Tales of the Scarlet Knight Collection: The Wrath of Isis Page 5

  “The cops here couldn’t catch a cold.”

  “They’re not all bad.”

  “Right. That’s why you keep so busy at night.”

  “Not tonight.”

  “You’re really going to back down like this? I thought you were braver than that.”

  “Maybe if you found this Koschei character I could turn him over to the police and this situation could be resolved.”

  “Maybe if you gave me a better description than a tall man in a black fedora and coat I’d have better luck finding him.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s all I saw of him.”

  “Yes, well, I’d better go look. Someone has to do something.” With that the ghost faded through the wall. Emma had little doubt he’d search for this Koschei just so he could gloat.

  He didn’t return by the time Emma fell asleep around two in the morning with a book of Russian folklore on her chest. She awoke much later with the book pinned under her; one corner poked her right breast. She turned to the clock and saw it was ten in the morning—early for her these days.

  In the basement Sylvia still examined the sword believed to belong to Roland. The equipment in the basement wasn’t quite as good as that of the Plaine Museum, but it was adequate for their purposes. With a sample of the steel in the blade and an overall examination, Emma shook her head. “I’d say it’s no older than 16th Century. There’s no way it could belong to one of Charlemagne’s soldiers.”

  “That’s what I thought. I knew I couldn’t trust that worm.”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “I’ll take it back for a refund.” From the violent way Sylvia shoved the blade into its sheath, Emma knew that would not be a pleasant conversation. “Thanks for the help.”

  “Sure, I—” she stopped as the BlackBerry rang. From the tone it was not Captain Donovan. “Hello?”

  “Dr. Earl? My name is Katarina Markova.” Though the woman had a Russian name, her voice had the accent and enunciation of someone from Western Europe or Scandinavia. “I was wondering if perhaps I could meet with you to discuss a potential job opportunity.”

  “A job? Yes, of course, I’d love to discuss a job. When would you like to meet?”

  “I thought perhaps at one o’clock at the restaurant in my hotel. The Sheraton. Do you require any directions?”

  “No, I know where it is. I’ll be there.” Emma hung up the phone and then played the call back in her mind. The woman had not given anything more than her name, which seemed suspicious. The Russian name and the European accent indicated in all likelihood the woman did not work for an American institution. It could be something entirely harmless, or it could be a trap. She thought of Koschei and the stories she had read. It could be the vindictive Russian spirit wanted to trap her. If so, he would get a lot more than he bargained for.

  ***

  Emma patted the back of her head; Sylvia had given her a quick haircut so she wouldn’t look quite so shabby. Combined with an even quicker shower and makeup job, she felt at least ninety percent human. She only hoped this Katarina Markova didn’t see her arrive in Sylvia’s half-ton truck. But she supposed that was a little better than the bus.

  She walked into the lobby of the Sheraton and glanced at the people to see if any of them might resemble Koschei without the coat and hat. None of them looked big enough, though at least one man seemed wide enough. With some lifts in his shoes he might pass as Koschei. She hurried past him, into the bar.

  She didn’t have to look for her contact; a blond woman in a dark suit walked up to her and extended one hand. “Dr. Earl, it is so good to meet you. I am sorry to call on such short notice, but my flight was delayed.”

  “Yes, of course. It’s no problem.”

  “Let’s have a seat over here in the corner.” Markova led Emma to the corner table; she sat in the seat against the wall so Emma would have her back to the entrance. That would make it easy enough for that man in the lobby to saunter in and get the drop on her. Still, there was little Emma could say about it now.

  Markova already had a briefcase at the table, which she reached into to take out some papers. “I am sure you are wondering about the nature of this opportunity. I would like to reassure you that it is nothing illegal or dangerous.” Though she hated to think cynically, so much time around Marlin, not to mention all the evil she had seen as the Scarlet Knight, had rubbed off on her. Whatever this job was, it was probably both illegal and dangerous.

