AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That doesn’t explain anything,” Dom said, clearly growing impatient.
“Give me a second,” Everett said, focusing more intently on the pages. “He united the artifacts to control the power in the Book and then…” As Everett turned the page, Esta saw that the next one was torn. The bottom half was gone.
“Then what?” Dom demanded.
“I don’t know. It’s missing.” Everett frowned down at the missing page. “Whatever ritual he used, it’s gone.”
“Your arm, Esta.” Harte’s voice was soft, but there was a thread of fury in it that she didn’t immediately understand.
“My arm?” He was already reaching for her, already pulling back her sleeve and unwinding the gauze. When the burned flesh was exposed, Esta understood. The strange markings there matched the ones on the page. But on the page, one line of markings included a row of Greek letters beneath it.
“It’s not gone. It’s a cipher,” Dom told her, flipping back a few pages to where the images of Newton’s gems were. The odd symbols were on that page as well.
“A cipher?” She was still too shocked to see the symbols on her arm replicated on the pages of the Book.
“Newton was hiding the ritual with code,” Dom explained. “But half the key is missing.”
“Maybe Newton didn’t want anyone else to be able to replicate his process,” Everett said.
But Esta was already shaking her head. That wasn’t it at all.
“Clavis,” Esta said, thinking of the newest word cut into her wrist. “Nibsy doesn’t want my cuff—I mean, I don’t doubt he does. But that’s not why he carved ‘Clavis’ into the girl’s arm. He knows we have the Book. He’s telling us he has the other half of this page.”
“It could be a trick,” Harte argued. “Maybe he doesn’t have anything.”
“No,” Esta said. “He tried the ritual before. He has the missing piece. He has the key to this cipher and the answer to how we can complete the ritual. He must have kept a piece of the Book separate when he sent me back with Logan. He must have known he’d need some kind of insurance in case I got away or took the Book from him. How else would he have been able to do this?” She pointed to the burns on her arm, the perfect match to the symbols on the page.
“He’s forcing you back,” Everett realized.
“Well, you’re not going,” Harte told her. “It’s a trap.”
“I know it’s a trap,” Esta said with a sinking feeling. “But he knows it’s one that will work. The answers to controlling Seshat—to controlling the Book’s power—are on the other half of this page. We have to get it back from him.”
“That’s exactly what he wants,” Harte said. “We don’t stand a chance if he’s expecting us.”
Harte was right, but that didn’t change anything.
“We don’t have a choice,” she told him.
“Maybe not, but we have time,” he reminded her.
“No, we don’t,” she said, lifting her raw arm to remind him. “I’m not going to sit around while Nibsy keeps carving me up.”
His eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to argue with her, but before he could get a word out, a pounding sounded from somewhere in the bowels of the building.
Dom came alert instantly, and his eyes shifted to the Book and the artifacts still lying on the table. “Shit. They’re early.” Dom reached for the satchel and started loading the artifacts back into the canvas bag. “You all have to get out of here.”
“Who’s early?” Esta asked, already reaching for her affinity.
At first Dom didn’t answer. He was too busy securing the Book back into the satchel.
Clearly done with being patient, Harte grabbed Dom, spun him around, took him by the collar, and shook. “Who is early?”
Dom licked his lips. His eyes darted from Esta to Everett, as though either would help him. Harte tightened his grip and gave Dom another shake. “Razor Riley and his lot,” Dom said finally.
Harte went still, but he didn’t release Dom. “From the Five Pointers, Razor Riley?”
“Where else would he be from?” Dom said, jerking away from Harte’s grasp. He clutched the satchel close to his chest and turned to go, but Everett stood in his way, blocking the door.
