Page 160 of Eternal Surrender

“Mercury?” I clarified.

“It’s found throughout the world.” Hanson studied the cufflink. “This pictogram was Newton’s symbol for mercury. Interesting, don’t you think?”

“Why’s that?” Ingrid asked.

“After Newton died, high levels of mercury were found in his body.” Hanson turned back to Hornub. “Looks like the dead know something we don’t.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Twenty tourists or so meandered through the museum’s Egyptian Gallery.

Lucas, Ingrid and I hovered by the gilded Cartonnage mummy mask, presented on a thin, black stand and dated: late 1st century BC–early 1st century AD. The description stated the mask was a depiction of the head and chest of the princess who once wore it.

Ingrid nudged closer to me, keeping her voice low. “If it’s mercury poisoning, why stamp the symbol onto a cufflink?”

“Newton’s world was so different to the one we know today,” I said. “They had no idea such knowledge would one day be shared.”

“Accessible to everyone,” Lucas agreed.

“Do you really believe Sovereign are ingesting mercury?” she asked.

“It would explain the taste,” I said.

Lucas looked horrified.

“I spat it out,” I said.

“But high levels of mercury would harm them in the long run,” he said. “They couldn’t sustain that for long.”

I shrugged. “The ultimate sacrifice.”

Lucas looked thoughtful. “Unless they’ve found a way to alter the way they metabolize the element.”

All three of us scrutinized the sad face of the gilded mask.

“Hornub was a vampire hunter,” whispered Lucas.

“Perhaps he was taking mercury to protect himself from a vampire attack?” Ingrid suggested.

Lucas considered her words and then sidled up to me saying, “William, the scrolls we’re looking for are written by the same hand.” He gestured his explanation. “Sovereign won’t be able to interpret them either.” He checked no one else was listening. “Hieroglyphics are a phonetic language corresponding to sounds. The hieroglyphics on Hornub’s scrolls are uniquely written partly in cuneiform. They’re from Mesopotamia.”

“What does that mean?” Ingrid asked.

“They’re written in Coptic code,” he said.

“Making them even more complicated to interpret,” Ingrid realized.

“According to Hornub’s two scrolls, there were seven in total,” he said thoughtfully.

“And Hornub was buried with two of them?” asked Ingrid.

“Yes,” Lucas said. “And it seems that Sovereign have the others.”

“Is that why they stole Hornub?” Ingrid asked. “Why not just take the scrolls?”

“Their interest lies with Hornub,” Lucas explained, “the scrolls just happened to come with him. They took everything in the presentation case.”

“Then it must be the fact he’d digested mercury,” I said.