Pale Blue Eyes dragged me up by the lapel of my shirt, and I stumbled to my feet as he threw a punch below my rib cage. I gasped, eyes watering from the sharp ache. I inhaled, focused on my anger, and lurched forward, snarling as I grabbed the back of his neck and brought his face sharply down onto my raised knee. His nose broke, and he crashed to the ground, blood pouring from both nostrils. I used my elbow like I’d done to the other guy, but this time aiming for his upper back, and he dropped with a loud thud.
I straightened, breathing hard, and wiped the sweat off my face with the back of my hand.
One man down, groaning, clutching his ribs, and the last two unconscious. Not bad, considering I almost died recently. I glanced up the street, but the carriage was long gone. That didn’t matter.
I knew exactly where that bastard took her.
CAPÍTULO VEINTICUATRO
“Don’t make me ask you again, Inez. I have no more patience for the little games you play,” Mr. Sterling said.
He was more persuasive than a siren luring sailors to their doom. I looked away, biting my lip. No part of me wanted to agree to his counteroffer. However, once my uncle and Abdullah were free, I could go to them and tell them everything I knew about Basil Sterling. How he operated, the name of his known associates, the location of the gate—at least the one I had attended. They’d take the information, and then the search for him could begin, and maybe he’d end up in a cell next to my mother. There was still time to involve the authorities and save Cleopatra’s cache from his greedy hands.
“I accept,” I said.
“Now, tell me where I can find her.”
“She’s excavating in a library.”
He straightened, his exasperation making his mustache twitch. “Do you take me for a fool? The library was destroyed. Several times.”
I nodded slowly. “The one above ground, yes. But there’s another.”
“Another library?” he asked flatly. “Where?”
“What survived of the collection was moved to the Serapeum,” I said. “The daughter library of Alexandria.”
He brushed this aside with an airy hand. “Everyone knows that.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” I said. “But did you know my mother is excavating underneath where it had once stood?” I had to force the rest of what Iknew past my lips. “There is a system of subterranean canals that lead to an underground secret library.”
“You’re lying,” he said. “I know all about the hundreds of cisterns beneath the city streets, but the Serapeum does not have a secret entrance that leads below ground. That area has been pillaged for centuries. I think I would have discovered an underground library before Lourdes.”
“Perhaps she is more clever than you,” I said coolly. “I never said the entrance was at the Serapeum. The entrance is several streets over from the ruins, marked somehow by Cerberus. It will lead down to the canals, and the library might be close by from there.”
“Might be,” he repeated, his tone steeped in skepticism.
“It’s the strongest lead I have.”
“You’re telling me that there is an underground library, and the way to get there is by navigating the sewers of Alexandria?”
I nodded. “Like I said, it’s the best clue I have.”
“How do I know you speak the truth?” he demanded. “You are too wily by half.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your word?” I countered. “You’re too despicable by half.”
He stared at me for a long moment. The seconds ticked by, and I kept my eyes trained on his face, searching for any clues as to what he was thinking.
“Well, then,” he said finally. “I suppose we have to trust each other. Excuse me a moment,” Mr. Sterling said, getting up and striding to the door. He disappeared, and I bent forward, exhaling deeply.
I felt as if I had made a deal with the devil. I jumped to my feet and began to pace, worrying my lip so hard I almost drew blood. Eventually, more tea was brought, along with a plate of food. My stomach raged at me to eat the pita bread and hummus, the fresh tomato-and-cucumber salad drizzled in olive oil and finished with chopped herbs. But I resisted the temptation.
It might be poisoned.
Instead, I kept walking, throwing a disgruntled look at the locked door and window.
When Mr. Sterling finally returned after what felt like hours, I had to restrain myself from throwing the plate of food at his face.
