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Chapter Ten
FAYE
We stepped inside thehouse. More statues greeted us. An indoor fountain gurgled and bubbled water over a marble reproduction of the statue of Venus de Milo. Was this guy for real? I shared glances with Klinn. He shrugged at me.
I made light conversation as we ventured further into the foyer. "I see you like Greco-Roman sculpture and architecture."
Bartie’s tentacles twitched. "How do you know?"
"The statues we passed outside are in the Greek style. The urns are similar to what held the fires in the temples, and your maze is inspired by Theseus and his encounter with the Minotaur in the labyrinth of Crete."
Klinn squinted at me.
"Sorry." I said. "I used to be into Greek mythology growing up."
Klinn coughed. I thought I heard the word "nerd", but it could’ve been my imagination.
Bartie perked. "You’re also an enthusiast. Splendid." His dog Hydra, seeing her master react positively, wagged her tail. "You should visit my sitting room while I inspect the order from Mr. Ustrar."
He pointed to the way. The sitting room was on the left side of the foyer. Its walls were adorned with bookshelves reaching to the ceiling, filled to the brim with volumes of all shapes and sizes. I was surprised to see old-fashioned books on a planet known for its high tech. Then again, the eastern sector was rural and largely territory.
The scent of aged paper mingled with the air. The books themselves appeared well-loved, the gilded titles on their spines worn and pages yellowed from the passage of time.
"I had those mythology books imported from your planet," Bartie said before turning to Klinn, who held out the replica of the golden museum orb.
I kept browsing the sitting room. A large curio cabinet stood against one wall. Its shelves housed an odd assortment of objects—a delicate porcelain doll with mismatched eyes, a collection of antique keys suspended on velvet, a small antique vial, and a preserved butterfly with vibrant iridescent wings. Bartie sure loved his imports.
It wouldn’t have surprised me if this was where some of those missing museum pieces might be hiding. I made a note to bring it to the agency’s attention as soon as I got back.
I found myself drawn to the peculiar artifacts, my eyes darting from one item to another. Focus. I was here on business, not to get lost in my own curiosity.
My eyes filtered through the intricate objects to see a dusty little bookshelf tucked away in a corner. Smaller than the others and less ornate, nothing about it stood out. I made my way over to it. A particular book seemed out of place. Its spine was worn and faded, as if it had been often handled.
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Bartie didn’t see me as I pulled it out. For such a big book, it was lightweight. No title was on the cover. I opened the book and saw the reason for the lack of heft. A collection of slim, meticulously kept paperback journals filled a compartment.
"It looks just like the one at the museum. Good work."
"My pleasure."
As long as Klinn schmoozed and Bartie cooed over the replica orb, I had time to look through the journals. Each one was filled with handwritten notes, diagrams, and symbols, all in the native Javorian language. The more I looked, the more my pulse raced with the knowledge I'd stumbled upon a significant finding.
I recognized one of the symbols: the Nexus Spiral, a stylized, interlocking spiral. One of my fellow agents brought it to the Wanderstar Fleet’s attention a couple of months ago. It came from a tiny allegiance of Quarek renegades and their sympathizers. Their number was small at the time, but it could be growing.
After finding a quiet corner next to Bartolomew’s mythology collection, I opened another one of the journals and skimmed through the pages. A series of entries referencing experiments with energy fields and zero gravity anomalies jumped out at me. Sketches and calculations hinted at the mechanisms behind the zero gravity occurrences. The more I read suggested they were not mere environmental blips but intentional acts.
A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. What could Bartolomew's motivations be? Was he involved with both Riven, the Nexus Spiral, or did he have a separate agenda of his own?
"Hey, ground control to Estelle."
Klinn’s outburst broke my concentration. He walked towards me while Bartie lagged, scratching his dog under the chin, or so it appeared as he went through the motions with his tentacles.
"What’s got you so engrossed back here?" Klinn spoke under his breath.
"I love these old books," I said at normal volume while I showed him a page in the journal with the sketch of the energy field.
Klinn took it to look at himself and gave me a subtle nod. I checked on our host again to make sure our action hadn’t been spotted. I heard paper rustle. When I returned my gaze to Klinn, I saw he closed the journal. The Wanderstar Fleet had to hear about this, too. How would I be able to take my findings without tipping off Bartie or endangering us?
