Sabi clicked the stave of the torch back into place and turned a crank. A small lever came down and spun a new head on the end of the torch. In the brighter light, Noah could see some kind of wick leading from the burning ceiling down the wall to the torch. The wick must be in place to relight the torch, he thought. Rather clever, that.
He wondered how long this system had been in place. A long time, Noah decided. If he lived through this, he’d have to sketch it to remember. As a piece of burning ash floated down from above, Noah wondered whose job it was to reset the roof.
“Do we wait here?” asked Noah, shielding his eyes from the burning ceiling, looking anxiously at the ash-covered floor.
Sabi shook his head, climbing down after Noah. They pulled the door closed and Sabi continued on his path through the tunnel. Noah looked back. No one was following them.
The tunnel reminded Noah of the many hidden tunnels he and the others had explored in Solemano. He thought of the mysteries they had uncovered and all they had yet to understand. The tunnels had run through the mountain, underground, with as many twists and turns as these tunnels. He and the others had not had an easy time finding their way. Sabi did not once have to consider which way to go. He knew the path without question.
And then, Sabi stopped. It was still dark and Noah could feel no markers. Had Sabi been counting steps?
“We are here,” said the little boy.
He pushed on the wall of the tunnel. Suddenly, with a grinding of stone against stone that echoed through the silent tunnel, the wall opened and the two boys stepped through the opening.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
RETURN TO THE
DEN OF DARKNESS
OR
WHERE HAVE I PUT MY KEYS?
He recognized the place immediately, and there was nowhere Noah would have rather avoided. But it had to be like this.
“I’m back here,” Noah quietly said to himself, as he looked around the stone hall. “The den of demons.”
“What did you say, my brother?” asked Sabi, smiling up.
“Good job, Sabi,” said Noah. “You did a very good job.”
Noah could hear the footsteps before the shadow shifted from the far end of the hall. When another set of footsteps joined the first, he saw them coming. Komar Romak. The larger of the two walked slightly behind. He bore the familiar scar across his face. The one in front was the elder from the end of the table, the one the others obeyed.
Komar Romak from the end of the table said nothing but read Noah’s face with his cruel, quiet eyes.
“The answer is ‘yes,’” said Noah. “I have returned.”
“And I see you have followed the map,” said Komar Romak, “and the map has worked well to lead you here.”
Sabi stood taller, feeling proud. He looked up at Komar Romak but was offered nothing. He was no more than a paper map, no more than an instrument, a tool, for Komar Romak.
“Sabi is a good boy,” said Noah. “He led me here.”
“It is the map,” said Komar Romak, “and nothing more.”
“You are wrong,” said Noah, who then stopped himself. He was not here to plead for humanity or to accuse Komar Romak of injustice. Such was a foolish waste of time. He was here because he had to be, for one terrible task, alone.
Komar Romak seemed amused. “There is always a map. It is easy to replace. Do you…care…about this map?”
Noah thought quickly. He did not want to offer Sabi as some sort of human sacrifice. He did not want to put the little boy in danger by showing affection, making Sabi something that Komar Romak could use against him. But he feared hurting Sabi by denying that he cared.
“He is an excellent map,” said Noah. “I can appreciate that.”
He looked at Sabi, who understood only the compliment. Noah had managed to walk that fine line.
Komar Romak said, “You have chosen to save your mother.”
Noah nodded. “I have no choice.” He reminded himself that he would speak only the truth. To be honest in the face of lies, he would have to maintain his strength. He knew very well that Komar Romak’s plan to use the elements of Il Magna would put the whole world in danger. Save his mother and lose the world? Or let his mother die and the world with her? He had not been given a choice.
“Then we shall all benefit from the deal,” lied Komar Romak. “And you hold this gift for us?”
Noah held the box. His knuckles were white. He did not say a word.
“Give it to us,” said Komar Romak, his cruel, desirous eyes agleaming.
“No,” said Noah. “Do you think I’m a fool?”
