Fourth Vector Ch. 08

"Vera seems to really look up to you," said Kat quietly. "She likes you a great deal."

"As I do her," said Jack. "She's an interesting girl. She's been through a lot too."

"I've heard," said Kat. "She's told me about her story. I like her a great deal too."

"It's a shame that a sweet girl like her had to find herself whoring. That's not a way to make a life," said Jack.

"It's not like she had much of a choice. The Andalucians are cruel people," said Kat with a shudder. "Best to be avoided as much as possible."

"I'm just glad that we can give her a second chance," said Jack. "Or really, Heron can. He's the one with the standing offer to those girls to live at his palace while they get back on their feet."

Kat started to giggle. "And yet she looks up to you as her personal hero. Why is that?"

Jack felt his ears begin to heat up. "I'm not sure myself. I think her trust is a little misguided in me. It's Heron that deserves the thanks."

"You may need to watch your back with that one," said Kat slyly. "She may look to snatch you up when the time comes."

"Vera? Seriously?" asked Jack with an arched eyebrow.

"You don't see it?"

Jack shrugged. "She just seems so young. I don't think anything could come of that. She's not really the type I'd go for, if that's what you mean."

Kat started to grin, sensing an opening. "So what is your type then? What kind of woman makes Jack Easterbrook hot under the collar?"

"You're really asking me that?" said Jack while giving her a surprised look.

She nodded eagerly. "I want to know!"

He pursed his lips while he thought over his answer. "That's not something I can answer very easily."

"Why not? Just tell me what you like in a partner," said Kat. "I'm curious."

"Why are you so curious about it?"

She blinked. "You do remember my name, don't you?"

Jack started to laugh. "And you know what it did to it, right?'

She elbowed him. "Quit stalling and tell me."

"Fine," said Jack with a huff. "I like . . . intelligence. Someone with brains that I can talk to. Someone that's passionate about something. It could be anything, as long as the passion's there. I like warmth. The type of warmth you get from someone who's nurturing and caring and kind. Of course, I like beauty too. I want to see someone who looks beautiful and stays in my mind all day."

"Mm-hmm, interesting," said Kat. "Very interesting."

"What's so interesting about that?"

"Oh, nothing," she said while flashing a cheesy smile.

"You're almost as much of an enigma as Vera is," said Jack with a laugh.

"It must be because we're Galicians," said Kat before sticking her tongue out.

"You two have such an interesting story. A very similar one too," noted Jack.

"How so?"

"Just in the fact that you had a real tragedy happen to you both that's preventing you from going back home," he said. "I don't know many people that wouldn't take the chance to go home if they were given it."

Kat's entire demeanor began to change. The fun, flirtatious woman she had just been quickly changed to a guarded, stoic exterior. "It's not that simple, Jack," she said quietly.

"I know that. I'm just noting the similarities," he said defensively.

"There's a bit of a difference though," she said. "Vera could go back but she chooses not to. Too painful for her to start over with just herself. I can't go back. I'd be killed if I did."

"Tell me why, Kat. What happened?"

She shook her head quickly. "Maybe someday, Jack. Not right now."

"Then you will tell me someday?"

Kat turned to look at him. "Someday, you'll have to find out."

Jack walked along silently trying to digest her words. What did she mean by that exactly? Someday she'd have to tell him? Or he'd just find out on his own? By the look on her face, he could tell that she was in no mood to explain herself any further, and he simply chalked it up as something that would have to wait until they knew each other a little better. For now, at least.

"I'm not always a wanderer, you know," said Kat out of the blue. She turned to look at Jack with a soft expression. "There is a place where I have a home, even if it's not Galicia."

"Where is that?" asked Jack.

"It's a small island that makes up part of Picardy," said Kat. "I have a small house there that was gifted to me. Even though I don't go there often, it helps to know that I'm not truly homeless."

"What is the house like?"

Kat smiled. "It's more like a cottage. It has light-blue wooden walls, large windows for taking in the sunshine, and palm trees full of coconuts on the grounds. It's not much but it's plenty big enough for just me."

