Chasing Destiny [SYTYCW15]

Wewelsburg, Germany, 1941

Matheus stood alone in the middle of the circular room and an unholy smile crossed his face when he saw her. He held the spear tightly in his right hand, turning knuckles white from the effort. Akantha swore under her breath.

"Come in, my dear," he said. "I've been expecting you."

Akantha took a deep breath and walked into the room, the door closing behind her. Twelve pillars rose from the floor around the circular room and were connected in a groined vault, if Akantha recognized it correctly. A dark green sun wheel with a gold center was embedded into the center of the floor and the room was illuminated by twelve windows. Each window was ensconced in a niche. Construction was still going on, along with the rest of the castle, and Akantha wondered how much Himmler was spending for this ego trip.

"I would hate to disappoint," she said as she reached the center and stood on the gold plate.

"You never do," Matheus said. "Is this what you are after?" He tilted the tip of the spear toward her, almost as if in a salute. All the plaster was gone and the wooden shaft was polished. The spear tip reflected the light.

"I can't let the Nazis get their hands on it."

"You seem confident this is the real spear," Matheus observed.

"It could be. This is just one of a number people think is the true spear," Akantha replied. "I'm just covering all of the bases."

"You didn't go after any of the others," he pointed out.

"You seem confident I'm acting alone."

"Yes, I remember your little secret group."

Akantha didn't respond, but she had been hoping Matheus forgot about the other immortal guardians. Six hundred years had passed since she told him about the Custodes Thesauri, the Guardians of the Treasure, as they called themselves.

"The are rumors that the most powerful weapons will kill immortals," Matheus continued. "Shall we test those rumors?"

"Hand over the spear and I'll test it on you," she replied. The gun she liberated with the uniform was in a holster at her waist, but it wouldn't do more than slow him down.

Matheus smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "To think people have accused you of not possessing a sense of humor."

"I do have one," she defended and started walking to her right to circle him. She knew Damianos was listening somewhere outside of the room and to have a chance of succeeding, she needed Matheus' back to the door. "I don't find humor in things most people find funny."

"You never did," he said and his gaze followed her.

Akantha shrugged and moved behind him. She knew he would turn, he had to. He was a trained knight and he couldn't ignore a threat. He turned as predicted and Akantha was smiling on the inside, her face remained passive.

"Don't force me to use the spear on you," Matheus told her.

"Force you? If you use it on me it will be because you chose to do it, not because I forced you," she countered. "I'm not forcing you to do anything. You brought everything upon yourself. Matheus, it doesn't have to end like this. Give me the spear. Let me take it out of the reach of mortals." She was now opposite the door and his back was to it, exactly where she wanted him.

"We both know how this is going to end," he told her.

"Please, Matheus," she begged. She needed him to believe that she wouldn't do whatever it took to get the spear. "We loved each other once, don't let something like this happen."