“What is this?” Komar Romak growled. “We can take it from you and—”
“Then we all die,” said Noah, furious with himself at the quiver in his voice.
Komar Romak stepped back.
Noah produced a key. “I shall show you what is in the box. Then we shall walk together and I shall leave it where it will be safe. I will not leave it in your hands without assurances.”
Komar Romak stared at Noah, who stared back just as intently. Then a grin spread on the elder’s face. “Alright. Show us what you bring to satisfy the agreement. Then we shall allow you to follow us to its new home in our vault.”
Noah wondered: What can keep Komar Romak from killing me right where he plans to store the pieces? Noah took the key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock on the box. He turned the key as Komar Romak, the taller and the elder, practically drooled with anticipation. With the greatest care, Noah opened the box. There, separated by small panes of glass, were the five pieces of Il Magna. Komar Romak leaned over, and Noah closed the box before either man could touch the pieces, but he did not turn the lock.
“Take me to where you will keep this box,” demanded Noah.
Komar Romak smiled. “You are not in a position to—”
“What do you think will happen if the pieces touch?” asked Noah. “I hold them in my hand. What would happen if they crashed to the ground?”
Komar Romak took a step back. Again, the elder looked at Noah, who returned the fierce look. Komar Romak replaced a sneer with a false smile. “You will follow.”
Noah began to follow Komar Romak. Sabi, too.
“The map is to be removed,” said Komar Romak, the elder to the taller.
“Sabi stays with us,” said Noah. Then, thinking on his feet, he said, “He is the map and is very important.”
Komar Romak shrugged. A weakness, thought Noah. It is a weakness to consider a human being something less. Noah smiled down at Sabi.
“Is it soon, my brother?” asked Sabi in a soft whisper.
Noah nodded. It will be soon, thought Noah, and then everything will change.
After stairs that seemed to go down forever, they reached an arched doorway. There must have been a hundred locks of every kind binding the door to its threshold. Komar Romak the elder produced a set of keys from a hidden door and began to unlock it, after which both figures of Komar Romak moved back. Noah and Sabi did the same.
Across the threshold swung a blade that looked as if it could slice a head in two without slowing. Noah was sure he could see dried blood on its cruel edge. Komar Romak the elder then pulled a lever that released a catch, which held the swinging blade out of the way.
Noah’s heart pounded. What if we cannot get out? What if Sabi and I are facing our last moments here? He took a deep breath. There is more at stake than my own life. I must remember that.
Finally, Komar Romak the taller did something, hidden from view, and an opening appeared in the large stone wall. Lights flickered on and there, before them all, was a complex and remarkable machine. With gears and curved metal rims, it was a facsimile of the real thing, though a clumsy one. Ready to come to life, it was Komar Romak’s very own strange round bird.
“You may leave the box here,” said Komar Romak.
Noah looked at the elder. “And once we do, you must give your word that we may leave safely.”
&nbs
p; “You shall leave here without hindrance,” said Komar Romak.
“And you must promise that your use of these things will not cause harm to anyone,” said Noah, striking a pose of defiance.
“We shall say,” said Komar Romak, “that any direct use of this shall not immediately cause harm to anyone.” The elder’s face could not contain the sly cruelty of his smile.
Noah’s heart pounded in its cage. It was as if it wanted to burst free of the ribs around it. There is nothing left to do or say, Noah knew, and I must leave the box and walk away.
Noah placed the box on the floor next to the machine. He gingerly turned the lock until he heard the prong touch the glass inside.
“If you are lying, this will cause great harm,” said Noah. “I hope you know what you are doing.”
“You dare to make such a declaration,” said Komar Romak, smirking. “You may go. You are of no matter.”
“I am going,” said Noah, walking towards the door. As he passed through, he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a large golden heart hanging in an iron cage in the corner. Could it be? Suleiman’s golden heart?
Komar Romak pulled the lever, and the box, with all of its contents, was gone behind the door.
