The spymaster paused to see how his listeners were taking the news. They stirred uncomfortably but raised no objection.
Joshua pressed on. “I want you to perform your tasks quickly and cleanly. Shem, you’re to dispatch Sister Hannah with a single shot to the head or the heart. Be as quiet as you possibly can. I’ll do likewise with my father. Paul, you must shoot Daniel through the temple and place your gun in his hand afterward. You’ll leave the suicide note next to his body where it can be easily found.”
Paul and Shem nodded that they understood.
“After you’ve finished, leave the building and meet back inside my car. We’ll drive to the gates together.” Joshua now transferred his attention to Enoch and Lemuel. “That’s where you two come in.”
“You’ll want us to let you out,” Enoch offered.
“Yes,” Joshua agreed. “I also want you to alert Lieutenant Matthew that something is amiss.
“It’s Commander Matthew now,” Shem corrected in a whisper.
Joshua felt momentarily irritated that Matthew had usurped his place. “No matter. You’ll tell him that you saw Brother Daniel on the security monitors sneaking around after curfew. He went to the guest quarters and then to the diviner’s room before going back to his own. You believe he should be questioned.”
“And when somebody checks on him, they’ll find him dead,” Lemuel concluded.
“Exactly,” the spymaster concurred. “I’ll arrive the following morning escorted by Shem and Paul to say that the diviner summoned me back. He had a change of heart about my banishment and confided that Daniel had succumbed to the ways of the Fallen. Father Abraham wanted to appoint me scion in his place.”
“Between your statement and the suicide note, nobody will question your right to the title,” Paul said.
They all fell silent as they pondered the grim undertaking ahead of them.
Sensing their mood, Joshua said, “I know this is a great deal to ask of you, my brothers. But remember, the very salvation of our souls is at stake. If my father and Daniel have their way and violate God’s plan for the Blessed Nephilim, we will all be damned. I can’t stand by and watch that happen. Can you?”
The four stood up straighter, imbued with a sense of their divine mission.
Enoch spoke up for the group. “No, sir, you’re right. There is no other way but this.”
“Though blood must be spilled, it is sacrificial blood that will redeem us all. Remember that,” Joshua exhorted them. “Now, let us bow our heads and pray for God’s blessing as we carry out his will.”
Chapter 47—Waffles for Lunch
“So, this is it, huh?” Chris sat on the circular bench in the Rare Book Exhibit and regarded his friend quizzically.
“I guess.” Daniel avoided meeting his eyes.
“The moment of truth,” the librarian persisted.
“I wish you wouldn’t put it like that.” The scion shifted uncomfortably, pretending to inspect the contents of his sandwich.
“OK, I’ll rephrase: tomorrow you leave for Sweden to collect the Sage Stone.” Chris sipped his soda through a straw, waiting for the scion to respond.
The two had bought lunch from a nearby fast food restaurant and carried it up to their favorite hideout on the top floor of the library. Given the sensitive topic they were discussing, the best option for privacy was inside the locked exhibit room.
Daniel changed the subject. “All this waiting. I hate it. We’ve been back from Scandinavia for two whole weeks now. My father wouldn’t commit to a date for the rendezvous with the Arkana until now.”
The librarian frowned. “I thought nabbing the Sage Stone was your dad’s be-all and end-all. Why do you think he’s dragged his feet this long?”
“There’s only one reason I can think of.” Daniel heaved a weary sigh. “He needed more time to get his operatives in place. I’m sure he’ll give them the order to dispense the plague virus the minute he has the Sage Stone in his possession. Erik told me all the details of his horrible scheme.”
“It sounds unbelievable. And you’re sure Erik got his facts straight?”
The scion hung his head. “I wish he didn’t, but I’ve heard rumors circulating around the compound that say as much. Some of the chosen men can’t seem to resist bragging to their wives about an important secret mission. Besides, Hannah confirmed it independently. My father still comes to visit her. Sometimes he rambles on about their glorious future together. In the process, he’s let slip a few facts about the destruction of the Fallen.”
Chris popped a handful of fries into his mouth. “Then it’s all up to you.”
Daniel rewrapped half an uneaten sandwich. He’d lost his appetite. “This is a terrible, terrible situation!”
“Agreed.” The librarian watched him closely. “But you haven’t answered my question. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know!” Daniel cried. He leapt to his feet and began pacing. “I realize my father’s plan to destroy the Fallen is utter madness. Allowing him to take possession of the Sage Stone would be criminal on my part.”
“I don’t see why you’re having such a hard time with this.” Chris wiped the grease from his fingers with a napkin.
“Because giving the relic to the Arkana might be even worse!”
The librarian glanced up from his lunch, puzzled. “How can you possibly think that?’
“They’re a covert organization too. They’ve never told me the scope of their operation, but Leroy Hunt believes they may well be even more powerful than the Nephilim. The only reason they haven’t moved against us so far is because they need us. We hold four of the artifacts necessary to retrieve the Sage Stone. Once that leverage is gone, the Arkana may decide to exact revenge. My father certainly deserves
