CIRCLES OF TIME: The Great War
-by: the Yarnspinner-
the_yarnspinner@yahoo.com
http://strands-of-moonlight.my3gb.com
-or- http://strands-of-moonlight.6te.net
Rated: PG-13> Chapter 11 - The Black Bird <
Setsuna hurried into the main room of the Havana center. Samuel and Albert were standing together beside one of the side tables, going through a number of reports.
"We have a problem," Setsuna said.
"Yes," Albert agreed. "We picked up a powerful energy source about half an hour ago."
"And it's a safe bet that the Order has spotted it too," Samuel added.
"I know what it is," she told them. "This is the Gaia stone."
"Gaia stone?" Samuel asked.
Peter drew closer. "I don't think I've heard of that." He looked over Samuel's shoulder at one of the reports.
"Few people have," Setsuna said. "A number of mythologies have stories that hint at it. It is a very powerful magic source, and several times now I have hidden it away."
"But I gather it keeps reappearing," said Samuel.
Setsuna nodded. "The stone appeared in Naples in 1535. I knew it was much too powerful and too dangerous to be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. It was a fairly easy matter to recover it. I then hid it with the Templars, who had assisted me with a previous task. They took it with them when they were given the island of Malta. It was perhaps my own fault for not fully explaining the danger, but the Templars decided to conceal the stone within a gem-encrusted statue of a falcon they crafted as a payment of tribute to the emperor, Charles V, in 1539. I'm sure the stone would have been reasonably safe in Charles' keeping, but pirates raided the ship carrying the falcon, and it disappeared. After I'd learned of it, I made a search, but found no trace of the stone."
Peter nodded. "I'm very well aware of the Maltese Falcon. The pirate raid was actually our doing."
"The Paladins?" Setsuna asked.
"That's right," Peter confirmed. "Our wizards detected the magic source when the Templars brought it to Malta. Our people knew the Order had also spotted it, and would be certain to make a move on it at the first available opportunity. So, when the Templars moved the bird, we tipped off a group of pirates with whom we had a close association, in an effort to get it out of circulation."
"But just stealing the falcon would not have prevented me from finding it," Setsuna said.
"Nor would it have kept the Order from finding it," Peter added. "Our people hid it in the Pyrenees caverns, and enclosed it in a special box with the most elaborate magic shields. After that the story gets pretty vague. Somehow the falcon vanished. I can only presume that a decision was made to move it, and something happened."
"The Gaia stone is bound to the Earth's natural magic, which makes it particularly difficult to confine," Setsuna explained. "The Earth's magic field fluctuates periodically, which causes the Gaia stone to shift locations. Your magic box in the Pyrenees might have kept it confined, but probably nothing else would have."
"As I've heard the story, the falcon has turned up a few times since it disappeared from our keeping," Samuel said.
"That is true," Peter confirmed.
"In 1713, it appeared in Sicily," Setsuna said. "But it vanished again before I could recover it. The falcon then appeared in Tibet, where Buddhist monks kept it in their care for twenty years. I kept a watch on it from a distance, but the monks' temple was on a site of strong natural magic, which masked the Gaia stone's energy from outside detection. While they had it, the monks covered the falcon in a layer of black enamel to make it less ostentatious and less attractive to bandits. It next turned up in Paris in 1840, but again it disappeared before I could get to it."
Peter nodded. "That was our doing. It was one of my first major operations. We replaced the bird with a substitute and hid the real thing away. The enamel covering made the crafting of a counterfeit much easier. While the real falcon stayed safely in our possession, the fake went through numerous hands as basically a curiosity with an interesting legend attached."
"But the real one disappeared again," she said.
"That's right," Peter confirmed ruefully. "We hadn't known about it having appeared in Tibet. If we had, we might have made a different decision. As it was, we thought its appearances were localized primarily to the Mediterranean basin. Thus, we decided to get it out of Europe, and hide it in a new vault we'd built in New York. But we sent it by ship because we didn't think we could safely teleport it, and the ship was lost in a storm. That was in 1857, and we haven't seen the falcon since."
"I understand," Setsuna said. "But now it has reappeared. And we need to recover it... Quickly."
