by Amy Lignor
From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother jump back from the table and issue a blood-curdling scream. Following her gaze, Anippe watched in silence as her uncle fell forward, smashing his skull against the large iron stove as he came to rest on the floor…directly beside his now detached arm.
Anippe’s brain slowed to a crawl as she tried to understand. She focused on the pale face of her mother. Neith’s hands were wrapped around her own neck as if she was attempting to protect herself from some invisible strike. Her mouth was wide, still set in a scream, but Anippe wondered why she couldn’t hear it anymore. Shaking her head, she tried desperately to get rid of the loud buzzing in her ears.
She felt as if she was watching a video of a macabre play, but the audio was absent. Maybe I’m dead, thought Anippe.
Detecting movement, she raised her gaze and caught sight of the familiar man suddenly standing in the room. His long, white ponytail fell over his shoulder; it looked like a snake that had wrapped itself around the man’s neck and had chosen to grow old there.
A small sound echoed in her eardrums. It started as a distant hum and slowly grew into the howl of a hungry, desolate wolf. Finally breaking through, Neith’s scream shot through her brain at full volume.
The smiling man with the snow-white reptile curled up on his shoulder stepped forward and retrieved her favorite weapon from the floor. Even though one blade was now covered in dark red blood, the second head of the axe remained bright and shiny—a polished gleam that perfectly matched the smile on Michael Hansen’s face.
Anippe gasped as panic crushed her heart to the size of a pea. Falling to her knees beside her uncle, the sound of Hansen’s sickening voice entered her ears.
“Well, it looks like he’s not the last man standing. Shame he lost the game.” Hansen’s cat-like eyes moved back and forth between them. “What do you say, ladies? Can I play?”
CHAPTER 34
Find it now, the voice whispered. Their lives depend on it.
Leah’s body jerked off the bed; it felt as if a flaming hot poker had been thrust into her neck. Her breath came in gasps and sweat dampened her skin as the whole world seemed to spin around her.
She could feel Gareth’s strength. He was talking to her, speaking words of comfort in her ear. “You’re all right…it was only a dream.”
Jumbled thoughts. Good, bad, calm, frightening. What the hell is wrong with me?
“It’s okay,” Gareth whispered again, “Leah, it was just a dream.”
“They’re dying,” she said.
Gareth’s voice remained patient, but his breathing grew faster. “No one is dying, Leah. I told you there could be some side effects from the mercury. Even the smallest dose can make your head do crazy things.”
“If we don’t get our hands on it, Gareth, none of them will make it. We won’t either.”
“Shh,” he said, rocking her body in his arms. “You’re tired, Leah. We’re both just really tired.”
“I have to get it,” she whispered.
“Get what?”
“I don’t know. But it’s there. And it’s the only thing that can stop him.”
“Leah,” the tone of his voice was now pleading. “We have the spear of Athena. It’s the strongest, most powerful weapon in the world. We can stop anyone with that.”
She mumbled, “It doesn’t even come in second.”
Gareth’s arms tightened around her. “Your family is fine, remember? We called them just a few hours ago. They were going to sit down and have a nice dinner.”
“They won’t like it,” Leah spoke carefully. “But someone else will.” And with that, she released her tears.
Not understading, all he could do was attempt to calm her down. “We’ll head to Kissamos tomorrow, then to Knossos, where Emmanuel and Kathryn are also okay.”
“No, they’re not.”
“What?”
He’s hungry,” Leah mumbled.
“Who’s hungry?”
“The Minotaur.”
___
She had no memory of the hot shower that Gareth had apparently held her under, but Leah was grateful that her skin was finally beginning to thaw. She took the cups of coffee that he gave to her willingly, evidently deciding to banish his standard speech about how bad it was for her body.
