The Night Eternal

roof. They bottomed out with a final jolt and Eph swung left, toward the Thinker statue set outside the philosophy building, near where the helicopter had been hovering.

“There!” yelled Fet, spotting Gus and his violet Luma lamp emerging from behind the statue, where he had taken cover from the chopper’s gunfire. The helicopter was turning now toward the truck, Fet raising his weapon and trying to fire one-handedly at the flying machine as he held on to the Hummer’s roof rack. Eph zoomed toward the statue, running down another vampire as he pulled up to Gus.

Fet’s gun choked dry. Shots from the helicopter drove him back inside, the gunfire just missing the truck. Gus came running up and saw Eph behind the wheel, then quickly reached in behind him, imploring Nora, “Give me one of those!”

She did, and Gus brought the machine gun to his shoulder, kicking off rounds at the helicopter overhead— first one at a time, drawing a bead on his target, then firing rapid bursts.

The return gunfire stopped, and Eph saw the helicopter pull back, turning fast, then lower its nose and start away. But it was too late. Gus had hit the Stoneheart pilot, who slumped over with his hand still on the joystick.

The helicopter listed and plummeted, dropping to the corner of the quad on its side, crushing another vampire beneath it.

“Fuck yeah,” said Gus, watching it go down.

The helicopter then burst into flames. Remarkably, a vampire came crawling out of the wreckage, fully engulfed, and started moving toward them.

Gus felled it with a single burst to the head.

“Get in!” yelled Eph over the ringing in his ears.

Gus looked inside the vehicle, ready to defy Eph, not wanting to be told what to do. Gus wanted to stay and slay every single bloodsucker who had dared invade his turf.

But then Gus saw Nora with the muzzle of her gun at Creem’s neck. That intrigued him.

“What’s this?” said Gus.

Nora kicked open her door. “Just get in!”

Fet directed Eph east across Manhattan, then south to the low nineties and east again to the water’s edge. No helicopters, no sign of anyone following them. The bright yellow Hummer was a little too obvious, but they had no time to switch vehicles. Fet showed Eph where to park it, stashed inside an abandoned construction site.

They hurried to the ferry terminal. Fet had always eyed a tugboat docked there, in case of emergency. “And I guess this is it,” he said, stepping behind the controls as they boarded the boat, pushing off into the rough East River.

Eph had taken over watching Creem from Nora. Gus said, “Somebody better explain this.”

Nora said, “Creem was in league with the Master. He gave away our position. He brought the Master to us.”

Gus walked to Creem, holding on to the side of the rocking tug. “Is that true?”

Creem showed his silver teeth. He was more proud than afraid. “I made a deal, Mex. A good one.”

“You brought the bloodsuckers into my crib? To Joaquin?” Gus cocked his head, getting up into Creem’s face. He looked like he was about to go off. “They hang traitors, you piece of shit. Or put them up in front of a firing squad.”

“Well, you should know, hombre, that I wasn’t the only one.”

Creem smiled and turned to Eph. Gus looked his way, as did all the others. “Is there something else we don’t know about?” asked Gus.

Eph said, “The Master came to me through your mother. It offered me a deal for my boy. And I was crazy or weak or whatever you want to call me. But I considered it. I… I kept my options open. I know now that it was a no-win, but—”

“So your big plan,” Gus said. “Your brainstorm to offer the book up to the Master as a trap. That was no trap.”

“It was,” said Eph. “If it was going to work. I was playing both sides. I was desperate.”

“We’re all fucking desperate,” said Gus. “But none of us would turn on our own.”

“I’m being honest here. I knew it was reprehensible. And I still considered it.”

At once, Gus charged at Eph with a silver knife in his hand. Mr. Quinlan, in a blaze of movement, got in front of him just in time, holding Gus back with a palm against his chest.

Gus said to Mr. Quinlan, “Let me at him. Let me kill him right now.”

Goodweather has something else to say.

Eph balanced himself against the motion of the boat, the lighthouse end of Roosevelt Island coming into view. He said, “I know where the Black Site is.”

Gus glared around Mr. Quinlan at him. “Bullshit,” he said.

“I saw it,” said Eph. “Creem knocked me out, and I had a vision.”

“You had a fucking dream?” said Gus. “He’s finally snapped! This guy is fucking insane!”

Eph had to admit it came out sounding more than a little crazy. He wasn’t sure how to convince them. “It was a… a revelation.”

“A traitor one minute, a fucking prophet the next!” said Gus, trying to get at Eph again.

“Listen,” said Eph. “I know how this sounds. But I saw things. An archangel came to me—”

“Oh fucking hell!” Gus said.

“—with great silver wings.”

Gus fought to get after him again, Mr. Quinlan intervening—only this time, Gus tried to fight the Born. Mr. Quinlan took the knife from Gus’s hand, nearly cracking his bones, then broke the knife in two and threw the pieces overboard.

Gus, gripping his sore hand, stood back from Mr. Quinlan like a kicked dog. “Fuck him, and his junkie bullshit!”

He wrestled with himself, like Jacob… like every leader ever to set foot on this earth. It is not faith that distinguishes our real leaders. It is doubt. Their ability to overcome it.

“The archangel… it showed me… ,” said Eph. “It took me there.”

“Took you where?” said Nora. “The site? Where is it?”

Eph feared the vision had started to fade from memory, like a dream. But it remained fixed in his consciousness, though Eph did not think it wise to repeat it now in great detail. “It’s on an island. One of many.”

“An island? Where?”

“Nearby… but I need the book to confirm. I can read it now, I’m positive. I can decipher it.”

“Right!” said Gus. “Just bring him the book! The same one he wanted to turn over to the Master! Just hand it over to him. Maybe Quinlan’s in on it too.”

Mr. Quinlan ignored Gus’s accusation.

Nora waved at Gus to be quiet. “How do you know you can read it?”

Eph had no way to explain it. “I just know.”

“It is an island. You said that.” Nora stepped toward him. “But why? Why were you shown this?”

Eph said, “Our destinies—even those of the angels—are given to us in fragments. The Occido Lumen had revelations that most of us ignored—given to a prophet, in a vision, and then consigned to a handful of lost clay tablets. It has always been like this: the clues, the pieces, that form God’s wisdom come to us through improbable means: visions, dreams, and omens. Seems to me that God sends the message, but leaves it up to us to decipher it.”

“You realize that you are asking us to trust a vision you had,” said Nora to Eph. “After just admitting to us that you were going to mislead us.”

“I can show you,” said Eph. “I know you don’t think you can trust me, but you can. You must. I don’t know why… but I think I can save us. I can save us all. Including Zack. By destroying the Master once and for all.”

“You’re fucking insane,” said Gus. “You were just a stupid asshole but now you are also fucking insane! I bet he knocked back some of the pills he gave Joaquin. He’s telling us about a fucking Ambien dream! The doc is a drug addict, and he’s tripping out. Or else he has the shakes. And we’re supposed to do what he says? After a dream