Jason nodded grimly and stated the mantra of transparency. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
“Exactly. But there is a larger danger we must consider.”
“What’s that?”
Gray stared up at the warning on the wall, remembering Nicolas’s admonition in his book:Instead, fear that which ended the people of Hyperborea. For if it ever breaks free, it will destroy all of us.
“Something dangerous must be out there. Something that frightened Catherine enough to hide her library.” He turned back to Jason. “And I’m worried we’re not the first to learn of this.”
“You think Sychkin might know, too.”
“He has possession of that stolen Greek text. He has access to the decades of research by the Arkangel Society. So, I would not be surprised if he came upon this knowledge already. Still, for the moment, we’re one step ahead of him, but that lead will not likely last.”
“Then what do we do?”
Gray shrugged. “We follow Sigma’s motto.”
Jason grinned. “Be there first.”
Gray nodded. “That still leaves one last concern.”
“Which is what?”
“Is anything even out there?”
Yelagin cleared his throat, having clearly overheard this last exchange. “There must be.”
He drew their attention.
The bishop leaned on his staff, standing by the fireplace. He stared up at the curve of the tusk. “No one noticed this, but there’s awordinscribed in Greek along the bottom here. I believe it spells outHyperborea, only some letters are missing or covered over.”
The bishop reached up and rubbed his palm across the yellowed ivory, as if to polish the word clearer. As he did, the tusk shifted under his hand. It seemed the artifact was more delicately balanced than it first appeared.
Gray realized why and lunged for Yelagin. “Stop...”
But it was too late.
The trap had been opulently baited—not with gold, but with a wealth of ivory, poised to punish any potential thief.
In the neighboring room, a meter-wide door tore open from the roof. Water pounded down from some great cistern above. The force was strong enough to break the oaken table below.
And it wasn’t only that one room.
It wasallof them.
Crashing waters echoed from every direction, rapidly flooding the library.
“Make for the stairs!” Gray hollered.
He got everyone moving. As he did, he stared across at the row upon row of golden chests. Only now did he recognize the significance of an unusual feature to them.
All the boxes had been sealed with wax.
He now understood why.
The trap’s designers needed them to be watertight.
Gray grabbed Yelagin by the arm. Bailey came to his aid, too, while Jason helped Anna, whose eyes were wide with terror.
