Part Six

"Sydney!" At first, Nigel didn’t concern himself about the abrupt change in surroundings. His face crumbled and he caught his colleague in a huge hug. "I thought you were dead!" He buried his face against her neck, unwilling to let her see just how powerfully he was affected by the near-loss.

"Um, I don’t want to make that call just yet." The female relic hunter glared at their hosts. "Send him back!" she snapped in a stage whisper. "You have no right!"

The other man, a tall, lanky fellow with a long chestnut braid, shook his head. "You don’t understand. This is the only way. You need to know."

Even under extraordinary circumstances, Nigel Bailey wasn’t stupid. Once his fears for Sydney were resolved, he was left to ponder other issues. He pulled back slightly and let his gaze wander 360º, taking in the utter lack of identifiable landmarks. "Oh," he observed succinctly. "We’re dead, aren’t we?" He wondered briefly if ghosts could faint. He was certainly willing to give it a try.

"No, we’re borrowed," Sydney corrected. "I’m not exactly clear on what that involves, but I can safely say I don’t like it."

"Purgatory," Daphne assured him. "You were both wondering where you are. The closest approximation is Purgatory. Sort of a waiting room for eternity."

"I don’t believe in Purgatory," Nigel replied uneasily.

"Neither do I," Sydney added.

The two dead souls laughed. "Like it matters if you believe it or not? Do you believe two plus two equal four?"

"Of course! But that’s different." Nigel had taken Sydney’s hand with the thought of fleeing. It only occurred to him now that he had no idea how to get out.

"No it isn’t different, not at all. A fact doesn’t stop being a fact just because you don’t believe in it. I can keep you here indefinitely without losing a minute in your time, but I won’t. You need help with the moon message. It’s important that you find this particular relic. It’s your destiny."

"Then send us back." Even Nigel was surprised at the tone of his voice. It was pure command. "If it’s our destiny to find it, we need to be alive to do the job."

"We will, but I have to tell you this. You’ll never translate the moon symbols without help from an outside source. Find the child who never grows old, then take the night train and climb the mountain to destiny. Once you translate, you’ll need to seek the book that holds the key."

"Riddles? Look, you can’t just yank us from our bodies and then give us riddles!" Sydney’s voice was rising. Anger flashed in her eyes, darkening them from rich chocolate brown to nearly black. The fingers of her right hand curled into fists. Had they been in a pub or a bar, she’d already have disabled her opponents with a series of kicks and punches.

Nigel still clung to her left hand, and he squeezed it to capture her attention. "Sydney, we need to remember this. Riddle or not, I have a feeling it’s important."

The words were barely out of his mouth when a breeze arose. Within seconds, the breeze escalated into a tremendous gale, a powerful storm that yanked them apart and sucked them out of the pale blue void.

Go to Part Seven.


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