The pantry was large, with row after row of shelves. Wherever Doc hid the pills, he’d hid them well. By the time I found the green napkins, I was clear on the other side of the room near the entrance to the dining hall. Not wanting to crawl again, I checked the great hall. The officers had cleared out, so I could leave through there rather than the kitchen.
I entered the great hall, and the room appeared even bigger, colder than before. The grand fireplaces were empty as were the long, wide tables. I needed to get out of there.
Halfway through the dining room, I heard voices in the hallway. One of them was pronouncing each syllable of his words. Bollard was on the other side of the door.
The first waves of heat hit me. Then my ears buzzed.
Uncle Bollard was radiating so much heat, I felt it all the way in the great hall. A need to put distance between my uncle and me took over my body, and I panicked. There was no time to run back to the pantry, so I darted under the table and pulled the chair back in place just in time.
From my hiding place, I witnessed Bollard and Rudolf come in.
“I want you to tell me word for word what they said,” Bollard commanded.
Rudolf kept his eyes down. “He said his men lost her in Europe.”
“Where?”
“Omsk. Pythia lost them in the city.”
“Has she contacted the girl?”
“No, nothing yet but there was a book in the library,” Rudolf said.
“What!”
“Waverly hasn’t been in the library. We destroyed the book before she saw it.”
“Pythia was here!” Bollard roared, and heat rippled through the room. “You were to scour the place.”
Rudolf loosened his necktie. I plainly saw he didn’t want to be near Bollard. “Pythia sees all things. It could have been there for years.”
“L’Autre Bête has been compromised.” A wicked smile appeared on Bollard’s face. “Where is my niece now?”
“Her doctor is checking on her in her room.”
“And what does she know?”
“Nothing so far but… she’s capable. She’s a nice kid.”
“Nice won’t matter. I will speak with her in the morning.” He wore a sinister expression when he said this, and the future discussion terrified me.
“Is there anything else, sir?” Rudolf asked, more than ready to get away from Bollard.
“No. Send him in.”
A guard pushed a person in a wheelchair; a white sheet covered their head and body. I had a sick, awful fear something terrible was about to happen to whoever was under the sheet.
The dining room was getting hotter even though none of the fireplaces were lit. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. I needed to get out from under the table. Whatever was about to happen, I was sure I didn’t want to see it, yet I was trapped. Who was under the sheet?
Another guard placed a big brown box on the table. The box creaked. A large bird flew out. It was still young, with white feathered wings and a downy belly, barely old enough to fly. The neck was long and white.
The heat was growing. It had to be about ninety degrees on the floor. I needed to get out of there. But I couldn’t move.
The body moaned from under the sheet. Who was under there?
I kept thinking, please not Manon, or Enzo. Not Doc. Please, not Doc. I begged for the person to be a stranger, but I knew deep down it was not.
Bollard yanked off the sheet. The King of France’s chin dropped to his chest. Bollard grabbed him by his white hair and forced his head up. Lothaire’s eyes were completely shut. Bollard ripped the tape from his mouth.
“Please,” he moaned through chapped lips.
“What did you tell the child?”
“Leave her alone.”
“Why, Lothaire? I’ve waited a long time for this girl. She is lovely, is she not? You can feel the power all around her. Oh, yes. She reeks of power. You remember Helena’s powers, don’t you? Always curious. Remember how you told her they wouldn’t change how you felt.”
“No,” he croaked.
Bollard held out his arm. The bird landed on his forearm, its talons sinking into his suit. Bollard didn’t even flinch as blood trickled out the jacket sleeve. “Do you know what this is?”
“You can’t get away with this. I’m a king, for God’s sake.” The bird nipped my uncle’s arm, tearing through his black coat.
“A white-backed vulture, pretty little bird. See, he is healthy, nippy, but I am holding him, and he doesn’t like it. He wants to be free, and I want him to stop pecking me.” He lifted his arm, and the bird took flight. “See how well he flies. He is life. Remember, he is up there.”
“My son will come after you.”
“I’ve already spoken with your son. I promised to release you into the wild where you can roam free. He understands the circumstances and wishes you a good life.”
“My son?” The king’s voice was heavy from this crushing news.
“He wants glory for France. He was easy to convince.”
“My people will find out,” Lothaire said.
“Your jet is crashing as we speak. All souls lost, nothing left but bits of metal.”
Tears were flowing from the king’s eyes. “Don’t do this.”
“Ah, yes. I recall all those years ago, you wanted to see Helena use her powers. Now, mine are different but an accomplishment nonetheless.”
The king forced his eyes closed again.
“Open your eyes before I use a fruit fly from the kitchen.”
When Lothaire refused, Bollard pulled his face up. “And now you can see what happens to those who go against us, against the house of Merric.”
My face burned from the unbearable heat. Bollard placed his finger on Lothaire’s temple. The king’s eyes opened.
The light dimmed. A large shadow sprung from the king, spilling from his eyes and into the air. As the bird circled