  The woman slid the papers over for Emma to examine. At the top of the stack was a map of Russia, with a corner near the Ukranian border highlighted in red. “I work for a businessman in Russia who has recently purchased what we believe to be a large field of oil and natural gas reserves. But before we can begin operations, we require a thorough geological survey.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not really my specialty.”

  “You are a geologist, no? With a PhD from the University of California Berkeley?”

  “Yes, but most of my work has concerned meteors. There has to be someone more experienced in this.”

  “Perhaps, but even in Russia you have quite a reputation.”

  “I see. How long do you estimate this survey would take?”

  “No more than three months.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t leave the city for that long.”

  “We would compensate you quite handsomely. If you turn to the third page of the packet you will see that what we are offering is more than generous.”

  Emma turned to the page to study the salary and benefits offered. Her mouth dropped open in shock. They offered her twice what she had made at the Plaine Museum as an assistant director—more than even the director made—for three months of work. Three months that she would be away from Rampart City. “I’m sorry.”

  “Yes, I understand. It is difficult to leave your home.” The woman’s lip trembled as if she was about to cry. “My employer is in very difficult circumstances. His family has taken care of me since I was a young girl, treating me like one of their own. I love him like a father. But there are others who want to see him fail. They have delayed our attempts to have the fields surveyed. That is why we have come to you.”

  Emma looked at the woman on the verge of tears. She could sense the desperation in the woman’s voice. Still, how could she leave the city for three months? “Can I have a day or two to think about it?”

  “Yes, of course.” The woman handed a business card to Emma. “Please call me when you have made a decision. I will be here.”

  “Thank you.” Emma stood up to go, but then stopped herself. “I was wondering: have you ever heard of someone called Koschei?”

  “Only in stories my grandmother told me. He is a mischievous spirit who often preys upon young women. Why do you ask?”

  “I just read something about it recently.”

  “I see. I hope to see you again soon, Dr. Earl.”

  Emma nodded to the woman and then went out to the front of the hotel. She could hear Sylvia’s truck long before she saw it. To jump onto the passenger’s seat was a challenge in a skirt, but Emma managed to do it and protect her modesty. “How’d it go?” Sylvia asked.

  Emma explained what Markova had offered her. “It’s too good to be true,” the old witch said. Emma couldn’t disagree with that assessment.

  ***

  Though she knew Captain Donovan would be furious, Emma went out in the scarlet armor that night. She bounced her way back to the Sheraton and used the fingers on the gloves to scale the side of the building. To find Markova’s room had been as easy as calling the front desk earlier, though she had made sure to hang up before the woman could answer.

  Not unexpectedly, Markova had a suite near the roof of the hotel. A lucky break for Emma was that the woman had not shut the blinds so Emma could peer into the suite. At the moment it looked as if Markova watched television and talked on the phone. Emma wished the armor could let her hear the conversation, but there was nothing to amplify sound
.

  She wasn’t sure what she had expected to find—a hat and fedora hanging up maybe—but something hadn’t felt right in that meeting. She had tried to determine Markova’s employer, but the woman’s personal records dated back only a decade. The employer listed on those records was a holding corporation that was owned by another holding corporation. Both of these facts indicated something very shady.

  She moved farther up the side of the hotel, to the roof. It wouldn’t be hard for her to use the gloves to open any lock on the door of the roof so she could make her way into the hotel. From there she could get into Markova’s room to find out about her.

  She didn’t get that far. A shadow detached from one corner of the roof and enlarged into the man she had seen at the zoo. “Koschei.”

  “You are not as smart as I had hoped if you came here,” he growled. There was no further time for talk as he hurled himself forward. Emma took a step back; she knew from experience—and a bruise on her abdomen—not to let him land a punch. He launched a haymaker that she easily rolled away from.

  She got to her feet and found he had somehow reversed direction so that he was ready for her. If not for her quick reflexes he would have taken off her head. Instead, his punch sailed high to shatter the corner of a wall. Emma hit him back in the stomach; her punch didn’t cause him to so much as flinch. Her leg sweep managed to at least topple him.

