In answer, her mother pulled her closer and spoke in a voice only Schuyler could hear. “Listen closely, my daughter. For what I am about to tell you can only be told in the shelter of the glom.”
“In the days when we called Paradise our home, the paths between the worlds were open. Angels moved freely between Earth, Heaven, and the underground. But after Lucifer’s revolt, when the Dark Prince and his followers were cast out of Heaven, the way to Paradise was shut forever. But the seven Paths of the Dead remained open. In Rome, we still trusted Caligula then, did not know he was Lucifer behind the mask, did not know he had made it his mission to discover their locations on Earth. As emperor, he ordered a maze of tunnels built under the city of Lutetia. It was here that he discovered the first path.
In his arrogance, he shared his secret with Michael. The Morning-star was never one for hiding his glory, which would cost him. Michael insisted they build a gate upon the path, and forge a key that Michael would hold in his trust. Lucifer agreed.
But of course it was all a lie. Lucifer’s transformation into a Croatan was complete by then. His betrayal of the Code of the Vampires created the crisis in Rome. He stole the key at the earliest opportunity, unleashing Abomination upon the world. But we would not know this until it was almost too late.
The Blue Bloods hunted down the demons and their Silver Blood brethren. We turned Lutetia into a safe haven. Michael defeated Lucifer, taking him down the dead’s path to the underworld and locking the gate behind him. Michael then ordered the Blue Bloods to find the remaining six paths, and to build gates upon them to keep the divisions between the worlds secure. The gatekeepers were called the Order of the Seven and included the seven original families of the Conclave.
The gatekeepers agreed to scatter far and wide across the earth, hidden from one another. The knowledge of the gates would remain in the guardians’ family, passed down through the generations.
The Van Alen Legacy is just the latest name for the work that Lawrence and Cordelia began when they arrived in the New World. When young Blue Bloods were disappearing again, they suspected that what they had feared for centuries was true: that the gates were failing, and that somehow Lucifer and his Silver Bloods had survived the war in Rome and were planning their return to power.
Lawrence made it his life’s work to find each gate and guardian, to warn them of the danger. But Charles never believed in the Van Alen Legacy. He resented his father’s doubt of the work he had forged centuries before. So Lawrence went into exile. And the Van Alen Legacy was forgotten.”
“But Lawrence was right”, Schuyler sent. “They have returned.”
“Yes, they have returned, and are desperately seeking to unlock the gates, to free the Devil trapped in Hell. This is why we deceived them so long ago. Charles was not the gatekeeper of Lutetia. The gate’s earthly anchor had been moved. The true gatekeeper saw to that a long time ago.”
“How do you know that? Are you the keeper?”
“No. Of the Van Alens, only Lawrence was a gatekeeper. Remember the Order of the Seven. One gate in each family.”
“Leviathan and Corcovado.” Schuyler understood now.
“Yes. Your grandfather was the keeper of the Gate of Vengeance, Leviathan’s prison. With Lawrence’s murder of an innocent, the gate opened and released Leviathan. But what the Silver Bloods did not know was that the Gate of Vengeance was a solom bicallis . It can only be used once, and in one direction. Once Leviathan was freed, the path was closed to all.
The Silver Bloods will not rest. They will seek out the guardians and the gates, until all the Paths of the Dead are free once more.
Schuyler, it is up to you to find the remaining members of the Order, alert them of the danger, and keep the gates secure. As long as the gates hold, Lucifer cannot cross from the underworld to this world. That is the Van Alen Legacy, and now it is yours. That is the Van Alen Legacy, and now it is yours.”
“You mean, it is ours.”
“Alas, that is not to be. I cannot help you in your quest. I have to find Charles. He was lost, somewhere between worlds, when the Silver Bloods let loose that subvertio. Our destiny is intertwined. He needs me more than ever now. There is something broken in the universe that only we can fix together . . . which is part of your journey as well.”
“Mother, you are leaving me. Again. Now that I need you the most,” Schuyler cried, shocked at her mother’s news and the enormity of the responsibility that lay before her. Find the gates? Find the guardians? Save the world? How was she supposed to do that alone?
“I am not leaving. I am always with you,” Allegra said, holding Schuyler in her arms. “My daughter, I am in you. Never forget that.”
“So that was really you, then, with the sword? In my dreams?” Schuyler asked.
“Of course.” Allegra smiled gently, then stood up. “Now listen closely. Leviathan has shown his hand in Paris. We know he is looking to open the gate formerly located in Lutetia. The Gate of Time. Of this I am sure, for I was there when Michael and I made him keeper. It was guarded by Tiberius Gemellus. Find him. Secure the gate.”
CHAPTER 53
Mimi
When Mimi left school that afternoon, she found Kingsley waiting for her in front of the Duchesne gates, among the usual collection of scruffy looking boys waiting for their private-school girlfriends. Except Kingsley didn’t look scruffy at all. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a magazine: teeth gleaming, dark hair shiny and combed, his cheeks freshly shaven. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a white button-down shirt and battered blue jeans. The rock star look intact.
“What are you doing here?” Mimi demanded, looking around anxiously. “Jack might see you?” Not that she cared all that much. Maybe her twin would even get jealous, seeing them together. If Jack was even capable of any real feeling when it came to her. Who knew what he thought in that thick skull of his anymore?
Kingsley ignored her and pulled her close. He kissed her soundly in front of a group of titillated freshmen.
“Force. Get in the limo.” Mimi saw a shiny car the length of a city block idling by the curb. A uniformed chauffeur held the door open.
Mimi had always harbored a secret love for limousines. It was tacky to use one in the city, lest you run the risk of looking like a tourist or like you were off to prom. But this one shone with a wicked gleam. She had to admit it: the guy traveled in style.
She gave Kingsley a look, then slid inside. He stepped in behind her and closed the door. He raised the driver’s partition until it closed all the way. The windows were tinted. They were, for all intents and purposes, alone. The car was so wide it was like being in a moving living room. The carpet beneath her feet was lush, and the car seats were as wide as a bed.
“Now, where were we?” Kingsley asked, leaning over so that he was practically on top of her, one hand underneath her shirt and the other tugging the waistband of her skirt.
“Wait. Wait,” Mimi gasped, putting a hand against his chest and pushing him away. And she thought she was fast. Kingsley was like the world’s most talented make-out artist. She had barely gotten in the car and she was practically undressed.
“Sweetheart, I’ve waited all day,” he sighed, burying his face in her neck. But he did as she asked and pulled his hand away from her thigh. He composed himself and leaned back against the seat. ‘There. Better?”
Mimi tried not to look too flattered. It was nice to be wanted. Kingsley and his voracious appetite.