Galenos groaned. “They are sealed so only Nereus’s heir can open them.”
“How about you get well first and then we can get you to reopen them, hmm? It can wait,” Alexis assured him.
Galenos shook his head. “You don’t understand. I’m not the heir.”
“What are you talking about? You have been at Nereus’s side since we first created the Archives. Of course you are the heir.”
“I tried Alexis! I tried. They are sealed tight. Why do you think Abaddon did this to me? It was because she sealed them, and I couldn’t reopen them,” Galenos insisted, wincing at his own urgency. Lyca hissed softly, and Alexis took the message.
“Calm yourself, brother. We will sort it out. Rest now and heal.”
“Don’t treat me like a child, Defender. I know what I’m saying. I know the Archives as I know myself and I’m telling you, it didn’t want me entering them. Without its cooperation, we’ll never get back into it again.”
“I believe you, but you should only be worrying about getting better now. That is your only job.”
Galenos looked as if he would argue further but Lyca’s growl silenced him. Galenos settled back in his pillows and Lyca gestured at Alexis to follow her outside. She closed the door behind them.
“You are going to have to make some decisions, Defender,” Lyca said bluntly. “Nereus is dead, and you are unmistakably our leader now. We need a plan.”
“Lyca, I know you are upset, but we need to decide as a group what to do next. We have to put Nereus to rest and—”
“She would want us out there hunting them!” Lyca shouted. “Nereus wouldn’t care what we do with the empty shell of her body; it’s just meat. Her magic left with her spirit. She is gone. Abaddon and Kreios won’t be idle while we sit here pulling our hair and wailing.”
“What would you have me do? Call us all to war against an enemy we’ve only just rediscovered? I agree that we need a plan, but I won’t rush out blind. They have had thousands of years to rebuild their numbers, and they obviously have the resources, too. We need to figure out how they are operating and dismantle their organization one step at a time,” argued Alexis. “We can’t do that if we can’t get into the Archives. That’s the first thing we need to resolve.”
“I don’t understand why the Archives rejected Galenos. It doesn’t make sense. That has hurt him deeper than any wound Abaddon inflicted.”
“Nereus didn’t do anything without good reason,” Alexis said, but suddenly he wasn’t so sure. “I’m going to need you to check the warding on the palazzo too. No one does protection wards like you.”
“They weren’t enough to stop Abaddon,” Lyca grumbled. “He wanted something from the Archives, and he wanted to kill Nereus. If he still wants Penelope, I don’t know if my wards will be enough.”
“It was Duilio who wanted Penelope, and I killed him.”
“You hope.” Lyca’s silver eyes were vicious. “You need to stop being a coward and do what’s right for her. The longer she stays here, the more at risk she is. She’s a human in the middle of a magical war. Do you love her? Then send her away, so she doesn’t end up more wounded than she already is.”
Without waiting for a reply, she went back into Galenos’s room, shutting the door firmly behind her.
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Zo insisted on everyone coming together for breakfast to eat waffles as big as the fine china dinner plates he served them on.
Penelope had slept better the previous night, the combination of Aelia’s magic and Alexis coming to lie quietly beside her finally calming her anxiety. She was the first one to arrive in the kitchen, and Zo had given her a hug almost tight enough to break bones.
“It’s good to see you are standing upright,” he said, looking at the new tattoos on her forearms. “They suit you.”
“Thanks. I bet my dad is going to love them.” Penelope had tried and failed to imagine Stuart Bryne’s inevitable reaction to the dark bands of Atlantean script.
“Fathers disapprove of everything.” Zo hesitated before adding, “Alexis is going to blame himself for them, just to give you a warning.”
“Why? He didn’t burn me.”
“He failed to protect you, and he’ll take it extremely hard. I know broody and moody is a part of his charm, but I don’t want you to get hurt by it.”
“I’ll do my best not to take it personally,” she assured him even as her stomach clenched. How could he fight Thevetat’s priests if he was always worried about protecting her?