Another Paladin had brought Albert the file on the Maltese Falcon, and he was doing some calculations. "Based on our earlier studies of the falcon, I would estimate that it could provide the Order with perhaps four-fifths of the energy they're going to need to awaken Metallia," he said.
"Do we want to destroy the falcon?" Samuel asked.
"Not if we can help it," Setsuna replied. "It is still an historical artifact in its own right. My first choice would be to simply extract the Gaia stone from the statue, and then I will take care of the stone."
"Are you sure you can?" Peter asked. "You said your previous efforts weren't entirely successful."
"That's true," she conceded. "But I do have another option that will work. I just prefer not to go into details."
"Do we know where the falcon is?" Peter asked Samuel and Albert.
"For something that powerful, it is surprisingly difficult to pinpoint," Albert said. "But it appears to be somewhere around Algiers."
"Alright," Peter said. "Setsuna, you, Daniel, and I will leave shortly."
Setsuna looked at him quizzically.
"You're going, Peter?" Samuel asked. "I understand that you have experience with the falcon, but I thought council members were expected to stay out of field operations."
"This is an unusual circumstance," Peter replied. "If we don't do everything possible to recover the falcon now, the matter will be academic."- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Algiers was a provincial capital in French North Africa, reflecting the tensions of the colonial period. French was the official language, but outside government offices, one was just as likely to hear Arabic as French.
Setsuna was attired in a robe and a broad scarf over her head. Peter was dressed as a European gentleman, in white jacket and slacks, with a broad hat. Daniel was in khaki, with an Arab-style headdress as protection against the sun. Joining them was Ibrahim, one of the Paladins' local members.
They walked down a narrow side street toward a small shop.
"This man has a very shady reputation," Ibrahim explained. "But it would be a grave mistake to confront him with that."
"I understand," said Peter.
"Greet him in Arabic," Ibrahim said. "It will show him that you fully understand what he might say."
"Any indication that this man has the falcon, or knows where it is?" Daniel asked.
"Nothing definite," Ibrahim said. "But if it were found by any of the Arab or Bedouin population, it would be likely to find its way to him rather than to any of the European merchants."
They stopped at the shop door and rang the bell, then went inside. Ibrahim slipped off his shoes on the mat. After the others had done the same, he led them to the small, low table, surrounded by cushions.
"Welcome," the shopkeeper said in heavily accented French. "Please be seated."
"Thank you," Peter replied in Arabic. "You honor us."
The shopkeeper looked them over, clearly reassessing his customers. He sat down across the table from them. "How may I assist you?" he asked, in Arabic.
Ibrahim leaned forward. "My associates and I are interested in certain rather unusual artifacts... of the sort that would not be handled by certain other merchants."
The shopkeeper nodded at the compliment to his skills. "I am honored. I do have a few such artifacts in mind. Do you and your associates have a price in mind?"
"The artifacts themselves are of greater importance to us," Peter said quietly. "We are prepared to pay for value."
"I understand," the shopkeeper said, a thin smile forming on his lips. "Is there anything in particular you are interested in?"
"One hears many rumors," Ibrahim said. "Many an ill-informed outsider will repeat anything he hears."
"Very true," the shopkeeper agreed.
"We have heard of an artifact in the form of a bird," Ibrahim said. "Of course, if there is even the slightest truth to the stories, it is unlikely to be the one we are interested in. But on the off chance... we wanted to make certain inquiries."
The shopkeeper rubbed his chin thoughtfully, even as his dark eyes carefully scrutinized his guests. "As you say, there are many stories going around. It is difficult to know with certainty."
Peter glanced over at Ibrahim and nodded. Ibrahim placed an envelope on the table and slid it toward the shopkeeper. He picked it up and found several hundred franc notes within, quietly slipping the envelope into the pocket inside his jacket.
"As I think about it, I do recall hearing of an artifact such as you describe," he said. "I must make some inquiries of my own. If you will come back tomorrow afternoon, I should have an answer for you." He started to rise to his feet.
"I see," Ibrahim said, as he and the others stood with the shopkeeper. "Very well. Thank you very much."
"It is my pleasure," the shopkeeper said. "Until tomorrow."
