“Behold the greatest city this planet has ever known,” Aten said proudly.
Marethyu nodded. He raised his head, blue eyes darkening to match the color of the sky as he watched how the dipping sun painted the low-flying vimanas in burnished gold, making them look like streaks of light across the heavens. “It is a wonder.”
“There have been great cities on the earth before this,” Aten continued. “The Ancients had the city-colleges, their great centers of learning, and the Archons and Earthlords built huge cities in glass and metal in the distant past. But there has never been anything like Danu Talis.”
“Its legend will endure for millennia,” Marethyu agreed.
“Danu Talis is a city, a state, a country, and I have ruled it for close to two thousand years. My father, Amenhotep, ruled the town that was here before me, and my grandfather Thoth was one of the Great Elders who had wrested the original island from the seabed, ten thousand years previously.”
“Yes, I know, I saw him do it,” Marethyu said quietly.
“You were there?”
“Yes.”
The Lord of Danu Talis looked at the hook-handed man for a long time. Finally he nodded. “I believe you,” he said firmly. “And perhaps we will have time to discuss some of the things you have seen in your long life and extraordinary travels.”
“We will not,” Marethyu said. “I have very little time left in this place in this time.”
Aten nodded. “Once, Danu Talis was little more than an island state, surrounded by enemies. When I came to the throne we were besieged on every side. Anubis and I changed all that. Now, Danu Talis is at the heart of a sprawling empire that stretches across the globe with outposts on every continent, including the distant icy Northlands. And all who once stood against us—Ancients, Archons and Earthlords—have been defeated or driven to the very edges of the known world.”
“You are a student of history,” Marethyu said. “My father—or rather, the man I believed to be my father—taught me that every empire is ultimately doomed. As I traveled through time and history, I found that he was correct. All great empires are destined to collapse.”
Aten nodded. “I have studied the histories of the world back to the Time Before Time, and the lesson is clear: empires rise and fall.” He turned to face the huge pyramid that dominated the center of the island. One half was lit up by the setting sun, the other dipped in shadow. Tiny fires burned on each of the hundreds of steps that led to the flat top of the structure, which was festooned with colorful flags beginning to flap in the evening breeze.
“Danu Talis is doomed,” Marethyu said. “You don’t need seers or prophecies to predict its future.”
Aten looked at Marethyu. “What are you?” he asked suddenly. “You’re neither Elder nor Ancient, and you’re definitely not Archon or Earthlord.”
“I am none of those things,” Marethyu said seriously. “I am your future. You have ruled this city for millennia,” he continued. “This has truly been the Golden Age of Danu Talis, but the city is destined to crumble into ruin and despair. And if that happens, then everything you have worked for, every sacrifice you have ever made, will have been for nothing. But it does not have to be this way. You can protect the reputation of your city; indeed, you can ensure that it forms the basis for not just one, but scores of civilizations for millennia to come.”
“You know this to be true?”
“I have seen it,” Marethyu said quietly, the evening sunlight now turning his eyes gold. “I swear this to be true.”
“I believe you,” Aten whispered again. “What do you want me to do?”
“I need you to become waerloga—an oath breaker. A warlock. I need you to betray your city.”
“To whom?”
“To me.”
omehow, Josh Newman suddenly knew the names of the creatures in the cells: Cluricauns. Oni. Boggarts. Trolls. Huldu. Minotaur. Windigo. Vetala. Before he could wonder how the words had come to him, a coiling movement caught his attention and he stopped to look into a blackened room. He leaned closer and squinted into the darkness. The smell made his stomach lurch, and sour acid filled the back of his throat. He thought he was looking at a monkey, but as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he realized that while the creature had the head of an ape, it had the striped body of a raccoon, and the legs of a tiger, and in place of a tail, a long black snake twitched on the floor. It was a nue, a creature from the darkest edges of Japanese lore. And one of the most famous nue had been killed by Niten.