Alexis came into the kitchen and started making coffee, ignoring Zo’s protests.
“I already made some,” he said stubbornly.
“Penelope likes it better with cinnamon,” Alexis replied, winking at her over Zo’s forehead. The tightness in her stomach eased ever so slightly.
“Don’t worry, Zo, I’ll drink both. I haven’t had coffee in three days, if I don’t replenish my caffeine stores soon, I think I’ll go into shock.”
“Did someone say coffee?” Aelia appeared like a drop of sunshine in a yellow kaftan. Phaidros follow her in, his face soft and besotted. He kissed Penelope on both cheeks.
“I swear you have nine lives,” he said. “I was beginning to think Alexis was never going to let you out of that tower.”
“Aelia told me I had to sleep.”
Phaidros clicked his tongue. “I suppose the princess must be obeyed in all things.”
Lyca’s snort echoed through the kitchen. “Unlikely.” She was watching Penelope with cold, silver eyes.
“How is Galenos?” Penelope asked.
“He isn’t dead, which is more than I can say for Nereus,” she snarled.
The magicians went deathly quiet.
“And you blame that on me?” Penelope held the back of a chair to stop herself from swaying.
“We didn’t have any of these troubles before you walked through our door and started screwing Alexis, distracting him from his duty.”
Alexis opened his mouth to argue, but Penelope beat him to it. “The murder happened before I stepped foot in Venice. Abaddon already planned to come for Nereus and the Archives, and you still wouldn’t have known he existed. I get that you’re angry and you’re grieving and looking for someone to blame, but back the hell off me.” She held Lyca’s gaze until the magician stood quietly, her whole body poised to attack.
“Have your breakfast. Laugh. Pretend that none of this has happened. The Archives are sealed, and you had all better check to see if your magic will unseal it. Pray to the gods that it does, or we might as well open our throats. As for you, Doctor Bryne, go home. You aren’t a magician. This’s not your business. Leave before you get yourself and Alexis killed.”
With a swish of her silver braid, she was gone.
Penelope let out a breath and released her hands from where they clung to the back of the chair.
Zo whistled softly. “Wow, I’ve never seen anyone but Nereus stand up to Lyca like that and live. Ovaries of steel, Doc.”
“What did she mean about the Archives being sealed?” demanded Penelope. “How?”
“Nereus sealed them behind her when Abaddon came for her,” Phaidros explained. “It was to protect the knowledge down there. It threw Galenos out and right into Abaddon’s path.”
Penelope sank into her chair. “How do you reopen them?”
“Only the heir can. The Archives will only accept who it wants.”
“But what about Galenos? I thought he was Nereus’s apprentice.”
“He was, but he said that they wouldn’t reopen for him,” said Alexis. “It doesn’t matter who Nereus’s apprentice was. Only the Archives can choose its protector.”
“No wonder Lyca is so pissed.”
“Lyca is always pissed,” Aelia responded, sitting down beside her.
“She was Nereus’s bodyguard, and she wasn’t here to protect her.” Penelope pushed the hair from her face. God, what a mess.
“For being the bravest of us, you get the first
waffles,” Zo announced, placing a stacked plate before her, piled high with fresh strawberries.
“Thanks, Zo,” she managed and made an effort to eat even though her stomach protested.
“Take it slowly,” Alexis advised, sitting down beside her.
“What’s going to happen to Nereus’s body? Are you going to bury her?” Penelope asked when everyone was entering their second round of waffles.
“We will build her a pyre and burn her,” Aelia replied. “Magicians are always burnt. It stops them from coming back or their magic being…” She stopped and looked sadly down at her plate.
“What is it?” Penelope asked.
“I think Abaddon stole some of her magic,” Phaidros said. Alexis gave him a warning look that shut him up.
Penelope didn’t have to be a magician to figure out that the power dynamic in the palazzo had shifted from Nereus to Alexis. He always seemed to be Nereus’s second, and now she noticed how they seemed to be wary of him. The knot inside of her stomach tightened again.
