“There,” Matt said, pointing.
“What the beetle juice?” said Uncle Chuck. “How did Blossom get up there?”
The side door of Blossom slid open. Gaga poked her head out. “Henry?” she called. “Anyone? Help, please!” Her voice echoed over the ravaged city. Some people stopped and looked up at the old woman in the bus on top of the hill, but no one seemed obliged to help her.
“Don’t move, Gloria! I’m coming!” Haha said.
“Me too, Mom! Be right there!”
They both stumbled over fallen trees and rubble and started to climb the hill. The dirt was loose, and Uncle Chuck slid down a bit, but Haha caught onto him and helped him up. When they finally reached Blossom, they carefully helped Gaga out. The release of her weight caused Blossom to tip. The bus teetered for a few seconds then rolled down the hill.
“Oh no!” Gaga cried.
“Look out below!” Uncle Chuck called out in warning. People screamed and ran out of the way as Blossom barreled down the hill. When she reached the bottom, she rolled to a stop in front of a giant stone sculpture of a lion. Matt recognized it as one of the stone lions that stood at the entrance of the New York Public Library, either Patience or Fortitude. It had to have been flung halfway across the city to get to this spot. It certainly showed evidence of a journey, with a cracked mane and a missing bottom half.
Matt heard a groan. He searched for the source of the sound and found a woman curled up on the ground half-buried in branches, bits of glass and broken marble, and hailstones the size of golf balls. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
“Mom!” Matt shouted, rushing to her. “Mom, are you okay?”
Jia helped him move the debris away from Mrs. Hudson and gingerly lifted her to a sitting position. She had a gash on her head. Blood trickled from her hairline down the side of her face.
“What happened?” she said, looking around. “Where am I?”
“There was a storm,” Jia said. “It’s over now. Don’t worry, it’s going to be okay.”
“Where’s Vince?” Mrs. Hudson looked around. “Where’s the Vermillion and my crew?”
“Vincent isn’t here,” Matt said. “We haven’t seen him.”
“Of course he’s here,” Mrs. Hudson said irritably. “I’m here, so why wouldn’t he be? And who are you two? Have we met before?” Mrs. Hudson gazed from Jia to Matt, and then her eyes lit up with recognition. At the same time Matt’s breath caught.
“You,” she said. “I’ve seen you before.”
“Of course you have,” Jia said. “That’s Matt. Your son.”
Mrs. Hudson placed a hand on her bleeding head and winced. “Son?” she said. “What are you talking about? I don’t have a son.”
16
Mom-Not-Mom
Matt took a few steps back. The woman before him was not his mom. This wasn’t Mrs. Hudson. This was Belamie Bonnaire, younger than Matt’s mom by at least twenty years. She looked almost exactly as Matt had seen her that day he’d traveled to the Vermillion and found her fencing with a younger Captain Vincent. She was even in her Mets jersey. How did this happen? No one else seemed to have gone back in time. Gaga and Uncle Chuck looked their same old selves, and Haha his same young self. This must be some kind of glitch from whatever just happened, a repercussion from Captain Vincent changing the past.
“You.” She spoke sharply, glaring at Matt like he was a rat. “I just saw you. You are that boy who snuck onto my ship.”
Matt’s mind whirled. She was talking about the time he’d first time-traveled. He’d gone to Chicago and found himself inadvertently on the Vermillion when his mother had been captain and possessor of the Obsidian Compass. His mother had no idea who he was, had no memory of him except a vague instance of him sneaking onto her ship. Whatever Captain Vincent had been trying to do, he’d done it. He’d broken time. He’d broken his family. He’d taken everything away. His father, his brother, his sister, and in a twisted way, his mother too. He was not sure which was worse—to erase your family, or to erase you from their memory.
“You were on my ship,” Mrs. Hudson said again. “I just saw you there. You were spying on me. What did you do, then? Clearly you disrupted something. Where is Vince?” She looked around. “And where in the world am I?”
Albert approached them. He glanced warily at Matt and kept his distance. “Don’t worry,” Albert said in his usual pompous tone. “The captain will come. For both of us.”
