Anubis Nights (18 page)

“So why did you send an aspect of yourself to the months before you were born?” I asked.

“What makes you think I had a choice? I couldn’t send my spirit to any time when I was alive, so I chose to come here to get the tablets, knowing I’d be able to go forward once my second spirit reached the moment of my conception or my birth. I’m not sure how that part works. Regardless, at that point I’ll be pulled forward to my dead body, which by now should already be animated by my third aspect, and if all goes well, I’ll be able to use the power of the tablets to heal it. At that point I’ll be practically immortal. It’s a good plan, and as I already have the tablets, I’m golden.”

“I don’t trust you,” Kelly said.

“But you trust Chronos and whoever else was involved in sending you back? Let me pose a few more questions to you. If you kill me here, what happens to you?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t tell you because then you’ll know too much,” she said.

He laughed. “Chronos knows I had to use three aspects because that’s how the spell works. So if I were a gambling man, I’d say he set up a link between you and a few other people. You’ll have someone back around 1877, when I was conceived and born, and you’ll have someone in 1926, right after I died. You kill me here, and my spirit rejoins my second aspect in 1877, so you get pulled forward to the person or people you have there. You kill me there, and you go to 1926 or 1927, if things take a while, where you have another person or group of people. How am I doing so far?” He gave her a wink.

Kelly frowned.

I sighed. “For the sake of argument, what if you’re right?” I asked.

“Based on your clothing, you’re not from 1926, and as you knew it took me nearly ninety years to figure out how to go back, I’m guessing you’re from the twenty-teens. So let me toss one last question your way just for sport. What happens when you kill me in the 1920s?”

“We go back to our own time.”

“So you have a link to someone in the twenty-teens?”

I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. I swallowed hard. That bitch Sharon knew I planned to kill her for betraying me, but if I couldn’t get back to my own time, I wouldn’t be able to make good on that.

Kelly and I exchanged glances, and I saw that she’d worked it out too. Sharon wasn’t a link. We didn’t have a way to get home. Our links didn’t extend to our own time.

“Fuck,” I said.

“And that’s why they rushed you,” Winslow said. “They wanted to keep you from thinking it through. You can follow me through time to wherever your links are, but after you vanquish me in the 1920s and send me back to the Underworld, you won’t have a way home. On the positive side, I suspect you’ll know enough of history to make some good investments, and you can live out your days in relative comfort.”

“Fuck,” I said again.

“There is an alternative,” he said.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Come with me. I’ll share the power of the tablets with you. I can keep you both at your current age. You’ll have until the time you’re born to find a way back to your own time, and I will do everything in my power to help you get home safely. As you’re not dead, it’s even possible that when you’re born, you’ll automatically be pulled forward to your correct time.”

Unfortunately, even if he were telling the truth, the tablet wouldn’t work on me. But it would work on Kelly.

He leaned forward. “Out of curiosity, what kind of horror stories did they tell you about me? What dastardly deeds did I supposedly commit? Or did I maybe plan to commit?”

“What difference does it make?” I asked.

“I just want to know what lies they told you. Had you heard of me before they came to you?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“If I’d been such an evil person, killing people or gathering magical powers to do terrible things to people, don’t you think you’d have heard of me? When I was a child, Jack the Ripper struck in Whitechapel. While opinions vary as to the number of victims, it’s likely there were only five between August and November of 1888. Five deaths and people were still talking about the Ripper murders when I died in 1926.”

“I suspect the severity of the attacks might have something to do with it.”

“Perhaps. But if I were such an evil man, why had you not heard of me? Can you at least entertain the possibility that they lied to you about me? They didn’t like the fact that I stole a scroll and escaped, so they made me out to be some kind of monster. I swear to you, I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve never intentionally harmed anyone. If I’d been the kind of monster they must have told you I was, I’d have been in the depths of Tartarus and I wouldn’t have been able to get into the Stacks to access the Forbidden Texts and escape.”

“How did you die?” I asked.

He seemed surprised by the question. “They didn’t tell you?”

“We were told you wanted to go back to hunt down and kill the man who murdered you,” I said.