Noah turned away from Komar Romak and pulled from his pocket the small metal object he had planned to use right then. He placed it to his lips.
“What is that?” a deep voice growled behind him.
Noah felt his hand grabbed and the small metal whistle pried from his fingers.
“It’s my good luck whistle,” he said, beads of sweat beginning to run down his face. If he could not get that back, all was lost.
Komar Romak sneared. “Good luck?” Then, to Noah’s eternal gratitude, Komar Romak blew.
The whistle, of course, made no sound. He blew again. Then he threw it at Noah, spitting on the floor. “Broken and useless.”
Through the great stone wall, Noah heard the faintest rumble as he bent to pick up his whistle. Komar Romak was already climbing up the stairs as Noah and Sabi raced to keep up. He had not heard. They had almost no time to get out of there before all would be lost.
Noah stood with Sabi as they arrived at the tentmakers’ alley. In the distance, the city sprawled out, and somewhere in there was the lair of Komar Romak.
“Is it right?” asked Sabi
Noah considered the question—not what Sabi meant but what the words might imply. Was it right?
“Only ever one choice,” said Noah quietly to himself. Sabi did not understand. Noah was deep in his thoughts, yet he spoke the words aloud. “There is only ever the choice—to do or not to do. Once you choose to do, you will always be the one to have done it. Once you betray, you will always be a betrayer. You may try to heal the wound you inflict, but you will always have been the one who made the scar. I shall never be a victim of evil. I shall never choose betrayal.”
“What do you say, brother?” asked Sabi.
Noah turned back in the direction of the lair and spoke to Komar Romak. “The choice was never whether or not I would give in to your demands—it was to fight against you or be consumed by you, and that is not a choice. You believed you gave me no choice but to succumb. But you have given me no choice but to fight.”
Noah took a deep breath, then smiled at Sabi, who had not understood a word. “Let’s go, Sabi. It’s time to go home.”
The two boys now ran through the street towards the Khan il Khalili. They had almost no time to get to the waiting carriages. Everywhere, he felt the eyes of Komar Romak turn, first towards him, then back towards the tent makers, the tunnel, the lair, and the undiscovered destruction that lay deep in the vault of Komar Romak.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
JOINING THE RANKS
OR
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT ALL COMES OUT
“I’m glad to see you, too, Ralph.” Noah tried to speak but was struggling against a very aggressive furry missile that kept propelling itself at him.
“That dog really is your best friend,” said Faye, who was standing in the doorway.
She was flanked by Jasper, Wallace, and Lucy, who abandoned the ranks to roll on the floor with Ralph. Noah stood up, slightly more disheveled than he was before Ralph’s enthusiastic show of affection. He looked at each of them.
“I don’t know about that,” Noah said. “I think there are four other people who join Ralph in my Best Friend Circle.”
“Me, too?” asked Lucy, jumping up and hugging Noah.
“You, too, you little gigglemug,” said Noah, hugging back. He stood and hugged each of the other members of the Young Inventors Guild. “You all…I don’t know what …”
“We know,” said Jasper, his arm around Noah, who was struggling with his emotions. “We know.”
“Don’t think you’ve heard the last of me,” said Faye, though she could not help but smile at Noah’s pathetic frown. “You are still in for a tongue lashing.”
“Ouch.” Noah winced.
“We had better get to Mr. Bell’s office,” said Wallace. “They’re all waiting.”
“Yes,” sighed Faye, “They’ll expect us to do a lot of explaining.”
“You mean me,” said Noah.
“I mean us,” said Faye, smiling at her friend.
Ariana jumped from her seat and ran to her son. “Noah, we don’t understand. We…we don’t understand …”
“I don’t know whether to hug you or arrest you,” said Dr. Banneker.