Belamie looked Albert up and down. “Captain? Captain Who? And who are you?”
“I’m Albert. I’m one of Captain Vincent’s loyal crew.”
Now Belamie looked at Albert like he was nuts. “What on earth are you talking about? This is all madness. I need to get back to the Vermillion.” She reached for something at her chest, the compass, Matt realized. “What . . . where?” she said, looking down at her chest.
Matt instinctively reached for his own compass, and the movement alerted her attention. Belamie’s eyes narrowed. Before Matt could make another move, she pounced and grabbed him by the hair.
“You little thief!” She clawed at the compass, trying to pull it off him, much like Corey had done before. But his mom was much stronger than Corey, and certainly a more skilled fighter. She yanked back his head by the hair and lifted the compass to take it off. Matt was able to twist himself so she couldn’t, but in doing so, the chain tightened around his neck. Belamie twisted the chain further so it bit into his skin and cut off his airways.
“So you weren’t spying on me, were you? You were stealing!”
Matt saw stars spark in the corners of his eyes. Oddly, all he could think was that it was absolutely not normal that for the second time in less than a month his own mother, or more like his premother, was threatening to kill him, and if he survived this moment and ever returned to a normal life, he might need some serious therapy.
“Stop! Belamie! What are you doing?” Matt heard Gaga shriek.
“No one steals from Captain Bonnaire!”
Both Haha and Uncle Chuck pulled Belamie off Matt, forcing her to release the compass, though not before it ripped into Matt’s skin. He fell back, gasping for air. Jia knelt down to help him up while Uncle Chuck and Haha struggled with Belamie. It quickly became clear that this wasn’t a fair fight, not by a long shot. Uncle Chuck, though a head taller and probably a solid hundred pounds heavier, was too old and slow, and Haha, much like Mr. Hudson, did not have a mean bone in his body. Belamie, meanwhile, was strong, quick, and agile, and though Matt had never thought of his mom as mean, she certainly didn’t hold back in a fight. She easily maneuvered out of both of their grasps, twisted Uncle Chuck’s arm, took his legs out from under him, and slammed him to the ground. She drew her sword and pointed it right at his heart, then drew a dagger and pointed it at Haha.
Gaga screamed and jumped in front of her husband.
“Gloria, no!” Haha said as he pushed her out of the way.
“Please don’t kill them!” Gaga cried. “I just got them back!”
Belamie looked at Matt. “Give me back my compass. Now.”
Matt shook his head, holding tight to his compass.
“Give it to me, or I’ll kill them all.”
“Matt, just give it to her,” Gaga said.
“I can’t. She doesn’t understand.”
Belamie pressed the tip of her sword into Uncle Chuck’s chest. “You have ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight . . .”
“Give her the compass!” Gaga yelled.
“If I give her the compass she’ll leave us!” And he couldn’t let her leave. Even if she didn’t know him, even if she thought he was nothing but a thief, he could not lose his mother after everyone else.
“. . . seven, six, five . . .”
Matt’s mind raced. What could possibly convince his mom that they were on the same side? She didn’t remember him, at least not as her son. She only recognized him as a spy she’d caught on her ship. She saw him as a threat, especially as he h
ad the Obsidian Compass, the one thing she prized above all others.
“. . . four, three . . .”
“Mateo!” Gaga screamed.
Matt reached for the compass. He had to give it up. He couldn’t be responsible for the death of the rest of his family, and he certainly didn’t want his mother to murder them. But just as he was about to pull it off, Jia stopped him and shouted, “We know where the Aeternum is!”
Belamie stopped counting, though she kept her blades pointed at Uncle Chuck and Gaga and Haha, who all seemed to have stopped breathing.
“What did you say?” Belamie asked.
Jia kept her hand on the compass. “The Aeternum,” she said. “We know where it is.” Matt frowned at Jia, but she kept her gaze on his mom. What was she doing? They didn’t want her to know that Vincent had the Aeternum, did they?