Josh’s hands froze on the bars of the cell.
How had he known that?
When he’d walked in, only a few minutes ago, the cells had been full of nameless monsters. Some he’d vaguely recognized from stories his parents had told him—like the bull-headed minotaur—but most of the others looked like they’d crawled out of a nightmare.
Now, not only did he know their names, he also knew that Niten had killed one of the Japanese nue.
Sophie.
A sudden image of his sister popped into his head. He wondered why he’d thought of her … and then he remembered that the last time he’d seen her, she’d been with Niten. Where she was now? Was she still with the Swordsman? Was she safe?
“Come along, Josh,” Dee ordered as he and Virginia walked past.
“Be right there,” Josh mumbled. He waited until Dee and Dare had moved on and then turned suddenly, almost expecting to find his sister behind him.
Sophie.
He breathed deeply, searching for the smell of her vanilla aura over the tang of salt and iodine and the heavy zoolike stink of the cellblock.
Sophie.
He felt a sudden wash of heat and rubbed his tingling fingers together. Was she here, now, watching him? She’d done it earlier, spied for Flamel and Perenelle when he’d been in Dee’s office about to call Coatlicue.
Sophie. His lips formed her name … but there was nothing, and for the first time in his life, he realized that he could not sense her. For Josh’s entire life, his twin had been his one constant. When his parents were away, when the family drifted from country to country and he and Sophie moved from school to school, the one person he could depend on was his sister. And now she was gone.
“Josh?” Virginia said. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
“Tell me what’s troubling you,” Virginia said quietly. She slipped her arm into his and gently eased him away from the cell, maneuvering him toward the open door at the end of the corridor, where Dee was waiting. When the Magician saw that they were coming, he turned and disappeared into the blinding light outside.
“It’s nothing, really …,” Josh began, becoming uncomfortably aware of the woman walking beside him.
“Tell me,” she urged again.
He took a deep breath. “It’s strange.…”
Virginia laughed. “Strange?” She waved a hand toward the cells. “And what could be stranger than this? Tell me,” she insisted.
Josh nodded. “When I came in here I didn’t know what any of these things were … and then I did. Not only did I know all their names, I knew that Niten had killed one of them.” He shook his head. “But I don’t know how I knew that.”
“Why, it’s very simple: you connected with someone. Your sister, probably.”
Josh nodded miserably. “That’s what I thought.” He lowered his voice and looked around again. “I think they might be spying on us.”
Virginia shook her head, strands of her long hair blowing across Josh’s face. “Not on us. On you. I would know instantly if anyone was watching me. And I can assure you, nothing could spy on Dee or Machiavelli without their knowledge. It might be nothing more than your sister checking up on you.” They walked past a cell that contained a goat-headed monster, and Virginia nodded at it. “What is that?” she asked.
Josh took a step closer to get a better look, then shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “What is it???
?
“A pooka.” Virginia smiled. “And the fact that you did not know tells us that whoever was watching you is gone. My guess is that your sister connected with you, and that enabled you to access her knowledge. It is,” she added, “a remarkable skill.” Virginia reached around and twisted her long hair into a thick knot at the nape of her neck. “Were you very close, you and your sister?”
Josh nodded sadly. “Very.”
“You must miss her,” Virginia said.
Josh stared straight ahead at the rectangle of light. His eyes watered and he pretended that they were reacting to the harsh light streaming in the door. Finally he said, “Yes, I miss her. And I don’t understand what happened to her.”
“No doubt she is saying exactly the same thing about you. Do you love her?” Dare asked quickly.
He opened his mouth to respond but closed it again without saying anything. He was suddenly conscious of the beating of his heart. It was hammering in his chest, as if he’d just run the length of a football field. He discovered he was almost afraid to answer, almost afraid to even consider the question.
“Do you love her?” Virginia persisted.
Josh looked at the immortal. There was a time he would have been able to answer in a second … but things had changed. Sophie had changed, and his feelings for her were … confused.
