With his two left hands, Zanobius picked up the stone and held its roughly hewn base up to the stump of his right arm.
Savino leaned in and inspected the area where the sculpture touched skin. “Looks like it matches up.” He wiped his dusty hands on his tunic. “Aaminah, it’s time to work your musical magic.”
Zanobius took a seat on the tree stump, and Aaminah plunked down in the grass in front of him, cradling the lute in her lap. She strummed a chord, her fingers dancing across the strings. Luna fluttered in front of Zanobius, launching bursts of yellow circles, squares, and triangles from the gem in her crown. The light floated down and seeped into Zanobius’s new arm.
“Can you tell if it’s working?” Giacomo asked.
“It feels … tingly,” Zanobius said.
Savino turned to Aaminah. “That’s a good thing, right?”
Aaminah shrugged. “I think so.”
Gradually, the stinging sensation became a soothing warmth that spread from Zanobius’s elbow to his shoulder. Zanobius let go of the stone arm and it hung from his body, its edges melding seamlessly with his flesh. “It’s fused!”
Aaminah kept playing for a while longer, and when the last of Luna’s light faded, Savino said, “Try wiggling your fingers.”
Zanobius concentrated on his new hand. Despite his best effort, the fingers were unresponsive. “I can’t move them.”
“Maybe try a different song, Aaminah,” Savino urged. “Something more intense. That last tune sounded too light and airy.”
“I like light and airy,” Aaminah grumbled.
For the next hour, Aaminah plucked and strummed, her fingers never stopping. She played intense songs, calm songs, fast songs, and slow songs, but nothing seemed to work.
Finally, Luna’s light began to flicker and dim. Her feathers drooped, and she landed in the grass. Aaminah’s fingers were red and blistered when she pulled them off the strings and her body sagged with fatigue. “I’m sorry, Zanobius. I was afraid this was going to happen.”
“Thank you for trying,” Zanobius said politely, hiding his disappointment. He cradled the stone appendage, its weight now feeling like a burden.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get that arm turned to flesh and moving,” Giacomo said, trying to sound reassuring.
“How?” Zanobius said.
But Giacomo couldn’t give him an answer.
* * *
That night, Giacomo walked the villa grounds. He had tried to sleep, but every time he drifted off, his nightmares returned. Only this time, it wasn’t Nerezza who haunted his dreams, but the skeletal man who’d brutally attacked Giacomo with the Straightedge. To take his mind off his distressing vision, Giacomo turned his attention to the problem of Zanobius’s arm.
I have to be missing something, Giacomo thought. Savino had replicated Zanobius’s arm masterfully and Aaminah’s skills were unmatched, so why hadn’t Zanobius been healed completely?
Then it hit him: maybe Ugalino was the missing piece. What if Zanobius couldn’t fully heal because his creator was gone?
And whose fault is that? A wave of guilt smacked into Giacomo.
Under the light of the crescent moon, he spotted a hulking silhouette perched on the roof like a gargoyle.
“Zanobius?” Giacomo stepped closer, craning his neck to see the Tulpa. “What are you doing up there?”
Zanobius gazed into the distance. “Someone needs to keep watch, and since I don’t sleep…”
“You’ve been doing this every night?” Giacomo was touched by Zanobius’s loyalty. No one had asked him to guard the villa; he’d taken the responsibility upon himself. “Mind if I join you?”
“Come on up.”
Giacomo went back inside and climbed up the creaky stairs to the top floor. He slipped out a small window and shimmied down the roof. Zanobius was leaning back on his three good arms. The stone arm hung at his side, a dead weight.
“I was wondering … Have you ever lost a limb like this before?” Giacomo asked.
“I seem to remember losing a leg to a particularly vicious cat-Genius, though the details elude me. And there was a time when Ugalino and I had a run-in with a pack of wolves. I think I lost three hands that day.”
“And what did Ugalino do to fix you?”
“Same as Savino did—he would sculpt me a new body part.”
“Right … But how did he get it to fuse with you and make it work again?”
Zanobius furrowed his brow. “I’m trying to remember … I think he lit up my patterns.”
