Will wasted no time telling her about the plot to raise Amon mentioned in the Malleus Diabolus.
Baldwin interjected, “There is no need to worry about the mummy of Tuthmosis. It is quite safe. At Tobias’s urging, Brother Pedro has been guarding it since this morning.”
“I think we’re too late,” Will said gloomily. “On the way over, I kept thinking about the mummy. What if somebody already handed its remains over to a priest of Amon?”
“The mummy is entirely secure in its case and has not been disturbed, William,” Baldwin snarled.
Bartimaeus sat on the stone bench along the wall. “Will could be right.” Bartimaeus picked at his brow with his thumbnail. “You know, Baldwin, I thought for a while that you might be our staff snatcher.”
Baldwin tilted his great hooked nose toward Bartimaeus and sneered, shoving his hands beneath his black habit.
“Even though they found that gold wrapper in your office, it was all a little too pat,” Bart said. “You wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave that kind of evidence lyin’ around.”
Cami, Andrew, and Simon joined Bartimaeus on the stone bench, eager to hear the rest of his theory.
“So Tobias and I were talkin’. The night the staff went missin’, Valens claimed he put the keys to the exhibit cases in Baldwin’s office after he cleaned the mummy….”
“Wait a minute,” Simon said, slapping his knees. “Valens could have taken a piece of the mummy while he was cleaning it.”
Will nodded in agreement.
“Lights go on for you, little man. Good thinkin’.” Bart tapped a very pleased Simon on the leg with his crutch. “Valens also lied to Tobias and me. He knew about the water turnin’ to blood as it was happenin’, even though Peniel was untouched by the plague.”
“That night he said he heard about it on the radio in his bedroom,” Tobias said ruefully.
“Only there ain’t no radios in the archabbey bedrooms. He knew what was goin’ on because he had a hand in it.” Bartimaeus pulled at the lapels of his tweed jacket. “So, Vicar, I want to apologize for thinkin’ you nabbed the staff. Valens was our man all along.”
“The cute guy?” Cami asked Will. “The one with the pretty blue eyes, the long hair? The muscular guy? He seemed nice to me.”
“Darlin’, muscles don’t always make a hero. I know dat’s true,” Bart said, glancing down at his own lanky frame. “Valens stole the staff; knew about the plagues; tried to pin it on Baldwin—and I think Will and Simon are right. He’s already bagged some of that mummy.”
Baldwin’s face fell. He fled the Chapter House, ordering brothers passing through the courtyard to find Valens. Looking like a hungry eagle searching for a mouse in a field, Baldwin called back to those in the Chapter House, “I’ll return once I find him.” And he was gone.
Aunt Lucille positioned herself near the kids and Bart. A very troubled Will joined her. “It’s time to lay your hands on Aaron’s staff,” Aunt Lucille told Will solemnly.
“If I knew where it was, I would be happy to lay my hands on it,” Will sarcastically responded.
“Ah-ah-ah.” Tobias raised a flat, lined palm to Will’s face. “What did I tell you long ago?”
“Are we going to have another talk about obedience?”
“I am not ruling it out,” said Shen stoically. “I told you: protect your tree and it will protect you.” He stared at Will until his expression changed. “Aaah. It is now time for your tree to offer its protection.”
“My tree—your walking stick—is the Staff of Aaron?”
“It is. The fruit of obedience, Mr. Wilder, is always goodness.”
Amid the laughter and the joy of the moment, Andrew started making odd noises in the corner. “Uhhh. Guys, you’d better come see this.” He slowly stood, pointing toward the pillar next to his seat. Low on the adjoining wall, a line of three blue ears hung from the stone.
“Look away, kids,” Aunt Lucille demanded. She touched her fingers together and hit the ears with a blast of red and white light that turned them black. Under the heat of the ray, they withered until they looked like rotted fruit.
“You know Valens and his pals probably heard every word we said.” Bart picked the shriveled ears off the wall with the end of his crutch. “So we better get to that tree double quick.”
Baldwin ran into the Chapter House in a lather, eyes ablaze. “He’s gone. Valens hasn’t been seen all day.”
Shen sped into the courtyard. “There is no time to waste. He has gone where we must. But he’ll not get what he desires. Come, come, come.” They all chased Tobias, past Baldwin, out of Peniel toward the St. Thomas churchyard.
