The Merlin Chronicles: Box Set (All Three Novels) by Daniel Diehl

Author:Daniel Diehl [Diehl, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ravenswood Publishing (Chimera)
Published: 2017-09-26T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

By the time Jason exited the treasury to rejoin Ras the desert sun had sunk low enough to paint the sky with fingers of bright orange fire. For more than three hours Ras had been sitting on the dusty ground with his back against the blue iron fence. Now, even before he could stand up and dust off the seat of his faded jeans, Jason was already headed toward him, fingering the phone in his pocket, anxious to coordinate his next move with Merlin.

“So how did it go, boss? You were in there a really long time.”

After giving his assistant a rough outline of the meeting, ending with Fr Marcos’ promise to meet with him again at noon the next day, Jason extracted a small wad of crumpled Ethiopian currency from his pocket and shoved it toward Ras.

“We’re going to need someplace to stay tonight and I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.” Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth Jason realized this was probably not the best possible phrasing in a country where death by starvation was a common occurrence, and hoped Ras hadn’t taken offense. To cover his momentary embarrassment he handed over the cluster of bills. “You take this and go get us a hotel and then grab us something to eat. You can eat whenever you want but bring mine back here. Just make sure you wait till after dark.”

Ras screwed up his forehead in confusion. “You want me to leave you sitting here alone until after dark?”

“Right. I’ll move outside the walls so the monks don’t chase me away or something, but I need to stay here for a while.”

“I can get some take-away and be back in an hour or so.”

Jason shook his head. “No. Thanks for the offer but I need you to wait for at least two hours before you come back.”

Glancing briefly at the money before stuffing the little wad of bills into his pocket, Ras turned away shaking his head. “Ok, boss, whatever you say.” Still shaking his head, the boy wandered toward the gate of St Mary of Zion compound muttering to himself, “You are one seriously weird dude.”

As soon as Ras’ willow slim shape disappeared from view, Jason followed him out through the big wooden gate. Rather than go back toward the main road he made a hard left and followed the high stone wall to its northernmost point. There he pulled his phone out of his pocket, sat down and leaned his back against the warm stone wall as he punched in the number of his flat in York.

“Good evening, Jason. Thank you for calling so promptly after your meeting with the old priest. Was it fruitful?”

Jason nearly dropped the phone. Merlin’s uncanny ability to know things that no one had any business knowing unnerved him almost as much now as it had when he first met the old man the previous autumn.

“I’m not even going to ask how you knew it was me and why I’m calling.

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