The Sixth Seal

Sirens and shouting in the distance propelled Ana forward. Doctor Gabriel let go of her hand, fished in his pocket and pulled out a key. A second later she heard a quick beep and saw the lights flash on a green Volvo parked along the curb.

“Get in, Ana.” The Doctor held a door open for her, ushering her inside.

She hesitated for a moment. “How did you find me?”

“We don’t have time for this.” Something flickered in his eyes. “Get in the car. I’ll explain on the way.”

Somewhere behind her the scuffling of shoes on concrete caught her attention. She looked back to see one of the policemen rounding the corner. He caught sight of her and pulled a gun from a holster.

“Ana!” The Doctor pleaded.

Before she could jump through the open door, the Doctor rounded the car, jumped in and started it up. Following his lead she hurried into the car, pulling the door shut just short of impact as the car lurched forward, dangerously close to a truck parked in front of them.

“Why are you risking yourself for me?”

The Doctor glanced in the rearview mirror before replying. “I told you, Ana, you’re in danger. I don’t think we can even trust the police.”

She turned and looked out the back window. The police officer had holstered his weapon and replaced it with a radio. She wondered how long it would take for the license plate of the doctor’s car to be circulated across the city.

She turned back and examined the doctor’s profile. He looked as though he hadn’t slept in days. He was unshaven and she could see that his facial hair was graying just like the hair at his temples. Despite his disheveled appearance, she felt reassured in his presence, if somewhat confused by how he had come to be here at this exact place at this exact time.

“How on Earth did you find me?”

He slowed the car, dropped it into a lower gear, and then whipped it around the next corner. The tires squealed in protest as he pushed down hard on the gas and urged the car onto a narrow lane. He checked the mirrors again.

“After you escaped, I thought hard about where you might go. Then I remembered our session when you recalled a name.”

“A name?”

“Hannah Klein. Do you remember?”

“Yes.” She fidgeted with her necklace, her fingers brushing over the tiny golden chrysanthemum. Lee’s face flashed before her.

She choked back tears. “They killed Lee.”

He glanced in the rear-view mirror before turning another corner. “That just proves how much danger you’re in.” He looked as though he was going to say something else, then pressed his lips together in a tight line and said nothing more.

“What?”

He hesitated a moment as though he were weighing his words carefully. “Why do you think Lee brought you here?”

“He had reason to believe that the others were gathering here.”

“The Horsemen?”

The color left her face. “How do you know about the Horsemen?”

“Hannah Klein, or rather her relative.” He slowed the car again, taking a side road. The shops and bistros gave way to a decidedly more industrial area. “I did some research on the name and it led me to a woman in Berlin, Gertrud Braun. She’s Hannah Klein’s niece.”

“Did you speak with her?”

“I spoke with her over the phone. She told me that her Aunt warned her about the Horsemen and then she hung up on me. When I went to her apartment she was gone, and none of her neighbors knew where she went.”

She pulled the yellow slip of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. “What was her address?”

“44 Alte Schönhauser Strasse, Apartment 209.”

Can that just be coincidence?

“That’s the address that Lee told me to go to right before...” She handed the paper to the Doctor.

His brows furrowed as he looked over it. He slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket. “What do you know about the Horsemen?”

“Only what Lee told me. They’re a powerful organization with agents all over the world. They know of the book’s power and they want to unleash it for their own ends.”

The Doctor seemed to think about that for a moment. “I think we need to get somewhere safe and think about what to do next. These people are obviously very dangerous and very resourceful. From what I’ve seen, they will stop at nothing.”

“Where can we go? I don’t know anyone here.”

“Don’t you worry. I have an old friend in Kronberg. He has a country estate. I don’t think anyone will think to look for us there.” He smiled. “Especially the police.”

“That’s good. I’m probably not very popular with the local police at the moment. I think they might have gotten your tag number back there.”

“I shouldn’t worry. We’ll be off the road soon.”

The buildings thinned out a bit, and for the first time, she could see a highway. They paralleled it for a time before the Doctor took a ramp and merged into traffic. She settled back into the seat and tried to make sense of events.

“You never did tell me how you happened to find me?”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I?”

She shook her head.

“Well, it’s quite by accident actually. I was heading back toward the airport to look for you when I decided to stop at a cafe for some coffee. Just as I came back out, I heard sirens and a crash. I was heading toward the commotion to investigate when I ran into you.” He chuckled. “Quite literally.”

She laughed with him, but something in the back of her mind gnawed at her. She just wasn’t sure what it was. For now the Doctor seemed like the best chance to find the answers she needed. She didn’t feel like she could do this on her own.

Miles of buildings surrendered to gentle pastures dotted with the occasional barn. There were no signs of any of her earlier pursuers, no sirens, just the hypnotic drone of the Volvo’s tires on the smooth roadway. She had nodded off several times, and as a result, had no idea how long they had been traveling when the Doctor exited the highway, and pulled on to an idyllic country lane. Trees lined the road causing the sun to come through the window in intermittent bands.

The house was set quite some distance back from the road. It looked like something out of a storybook. Its two stories had touches of Tudor and were capped with slate dormers overlooking a circular drive edged in stone. The front of the structure looked more like a gatehouse than it did the entrance to a country estate. Slender spires climbed from each corner supporting red flags that rippled in the gentle breeze.

As the car wound around the drive, she studied a golden crest above a massive set of oak doors. There was something vaguely familiar about it. She had seen it somewhere recently. Hadn’t she? She was still tracing out the intricate scrollwork with her eyes when the Doctor appeared at her door. He opened it and ushered her out.

“Here we are, my dear.” He waved his hand as if introducing her to royalty. “I think you should be comfortable here.”

