Ibenus (Valducan series) by Seth Skorkowsky Read Free Book Online Page A

coveted away from those who could appreciate it?
    Gerhard closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the glass. Had Alex relayed his message to the buyer? If so, why hadn't he called?
    Probably not enough time yet , he answered to himself, but it didn't satisfy the nagging question. The dreams before, when Gerhard hadn't yet touched the keris or known its name were only that, dreams. In the two nights since, they had evolved into something else, so vivid, so real that he could still feel Umatri in his hand as together they slew monsters.
    He opened his eyes. Below, a single car cruised the empty street, riding the line between the envied and the envious.
    Gerhard looked to the phone on the table, its green LED pulsing as it charged. Alexander Turgen's crisp white card rested beside it, its face stark, marred by nothing more than name and phone number in raised sans-serif type.
    Maybe I missed a call , he hoped, picking the phone up. The screen only verified what he already knew. Without giving himself time to think, he called the old man's number.
    Fear seized his chest as it rang. What was he doing? It was two in the morning. He wanted to hang up, but Caller ID would have already betrayed him. He won't answer. I'll just leave a message .
    The ringing stopped.
    "Hello?" a husky voice asked.
    "Uh…Mister Turgen, I'm sorry…but—"
    "Gerhard," he said with an audible smile. "Please, call me Alex."
    "I…I didn't mean to disturb you, Alex. I apologize. My phone…"
    "It's quite all right, my friend. I was expecting your call. How may I help you?"
    "Well." Gerhard licked his lips. "I was wondering if you've spoken with the buyer yet, about Umatri."
    "I have spoken with the new owner, yes." There was a mischief to the old man's voice.
    "Yes?"
    "And Umatri is yours."
    "But…I…how much?"
    "No money," Alex said. "It's yours. The weapon has chosen you and you may have it."
    "What?" he asked, unable to unwilling to believe the old man. This was a joke? Some cruel payback for a late night call?
    "It's yours, Gerhard. But you must do one thing."
    "And that is?" Excited tingles danced across his skin. Surely this was a joke. But he couldn't help himself.
    "You must come pick it up. Leave in the morning for Brussels. Tell no one where you are going. You must stay one week. After that, Umatri is yours and you may do whatever you wish."
    "A week? Mister Turgen, I can't—"
    "For Umatri," he interrupted. "You can."
    Gerhard's supervisor wouldn't let him have a week off. It wasn't possible. He'd lose his job. He'd lose everything. Everything but Umatri . He'd already planned to spend his savings on it. How was this different? "All right," he said, finally. "One week."
    "Excellent. I'll pick you up at the station when you arrive."
     
     

Chapter Six
     
    Victoria sat silent on the bench seat, staring out the window as they followed empty streets lined with sleeping houses. The giant black man was driving. She'd recognized his voice and that iron mace from Manchester. The other one had called him Luc. A slip. His face looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. Maybe from one of the internet videos, but she knew that wasn't it. The short-haired Englishman with the Egyptian sword had admitted he was the one who had tried to save James after leading them into that godforsaken building. Victoria had assumed that the redhead, Sam– a second slip– had been the last of their team; likely the van's driver in Manchester. If only she'd been prepared for the fourth member, the dark-haired woman now seated behind her with an unsheathed sword. Victoria had assumed there were three and, as her old IPLDP instructor had drilled into their heads, to ‘assume makes an ass of you and me.’
    They'd handcuffed her wrists in front and not behind her back, thank God. With some luck, she might be able to grab the door handle, maybe a weapon if there was an opening. They also hadn't killed her. But what of the elderly man living in the house they'd