A rap came on the doorframe at the top of the auditorium stairs. Christian looked up and waved the man to enter.
"What is it, Hernandez?" Christian asked.
"Bad news, sir," the Templar said. "We received word from the Arcanes at La Casona—someone put a hex on the Obsidian Arch. We can't send anyone through it. Not until the hex is defused."
"A hex?" Christian said. "How long to defuse?"
The Templar shrugged. "They said it was so complex they'd have to send for outside help."
I groaned. "Dollars to donuts Daelissa did it."
Christian nodded curtly at the Templar. "Dismissed."
The man turned and left.
"This puts a wrench in things," Thomas said. "Even if I summoned our entire fleet of sliders, we wouldn't have enough to transport everyone to Atlanta in a timely manner."
"We only have one high-speed slider," Christian said. "The rest of ours are meant for local transport. They're too slow to ferry troops all the way to Atlanta."
"We have two high-speed sliders," Thomas said. "But each one only holds eighteen."
"How is it possible you guys don't have a big plane somewhere meant for troop transport?" I asked. "Aren't you the Overworld equivalent of the army?"
Christian shook his head. "We're more like local militias. That's why there are legions dispersed around the world, a legacy from the Roman Empire. The Synod never saw a use for aircraft since Obsidian Arches are usually sufficient."
I groaned. "God only knows what Maximus is doing in the meantime."
"Most of my forces are down here," Thomas said. He scowled. "I nearly ordered them to remain in Atlanta, and then received word of Artemis Coronus's intent to order off our attack against Maximus. I now wonder if Daelissa let me know this so I would divert more troops here."
"Webs within webs," Christian said. "And now Maximus has nearly free reign in Atlanta."
"Do you think that was the plan all along?" I said.
Elyssa shook her head. "Before Daelissa wiped my mind, she acted crazy half the time. For all we know someone else is pulling her strings."
"It won't stop us for long," Thomas said. "If I have to hijack transports from the Colombian government, we'll find a way back."
"There is a way," I said, a shiver running down my spine at the thought. "You'll need to contact the Arcanes near El Dorado for help."
"El Dorado?" Elyssa said. "What could possibly help them there?"
"Thunder Rock has a huge room full of arches. El Dorado might have one too." I shrugged. "It's not the best plan, I know, but—"
"It's suicidal," Elyssa said, crossing her arms. "Remember the hordes of husks and shadow people down there? And didn't you tell me there are more of those things in Thunder Rock?"
"Well, what about the arch in Maximus's compound?"
"Our people inspected it," Christian said. "The magical energy required to send through so many troops would be staggering."
"We could capture another leyworm," I said.
Elyssa's eyebrows shot up. "That's as crazy an idea as using El Dorado."
Thomas, looked at me with a strange light in his eyes. "Sending an army of Templars inside those caves to search for an arch room that may or may not exist could be disastrous, especially with enemies that cannot die by the sword." He shook his head. "No. Commander Salazar and I will weigh the options and come up with a plan."
I sighed, though I couldn't blame him. El Dorado was the last place on Earth I wanted to return to. "At least talk to the Arcanes near El Dorado. There's a whole town of them. Maybe they'll know how to deal with this hex."
"I agree," Christian said. "I have their contact information."
"Then let us proceed." Thomas looked at Elyssa. "I suggest you get some R and R in the meantime."
"Yes, sir," Elyssa said. She took my hand and we exited the building. The streets were clear, save for a harried Templar or two jogging past with some important duty awaiting them. Or maybe they'd just eaten spicy Indian food and were looking for the nearest latrine.
I brainstormed for possibilities as we walked back to the cabin. Inside, Nightliss lay sleeping on the bed, her face still wan and pale. I'd hoped she might, at the very least, have some useful information, or use her angelic powers to zap the Templar army north.
Not gonna happen.
Nightliss had been Plan C. As with most of my plans, I'd probably end up using all the letters in the alphabet by the time it was all said and done.
"Might as well pack," Elyssa said. "When Thomas and Christian make a decision, it'll come down the pipeline fast."
"I really need to wash my clothes," I said, grabbing my duffel bag. It was the same one I'd used when escaping hellhounds as they attacked the home I grew up in. After returning to the States from Colombia the first time, Shelton had given it back to me. Inside it were all my remaining worldly possessions and a few thousand dollars in cash I'd raided from my parents' rainy day fund.