They slipped their shoes back on, then walked outside, remaining silent until they heard the door close behind them.
"I don't trust him," Daniel said softly.
"Nor do I," Setsuna agreed.
"Well, we're certain he doesn't have the falcon in his shop," Peter observed.
"True," Ibrahim agreed. "But then, he would be too smart for that. He would keep it hidden away with any other valuables as a precaution against thieves. I am most concerned by his request that we come back tomorrow. I would think he would have at least some information."
"It could be a setup," Daniel suggested.
"Well, we'll just have to take precautions," Peter said.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The next afternoon, Ibrahim, Peter, Daniel, and Setsuna entered the shop once again.
"Please be seated," the shopkeeper called. "I shall be with you in just a moment."
The four glanced around the room and took their seats.
Just then, six men in black robes burst into the room. The figures at the table vanished, leaving the would-be assailants stunned. As they spun around in confusion and alarm, Setsuna appeared, striking one of the men with her staff and sending him sprawling unconscious into two of the others. Daniel appeared, standing against the wall. With a quick move, he seized the arm of another of their attackers, sending the robed figure crashing to the floor. Setsuna swung her staff again, taking down two more of the assailants, while Daniel finished off the last one.
A commotion was heard from the back room. Ibrahim emerged through the screen hanging down over the doorway, dragging the shopkeeper with him.
Peter now stood with Daniel and Setsuna over the six unconscious assailants.
"Infidels!" the shopkeeper hissed.
Ibrahim shook him. "You promised us information. Now, what do you have for us?"
"I have nothing for you!" the shopkeeper declared.
Peter stepped forward and applied a spell. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I want to know about the black bird."
The shopkeeper's eyes opened wide and lost their focus. "Two men came in speaking of having found a black statue, for which they wanted a valuation. Three of my black market contacts spoke to me afterward, insisting that I must send them to an antiquities expert in Oran."
"Who?" Peter asked.
"A man named Giraud. I do not know him."
"How were they to find this Giraud?" asked Setsuna.
"They were to inquire at a café, The Two Birds."
"When did you first meet with those two men?" Peter asked.
"The evening before last," the shopkeeper answered.
"And your black market contacts showed up when?" Daniel asked.
"Just two hours later."
"And when did you see the two men again?" asked Peter.
"The next morning."
"Have they left yet?" Peter asked.
"I don't know."
"Why did you try to assault us?" Daniel asked.
"I was instructed to dispose of anyone else who might ask about the bird."
Peter motioned to Ibrahim, who lowered the shopkeeper to the floor beside the six assailants.
"I don't want any of them found for at least forty-eight hours," Peter said to Ibrahim. "Any suggestions?"
"Yes, actually," Ibrahim replied. "There is an oasis village several hundred miles from here. It is accessible only by caravan. I have contacts there. They will keep these men under wraps for a week, then put them on the south-bound caravan. It will be several months before they make their way back to Algiers."
"Excellent," Peter said.
Energy flared around the shopkeeper and the assailants, first clouding their memories, then teleporting them away.
"Now, we must find this man, Giraud, in Oran," Peter said.
"Let's return to my home," Ibrahim said. "I will see what I can find out from my counterpart there."
Peter nodded, and they all left the shop pulling the door closed behind them. With a simple spell, Daniel locked the door.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Setsuna and her Paladin associates, now joined by Ibrahim's counterpart, Hassan, stood across the street from the café, which occupied a street corner. Tables were set up out on the sidewalk, and a sign hung above the door which read "Les Deux Oiseux", The Two Birds. They crossed the street, and entered the café, where they were met by the Maitre D.
"Greetings, monsieur," the Maitre D said to Hassan. "A table for you and your guests?"
"Yes, thank you," Hassan said, slipping the man a hundred franc note. "A question. Would a Monsieur Giraud be here? Two of my guests are in need of an antiquities expert, and were given his name."
"Yes, sir. Monsieur Giraud is at the bar. The bald gentleman in the grey suit."
"Thank you," Hassan said.
A waiter led them to their table and they ordered drinks. Setsuna joined Hassan and Ibrahim in choosing a non-alcoholic drink.
