Read Online Seti's Heart by Kiernan Kelly - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kiernan Kelly
Tags: Gay & Lesbian
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that tell you?”
Silence returned, thick and heavy with unspoken disbelief. “Surely you jest. Must I remind you of how little patience I have? Levity will get you killed, Perry.”
“Do I sound as if I’m joking? Your threats mean nothing to me at this point, Ethan,” Perry hissed, spittle coating the telephone receiver. “You were wrong! I’ve asked you repeatedly over the years to let me verify your research-”
“My data was sound, Perry, and my translation was accurate. The curse will be broken in exactly one month from today. You tire me with your incessant worrying.”
Perry snorted, a dry, humorless sound. “It appears that your translation is flawed, Ethan. Your dates are off by thirty days. That sarcophagus was broken out of, not into. He’s come back, and now he’s loose in New York.”
“That’s impossible!”
“Evidently not. This is what comes of your pretentious, arrogant, supercilious attitude, Ethan. You never trusted any of us with the translations. You had to prove that you were the most brilliant, the most crucial to our cause. You were so afraid that one of us might find an error in your work that-”
“Enough! I didn’t waste my time and fortune only to have victory snatched from my hands by a few days! If it’s true that Seti has returned, then he couldn’t have gotten far. He would have no idea of where he is, of what the world had become in his absence. He’d stick out like a naked thumb on the street. Find him.”
“I’m certain that he’s with my assistant, Logan-”
“Your assistant? Do you have any idea of what might happen if he talks to anyone about who and what Seti is?” Perry could hear the fury fueled by fear rising in Ethan’s voice. His carefully cultured voice became strained and strident. It was almost worth losing Seti just to hear Ethan Wilder lose his composure.
“I’ve already sent security to find them-”
“Kindly tell me you weren’t stupid enough to tell your rent-a-cops anything!”
“Of course not. I may not be the exalted Ethan Wilder, but I’m not an idiot. I told them that my new assistant had stolen a valuable gold torc – the one Seti should be wearing. When they find Logan and Seti, they’re to bring them both back to me.”
“Everything we’ve worked for these last fifty years hinges on finding him, Perry. He’s an Immortal. The secret to everlasting life runs through his veins. I want that secret, Perry.”
“So do I, Ethan.”
“Then find him!”
“I will. But I need you to tap into your vast resources. Find out all you can about Logan Ashton, my assistant. Who are his friends? Where is his family? If security comes back without Seti, I need to know where to send them next. I need to know where Logan would go for help.”
“I’ll get back to you as soon as I get the information. And, Perry? Do not fuck this up. Seti was your responsibility, and I will not let such failure go unpunished.”
The phone went dead as the connection was broken, leaving Perry listening to dead air.
Dead, just like Perry himself would be soon enough, if they didn’t find Seti. He’d been battling liver disease for years, hoping and praying that it didn’t kill him before Seti’s awakening.
Fifty years ago, five scientists working on a dig in Egypt had discovered a tomb buried in the sand. No pyramid marked the grave, and yet the sarcophagus had clearly been that of someone of high status. The tomb chamber was an anomaly – its seals had been completely intact with no signs of pilfering by thieves, and yet no artifacts aside from the sarcophagus had been found within it. No utensils or pottery, no riches that normally littered such a site were in evidence. Whoever the mummy had been in life, he had been buried without any of the luxuries he’d left behind.
Strange hieroglyphics had been carved into the base of the sarcophagus, markings that were not easily translated, even with the help of the Rosetta Stone.
Silence returned, thick and heavy with unspoken disbelief. “Surely you jest. Must I remind you of how little patience I have? Levity will get you killed, Perry.”
“Do I sound as if I’m joking? Your threats mean nothing to me at this point, Ethan,” Perry hissed, spittle coating the telephone receiver. “You were wrong! I’ve asked you repeatedly over the years to let me verify your research-”
“My data was sound, Perry, and my translation was accurate. The curse will be broken in exactly one month from today. You tire me with your incessant worrying.”
Perry snorted, a dry, humorless sound. “It appears that your translation is flawed, Ethan. Your dates are off by thirty days. That sarcophagus was broken out of, not into. He’s come back, and now he’s loose in New York.”
“That’s impossible!”
“Evidently not. This is what comes of your pretentious, arrogant, supercilious attitude, Ethan. You never trusted any of us with the translations. You had to prove that you were the most brilliant, the most crucial to our cause. You were so afraid that one of us might find an error in your work that-”
“Enough! I didn’t waste my time and fortune only to have victory snatched from my hands by a few days! If it’s true that Seti has returned, then he couldn’t have gotten far. He would have no idea of where he is, of what the world had become in his absence. He’d stick out like a naked thumb on the street. Find him.”
“I’m certain that he’s with my assistant, Logan-”
“Your assistant? Do you have any idea of what might happen if he talks to anyone about who and what Seti is?” Perry could hear the fury fueled by fear rising in Ethan’s voice. His carefully cultured voice became strained and strident. It was almost worth losing Seti just to hear Ethan Wilder lose his composure.
“I’ve already sent security to find them-”
“Kindly tell me you weren’t stupid enough to tell your rent-a-cops anything!”
“Of course not. I may not be the exalted Ethan Wilder, but I’m not an idiot. I told them that my new assistant had stolen a valuable gold torc – the one Seti should be wearing. When they find Logan and Seti, they’re to bring them both back to me.”
“Everything we’ve worked for these last fifty years hinges on finding him, Perry. He’s an Immortal. The secret to everlasting life runs through his veins. I want that secret, Perry.”
“So do I, Ethan.”
“Then find him!”
“I will. But I need you to tap into your vast resources. Find out all you can about Logan Ashton, my assistant. Who are his friends? Where is his family? If security comes back without Seti, I need to know where to send them next. I need to know where Logan would go for help.”
“I’ll get back to you as soon as I get the information. And, Perry? Do not fuck this up. Seti was your responsibility, and I will not let such failure go unpunished.”
The phone went dead as the connection was broken, leaving Perry listening to dead air.
Dead, just like Perry himself would be soon enough, if they didn’t find Seti. He’d been battling liver disease for years, hoping and praying that it didn’t kill him before Seti’s awakening.
Fifty years ago, five scientists working on a dig in Egypt had discovered a tomb buried in the sand. No pyramid marked the grave, and yet the sarcophagus had clearly been that of someone of high status. The tomb chamber was an anomaly – its seals had been completely intact with no signs of pilfering by thieves, and yet no artifacts aside from the sarcophagus had been found within it. No utensils or pottery, no riches that normally littered such a site were in evidence. Whoever the mummy had been in life, he had been buried without any of the luxuries he’d left behind.
Strange hieroglyphics had been carved into the base of the sarcophagus, markings that were not easily translated, even with the help of the Rosetta Stone.
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