by Scott Mebus
They immediately quieted, looking around in sudden fear. Bridget thought she heard a splash in the distance, but it could have been no more than the falling water. She peered intently across the glittering lake, looking for some sign of the creature. At first she saw nothing, then a flash of white broke the surface, just for a moment, sending a chill down her spine.
“I see it,” she said, fear gripping her. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Not yet!” Rory said. He ran up to the canoes and began tearing through the treasure, tossing things left and right. Hex joined him, grabbing things and putting them into his pockets. Bridget could hear something coming now—soft splashes as something big briefly broke the surface of the lake.
“It’s coming, guys,” she said. “Hurry up!”
She could see it clearly now. A long strip of white gliding through the water like a snake. Was that what it was? A huge water snake? What was this monster? She really didn’t want to find out. She quickly turned to scan the wall, looking for a way out. She saw nothing but rock in every direction.
“Just leave it!” Fritz cried, no longer caring about being quiet. Bridget turned back and gasped. The white thing was closer than ever, cutting through the water like a submarine, and it was very, very big.
“Come on, Rory!” she cried, terror overwhelming her. “It’s almost here!”
Rory let out a triumphant shout and lifted a bundle of bound parchment into the air. “I found it, Bridge! These are Munsee spells! Mom’s gonna be all right!”
But as he stood there waving the book in the air, something rose up in the water behind him. Bridget’s fear became unbearable as the huge white creature emerged from the lake. It had a long jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth, and its eyes rose up on either side like attic windows. She realized she knew exactly what it was, but Fritz said the words first.
“Oh my God!” the roach breathed. “It’s the Albino Alligator.”
Bridget was flabbergasted. She’d heard stories about the Albino Alligator—Mr. Little used to tell tales of the giant reptile patrolling the sewers under the streets. Supposedly some kid had dropped a baby alligator into a manhole, and it grew up down in the sewers, white as snow since it never saw the light of day, preying on anyone who walked underground. There was no such alligator, of course, but it made for a scary tale. But this creature was more than some stupid story. This creature was a monster.
The huge white alligator, easily the size of a tour bus, burst out of the water with jaws open. For a moment Bridget was afraid she’d lost her brother for good. But Rory heard the creature just in time, leaping aside just as its mammoth jaws clamped down. Its head landed with a crash on the beach where Rory had just been standing, and a few of the canoes were crushed beneath its weight.
“Get out of there, Rory,” Bridget screamed. But Rory hit the ground hard, lying in the sand with the wind knocked out of him, the book of Munsee magic clutched tight to his chest. Bridget knew he was wearing Soka’s protective rune, but she didn’t think that tiny little smudge was going to work against something so mammoth. So she did the only thing she could thing of: she ran straight for her brother, ready to save the day.
She reached his side just as the giant reptile pulled back for another assault. If it weren’t for the putrid stench wafting from its mouth, she’d have thought it was some animatronic creature from Disney World. Its shiny, wet scales were too huge, its mammoth eyeballs spinning in sockets too large, to be alive. But its teeth were extremely real, and they were dripping with saliva as the alligator pushed off with its giant, scaly, clawed feet. It made another lunge for the two of them. Bridget grabbed her brother and pulled him to his feet. She leaped forward, carrying him, just as the alligator lunged. Its giant mouth smacked down on her feet, and she heard something crunch beneath the force of those huge smackers. She yanked herself free, hobbling forward, Rory now helping her.
“Your foot!” he shouted, and she glanced back. An entire piece of her foot had been bitten off, toes and all. She was down to one steel-top. But she didn’t let it stop her, balancing on the back of her heels as they scrambled away from the shore.
A loud rush of flame rang through the cavern and they spun to see that Hex was fighting back. He’d grabbed one of the Incan idols and was breathing through the back of its head, making fire shoot out its mouth. The alligator reared back, though the lick of flame seemed pitiful compared with the power of the huge reptile. It gave Hex enough time, however, to run toward the last canoe.
He reached into the large box and pulled out the senseless body of Peter Minuit.