She didn’t care about her body right now. Just her mind. Thankfully, it seemed to be coming back with the blood flow. Leah had forced the trembling in her limbs to stop. She’d fought, pounded, threatened, and finally beaten the horrible images back into the card catalogue and slammed the drawer tight. As far as she was concerned, it would take nothing less than Houdini rising from his grave to open it.
The sun began to filter through the lace curtains covering the large picture window. She looked down at the lions on the fountain below. They were still there. My sentries, thought Leah. Guarding her from danger.
Gareth sat down on the bed and stared over at her. “Any better?”
She met his worried gaze, and nodded. “Like you said, it was just a dream.”
Gareth looked doubtful. “Okay.”
“Did you get to sleep at all before I…um…flipped out again?”
Before he could respond the cell phone sent a sudden beep through the room, making Leah’s already unsteady hand spill the dark coffee onto the beige carpet. She frowned. “Looks like I just added another outrageous charge to your credit card.”
“It’s your inheritance, anyway,” he tried to make her smile, but it was impossible. He answered the phone. “Hey, Kathryn.”
Standing, Leah headed for the bathroom to grab a five-star towel in order to destroy it, too, in her attempt to clean up the now three-star floor. But halfway across the room she stopped. Hearing the sudden anxiety that entered Gareth’s voice made her stumble back to the overstuffed chair.
“Emmanuel did what? What voice?”
The hair on the back of Leah’s neck stood at attention.
Gareth’s voice reached a fever pitch. “All right. Okay. We’re only about twenty minutes away.” Tossing the phone in Leah’s direction, he raced for his clothes.
She immediately brought the phone to her ear, determined to get an answer from at least one of the Lowery siblings. “Kathryn, it’s me. What happened?”
The frantic words came out at top speed, “Emmanuel disappeared!”
“Did you go look for him?”
Kathryn belted out a frustrated sigh. “Well, of course we looked for him. But day turned to night, Leah, and there are passages and tunnels that go on for miles underneath this place. It got so dark we couldn’t see anything.”
Leah could almost picture Kathryn’s small body pacing back and forth, worried to death about her beloved husband. But what Leah also knew from the dead silence that suddenly met her ears was that Kathryn had something else she desperately needed to say. “You still there?”
“I need my brother’s help, Leah.” Her voice sounded different now; apologetic.
“He’s dressing right this second. We’ll be there immediately.”
Leah’s gaze dropped to her lap, and she glanced down at the mark on her hand. The bright blue eye that’d been trying so hard to come back to life began to fade once again. She stuttered, “He’ll be there, Kathryn. I promise. Just hang on.”
“Leah?”
“What?”
“I’m really sorry about this.”
“What’s the matter with you?” Leah tried to understand her odd apology. “Kathryn?”
The tears were audible.
A thought hit Leah right between the eyes. “He’ll be in Knossos in a few minutes.” Ending the call, she went for the duffel bag, the only thing she could call her own.
“Don’t you mean, we?” Gareth stood in the doorway of the bathroom, staring at her. Fully dressed, knapsack over his shoulder, he was more than ready to answer his sister’s call for help.
Leah swallowed hard, trying to stop herself from being sick on the already spoiled carpet.
She wanted to avoid his probing eyes but it was useless. She didn’t know what to say, but she damn well wished she could find a good explanation for what she was about to do.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke words to the man she loved that Leah never thought she’d ever have to say. “I’m not going with you.”
CHAPTER 35
“Where is my husband?”
Michael Hansen looked at the women standing in front of him. His smile never wavered. “Are your manacles too tight?”
Neith grimaced at the set of iron cuffs that locked her to Anippe’s side. “Yes.”
He laughed at her abrupt tone. “Really? I would think you’d be used to them, considering they’ve been an accessory of yours for the last… I’m sorry, how many years has it been now?”
The cat’s eyes flicked to Anippe. “I bet you wish she’d stayed dead. If she’d been a corpse like I wanted her to be, you’d still have your dear uncle by your side right now.” He slithered closer to her. “And you’d still have a chance to see your next birthday.”
