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  Then he shifted his gaze back to Allegra. “So how did you manage to find your way around the tunnels? You’re not from around here.” Franck’s voice was cool, critical.

  And there it was. Allegra was certain now that it was more her citizenship that was the issue. The Anglian police had a beef with the New Germanic States, or perhaps only Franck himself had issues.

  Allegra pasted a smile on her face. “We had help from your department actually. For which we are most grateful.” Maybe Inspector Pienius didn’t exist, but she went with him anyway.

  “Help?” Franck’s eyebrows waggled. “Who from?” He sounded perturbed.

  “Inspector Pienius. He was most helpful. Gave Commander Vissarion and the team a map of the tunnels, and he seemed to know them well, because he managed to get us out of there pretty fast.”

  Franck was shaking his head vigorously enough to throw his neatly combed widow’s peak into disarray. “That’s not possible. We don’t have an Inspector Pienius anywhere on the force. I’m afraid you must be mistaken. Perhaps this man was from your embassy? After all you’ve described, it would be no wonder if you were a bit confused.”

  Allegra shook her head. “He introduced himself as Inspector Pienius from the Anglian police.” She shrugged. “We believed him because . . . well . . . why would we not? He helped Max find me, so I don’t think Max and his team would be concerned. To be honest, I’d like to find him again to thank him. I’m pretty sure I’d still be locked up by that creep of a madman if it hadn’t been for Pienius.”

  Franck still looked confused. “Who?” He had changed his line of questioning now, but so suddenly that Allegra was a little off balance.

  Now, she scrunched her forehead. “The so-called high priest. He said his organization was called the Order of Hermes. Or something weird like that.”

  “I see.”

  That was it?

  Allegra glared at him. “You have to find this man. I saw his face. I can give you a full and detailed description. Look at photos of suspects if you want. He’s dangerous.”

  Franck smiled, the curl of his lip condescending. “So, tell me what he looked like.”

  Allegra gritted her teeth. “He was around my height, bald, light brown eyes. Muscular arms. I didn’t see the rest of him, seeing as he was covered in a cloak. But I did see his arms when he whipped me.”

  Allegra was sure that the inspector had begun to smile as she spoke, but it was gone in an instant, and she wondered if she was mistaken.

  “And you said he sacrificed a little boy.” Franck’s eyes were cold as he spoke, no longer interested in Allegra’s description of the high priest. She had to wonder why. Did they already know him?

  Allegra nodded. “Yes. He was only three. Blue eyes, blond hair. Very intelligent. And I believe he was telepathic-”

  Franck lifted one eyebrow. “We don’t have any missing person’s reports for that description,” he said, cutting her off.

  Allegra wondered how he’d know that without actually checking their database, but she’d already figured out that this man wasn’t going to be of much help to her and Max.

  Franck got to his feet, flipping his notebook closed. “I think we’re done here.”

  Allegra rose and followed him as he began to walk toward the door. “Are you going to look for him? The man is dangerous and he needs to be stopped.”

  They’d reached the doorway where Bainbridge waited with Max, the other inspector’s eyes glinted with ice. “Who is dangerous?” he asked, looking from Franck to Allegra and back again.

  Allegra repeated what she’d said to Franck, explaining the high priest and the danger he posed. “The Order of Hermes. That’s what he called them.” Allegra stepped closer. “You have to find him and stop him. Before he kills more innocent children.”

  Bainbridge took a step back, his expression cold. “We will investigate, Citizen Damascus, but I can assure you that there is no such thing as the Order of Hermes.”

  “But that’s what the priest said.”

  “If he did, then perhaps it was a ruse to confuse you. Seems to me that anyone who runs a secret society would be smarter than to just tell a captive the truth.”

  Allegra folded her arms. “Oh, really. Isn’t that the whole point? These megalomaniac types are just after the attention.”

  The policemen moved closer to the door and Franck said again, “Thank you for your cooperation. We’ll have the report filed and we’ll do what we can to find out who this Pienius is.”

  “So you’ll go looking for a man posing as a cop, but not a man who murders children?”

  “Citizen, you must understand that everything you have said is a little far-fetched. And as much as the NGS police will believe such ravings, we here in Brittania do things differently. Nor do we put too much stock in a seer’s powers.”

  Allegra snorted in disgust. “This is not a prediction, Inspector. I’m telling you what I saw with my own two conscious eyes.”

  Bainbridge’s mouth curled in a cool smile and Allegra knew any further discussion was a waste of time. The pair took their leave and departed. When Max closed the door, Allegra let out a disgusted groan.

  “Ugh. What is wrong with those two?”

  Max was standing there staring at the closed door.

  “It sounded to me like they don’t dare go after this priest guy,” suggested Corina, her brow furrowed.

  “Yeah.” Allegra nodded, frowning as she recalled Franck’s behavior. “They seemed to back away as soon as I mentioned him.”

  Max walked over to the table. “I hate to break it to you guys, but in the greater scheme of things, the high priest is irrelevant.”

  Allegra and Corina stared at him. From Corina’s expression, she was immediately convinced. But Allegra wasn’t. “Easy for you to say that, but I was the one who saw the life being taken from an innocent little boy, not you.”