“Noah,” Dr. Canto-Sagas started, looking at his son for some clue as to why he had done what he had done. “Centuries, you understand? For centuries, our ancestors have helped protect the world and you…Please tell me that you haven’t—”
“Please, Clarence,” said Mr. Bell. “Benjamin…Ariana…please. Let us sit.” Tea was brought in and handed around. Most of the parents sipped reluctantly or stirred without sipping. Ariana did not even touch her cup. She just sat on the edge of her seat and stared at Noah.
“Mother, Father,” said Jasper, “Everyone. We will not do as you have done and keep this to ourselves.”
“You are wise, Master Modest,” said Mr. Bell. “Perhaps it is time that the Young Inventors Guild, of all generations, diminish the walls between them. It must be a time of unity. Please tell your story.”
Ariana could hardly contain herself as Noah told of his kidnapping. He had been the first of any generation they knew to have been inside the lair of Komar Romak—at least, he was the first who had been inside and returned to tell of it.
“Well, we all know that Komar Romak is an ancient evil,” said Noah, thinking again of the Egyptian painting.
“But what happened. We thought…You made us think …” Ariana could not even say it. She could not think of Noah and the evil force of Komar Romak.
“I made a deal with the devil,” said Noah, with no humor in his voice. “I had two choices. Komar Romak said to deliver the pieces of Il Magna or forever be in the shadow of Komar Romak, who would bring death to…those I love.”
“Il Magna in the hands of Komar Romak would have brought death to everyone,” said Wallace.
“Of course,” said Noah, “but Komar Romak felt that I was weak because of love, weak because it made me vulnerable. But love gave me something to fight for. It made me strong.”
“And then Noah told me later than anyone else because I was special,” said Lucy, “but we couldn’t say.”
Jasper smiled. “We felt it best that Lucy knew once things were in place…so she wouldn’t worry.” Of course, this was true, but to keep everything a secret, it was safer for Lucy not to know.
“Faye was furious,” admitted Noah.
“Because you were threatening to go off and do everything on your own,” said Faye, feeling that flush of anger she had felt the night Noah returned to Komar Romak. “We had already invented the device to present to Komar Romak and made plans to sneak into the lair with you. I felt as if you were betraying us by trying to change the plan.”
“I didn’t want you getting hurt,” said Noah.
“I know, but we had set everything in motion,” said Faye. “The replicas, the sodium device for the explosion, everything. And Sabi was ready to guide you. We were ready to follow—”
“The what?” asked Dr. Gwendolyn Vigyanveta.
“Young man, can you explain so that we can understand?” asked Dr. Banneker.
“Mr. Bell understood that Sabi was the map,” explained Noah. “Little Sabi, who is without malice, judgment, or understanding. He had been trained, by force, to act upon certain things. For example, if someone was to ask about Il Magna or offer to provide pieces of the engine, Sabi was to bring that person to the lair of Komar Romak. Sabi did not understand what that would mean. Komar Romak abused the innocence of a child. So we used that same innocence against Komar Romak.”
“But the wax,” said Ariana. “The wax on the pieces.”
“We did that,” said Jasper. “We made wax casts of each piece. We couldn’t remove the bracelets, so we had to make the casts while we wore them. We did Lucy’s when she was sleeping.”
“I didn’t even know!” said Lucy.
“But Komar Romak would know,” said Dr. Banneker. “That was a dangerous game.”
“Komar Romak would never get a chance to touch the pieces,” said Noah. He nodded towards Wallace, who cleared his throat.
“We built a special box to carry the items. The box was lined with glass, as if to protect the pieces from one another. However, in the lining, the glass was separated into two halves. In one, there was water. In the other, pure sodium.”
“But that is so dangerous,” said Dr. Gwendolyn Vigyanveta. “When it touches water, sodium explodes with a massive force.”
“We were careful,” said Noah. “Inside was a tiny transmitter and amplifying device. Once the box was in Komar Romak’s vault,” Noah said, pulling the small metal object from his pocket, “we introduced the Galton’s whistle.”
The Strange Round Bird: Or the Poet, the King, and the Mysterious Men in Black Page 34