“Well?” Virginia asked.
“Yes … no … I don’t know. I mean, she’s my sister, my twin, my family.…”
“Ah. In my experience, when people say they don’t know whether they love someone, they usually mean no. But in your case I’m not so sure. You still have feelings for her.” She moved slightly ahead of Josh, and half turned so that she could watch his face. “If you had a chance, would you rescue her?”
“Of course.”
“What would you do to rescue her?”
“Anything,” he said quickly. “Everything.”
“Then you still love her,” Dare said triumphantly.
“I guess I still do,” he admitted. “I just wish I knew what changed her.”
“Oh, that’s simple: the Flamels changed her.” The immortal tapped a finger in the center of Josh’s chest. “Just as they—and then Dee—changed you. Though whether he changed you for better or worse … well, only you can say.” Then she leaned forward and added, “Or only time will tell.”
“Are the Flamels really that bad?” he asked, lowering his voice even though Dee had stepped out of the cellblock. “I still don’t know if I can believe the doctor or not. I mean, I know you’re a friend of Dee’s and all that, but I just wondered …”
“I may be a friend to Dee—and even by his own admission, he is not a good friend—but my friendship does not blind me to what he is.”
“And what is that?”
“Driven.” She smiled again. “Driven by the same needs and desires that control both Machiavelli and Flamel. In another time and in different circumstances, I think they would have made wonderful friends.”
“Can I trust him?” Josh asked.
“What do you think?” Virginia asked.
“I don’t know what to think anymore. But Sophie was whipping at Coatlicue. And I still don’t know how she could do that. My sister would never hurt anything. She’d even make me scoop up spiders she found in the bathtub and drop them out the window. And she really doesn’t like spiders.”
“Perhaps she thought she was protecting you,” Virginia said gently. “When those we love are threatened, we find we can do the unthinkable.”
“You didn’t answer me,” Josh said. “Are the Flamels really as bad as Dee says they are?”
Virginia Dare stopped at the door and turned to look back at Josh. Her face was in shadow, but her gray eyes blazed with an unearthly light. “Yes, they are as bad as he says. Worse, probably.”
“Do you believe that the Elders should return to this earth?”
“They would bring many benefits,” Virginia said slowly.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” he snapped, a touch of genuine anger in his voice. “You’re really good at not giving straight answers.”
“Your question is irrelevant,” Dare said. “The Elders are coming back, whether we like it or not. Shortly, Nereus will release the Lotan, and then Machiavelli will awaken the sleeping menagerie in the cells and unleash them on San Francisco. They will tear the city apart. The police, army, air force and navy of the most powerful nation on earth will find themselves powerless. All their sophisticated weapons will be useless. And when the city is on the point of collapse, when the leaders of this country come to the conclusion that the only way to contain the monsters is to seal off the city and then utterly destroy it, then a representative of the Elders will appear with an extraordinary offer. The Elders will vanquish the monsters and save not only the city but the entire continent and ultimately the world. It is an offer the government of the United States cannot refuse. The Elders will save the day and end up being worshipped as heroes and gods. That’s how it was in the past. That is how it will be in the future. Originally this was to be done around the Time of Litha, the summer solstice …” Virginia Dare’s lips curled in a quick smile. “But the good Dr. Dee forced the Elders to change their plans. Now they are moving far more quickly than they had planned.”
“So what Dee is doing is for good,” Josh said eagerly. “When the Elders come back, they will bring all the benefits of their ancient technology.”
“That is a possibility.”
“And what will they do to Dee? He’s betrayed them, hasn’t he? Are they scared of him?”
“Terrified,” Virginia said with a laugh. “The Elders fear a servant they cannot control. And the doctor is, at this moment, completely out of control.”
Virginia turned away, and Josh reached out to touch her shoulder. Gold and pale green sparks cracked across his fingertips. The immortal turned her head, narrow eyebrows raised in a question. “The last person who touched me without permission died a miserable death.”
