LIX

Lorenzo wondered if he could beat the Shadow Master in a fight. He was certain that if he tried to rescue Lucia first he would appear and try to stop him. Frantically, he searched through the scientific devices he still had in the leather bag with him, looking for one that could be useful to him. Perhaps the night glasses would help him see better than the Shadow Master and evade him? He had to find the puce priest. If he had tried to murder Galileo he could just as easily harm Lucia.

He looked at the mole harness, but it was too badly burned to be of use again. Galileo might have been able to advise him, if he were not lying on the ground by him, near insensible. It would undoubtedly have been something wise about using logic and observation to conquer his emotions and find the best path forward. But his emotions refused to be stilled. He had to rescue Lucia first! He stood and looked at the multiple passages that led out of the chamber. One of them would take him to Lucia and the others would not.

He ground his teeth. The Shadow Master would know which way to go, but would not show him. He closed his eyes and tried to think. There must be a logical way out of this. It was like one the puzzles that Galileo sometimes set him. There must be a way to determine which tunnels not to take in order to find the right one.

His feet and his urgency dictated his decision though and he set off quickly down the nearest tunnel, hoping against hope it would prove the right one. Yet he had barely turned the first corner when a dark shape rose up blocking his path. Lorenzo took up a fighting stance, prepared to fight his way past, but a sword appeared under his chin before he even saw it coming. Only one man could move that fast.

“Shadow Master,” Lorenzo said, not dropping his offensive position.

“Shhh,” said the Shadow Master. “Remember. I don’t exist.”

“You have to move out of my way,” said Lorenzo. “That mad priest has Lucia. I must save her before he harms her.”

“He will not harm her,” the Shadow Master said firmly.

“Which path will lead me to them?” Lorenzo asked.

“Not the path you must now take,” the Shadow Master said.

Lorenzo shook his head. “No. I must go after her. I must save her.”

“You will,” said the Shadow Master, “But you must save civilisation first. Remember.”

Lorenzo felt himself growing angry. “I must save her first. Civilisation can be saved afterwards.”

“That is not your choice to make,” the Shadow Master replied, pressing his sword tip into Lorenzo’s throat. Lorenzo took a step backwards, but the sword tip followed him. “Well, strictly speaking it is your choice to make,” the Shadow Master added, “But it would be the wrong choice.”

Lorenzo took another step back and came up against the tunnel wall. He had the Shadow Master”s other sword in his hand and looked down at the blade now at his throat. It was longer, heavier and looked quite a bit more dangerous than the sword he held. The Shadow Master looked at him and he glared back at him. “I know what you’re thinking,” he told Lorenzo. “But you can’t save Lucia this way.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking?” Lorenzo asked.

“You forget, I know you very, very well.”

“How can I believe that?”

“I just told you. You’ve forgotten.”

Lorenzo gritted his teeth and shifted his grip on the sword hilt a little. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said the Shadow Master.

“How do you know what I’m going to do?” Lorenzo asked.

“Let’s not go through this all again,” he said. “Look. It’s simple. You save the city and save civilisation, and I’ll save Lucia. That’s just how it has to be.”

Lorenzo looked at him carefully and felt the sword point at his throat not waver at all. Then he nodded his head. Very slowly. “What do we do?” he asked.

“You need to go back down to the chamber of the ancients,” said the Shadow Master.

Lorenzo frowned a little, as if not understanding, but then said, incredulously, “You want me to wield the power of the ancients?”

“Bravissimo!” said the Shadow Master.

“But… but… how?” asked Lorenzo. “Surely only the ancients had that power.”

“What if I told you you’re older than you look?”

Lorenzo wanted him to stop his stupid word games. “And that will save Lucia?” he asked.

“Without a doubt,” said the Shadow Master. “Well, without much doubt. Certainly more than you running around lost in the tunnels down here would.” But still Lorenzo hesitated. “Don’t worry, it always turns out well in the end,” the Shadow Master said. “Trust me.”

“Alright,” said Lorenzo reluctantly. “I’ll do it.” He turned and started walking back the way he had come.

“Uh, one more thing,” called the Shadow Master.

“Yes?” asked Lorenzo.

“It would please me greatly if you took the right tunnels.” And he threw Lorenzo a small device. Lorenzo caught it and looked down at it and saw it was a small glass-covered disc that had a glowing arrow on it. “Just follow the arrow,” the Shadow Master said. “It”s an intelligent compass. Probably more intelligent than many people you’d ask directions of.”

Lorenzo turned it around in his hand and the arrow stayed pointing in the one direction.

“And just one more thing,” he called to Lorenzo.

“What?”

The Shadow Master moved his fingers up and down in front of his face like an imbecile might and said, “Remember, you haven’t seen anything.” Then he stepped back into the shadows. Lorenzo shook his head. It seriously worried him that the man sometimes seemed more crazed than any of the crazed men they were fighting.