After their drinks arrived, Peter leaned forward. "Daniel and I will go see Giraud," he said. "Hassan, you and Ibrahim watch for the two men who are supposed to be meeting Giraud, and intercept them if you can identify them."
"Understood," Hassan said.
"Setsuna, I need you to monitor for any signs that the Order may be keeping a watch on Giraud," Peter added.
Setsuna simply nodded.
Peter and Daniel walked up to the bar.
"Excuse me," Peter said to Giraud. "Monsieur Giraud?"
"Yes. My name is Giraud," the man replied.
"My name is Alva. My associate and I were given your name by a dealer of, shall we say, unusual artifacts in Algiers," Peter said.
Giraud nodded. "I believe I have an idea of whom you are referring to. How may I be of service, Monsieur Alva?"
"We have need of an authentication of a certain item," Peter said. "If it proves to be genuine it would be quite valuable, requiring a great amount of discretion."
"I am sure those who gave you my name assured you that I have made my business dealing with clients who place a tremendous value on their privacy," Giraud said.
Peter nodded. "But this item could easily have been forged. We were also assured that we could rely upon your ability to authenticate it."
"Thank you," Giraud said. "But what sort of item are we talking about?"
"It is a statue of a bird, approximately thirty centimeters in height. The exterior is of black enamel," Peter said. "If it is authentic, it should date to the early 1500's."
Giraud took a swallow of his drink, then turned and looked at Peter sternly. "I have heard of this statue, sir, and I must say, do not waste my time with anything other than a serious inquiry. I do not take kindly to nonsense, and I do not chase legends."
"Precisely," Peter replied. "That is why discretion is essential, monsieur. My associate and I have every reason to believe that this could be the genuine article. We have researched the history extensively. But neither of us has the professional expertise to authenticate it, and like you, we do not wish to become parties to a fraud."
Giraud signaled to the bartender, who refilled his drink. He was deep in thought as he waited. When the bartender stepped away, Giraud reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a calling card.
"Here is the address of my office," he said, handing the card to Peter. "I will, of course, need to see the item and have time to thoroughly inspect it."
"Of course," Peter said, taking the card. "Oh, one last thing. We have reason to believe that another party will approach you, also claiming to have the statue."
"As yet, Monsieur Alva, I have no proof that you have it," Giraud pointed out.
"Very true," Peter admitted. "But I'm sure you would not want us to bring it here with us and just set it down on the bar."
"If it is genuine, that would certainly not be a very wise move," Giraud agreed. "So... you believe I will also be approached by frauds."
Peter nodded. "It is not my place to tell you how to respond. Doubtless you've encountered similar situations before. I merely wanted to make you aware of it."
"Very well," Giraud said. "Be at my office tomorrow at half past ten, and we shall discuss this further. Do not bring the statue with you, but be prepared to answer some detailed questions. After that, if I still have reason to believe what you say is true, then we shall arrange for me to inspect it."
"Half past ten," said Peter, standing up. "Thank you for your time, monsieur."
Giraud simply nodded in acknowledgment.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
While Peter and Daniel were still talking with Giraud, Ibrahim caught site of two gentlemen entering the café. They conversed briefly with the Maitre D, who pointed to Giraud at the bar. The two men noted that Giraud was busy, and so went to a table.
"These are our men," Ibrahim said quietly to Hassan.
Hassan nodded, and they rose to their feet.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," Hassan said to the two newcomers in French. "Forgive me if I am in error, but I believe we have a mutual acquaintance in Algiers. A certain merchant specializing in rare artifacts."
"We do know such a merchant," the first man said. "Please join us. I am..."
"No names, please," Ibrahim interrupted. "We understand you are here on a matter of great discretion. It is better for all of us to preserve anonymity."
"Of course," the first man agreed. "To what do we owe this meeting?"
"I believe you are here to see Monsieur Giraud," Hassan said.
"That is true," the second man confirmed. "Regarding that certain matter you indicated."
Hassan nodded. "If you look at the bar, you will see two gentlemen with Monsieur Giraud."
The two men glanced in that direction again.
"Yes. We saw them when we came in," the second man said. "What of them?"
