In Which a Solemn, Sacred Deal Is Struck
So, your dad is an astrophysicist?” said Kit. “What’s that like?”
“Out of this world,” replied Cass. Kit gave her an appreciative smirk. “That’s what I used to say whenever anyone asked. To me, he’s just a typical dad.”
“Does he know where you are?”
“Don’t ask,” Cass sighed. “He’s probably called out the National Guard by now. The last time I spoke to him, he was about to jump on a plane and come to help me investigate this odd phenomenon I thought I had discovered.”
“Ley leaping?”
“The man who showed me called it ‘crossing the Coyote Bridge.’”
“That’s a new one.”
“He is a Yavapai tribesman, and he was helping us with the dig where I was working.” Cass went on to explain about finding what Friday called the Ghost Road located in Secret Canyon near Sedona. “Have you ever been to America?” she asked.
“Not even close,” admitted Kit. “One day, maybe. I’ve always wanted to see Hollywood and New York.”
“That’s what everyone says,” Cass laughed, and Kit decided he liked the sound so much he would try to make it happen again. “They’re only about three thousand miles apart,” she told him. “But sure, why not? Where else?”
“Disney World, or Graceland.” He lifted his palms as if weighing options. “I can’t decide. It’s a toss-up.”
“Oh, Disney World—definitely,” she advised. “You’d look good in mouse ears.”
In an effort to clear his head and keep out of Haven’s reach, Kit had decided to take a walk and invited Cass to join him. She had a capable, uncomplicated, and forthright manner that he found refreshing, and was rather fetching in a long skirt with a high-laced bodice and crisp white blouse borrowed from Wilhelmina’s wardrobe. Thus, they sauntered along a pleasant stretch of riverside outside the city walls, content in one another’s easy company.
“Palaeontologist, eh?” he said after a moment. “Old bones and all that? Fossils and rocks?”
“Pretty much.”
“What do you think of Prague?” he asked. “It’s jolly old.”
“I love it. Don’t you feel like you’re in a fairy tale?” She told him about being sent to London to find Sir Henry. “That was fascinating too—but nowhere near as charming as this.”
“You were at Clarimond House?”
She nodded. “That’s where I met Haven and Giles. They suggested we should come here and—to make a long story short—here we are. But now I need to get back to Damascus and give them a report. Have you ever been to the Zetetic Society?”
“Afraid not. My great-grandfather mentioned them once or twice in passing. He had plans to take me to one of their meetings or something, but that, like a lot of other things, just didn’t happen.”
“Because he died?”
“And Sir Henry along with him. Giles and I were with them at the end.”
“I’m sorry.” She gave his arm a sympathetic pat. “I had to ask—it’s one of the things I was sent to find out.”
“Well, you can tell them it was Burleigh and his goons. They’re to blame. In fact, they seem to be responsible for most everything bad that happens around here.”
“That’s what Haven said—‘stricken down by vile enemies.’”
“She’s right about that, but don’t believe everything she says,” Kit cautioned. “You can’t trust her.”
“I wondered.”
“Let’s just say that Haven Fayth looks out for her own interests first, last, and always. But yes, she was there too, and on this occasion she’s telling the truth.” Kit then launched into a description of events in Egypt leading up to their capture by Burleigh. He concluded, saying, “This is news to you? Burleigh and his toadies?”
“Oh, Haven told me about them, but I guess I thought they were just tomb robbers or something. I didn’t really understand that they were after the Skin Map or what they were willing to do to get it.”
“They’re murderers. And they have this way of showing up exactly when they need to, and when they can do the most harm. I used to wonder how they did it, but now I think I know.” He paused and glanced at his agreeable companion. “They use a device—a shadow lamp. Has anybody mentioned that yet?”
“What is it?”
“It’s a gadget that can detect ley lines and portals and such.” He went on to describe what it looked like and how it worked and how Wilhelmina had secured a prototype of the instrument for herself behind Burleigh’s back. “Mina has started calling it a shadow lamp. It emits this sort of glowing light, and then apparently everything goes a bit dark right before you make a ley jump.”
“Does Mina have the only one?” Cass asked. “Can I see it?”
“Well, I used to have one—Mina’s old model before she upgraded. It got wrecked just before coming here when we encountered that portal we were talking about—near the gorge I mentioned? Anyway, this portal was pumping out a massive amount of energy. Our gizmos couldn’t handle it. They overheated and burned out. We didn’t know they would do that.”
“Can they be fixed, or can you make more of them? If so, maybe we should all have one,” suggested Cass. “If we’re going to be working together, it would be good for us all to have the same tools.”
“We don’t make them. Mina got them from a contact at court who makes them for Burleigh. It’s a secret. But I think you’re right; it would be good if everybody had shadow lamps.” He stopped walking and took in a view of the river sliding silently along its grassy banks. “I could keep walking for miles on a day like this, but we should get back before they send out the bloodhounds.”
Cassandra drew a deep lungful of the clean country air. “I like it here—and it’s been good to get outdoors. I’m not used to being cooped up all day.” She gave Kit a sunny smile. “Thank you. This has been nice.”
They turned to stroll back to the city, the warm autumn air already beginning to chill as the sun slanted towards the horizon. Kit asked about her life and work in Arizona, and she told him about the dig and discovering traces of the rare theropod Tarbosaurus, which she called a real coup for the university.
“Do you miss it?” asked Kit. “Your old life, I mean?”
