Goddess's Saga 1: Touch of the Goddess by Maria Hammarblad Page B

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    “ It’s impossible, you’re dead.”
    The man ’s eyes darted around and Stephan stopped a couple of steps from a wall of rifles. He crossed his arms over his chest and made a point of looking alive and unafraid.
    “ Jim Benton, it’s a pleasure to see you too. I’d stop and chat but I’m a bit busy.”
    The guard captain was pale and fine drops of sweat glittered on his forehead, even though he stood behind his troops.
    Are all these armed men trembling with fear of a woman with a sword?
    “ You’re supposed to be dead.”
    “ Well, I’m not, and I’ve come to see the boss. I have some cargo for him. From what I hear, you’re finding it difficult to get on my ship to collect it. I think he’d talk to me. If not, I’m sure I know a few other people who would be interested in it.”
    Did Maria stand by his side or was she still in the ship?
    Did she think the troops looked funny too?
    It was unnerving to have so many weapons follow his every move, but he was still able to see the comical in the situation.
    Jim went over to a wall-mounted communications terminal. He was too far away for Stephan to make the conversation out, but looked exasperated.
    Shifting his attention to the guards, he tried, “Could you guys please point those somewhere else?”
    No one answered. If anything, they seemed even more determined to shoot.
    Jim returned after a mere minute, pulling a hand over his forehead.
    “You’re never getting out of here alive. You know that, don’t you?”
    Stephan shrugged; this sudden concern for his well-being didn’t seem sincere. His old drinking buddy cuffed his hands behind his back and two men pushed him through the corridor towards an elevator. As the doors closed behind him, he heard Jim call out, “It was nice knowing you.”
     
    *****
     
    The elevator seemed to rise forever.
    It finally came to a halt at the very top floor, and even the doors seemed to hush as they slid open. Thick handmade rugs on the floor dampened the sound of their steps, the walls were filled with art from many worlds , and ancient statues stared into nothingness from designed niches in the walls.
    I bet every single piece is stolen.
    In his opinion , it looked like someone collected things to create an aura of wealth, without taking good taste into account. As beautiful as many of the items were individually, the overall impression became tacky.
    One of the guards shoved the muzzle of a gun into his back .
    “ Don’t just stand there, move along.”
    I chose to come up here. We could have left.
    He stopped dragging his feet and marched down the hallway to a big door clad with red leather. A plant and a golden statue of a lion flanked the entrance on each side.
    “Are you guys taking me to a restaurant? Looks like they have good spring rolls in here.”
    One of the guards said, “Can I kill him?”
    The other answered, “Shut up, idiot.”
    I wonder if he ’s talking to me or to his colleague.
    A second later, the doors swung open on noiseless hinges, and Stephan spotted a familiar old man inside the room. He forced himself to smile.
    “ David Red, hospitality here has decreased since my last visit.”
    The doors closed behind him as quietly as they opened . The guards probably waited right outside, hoping for an excuse to storm in and shorten his expected lifespan. Oh well, every day now was overtime anyway.
    Dammit, I h ave to stop thinking about being dead.
    David had ebony skin, dark eyes, and a head crowned with a mane of hair white as snow. Each one of his handmade suits could probably feed a starving family for a decade.
    Stephan took a few steps further into the room, and David held out a remote control to rewind a holographic recording. It seemed to be a rehearsed act, and the impression of watching something staged grew stronger from David’s mild tone of voice.
    “ Stephan Forks.”
    The old man spun his chair to face his guest, and continued with a chuckle, “I always knew you were one