“If you are going to figure out where Abaddon has been hiding all these years, you all better figure out how to break the spell on the Archives,” Penelope said, changing the subject. “No one is untraceable, not anymore.”
“We’ll need Galenos on his feet to help with the tech side of things,” said Zo. “One thing at a time.”
“We’ll try after breakfast,” Alexis interrupted, quieting the table. “I still believe Galenos is the heir. He just hasn’t had an opportunity to properly bond with the Archives yet. He seems to believe it isn’t him, but it can’t be anyone else. We’ll do it to try to put his mind at ease.”
“Good idea,” Aelia said, a little too brightly. “As Penelope said, Abaddon can’t stay hidden forever. We can start with the Sangue di Serpente and flush the snakes out.”
Phaidros grinned at her. “I’ll book our tickets to Sicily.”
“No one is leaving until I say they can,” Alexis said, the authority in his tone undeniable. “There will be no half-baked plans. If we are going after them, we do it strategically.”
THE WALL where the elevator used to be was a seamless line of marble and lead. The magicians studied it, but none of them seemed game enough to touch it.
“Is there no other way into the Archives?” Penelope asked.
“One way in or out. It’s easier to defend that way,” Zo replied. “Having it under the seabed was Nereus’s idea, so if there was no other option, it could be flooded.”
Penelope shuddered at the thought of all those beautiful manuscripts and artwork floating in the gray lagoon. Alexis nodded to Zo who stepped forward and placed a hand on the smooth surface. His scent of rosemary and leather grew stronger as he sent his magic into the wall. When it didn’t respond, he shrugged and moved back.
Aelia stepped forward next, placed her hand on the wall and sung a few soft bars. The smell of frankincense and rose petals filled the air with a gold mist, settling on the wall with no response.
“I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone,” Aelia remarked before shoving Phaidros forward. He made a frustrated sound before touching the wall and whispering softly to it. Penelope’s nose tingled as she smelled Phaidros’s magic for the first time; olive groves, spiced wine, and something sweet that reminded her of the taste of apricots. The Archives ignored him as it had the others.
“Go on then, Alexis. You are destined to be our leader. Maybe she expected the Archives to submit to you too,” said Phaidros.
“She wouldn’t have been that stupid,” Alexis replied, stretching his hands out to the wall. Pale blue light danced under his skin and streaked through the wall. Everyone held their breath, but the wall pushed the magic out of it.
“What the hell were you thinking, Nereus?” Alexis growled in frustration. The light under his skin flared brightly, and he punched the wall with such force that the plaster molding fell from the roof. Without looking at any of them, he threw up his hands and stalked angrily from the room, leaving only the smell of scorched spice behind him.
“That went about as well as could be expected, I suppose,” Zo said softly, breaking the bubble of tension in the room. “I’ve got a kitchen to clean up.”
Phaidros put a hand on Penelope’s shoulder. “You had best go after him, Penelope. He’s his own worst enemy when he gets like this.”
“And you think I’ll be able to talk him out of it?” Penelope frowned. “He probably just needs some time alone to process. Getting stuck with all this responsibility is a lot for anyone to take in.”
“Alexis has been in charge of us since Atlantis, whatever he may think. He’s always deferred to Nereus because she was his master on Atlantis, but he’s always been more powerful than her.”
Penelope remembered the Lido and the way the storm and sea had bent to him, how he had pulled the gates from the ocean floor. She had seen what he could do, and it terrified and thrilled her, making her love and fear him even more. Now he had to take on his old mantle to hunt the Demon’s followers.
“He’s suffering from magic depletion as well, which is never fun, but he needs someone to anchor him, and he will only listen to you.”
“I’ll give it my best shot,” she promised.
“And don’t listen to Lyca. None of us blame you for what happened here,” Phaidros added.
“Thanks.”
He gave her an encouraging smile before leaving her alone to stare at the gray wall. The thing was, Lyca hadn’t been entirely wrong. Penelope was a liability because she couldn’t protect herself. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she got Alexis hurt. She had seen him almost drown, and that was enough to give her nightmares for the rest of her life.
