Turning to Bes, I say, “How are you going to let them—”
I cut myself off when I see he’s not looking at me, or anything for that matter. Instead, both his eyes have been overtaken bythe churning silver I told myself I was imagining. Cec’s eyes, too, shimmer just as bright.
Sothisis how they pass information through to the order. The telepathic connection Bes mentioned before.
Back to his old self again, Bes meets my gaze, likely sensing the dozens of questions I have. “I’ll explain later.”
“I knew your eyes swirled silver,” is all I say in response, recalling noticing it at the graveyard in Alexandria.
I turn to Cec. “And yours too.” I note the milky film has already settled back over them.
“It allows me to see again,” Cec says wistfully. “For a brief moment, I can see the world through Bes’s eyes.”
He turns to his cousin. “You really need to clean your glasses, mate.”
I place my hand gently on Cec’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Cec. I haven’t said it before, but I’m sorry you lost your eyesight.”
Cec smiles, the expression holding less sadness than I thought it would. “If it helps make the world a better place, I’ll gladly lose more than my eyesight. Odin sacrificed an entire eye and hung from a tree for nine days to gain the knowledge of the world; I think I got the better end of it.”
At least he had one good eye, though.
“You’re too optimistic for your own good.”
He straightens. “Grin and bear it, Hawkins. We must always grin and bear it.”
“And we need to get moving,” Bes interjects.
“Kali and I never got a chance to study the layout of the castle,” Mara says, “so I can’t be absolutely certain where we’ve ended up.”
Bes comes up beside us. “I’ll take Miss Hawkins to the right. Mara, take Cec to the left; one way or another, we’ll find Gurlitt.”
We all press our ears to the tapestry, to make sure no one is nearby. When Cec confirms with a nod, we break out onour separate ways, walking into the castle blind.Some of us, literally.
At first glance, we appear to have come out somewhere belowground. It’s so dark, I have to click my flashlight back on. Luckily, the stairs to go up a level appear quickly. They creak quite loud as we tiptoe over them.Not much we can do about that.
Bes opens the door at the top just enough to peek through, allowing gray light to trickle in. I click off my flashlight once more.
After a moment, he waves me on, and the two of us spill out inside the castle’s first floor.
Hurrying through the halls, I notice parts of it are under major construction: white tarps partly cover statues and tables and chairs, sections of the wall are exposed, and at least one window has wood nailed across it.How does anyone live here?
We round the first corner—
—when Bes yanks me into the closest room. He throws me against the wall on the other side, placing his hand tight over my mouth before I can utter a word.
A thrill passes through me, even as I pry open my jaw a fraction to take a bite out of his palm.
He whispers into my ear. “We’ve got company.”
Cold fear trickles down my spine and I relax my jaw, anticipation shortening my breath through my nose. My eyes widen in their sockets as a single set of footsteps draws nearer. The blood oath burns a hole in my heart and pulses painfully at my fingertip.
The Amulet of Amun remains cold and still.
After a moment, the footsteps pass by the door without stopping until they fade away. Once they’re gone, Bes lets go.
“Fucking Nazis,” I grumble. I brush off my backside where I was pressed up against the wall.
Hurried footsteps echo behind us before Bes can respond.