Belamie stared at Jia. Jia stared right back. She didn’t so much as flinch. Belamie turned to Matt. “You. Your name is Mateo?” She appraised him with a furrowed brow. Matt was thinking, hoping, that maybe she was remembering him. Maybe she had some inkling of who he was and their connection.
“Yes,” he said, hope rising. “My name is Mateo.”
“And are you associated with a man called Marius Quine?”
His hope fell. Now he understood. She did not recognize him as her son at all, or anyone personally connected to her. At this particular point in her timeline she only knew the name Mateo as it related to her search for the Aeternum, because of that line from the poem in Quine’s letter.
Bring Mateo to me . . .
Matt wasn’t sure what to say now. She wasn’t interested in him as her son, only in how he could bring her the Aeternum. Perhaps he could use that to their benefit somehow.
“Yes, I know Marius Quine,” he said.
“Is he here now?” Belamie asked, looking around as though he might appear out of thin air, which certainly Matt knew Marius Quine could do, but did not think he would at this particular moment.
“No,” Matt said. It wasn’t really a lie, Matt didn’t think. He wasn’t Marius Quine, truly. Not yet. Marius Quine was his future self, not himself at present.
Belamie turned back to Jia. “You. You said you knew where the Aeternum was?”
Jia nodded. “I do, and we can help you to get it.”
“But you must promise not to harm any of us,” Matt said.
Belamie looked between Jia and Matt. “If you know where the Aeternum is, then I assume you are also seeking it, in which case why should I trust you? I’m not interested in sharing it. Not with you anyway.”
Matt knew his mom was speaking about Vincent and their plans to get the Aeternum together. The very thought made him want to vomit.
“What we seek is none of your business,” Jia said boldly. “The point is we do know what you seek and we’re the only ones who can lead you to it. It’s up to you. You can choose to follow us and agree to our terms or kill us all and continue your quest on your own. But I can promise you, you won’t find what you’re looking for. Not without us.”
Matt held his breath. He was not sure he agreed with the bargain Jia was offering. Watching his mother-not-mother, he wasn’t entirely certain she wouldn’t kill them all, just to get the compass. She was staring at it now. He could practically hear the thoughts going round inside her head.
Aeternum or compass?
Finally Belamie seemed to come to a decision. She removed the sword from Uncle Chuck and the dagger from Haha. Matt and the others let out a collective breath. Haha put down his hands and backed away until he was next to Gaga, who grasped his hand with both of hers. Uncle Chuck rolled over and got to his feet. “Whew,” he said, brushing a hand over his forehead. “Geez Louise! For a moment there I thought you were really going to skewer me!”
“I still could,” Belamie said with cool indifference. “Now what are your terms?”
“First, you must promise not to harm any of us,” Jia said.
Belamie nodded. “And second?”
“You must promise not to steal the compass,” Matt added.
Belamie’s mouth tightened. “Fine,” she said between gritted teeth. “I won’t harm any of you, and I won’t steal the compass, even though it is mine.”
“Promise,” Jia said.
“On my honor as a time pirate.”
Matt knew that his mother, Belamie Hudson, would never break her word, but he had a feeling that Captain Bonnaire’s honor as a time pirate was somewhat watery, especially knowing that she was in league with Vincent at this time, and even more especially when he saw her glance at his compass with a fierce possessiveness. He needed a stronger assurance than just her word as a time pirate, a promise she would never dare break.
“Promise on the graves of your parents,” Matt said.
Belamie flinched as though he’d just pricked her with a needle. Her eyes widened. “How do you . . . how dare you . . .”
“Your parents drowned in a shipwreck,” Matt said solemnly. “You went back in time and tried to save them, only to be the cause of the very storm that ended their lives. This is the main reason you want the Aeternum, isn’t it?”
The color drained from Belamie’s face, as well as all her bravado. She looked more like a little girl just then, one who’d been slapped hard in the face and was about to cry. Matt almost regretted bringing it up, but he knew it was necessary.
“I promise on the graves of my parents,” she said. “I will not harm any of you, and I won’t steal the compass.”
