Sorcerer's Secret (34 page)

“So how is it that you are here?” the man asked, puzzled. “And how did you help my boy?”

“I can't not do anything. So I'm breaking the rules and going against my duties, as much as I can, which isn't much, to be honest.”

“But that means . . . ”

“I will be punished, yes,” Caesar said, trying not to think about it. “Harshly. Aaron Burr turned against his duties after the Trap and the land took back its locket. The same might happen to me, or worse. But I can't turn away.”

“Why do that to yourself?”

“Because I did a great wrong,” Caesar said, his heart heavy. “I built that Trap. I can say I didn't really know what I was doing. That I only meant it as a game, to prove that I could. But I should have known. I was too proud and Kieft used that pride. He told me the Trap would only be up for a short while, and the very fact of its existence would stop the warring between god and Munsee, and I believed him because I wanted to believe him. As I worked with Burr to finish the Trap, I could sense that he knew something I didn't. But I wanted to see it work. So I told myself to ignore what was all around me. I used the Munsees' own talismans, the wampum and the Sachem's Belt, to create the way to unlock it, not realizing what an affront it was to pervert those people's magic in such a base way. Such pride! And then the Trap was triggered, and weeks passed, and suddenly the Lights, who I had designated as the only ones who could turn the key, began to disappear. There were never many to begin with, and now, suddenly, there were none at all! And I realized that this was no game. No, this was very real. And it was all my fault. Sure, Kieft and Hamilton, and Burr, and you—you all knew exactly what you were doing. But it is my creation. My pride. My crime.”

The man groaned, but did not answer. Caesar knelt down to stare into his eyes. “He will kill your son and your daughter, no matter what he promises. Already your wife lies at death's door. What more can be taken from you? You started that family for a reason, did you not? To truly belong, again. And then it all went wrong. You need to make it right. You need to find your way.”

“How did you find your way?” the man asked, tears running down his cheeks.

“People say I've been underground so long I've lost myself. And they're not too far from the truth. After I helped build the Trap, I went down deeper and deeper, running from what I'd done. And that's when she found me. The lady we both know. She gave me a reason to climb to the surface again. A way to make my wrongs right again. She spoke to me and she spoke to Adriaen, and we gladly placed our trust in her cause. She spoke to you once, too.”

“That was a long time ago and I failed her completely,” the man said, turning away.

“Your children are traveling to see her,” Caesar said. “They don't know it, but that's where they're headed. You need to be by their side when they get there. That's the only way we can beat Kieft and return this city to the mortals who dream it. Henry, your children need you. How many times can you let them down?”

The man stared back up at him, agonizing over what to do. And Caesar waited to see if his sacrifice would not be in vain.

R
ory stood in front of the pizza parlor, which had been closed up for the night. The entire street was dark at this late hour, though the streetlights still sent pools of light down to illuminate the sidewalk. Fritz had warned them that they were close to Five Points, the notorious den of thieves, which had been built over the filled-in Collect Pond. The thought of roving bands of nineteenth-century gang members didn't help his sense of unease as he stood there, feeling naked, with only a tiny cockroach and his little sister by his side.

He resisted the urge to touch his forehead, where Soka had drawn a sigil of protection. He knew how strong she'd made it—he felt like he could run through a brick wall and not get bruised, but even though he knew this was probably the “Munsee magic” the Fortune Teller told him he had to bring with him, he couldn't help fearing that it would not be enough.

“Now what?” Bridget asked, getting impatient. “Do we bust in? I can run right through the door . . .”

“They might have an alarm,” Rory countered, indecisive.

“I wish Soka could be here!” Bridget whined, kicking at the ground. “That lady said we needed magic and now look at us! We can't even get through a door!”

“We can't stand out here all day,” Fritz said by Rory's feet, Clarence shuffling in place under him.

“Where's your little Indian girl?” a voice sneered behind them. They spun to see Hex step out of the shadows. The fallen god had cleaned up a little since they'd seen him under City Hall, but he still looked desperate.

Fritz guided Clarence between the Hennessy kids and Hex. “Get out of here, Burr. You're not wanted.”

“Really?” Hex shrugged with exaggerated innocence. “Bridget just said something about needing magic. Needing it. And your little magic Munsee friend is no longer among you. So I think there might be a place for me in your little expedition after all . . .”

“You've betrayed my trust over and over again—” Rory began, but Hex put up his hand to cut him off.

“But it's not about you, is it?” he said. “It's about your mother. I may have been hiding out, but I still heard things. I know your mother is deathly ill. I'm sure some of Kieft's stolen magic can cure her. But you will never get close to it if I'm not with you. I see the sigil on your forehead. I know what it means. So you're protected. Well, let me ask you—is there any water on this journey you're taking? Because sigils wash off. And even if it doesn't, even if you're protected all the way to the end, who's to say some other, final trick won't be waiting for you? Kieft is the most dangerous man I've ever met. He'll have provided for every possibility. What good is your protection if the very prize you seek goes up in flames? Can you keep that from happening? Because I can.”