On the way, intermittent shadows darkened their path. Looking up, Will discovered the cause of the blocked light. Ravens. A full sky of ravens like shifting clouds concealed the setting sun’s beams. “What do you see up there?” Will asked Cami.
“Nothing. I mean it’s a little hazy,” an unconcerned Cami said, blithely walking along with the others.
It didn’t matter. Will could see them. The ravens continued to circle overhead and the light thickened. He could feel the approach of the first day of darkness.
Mayor Lynch leaned over the desk in Judge Blabbingdale’s chambers.
“I want a new arrest warrant,” she demanded. “We need to turn this town over until we find that woman. Lucille Wilder is a fugitive from justice.” She wore a sling around an arm and one of her legs was wrapped in bandages.
“Ava, we don’t know where Lucille Wilder is. She may well have—forgive me, Dan—died in the blaze at the jail.” Judge Blabbingdale removed his glasses, placing them on top of the folder before him. “I’m not issuing another arrest warrant. She’s a missing person right now.”
The mayor smacked the desktop with her good hand, staring firmly at the judge. The sound made Dan Wilder and Brother Amalric jump in their chairs. Amalric, who was called at the last minute, cleared his throat and spoke up.
“Your Honor, this might be a good time to revi-th-it the original charges.” Amalric rifled through a pile of wrinkled papers on his lap, eyeing the mayor sheepishly. “These prepo-th-terous accu-th-ations are not th-th-tainable. Is the city th-ill arguing that my client th-omehow rained fire on the town while she was in chains? Can any th-en-thible per-th-on imagine burning down a jail while you’re in it? I move for a complete di-th-mi-th-al of the charges.”
The mayor’s left eye began to twitch as she glared at the judge. “Perhaps Lucille didn’t realize she’d burn down the jail when she…did whatever she did. We need a new arrest warrant!” she urged the judge.
Judge Blabbingdale pushed the folder away and laced his fingers. “These charges were always flimsy, Ms. Mayor. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Aside from your very pronounced hatred of Ms. Wilder, you still have no real evidence. Given all of that, and the sad possibility that she may be deceased, I am vacating all the charges.”
Mayor Lynch didn’t react for a long moment. She hobbled behind the judge’s desk and with a big smile on her face, embraced him. “You will regret this,” she whispered in his ear.
“Keep it up, Ava, and I’ll throw you in jail for contempt and coercion of a court official,” he whispered back, kissing her on the cheek.
The mayor narrowed her eyes at Dan Wilder and Brother Amalric. “If you see Lucille again, tell her this is far from over.” She pounded out of the office without awaiting a response.
Aunt Lucille was the first member of the traveling party to speak when they reached the churchyard. “Let me approach Valens first. I might be able to win him back from the Sinestri.”
She walked into the open field to find Valens insanely yanking on the sapling nearest the riverbank. He threw his back into it, bending the trunk to the ground in an attempt to uproot it. The little tree could have been a steel spring given the way it bounced back.
“COME OUT, YOU BLOODY THIIIING. Come on now!” he yelled at the tree.
“Valens.” Aunt Lucille was c
alm, her voice tinged with sorrow.
He shamefully unhanded the tree, speechless. After several seconds of running his hands through his long locks, he regained his composure. “You’re alive? Out…out of prison. Free. That’s nice—good to see.” He nodded uncomfortably.
“What are you doing, Valens? What have you done?” Lucille seemed disappointed in him, slipping her hands into her jacket pockets. “It’s not too late. You can come back to us.”
Valens looked beyond her to Bart, Tobias, Will, and his friends at the edge of the clearing. “And let Will win? I can’t do that, Lucille.” His eyes were as pale as arctic ice. “The master is counting on me.” He grabbed the tree by its trunk and pulled with all his strength, cursing under his breath.
“That will do you no good.” Tobias Shen approached him, assuming a wide stance. “It is not meant for you. It will never yield to you, Valens.”
“Why not? WHY BLOODY NOT?” He angrily kicked the tree, his wet hair falling into his face.
Shen motioned to Andrew, who, according to plan, grabbed one of Valens’s arms. Shen held the other. Though Valens flailed, Andrew and Shen managed to overpower him and bring him to his knees.