The symmetrical tattoo on Zanobius’s chest was made up of several circles connected by a web of crisscrossing lines. Giacomo’s hand went to his own chest, knowing it held the same pattern, though it wasn’t visible all the time, as Zanobius’s was. He had seen his markings illuminated only once, with the help of the Creator’s Compass.
“Was it like when Ugalino wiped your memory?” Giacomo asked.
“No, I don’t think so.” Zanobius pondered again. “When Ugalino healed me, he only lit up certain shapes within the pattern.”
“What kind of shapes?”
“There was a cube, I think. A few others. He called them a name—something to do with a solid…”
“The Universal Solids?” Giacomo blurted out.
“Yes, that was it. Do you know them?”
Giacomo’s mind began to race. What had Milena said?
The Universal Solids only happen to be the energetic building blocks of everything in the universe.
Suddenly, it all clicked into place. Attaching the arm had been only a first step. What Zanobius needed now was help from the universe to spark it to life.
“I think I have an idea to get your arm moving, but first I need another lesson with Milena.” He paused. “Do me a favor, and don’t tell anyone what we talked about.”
“Why not?” Zanobius asked.
Because Milena thinks I don’t have a clue how to use my powers.
“Because even though everyone is being nice to us, let’s face it, we’re still Tulpas in their eyes—different. It’s better if we keep this between us, at least for now.”
Zanobius nodded his understanding. “Giacomo, I have to tell you something … When we were in the Wellspring, I heard Ugalino’s voice.”
Giacomo shivered. “What did he say?”
“That I’ll never be able to forget the lives I’ve taken. That my soul will never be at peace.”
“I heard him too,” Giacomo admitted.
Zanobius’s eyes filled with fright. “Then it wasn’t only in my mind? He’s really still out there?”
“No, he’s gone,” Giacomo said. “It must have been our guilt playing tricks on us.”
“Probably.” Zanobius sighed. “But what he said was true. I can’t forget all those people I’ve killed. I don’t know how to put that behind me. I’m not even sure I should.”
Giacomo keenly felt Zanobius’s pain. He was haunted after taking one life. Zanobius might have been responsible for dozens of deaths. Maybe more.
“You’ll drive yourself mad unless you find a way to forgive yourself.”
“Maybe someday I’ll be able to…” Zanobius hung his head. “But I don’t know how right now.”
The chirps of crickets filled the long silence. Finally, Zanobius looked back at Giacomo. “Can I ask … What did he say to you?”
Giacomo could barely utter the words. “He told me I would become a Lost Soul.”
Zanobius put a hand on his shoulder. “As long as I’m with you, I won’t let that happen.”
10
UNIVERSAL SOLIDS
The next morning, Giacomo took Niccolo up on his offer to lock the Compass in one of his cabinets. It had become a burden to carry it everywhere, and it would be safer hidden away until they were ready to move on.
With the Compass secure, Giacomo whistled for Mico, and together they wandered the villa grounds. They found Milena sitting under the old oak, reading from another of Garrulous’s journal
s.
“What’s the latest with Signor Garrulous and his wild, worldly adventures?” Giacomo said, trying to act casual and friendly.
Milena didn’t even look up. “I’ll let you know if I find anything that might be helpful to our mission.” Her voice was cool.
Giacomo pressed ahead. “I was thinking about what you said before … I’d like to learn more about the Universal Solids.”
Milena glanced up, an eyebrow raised. “You still want me to be your teacher?”
“I’m sorry about the other day. You were right. I still have a lot to learn about my powers.”
Milena studied him for a tense moment, as if she were gauging his sincerity. To Giacomo’s relief, she shut the journal and got to her feet. “Let’s get to work.”
Giacomo took his seat on the bench, but as Milena was about to begin, Zanobius wandered by.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said.
“Actually, it’s good that you’re here,” Milena said. “Could you help me with a demonstration?”
“Of course. What do I have to do?”
“Stand there.” Milena pointed to a spot on the ground several feet away. “I’m going to have my Genius project some shapes in front of you.” She looked at Giacomo. “To understand the Universal Solids, we need to move beyond the point, line, and surface, into the third dimension of volume.”
