The Sixth Seal

Ana opened her eyes, not sure of where she was or what had awakened her. A faint line of early morning light filtered through blue, threadbare curtains on the opposite wall. Lee was asleep in an uncomfortable looking, stuffed chair next to the front door. He was still wearing the clothes he had on the night before, as was she, and one of the handguns rested in his lap.

She sat up, and hung her feet over the side of the bed. At least he had taken her shoes off. She rubbed at her neck in a futile attempt to stifle the dull ache gradually getting sharper the longer she sat upright.

“How do you feel?” Lee’s words startled her.

“My neck is pretty sore, but considering we rolled a rather large van at high-speed, I feel remarkably well.”

He set the gun on an end table next to the chair and came to her on the bed. He sat next to her and began massaging her neck and shoulders in gentle circles. The tension between her shoulders subsided and the ache in her neck began to decrease.

“The protectors are made of stronger stuff than most.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”

“It is said that the protectors are fortified with the essence of the book.” He continued rubbing her neck and shoulders, tracing spiral patterns over the surface of her body.

“So we are part of it and it is part of us?”

“Something like that.” He pressed harder in between her shoulder blades. “I don’t know exactly how it works, but I’ve seen the evidence.”

“Evidence?”

“The first time I saw you die, it took nearly seven men to kill you.”

She tensed. She turned around and looked at him. His arms fell to his sides, but his gaze remained fixed on her.

“What do you mean the first time you saw me die?”

He took her hand. “I’ve failed you so many times. It is my task to gather you and the other protectors unto the book, but it is also my task to protect you.”

She squeezed his hand. The connection between them was palpable, a connection that had existed through the ages. Even though she had only recently met this man, she knew their souls were bound together. His touch brought centuries of memories flooding back to the surface. Above all others, he loved her, worshipped her, longed to be near her.

She fell back on the bed and pulled him closer. He didn’t need much coaxing. He was gentle, but his hunger for her was obvious. She gave herself to him, unsure at first, but soon giving in to the pleasure of his body pressed against hers.

When she came out of the shower, he was already dressed. He handed her a towel, and set some clean clothes on the counter for her. She caught his gentle smile reflected in the foggy mirror and returned it.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed. We have a few hours before we need to check in at the airport.”

She slipped on a pair of near perfect fitting jeans and a delicate, ivory blouse that looked as though it was custom tailored. The reflection in the mirror was that of another woman. A confident woman. A beautiful woman. For fifteen years, all she had worn were ill-fitting patient uniforms and plain white sneakers. Now she regarded her figure as it should have always been.

She stepped out of the bathroom, and twirled around, giving him a complete view. “How do I look?”

Lee tossed the guns into the duffel bag and smiled his approval.

“Ravishing. You’re only missing one thing.” He held up a small, golden chrysanthemum on a double looped, silver chain. “A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady.”

“It’s stunning.” She turned around and lowered her head. “Would you put it on me?”

“Of course, my love.” He placed the chain around her neck, letting the brilliant flower settle just above her breasts. “May it bring you luck.”

She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her chest. “You are my luck.”

He kissed her on the back of the neck and pulled his hand away.

“We need to get going. There’s a pair of boots for you on the chair.”

She picked up the low-cut boots and sat down in the chair. She slipped her right foot in and was surprised to find it fit perfectly.

“How did you manage to get just the right size?”

He chuckled. “I’ve been studying you for a while, besides, no matter what you look like, you always seem to be about the same size.”

“Why is that?”

He shrugged. “Just the way it has always been.” He went back to packing the bag.

“So, where are we anyway? I don’t even remember getting here.”

“You were pretty tired. Probably something to do with rolling a van and shooting down a helicopter.” He laughed at his own joke. “We’re in a little town south of Baltimore, not far from the airport.”

“I know you said we’re going to Germany, but exactly where in Germany are we headed?”

He walked to the window and pulled the curtain back just enough to peek through. He studied the scene outside of their room before answering.

“We’ll be landing in Frankfurt. From there, we’ll be heading toward Berlin.” He continued surveying the parking lot.

“What’s in Berlin? The book?” She stood up, testing her new boots. She joined him next to the window.