Anippe struggled to keep her tears back, trying to block the horrific image of Uncle Aaron lying in the kitchen. The prayers were running through her mind. He was still breathing. All they needed was a miracle. “You have no chance at winning.”
She watched Hansen move away, slinking through the archway and proceeding to smash his fist into the glass case. Although bells and whistles rang out, he lifted the gem with care. Once in hand, he raised the axe and slammed it down on the exposed wires, until the high-pitched security alarms fell silent.
Walking back to her, she tried not to shudder at the victorious grin Hansen wore. The insane killer focused on the hideous gem. His long, skeletal fingers traced the dark veins lightly, like a new father lovingly caressing his child’s face for the first time.
“Where’s my husband?” Neith repeated.
The violent scowl he shot at her mother made Anippe want to scream.
The line of his mouth was tight and thin when he spoke. “You heard his brother. Your husband went after a cat,” he said. “Unfortunately, he went after the wrong one.”
Hansen lifted the axe in the air. “Either way, he’s a coward. If David Tallent was outside when I came in, he should’ve already noticed the mess I left in the kitchen. Therefore, it’s quite obvious that your husband has, once again, decided to run away.” He aimed a self-satisfied grin in Anippe’s direction. “You’re not surprised by that, I’m sure.”
“You have the stone,” stated Anippe. “Get out.”
Hansen let out a laugh so loud Anippe swore it moved the pictures on the walls. “I’m not quite ready to leave just yet,” he replied. “After all, I’ve really missed your mother’s company. When Bauer held his sacrificial ceremonies in the castle, I thoroughly enjoyed watching her sit on the dirt floor and attempt to look away.”
He took a step closer to Neith and dropped his voice to a deadly hiss. “But you never did look away. I think you secretly loved that Nazi castle—our little family.” His face got dangerously close to Neith’s ear, and he whispered, “You must have. Otherwise you would have stopped me, right? Casting the runes, seeing the future…you saw me coming and let this happen anyway.”
Anippe’s rage increased. Her beloved uncle was losing his life and she had to do something. Lifting her arm, she shook the chains. “Get the hell away from her.”
Hansen stepped back. “Cursing, young one? You’re sounding more like your sister every day. Leah would be so proud.”
“She says she is.”
Confusion suddenly clouded his gaze. “She says?”
Anippe waited.
“When exactly did you speak with your sister?” He moved his gaze around the room before returning to Anippe. “I know she’s not here.”
“How would you know that?”
As he looked back at her, his face turned into a mask of sheer disgust when he realized the truth. “It figures Bauer didn’t have the balls to waste those miserable people.” His eyes filled with rage. “I shouldn’t be shocked. Bauer always thought your sister was amazing. She probably could’ve converted him if I’d given them the alone time together that he so desperately wanted.”
For a brief moment, Anippe’s heart felt a pull.
Hansen continued, as if scolding the dead man out loud, “Bauer left Leah the spear and kept her boyfriend alive to save her, while actually believing the crown Leah had uncovered in Nuremburg was the one Satan wore.” He paused. “Well, that part was a success, at least. I never thought Bauer would be dumb enough to fall for the bogus crown.”
Anippe’s eyes grew wide. “You could not have known that.”
He offered the twisted, evil smile. “My grandfather hid that crown ages ago. He was also the one who found the real crown. Such a powerful item, yet everyone was too stupid to ever find it. Thankfully, all of my family are blessed with the gift. We all saw the future. Bauer was a joke.”
“You speak harshly about your fallen leader.”
“I follow no one. Bauer had nothing.”
“Nothing except Himmler’s castle, all the money and gold he’d found in Jericho, the secret location of Heaven—” Anippe paused, registering the sudden spark of disbelief shining in his eyes. “Oh…he didn’t tell you about that. I bet he did not let you in on anything even remotely important.”
“I see everything. I have the power of the ancients running through my soul.” His voice grew deep, like he was summoning his psychic powers in order to perform before their very eyes.
