The Three Secret Cities

by Matthew Reilly

  Jack looked up and saw the underside of Sphinx’s boat high above them. He must have been up there in it, watching them.

  ‘Place the Mace in the drone’s basket and I will order your daughter to be removed from her drowning cell,’ Sphinx’s voice commanded.

  Jack lay the empowered Mace in the basket. ‘Okay. Now let her go.’

  The little remote-controlled drone whizzed away, past the vast heights of the flooded city, returning to its master.

  When it arrived at the boat, Sphinx took the Mace from the basket and marvelled at the glowing blue gem now embedded in the weapon.

  ‘You have done as I asked, Captain,’ he said into his radio-mike, ‘and I consider myself a man of my word . . . but not today.’

  Sphinx smiled. ‘I need your daughter for the ceremony at the Altar, but I do not need you. It is time for you to die. Sorry, I forgot to mention one feature of those scuba tanks I gave you.’

  And with those words, Sphinx hit a switch on his console . . .

  . . . and down at the waist of the City of Atlas, the scuba tanks on Jack’s and Aloysius’s backs suddenly turned off and stopped releasing air.

  Jack gasped.

  Aloysius gagged.

  And there, one hundred and fifty feet below the surface, hovering in front of the sunken city of Atlantis, Jack West Jr and Aloysius Knight took their last breaths.

  Thule

  At Thule, Pooh Bear emerged from the inner vault to find Cardinal Mendoza standing over Stretch with a pistol to his head, flanked by his last three Swiss guards.

  ‘Give me the Sword or I finish your friend,’ he snarled.

  ‘We did what you couldn’t do,’ Pooh Bear said. ‘We cleaned up your mess, and this is how you repay us?’

  ‘Throw the Sword to me and stay back.’

  Pooh Bear tossed the Sword toward Mendoza. It clattered against the floor.

  Mendoza snatched it up. ‘I serve a higher power than your gratitude. Be grateful that I don’t dispatch you both now.’

  And then he was gone, sweeping out of there with the Sword and his men.

  The army of bronzemen that filled the single winding street of Thule now parted before him as he hurried through their midst, bowing to the Sword with the shining blue gem embedded in its hilt.

  Pooh Bear dived to Stretch’s side.

  Ra

  In the jungle-covered golden city of El Dorado, Iolanthe emerged from the innermost vault of the city with the empowered Helmet in her hands, to find Chloe, flanked by her final five Brazilian troopers, waiting for her . . .

  . . . with a live feed on her satellite phone of Lily in the tidal cell. The rising water was up to her shoulders.

  ‘Give me the Helmet or the girl drowns,’ Chloe said.

  Iolanthe handed over the Helmet. Then Chloe and her goons fled.

  Atlas

  Sphinx arrived at Lily’s tidal cell in his huge motor cruiser just as the water was reaching her chin.

  The crude cell was located in a small rocky inlet about two miles east of his mansion. It had been built by Barbary pirates several hundred years before as a slow and cruel method of executing traitors.

  It was accessible only by boat and even then only by someone who knew it was there.

  Arriving at the inlet in his cruiser, Sphinx and his butler jumped into a small Williams speedboat to retrieve Lily.

  As soon as she was back on the big boat, Sphinx smiled at her. ‘I was never going to let you drown. I need you. But we’ll never tell your friends that.’

  Then he made a phone call. ‘Your Majesty,’ he said coolly. ‘It is done.’

  ‘Do you have the Mace?’ Orlando’s voice said from the other end of the phone.

  ‘And the Oracle, too,’ Sphinx said.

  ‘Excellent. Bring them both to the Altar. My people have the other two weapons and are en route to the Rock as we speak.’

  ‘As you command,’ Sphinx said.

  ‘What about West?’ Orlando asked. ‘Is he dead?’

  ‘I killed him at Atlas,’ Sphinx said, looking directly at Lily. ‘After I got him to empower the Mace for you.’

  ‘I shall remember this, Hardin,’ Orlando said. ‘You’re a good man and in the new world order, you will be suitably rewarded.’

  ‘I am yours to command, Majesty.’

