“But,” Calico continued, “all is not lost. I believe we have a very strong lead.”
James sat up straighter in his chair.
“You see, my brother and I had a disagreement shortly before the incident. Nothing major, you understand. But we acted like much younger men. Instead of talking through the disagreement, we pouted and played chicken on who would apologize first. It was foolish, and it meant we didn’t get a chance to talk before the incident. He didn’t tell me about his plans, but I think I’ve managed to work them out, at least partly.” He leaned forward, eager. “I have reason to believe Lychnus discovered something before he disappeared. Something powerful. Something that could, perhaps, change the course of history. I believe he was preparing to present his findings to us. But then New York happened, and we were split up in our rush to flee. Lychnus must have told those with him—including your brother—about what he found. Instead of coming to our agreed-upon rendezvous point, they all set off to discover the truth of his claims.”
He let his words linger in the air for a moment, building tension.
“You see, I believe they seek the—”
“Chintamani Stone,” James breathed as Calico said it.
Calico cocked his head, then leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows raised. “So you did find it. I knew Derek led you to Kathmandu, but discovering the stone on your own is very impressive.” He was silent for a moment, his fingers tapping the table.
“We know where it is, too,” James said, feeling bold. “It’s in Tibet, in an ancient city called—”
“Jalung Phodrang,” Calico finished for him, his dark eyes glittering with fascination. Maybe he hadn’t thought two Normals could figure out so much. James felt a flare of pride.
“If you know where it is, why haven’t you gone?” he said despite himself. “They’ve been missing for weeks now.”
“Exactly,” Tonitrus growled from beside Calico.
Calico glanced at him and nodded. “A good question. But we shouldn’t rush to finish a puzzle half complete. You see, if Lychnus and the others successfully found the stone, they should’ve returned. But as you say, it’s been several weeks, and there’s no sign of them.”
“You think they’re still searching for it?” Rocky sounded doubtful.
“They could be,” Calico said. “There’s still much we don’t know about the stone or the ancient people who hid it. I would imagine whoever put it in Jalung Phodrang knew of its power and put protections around it. These protections were powerful enough to prevent Ernst Shäfer from finding it years ago. What’s to say there aren’t similar protections against Supers?”
“Do you think they’re hurt?” James said, alarmed.
Calico shook his head. “It’s possible, but I don’t think so. I think it’s more likely they were trapped somehow.”
“How do you trap a Super?” Rocky said.
Calico shrugged. “There are ways. The U.S. government has attained a substance that can suppress our powers and keep us in a sort of stasis. They used it to capture Ros, after luring her in.” James was surprised by that. He hadn’t considered how Ros had been captured. If the government could capture the Supers...
James thought of Roche and the SIA and shuddered.
“But how old is this city?” Rocky said. “Thousands of years? They wouldn’t have technology like that.”
“You have to understand, we are dealing with a truly ancient people. Their knowledge, and very existence, has been erased by the sands of time. But if they truly harnessed the stone’s powers, they could know things even we do not.”
“So what’s the plan?” James said.
Calico smiled. “You are so like your brother. He always wants to jump into action immediately.” James felt a surge of pride. “The truth is, you two may be the key to all of this.”
“Us?” Rocky laughed. “What could we possibly do that you can’t?”
“If there are protections around the stone, they may only affect those with powers. There may even be traps targeted at Supers. But you two are powerless.”
“Ouch,” Rocky muttered.
“What that means,” Calico said, “is that you two may be the only ones who can approach the stone.”
“And free the others?” James said. At the moment, he couldn’t care less about the stone.
“Exactly.”
“Then let’s do it.” James glanced at Rocky. “If you don’t want to—”
“Don’t even say it,” Rocky said. “I’m in.”
Chapter 22
Two days later, they were ready to go.
James wanted to leave immediately, but Calico told him that plans had to be finalized, and they were waiting for the rest of the Supers to return from a mission. So he waited two long days, excited and nervous. He was close to Derek; he could feel it.
The rest of the Supers returned on the first night. James and Rocky were getting a tour of the base from Katie when Afectrus, Mungus, and Myrcellus walked through what seemed to be the main entrance—a large, metal door with a complex locking mechanism. It swung open, sending in a howl of frigid air. The three Supers wore thick, black suits lined with fur, their faces red and their windswept hair a mess around their heads.
They all greeted James warmly, if not distantly. Mungus was the only one to embrace him. The short, perpetually bedraggled man smiled and pulled James into a hug, patting him heavily on the back.
Most people expected James to be close to all of the Supers, but the truth was, he’d never really known them well—in fact, the only Supers he’d ever really spent time with were Avus and Leo, who were the closest to Derek. It had surprised James, at first, that the Supers weren’t all friends, but he supposed it made sense. The Supers were a team, not a family. Rocky wasn’t close with everybody on his football team, was he?
The three Supers bid them farewell and headed toward the conference room to debrief. Katie finished the