“None of this matters,” Fritz said. “Because we can't trust you.”

“Rory,” Hex pleaded with him. “I heard about your stunt in Queens, where you made everyone tell the truth. Do it with me.”

Rory didn't want to, but too many of Hex's words had hit home. What if he did need magic, more magic than Soka had given him. What if he needed Hex? He concentrated on his belly, fanning the flames as he sought the truth that no one could avoid.

“Why do you really want to come with us?” he asked, bracing for the painful truth.

“I want to see Kieft pay for all the wrong he's done me,” Hex said promptly. “I want to steal his magic and use it against him. I won't hurt you or your family if I can help it. I just want to take Kieft's magic and watch him suffer as I destroy him with it. That will be my ultimate revenge.”

Rory regarded Hex, feeling sick as he realized what he had to do. Finally, he nodded. “You can come. But one wrong move and it's over. You can't hurt me, remember? I'm protected.”

“I know,” Hex said even as Fritz and Bridget both cried their disapproval.

“You can't trust him!” Bridget screamed. “He's a sleazeball!”

“This is a mistake,” Fritz told him.

“What else can we do?” Rory asked them. “We will need magic, I know it.”

“Soka's spell—” Bridget began, but Rory cut her off.

“Is not enough. I'll do anything to save Mom, even deal with the devil.”

“And that's exactly what you're doing,” Fritz said darkly. “This will backfire, I guarantee it.”

“Do you want to back out, then, Fritz?” Rory asked testily. “Because you can if you want.”

“You know I won't,” the roach said reproachfully. “I'm in this to the end. But if you think I'm going to stand idly by and let this charlatan pull the wool over your eyes, you're mistaken. I am watching you, Burr.”

“I'm not Aaron Burr,” Hex said. “Not anymore. All I have left is my magic. All I am now is Hex.”

“Then get us in, Hex,” Rory said. Hex walked past them, stepping up to the locked door of the pizza parlor. He did something with his hands over the door and it creaked open. Hex turned to them.

“Good?”

“Good,” Rory replied, and walked into the pizza place. He knew Bridget and Fritz were exchanging looks behind his back, but he didn't care. A bargain with the devil was the least of his worries right now.

T
hey made their way into the basement, where they figured the cave would be. Pizza boxes and crates of flour and tomato sauce lined the walls, while a cooler in the back held big containers of cheese. At first Rory couldn't find any sign of the cave, but then he noticed the back wall.

The bricks there were discolored, as if something damp was behind them. Rory poked at them. “These are loose!” he called back behind him. “We need a crowbar.” “Out of the way!”

He moved just as Bridget came flying past him, running full force into the wall. Rory had to cover his head as bricks went flying everywhere, and dust rose up to obscure the wall. He and Hex stepped forward, waving the dust away to reveal a huge hole in the wall. Bridget lay on the ground on the other side, covered in broken bricks.

“Thanks, Bridge,” Rory said drily as he helped her up.

“It was fun!” she answered brightly, hopping to her feet.

“I think this is it, all right,” Fritz said, riding halfway down the tunnel they'd uncovered. They followed him into the rough-hewn passage, lighting a torch Rory had brought along. Hex snapped his fingers, and a soft glowing orb appeared by his head to light his way.

“Show-off,” Bridget muttered. The rough stone walls of the passage dripped with greenish water, leading down to dark moss which lined the floor.

“We're close to the water table,” Hex said. “They could fill in the pond, but they couldn't keep out the water which fed it. Come on.”

He walked on through the dark tunnel. Fritz rode up to keep pace with the fallen god, unwilling to let him out of his sight. Bridget gave Rory a look.

“I hope you know what you're doing, bro,” she said. Rory didn't reply as they moved deeper into the tunnel.

N
icholas watched the beat-up and dispirited army march through the park, still recovering from the near debacle at the smallpox hospital. Teddy Roosevelt and the council had agreed that Kieft was most likely coming for the Munsees, so they were heading to the center of the park to the most easily defensible spot—Belvedere Castle.

The castle loomed before them as they crossed the Great Lawn. Built to resemble something from a fairy tale, Belvedere Castle housed a bird museum and the weather station for New York City. It was never meant to be a real stronghold. But it was built on a hill overlooking the wide expanse of the Great Lawn, with Turtle Pond right beneath serving as a moat. The castle was the only structure in the park from which they could realistically defend themselves against Kieft, so that was where they would gather.

A somber Buckongahelas waited for them on the ramparts, his wife, Abigail, by his side. Wampage stood nearby with a Munsee named Chogan. At the sight of Chogan, Soka, who'd accompanied them, ran to him, sobbing in his arms.

“It's all right,” Chogan consoled her. “She would have wanted you to be strong.”

“Kieft is coming,” Buckongahelas told them after their greetings. “We have heard from the forts up north that they've seen people moving through the trees. We are ready to fight. Are you?” He glanced out at the army from Mannahatta, which did not look impressive.

“They're just a little banged up,” Teddy Roosevelt assured him. “I've been bucking up their spirits on the way here. They'll be fine!”