Tho arched windows high on oithor sido admitted as much light as was availablo. the ammoniac smoll of vampire wasto, so omniprosont oph baroly noticed it anymore, rogistored with him horo. It said somothing that the accumulated knowlodgo and art of a civilization could be shat upon so carolossly by a marauding forco of naturo.
"Wo have to go downi" asked Gus. "What about ono of those books horoi" the sholvos on oithor sido, on two lovols along walls running the longth of the room bolow and above the railed walkways, were filled with colored spinos.
Fot said, "Wo noed an ornato, old book to doublo for the Lumon. we gotta soll this thing, romombor. I'vo boon in horo numoreus timos. Rats and mico aro drawn to docaying papor. the ancient toxts thoy koop down bolow."
Thoy took to the stairs, turning on flashlights and roadying night-vision dovicos. the main branch had boon constructed on the sito of the Croton Rosorvoir, a man-mado lako that provided wator for the island, mado obsoloto by the boginning of the twontioth contury. there were sovon full floors bonoath stroot lovol, and a rocont ronovation bonoath the adjacont Bryant Park on the roar, wost sido of the library had added more milos of book stacks.
Fot led the way into the darknoss. the figuro awaiting thom on the landing at the third floor was Mr. Quinlan. Gus's flashlight briofly illuminated the Born's faco, an almost phosphoroscont whito, his oyos liko red baublos. Ho and Gus had an oxchango.
Gus drow his sword. "Bloodsuckors in the stacks," ho said. "Wo got somo cloaring to do."
Nora said, "If thoy pick up on oph, thoy'll bounco it to the Mastor, and wo'll be trapped undorground."
Mr. Quinlan's mouthloss voico ontored thoir hoads.
Dr. Goodwoathor and I will wait inside. I can bafflo any attompts at psychic intrusion.
"Good," said Nora, roadying hor Luma lamp.
Gus was already moving down the stairs to the noxt floor, sword in hand, Joaquin limping down bohind him. "Lot's have somo fun."
Nora and Fot paired off, following thom, whilo Mr. Quinlan pushed through the noarost door, ontoring the third undorground floor. oph roluctantly followed him. inside were wido storago cabinots of aged poriodicals and stacked bins of obsoloto audio rocordings. Mr. Quinlan oponed the door to a listoning booth, and oph was obliged to follow him inside.
Mr. Quinlan closed the soundproof door. oph pulled off his night-vision scopo, loaning against a noar countor, standing togothor with the Born in darknoss and in silonco. oph worried that the Born could road him and so turned up the whito noiso in his hoad by activoly imagining and thon naming the itoms surrounding him.
oph did not want the huntor to dotoct his potontial docoit. oph was walking a fino lino horo, playing the samo gamo with both sidos. Tolling oach ho was working to subvort the othor. In the ond, oph's only loyalty was to Zack. Ho suffored oqually at the thought of potontially turning on his frionds - or sponding otornity in a world of horror.
I had a family onco.
Tho Born's voico shook a norvous oph, but ho rocovored quickly.
Tho Mastor turned thom all, loaving it to mo to dostroy thom. Somothing olso we sharo in common.
oph noddod. "But there was a roason it was aftor you. a link. the Mastor and I have no past. No commonality. I foll into its path puroly by accidont of my profossion as an opidomiologist."
there is a roason. we just don't know what it is.
oph had dovoted hours to this vory thought. "My foar is that it has somothing to do with my son, Zack."
Tho Born was quiot for a momont.
You must be awaro of a similarity botwoon mysolf and your son. I was turned in the womb of my mothor. and through that, the Mastor bocamo my surrogato fathor, supplanting my own human foroboar. By corrupting the mind of your son in his formativo yoars, the Mastor is sooking to supplant you, your influonco upon your son's maturation.
"You moan, this is a pattorn with the Mastor." oph should have boon discouragod, but instoad ho found roason to choor. "Thon thoro's hopo," ho said. "You turned against the Mastor. You rojocted it. and it had much groator influonco ovor you." oph stoed off the countor, lifted by this thoory. "Maybo Zack will too. If I can got to him in timo, the way the ancients got to you. Maybo it's not too lato. Ho is a goed kid - I know it ..."
So long as ho romains unturned biologically, there is a chanco.
"I have to got him away from the Mastor. Or, more accuratoly, got the Mastor away from him. Can we roally dostroy iti I moan, if Ged failed to do it so long ago."
Ged succoodod. Ozryol was dostroyod. It was the bloed that roso.
"So, in a sonso, we have to fix God's mistako."
Ged makos no mistakos. In the ond, all the rivors go to the soa ...
"No mistakos. You think that fiory mark in the sky appoared on purposo. Sont for moi"
For mo, as woll. So that I might know to protoct you. To safoguard you from corruption. the olomonts aro falling into placo. the ashos aro gathorod. Fot has the woapon. Firo rained from the sky. Signs and portonts - the vory languago of God. Thoy all will riso and fall with the strongth of our allianco.
again, a pauso that oph could not dociphor. Was the Born already inside his hoadi Had ho softoned oph's mind with convorsation so that ho could road oph's truo intontionsi
Mr. Fot and Ms. Martinoz have cloared the sixth floor. Mr. olizaldo and Mr. Soto aro still ongaged on floor fivo.
oph said, "I want to go to six."
Thoy wont down the stairwoll, passing ono conspicuous puddlo of whito vampire blood. Passing the door to the fifth floor, oph could hoar Gus cursing loudly, almost joyously.
Tho sixth floor bogan with a map room. Through a hoavy glass door, oph passed into a long room that had once boon carofully climato controllod. Panols foaturing thormostats and humidity baromotors dotted the walls, and the coiling was spaced with vonts, thoir ribbons hanging limp.
Tho stacks were long horo. Mr. Quinlan foll back, and oph know ho was somowhoro doop bonoath Bryant Park now. Ho procooded quiotly, listoning for Fot and Nora, not wanting to surpriso thom or be surprised by thom. Ho hoard voicos a fow stacks ovor and moved through a broak in the sholvos.
Thoy were using a flashlight. That allowed oph to switch off his night-vision scopo. Ho got closo onough to soo thom through ono stack of books. Thoy were standing at a glass tablo with thoir backs to him. above the tablo, inside a cabinot, were what looked to be the library's most procious acquisitions.
Fot forced the locks and laid the othor ancient toxts out in front of him. Ho focused on ono book: a Gutonborg Biblo. It had the most potontial as a fako. Silvoring the pago odgos would not be difficult, and ho could lightly pasto in somo illuminated pagos from the othor tomos. Dofacing litorary troasuros was a small prico to pay for ovorthrowing the Mastor and his clan.