  As he hung up, Lily stepped right up to him, furious.

  ‘Where is my father?’ she demanded.

  ‘Your father died in a bar fight twenty years ago,’ Sphinx said.

  ‘You know who I mean.’

  ‘Captain West served me well,’ Sphinx said. ‘But he couldn’t be allowed to live. In order to save your life, he braved the city and empowered this for me.’ He held up the Mace. ‘And then I cut off his air.’

  Lily’s face fell. She felt ill.

  Then the big cruiser powered up and surged across the Strait, its destination: the towering Rock of Gibraltar on the other side.

  ‘You callous creep,’ Lily said.

  ‘Sticks and stones, girl. Sticks and stones.’

  ‘What do you plan to do with me? You said you don’t need my talent. Why don’t you just kill me, too?’

  Sphinx turned away from her, his gaze landing on the distant Rock.

  ‘I can’t kill you,’ he said strangely. ‘Not yet.’

  At that moment, another man stepped up onto the bridge of the motor cruiser.

  Lily recognised him instantly.

  It was Jaeger Eins, the leader of the Knights of the Golden Eight, the man who, paid by Sphinx and Dion, had kidnapped her in London.

  ‘My Knights and squires are below deck, sir, along with the back-up,’ he said. ‘Armed and ready.’

  ‘We have a few hours till Orlando’s people arrive at Gibraltar,’ Sphinx said. ‘They’re flying in on supersonic military jets, refuelling in flight as they go. We’ll drop you off a kilometre out from the dock. You swim the rest of the way.’

  Sphinx turned to Lily. ‘Come, young lady. Let’s go to the Altar.’

  Hades’s secret apartment

  Rome, Italy

  After deducing that the Rock of Gibraltar was the Altar of the Cosmos and sending that information to the team, Alby was sitting at his desk when Zoe called out to him from the living room.

  Alby entered the living room to find her watching the TV with concern. Hades, still recovering from his ordeal at Erebus, had adjourned to his room to sleep.

  A newsreader on the television was saying: ‘—in what can only be described as a bizarre week, with the toppling of a building in New York; the smashing of a bridge in Venice; the unprecedented hacking of global television signals by a masked man calling on an individual named Jack West Jr; plus, of course, the terrible incident in London. After all this, one final inexplicable event has occurred: an entire group of monks has disappeared.

  ‘Known as the Fraternal Order of St Paul, the monks were associated with the Gallerie dell’Accademia museum in Venice, which appeared to be connected to the incident there. It appears that the entire order has vanished, abandoning their lodgings adjoining the museum and taking all of their possessions—including several priceless works of art and sketches—without leaving so much as a trace. Neither the museum nor the Vatican would comment—’

  Alby turned to Zoe. ‘The Order of the Omega is on the move.’

  ‘But to where?’ Zoe asked.

  ‘To tackle the second trial, I imagine,’ Alby said. ‘The Trial of the Mountains.’

  He returned to the study. Arrayed around it were the various documents and files he and Zoe had grabbed at Aragon Castle.

  They’d taken documents, phones, computers; anything at the castle that might contain information relevant to their mission.

  Inside one of Aragon Castle’s crumbling towers, Alby had found the K
nights’ living quarters. They were luxuriously appointed: bedroom suites with plasma TVs, modern beds and furniture. The Knights of the Golden Eight lived in style.

  In one bedroom, he had found a couple of suitcases.

  A guest bedroom? he’d thought.

  Seeing some files in the suitcases, Alby had just grabbed them and taken them with him to Rome.

  Now he opened them.

  A cover letter paperclipped to the files revealed their owner: the cover letter was from the law firm of Lehman Austen & Williams in New York, and it was addressed to Mr Dionysius DeSaxe.

  Dion.

  Among the documents were bank account details (amounts in the billions), property records (apartments and mansions around the world) and business records (mining and shipping shareholdings mainly).

  It was, Alby realised, all of Lord Hades’s earthly wealth, to be transferred to Dion upon his coronation as King of the Underworld.

  There was one other thing in the sheaf.

  A manila folder labelled K.E.O.