“Typical. They probably lied to you about everything. I wasn’t murdered, Jonathan. My wife was sick, and I thought I could save her using my magic. I used all my focus to pull her illness into me and it worked. The problem was that I couldn’t shake off the illness myself. It weakened me too much and I died. I’m trying to get back so I can be with Lucy. I healed her so if I can get back to her, we can live long, healthy lives together. Travel the world. Enjoy life.”

“You were a member of The Golden Dawn,” Kelly said.

“Technically I was a member of Stella Matutina, which was about as close to The Golden Dawn as we had in America, but we were still just a group of magicians.”

“I need to talk to Kelly alone,” I said. “You wait here.”

Winslow nodded. “Very well.”

Kelly and I went inside, all the way back to the bedroom. “We really screwed the pooch,” I said.

“So it would seem. Do you believe him?”

“Yes, I think he’s mostly telling the truth. That means Sharon lied to us. She said he was a powerful sorcerer knowing I’d think that meant he was evil.”

“To be fair, every sorcerer you’ve encountered has been evil.”

“Most of them. A few were just dicks.”

“So what do we do?”

“I think we’ll have to work with him. Get back to Brand and Rayna and see if we can find a way home.”

“What he said about Tartarus,” Kelly said. “Is that true?”

“Hell if I know.”

“You’ve been to the Underworld.”

“I’ve been to California too, but that doesn’t mean I can tell you how to get to Redondo Beach from Sacramento.”

“Would they hide the Forbidden Texts in Tartarus?”

“They’re in the Stacks, but so far as I know, that’s in a pocket dimension.”

“So he could still be lying to us too.”

“I’m sure he’s giving us his spin on things, but I think he’s been more honest than Sharon.”

“Why are you so pissed at her?”

“We don’t have time to go into that.”

“Jonathan, we have nothing but time.”

BRAND EASTON

The next morning, Priscilla entered the dining car, saw Brand eating breakfast, and approached the table. “May I join you?” she asked.

“Of course,” Brand said and gestured to an open chair. She could have sat in Esther’s seat, but Brand knew Esther wouldn’t appreciate it. He turned to Esther. “Is Edward with her?”

“No,” Esther said. “I’ll let you know if he turns up.”

“Edward is still upset,” Priscilla said. “Based on your inquiry, is it safe to assume your ghost is here with us?”

“Yes,” Brand said. “Esther is sitting across from you. She says hello.”

“I do not,” Esther said.

Brand ignored her. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Exhausted,” Priscilla said.

The waiter approached the table. “Good morning, Miss Scarlet. The usual?”

“Yes, please.”

The waiter looked at Brand. “Is there anything else I can bring for you, Mr. Easton?”

“I’m good. Thanks.”

“Certainly, sir.”

The waiter moved off, and Brand stared at the table for a moment then picked up a piece of toast. As he buttered it, he said, “So why did Edward get his panties in a twist?”

Priscilla chuckled. “Panties in a twist?” She blushed. “Oh my!”

Brand smirked. “It’s an oldie where I come from,” he said and took a bite of toast.

“It’s certainly a colorful expression. Edward is very territorial. He feels terrible about how he behaved.”

“Better check the price of those wooden nickels,” Esther said.

“It’s all right,” Brand said. “Nobody was hurt.”

“I’m still rather embarrassed by the whole thing,” Priscilla said.

Esther rolled her eyes. “You’re not buying this bridge are you?”

Brand shot Esther a glare then softened his gaze as he turned back to Priscilla. “Really, it’s all right. You’re the only friend I’ve made on this train, so I’m not going to let an innocuous misunderstanding derail things.”

“Pulling out the ten-dollar words,” Esther said. “Why are you trying to impress this dame? She remind you of your mother or something?”

Brand shot Esther another glare.

“Oh my god! She really does remind you of your mother!”

“Esther, why don’t you go outside?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“Go anyway.”

“You’re just trying to get rid of me.”

“That’s right.”

“Well, I never!” Esther said. She rose and stormed through the wall. She couldn’t go far, but Brand just wanted her to stop distracting him.

Brand nodded. “All right, she won’t be back for a while.”