“You’re nothing more than a sideshow freak.”
Hansen’s fist connected with Neith’s jaw the second she made her statement, sending both women to the floor.
“Are you all right?” Neith asked immediately; a thin line of blood was running from her mouth.
Anippe simply nodded and used hidden reserves of strength to pull them back up. She was going to cry. It was clear that the fight was over. Taking a deep breath, preparing herself to meet her maker and leave this museum for Paradise, Anippe asked, “Since we are going to die anyway, why not share the secret only you possess?”
He bowed to Anippe. “I would never not grant a beautiful woman her last request,” he said, taking a deep breath, “Satan’s crown is protected in the home of a beast.”
As he leaned forward, Anippe gagged on his rancid breath.
Hansen smiled wide. “And that’s no bull.”
His words struck her brain like a hammer. Feeling a new wave of courage rise as she thought of her sister getting ready to walk into a trap, she spotted the open lid on the case behind him and noticed that the jagged piece of Divine wood was gone. Anger rose in her chest. She’d be damned if he’d get that, too.
She turned to stare at the jewel in Hansen’s black glove. “On second thought, I don’t think I can let you leave here.”
“This axe says otherwise, I’m afraid.”
Anippe watched him covet his prize. As her brain struggled to find a way out, an idea appeared out of the blue and Anippe glared at the face of violence. The face of a man, Leah had told her, who was capable of almost supernatural strength. “He met his maker because of the explosion you set up, but why didn’t you kill Bauer like you did the others? Why were his entrails not sitting before him on that dining table? Why not make him pay in the bloodiest, sickest way possible?”
Even though it disappeared as quickly as the flame of a candle being extinguished, Anippe caught the moment of fear. The answer burst in her head. “I don’t believe it,” she exhaled.
Hansen remained still.
“You didn’t kill those men,” she whispered. “You’re not the one with the power.”
The shot that rang out was so loud it rocked the museum’s statue of the Snake Goddess on her black marble dais and sent it crashing to the floor.
Neith screamed and sunk to her knees. But Anippe stood tall, watching the axe fall from the surprised man’s hand.
Satan’s stone fell from his glove,
landing horizontally and rolling across the floor like a strangely shaped bead. A dark red rosette bloomed on the front of his bright white shirt. Clutching his chest, Anippe watched Michael Hansen fall to the floor. His body landed hard, coming to rest head to head with the smashed deity whose mighty asps were now frolicking in the dead man’s blood.
Familiar laughter echoed through the museum, and Anippe peered down the hallway. She watched the figure move forward. His light brown hair hung soft and loose over his forehead, and his golden-brown eyes were filled with what Anippe could only call joy.
Replacing the gun in his belt, he walked to Anippe with his hand out, greeting her as if she were an old friend. “I’ve been waiting forever for him to tell his story. Too bad, I could have stayed where I was and had some fun if I’d known it would take this long for him to get here.”
Anippe remained silent; she had no idea how to address a ghost.
He sighed. “His arrogance was bound to trip him up eventually, of course. I knew he’d have to boast about the location of the real crown.” He looked down at the cat’s eyes drained of life and the white ponytail now dyed red, and kicked Hansen in the head. “Seer, my ass.”
Walking past Anippe, he took a seat on the royal throne, crossed his muscular arms over his chest, and smiled at her. “I mean, honestly. If the guy was such a great psychic, don’t you think he would’ve seen me standing right behind him?”
CHAPTER 36
The horn of the old tour bus blared right below the window. The noise sounded like a goat bleating its last breath. Surprising Leah, she reached for the table, steadying herself. Taking a long, deep breath, she glanced out and saw the same bedraggled driver from the day before.
Gathering herself, Leah looked back at Gareth’s haunted stare. He had become immobile at her awkward statement. She noted the lines on his handsome face, lines of worry for his sister mixed with complete bafflement at her words.