Josh jerked his hand back. “You said the Elders are returning—what happens to Dee when they do?”
Virginia Dare looked at him carefully, her pupils turning huge and mesmerizing, but she remained silent, forcing Josh to continue.
“If the Elders are after Dee, then he can’t let them return. I mean …” Josh hesitated a moment. “… they’d kill him.”
Virginia continued to stare at him, and in his discomfort, Josh stumbled on.
“Unless he thinks that by giving them the city, he’ll get back on their good side,” he finally finished.
Dare blinked and shook her head, easing the tension between them. Josh exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“An interesting question,” Virginia Dare murmured, then smiled lightly again. “But I’m sure the doctor has thought of that. He’ll have a plan. He always has a plan.” She stepped out into the light, leaving Josh alone in the dark block. “And it usually goes wrong,” she added very quietly to herself. But the sound bounced off the walls and drifted back up to Josh.
nubis touched the vimana’s control and the circular craft rocked gently to one side, keeping in the shadows of the gathering evening clouds. Below, far below, on the rooftop garden of the Palace of the Sun, he saw his brother Aten walking with the one-handed man. “I would give a small fortune to know what they are talking about,” he said to the cloaked figure sitting beside him.
“They should not be talking at all,” a voice growled from within the folds of fabric.
“What should I do, Mother?”
The figure shifted and leaned forward, and the reflected light from the city below brought yellow eyes to blazing life. The light ran off a furred snout and high triangular ears, quivering off long pointed whiskers. The Change had been particularly cruel to Bastet, mother of Aten and Anubis; while her body had remained that of a beautiful young woman, her head and hands were those of a huge cat. “I sometimes think your father chose the wrong person to
succeed him,” she hissed. “It should have been you.”
Anubis bowed his head. The changes to the structure of his jaw and chin prevented him from smiling.
A long cat’s claw pointed to the hook-handed man. “I cannot understand how your brother can even bear to be in the same room as that foul creature.”
“Does Aten know what the hook-handed man is?” Anubis asked.
Bastet hissed. “He must. Aten is a student of history. He knows that every legend—Earthlord, Ancient and Archon—speaks of this one: the hook-handed, the destroyer. The Earthlords called him Moros and the Ancients knew him as Mot, while the Archons called him Oberour Ar Maro. This is how we came by our own name for him: Marethyu.”
“Death.”
“Death,” Bastet acknowledged. “And he has come to destroy us. Of that I have no doubt. Even those meddling fools Abraham and Chronos agree about that.”
“What should I do?” Anubis asked again, nudging the vimana lower, following Aten and the hook-handed man as they walked on the balcony that encircled the roof.
Bastet’s claws dug into the vimana’s smooth wall, leaving deep grooves in the virtually indestructible ceramic. “Your father would be shamed. I am pleased that he did not live to see his son speak to this creature.” She shook her huge head. “I helped tear this island off the seabed. Along with your father, I ruled Danu Talis for millennia. I will not see it destroyed because of your brother’s stupidity.” Ropey curls of saliva dripped from Bastet’s fangs. “From this day forth, Aten is no longer my son.” Her huge savage head turned to look into Anubis’s black eyes. “Take back Danu Talis. I will champion your claim to the throne. I will talk to Isis and Osiris; they have no love for your brother. They will support you.”
Anubis growled. “They are never at court. Who knows where my aunt and uncle’s loyalty lies?”
“Isis and Osiris’s loyalty has never been in question. Unlike your brother, they have always known that their duty was to their family and this island,” Bastet snarled. “Individually they are strong, and together they command extraordinary powers. I have seen some of the new Shadowrealms they have begun creating, and they are magnificent. And although your aunt and uncle are my age—in fact, Isis is a little older—they have managed to keep the Change at bay. He is handsome and she is still beautiful.” Bastet was unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.