“Perhaps that’s just as well,” Priscilla said.

The waiter brought a tray over and placed Priscilla’s breakfast on the table. He started to set Edward’s standard meal down too but jumped back when Priscilla slammed a hand on the table.

She opened her eyes wide, clutched her chest, and slipped down the chair a bit.

“Miss Scarlet?” the waiter said.

“Priscilla!” Brand said and moved to keep her from falling.

She blinked her eyes a few times. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’m feeling faint.”

“Is there a doctor on board?” Brand asked.

“I don’t need a doctor,” Priscilla said. Her breathing settled back to something near normal, and she shook her head. “But I could use some help getting back to my compartment. I need to rest.”

“I can get someone to assist,” the waiter said.

“It’s all right,” Brand said. “I’ll take her.”

“Very well, sir.”

Brand tossed some cash on the table. He helped Priscilla to her feet. She leaned against him, and he half carried her out of the dining car and back to her compartment.

“I keep embarrassing myself in front of you. I do apologize for the inconvenience.”

“No worries,” Brand said. “Are you sure you don’t need a doctor?”

“I’m positive. I just need to lie down.”

“What’s going on?” Esther asked as she was pulled along fifteen feet behind Brand.

“She’s not feeling well.”

“Or she’s trying to lure you back to her place,” Esther said. “That little vixen.”

Brand slid the compartment door open and helped her to the bed.

The door slammed shut.

Brand spun but didn’t see anything. “Edward? She’s just tired. Don’t get upset.”

“He’s not upset,” Priscilla said.

Esther was pushed back, likely by Edward. “Let me go,” Esther said, confirming it was the other ghost.

Priscilla pulled down the blanket that blocked the back half of her car.

There were bags of herbs spaced around the compartment with lit candles, pentagrams, and other occult symbols. Brand started toward the door, but Priscilla grabbed him in an incredibly strong grip. She slammed him to the floor, and vines sprouted from the rug, encircling Brand’s wrists and ankles. He tried to pull free, but they were too strong.

“You bitch!” Brand said.

She smiled at him. “That’s
witch,
” she corrected.

RAYNA NOBLE

Lincoln and Rayna entered Central Park and wandered along the lovely path. Rayna appreciated the trees and flowers. It was an oasis in the center of a dirty city. They approached a park bench near a small brick bridge. A middle-aged man wearing thick glasses, a hat, and a black trench coat sat waiting for them. Rayna thought he looked like a skinny Clark Kent. Behind him stood an empty bench, and Rayna suspected that was why he chose that location. There were quite a few people in the park, and most of the benches were occupied, while other people sat on the grass, eating lunch.

“You sit beside him,” Lincoln said. “I’ll sit behind you.”

Rayna nodded.

The man watched as Rayna approached and sat down next to him. He waited until Lincoln was seated behind them before he spoke. “I’m Thaddeus Milton,” he said.

“Rayna Noble,” Rayna said, giving him a nod.

Thaddeus wore white gloves and did not offer to shake hands. He kept his hands folded in his lap, and he looked around at the various people in the park with suspicious eyes.

“You seek an introduction to Alpha et Omega,” he said, lowering his voice.

“That’s right,” Rayna said, wishing he’d just name a price and be done with it.

Again he looked around as if spies would be waiting to kill him for speaking to an outsider. “Such an introduction is unusual.”

Rayna forced herself not to sigh. She knew introductions were common. How else would they get members? But she nodded and said, “Of course. And I appreciate you being amenable to making said introduction.”

More looking around. “There is a high price to be paid.”

“Not too high, I hope.”

“Five hundred dollars.” He stared at her as if waiting for her to cough and choke.

Rayna had expected ten times that price even allowing for 1920s values. Was this guy serious, or had she simply misjudged the currency rates? As she knew he expected to haggle, she had to fight to keep from grinning. The guy must be an amateur. “I was thinking more like fifty dollars,” Rayna said.

“This is a waste of my time.”

“Fifty dollars each,” Rayna said.

He shook his head. “I’m sticking my neck out for you, and I don’t even know you.”

“But you know Lincoln.”

Thaddeus adjusted his glasses. “Three hundred.”