“Take it now, Mr. Wilder!” Shen commanded, gesturing toward the tree with his head.
Tentatively, Will wrapped his fingers around the faint Hebrew inscriptions along the tree shaft. He gave it the lightest tug. Will’s heart did flip-flops as the thin branches and roots retracted into the trunk. Within moments, he no longer held a tree but the knotty walking stick he had planted with Mr. Shen months earlier.
“The Staff of Aaron,” Shen said. “Holding that, you look just like your great-grandfather.” Shen’s mind flooded with images of Jacob Wilder wielding the two staffs against the Nazis in the fields of Axum a lifetime ago. “Throw it down, Mr. Wilder. Throw it with force and hold your ground.”
Aunt Lucille wrapped Simon and Cami in her arms, pulling them back. Will hurled the staff away from him. It squirmed in the grass at first. Then like a balloon filling with helium, the crown of the staff enlarged into the head of an enormous yellow snake. Huge slits opened to reveal cunning eyes. Simon wailed like a girl at the sight. From the tiny staff, an enormous sleek body oozed out. The snake reared up, jabbing its head toward Lucille and the kids, then to Valens, Shen, and Andrew.
“Don’t dat beat all.” Bartimaeus laughed, backing into the underbrush. Then a look of concern spread over Bart’s face. “Lucille,” he called out. “Somethin’ bad’s coming. I’m feeling a chill…”
“Look at the tail, Mr. Wilder,” Shen instructed. “Do not fear the snake. Remember your lessons. With great serenity and stillness, take hold of the tail.”
The very end of the snake appeared stiff and wooden, as if the staff’s tip had been glued to the serpent’s backside. Will reached for the tail. Shadows moving on the grass distracted him. When he looked up, thousands and thousands of ravens were flying in dizzying formations, blocking out the light.
Darkness. It’s the first day of darkness….
Will seized the tail of the snake. With a whoosh of air, the viper withdrew into the staff. His eyelids fluttered in amazement as he held the rod, his breath returning.
Across the clearing, Valens broke free of Andrew and Shen. “That staff won’t help you, Will. My master already has the remains of Tuthmosis and I gave him the Staff of Moses.” Valens darted onto Falls Road like a madman. “None of you can stop what’s coming!” he screamed over his shoulder, spit flying from his mouth. “Look at the sky. LOOK AT IT! Darkness approaches and from that darkness the master will bring forth Amon. The great and mighty Amon comes to devour your ‘chosen one’ and all the Brethren.” Valens was soon lost in the blackness of the trees.
Will seethed. He raised the staff, poised to hurl it to the ground again. Let the snake chase Valens down, he thought.
Aunt Lucille grabbed him hard by the arm. “Not now, dear. He’s tempting you to vengeance. Valens told us more than he should have. For the sake of your life, Will, we have to prepare quickly for the real battle. There is not a moment to lose.”
Darkness tightened its grip on Dura Street and all of Perilous Falls. Unlike a typical nightfall, the streetlamps failed to ignite and gloom spread like spilled oil.
In the lengthening shadows of the de Plancy Cemetery, four figures crouched behind a huge statue of a graceful woman. Flowing marble robes nearly concealed her delicate foot crushing the head of a snake.
A city truck rumbled onto the curb in front of the cemetery. The engine quickly died. A woman with thick glasses in a gray uniform abandoned the truck, followed by a small boy. Her blond ponytail swished as she walked. She carefully searched the shrines and gravestones of the cemetery until she spotted the veiled statue.
With no fear, she and the boy approached the four dark figures gathered near the pedestal. “What do we know?” she asked crisply.
“I know dat’s one of the worst costumes I’ve ever seen,” Bartimaeus said, slipping off his glasses. “Lucille, you’d better leave the disguises to the abbot.” He winked in Athanasius’s direction.
“It’s the only wig I could find—Oh, never mind that. The disguise worked. I had to find a way to get Leo here undetected. Thank goodness Dan wasn’t at home.” The blond wig washed out Lucille’s features. “Is Valens inside?”
The abbot fixed his gaze on the side door of the Karnak Center. “He is inside, and about half an hour ago he carried out several bags of feathers. They’ve killed all the fowl.”