  I was the one whose back was ripped open by the bastard.

  Allegra inhaled harshly. “That man has to pay for murdering that boy—that baby. And all the other kids he’s probably already killed. I got the impression that this was routine, a habit for him and his followers.”

  Max sat on the seat beside Allegra. “I understand where you’re coming from. I really do. But if we don’t find out more about the epidemic, then what difference does it make? The high priest will be dead and so will all his acolytes and all his future victims too.”

  Allegra sat back, frustrated. He was right and she had no choice but to admit it. Heaving a great sigh, she said, “Fine. Yes. I understand what you are saying. Doesn’t mean I’ve got to like it.”

  Then she got to her feet and stalked to the sofa. She stopped at the edge of the seat and glanced over her shoulder at Max.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  He frowned. “Er . . . ?”

  “I don’t have all day, Agent Vissarion. Let’s see if we can get a vision or two to help you out.”

  Allegra shook her head and settled herself on the sofa trying to hide her smile. Max’s eyes had widened when he realized what she meant.

  He was beside her within seconds and knelt on the carpet beside her head.

  “Ready?” he asked, already down to business.

  Allegra nodded.

  Chapter 44

  Within seconds Max had put Allegra into her trance and as she blinked and looked around, she suspected that soon she would no longer need his help to get her there.

  This time the process had almost seemed to happen spontaneously.

  His low baritone drew her attention back to his words. “You said the last time that the epidemic will not originate in the States.”

  Allegra nodded.

  “Will it happen somewhere on the Latin Continent?”

  She shook her head.

  Max progressed through the different continents until Allegra nodded when he mentioned Asia.

  Max leaned closer. “East Asia?”

  Allegra thought about it
a little harder, trying to get a better sense of the location. It was odd. Most of the time it was like a gut feeling pulling her toward a particular answer, and in this case a specific place in the world.

  Now though, an image had begun to develop. Leafless trees. A network of dusty roads. Heat so thick, she could almost taste it.

  And the idea of Qin or Jipangu didn’t sit well in connection with the place she saw in her mind’s eye.

  Allegra shook her head.

  She was beginning to understand the process better now. Max was guiding her with questions, but she was fully capable of finding out immediately where the disease would arise.

  The only problem was she was unable to speak until after she came out of the trance. She tended to forget details once she returned to consciousness.

  She made a mental note to try and find a more efficient method of imparting and recalling formation while within the trance.

  Just don’t forget that when you wake up.

  Allegra had already gotten a sense of the origin location being somewhere in the Indus kingdom when Max said, “Indus?”

  Allegra nodded.

  “City?”

  No.

  Allegra began to see the area more clearly now. A brick-and-mortar building set in a large field, surrounded by smaller white-washed though dusty, brick buildings.

  Max mumbled something about rural, and perhaps farming as opposed to just lifestyle properties because of mad-cow disease and the like. She heard Corina agree.

  Max said, “Livestock?”

  A nod.

  “Types of livestock . . . how about cattle?”

  No.

  The only cattle she saw was an emaciated milking-cow tied to a stake in the ground just near the entrance to the main building, which she’d already gathered was the living quarters of the farmer.

  High-pitched squeals and a low purring emanated in Allegra’s mind.

  “Poultry?”

  She gave a vigorous nod as she recognized the sound. Chickens.

  “Chickens?” asked Max, the excitement rising in his voice.

  Allegra nodded again. She tried hard to retain information regarding the farm and prayed to Apollo that she would remember it all when she woke.

  She was beginning to tire and it seemed that Max had sensed it as he said, “Almost done, Allegra.”

  When she nodded, he cleared his throat. “Will it happen in three months?” She shook her head and was relieved when he asked, “Weeks?”

  She nodded.

  “Two weeks?” he asked and then let out a sigh as Allegra nodded in confirmation.

  Allegra let out a sigh and opened her eyes. “The place is huge, at least forty acres. Brick buildings, painted white. Corrugated iron roofs. The coops are two dozen separate smaller buildings scattered around one main rectangular structure. There’s a white cow tied up outside the main house. The entire place is surrounded by dilapidated wire fencing.”

  Allegra continued to provide more details as fast as she could, emptying her mind of everything she could recall.

  “Well done, Allegra. That was excellent.” Max grinned as he got to his feet and headed for his satellite phone.

  Allegra talked with Corina and Flavius while Max spoke to General Aulus. But when Max returned within seconds, Allegra knew something was wrong. “What happened?”

  “General Aulus was at a Senate meeting.”

  “So? Now what?” Allegra sat back, frustrated.

  “We aren’t going to waste time waiting for red tape to untangle itself. We proceed straight to Indus.”

  Allegra lifted a finger in question. “I was abducted from the States. They didn’t give me time to gather my passport for travel.”

  Max grunted. “I hadn’t thought of that.” He got to his feet and headed for the hotel phone. “I’ll get a hold of the embassy. They can issue you with an emergency passport.”

  He sounded confident, and even though he’d smiled as he’d spoken to the embassy, Allegra had felt her gut tighten.