  This gave her an opening to spring away from him, across the rooftop. She had enough time to pull the Sword of Justice from its sheath. The blade glowed bright yellow as Koschei came near her. “What are you going to do with that?”

  “Nothing, so long as you turn yourself over to the police for what you did at the zoo.”

  “I do not fear your pathetic law enforcement agencies. They can do nothing more to me than that sword of yours.” He started towards Emma. She tightened her grip on the Sword of Justice. The sword could cut through any material on Earth, which included the armor of the Black Dragoon.

  “Don’t do this,” she said. “Surrender now and you won’t be hurt.”

  “I can smell your fear. Beneath that armor you are nothing more than a scared little child. A pity. I thought you might be different from the others.”

  Koschei took another step closer, until he was only inches from the Sword of Justice. With a deep breath, she forced herself to swing the blade. To her horror, Koschei somehow moved quickly enough to seize her wrist. He twisted, which prompted Emma to scream in pain and drop the Sword of Justice. He tightened his grip on her wrist and threw her across the roof, where she slammed into a wall.

  “You’d better get up,” she heard Marlin hiss into her ear. “This is one tough bugger.”

  “No kidding.” Emma sat up to see Koschei loping towards her. The Sword of Justice lay on the roof where she had dropped it. With her thoughts she guided it into the air and then sent it towards Koschei. She aimed for his left leg, to hamstring him.

  She didn’t know how, but he jumped into the air an instant before the blade would have sliced into him. She tried to bring the Sword of Justice back around, but he easily batted it away. “This might be time to retreat,” Marlin said.

  “You might be right.” Emma got to her feet; her legs wobbled a little beneath her. She wrapped the cape around herself so she would disappear to Koschei’s eyes—or so she hoped. He looked around the rooftop for a moment to search for her.

  “You are as cowardly as I thought. No matter, I will find you and finish you. Then I will keep your head as my trophy.”

  She circled around him slowly, careful not to let her boots make any sound. When she was directly behind him, she let the cape drop to launch a powerful kick. He tried to turn around, but not in time to catch her. The kick caught him in the side with enough force behind it to make him reel back.

  Emma could only watch in horror as Koschei stumbled over the edge of the roof and then plunged over the side. By the time she reached the edge, he was already gone. Nevertheless, she threw herself after him. There was nothing about the scarlet armor that would allow her to accelerate her rate of descent. As a scientist, she knew there was no chance she could stop his fall.

  Koschei didn’t scream as he fell. To her ears it sounded more like laughter. He turned himself in midair to look up at her with a grin on his face. That grin remained in place even after he slammed down onto the pavement, just inches from a minivan. Cars screeched to a halt and some slammed into each other. There was nothing Emma could do but snap her cape up to use it as a parachute. She coasted the last few feet to land on the sidewalk.

  Koschei remained on the pavement, his body embedded several inches into it. Curious people had already started to get out of their cars. Emma wrapped the cape around herself and then began to run.

  ***

  She didn’t go back to Ms. Chiostro’s house. Instead, she opened a manhole cover to descend into the sewers. With the cape wrapped around her body she made her way along the sewers so Pepe or Jim wouldn’t find her. She didn’t want to see anyone, not after what had happened.

  She climbed up the ladder into the sub-subbasement of the Plaine Museum. The floor still bore the scorch marks from the bomb that had gone off nine months ago. That bomb had killed Percival Graves, her old friend and mentor. The Black Dragoon had killed him, but Emma had brought him down to the Sanctuary where the Dragoon waited for them.

  That was the first death she was responsible for, though until now she had never killed anyone directly. She bent down to squeeze into the ruins of the Sanctuary and collapsed onto a pile of ruined electronics she couldn’t afford to replace. As she took off the helmet, the tears began to flow.