"I keep hearing the name Picardy for a country, but despite your map, I don't know much about it," said Jack. "How far away from here is it?"

Kat's eyes rolled up in thought. "Quite a distance. You'd need to sail north for more than a week before you'd get to the main island that makes up Picardy. The main island is one of the largest ones in this portion of the world, but this tiny island just sits off the western coast."

"How did a young, Galician woman like yourself come to own property in Picardy?" asked Jack with a smile. "Lucky in trade?"

Kat's face turned serious again. "Like I said, it was a gift to my family. One that I'm able to retain. Anyway, that's a home for me when I need one."

"I wouldn't mind seeing it someday," said Jack. "That is, if the invitation is there."

She looked over to him and locked her gaze on his eyes. A smile slowly filled her face. "Maybe. We'll have to see about that."

"You don't make things easy on me, do you?" asked Jack.

Kat giggled. "Where is the fun in easy?"

"You know, now that we're here on the mountain, I don't see our quest going on for much longer here in Sorella," said Jack. "If all goes well and we recover the gold and escort Heron back to his city, it'll be time for us to leave soon."

Kat nodded while listening but otherwise said nothing.

"What will you do then? When we leave?" asked Jack finally.

"Maybe I could come with you on your travels?" asked Kat.

Jack pursed his lips. "I don't know if that would fly with the rest of the crew. It's wartime and there's danger everywhere. You'd be putting your life at risk."

Kat started to laugh. "My life has been at risk every day for the past few years. I'm used to that by now."

"I'm just saying that it wouldn't be easy," said Jack. "There's so much going on in the world right now and most of it's bad. I'd hate to have you onboard and to put your life in more danger than it should be."

Kat shrugged her shoulders. "It was just a suggestion, that's all. Perhaps it's time I did go home for a change. I've been traveling for so long that perhaps I've earned a little vacation time?"

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea," said Jack. "Maybe we could compromise a bit? It sounds like Picardy may be the next closest place for us to look for an alliance. Maybe we could take you there?"

She turned a million-watt smile on him. "Perhaps. If you would do that for me, I'd be very grateful."

"You have yourself a deal then, Kat," said Jack while extending his hand in a playful gesture. She took it and shook it firmly before starting to giggle herself.

"I'm really beginning to like you, Jack," said Kat with total honesty.

"That makes two of us, Kat," he answered in return.

-------

Kat spent much of the afternoon at Jack's side as they ascended the mountain. The two of them kept finding more topics to discuss and their conversations never once drifted to a lull or stalled out for a lack of interest. It was quite a novel experience to talk with the dashing commander who had a habit of drawing out her playful side. She couldn't remember a time when she exploded into fits of giggles more often, reminding her of how things used to be back home before her exile—fun, carefree, and innocent.

Every notion that she had about Jack seemed to be correct, and even still, he was bound to surprise her when she didn't expect it. It made her feel hopeful for the first time in years, and she silently gave thanks that perhaps Jacob's death was not in vain after all.

It was only once they reached camp that evening and Jack went off to gather some firewood that Kat was left alone for the first time all afternoon. As she watched the blond-haired commander walk away, the smile that had been on her face most of the day slowly dropped.

I'll need to tell him sooner or later, she thought to himself.I shouldn't keep this from him.

On and on she argued with herself about what to do. It's not that she didn't trust him. Quite the opposite in fact, the man had earned her trust even after only knowing him personally for two days. It was just the sheer magnitude of the secret. What it could mean if it were true. And how it would turn lives upside down if it were to become known.

Kat sighed and kicked around a rock between her feet. Nothing had been easy for the last few years. Traveling like vagrants, and always looking over her shoulder for assassins sent by her family, she'd had to learn to deal with harsh truths and how to accept them. But how would Jack accept this harshest of truths? Especially if she was wrong?

No, I can't be wrong. The prophecies are never wrong, she thought to herself. Yet, even he had admitted to her that he didn't believe in prophecy. If the gods had a sense of humor, they would surely laugh at her plight right now.

There had to be a way forward. She would have to be completely open with him in time, and as much as that thought frightened her, it had to be done. At stake was merely the fate of the entire world. As long as she was right about him. She had to be right.