  Alby’s eyes narrowed. King’s Eyes Only.

  He opened the file.

  The first few sheets contained rows of contact details: the details of the other kings and royals, plus people in government positions around the world who could be called upon to carry out a king’s orders.

  And then Alby saw a page titled: THE HIGH SACRIFICIAL ALTAR OF THE COSMOS.

  ‘The High Sacrificial Altar of the Cosmos?’ Alby said aloud. He hadn’t heard it called that before.

  He quickly read on:

  It is imperative that those kings who are in power at the time of the First Trial cultivate their relationship with the Supreme Initiate of the Cult of Amon-Ra.

  Ensure that the Supreme Initiate is healthy—encourage him or her to have children—for when that trial is endured, it is the Supreme Initiate’s singular blood that must be spilled to save all humankind.

  The notion of dying for mankind is not an easy one for anyone to comprehend. And either the Initiate will selflessly spill their own blood to that end or they will spill the blood of their offspring.

  On two of the three previous occasions when this duty was required, the Supreme Initiates of those times went willingly to their fates. On one occasion, the Supreme Initiate—the biblical figure known as Abraham—slew his son in his place.

  Of course, if you cannot cultivate a relationship with the Supreme Initiate of your time, know that their sacrifice on the Altar need not be voluntary. The continuation of the species does not require the willing participation of the sacrificial lamb.

  Alby blinked.

  ‘The Altar of the Cosmos is a sacrificial altar,’ he said to no-one.

  And the person to be sacrificed on it was the Supreme Initiate of the Cult of Amon-Ra—and Abraham had been one such Initiate.

  Supreme Initiate.

  Alby hadn’t seen or heard that term before.

  He flipped to the next page, which showed a long family tree: expanding branches of parents and children travelling down through the last four thousand years.

  On it were many names, most of which Alby didn’t know. But popping out occasionally were some that he did: Abraham of Ur, Nefertari of Siwa, Cassandra of Troy.

  And at the very bottom of the list was a final name that he recognised:

  Milo Omari.

  Alby started.

  He absolutely knew that name.

  Milo Omari was Lily’s birth father, the previous Oracle of Siwa, also gifted with the special ability to read the Word of Thoth.

  ‘Oh, God . . .’ Alby sat up. ‘This is a list of all the Oracles throughout history.’

  When he had first been introduced to Jack and Lily’s secret world, he had been told that the Oracle of Siwa was sometimes referred to as the ‘High Priest of the Cult of Amon-Ra’.

  High Priest.

  Supreme Initiate.

  They were one and the same.

  Alby leapt out of his seat, calling, ‘Zoe! Come here!’

  Zoe arrived in his study just as Alby snatched up the satellite radio and yelled into its microphone: ‘Jack! Pooh! Stretch! Everyone! Find Lily! Find her now! They’re going to kill her! They have to kill her in the ritual at the Altar of the Cosmos because she’s the Oracle!’

  THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR

  THE SACRIFICIAL ALTAR OF THE COSMOS

  The Rock of Gibraltar

  Gibraltar, U.K. Territory

  1 DECEMBER, 1930 hours, GMT/local time

  Thirty minutes before the Rising of Sagittarius A-STAR

  After taking a leisurely few hours to cross the Strait—and pausing about a kilometre from the shore—Sphinx’s luxury motor cruiser arrived at a military dock in the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar.

  The eastern flank of the Rock—the vertical side—leapt skyward above it, almost half a kilometre high.

  The dock was flanked by members of the Royal Marines: Orlando’s men.

  Lily spent the whole trip staring blankly forward. The news of Jack’s death had stolen any fight she had left in her. She felt worn, exhausted and profoundly alone.

  Sphinx guided her through the ranks of Royal Marines and into a rough-hewn tunnel that had been dug into the base of the Rock almost eighty years previously.

  This whole area of the Rock was fenced off with razor-wire and signs labelled: restricted area: authorised military personnel only. Tourists and members of the public couldn’t get near this part of the Rock of Gibraltar.

  Inside the gargantuan thing, they went up several steep flights of stairs—each step etched from the limestone of the Rock—until they emerged in a high-ceilinged chamber halfway up the colossal peak.

