The Professor sat in a booth near the back, sipping on some beer. He waved to Shay, and she gave him a polite nod back before making her way to him.
“A wonderful evening, isn’t it, Miss Carson?”
Shay slid into the booth and glanced at the menu even though she wasn’t here for the food. “The smog count is low. I’ll take it as a win.”
“Get a few more beers in you, and I suspect you’ll find it as wonderful as I do. Life’s always better when you don’t take it so seriously.”
The Professor’s red cheeks weren’t all that different than normal, but she still found herself questioning how much the alcohol even affected the man. His Father O’Banion persona seemed more out of control, but Shay couldn’t shake the feeling that the man was manipulating people with his drunken image.
“I’m not really here to drink. I’m here because I’ve heard you have a job for me, and I’m a greedy woman who loves money.” Shay smirked.
“Aye, I do. I was very satisfied with your Peruvian performance, and so I’m interested in you gathering something else for me. It’s a somewhat time-sensitive matter, which is why I’ve asked you directly rather than checking around.”
Shay shrugged. “If the pay is right, I’ll grab whatever you need as quickly as you need it.”
The Professor smiled and gulped down some more beer. “Are you familiar with the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in India?”
“Only that there are a number of vaults there, and they used to be filled with treasure. Jewels, coins, idols made of precious metals collected over the centuries. The works. They discovered several hidden vaults, too. I’ve heard some rumors though that they’ve opened even the hidden vaults and removed most of the treasure since the initial discoveries in the past couple decades.”
A disappointed look spread over the man’s face. “Aye, they have. There was no way they could leave all that treasure in there when people were already finding ways inside, including hidden tunnels. Most of the precious objects not used in rituals have already been relocated to protect them from thieves.”
Shay furrowed her brow. “But not all of the treasure? That’s the job? The left-over treasure?”
“Oh, I’m not interested jewels and gold. I’ve access to more money than I could ever drink, and I can drink a lot.”
“You’re saying there’s an artifact inside?”
The Professor nodded. “It’s come to my attention that technology is insufficient to uncover all the vaults in the temple. There is yet another hidden vault that is… Well, the best way to explain it is to note that it’s folded atop the existing space magically. That is there are two vaults occupying one space.”
“That’s different. Sounds kind of annoying for the architect.”
The Professor chuckled, shaking a finger at her. “Aye.”
“And how does a woman, say your friendly greedy tomb raider, get to said second vault, then?”
“To access the other vault, you’ll need another artifact. A flute.”
Shay blew out a breath. This was already getting way more complicated than the Peru job. “A flute? That’s…different. Okay, any line on the thing? Or is this a two-part deal?”
The man grinned. “Oh, that’s not an issue. I already have the flute, and I’m more than happy to loan it to you.” The Professor let out a quiet chuckle. “Just don’t lose it, Miss Carson. It’s rather valuable.”
Shay snorted. “I’m not the kind of woman who loses things, especially artifacts.”
“No, I suppose you’re not.” The Professor drained the last of his beer. “You shouldn’t use the flute until you get to the first vault.”
“How does it work? I don’t know how to play any type of flute. If it needs a specific tune, I’m screwed.”
“It’s not so complicated. Just blow on it. Well, you could try and use it before, but you’ll end up dead.” The Professor shrugged. “Don’t do that, please. You’re too pretty to die so young.”
Shay nodded. “Okay, duly noted.”
“I’ll need you to infiltrate the hidden tunnels beneath the main temple, make your way to the hidden vault, and then use the flute to transfer yourself to the target vault. I even have a perfect route for you to take. Once you agree to the job, I’ll share the information with you.”
Shay nodded. “Seems simple enough, but I’m not gonna lie. I’m surprised you’re offering me a job like this.”
The Professor’s eyebrows rose. “Surprised?”
“That place is still active and in use. This isn’t tomb raiding. It’s more like…”
“Robbery?”
Shay shrugged easily. She knew some killers for hire wouldn’t steal a dime. In tomb raiding she found it to be a grey area. “I’m not saying I won’t do it, but this sort of thing doesn’t strike me as your style.”
The Professor glanced to his side as a waitress approached with another glass of beer. She set it in front of the man.
They knew him so well at the pub he didn’t even have to ask for a refill. He was personally responsible for the owner’s kids being able to afford the better summer camp.
Smite-Williams swallowed down most of his new drink. “You’re right, Miss Carson. Normally, I wouldn’t ask for someone to take something already being guarded in a sense, but there is an object inside that vault that is too dangerous to be left where it is. My flute isn’t the only way to find the final vault, and the temple’s security has always been lackluster.”
The Professor sighed. “Which is why they had to remove the gold and jewels inside of the hidden vaults. I have zero confidence they can defend an artifact they likely don’t even know is inside their temple.”
“What’s inside that’s such a big deal?”
“A small figurine depicting the four-armed blue-skinned form of the god Vishnu sleeping atop a golden serpent, specifically, Adishesha, the King of all Nagas.” The Professor furrowed his brow. “Are you familiar with nagas?”
“Snake beings, right? Not evil inherently, or anything, but more powerful than humans, and some were just as cruel and dangerous as us. They were particularly known
