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“Mom…”

Montross pulled away, but still clasped him about the shoulders, searching his eyes. “You saw your mother?”

Tears rambling down his cheeks, Alexander nodded and glanced back to the shadows in the empty doorway. Montross aimed his light there and Nina, just arriving, did the same. She walked ahead and scoped out the interior, shining a light above and around. She turned, shook her head.

“She was there,” Alexander said.

“I believe you. At least that you saw her.” Montross pulled him back. “Don’t fight it. Visions of our lost loved ones come with the psychic membership card.”

Alexander wiped his eyes.

“Come on, kid. Sorry we lost you back there. Stick close this time.” Montross stared into his eyes. “We’re almost done. Just help us out a little longer, okay?”

Alexander hung his head. Then raised his eyes and looked around the city basking in the dying light. “Are you sure we’ll make it out of here alive? With my dad?”

“Not sure of anything, kid. Except what happens to me. But I’ll tell you this, stick close to me and you’ll be all right, because I’ve seen every permutation of what’s coming my way. You remember asking how many times I’ve beaten Death?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, remember that. I can outsmart it over and over, all these petty attempts upon my life. These little ones I’m not worried about.”

Alexander frowned. “Then what are you worried about? If you can see everything that might kill you, what do you need the Emerald Tablet for? What—?” His eyes widened knowingly. “Oh, is it something else, like cancer? Is that it?”

Montross held up his hand as he started back the way they had come, with Nina moving Alexander along. “It’s not cancer.”

“You told me I wouldn’t understand.”

“That’s right.”

“I bet I would. I want to know.” Alexander fiddled with his flashlight as he dragged his feet behind Montross. “I saved your life, by the way. Did you see that before it happened?”

“Nope,” he said. “Most likely because you were already on the path to save me, so I didn’t need to change anything.”

“Still, I saved you. The least you can do is tell me why. What it is you’re trying to do, why—” He stopped moving, and Nina walked right into him, almost knocking him down. “Why is my mother dead? Tell me that much.”

Montross turned and gave him a look of tired sympathy.

“I can’t tell you because if I did, you couldn’t handle it. I need you sharp. And if I tell you, you won’t be able to function. Fear would crush your confidence, and your abilities would wither away to uselessness.”

Alexander shook his head. “Fine, then. I’ll guess.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“All right, I won’t guess. I’ll view it. For real.” He stopped and closed his eyes, furrowed his brow.

But then Nina slapped his face, hard. “No! Stay with us. No more trances until we get to the mausoleum.”

She shoved him along, grumbling, but he knew he’d hit a nerve, and he knew they were afraid. Afraid he could see their plans.

And that filled him with just enough confidence to try.

* * *

They approached the centerpiece of the city, the grand blue-tinted dome situated over an octagonal building the size of a football field. So immense, Nina could scarcely imagine what it contained, or how it had been fashioned down here, so far from the light. Such a feat of marvelous engineering. Like everything in this city. But already she knew one thing for sure would be inside, besides the body of Genghis Khan.

If Montross’s plan didn’t work, her body would soon be joining his.

Still, she was grateful his attention had been diverted from questioning his past, but she knew he’d come back to it soon. It was a secret she couldn’t keep from him much longer.

As if he had read her mind, Montross slowed before the entranceway, then turned. He held up the Emerald Tablet so the eight-foot-tall arched door glowed in the aquamarine radiance. An ancient script appeared, scrawled over the top like a rainbow. But he ignored it. Instead, he sat, pulled out his pad of paper from his pack, set the tablet down and picked up a pencil.

“Sketch time. Alexander, you may want to join me. Nina, pick one of us to tag along with. We’ve got some targets to view and a little time before my brother shows his face.”

Nina gasped, and Alexander just frowned. “Your brother?”

Montross smiled at him. “I’m just going in to confirm it now, but given Nina’s reaction and my sudden affinity for you, kid, I’m fairly certain I’m your uncle. Half-uncle at least.”

Nina lowered her head. “I–I wanted to wait till I was sure.”

Alexander froze wide-eyed. “I’ve been dreaming about brothers. Before a door under that Sphinx thing. And one of them—”

Montross’s face lit up. “Yes…?”

“One brother,” Alexander said, “can open the door with the right keys.”

“Now I know,” Montross said with a wide grin. “My father… I was so blind, not realizing I had a higher connection to all this.”

“So that’s why you’re psychic,” Alexander said excitedly. “Like my father and me.”

“And one more,” said Nina. “A third brother. My guess is he’s the one pulling the FBI’s strings in this venture.”

Montross nodded. “I’ll check it out, now that I know the right questions to ask. Meanwhile, you and Alexander need to figure out this door.” He closed his eyes, lowered his head, and grabbed his pencil.

And Nina sat beside Alexander. She took his hand, which he offered now with little resistance, his mind still processing Montross’s revelation. She closed her eyes and tapped into Alexander’s thoughts, opening to his visions, guiding him to the door, but not quite yet.

There were other things that she needed to see first.

12

Caleb and Phoebe helped Orlando up, pulling him away from Commander Chang and the other soldiers. They were just recovering when they heard the two gunshots echoing through the access tunnel.

Phoebe stopped what she was doing. “Uh oh.”

Holding his side, Orlando coughed and spit up blood. “I think I just got my ass kicked for nothing. I’m sorry.”

Caleb waited, and then his heart sank when he saw Renée climb back down the ladder.

“I think,” Phoebe whispered, “you should have taken that chance up there.”

“What chance?” Orlando asked.

Caleb was holding his head. “Qara wanted me to set off the warriors when I reached you. If I had acted, she might still be alive.”

“Ah.” Orlando combed back his hair. “Well, I’m inclined to thank you for your restraint. Not sure if I was up for dodging arrows.”

“Move,” Renée ordered, motioning with her gun. “I’m not wasting any more time with fanatics. Or psychics.”

Caleb started splashing ahead. “You seem to be forgetting who got you this far.”

“And you’re forgetting who has the weapons.”

“Oh, you won’t let us forget that.” Leading his sister and Orlando, Caleb waded cautiously ahead, with small steps. “Phoebe,” he whispered. “Can you see anything? Orlando? How about you? Are we good here?”

“Far as I could tell,” Orlando said, “the path was the only thing I saw. Just follow along and we should be copasetic until the end.”

“Phoebe?” He looked back and saw, with some surprise, that his sister and Orlando were holding hands.

“Hang on,” she said and closed her eyes. Cocked her head, then peered out. “All clear. But at the end, like Orlando said, there’s something. We go up, and there’s a portal. And beyond that I see something bad. Blood, a lot of it. Death.”