It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our physical forms.

  ~ Tomas

  Sarah eagerly stepped out of a little bus taxi that Gregorios had hired to take them the short drive to Vatican City. She grabbed Tomas’s hand and drew him out of the vehicle to stand beside her.

  The air was warm and the street packed with the funny little cars popular in Rome. Swarms of scooters and bicycles wove around each other everywhere, and crowds jostled past on the sidewalks.

  “This is awesome.” She turned in a circle, trying to take everything in at once.

  The buildings looked old, and a weight of history hung over the city. After the freaky excitement of New Orleans, it felt wonderful, as if she were dipping her toes into a timeless pond. She had felt it the moment they arrived, but the bright light of day magnified the feeling.

  The air smelled of exhaust, fried street vendor food, all overlaid on top of the scent of weathered stone. Beeping horns and hundreds of small engines made a constant background noise, punctuated by scores of voices talking in many languages.

  Loud American tourists mingled with English visitors, while French and German accents sounded nearby. All of them were surrounded by the sing-song words of the local Italians. It made a wonderful din, so unlike anything she heard in the States.

  Sarah wore designer jeans, a green silk blouse and a light jacket. Tomas was dressed in khaki pants, polo shirt, and a sports jacket, while Gregorios dressed like a tourist with cargo shorts, yellow shirt, and a typical backpack.

  “Quite a sight,” Tomas said with a smile. “Despite how many times I see it.”

  Sarah had decided not to ask about the coincidence that their planned vacation destination just happened to be the location of the secret facetaker council headquarters. She had ulterior motives for joining him in New Orleans, so she didn’t begrudge him little secrets.

  Once they found Eirene, she dared hope they could free her and convince the council of the danger Mai Luan posed. It sounded like they possessed the resources to deal with the cui dashi. Of course, that meant they had the resources to deal with Gregorios, Tomas, and Sarah too.

  Her nervousness had intensified as they had approached the Suntara headquarters. She hated how scared she was of the shadowy council she’d never met. If only everything worked out. She had to believe it would, somehow.

  She’d love to celebrate with dinner at a nice restaurant and see some of the town without worrying about hekha or cui dashi or anyone else chasing them. She couldn’t imagine enjoying the sights with Eirene still prisoner. She’d never handle the guilt.

  She hadn’t finished her daily quest yet either. She’d managed the ten-minute handstand and 100 jumps to touch the 12-foot ceiling, but lacked time for the run. She needed to make time for that later because she really didn’t want to deal with another challenge dungeon.

  Then again, the last one had helped her unlock great abilities. Now that she knew more about the true nature of the danger Mai Luan represented, she yearned to progress faster.

  Gregorios didn’t bother staring at the sights. His wife’s peril had left him grim-faced. His intensity scared her a little and she reminded herself again never to get on his bad side.

  She and Tomas had helped free Eirene only recently, and it sounded like she’d remained in that tiny coffin for years. Sarah swore to do everything in her power to help Gregorios save her from suffering a similar fate again.

  Gregorios’s commitment seemed super human. Who sacrificed so much for their spouse these days? Most people would’ve filed for divorce and moved on.

  She had decided she liked Gregorios, if for no other reason than his dedication to his wife. Despite the very real dangers they were likely to face, she couldn’t leave now.

  He and Tomas had shared vital bits of information with her, but she sensed it was just the tip of the iceberg, and she needed to know more. It was literally a matter of life and death.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Once Eirene was free, they’d have time for deeper discussions. Assuming they didn’t brand her a hekha and remove her soul, life would be great. Then, she and Tomas could plan a new vacation. Hopefully it wouldn’t include any more surprise visits from unknown gunmen.

  Could things really wrap up so neatly? Maybe not, but it didn’t hurt to hope.

  Gregorios led the way into the crowds and merged with the loud tourists and the vendors clamoring for sales. Sarah followed, still holding Tomas’s hand and trying to see everything. She’d been surprised to learn the headquarters of the shadowy council was right there in the heart of Rome, surrounded by millions of tourists.

  Gregorios pulled them past the long lines of people waiting outside the entrance to the Vatican Museum and turned down a mostly-deserted side street. He and Tomas compared watches.

  Tomas said, “Time to go.”

  Sarah hugged him, and he kissed her cheek.

  “Be careful,” she urged him.

  “I told you, I’ll be fine. I’m expected.”

