The Drowned Vault by N. D. Wilson Read Free Book Online

store. And if I did, I would have to rob it.”
    Rupert stepped forward and cautiously slid his arm around Antigone’s shoulders, patting awkwardly. She was tiny next to him.
    “I’m sorry,” Rupert said again. He looked at Cyrus. “I haven’t been a good Keeper to either of you.”
    Cyrus shrugged. The whole scene was too uncomfortable for him.
    “It’s stupid,” Antigone said, stepping back. “It’s not your fault. You’re not our dad. And you’re not Dan. And chasing Phoenix is a lot more important than helping us. I’m still not used to having no one, you know, in charge of us.”
    “Forgive me,” Rupert said. “Truly. And forgive me again, because I’m about to make things much worse.”
    “What?” Cyrus said. “What do you mean?”
    Rupert dropped onto the ratty rug and crossed his legs. “Sit. There are unpleasant things you need to know.”
    Antigone silently lowered herself to the floor. Cyrus thumped down beside her.
    “First,” Rupert said, “I haven’t found Phoenix. I haven’t come close, not in a long while. The transmortals have become the more immediate problem. They’re always difficult, but they tend to live in small enough pods to keep them manageable. Now they’re fast becoming a bloody great herd. And that herd is coming here.” He raised his hands defensively. “Please know that I was already sorry to do this, and even sorrier now, but for the foreseeable future, you are not to leave these rooms unless you are with me.”
    “What?” Antigone’s mouth hung open. “You’re joking. Why?”
    “What do you mean ‘foreseeable’?” Cyrus said.
    “I mean foreseeable,” said Rupert. “Indefinite. For the time being. Until further notice. In addition to the transmortals, members of the O of B are flying into Ashtown from all over the globe to remember the last Brendan and elect a new one. When they have, he will name a new Avengel.”
    “That’s why there’s a campout in the courtyard?” Cyrus asked.
    Rupert nodded. “Right. And that’s why you’ll be in here.”
    “That all sounds like craziness,” Antigone said. “But I don’t see what it has to do with us getting locked up.”
    Rupert exhaled. His eyes drifted up to the window. Cyrus turned, glancing back at the age-rippled glasspanes behind him. Then he looked back at Rupert. The Avengel’s dark eyes locked with his own. Cyrus didn’t need to be told. It was obvious.
    “The transmortals,” Cyrus said, thinking of Gil. “You’re worried because they’re unhappy about the tooth.”
    Rupert scratched his jaw. When he spoke, his voice was slow and cautious. “I worry because your name is Smith. Because you were the first person in generations to kill one of the transmortals—something they disapprove of in even the most extreme cases, and something that your family has an historical habit of doing. I worry because you are the one who held the tooth and lost it to Phoenix, who has now done some transmortal killing of his own. I am worried because the transmortals are more than unhappy. They are angry—with me, with the Order, and especially with you. Those who have treaties with the Order will hope to influence the election of the Brendan and the selection of the next Avengel. They do not forget, and they do not forgive.”
    Antigone groaned. “I’m so tired of everyone only blaming Cyrus. If it weren’t for Cyrus, do you know how many people would be dead in this place?”
    “Yes,” Rupert said. “I do. But the transmortals blame me as well, and they are right to. The responsibility for all that happened lies with me.” He knuckled his swollen cheek. “Phoenix has begun hunting them. You askedwhere I was? Egypt, Greece, and then France. Dozens of transmortals are missing—on the run, taken, or killed. We only found three bodies, but three is enough to start the stampede.” He looked from Cyrus to Antigone. “Mortals like us live with fear, with the certainty of our own eventual deaths—some