She walked slowly through the palazzo, her scarred hand rubbing over her forearm. Kreios and Abaddon knew they could always use her to get to Alexis because she was a weakness. He would always be of two minds when he went after them. The priests won’t stop just because Venice failed. How many other cities are they planning to attack the same way? Only Alexis and the other magicians could stop them. Not her.
PENELOPE FOUND Alexis sitting at a workbench in his tower, head in his hands. His whole body tensed when she approached.
“Are you okay?” Penelope asked, tucking her hands into her pockets, so she didn’t reach out to him. “Stupid question. I know you aren’t, but I’m worried, and so is everyone else.”
“And yet it’s you they send like a sacrifice,” he said, lowering his hands. “This is a nightmare.”
“I know, but you will work it out. You have managed to keep them alive since Atlantis. It’s not going to change as much as you think.”
“We are going back to war.”
“I know. That’s why I’m leaving.” Her voice didn’t crack as she said it, but her heart did when she saw the look in his dark blue eyes.
“What? You can’t…”
“I can, and I’m going to,” she said, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. “You can’t fight this war properly if you are distracted by trying to keep me safe. It’s not how war works. Kreios was right, Alexis. We are weak when we are together because we will always try and save each other before anyone else.”
“Kreios is a psychopath. You can’t believe anything he says.” Alexis held his hand out to her, but she stepped back from him. If he touched her right now, she would never have the strength to go. “I can understand why you are afraid, Penelope, but if you leave, they may come after you again.”
“They were only after me to get to you, don’t you see that? If I’m away from you, they won’t give me a second thought. I’m just another human. If I’m with you, I’m in more danger.”
“Please, think this through. Don’t leave,” Alexis added in a tortured whisper. “I’ve only just found you.”
“The tide of magic is rising, what use is an academic? I’m not a soldier or a magician.” Penelope stepped forward and kissed his cheek, breathing his cinnamon smell in, searing it in her mind. �
�We are bound together, Alexis Donato. After this war is done, you will know how to find me.”
PENELOPE HURRIED down the stairs to her room, stuffing her clothes into her bag and arranging her laptop safely on top. She picked up her phone and shot out a message before slinging her bag over her shoulder.
The palazzo led her straight to the front door as Phaidros came through it. He looked at the bag over her shoulder, and the smile on his lips vanished.
“What’s happened?” he demanded.
“Nothing. I’m going home.” Penelope hoped she sounded resolved and not ready to cry at the drop of a pin.
“Why? What did he say?”
“It doesn’t matter. Please be careful and stay alive.”
“Don’t leave. He’s better when you are around. He needs you. Whatever it is, you both can work it out.”
Penelope kissed his cheek softly. “Take care of him Phaidros.”
She stepped past the blue door onto the Calle dei Cerchieri and didn’t look back.
MARCO WAS WAITING for her as Penelope jumped off the crowded vaporetto and onto the pier in Castello. His smile fell as he took stock of her tattoos and the exhaustion written on every line of her. When he took her in his arms, the tears she had held back came out in a flood.
“Dottore, what’s wrong?” he asked gently. When she didn’t answer, he patted her back gently. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me just yet. Come on, let’s get you a drink.”
Marco took her bag, and she followed him through the streets to the Dandolo palazzo. In a daze, she glanced around the magnificent marble foyer.
“This place is incredible. Maybe I should’ve chosen your couch in the beginning,” Penelope said as they climbed the wide sweeping staircase.
“It’s beautiful, but it costs murderous amounts to keep it maintained. It’s been in the family since 1512, so I can’t let it go on my watch. My sister, Isabella, and her wife have good heads for business, and rent out the rooms to rich tourists. Otherwise it would have sunk by now,” Marco explained as he opened the doors to his rooms. “Take a seat. I’ll get us some wine.” Penelope sat in an armchair and watched him pull out glasses and a bottle of red wine.
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