  She still worried. Tomas was living the dangerous life of a double agent. He’d told her the night before that his connection to Gregorios was secret, and that he officially worked for the council.

  “No one cares that you’ve been gone for days?” she pressed.

  “I’m an enforcer. We come and go a lot.”

  “Oh, an enforcer. So you do have a job title. I thought you were just a mercenary who won’t talk about his work.”

  He actually leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. He barely brushed them, but it was an improvement. “I’ll explain more when I get back.”

  “You bet you will.”

  With a final reassuring smile and a wink, he slipped back into the crowds. He had pointed out a nearby, unremarkable building as the Suntara Group headquarters, but she wondered if he might be lying.

  It didn’t look like the home of a super-secret, powerful sect of soul-stealing kidnappers. More like the headquarters for a law firm or a bunch of accountants.

  The building was not far from the museums, situated at the edge of the Vatican gardens. The tourist map Gregorios had given her listed it as some type of government administration building. What better place for them to hide than a building so easily ignored compared to the famous landmarks all around?

  “Let’s go,” Gregorios said. He shouldered his simple backpack and led the way down the narrow street to a side entrance of the museum.

  Sarah followed, a little nervous. The door was locked and a bored-looking guard stood outside.

  Gregorios had insisted they could easily get in without having to wait in line for hours with the tourists at the main entrance around the corner. She hoped he wasn’t planning to attack the guard.

  He didn’t. He just walked up to the guard and showed an identification card. The man saluted and opened the door for them.

  That was too easy. With all his talk of soul powers, she'd expected him to pull some kind of Obi-Wan mind control trick.

  She cast one last look around, taking in the beautiful gardens and the view of the dome of St. Peter’s cathedral rising above the other buildings in the distance, then followed him inside, worried they were walking into some kind of trap.

  No one jumped them as they traversed a long, dim hallway of age-blackened stone. The passage was cramped and smelled of dust, and slightly of mold.

  Tiny windows, spaced too far apart, let in only a little light, and dust-motes danced in the feeble beams. Sarah was not impressed. Wasn’t everything in the Vatican museum supposed to be awesome?

  Then they exited a simple wooden door and slipped into the crowds pouring into the Sistine Chapel. That was awesome.

  Sarah gawked at the incredible paintings spanning the entire ceiling and most of the walls. A complex architecture of beams and trusses covered the ceiling, surrounding the panels of awe-inspiring paintings that filled every inch of the space with vibrant color.

  She’d seen many of those paintings in photos online, but the photos absolutely failed to capture the majesty of the sight. She was stunned to learn from Gregorios that the ceiling was actually quite flat, and the three-dimensional effect was an optical illusion that was painted on.

  Her nerves calmed under the incredible sight and for a moment she forgot her worry for Eirene and her fear of the shadowy council. If only Tomas was there to enjoy the view with her.

  Fifteen minutes passed in a blur, then Gregorios tapped her arm and motioned toward the exit. Time to go. He was no longer carrying his backpack.

  “Five minutes,” he said softly as they followed other tourists out the exit.

  Planting the backpack was all they needed to do besides wait for Tomas to make his move. His was the critical mission.

  Gregorios turned toward the distant safe house where they’d wait for Tomas, but she pulled him in the other direction. “Can we go through Saint Peter's Square?”

  He gave her that intimidating look of his, but she held her ground. “I hate waiting,” she explained. “And it won’t take that long, will it?”

  Seeing the Sistine Chapel had calmed her nerves. Hopefully St. Peter’s would accomplish the same thing.

  She hated enjoying herself while Tomas was in danger and Eirene’s fate unknown, but the thought of sitting in the silent safe house, with nothing to do but wait only magnified her fears.

  Gregorios sighed, turned the other way, and held out his arm.

  Sarah took his arm. “Thanks for being flexible.”

  He managed a tight smile, despite the worry in his eyes that reflected the fears she was barely controlling. “I hate waiting too.”

  Just as they reached the famous square, Gregorios checked his watch. After a pause, he said, “Smoke distraction should be detonating any second.”

  They made it halfway across the vast square before distant sirens began to blare. Police cars soon raced past, lights flashing. Tourists flocked into the square, and Sarah caught bits and pieces of excited chatter about a bomb in the Sistine Chapel.

  Stage one complete.

  It was all up to Tomas now.