I turned the bag upside-down over the table, emptying all my clothes into a heap. I picked up a pair of shorts and sniffed them. Tossed them back into the bag. Sniffed a pair of boxers. Wrinkled my nose and tossed them on the floor.
Elyssa laughed. "That's disgusting."
I gave her a sheepish grin. "I meant to wash all this stuff, but Shelton didn't have a washer or dryer in his hideout." Within a couple of minutes, I was left with two pairs of tighty-whities, cargo shorts, and a single sock. Everything else smelled or looked dirty.
"You're in luck," Elyssa said, opening a door to the side of the kitchen to reveal a washer and dryer. She eyed the pile of dirty laundry and grimaced. "I think I'll let you handle it from here."
While I shoved in the load, Elyssa emptied out the other compartments on the duffel bag to make sure I wasn't missing anything. The companion sock to the lonely one on the table spilled out of an end pocket. Two large bundles of cash, my wallet, and an old folded piece of parchment tumbled from the others.
"What's this?" Elyssa asked, unfolding the thick yellowed parchment on the table.
I shrugged. "Meghan found it on Vadaemos when we brought him back to Atlanta. I figured it might be something important, but forgot about it."
"It's a map," she said. "A really old map."
When fully unfolded, it formed a rectangle two feet by three feet. Black ink outlined streets and buildings in what appeared to be a small town, or maybe a portion of a town. For all I knew, it was a map of Disney World. A black dotted line ran from the edge of the map and intersected a house, terminating in an "X".
"Is that where the treasure is buried?" I said, touching the mark and tracing my finger along it. "I'd definitely like to know how to get there."
The lines on the map shifted. I jerked my finger back and stared. "Did I imagine that?"
Elyssa shook her head. "I saw it, too."
The black lines soaked into the parchment, vanishing altogether. As if by an invisible artist, the map redrew itself, showing crooked little streets, and birds-eye outlines of buildings, detailed down to shingles and ridges. Trees, shrubs, and other details sketched themselves into place. The black outline of a stick figure appeared within the outline of a house. The invisible pen drew a dotted line, running down a nearby street and vanishing off the edge of the map.
"Whoa, this is trippy," I said.
"Wait a minute," Elyssa said. "I recognize those streets." She grabbed the map and ran outside the house. Stopped beneath a tree, and gaped at the map. "This is trippy. Look!"
I stared with disbelief. The stick figure had moved outside the house and now stood beneath the outline of a tree. "What kind of map is this?" I said.
"Show me a wider view," Elyssa said.
The map redrew itself, showing more of the surrounding area.
"Show me all of Bogota," she said.
Nothing happened.
"Show me this entire city."
Again, the map redrew itself. Though almost too fine and cluttered to make out, Bogota was clearly the city.
"Show me where I am," I said, and watched as the map circled our location. I looked at the amazed expression on Elyssa's face, certain my own looked about the same. A light bulb flickered on in my head. "Show me where Maximus is."
Nothing happened.
"I've seen a lot of crazy things," Elyssa said, "but I've never seen a magic map like this one."
"You told me about the Key of Juranthemon," I said. "And that it required a map to create new connections from one place to another. What if this is it? Maybe Vadaemos was hoping to find the key so he could stay one step ahead of everyone."
Elyssa said an unladylike word. "And I was so close to stealing it from Underborn."
"Where's the key you stole from him?" I asked.
She dug in her pocket and pulled out an old-school skeleton key. It was made of thick steel with a head shaped like a skull. Two rubies glittered in the eye sockets.
"It looks exactly like I imagined it," I said, taking it in my hand.
"It definitely didn't look like that when I took it," Elyssa said.
Our eyes met.
"Where's the place Underborn used it?"
We raced to an ancient stone building not far from the cabin. I took out the key. Put it in the old rusted lock. Pulled the door open.
Instead of the inside of the tiny building, the broken ruins of something massive greeted us. Elyssa poked her head through and gasped. She jerked back, as if afraid it might get cut off.
"That's the Coliseum. In Rome, Italy."
Chapter 32
"We've got a way to take the troops back to Atlanta," I said. "Holy crap, can you believe it?"
