Phantom Prospect - Alex Archer [42]
“Destroyed? How would we do that?”
“Smelting it would render it useless. At least, that’s what the legends tell us. We don’t really know if it would work.”
“Wonderful.” Annja shook her head. “This is turning into quite a trip.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m not exactly thrilled to be here, either,” Sheila said.
Annja looked at her and realized how similar they seemed to be. Even the way Sheila carried herself reminded Annja of how she behaved on occasion. And Annja could see the resolve in Sheila’s eyes.
“Garin’s been training you for a long time?” she asked.
“Almost ten years.”
“You don’t look that old.”
Sheila frowned. “I’m not, thank you very much. I’m your age. Garin recruited me when I was much younger.”
“How’d he find you?”
Sheila shook her head. “I don’t think that’s germane to our conversation right now. We should probably just concentrate on the matters at hand.”
“I’d like to know,” Annja said. “After all, it feels like you have an unfair advantage over me in that you know all about my past.”
Sheila sat there for a moment and said nothing. Finally, she sighed and nodded. “Fine. Let’s just say that I was something of a wild child. I dropped out of high school and found my way to New York where I did some modeling. I didn’t particularly care where my life led me. I met Garin at some high-class event. He took me home and seduced me. But when I expected him to just use me for his own enjoyment, he wanted something else.”
“What was that?”
“To become an operative for him. He told me something about his life and how limited he was in being able to freely move around the world. He told me that if I agreed, he would train me to be able to handle any situation. And he would pay me very well.”
Annja frowned. She wasn’t getting paid and it seemed as though she was putting up with the same risks. That figured. “Go on,” she grumbled.
“Garin spent five years teaching me all he knew about pretty much everything under the sun. He’s been around an awfully long time. The fact that he was able to cram all that knowledge into my brain is something miraculous in and of itself.”
“If you say so.”
Sheila grinned. “I’m not egotistical, Annja. I long ago learned to be accepting of my own limitations. It’s the only way to ever rise above them.”
“So you know all about Garin?”
“I know about the ongoing struggle between the forces of good and evil. Of which Garin is a part. As are you.”
Annja frowned. “I was drafted. Unlike you, I wasn’t given much of a choice. I wish I had been.”
“And if you had declined, you would most likely be dead by now.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“It’s not that I doubt your abilities, Annja. After all, I’ve had the chance to see them up close and personal. But have you ever thought about how our lives unfurl from the spool we’re born with? Our actions and decisions always seem to lead us inevitably toward a crux. Your life led you to the point where you encountered the sword and it became a part of you.”
“So?”
“So, if you had rejected it at that point, somehow—and I’m not saying you could have because I don’t know enough about it—it seems like it would have been a rejection of not just the sword, but of your entire life. What would have been the point of living anymore?”
“Well, I wouldn’t have become suicidal or anything.”
“Perhaps not consciously. But your actions and thoughts would have subconsciously led you away from your destiny. And when someone rejects their destiny so completely, the universe seems to want to hit the reset button.”
“You’re saying I would have brought about my own death?”
“Most likely.”
Annja fell silent for a moment. “What a rosy outlook on life that is,” she said quietly.
Sheila smiled. “I only speak from my own experiences, Annja. I’m not casting judgment on you and yours.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Look at my life. I was headed for a cliff when I met Garin. If I’d rejected him at that point, I know for certain I would be dead now.”
“Really?”
Sheila nodded. “The drugs, the sex, something. I don’t know. Any one of them or