“That’s what we were hoping to do, actually. You don’t mind? We want the diary you showed Harlan.”
“It’s all on the table. I found a few other things for him about that alchemist. There might be more entries about Lamberti, too.” He groaned, looking uncomfortable. “I slept badly. It’s this place, I think. It manifests a weird energy.”
Jackson had been so shocked by the enormous emerald cave with its towering pillars that he’d barely noticed the atmosphere, but now that JD had drawn his attention to it, he realised there was a strange hum that was almost imperceptible. “I feel it. Where does it come from?”
“I don’t know. Magic, perhaps? I have found no obvious source of power. No sign of habitation, obviously.”
“What about the fire?” Maggie pointed to a column of flame a short distance away. “And the lanterns? I presume you didn’t light them.”
“No. All already lit when I entered. It’s as if Hermes walked out of here and just left it, and then shrank everything into the tablet. Brilliant.”
“Or terrifying,” Maggie said, looking darkly at Jackson. “What if there is a strange power here? It could blow up. Take half the county with it.”
“There is no ‘what if!’” Jackson pointed out.
“You sound as bad as Harlan,” JD complained.
Maggie was right to be worried. The longer Jackson stood there, the more uncomfortable he became, and the more eager he was to leave. However, he had one more piece of news to share. “JD, I’ve accepted the offer to become Deputy Director of the PD. Russell’s old job.”
JD’s eyes narrowed. “Have you now? Good. You’ll do an excellent job. I told Waylen as much.”
“You suggested me?”
“Why not? Your family has provided great service in the past. Your grandfather included. You deserve it.”
“Thanks, JD! I didn’t know.”
“It was logical.”
“So, has Waylen mentioned about the lab?”
“No, but I can guess what’s coming. He’s dropped some big hints.”
Jackson laughed. It seemed Waylen had been having a few conversations lately. “Will you help, then? Oversee the lab? I can’t.”
JD’s features softened. “I will. But they’ll need to pull their socks up. That Lyn should work out, though. Diligent. Organised. I like her.”
“Good. Thank you.” Another weight lifted off Jackson’s shoulders. This might actually work out. “Well, there’s nothing we can do to help you here. We’ll leave you to it, JD.”
JD just nodded, already distracted, and Jackson and Maggie left him to his thoughts. By mutual agreement, neither said much, both absorbed by the enormity of what they’d seen. Jackson led the way to the library, feeling the residual effects of the cave slowly leave him. On arrival, he headed to the large table in the middle.
“You’re as disturbed by that cave as I am, right?” Maggie asked, when the door was shut behind them and they were alone.
“Of course! It’s unnatural, filled with all sorts of arcane knowledge. However, just because we don’t understand it, doesn’t mean we should be scared of it.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll reserve my judgement on that. And on him!”
“As unconventional as he is, I’ve learned to trust him. Over the years he has been an asset to our country, time and time again. He destroyed Black Cronos’s stronghold. The Nephilim couldn’t have done it without him. He founded MI6!”
Jackson had worked hard to put his kidnapping behind him. He was still left with a few nightmares. Occasionally, he woke up in a cold sweat. Over the past weeks he had dedicated time to tracking down any remaining Black Cronos bases, but it was hard. Belial was actually proving a welcome distraction—sort of. A large stack of books was on the corner of the table, and he reached for a sheet of paper perched on top of them with JD’s familiar scrawl on it.
“Yep, that’s the pile of new information he found for us.”
“With lots of helpful little stickers,” Maggie noted, thumbing the first book on the stack. “This will take hours.”
Jackson nodded. “It will be worth it, though.”
“Will it, if the information is years old?”
“This is no time to get picky.” Jackson slipped his jacket off and reached for a thick, leather-bound volume. “Best get started. By the time Nahum gets here, we might have something useful to share.”
Seventeen
Niel sheltered in a shadowed doorway, watching the main entrance of the Lamberti house. Gabe had entered a while ago, and the intersecting lanes had remained generally quiet, the foot traffic light.
He scanned the street, knowing that Ash was situated close to the front of the building, and Shadow had clambered up the walls to find shelter on a narrow balcony. She’d climbed like a monkey, frighteningly quick, reminding him of that fact she was a thief in the Otherworld, and to be honest, was here, too. He had lost sight of her, and presumed she had entered the palazzo.
He was uneasy about this situation, and wasn’t sure what he thought of Romola. He wondered where she and Gabe were, and hoped that Gabe would learn something useful.
Movement down the narrow lane caught his attention. Six men were approaching, and they looked far from casual. They wore dark clothes, and their eyes darted everywhere. Niel drew back further into the deep doorway, glad that the lanes were so dark. They paused outside the main door and waited. In moments, the door opened, revealing a glimpse of the housekeeper, and the men slipped inside.
Herne’s hairy bollocks. Something was wrong.
As a precaution they had packed their tiny earpieces that connected to their phones, and he quickly called Ash. His response was worrying. “Two men are here, too,” he whispered. “They are blocking the escape route to the water.”
“You watch them. I’m going in,” Niel said. “I’ll warn Shadow and Gabe.”
After a clipped confirmation from her, and a quick text to Gabe that he hoped he’d see in time, Niel used the skeleton keys that they were all now familiar with, and entered the cool hallway. The six men and the housekeeper were nowhere in sight, but he could hear two voices from somewhere on the ground floor.