Ibrahim shook his head. "They are customs agents, with the antiquities office. They would not bother a man like Giraud without very good reason. That means they must be looking for something in particular."
"Now, my associate and I have no reason to suppose that they're interested in your particular matter," Hassan added. "But I would suspect you would prefer to avoid having them examining your affairs."
"Absolutely," the first man agreed. "What do you suggest?"
"How long can you stay in Oran?" Ibrahim asked.
"Perhaps a week," the first man said.
Hassan nodded. "Good. My associate and I will excuse ourselves shortly. The two of you should remain here long enough to make things look proper, then return to your hotel. Wait at least five days before approaching Monsieur Giraud again, and then inform him first that you have a matter of discretion. If he does not feel free to assist you fully, he will end the interview. In that case, you should make your way overland to another port, perhaps Casablanca or back to Algiers. Don't try to find a ship leaving from Oran."
"You are able to keep your certain matter safely under wraps for that long?" Ibrahim asked.
"Yes," the second man said. "We have taken the necessary precautions."
"Very good," said Hassan. "Now, we must be going."
"Thank you for your warning," the first man said. "You have been most helpful."
"It was our pleasure," Hassan said. "Farewell."
"Farewell," the second man said.
Hassan and Ibrahim returned to their table, rejoining Setsuna.
"Everything went well, I take it," she said.
"Very well," Hassan said. "They bought it completely."
"Yes," Ibrahim agreed. "And we placed a tracer spell on them, allowing us to track them to their hotel."
Setsuna looked up to see Peter and Daniel leaving the bar. She lifted her hand off the table and gave a very slight wave. Peter and Daniel stood there, looking around the café for a moment, then turned and headed toward the door.
"We'll need to stay here for at least a few minutes more," Setsuna told the others.
"Yes," Hassan agreed. "We certainly can't be seen to be leaving with Peter and Daniel after what we've just told those two."- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Two hours later, the Paladins and Setsuna stood outside the door of the two men's hotel room.
"They're both in there," she said quietly. "And there's no sign of any magic barrier spells."
"Yes," said Daniel. "We were pretty sure they weren't wizards, nor even members of the Order."
"Well, let's go in," Peter said. "We have to get to the bottom of this quickly."
They threw the door open and burst in, having the two men restrained in just moments. Peter quickly applied a spell to make them talk.
"Why are you here?" Peter asked.
"To see Monsieur Giraud," the first man said.
"What did you need him to evaluate?"
"A statue of a black bird," the first man answered.
"Where is the black bird?" Daniel asked.
"In the hotel safe," the second man answered. "It's hidden in a steamer trunk."
Peter adjusted his spell, rendering the two unconscious.
"Let's see about the safe," Peter said. "I'm sure the Order diverted them here to Oran to steal the bird. It won't take them long to realize something has gone wrong, and then they'll come here."
They closed the door behind them and headed downstairs. Entering the lobby, they carefully looked around.
"The safe is right there in the office," Daniel observed. "We're going to need a privacy spell to cover ourselves, but can we risk doing that?"
"Maybe we can teleport inside it," Peter suggested.
Hassan walked over to them. "It should be easily large enough," he said.
"Setsuna?" Peter asked.
"We'll go back upstairs, then Daniel and I will teleport into the vault," she said.
They returned to the two men's room. Daniel and Setsuna stood together, and vanished.
The vault was pitch black. Daniel cast a simple illumination spell, filling the room with a soft glow.
"There are several steamer trunks here," Daniel observed.
Setsuna looked around. "That's the one," she said, pointing to one in the corner.
"Right. Now I can sense the energy from the falcon," he said.
They quickly had the trunk open, finding a small wooden crate inside. Just then, they heard a faint clicking as someone was working the safe's combination.
Daniel pulled the crate out, while Setsuna closed and locked the trunk. They could now hear the lock bolts being drawn back. Daniel extinguished his illumination spell, and Setsuna teleported them out of the safe.
"You got it," Hassan said. "Congratulations."
"We were almost discovered," Daniel said. "Someone was unlocking the door."
"We need to consider that they will discover the theft at any moment," Setsuna said.
