning his head toward Matt. “No problem. Mind if I shoot Dämoren?”
A sharp pang shot th rough Matt’s gut. Anger mixed with insult. His jaw tightened.
Allan laughed. “Not that easy is it? It’s like admiring another man’s wife. Innocent enough until he says he’d like to shag yours.”
“ Yeah.” Matt grinned, his jealousy melting. “Never mind. Sorry about that.”
“ Don’t worry. I did the same thing when I first hooked up with the Order. Thought Marcus was going to take my head off when I’d asked him.”
“ Marcus?”
Allan nodded, running a hand over the bandages at his neck. “One of the knights who showed me the ropes. Big guy. Had this Norse axe.” He paused. “He was among the ones killed in Bulgaria.”
Matt remembered the crime photos, wondering which of the mangled bodies was Allan’s friend. His blood had made the streaked glyphs, and dogs had chewed his corpse. “I’m sorry.”
Allan only nodded.
Minutes passed.
“So,” Matt said, breaking the silence. “How did you get into this line of work?”
Allan smiled. “Still nervous about flying?”
“ Just answer the question.”
“ Fine.” He lifted a water bottle from a holder beside his seat and took a swig. “My great-great-grandfather was an Egyptologist, which is really just a polite term for grave-robber.”
“ Huh?”
“ Well, at the time Egyptian artifacts were very popular, and the prospect of pharaohs’ hoards buried under the sand was very enticing. So he made several expeditions down, and became quite wealthy stocking museums and private collections with the treasures.” He tipped the plastic bottle to his lips again, then put it back into the holder.
“ During his last expedition, in 1903, they discovered a hidden temple near Thebes. It was dedicated to Horus, a hawk-headed god.” Allan made a beak-like gesture in front of his face. “Inside they found a trove of artifacts. Priceless. They split the treasure up and took it back to England. He sold some, but kept several of the more impressive pieces for his collection, including Ibenus.
“ Years later my father’s uncle inherited the estate. We used to go out to the country to visit every summer. And as early as I can remember, I was fascinated with the sword. It was weathered. Hadn’t slain a demon in three thousand years, but I was entranced.” Allan gave a toothy smile. “When I was twelve I picked the lock to its case. Uncle caught me playing, swinging Ibenus around. Wonder I didn’t break anything. I thought he was going to kill me. Really did. That was the last time I was allowed near the antique room. Then, when I was seventeen, my uncle passed away. His estate was split amongst the family, but he willed me Ibenus. That, and the cost of an Egyptology degree at Liverpool.”
Matt shrugged. “Doesn’t sound too bad.”
“ I took fencing. Specialized in saber. I tried to dedicate myself to my studies, but became more and more distracted.”
“
“ That’s a pretty cool trick you do with Ibenus,” he said, breaking the latest mental scenario. This one involved freezing in the North Atlantic with a severed leg. “How does it work?”
Allan shrugged. His voice came in through the headphones. “I just swing and step. Nothing to it.”
“ How far can you go like that?”
“ Just a couple steps. Not far, but enough to keep a demon off me.”
“ Or a shooter.”
The Englishman chuckled. “That, too.”
“ I’d like to check it out sometime, if you don’t mind. I’ve never seen another holy weapon before.”
Allan ’s face tensed. He licked his lips, and grinned, turning his head toward Matt. “No problem. Mind if I shoot Dämoren?”
A sharp pang shot th rough Matt’s gut. Anger mixed with insult. His jaw tightened.
Allan laughed. “Not that easy is it? It’s like admiring another man’s wife. Innocent enough until he says he’d like to shag yours.”
“ Yeah.” Matt grinned, his jealousy melting. “Never mind. Sorry about that.”
“ Don’t worry. I did the same thing when I first hooked up with the Order. Thought Marcus was going to take my head off when I’d asked him.”
“ Marcus?”
Allan nodded, running a hand over the bandages at his neck. “One of the knights who showed me the ropes. Big guy. Had this Norse axe.” He paused. “He was among the ones killed in Bulgaria.”
Matt remembered the crime photos, wondering which of the mangled bodies was Allan’s friend. His blood had made the streaked glyphs, and dogs had chewed his corpse. “I’m sorry.”
Allan only nodded.
Minutes passed.
“So,” Matt said, breaking the silence. “How did you get into this line of work?”
Allan smiled. “Still nervous about flying?”
“ Just answer the question.”
“ Fine.” He lifted a water bottle from a holder beside his seat and took a swig. “My great-great-grandfather was an Egyptologist, which is really just a polite term for grave-robber.”
“ Huh?”
“ Well, at the time Egyptian artifacts were very popular, and the prospect of pharaohs’ hoards buried under the sand was very enticing. So he made several expeditions down, and became quite wealthy stocking museums and private collections with the treasures.” He tipped the plastic bottle to his lips again, then put it back into the holder.
“ During his last expedition, in 1903, they discovered a hidden temple near Thebes. It was dedicated to Horus, a hawk-headed god.” Allan made a beak-like gesture in front of his face. “Inside they found a trove of artifacts. Priceless. They split the treasure up and took it back to England. He sold some, but kept several of the more impressive pieces for his collection, including Ibenus.
“ Years later my father’s uncle inherited the estate. We used to go out to the country to visit every summer. And as early as I can remember, I was fascinated with the sword. It was weathered. Hadn’t slain a demon in three thousand years, but I was entranced.” Allan gave a toothy smile. “When I was twelve I picked the lock to its case. Uncle caught me playing, swinging Ibenus around. Wonder I didn’t break anything. I thought he was going to kill me. Really did. That was the last time I was allowed near the antique room. Then, when I was seventeen, my uncle passed away. His estate was split amongst the family, but he willed me Ibenus. That, and the cost of an Egyptology degree at Liverpool.”
Matt shrugged. “Doesn’t sound too bad.”
“ I took fencing. Specialized in saber. I tried to dedicate myself to my studies, but became more and more distracted.”
“
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