  “What are you crying about?” Marlin asked. “You wanted to find that bugger and you did and now he got what he deserved.”

  “I killed him.”

  “So what? He was evil, the sword told you that much. There’s nothing wrong with killing evil people.”

  “There is for me.”

  Marlin snorted at this. He had regaled her with stories about previous Scarlet Knights who didn’t have any problem killing their opponents. Even Percival Graves had shed blood while he wore the scarlet armor. She had lived with the blood of her parents on her hands for almost fifteen years and had sworn she wouldn’t have any more of it. Now she had killed a man. Admittedly he was evil and he had tried to kill her, but that didn’t make it any better; it didn’t make her any less responsible.

  “Really, you should have known this would happen eventually.”

  “It didn’t have to happen. I could have found some other way to stop him.” She replayed the scene on the roof again. “I only wanted to knock him down. I didn’t mean to do that.”

  “Oh, come now, girl, it’s the nature of the beast. Sooner or later you were going to have to kill someone.”

  “No! I’m supposed to be better than an animal.” She began to unbuckle the breastplate, followed by the rest of the armor. “I don’t deserve this.”

  “That’s why you do deserve it. There’s no one better than you to do it.”

  “You’ll have to find someone.” Emma left the armor in the Sanctuary. It would vanish itself into the case for the next Scarlet Knight—whoever that might be. It wouldn’t be her. Not anymore.

  She waited until she reached the surface to find one of the few functional payphones left in the city. She had memorized the number for Katarina Markova already. The woman answered on the second ring. “Dr. Earl! It is good to hear from you.”

  “I’ve decided to take the job,” Emma said. There was nothing left for her in Rampart City but blood and guilt.

  Part 2

  Chapter 6

  Emma packed for the trip to Russia that night; she planned to slip out before anyone noticed, but she wasn’t surprised to see the witches waited in the parlor for her. “You’re taking a trip?” Ms. Chiostro asked.

  “I’m going to Russia for a couple of months for a job. It’s too good to pass up.”

  “You’re jus
t going to leave? What about your other job?”

  “It’ll still be here when I get back.” Emma forced herself to smile. “People haven’t been too happy with me lately anyway.”

  “This is a damned fool idea,” Sylvia said. “You don’t know anyone over there. What if you run into trouble?”

  “It’s just a geological survey. How dangerous can that be?”

  “I don’t like it,” Sylvia said. “They offer you this out of the blue. And why you? There have to be three-dozen geologists between Moscow and here they could have asked. Smells like a trap to me.”

  “Don’t be so paranoid, dear,” Ms. Chiostro said to her sister, who waved away her hand. The witch pulled Emma aside to press a rusty thimble into her hand. “This charm will help keep you safe. Make sure you keep it on you at all times.”

  “I will. Thanks.”

  Ms. Chiostro wrapped Emma in a hug, then stepped back to look at her like a mother about to send her child off to school for the first time. “Take care of yourself, dear. And make sure you wear something warm. It’s very chilly over there even at this time of the year.”

  Emma gave the witch a hug and then shook Sylvia’s hand. Then she picked up her suitcase and went outside to see a limousine waited for her. The driver scuttled around to open the back door for her. Markova was already inside; she looked perfectly refreshed even though it was three in the morning.

  “I was very glad to get your call, Dr. Earl. My employer is glad as well.”

  “That’s good,” Emma said. She spotted the phone between her and Markova. “Can I use your phone?”

  “Of course you may.”

  Becky didn’t pick up the phone until the seventh ring. Her voice sounded thick with sleep as she answered. “I’m sorry to wake you,” Emma said. “I’ve got a new job—in Russia. I’m going there now.”

  “Russia?”

  “It’s for a geological survey. It’ll only be a couple of months.” Emma looked over at Markova, who conspicuously tried to appear as if she couldn’t hear the conversation. “I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry for everything that’s happened between us in the last couple of months and that no matter what you’re always going to be my best friend.”