"Well, Setsuna, it appears that you are able to teleport the falcon successfully," Peter said. "So you will have to teleport us out of here."
She nodded and they gathered together, vanishing from the room.
They reappeared in the basement of Hassan's home.
"Good luck," Hassan said. "I'm pleased to have been able to help."
"Thank you very much," Peter said.
Peter and Daniel began placing a covering spell around the crate, to conceal the magic energies within.
"That should keep the Order from tracking us," Peter said.
"Right," Daniel agreed. "Now we can safely move it."
Setsuna teleported them away, taking them to Ibrahim's office in Algiers.
"Thank you for your assistance, Ibrahim," Peter said.
"It was my pleasure," Ibrahim replied.
Just then a faint buzzing sound was heard. Ibrahim hurried to his desk and unlocked the bottom drawer, where a communicator unit was kept. He touched it, and a message formed on the crystalline surface.
"Peter. This message is for you," Ibrahim said.
Peter moved over and took a look.
"What is it?" Daniel asked.
"It's from Samuel," Peter said. "He asks us to divert to Marseilles. Eric will meet us there." He turned back to Ibrahim. "Please acknowledge the message, and report that we will head to Marseilles as requested."
"I understand," Ibrahim said.
Peter rejoined the others, and they vanished in a soft glow of energy.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
They stood together in a Paladin safe house in Marseilles. Daniel set the crate down and worked it open. The crate was packed with straw, inside which they found a heavy brown blanket wrapped up in a bundle and secured with twine.
"Let's open it," Daniel suggested, after transferring the cloaking spell to the form within the blanket.
Peter nodded, and Daniel untied the twine and began to unwrap the blanket. At the center was a plain white cloth. Unwrapping this, they found themselves looking at a small black statue, just over a foot tall, of a standing falcon, its wings folded over its back.
"Even covered in enamel, it looks impressive," Daniel said. He picked it up. "Whoa. It's heavy."
"Yes," Peter said. "Think of what it's made of."
Setsuna nodded. "Even without the Gaia stone inside it, the Maltese Falcon still would have been a treasure people would have been prepared to fight over and kill for."
"So, what do we do with it now?" Daniel asked. "Can Peter and I help you try to remove the Gaia stone?"
"Probably," Setsuna answered. "But it will take a little time to be certain of doing it properly. We don't want the stone to just disappear on us again."
Just then, an alarm buzzer sounded. Peter rushed to a mirror on the wall. As he touched it, it became a display screen.
"The Order is on to us," he said. "We have minutes at the most."
"Daniel. Wrap up the falcon and put it in that rucksack over there," Setsuna instructed. "Peter, I need you to fashion a duplicate of the statue inside the crate, and give it as strong a magic field as you can. Our escape will depend on the Order accepting your counterfeit for at least an hour."
"An hour?" Daniel asked, as he was hurriedly wrapping up the falcon.
"Yes," she said. "Remember, Eric is supposed to be meeting us here. We have to find him or he will be walking straight into a trap."
"I agree," Peter said, as he was pouring magic into the crate. "But we'll also torch the house as we leave. Now that the Order has identified it as one of ours, it's useless to us in any case."
Peter closed and sealed the crate, then moved to join Setsuna, while Daniel slung the rucksack onto his back. Peter waved his hand, releasing several flares. The drapes burst into flame instantly, followed by the aging, dry wallpaper. Another flare lit the rug on the floor. The fires spread rapidly.
"Let's go," Peter said.
Setsuna nodded, and they vanished from the quickly burning house.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
They found themselves standing in a back alley. After confirming that they were unobserved, they moved out to the street.
"Where do we go now?" Setsuna asked.
"Head for the waterfront," Daniel said.
"Why the waterfront?" Peter asked.
"That's the current emergency procedure for Marseilles," Daniel explained. "If the safe house is inaccessible, head for the harbor, and someone will try to meet you there."
"Alright," Setsuna said, as the three turned toward the harbor.
The harbor was bustling with activity, and police officers and soldiers moved among the piers, keeping watch for anyone who did not belong there. Daniel, Peter, and Setsuna moved among the shops just up from the piers, staying clear of the ships being loaded and unloaded.
After about forty-five minutes, Eric found them.