  Max put the phone down. “We’ll have one by the end of the day. They just need time to take a photograph and then process the document.”

  Allegra raised her eyebrows. “That easy?”

  “You need to know people.”

  Allegra snorted.

  The team set about packing and before long, Egent arrived to take a photograph of Allegra for her passport. For once, she didn’t care if the photo wasn’t perfect. After the man left she realized she hadn’t even bothered to brush her hair.

  Xenia would have a fit if the photo didn’t look flattering.

  The thought of Xenia brought tears to Allegra’s eyes. So much was happening and she hadn’t even called her to hear her voice. Max had told her he’d rung Xenia and given her an update, but said that Allegra was resting and would call later.

  Perhaps it was time to speak to her friend, especially now that they were about to head off to Indus.

  After soothing Xenia’s concerns and assuring her friend that she was fine and in good health, Allegra rang off. She felt guilty having not told her about the torture. But she didn’t need Xenia to worry unnecessarily, especially since Allegra had gotten over the whole ordeal.

  Mostly.

  She was healed, yes. But that was physically. Her heart still stuttered every time she thought about the whipping, every time she was alone in a room. Even the bathroom made her tense so much that her chest hurt by the time she left the space.

  She hadn’t told Max either.

  She didn’t think that he would take it too well that she’d tossed and turned the whole night and that her sleep had been plagued by dreams of the high priest and the little blue-eyed boy, of blood and searing pain.

  She’d put the room phone down just as Max walked inside.

  “The embassy is sorting everything out,” he announced. “They’ll organize our flight and they’re informing the Indus government that the Pythia and her party are en route to Bharat on a world-saving mission.”

  “Sounds more glamorous than it really is.”

  Max shrugged. “As long as it gets us results.”

  Chapter 45

  The flight to Indus had only appeared to be glamourous.

  In reality, it was tedious and exhausting.

  Their itinerary consisted of a flight from Londinium to Rome, then a second flight to Kemet, such short hauls being necessary due to the fuel-tank capacity of the design of the smaller aircraft.

  Corina had grumbled that the airlines were taking far too long to upgrade to the recently designed planes with larger fuel capacities. But Allegra suspected she was speaking from the point of view of travelers used to access to fast military jets.

  Allegra laughed. “Better than a camel?”

  Corina grinned back. “That is such a good point I shall concede without argument.”

  They both laughed and settled in for the flight to Rome. Allegra slept most of the way while Max worked on reports. She felt a little guilty for her continued fatigue, but figured that after her healing, and her most recent vision, she ought to rebuild her strength.

  She was also gaining confidence in her ability.

  No longer did she think of it as something thrust upon her. Instead, she’d begun to feel as if the power truly did belong to her. Perhaps it was this inner acceptance that had allowed her more freedom and flexibility with her last vision.

  And yet, Max’s description of Aurelia and her powers didn’t seem to match Allegra’s own ability. She had to find some time to discuss Aurelia in detail with him. It might help her understand her own power if she got to know Aurelia a little better, though she suspected that the power did not manifest in exactly the same way in different generations.

  Allegra dozed off, thinking about Kemet and its ancient pyramids, waking only when Max shook her arm. “We’re landing,” he said even as the pilot was announcing their descent.

  Allegra followed the team as they unbuckled on landing and grabbed their luggage
. They’d all traveled light, only carry-on bags and their weapons. The embassy had also thought to provide them all with international clearances for their weapons.

  Even Allegra, who as yet hadn’t been given a gun.

  Allegra hadn’t been paying much attention as she descended the stairs from the plane onto the tarmac. Only when she was mobbed by a throng of reporters, waving cameras and microphones in her face, did she realize what was happening.

  Max’s fingers curled around her upper arm. “Walk as fast as you can, stay with me. And don’t speak to anyone.” His change in demeanor startled her and Allegra had to blink away her surprise.

  Max had suddenly turned hard, almost angry and it was clear in his voice.

  Allegra didn’t resist. She was smart enough to see for herself the danger around her. Any number of these people could be there to abduct or assassinate her. She had to wonder how the word had gotten out. Considering only their embassy in Brittania knew of their destination, she had to wonder if they were responsible for the leak.

  It would seem that nobody could be trusted.

  Max helped Allegra to navigate the crowd, pushing and shoving their way until they reached the airport entrance. Thankfully, the mob was restrained by airport police, and Allegra was ushered safely inside the building where the team headed straight for customs.

  They passed through quickly, grateful that their connection to Kemet was only an hour away and that they were safely behind security lines in the transit lounge.

  The airport was small, though its floor-to-ceiling windows made it appear twice its size. The clear glass provided a full view of the gathered mob.

  “They’re not just reporters,” said Allegra softly.

  “Yeah. You have a fan club.” Corina laughed.

  “She’s also got a hate club.” Max’s voice was low as he lifted his chin at the back of the crowd. A group of about ten people was gathered, all dressed in black, waving placards bearing varying versions of ‘Death to the Pythia’ and ‘Prophetic Powers are an Abomination.’

  Allegra found herself watching in dismay. “They aren’t going to make this job easy, are they?”