“Truthfully? No. I haven’t thought about it much. Since all this began, I’ve been completely consumed and overwhelmed by the experience.”
“It has that effect.”
“How about you? Do you miss your old life in London?”
“To be honest, there isn’t that much to miss,” Kit replied. “I had a boring, nowhere job and not much else. Looking back on it now, I see that Cosimo did me a huge favour by bringing me into the family business, as he called it.” Kit gave a sharp, scoffing laugh. “Some business! I was stuck in the Stone Age for three years—maybe more. I lost count.”
“Get out of here!”
“It’s true. You didn’t know?” Cass shook her head, so Kit continued. “The Bone House we were talking about—that’s where it is. Smack in the middle of the Stone Age. There’s a ley line near here that leads to this incredible gorge—sheer cliffs of white limestone with a river flowing through it. To make a long story short, Burleigh was after me and I tried to escape using the Valley Ley, as Mina calls it—but something went wrong. I landed in the Stone Age with a clan of primitive people. I don’t mind telling you it was the most amazing, frightening, exhilarating, and rewarding thing that has ever happened to me. I am absolutely itching to get back there.”
Just thinking about it brought Kit to silence. He paused and his vision grew unfocused as the memories flooded through him.
“Kit? Are you okay?”
When he answered his voice had taken on a note of longing. “It’s hard to describe, but when I was there I was more than myself—as if being around the primitives made me better than I am, somehow.” He shrugged. “Now I feel like I’ve lost a limb, or a brother, or something. I liked who I was when I was with them—if that makes any sense. That’s why I want to go back . . . why I have to go back.”
“I want to hear every single detail.” Cass stopped walking, looked directly into his eyes, and fixed him with her gaze.
“Better still, I’ll show you,” offered Kit. “As I was saying, the expedition to find the Spirit Well starts from there. I guess I just assumed you would be coming along too. But now you say you have to get back to Damascus—” He felt himself floundering. “Do you? Do you have to go back right away, I mean?” The intensity of her look unnerved him slightly, so he lightened the mood. “I’ll introduce you to the clan, show you a real, living mammoth—not just bones! And who knows? If you’re good, maybe a cave lion too, and how to hunt with a sharp stick.”
“Done!” she said. Cass spat into her palm and extended her hand. “Spit and shake.” Kit did as he was told and they shook hands. “There,” she said. “It is a sacred, solemn deal. You can’t renege on it.”
“I wouldn’t want to renege on it,” Kit told her.
The moment stretched too long, becoming awkward, so they resumed their walk in silence. When that became uncomfortable too, Kit blurted, “So tell me more about Sedona.”
Cass shrugged. “Sedona is a decent enough place, I suppose. I love the red rocks and canyons. But truth be told, I was really taken with Damascus—something about the place . . . or maybe it’s the people.”
They talked about the surreal contrasts of their lives old and new, and the unimaginable bounces the life of a ley traveller could take at any turn. Eventually they passed through the massive town gates and up the steep street now sunk in shadow. Upon reaching the Old Square, they entered the sunlight once more and proceeded to the Grand Imperial Kaffeehaus.
As they sauntered into the square, Cass paused to take in the great gothic edifice fronting the square. “What is that building?” she asked, indicating the looming presence rising before her.
“That’s the Rathaus,” Kit explained. “Nothing to do with rodents, happily—unless the rat catcher has headquarters there. It’s like a civic centre. Administration, local government, city offices—everything, even a prison.”
“It looks like the kind of place Dracula might hang out in. Kinda creepy.”
“You know, you’re right.” Kit smiled. He had enjoyed the day and Cass’ company far more than he imagined when inviting her for a stroll in the country. But now it was over and he was considering how to keep the moment alive when they reached the door of the Grand Imperial.
“Thank you for taking me with you, Kit. Maybe we can do it again sometime?”
“No problem,” he said and instantly cringed inside. No problem? Was that really the best he could do?
She put her hand on his arm, warming the spot she touched.
Kit was on the cusp of thinking a kiss on the cheek might be in order when the coffee shop door opened and Wilhelmina appeared, holding a compact parcel the size of a loaf of bread. “Oh, there you are,” she chirped. “Not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Just got back from our walk,” Kit said. “What’s in the bag?”
“Coffee grounds,” Mina replied, hefting the bundle.
“A gift for one of your many admirers?”
“Yes, actually,” she said. “In exchange for this rare and important commodity, I gain certain favours from my alchemist friends.”
“Nice.” Kit nodded appreciatively.
“Are there really alchemists around?” wondered Cass.
“Oh, sure,” Mina confirmed. “They’ve been most helpful to me—one in particular. I’m sending this up to him with a note requesting a visit. But it’s got to get there before the clock strikes six.”
“Because he morphs into a dormouse?” said Kit.
Mina rolled her eyes. “Because that’s the changing of the day guard, and entrance to the palace becomes tedious and unnecessarily complicated after that.”
“What do they do with the coffee grounds?” asked Cass.
“Who knows? Experiments of one kind or another. The thing is, it’s valuable stuff on account of its scarcity, and I’m happy to keep the lines of supply open because sometimes I need a favour.”
“Like shadow lamps,” Kit guessed.
“Like shadow lamps,” confirmed Wilhelmina. She made to move off. “So if you two will excuse me . . .”
“Mina,” said Kit quickly, “Cass and I were talking about that. What are the chances that you could get enough lamps for each of us to have one?”
“I don’t know,” Mina said. “But it’s a good idea. I’ll ask Gustavus and see what he says.”