"What happened?" Eric asked. "I found the safe house engulfed in flames. It looked like a total loss."
"Good. That was our intent," said Peter. "The Order found us there. We're not sure how."
"They were after the falcon?" Eric asked.
"Certainly," Daniel said. "But we left them a decoy, which should fool them just long enough to cover our escape."
"Now that we're all together, let's find an isolated alley, and Setsuna can take us back to Havana," Peter said. "Once we're there, we can remove the Gaia stone, and Setsuna can finally lock it safely away."
A few minutes later they found a narrow alley. They gathered together, and vanished.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
They appeared in the teleportation chamber in the casino basement in Havana, then made their way down the passage to the center below.
"Welcome back," Albert greeted them, as they entered the main chamber.
"We understand you had some difficulty in Marseilles," Samuel added.
"That's right," Peter said. "Somehow, the Order must have been watching the safe house."
Aaron and Jason stepped forward.
"I'm glad to see that you're all safe, Peter," Jason said. "But we and the other council members were most concerned to learn that you had gone off on this mission yourself."
"Yes," Aaron agreed. "I seem to recall someone making it absolutely clear to me upon my appointment to the Council that my days of active field work were over."
"Uhm, yes... Well, ordinarily that would be true," Peter said. "But as I told Samuel and Albert, the threat of Metallia being awakened renders some of those rules academic. And I wouldn't have even considered it, except that I'm one of the few people having personal experience with the falcon."
"You have it?" Jason asked.
"Right here," Daniel said.
He pulled the bundle out of the rucksack, placed it on a table, and began unwrapping it. The others gathered round to watch with obvious interest as Daniel removed the white cloth and stood the statue on the table.
"I give you... the Maltese Falcon," Daniel announced.
"Very impressive," Jason said.
"Yes. I can sense its power, even through the cloaking spell," Aaron said.
"The power comes from the Gaia stone, hidden inside it," Setsuna said. "We need to remove the stone, and then we can allow the falcon to be found again."
"Allow it to be found?" Jason asked.
"Once the Gaia stone is removed, the falcon will be nothing more than an historical curiosity, albeit an extremely valuable one," Setsuna said.
"What do we need to do to help remove the stone?" Daniel asked.
"Well, let's move the falcon into a side room," she said. "We don't want to disturb Albert and Samuel's work here."
She and Daniel took the statue into another room, followed by Eric, Peter, Jason, and Aaron. Daniel set the bird on a table.
"Now, we need to craft a spell that will slowly attune to the Gaia stone's energy," Setsuna explained. "If we go too fast, the stone will fight us. But by going slowly, we can match its energy pattern, and draw it out of the statue without having to damage it."
"Well, we have three senior wizards here," Daniel observed. "With this much experience to draw on, we should be able to find the way to do it."
"Thank you, Daniel," Peter said. "Aaron, what do you think?"
Aaron stepped forward to examine the statue closely. "Setsuna's explanation is quite straight-forward. I think it's really just a matter of being sufficiently patient to let things happen the way they need to."
"Do you want to get us started?" Peter asked.
Aaron continued to stare intently at the statue. He then nodded. "Alright. If you four will join me in forming a circle, we'll set things in motion."
The five wizards joined hands, and power flared among them. The statue took on a faint glow. After several minutes they released their hands and took a step back.
"Now, we'll want to take shifts keeping an eye on this," Aaron said. "The spell will pretty much operate on its own, but we may have to add a bit more energy to it from time to time, just to keep it going."
"About how long should we expect this to take?" Jason asked.
"I'd say about twelve hours, maybe a little more," Aaron said.
"Aaron and Jason, I think one of you should take the first shift," Peter said. "Daniel, Setsuna, and I need to debrief after our mission."
"I'll take the first shift," Aaron said. "You three go make your report."
"And Peter, the Council will probably excuse your involvement in this mission," Jason said. "But remember that we still have to conduct a hearing."
"I understand," Peter said, as they walked out of the room.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Twelve hours had passed, and Setsuna joined Daniel, Peter, Eric, Jason, and Aaron in the side room. The falcon still glowed softly, while a small glowing sphere now floated alongside it. Energy flowed between the two.