While Zanobius took his position, Milena described how each of the five Universal Solids originated out of the pattern emblazoned on Zanobius’s chest and back. She called it the Creator’s Pattern.
Giacomo looked at Zanobius. “Did you know the pattern had a name?”
Zanobius shook his head. “Ugalino never mentioned it.”
Milena swiped her brush, and Gaia projected some glowing lines a few inches in front of Zanobius’s chest. The green overlay lined up with some of the lines in the Creator’s Pattern. It looked like a Y inside a hexagon. “The first Solid is the six-sided hexahedron, commonly known as the cube.” Milena waved her brush again, and Giacomo marveled as she transformed the two-dimensional lines into a three-dimensional form.
Zanobius also looked impressed as he stared down at the glimmering shape hovering in front of him. Milena let the cube fade away, then drew a new set of lines. Like before, the two-dimensional outline perfectly overlaid Zanobius’s tattoos. “This one is called the icosahedron.” Once again, she pulled two dimensions into three, bringing to light a Solid with twenty triangular facets.
With a flourish of her brush, Milena next drew the outline of a triangle and transformed it into a pyramid. “And this is the tetrahedron.”
Gaia projected another design—a triangle inside a hexagon. “And I’m sure you’ll both remember this shape.” As soon as Milena’s lines became three-dimensional, Giacomo recognized the octahedron.
“That’s the shape the Creator’s Compass was locked inside,” Giacomo remarked.
“The fifth and final Solid is the dodecahedron.” Milena’s green lines re-formed one last time, into a rounded shape with twelve pentagonal faces. “The ancients referred to it as the element of the cosmos.”
As the final Solid faded away, Giacomo’s gaze fell on Zanobius’s stone arm, and Pietro’s words came back to him.
Tulpas are sacred geometry incarnate …
His mind flashed to the duke’s camera obscura—that twisted Tulpa-making machine. Giacomo remembered seeing the Creator’s Pattern and the Universal Solids projected on the wall inside the obscura, though he hadn’t realized their significance at the time.
There was also the Tulpa cipher he’d found and later destroyed. It had depicted a four-armed, four-legged man surrounded by drawings of the Solids and the Creator’s Pattern.
If Giacomo’s hunch was right, he’d just figured out a way to bring Zanobius’s arm to life. As soon as the lesson was over and Milena went back to reading, he pulled Zanobius aside.
“Just give me some time to master all the forms, and then we’ll get your arm moving,” Giacomo said, keeping his voice low.
Zanobius looked uneasy. “How?”
“I don’t think it’s an accident that you and I are both marked with the Creator’s Pattern. Tulpas aren’t only connected to the Universal Solids; we were created out of them.”
* * *
Zanobius waited patiently as Giacomo spent the next few days under Milena’s guidance, learning to construct the five Universal Solids in his sketchbook until he and Mico could reliably bring them to light.
One night after dinner, Giacomo pulled Zanobius aside. “After everyone goes to sleep, meet me under the old oak. I’m ready.”
Zanobius stayed perched on the roof until he heard the last bedroom door shut and the glow from the candles was dim in the windows. Once the villa had fallen silent, Zanobius crept down the wall and slunk away toward the old oak.
As he approached, he could see the tree’s leaves shimmering red.
“Giacomo?” he whispered.
“Over here,” Giacomo whispered back.
Zanobius rounded the trunk and found Giacomo crouched behind the tree. Mico was perched on his shoulder, and the faint red light was coming from the Genius’s gem.
“Did anyone see you?” Giacomo asked.
Zanobius glanced back toward the house. “I don’t think so.”
But then they heard hushed voices and the patter of footfalls coming up the hill.
“Hide!” Giacomo pulled Zanobius behind the tree with him. They tried to cover the light from the Genius’s gem, but Zanobius heard a chirp—and it wasn’t Mico. In the next instant, a bright yellow beam was shining in their eyes.
