“If this isn’t a good time, perhaps I could come back later.” The womanreached for the door control.
Leah wanted to force the issue and find out if Command would put her back on ice again. Unfortunately she felt certain the answer was yes.
“Come in,” Leah said. She threw her feet over the side of the bed and sat up.
As the woman entered the room, the door slid shut and locked behind her. “I’mLyra Darius.”
The name didn’t mean anything to Leah. Of course, it could have been analias. People in her line of work often had two or a dozen names.
“I’m afraid there aren’t any chairs.” Leah waved to the bunk opposite the oneshe sat in.
Lyra sat without hesitation. “So,” she said in an amiable manner, “here weare.”
Leah waited.
“I asked to debrief you,” Lyra said.
“I don’t know you.”
“Nor should you. We’ve never met.”
“Why are we meeting now?”
“Because, like you, I have an affinity with the Templar. I outed PatrickSumerisle from the Home Office Ministry before he died at the Battle of All Hallows’ Eve.”
THIRTY-NINE
“I was the one who confirmed the existence of the Templar,” Lyra Dariuscontinued. “Until I discovered that proof, they’d just been a myth, an urbanlegend that had been handed down from the days of King Arthur.”
Leah’s attention sharpened. “How did you manage that?”
Lyra smiled. “It was more luck than skill. As you know, the Templar are quitethe masterminds when it comes to covert matters.”
“Yes they are.”
“I was still with MI-6 during those days,” Lyra explained.
“MI-6? But that agency is tasked with threats from foreign powers. TheTemplar aren’t foreign.”
“We didn’t know that at the time. We only knew there were stories thatwouldn’t go away. Then the demon murders started. Do you remember those?”
Leah nodded. Prior to the actual opening of the Hellgate, ritual murders had taken place on October 13,2020. The Metropolitan Police had drawn enormous negative publicity for their inability to solve the crimes. Four days later, a police constable was killed by what was then believed to be a wild beast.
“After that the killings escalated,” Lyra went on. “With everything that was going on in the world at the time, the Home Office choseto view the attacks as terrorist-based.”
“Because it was easier than believing in demons,” Leah said.
“Yes.” Lyra kept her face neutral. “MI-6 rolled in under the radar of thelocal media, but that was easy with all the military units that were mobilized to deal with the threat of the beasts. By that point everyone was convinced there was more than one.”
Leah remembered. She’d been assigned to South Africa at the time to work on areal terrorist threat that had melted in light of the Hellgate. When the call had come through for her to pick up Simon Cross’s trail in Cape Town, she’dalready been in place.
“I’d been assigned to monitor Patrick Sumerisle,” Lyra said.
“Why?”
“His… specialized interests had become known to us. As you know,having to live a dual life is difficult. Sumerisle’s lifeliveswas evenmore so. He had a long military service and was part of the Home Office Ministry’s Internal Affairs unit. Doubtless that was to keep us monitored in thesame fashion that we were later trying to spy on him.”
“The Templar also helped increase the military’s technological advantage,”Leah said. She didn’t care that she was being openly supportive of the Templar.There was a lot to like about them. Even if they were idealistic dreamers. “Thesuit you’re wearing came from Templar designs.”
“I know. I’ve become quite enamored of what they’ve done in the last fewhundred years. I’ve also learned a lot more about them. Unlike you, I’ve neverhad the opportunity to wander their Underground bunkers.”
Leah didn’t say anything. Everything she’d had to say about the TemplarUnderground was in the reports she’d filed.
“But I did get the opportunity to save Jessica Sumerisle before the Battle ofAll Hallows’ Eve.”
When Simon finished the primary Way of the Sword drill, he turned to the young Templar and saluted them. They were all seriousness for about five seconds, then they burst out cheering and high-fiving each other.
Simon grinned in spite of himself. At this moment, in this room, death and destruction by demons seemed a million miles away.
“Not exactly proper decorum, now is it?” Danielle asked.
“No,” Simon agreed. But he had to admit that he felt better now than he hadafter his own workout. He also noted that the exercise had drawn a larger crowd than before. Male and female Templar and civilians who had been drafted to the cause filled the area to standing room only. Simon had no clue when they’dstarted trickling in.
Wertham was there as well, and the old Templar wore a big smile of approval. He shot Simon a glance, tossed in a wink, and left the room.
“Maybe you should think about making this a regular event with the youngones,” Danielle said.
Simon shook his head.
Nathan joined them. “She’s right, you know. What you just did with these kidswas a bloody righteous thing, mate. You gave them hope and spirit.”
“I don’t want them to think they’re invulnerable,” Simon said.
“Yeah,” Nathan said sarcastically, “I can see your point. It would be muchbetter if they cowered in fear in this place and grew more certain that today was the day the demons were going tofind them and kill them.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Nathan placed his hand on Simon’s shoulder and looked him full in the eye.“Hope and spirit are two of the best things you can give these kids. They’regoing to be asked to die before their time. All of us are. We risk death every time we leave this place, and the only way we can stomach that is to think that we’re strong enough and smart enough to do it. If you try to take that away fromthem, they’re not going to listen to the other things that you can teach themthat will save their lives.” He paused. “It’s the same thing your fatherdid