“Been getting bad vibes since we got here,” Bartimaeus said, extending his hands. “They’re performing some kinda ritual inside. These vibrations are different. They’re cold, deadly.”
Will anxiously rapped the Staff of Aaron against the statue base. He missed having Simon, Andrew, and Cami with him. But the adults thought it best to leave them safely behind and not expose anyone else to the danger of Amon. “Shouldn’t we rush the place?” Will blurted out. “This ‘firstborn’ kid would like to rush the place. We can’t let them offer Amon the mummy’s remains.”
Tobias Shen laid a thick hand on Will’s arm. “Abbot, perhaps you and Mr. Wilder should go inside. I’ll show you to the back entrance. Then Bart, Lucille, Leo, and I can post here.” He turned to Will. “If you need assistance, holler. You do remember how to holler, Mr. Wilder?”
Will scrunched up his face. He adjusted his pith helmet and held the staff with both hands. His little brother suddenly gripped the staff as well. “Be careful, okay, Will?” The younger Wilder could not have been more sincere. “We don’t want to lose the chosen one.”
Will blushed, feeling slightly guilty about what he’d told his brother earlier. “You’ve been chosen, too, Leo. You might have to ignite after all. It’s pretty dark out here. Are you ready?” Will asked.
“Yep. Aunt Lucille’s been giving me more tips.”
“Good. We all have our thing to do, right?” Will said, tapping his brother on the head.
“We do indeed,” Aunt Lucille said. “In this horrible darkness, Leo’s light might permit us to see and perhaps weaken any Fomorii we encounter. As for you…” She turned to Will, her eyes like billiard balls behind the costume glasses. He could sense how serious she was, so he did his best to keep from laughing.
“Remember what the prophecy said: ‘forsake all anger’ or it will blind you.”
“I remember.”
“When you face the beast, be silent. Strike it with everything you have, dear. Find Moses’s staff and once it’s in your possession, turn both rods on the demon.” She pulled him close to her, which made Will feel uncomfortable given her crazy getup.
“I promise to do my best if you promise never, ever to wear that wig again.” He gave her a half smile, nodded at Leo, and followed Mr. Shen and the abbot to the rear of the Karnak Center.
Shen pried open the window to the storage room and held it so the abbot and Will could crawl in. Once they were inside, the abbot lit a blessed candle. H
e and Will ventured out of the cramped room into a grimy hallway. At the end of the hall, to the right was a narrow wooden staircase and to the left, a sandstone wall with a six-inch-wide slit at the bottom. Athanasius motioned Will toward the stairway. En route, they passed the opening to the largest room of the basement. The rapid clinking of heavy chains moving sounded along the ground. A growl, low and unnatural, stopped their advance.
“Up the stairs, William,” the abbot instructed. His troubled face lit by the flame, Athanasius quickly scanned the big room for the source of the snarl while Will scrambled upstairs. The abbot finally decided not to tarry with whatever sheltered in the darkness and chased Will up the staircase.
The small door at the top of the stairs opened to the entry hall of the Karnak Center. They emerged behind one of the bloated columns flanking the rectangular pool. Torches starkly lit the room. From behind a column, the abbot peeked at the surroundings.
The double bronze doors at the back of the room were open. Inside the chamber, Sab stood before a massive statue of Amon, two stone plumes atop its head, white linen swaddling its body. The abbot barely recognized Sab in the firelight. He was now completely bald and dressed in an elaborate pleated white linen outfit that circled his waist and covered half his torso. Sab held the Staff of Moses topped by a golden ram’s head in one hand and a metal vessel billowing incense in the other. Valens knelt beside the statue, his face to the floor.
“Rise beautifully in peace, Amon, Lord of Karnak, Prince of the Temples of the Gods and Goddesses that are in it!” Sab intoned. “Be on watch and be in peace. You watch in peace, Master of Fear, Great One of the Terrors in the Hearts of all Rekhitou.”
A grooved onyx block before the statue was laden with assorted dead birds, two jugs, flat bread, and fruits. Sab laid the staff on a pile of plucked geese.
Will whispered to the abbot, “Is this the deity buffet? What’s going on?”
“I suspect Sab’s offering nourishment to the ka—the spirit of Amon that he thinks resides in the statue,” Athanasius said.
Will Wilder #2 Page 21