“What are you doing?” Fritz yelled.
“The only way to get the beast to leave us alone is to offer a sacrifice, isn’t that what you told me?” Hex screamed back. “Who would you rather it be? One of you or this poor, unconscious fool?” He dragged the body free of the canoe, dropping it on the beach.
“Wait a second,” Bridget called out. “This isn’t right! We can’t just feed that guy to the alligator.”
“You have a better idea?” Hex yelled. The alligator had regained its senses, and Bridget could see it was readying for another assault. She knew what Hex was doing was wrong—but Rory and Fritz stood frozen, unable to act. She knew she’d regret this later, but she had to do what was right.
She ran at Hex, grabbing the body of Peter Minuit by the legs and pulling him away. Hex scowled at her, trying to pull the body back toward the lake.
“You’re going to get us all killed!” Hex screamed.
“We can’t just kill him in cold blood,” Bridget screamed back. “It’s not right!”
“I don’t care!” He lifted the Incan idol and blew a quick breath through it, sending a flame right toward her face. She fell back, beating at her skin furiously. Thankfully, the fire didn’t catch, but by the time she could see again, Hex had almost reached the alligator.
“Here, take this and leave us alone!” he cried out, and the Albino Alligator crouched, as if ready to take the offering.
“NO!” a voice yelled out. A form burst out of the water on the other side of the alligator and ran right at Hex. It was a man, disheveled and drenched, and he grabbed Minuit from a disbelieving Hex and dragged the senseless god to safety.
“What did you do?” Hex screamed at the man, running over to him. The man who’d saved Minuit turned to face him and Bridget realized who he was.
“Dad . . . ?”
She glanced over at Rory to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, but he was just as astonished as she. Peter Hennessy stood toeto-toe with Hex, preventing the magician from taking Minuit to the alligator.
“Harry Meester?” Hex said, jaw dropping as he recognized Bridget’s father. “What are you doing here?”
“You can’t do this, Burr,” Bridget’s dad said. “It won’t work.”
“Of course it will work,” Hex said. “It’s a sacrifice.”
“No, it isn’t,” Mr. Hennessy insisted. “A sacrifice has to mean something. Killing someone you’ve never met before means nothing, at least nothing good. All you’ll accomplish is destroying the one piece of proof you have that Kieft is living a huge lie.”
“What are you talking about?” Hex asked. “Who are you to decide this?”
“Believe me, I know,” Mr. Hennessy said. He turned to Rory. “Rory, this has to be your sacrifice. It’s the only way.”
“No!” Bridget cried, hobbling to her brother’s side. “I won’t let him!”
“So I have to die, is that what you’re saying?” Rory asked. Bridget glanced at the water, where the alligator was gathering its wits and getting ready for another rush.
“No, of course not!” Dad replied, his face turning white. “I would never allow that. But you need to give something up.”
“What?” Rory asked, his face frightened and confused. Dad pointed to the book.
“Those spells were never meant to be written down. It was wrong of Kieft to steal them. You need to let them go.”
“She won’t!” Dad replied. “You’re not down here to get that book of magic, believe me. It’s meaningless.”
“Guys, it’s coming back!” Bridget warned as she watched the alligator crouch.
“Rory, the Fortune Teller did say that if you follow the path she laid out for you, your mother will live,” Fritz reminded him.
“But I already have the answer right here,” Rory said, shaking the book as tears welled up in his eyes. “I can’t throw it away on some stupid blind hope!”
“But, Rory, it’s not just about your mother,” Mr. Hennessy said. “Do you want her waking up to the shell of a city? A city ruled by Willem Kieft? She might not be able to see it, but she will feel it. Every mortal will. And you will have to live with that. I have faced this challenge, Rory, and I have failed miserably, so please, listen to me. Or you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Rory, watch out!” Bridget cried. The giant alligator came lumbering up the beach like a monster truck, leaping in the air with its jaws open wide, heading right for a terrified Rory. Rory stood frozen for a moment, out of reach of everyone’s help, but then he pulled his arm back and threw the book of Munsee magic deep within the beast’s maw before rolling to safety.