“Luna found Mico!” Aaminah announced, running up the hill, followed shortly by Savino, Milena, and Enzio.
Giacomo sighed and shuffled out to meet them.
“What are you doing out here, Giacomo?” Aaminah asked innocently.
“Nothing, just some late-night practicing,” Giacomo said.
“Oh,” Aaminah said, sounding confused. “Then why did Milena make me use Luna to track you down?”
“Because he’s up to something.” Milena approached, glowering at Giacomo and Zanobius. “I saw you both sneak away from the villa.”
“Maybe we wanted some space,” Giacomo said pointedly.
Milena looked from Giacomo to Zanobius. “One of you tell me what’s going on.”
Zanobius was the first to break under Milena’s stern glare. When he revealed how Giacomo planned to jump-start his healing by lighting up his patterns with the Universal Solids, Savino’s face lit up.
“Really? Do you think it will actually work?”
Milena elbowed Savino. “Don’t encourage him.”
Savino rubbed his arm, frowning at her. “Let’s at least hear Giacomo out.” Savino turned to Giacomo. “What do the Universal Solids have to do with Zanobius’s arm?”
“I think you were right that Aaminah’s music wasn’t intense enough,” Giacomo said.
“Hey,” Aaminah complained.
“No, I’m not criticizing your playing. But you were only able to mend Zanobius on the surface. To bring his arm to life, he needs to tap into a stronger kind of energy.” Giacomo pointed to Zanobius’s chest. “And the Creator’s Pattern is a channel to that energy.”
“You didn’t create Zanobius,” Milena said. “You don’t know what might happen if you light up his patterns.”
“Come on, let him try,” Savino protested. “If it means my sculpture doesn’t go to waste, then what’s the harm?”
Milena held up her scarred arm. “Because this is what happens when Giacomo isn’t in control of his powers.”
“That was an accident,” Giacomo said.
“How did you get hurt?” Zanobius asked.
“The first time Giacomo opened the Wellspring, it burned me,” Milena said bitterly.
“And I still feel terrible about it,” Giacomo said. “Why do you think I went to you for more lessons? I’m trying to be careful. You’ve seen
me practicing.”
“And you need a lot more practice before you mess with the Creator’s Pattern. Give that to me and let’s go back inside.” Milena lunged forward, reaching for Giacomo’s pencil.
Giacomo pulled away. “No!”
“This is just like with the target practice. This time, I’m going to get Pietro before you do something stupid.” Milena turned to the others, who hadn’t moved. “Aren’t you coming with me?”
Savino, Aaminah, and Enzio shook their heads.
“I want to see if this will work,” Aaminah said.
“Giacomo’s theory makes a lot of sense,” Savino added.
“Zanobius needs our support,” Enzio argued. “We should give it to him.”
Milena grumbled in exasperation and stormed off toward the house.
Zanobius lifted his stony appendage and pictured his fingers curling, his wrist flexing. “I’m ready if you are.”
With a whistle, Giacomo summoned Mico into action, then drew the first shape in the air.
Mico cast a beam of red light from his gem, projecting a cube that hovered inches from Zanobius. Giacomo moved the shape closer until its vibrating edge touched Zanobius’s chest. With one more sweep of his pencil, Giacomo pushed the cube into Zanobius, and the corresponding lines on the Tulpa’s tattoos lit up.
A pleasant warmth flooded through Zanobius. “I think it’s working.”
Giacomo swiped his pencil in front of him, forming the lines of the icosahedron. Mico projected the form, and Giacomo gently guided it into Zanobius’s chest too. He followed with the tetrahedron and octahedron. Savino, Enzio, and Aaminah watched, eyes wide with anticipation.
With each new shape, Zanobius felt a fresh wave of heat radiate through him. His arm began to tingle, like a thousand fireflies were buzzing inside it. With a crack, his thumb moved.
“Keep going!” Zanobius urged.
Finally, Giacomo lit up the fifth Solid—the dodecahedron. The element of the cosmos.
With the final pattern ablaze, Zanobius’s whole being began to vibrate. Another crack. More fingers moved. Then, finally, the entire hand came to life.
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