"We're just about finished," Aaron said.
The glow faded from the falcon. The small sphere faded, leaving a simple, highly polished black stone to fall to the tabletop. Setsuna picked up the stone. Daniel lifted the statue from the table and placed it on a scale.
"The bird's lost just over two pounds," Daniel said.
"We'll need to make up that loss of mass," Setsuna said. "There can't be any trace that the statue has been tampered with."
"That should be easy enough," said Aaron. "We can use a magic field to fill the space left by the stone with material of the same mass."
"That sounds good," Peter agreed.
Aaron placed his hands on the statue and applied his spell. Daniel watched the scale closely as the falcon grew heavier.
"Just a little more," Daniel said. "OK. That's it."
Aaron stepped back, while Daniel continued to check the scale. After a moment, Setsuna picked up the falcon.
"It looks good," she said. "And the weight feels right." She scrutinized it carefully. "There's no sign of any tampering, and all trace of the Gaia stone's magic is gone."
She put the statue back down on the table.
"Now, what about the Gaia stone?" Peter asked.
"For now, I will take it the time gate," she said. "Removing it from the timestream will keep it isolated. After this business is over, I shall arrange a permanent storage place for it."
"How should we deal with the black bird?" Daniel asked. "I don't think we can just return it to those two men in Oran."
"No, that would not be a good idea," Peter agreed.
"Once the war is over, you will be seeing many refugees and much unclaimed property," Setsuna explained. "That will make an ideal climate for having the falcon reappear."
"That does sound good," Jason said.
"Additionally, the fake statue that was constructed in 1840 is presumably still out there somewhere," Setsuna added. "We will need to find and recover that one before the real one can be returned."
"That is a very good point," Peter said. "If two falcons were found, some rather awkward questions would be asked."
"But now, I must take the Gaia stone to the gateway," Setsuna said.
She took a step back from them and vanished.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Two weeks had passed. Esteban and Rosa were treating Daniel, Setsuna, and Peter to dinner in a private dining room of the small restaurant they frequented.
"How did your hearing go, Peter?" Rosa asked.
"It was basically a formality," Peter said.
"I had been expecting to be called as a witness or something," Daniel said.
"Well, the Council was satisfied with the written mission reports," Peter explained. "If I'd thought I was going to need to mount a serious defense, I might have called witnesses. But as it was, the Council only issued the obligatory statement that they don't approve of members placing themselves at risk. They recognized that there were extenuating circumstances in this case, but basically told me not to do it again."
"Do you miss the active duty work?" Esteban asked.
"Generally, no," Peter said. "I've had my fill of that, and there are plenty of younger Paladins who are fully capable of doing those jobs."
"What's happened with the statue?" asked Rosa.
"It's in a closet in the center," Daniel explained. "It will stay there until the war's over, and then Setsuna will take care of it."
Setsuna nodded. "I already have an idea of where to take it. It will just depend on recovering the fake statue the Paladins made in 1840, and what happens during the remainder of the war."
"And the Gaia stone has been removed," Daniel said.
"That is the good news," Peter added. "It was not pleasant to think of the Order getting their hands on it."
Esteban nodded. "Handing the Order another setback of that magnitude makes a very nice early Christmas present to the entire world."
"But we still don't know what the Order is planning," Peter said. "They have to have something major in the works if they're going to have any hope of achieving their goal. I'll just feel a lot better once we know what that is."
"But for now, let us enjoy the season," Rosa said, raising her glass. "To a merry Christmas, and a happy, and hopefully soon-to-be peaceful, New Year."
"Here, here," Esteban said, as they all raised their glasses.< To be continued >
* * * * * * * * * * * *
NOTE: The Maltese Falcon is a creation of author Dashiell Hammett. The core information on the falcon given here is from the classic third movie adaptation of Hammett's novel, with screenplay by John Huston.Always remember, good gentles, that a yarnspinner works from and within existing legends and stories. The characters of "Sailor Moon" belong to others. In spinning my yarns, I do not seek to infringe on their rights of ownership, but merely to join with other fans to spread the legend still further. "The moonlight carries a message of love." Enjoy.
-05.02.2001