The alligator landed heavily on the beach in their midst, sending sand showering over everyone as its mouth closed with a snap. It was close enough to all of them that, if it wanted to, it could have simply reached out and swallowed them all. Bridget stared up at those huge white scales, the massive muscles gliding beneath them, and she felt overwhelmed with awe. She felt certain that they were all dead.
But the Albino Alligator did not attack again. Instead, it slithered backward down the sand, leaving a huge gash on the beach in its wake. It crunched over a canoe or two as it retreated, driving their contents deep into the ground, before dipping back into the lake, tail first. The last thing to disappear under the water was its huge, white head, with its long, evil-looking snout bristling with teeth, until only its beady eyes poked up like periscopes, the ripples in the water the only indication of the massive creature’s presence. Finally, they, too, disappeared.
Rory dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Mr. Hennessy hesitantly stepped toward him.
“You did the right thing, son,” he said, and Bridget’s heart ached to hear those words.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Rory said bitterly, wiping his eyes. “You just show up again, telling me to throw away the only chance I had of saving Mom’s life, and that if I do, she’ll end up saved anyway. Maybe. I threw away my chance for a maybe.”
“In this life, that’s usually all you get,” Mr. Hennessy said softly. He reached out a hand to touch his son’s shoulder, then stopped, uncertain. Bridget couldn’t stand it. She ran to them, practically bowling her dad over as she clutched him with one arm and Rory with the other. If she could have cried, she would have drowned them both. Instead, she sobbed without tears, feeling her father stroke her thin, paper hair and whisper that he loved her. She never wanted to let go.
But they couldn’t stand there forever, and her dad finally stepped back, releasing her but still keeping one arm flung over her shoulder. She happily burrowed into his side.
“How did you get here?” Hex demanded. “You came from nowhere!”
“I knew you’d be here,” Mr. Hennessy told them. “A friend tipped me off. So I raced here as fast as I could, by a path only I knew. I’ve been here before, you see—a few times. But this will be the last time. I can’t run anymore. I’m ready to end this madness once and for all.”
“So what now?” Hex asked.
“Yeah, I was only allowed to take away one thing,” Rory said. “And that thing is gone, eaten by that monster. But I don’t want anything else.”
“I think the fire-breathing idol might be useful,” Hex urged, looking over the rest of the treasure with greedy eyes. But Dad pointed to the prone body of Peter Minuit.
“We’re taking him. He’s the key to the whole thing. Come on, the way isn’t far. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
24
THE BATTLE FOR MANNAHATTA
Nicholas wasn’t certain how it started. They’d taken their positions inside Belvedere Castle. He’d suggested putting some archers on the island in the middle of Turtle Pond, but Soka vetoed the idea. Maybe she knew something he didn’t. They’d find out soon enough.
They could see Kieft’s army across the long lawn. The day was cloudy, and as Nicholas watched, it grew cloudier still. He heard Soka mutter behind him.
“He’s calling the clouds. How is he doing that?” She looked fascinated and perplexed. But Nicholas had long ago given up on trying to explain Kieft’s power.
He glanced around at the troops. The Munsees were at the ready, grasping their spears and bows. He spied people from all over the five boroughs—the Red Legged Devils and Marylanders from Brooklyn, gods and spirits of all races from Queens, the entire Yankees baseball team holding their bats like clubs—even battle roaches with Captain Liv at their head. She caught his eye and saluted. He saluted back. So many making a stand—so many lives that could be lost. But what choice did they have?
The clouds had completely covered the sky, turning the morning into a dark, gloomy affair. Nicholas shifted uncertainly, staring out of the ramparts. Suddenly a wave of intense fear washed over him. It was magic, he knew it, and he opened his mouth to cry a warning. But it was too late, as arrows filled the sky, horses burst out of the trees on each side of the castle, and in a moment they were overrun.