She stood in awe of the house. “I should say so.” She stepped forward and stared up at the crest above the door. “Where have I seen that crest before?”

The Doctor glanced up and shrugged as though he hadn’t known it was there. “Oh, that? It’s a family crest I believe.” He held his hand out for her. “I doubt if you’ve seen it anywhere before, but you may have seen something similar since your arrival.”

She took the Doctor’s hand and followed him up several stone steps to the door. It opened before they had a chance to knock. The man at the door wore a dark suit. He held the door and nodded to the Doctor. Was that a wire snaking from his ear?

Inside the door another crest, identical to the one above the door, hung on the wall. Her eyes narrowed and the scraps of memory began to sharpen in her mind. “I know where I’ve seen that crest. It was on the tail of the helicopter that...” She pulled against the Doctor’s grip.

His eyes met hers and she knew at that instant that he knew. He knew that she had realized the significance of the crest and his association with it, but it was too late. He pulled her close to him with a strength that he didn’t look capable of.

There was a noticeable shift in his demeanor, as though he’d just heard unpleasant news. “I was hoping to get you inside before we began with the proper introductions, but it seems you’ve already made the connection, my dear.”

The man at the door came to her side without a word. The Doctor nodded to him. She pulled in a futile effort to extract herself as the man rolled up her sleeve and plunged a needle into her shoulder. A slow warmth traveled up her arm and across her chest. The Doctor was speaking to her, but she couldn’t make out any of the words. She was watching his lips move through a funhouse mirror. Blackness crept in from the edges of her vision and quickly swallowed her up.

The sounds of her new environment came to her as though she were beneath water. She opened her eyes up to narrow slits and kept her chin resting on her chest. She didn’t need to move to tell she was strapped to a chair. Her head swam and her wrists hurt. The carpet at her feet was a scene in a larger tapestry that her close view of only hinted at. Something about it spoke of wealth and power.

“It appears our guest is rousing, Christopher,” said a craggy voice from somewhere in front of her.

She lifted her head slowly and forced her eyes to focus on the man in front of her. He sat behind a mahogany desk, his stone-cold emerald colored eyes focused on her. She didn’t recognize him, but his severe face sent a shiver up her spine. His head was crowned in full, but neatly trimmed white hair and he sported a perfectly tailored dark gray suit, set off by a blood red tie, a little golden pin resting in its center. Two other men sat to either side of him, but she found it difficult to look away from his eyes.

“Yes, there’s our girl. No more running.” He cocked his head a little to the left. “Is that a stir of recognition? Are your memories coming back to you, child?”

She glared at him in reply. He waved his hand and Doctor Gabriel came into her vision. He had ditched his jacket and tie, and now wore a crisp white shirt. He pulled a pen from his pocket and lifted her eyelid with his thumb. A narrow beam of light flowed from the pen and dilated her pupil. He repeated the move with her other eye before turning back to the old man.

“I think she’s ready, Martin.”

“Very good,” Martin stood up from behind the desk. “Before we get started, dear, I’ll introduce you to everyone. It’s only proper manners after all.” He chuckled. It unnerved her even further. “You already know our man of action, Doctor Christopher Gabriel.”

The Doctor winked at her and took a seat on the edge of the desk.

Martin motioned to the man to his left. “This is Verner, he represents the third seal on the book of power, and like you, he is also a protector.”

“He is nothing like me,” she said through clenched teeth, her fists balled and straining against the leather straps.

“We are all more like you than you know, child. I myself represent the second seal, and Flins,” he gestured to the tall, pale man at his right, “represents the fourth.”

“And the Doctor? Is he the first seal?”

Martin laughed and the others followed suit. Even the Doctor seemed to find humor in her assertion.

It was Verner who answered her. “Gabriel is invaluable to us. He is what you would call a gatherer, much like your recent traveling companion.” He smiled at her knowingly, his dark eyes speaking of malevolence. He was old like Martin, but his frame still appeared sturdy and strong. He sat in stark contrast to Flins, who looked like Death himself. Perhaps he is death.

Martin tapped on the desk as if calling a meeting to order, leaned forward, and then looked directly into her eyes. “Now that we have dispensed with the introductions, you will tell us where we can find the Eye of Jupiter.”

“I don’t know what that is? Don’t you want the book?”

The old man slammed a fist down on the desk, and then took a minute to regain his composure. He smoothed the surface with his palms before speaking again. “We want the Eye, my dear. We already have the book.”

“How can that be?” She looked to Doctor Gabriel. He returned her gaze.

“You really don’t know?” he asked. He looked back to Martin. “It’s possible she hasn’t connected all of the dots yet. We may need to probe her a little further to shake things loose.”

“I thought you had already taken care of that, Christopher.” Martin glowered at him.

“I’ve shaken quite a bit loose already, yes, but I think she may need a gentle nudge over the edge.”

“Very well, but this time I’ll do it myself.” The old man came around the desk.

He placed a leathery hand on her wrist and the other under her chin. She struggled against him. Her eyes fell on the Doctor and in that moment awareness fell over her. She knew why the Doctor was so familiar. She had met him before. France. At the Capitole de Toulouse. He had been toying with her for decades, possibly centuries.

The old man jerked her chin toward him and locked onto her eyes. His eyes glowing with a familiar light. He spoke to her without moving his mouth. He was inside her, commanding her, pushing away cobwebs, pulling to the surface the pain she had buried deep down. She screamed and pulled against her restraints, but he was always there, commanding her. She was ensorcelled despite her best efforts. Her mind and soul spread before him like an offering. Her deepest secrets were revealed unto him. Secrets she kept even from herself.

Now she knew. She remembered.