Matt nodded, satisfied. Belamie recovered herself, drew the mask over her emotions. “Well, then, let’s get on with it. Where’s the Aeternum?”
“China,” Jia said automatically.
“China,” Belamie repeated. “Why?”
“I should think that would be obvious to you,” Jia said. “The insignia for the Aeternum is a Chinese character.”
Matt nodded. Yes, that was smart thinking. He wasn’t sure what game Jia was playing, but he could play along. Clearly she’d thought this through in ways he had not. “It’s in Quine’s letter,” he added.
“We must go to China,” Jia continued. “We must visit the Kangxi emperor. He knows things about the Aeternum. About its effects.” She made a brief glance at Matt then, and he knew she was speaking more to him. In the storm, before his family had disappeared, she kept saying they needed to go to China. Where was this coming from? What did she know? Why hadn’t she said anything before now?
“I’ve already been to China,” Belamie said impatiently. “More than once. And I’ve tried to speak to the Kangxi emperor. I’ve tried to speak to several emperors. It’s impossible. The emperor lives in the Forbidden City. No one is ever allowed inside the Forbidden City, and even if we could get inside, we wouldn’t get anywhere near the emperor. He’s too heavily protected. No one sees him without an express invitation.”
“That is where I can help,” Jia said, a slight smile on her face.
Belamie scoffed. “You think you will be able to get us an invitation? Why? Because you are Chinese? Don’t be naïve, girl. Very few of his subjects are allowed to see him. He’s practically a god to his people.”
“It’s not because I’m Chinese,” Jia said calmly. “Emperor Kangxi is my father.”
17
Quejing
Matt stared at Jia. He was trying to process the words that had just come out of his friend’s mouth, but they weren’t computing. He didn’t understand. Jia had told him she was an orphan, that she had grown up in an orphanage in China. Was she lying then or now? Maybe she was lying now to convince his mom. That had to be it. If she really was the daughter of the emperor of one of the greatest empires in all history, she surely would have told him. She wouldn’t have pretended to be an orphan all this time, would she? Jia glanced at Matt with an apology in her eyes that only confused him more. He had a thousand questions, but he couldn’t question her now.
Albert was looking at Jia like she’d just sprouted a third eye.
If Jia was telling the truth now it was news to him too. Small comfort, Matt thought, but at least he wasn’t alone in his confusion. Gaga, Haha, and Uncle Chuck also looked surprised at this news but of course they barely knew Jia, and there had been so many surprises for them in the past few days, they didn’t seem to need to question.
“Emperor Kangxi is your father,” Belamie repeated.
Jia nodded. “Yes.”
“Well,” Belamie said. “That’s better than nothing, though can you guarantee an audience with him? I’m not sure Chinese emperors are accustomed to spending a great deal of time with their children, especially not their daughters.”
Jia winced a little at this, but she kept her composure. “He’ll see me. I promise. When I show the guards this, they’ll bring me right through.” Jia reached inside one of her vest pockets and pulled out a large coin, about two inches in diameter, made of bronze. Matt squinted, trying to make out the details. At first glance it almost looked like a smaller version of the Obsidian Compass, three circles within each other, and several numerals and symbols all around. There was a triangle at its center and inside the triangle there was a symbol, some Chinese character that Matt could not decipher, but he had a hunch it was the Chinese character for eternity, the very same as the insignia for the Aeternum.
“It’s the Qing dynasty amulet,” Jia said. “The emperor only gives them to those he most trusts. I promise once the emperor sees this, he will grant me an audience.”
“Well then,” Belamie said, looking almost pleased. “It seems we have a mission. We must go to the Forbidden City and speak to Emperor Kangxi. But first, does anyone have any of that magic headache medicine that comes from the future? You know what I mean?” She touched her bleeding head gingerly. “I feel like I’ve just been trampled by a herd of buffalo.”
Matt felt the same.
“There’s a medical box inside the bus,” Jia said, nodding toward Blossom, which was now surrounded by a group of curious cavemen. “I’m sure there’s some in there, and I can help you clean the wound on your head.”
The Forbidden Lock Page 16