The Iron Skeleton

Chapter 5

Falcon's gaze swept up as the door to his holding chamber slid open. Four soldiers with rifles drawn stood on the other side and stared him down. He considered punching his way through them and making his escape, but something held him back, something he couldn't put a finger on. 

When the nearest soldier beckoned him out with a jerk of his head, Falcon rose to his feet and followed with a bowed head. The men eyed one another with raised eyebrows, their gazes constantly shifting back to him. Finally, they descended the ramp and closed it behind themselves. 

After several minutes of threading through the crowded marketplace, they came to a residential section of the city. Two of the soldiers led the way, and coming to a certain house, they ascended the steps onto the porch and knocked on the door. 

The entryway swung open, and a brown-haired man stepped out. Falcon's blood boiled at the sight of him, and he lunged forward to throw a punch. The man's eyes widened at the movement, and he ducked just in time. With a grunt, the soldiers grasped Falcon's collar and yanked him back. 

Two men grasped each of the brawny man's wrists and held them back behind him. He gritted his teeth and strained against them, his furious gaze fixated on the man, who now positioned himself in a martial arts stance. 

"Civil words ought to precede savage punches." the man stated calmly, "If you have a dispute with me, I'd like to hear—" 

"You're Baird Amergin! Murderer of Emperor Pietrovo!" Falcon spat. 

Baird dodged the flying spittle. Then he narrowed his eyes and set his jaw. "That's me, alright. And who might you be?" 

"I'm Falcon, god of vision—" 

"And perception. Yeah, we get it by now." one of the soldiers interrupted. 

"You're not convincing me to believe something like that. Come on, we're all civilized men here...right?" Baird asked, making strong eye contact with Falcon. 

"I'm no man." Falcon growled. 

Baird rolled his eyes. "Listen, whatever authority you may have elsewhere, it doesn't carry over here. So if you try to pull anything more, I'm calling the police." 

Falcon stared at Baird for a long moment, a multitude of thoughts churning in his mind. Finally, he nodded and ceased his struggle with the soldiers. His piercing gaze lingered on the man as he stepped over the threshold. 

As Baird shut the door behind everybody, Falcon spotted Hannah. His eyes drifted down from her face to the sapphire gem hanging from her neck. He hurried his footsteps and stretched out his hand to grab it. 

Baird unsheathed a sword and leapt into the bigger man's path. "Woah, hold up, what're you doing?" 

"It's one of the artifacts!" Falcon snapped. He halted and crossed his arms. 

"Artifacts?" 

"That's what I said." 

Hannah rose to her feet behind Baird. "What're artifacts?" 

"They're...vessels. They contain the power of the gods." 

Baird rolled his eyes again. "You mean to tell me that the power of twenty-six gods, is all contained in one little gem?" 

Falcon frowned. "I never said that. That's the artifact of Jay, god of beauty. Give it here, now." 

Hannah slowly removed the necklace and took a step forward, but Baird blocked her with his arm, his sword still in hand. "Why should we do that? You're not Jay."