  There were three things about the chamber that struck Lily: every one of its walls was smooth and flat; there was a shallow oblong pool of water sunken into its floor; and it had a wide slanting shaft that lanced up into the ceiling like an enormous sloping chimney.

  A strange-looking gold contraption lay on top of the pool: it looked like a shining golden gate, its bars twisted into an ornate pattern. It was laid flat over the pool and had hinges that allowed it to be pulled open.

  Orlando was waiting for them, with the triangular tablet sitting at his feet.

  With him were the other three kings: Dion DeSaxe, King of the Underworld, the American-born King of the Sea and the new Chinese-born King of the Sky.

  Lily stopped short at the sight of them, shaken from her reverie.

  All four kings were here.

  Orlando shook Sphinx’s hand as he took the Mace from him.

  ‘Hardin!’ he said. ‘Fine work. Simply fine work, old chum!’

  Sphinx bowed low. ‘A pleasure, Your Majesty.’

  Orlando said, ‘We are almost ready to begin. Mendoza and Chloe just landed at the airstrip and are on their way here now.’

  Minutes later, Orlando’s people arrived in the ceremonial chamber.

  Cardinal Mendoza with the Sword from Thule.

  Chloe Carnarvon with the Helmet from Ra.

  Lily wondered what had happened at those two cities to create this result.

  Sphinx gathered the three weapons together.

  Mendoza touched a radio in his ear. ‘Sagittarius A-star just crested the sun.’

  Orlando stepped forward.

  ‘Gentlemen!’ he said formally. ‘After the unfortunate events that occurred at the conclusion of the Great Games, I am pleased to inform you that order has been restored.

  ‘As the man who was most wronged by that chaos, I made it my mission to be the prime agent of that restoration of order, and here we are. The three weapons have been empowered at the three cities and now I invite you all, as my fellow kings, to see me fulfil the ritual that was to be my prize as the winner of the Great Games.’

  The other kings nodded. />
  Lily watched them, tense.

  Sphinx stepped up to Orlando, holding the three weapons.

  Orlando said, ‘Thank you, Hardin. You’re a loyal sport.’

  Sphinx smiled . . .

  . . . then he dropped the Helmet and the Mace and thrust the Sword deep into Orlando’s chest.

  The Kings of Sea and Sky gaped in horror, but only for an instant.

  Behind them, Cardinal Mendoza drew a gun and shot them both in the back, dropping them.

  The two Royal Marine guards at the entry stairwell unslung their guns, only to be cut down by a clatter of gunfire from the stairwell below them.

  Jaeger Eins emerged with three squires, their Steyr AUG assault rifles smoking.

  Lily was shocked. ‘Holy shit . . .’

  But the other people in the chamber weren’t.

  Dion DeSaxe inspected his fingernails. Chloe Carnarvon did nothing at all.

  A gurgled moan made Lily spin. It was Orlando.

  He wasn’t dead.

  As Sphinx withdrew the bloody blade of Excalibur from his chest, Orlando dropped to his knees, blood saturating his shirt.

  ‘Chloe!’ he screamed.

  She barely even looked at him.

  ‘Mendoza!’

  The Catholic cardinal stared at him without pity.

  Sphinx stood over Orlando and gave him a cruel smile.

  ‘Cousin, cousin, cousin,’ he said. ‘It was I who restored order, not you. I know more about the two trials and the Omega Event than you shall ever know. When I was the presumed heir to your throne, I studied the ancient texts, learned everything I could about these pivotal times. My father even showed me the King’s Eyes Only file about this day. And then he abdicated his crown and gave it all to your father.’

  As Sphinx strolled around him, Orlando glared up at Cardinal Mendoza and Chloe Carnarvon.

  Sphinx said, ‘Spare the cardinal and Ms Carnarvon your angry stares. They have both long been in my employ, waiting for this very moment.’

  ‘Why?’ Orlando spat at them.

  ‘You wouldn’t marry me,’ Chloe said curtly. ‘You happily bedded me but when I asked if we could be wed, you laughed in my face.’