The Cowboys came from one side, the Hessians from the other, and soon everyone was fighting for their life. With a loud “Tallyho!” Teddy Roosevelt leaped atop his horse, leading his men into the thick of the fight. Buckongahelas let out a war cry, echoed by his warriors, as they charged into the rising tide of battle. Nicholas grabbed his sword, ducking as a mobster shot a bullet into the rampart he’d just been occupying, and he entered the fray, determined to keep the enemy at bay.
Alexa struggled to fight her way through the crush of enemies. She’d found herself with soldiers from two regiments from Breuckelen: the Red Legged Devils and the Marylanders, led by a pair of colonels called Smallwood and Wood. They proved to be fierce fighters, but they were all finding it difficult to push the enemy back when they weren’t allowed to kill.
“Damn these rules!” Colonel Smallwood cried, smacking a Hessian on the head with the butt of his musket while dodging a knife thrust. “Guns were made for shooting, blast it!”
But looking around, Alexa could see the wisdom in not killing their opponents. For every angry, hate-filled god attacking her, she spied a scared, lost god who didn’t look like he rightly understood how he came to be on this battlefield. Such was the power of Kieft’s fear campaign. It made enemies of friends and killers of neighbors. She didn’t want to draw their blood. But there were so many. How could they hope to survive if they couldn’t protect themselves?
“Ms. Van der Donck!” Colonel Wood cried, pointing with his sword. “Watch out!”
Turning, Alexa spied a familiar horseman, bearing down on her with a gun pointed at her head. “You can’t run anymore!” James DeLancey cried, readying to fire. Alexa froze—she had nowhere to go. But then, out of the fighting mess rode another horseman, who barreled into DeLancey, sending him crashing to the ground, where Colonel Smallwood quickly rendered him unconscious with a thump of his musket butt.
“Good show!” Smallwood said to her savior. “What’s your name, soldier?”
“Sergeant Peacock, sir!” the man cried, saluting. “Happy to finally see battle, at long last! The War of 1812 has nothing on this! I’m off to find Private Kinderhook, my partner in arms. He was hiding under a bush, last I checked, but I don’t want him to miss all the glory!”
With that, Sergeant Peacock rode back into
battle before Alexa could thank him. She looked around; the fighting seemed to be growing more intense. Despite their best efforts, bodies already littered the ground. She didn’t know how they were going to survive this. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to dive back into the fight.
Suddenly another wave of fear overcame her. All around, her companions fell to the ground, paralyzed by this new attack and helpless before their enemies. Even as she struggled to regain her feet, she knew this had to be one of Kieft’s tricks. She prayed that Soka could counter it before it was too late.
Soka felt the magic wash over her. Kieft was going all out, blinding some defenders, sending apparitions at others, all the while sending waves of fear washing over her troops. His armies climbed over the ramparts to take advantage of the confusion. She quickly pushed back against the magic, clearing the minds of her army before they could be overrun. More waves of magic followed and she strained to contain them all. But still the battle raged on.
She felt overwhelmed. She could keep pushing back the fear, but what could she do against all this slaughter? Then she felt it. A mind, at the edge of her consciousness, barely awake. What was it? She closed her eyes, delving deeper, trying to find this mind. Right before she was about to give up, she found it, so large she could barely understand it, so slow she could barely speak to it. But speak to it she did. And when it heard what she had to say, it grew very angry indeed.
With a burst, the island in the middle of Turtle Pond exploded out of the water to reveal . . . a giant turtle. The turtle had been the island all along. It answered Soka’s call and began to attack the enemy soldiers, driving them back from the walls of the castle.
The awakening of the turtle gave Soka an idea. She sent her mind out, calling to all of the creatures of the land, asking them to help protect it. A screech came from above her as a giant owl swooped down, flying into battle with beak snapping. The ground began to rumble as coyotes and bears and even a mastodon lumbered out of the trees to join in the fight. The animals were coming to life to protect their land, and under Soka’s direction, what began as a rout turned into a fair fight. But still, the battle continued, with no end in sight . . .