Kat took a deep breath. In due time, she would tell him. In the end, she just prayed that he wouldn't end up hating her for it.

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"Can you see it? Just beyond that ridge over there, hidden by the trees," said Heron as he pointed across the small canyon. "That's the temple."

Jack strained his eyes in the direction Heron was pointing. This high on the mountain, most of the surrounding terrain was shrouded in a thick layer of fog. It was midmorning, and while most of the fog would have been burned off by the sun at lower elevations, it survived much longer at this height.

Yet, he could just make out the sight of the ancient temple on the opposite ridge. The first thing he saw was the pediment of the structure, the upper portion of the roof that looked to be engraved with all kinds of different scenes and drawings. They were impossible to make out at this distance, but they were the first thing to catch his eye.

Much like Daimanos' palace, the temple sported grand, marble columns, and Jack could count six of them on the front side of the building. The temple was set into a rocky outcropping from the mountain, and part of the front of the building was hidden by a row of trees. It was almost like it had been built to remain hidden, however the impressive workmanship that went into its design ensured that it could never have been ignored by anyone just passing by. Much less grand in scale compared to the palace, the temple was still very impressive to see from afar.

"I haven't seen her in decades," said Heron to his side. "You're now looking at the holiest site in all of Sorella."

Jack scanned over the temple once more, looking for signs of recent habitation. Even though he could just make out the building across the way, it would be nearly impossible to see people from this distance. They would need to get closer in order to see if Barak was still there.

"We need to get moving," said Jack. "If we can get closer, we might have a hope of ambushing Barak if he's still inside."

"It will take the man a long time to load up all that gold, even with several men helping him," said Heron. "Let's get the group moving at once!"

Jack nodded and gave one last look out to the earliest Sorellan temple. Seeing what they've been chasing for this past week and knowing they must be close to gaining on Barak was a surreal feeling. If they could just close the distance on him now, the stolen gold would be as good as theirs.

Heron and Jack rejoined the rest of the group as they rested along a small ledge next to the mountain. A small canteen of water was being passed around and was currently in the possession of Kat. She took a big gulp before passing it off to Jack.

"We're almost there," he said after slaking his thirst. "We need to cross across a decent-sized valley to get to the other side where the temple is."

Kat nodded and smiled. "Lead the way."

After their short rest, the group was back on the path in a few minutes. At this height, the path was no more than a worn dirt portion of the mountain, a far cry from the paved and well-maintained road that they started on back in the city. Even so, they had to be careful of where they stepped, for jagged rocks found themselves deeply embedded into the dirt, a waiting injury for anyone who wasn't watching the immediate path in front of them.

It took another several hours just to make it to the far side of the mountain. At one point, the path narrowed greatly to cross a small natural bridge across the valley that they had to take only two at a time. Jack cringed at the thought of bringing horses and wagons over this part of the mountain as one false move could easily send them careening to their deaths.

The sun was just beginning to fade as the group found a small area well off the path. It was sheltered on three sides by the mountain, a perfect place to make their camp for the night. Due to their proximity to the temple, Heron forbade the use of any fire for that night lest they give away their position. For that reason, on the coldest night by far at this elevation, the seven of them huddled close to one another to preserve their heat.

As Vera began to prepare a meager supper for them, she was joined by Kat, the two fast friends working together to feed the rest of their companions. It was a cold, porridge stew that came out from their makeshift kitchen, a result of their lack of flame. Jack swallowed down what he could, hopeful for the day when he could rejoin theDestiny and get a proper meal once more.

Close to nightfall, Greg grabbed his attention. "I think we should do a reconnaissance of this temple while we can and while we're hidden by the night."

Jack nodded. "Let's do it. We need to know what we're going up against tomorrow. Or even if they're still there."

"Just the two of us?" asked Greg.

Jack shook his head. "Let's bring Nikias with us. He knows the most about the temple and its surroundings."

After grabbing Nikias, the three men set out along the narrow path up to the base of the temple. According to the Sorellan minister, it would take them a good half hour to reach the temple at their pace so they stayed light and walked nimbly with only their weapons hitched against their back.