“I’m not sure, but I’ve seen evidence of quite a bit of activity from the Horsemen in the area. Their agents anyway.” He let the curtain fall back in place.

“Anything outside to be concerned about?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. Let’s get this stuff out to the car, and get on the road.”

The short drive to the airport was uneventful, giving her time to reflect. She marveled at how at ease she was with her current situation, despite so many unknowns. Perhaps it was her new-found freedom, or perhaps it was the mysterious man at her side. She knew her connection to him was as real as her connection to the book, but beyond that, all she had were faint memories of past lives.

“Have we found each other in every life?” She leaned toward Lee.

“Nearly.”

“How about the other protectors?”

“Usually I’m able to seek them out, but I’ve not been able to this time.”

“How come?” She sat back up in her seat.

“I don’t know, but it must have something to do with the Horsemen.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Of course, I’ve never found all of the protectors on my own. I’ve always had help.”

“Help?”

“Yes. Just like the protectors, there are other gatherers. We find protectors, and then find each other.”

“Have you found any gatherers in this life?”

“No, but that doesn’t really surprise me. More and more of them have been turned by the Horsemen.”

She shifted in her seat. “Turned?”

“Don’t ask how they do it. Probably a mix of mind control and promises of immortality.” He slowed the car and turned off of the highway.

“Immortality?”

Lee sighed. “Just another myth about the book.”

“Myth--”

“We can talk more about that later, we’re almost there. Here’s the situation. Our passports are for a Mr. and Mrs. Omura. We’ll need to check in and get through security, so the guns will have to stay in the trunk. I’ve packed a couple of bags for us with enough clothes and toiletries to make us look like legitimate travelers.”

They stopped at an intersection, and she could see the sprawling airport complex in the distance. A large airliner roared overhead.

“What will we do if any of the Horsemen approach us?”

“They’re unlikely to do so in a place with so much security and so many witnesses.” He looked in the rearview mirror, and then eased the car forward through the intersection. “They’ll want to take you on their own terms with as few witnesses as possible.”

“I don’t understand, why do they want me so badly?”

“They probably still don’t know the exact location of the book, and since you’re the strongest link to it, they want to get their hands on you.” He looked over at her. “But, as long as I’m alive, that won’t happen.”

Ana sat in one of the black, vinyl chairs in Terminal C, pretending to read a magazine. Their check in and pass through security went much smoother than she anticipated. The forged documents Lee had obtained must have been quite good. It was only after they had settled in the terminal that she noticed the man with the briefcase.

“Stay here, I’m going to circle around like I’m heading to the men’s room and try to get a better look at him.” Lee kissed her cheek. “Just try to act natural.”

She nodded and tried to smile. “Yeah, because strange men trying to kill me is something I deal with all the time.”

“I’ll be right back.”

She tried to relax. She shifted in her seat and rested her arm on the back of chair.

The man with the briefcase sat a couple of rows in front of her. Every now and then, she caught a glimpse of him looking her way. When he noticed that she had spotted him, he looked down and rummaged through a briefcase. There was nothing overtly threatening about him, in fact, he fit in perfectly with his surroundings. He looked like any of the other hundreds of businessmen waiting on their flights, but she knew he was there for her.

“Coffee?”

Lee’s question nearly made her fall out of her chair. She had been so intent on her newly found stalker that she hadn’t heard Lee come up behind her. He offered her an apologetic look and handed her a steaming cup of coffee.

She took the cup and motioned toward the man with her eyes. “I think he’s definitely following me.”

Lee sat down next to her. “I think you’re right. I watched him from the bathroom door. He’s definitely keeping an eye on you.”

“So what do we do?” Ana blew on her coffee and took a tentative sip.

“Nothing for now. He’ll probably be on our flight, but I have a feeling he’s just the scout.” He picked up a newspaper and opened it up.

“Scout?”

“More than likely he’s in communication with a ground team in Frankfurt. We’ll have to move quickly once we land to lose them. Luckily, I have just the thing waiting for us.” He smiled and turned a page in his newspaper.

“How do they know we’re headed to Frankfurt?”

He kept looking through his paper. “The Horsemen have agents everywhere.”