Page 183 of The Secret of Secrets

“That wand is mine,” declared a ghostly voice in the darkness. “And I want it back.”

Chapter 115

Finch whipped around in alarm and scanned the room.

Who the hell said that?!

The acoustics in the dome made it difficult to discern exactly where the words had come from. Langdon and Katherine looked equally startled.

“Where are you?!” Finch called out, not recognizing the hollow male voice. The accent had definitely sounded Russian. “Show yourself now!”

Finch heard a soft hiss of air, the only sound that pierced the silence of the dome. It was coming from the rear of the room, behind Langdon and Solomon. As his captives turned toward the sound, Finch looked past them, realizing this hiss was emanating from the pneumatic lift that accessed the utilities area.

As the platform ascended, they all witnessed a spectacle unlike anything Finch would have imagined in his wildest dreams.

From out of the earth…a monster was rising.

The face appeared first—its skin deathly gray and featureless. The head was hairless, shrouded in the hood of a black cloak, and its two cold eyes seemed locked on Finch and his outstretched gun. As the cloaked body rose into view, its arms were extended horizontally, showing bare palms like some kind of ascendant Christ.

When the pneumatic platform stopped, the figure stepped off and began moving toward them, his heavy boots thudding on the carpeted floor. Arms still splayed in surrender, he approached through the sea of pods, his black cloak billowing. Finch now saw that the monster’s head and face were caked with thick clay or mud, and some kind of writing was etched into his forehead. What the fuck is this thing?!

“Stop!” Finch shouted, finally finding his voice when the creature was not more than fifteen yards away. “Not another step!”

The monster obeyed, halting, his arms still outstretched.

Finch stepped to his right for a clear shot past Langdon and Katherine. “Who are you?!” What are you?!

“You have betrayed Sasha’s trust,” the figure replied, his voice hollow in the dome. “I am her protector.”

“Is Sasha here too somewhere?” Finch demanded.

“No, she is somewhere safe. She will never lay eyes on any of this again.”

“And you are?”

The monster’s body twitched suddenly, which seemed to startle him, but he regrouped. “I…am—” His voice cracked, and this time Finch saw fear flash in his eyes. The creature’s outstretched arms began trembling, and his defiant air evaporated. “No…ne seychas!” he stammered, his tone now more of a frightened supplication. “Not now…”

Abruptly, the monster collapsed to the floor, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. He rolled onto his back, lying on the carpet, helpless, trembling.

Finch had witnessed epileptic seizures before, and while he had no idea who this was, this person’s presence explained the epilepsy wand Finch had found upstairs. Is this another of Gessner’s patients? From outside the program?

The monster was now struggling to search his cloak pockets, clearly trying in desperation to locate something.

“Is this what you’re missing?” Finch taunted, pulling the metal wand from his pocket and moving toward the incapacitated figure. “Tell me who you are, and I’ll give this to you.”

“He can’t speak!” Langdon shouted. “For God’s sake, help him!”

“Would you like your wand?” Finch said, arriving over the figure, who convulsed helplessly, his head now vibrating against the floor.

“Help him!” Katherine shouted.

Gun still in hand, Finch crouched down beside the shuddering form and held the wand before his eyes. “Why don’t you start by telling me—”

Finch never finished the sentence.

In a flash of precisely coordinated movement, the trembling figure sat upright, and like a snake striking, one arm shot out toward Finch, connecting with his chest. There was a loud hiss and a flash of blue light, and a searing pain tore through the man’s body. Finch’s gun discharged into the side of a pod as he went rigid and fell forward, his attacker twisting deftly out of the way to allow Finch to hit the floor face-first.

On impact, Finch felt the cartilage in his nose shatter completely. The pain was nauseating, like nothing he’d felt in his life. Blood streaming down his face, his paralyzed body came to rest on its side. He could see the cloaked figure rise effortlessly to his feet, a hand reaching down to collect the gun and wand, both of which Finch had dropped. The heavy platform boots moved toward Finch, inches away from his face. Gasping for breath, Finch strained to turn his head, his eyes climbing his attacker’s body all the way to his face. Upon seeing the monster who stood over him, Finch wondered if perhaps he had died and gone to hell.