"What do you think the chances are that they're still there?" asked Nikias not far from camp.

"We've been gaining on them so it's a definite possibility," said Jack from his side. "It'll depend on how fast they can load up the gold from the temple."

"What do we do if they're already gone?" asked Nikias. "If they are already on the descent?"

"Wouldn't we have met them already if they were done loading the treasure?" asked Greg. "Wouldn't they have to descend down this very path if they were already loaded up?"

"Not necessarily," said Nikias. "There's another path that leads down the western side of the mountain, which they could use as well. Especially if Barak knows we're after him, I doubt he'd come back down our side."

"Where does that path lead? Does it lead straight to Heron's capitol?"

"A branch of it does. The path forks once it's back down to the foothills," said the minister. "The southern path leads back to the capitol while the northern path leads along the coast. If he's hoping to get out of Sorella, my guess is that he'd take the northern path."

"I highly doubt he'd want to go anywhere near Heron's city after all this too," said Greg.

"At least we know where he's going in case we're still behind them," said Jack. "I just pray it doesn't come to that."

The three men rounded a particularly sharp ledge around the mountain and for the first time since this morning, the temple came into stunning view again. Jack pressed himself closely against the side of the mountain to stay out of sight and only hazarded a few glances at the temple up close.

It was a truly grand structure even if the marble used in its construction looked dated. From far away it wasn't as easy to tell, but this close he could make out numerous cracks along the columns as well as huge chunks that were missing.

"Earthquakes," said Nikias quietly until Jack looked at him with confusion. "If you're wondering about how shabby the temple looks, a good portion of that is due to earthquakes. It's extremely well-made but there's just about no building material out there that can survive nature at its fiercest."

Jack nodded and looked back to the temple. The three men laid down in a prone position and managed to crawl closer, using a nearby spruce tree as cover for their reconnaissance.

"It looks rather quiet," said Greg after they stopped to look at the temple for several moments.

"It appears that way," agreed Jack. "I don't really see any sight of human habitation." The commander turned to look at Nikias. "Is there anyone here who stays full time? A caretaker of the temple at all?"

Nikias shook his head. "No, nor is there a priest or a chaplain or anything like that. The temple just exists. Those that pass by are allowed to make offerings in the receiving hall on their own but that is the extent of it."

"Do you know how far back the treasure is?" asked Jack. "I'm guessing it's not right out in the open in the receiving hall?"

"There's a separate vault in the back of the temple if I remember correctly," said Nikias.

Before Jack could respond, all three of them turned their attention back to the temple where the sound of a horse pierced the night air. Where it came from was the next question on all of their minds.

"That's definitely a horse. Someone is still here," said Jack.

"What's on the far side of the temple?" asked Greg, pointing to a narrow space between the temple and the rock surrounding it.

Nikias shrugged. "Nothing that I can remember. I don't ever remember there being something there before."

"We need to get closer still," said Jack. "It's a blind spot, and if there's horses here, we could have just gotten lucky.

Greg handed his rifle over to Nikias. "Cover me. I'll crawl closer and see what's over there."

"Be careful," advised Jack as the Marine already started to move along the ground. The grass near the temple was tall enough to obscure most objects along the ground but anyone watching would be able to tell that something unnatural was moving if they were paying attention. Jack kept his sights trained on the temple, watching for the first sign of trouble.

Greg was gone for nearly half an hour and at one point, Jack even lost sight of him as the ground dipped closer to the temple.

"Where'd he go? Should we go look for him?" asked Nikias.

"No, give him time," said Jack. "Greg is used to this kind of thing."

Finally, he was made aware of the Marine's body as he crawled delicately back to their position. As soon as he was within earshot, he opened up with a big grin.

"There's eight horses tied up in that space on the other side of the temple," he said excitedly. "Also, there's two wagons there as well. One of those wagons is heavily-laden with something but it's covered in tarps so I can't see what's underneath."

Jack also started to grin. "It has to be Barak and the gold. Any sign of him or the men?"