Emerald Crystals
Author's Note:
Wow it already is 2015, and the second book of the Elemental Remix of the Kane Chronicles has been started. I'd love to thank all of my readers throughout 2014 as I had at least 2.2k+ readers in a little under the time six months as I started writing in late June. To all those who have followed, favorite-d, and commented on Drops Of Emeralds, here is the sequel: Emerald Crystals. I'd like to thank all my comment-ers: Rose-chan (Guest), ObeliskX, Rozie Lynn (Guest), Nyan Cat (Guest), medolia1, Medolia, and bandcrazy01.
On the topic of the first book, I have lost my Beta, due to not setting a limit on how many words per chapter, and I have set my Maximum word range from 5k-6k words. Though my beta did say that they wanted more time with their own story so that makes sense to me, so on the note I am free for a new Beta, so if you'd like to Beta this story, just PM me. Oh yeah, The Throne of Fire only has 24 chapters so I plan to do 2 chapters for each update,-both-of-these-chapters-in-this-update-were-originally-in-Carter's-Pov-So-I-Re-wrote-them-into-Spencer's-PoV.
Disclaimer:
I only own Spencer, Ethan, Luke and the idea for this series.
Chapter 1
(1. Fun with Spontaneous Combustion- Translated into Spencer's PoV)
Hi, it's Spencer here. My brother is explaining about what has happened since last Christmas where we lost our dad, due to him summoning Osiris and since the demon days and Set has been contained… I need to start over, you might not have listened to the first recording Carter and I put out, but let me explain something here: Egyptian gods and goddesses are running loose around the modern world; a group of magicians called the House of Life is trying to stop them; everyone seems to hate Carter and I; and a big snake is about to swallow the sun and destroy the world. I then proceeded to punch my older brother for being well, let's just say an annoyance. I know I should stop and try not to scare you with all this information and all, but you should be scared. I should let you choose what to believe is right and understand how Brooklyn when up in flames.
-X-
The task was supposed to be simple: sneak into the Brooklyn Museum, borrow a certain Egyptian artifact and get out without getting caught, we would have returned the artifact soon or later, probably the latter of the two, then again four kids in black ninja clothing did look suspicious, especially if you put Khufu our baboon who was also wearing ninja garb, trying to blend in with his golden fur, definitely suspicious. The first thing we did was send our trainees Jaz and Walt to open the side window, while Carter, Khufu and I examined the big glass dome that was supposed to be our exit strategy, well it wasn't looking too good. It was well after dark and the museum was supposed to be closed, but instead the dome was glowing with light. Down below us hundreds of people where tuxidoes and evening gowns mingled and danced in a ballroom the size of an airplane hangar.
Unlike my brother, I wasn't freezing in my linen pajamas, with my specialty combt boots that never leave my sight. I was undoing the locks on the dome humming to a song from "The Wall" CD by: Pink Floyd on my iPod. My red highlight matched my mood very well. I was thankful my older brother and I didn't look alike, because I did want the option of denying he is my history crazy older brother. I saw my brother say something so I pulled out my earbuds to hear him.
"You said the museum was empty." He complained as he repeated what he said before.
"I thought it was supposed to be empty," I replied, I was agitated that I was starting to lose my British accent and I would never admit that to Carter. "The Website said it was supposed to be closed and mention nothing of the wedding being held tonight on it!"
He looked down and observed the scenery over again, he must have spotted the ugly peach colored bridesmaid dresses by now, or the humongous cake. Khufu rapped his baboon hand on the glass, even with the black clothes, it was hard for him to blend into the shadows with his golden fur, and not to mention his rainbow-colored nose and rear-end. He grunted out a suggestion on how to blend in at the wedding.
"Khufu's right, we'll have a hard enough time sneaking out thought the party, so perhaps if we pretended to be a maintenance crew—"
"Yeah right." He replied smartly. "'Excuse us. Four kids coming through with a three-ton statue. Just going to float it through this here roof. Don't mind us'"
I rolled my eyes and pulled out my wand—a curved length of ivory carved with pictures of monster and I pointed it towards the dome. A golden hieroglyph blazed, and the last padlock popped open.
"Well, if we aren't going to use this as an exit, then why am I opening it? Couldn't we just come out the same way we came in?" I asked
Carter shook his head. "No I told you, it is too big to fit through that window. Plus the traps—"
"Couldn't we just try again tomorrow?" I asked
He shook his head again. "Tomorrow the whole exhibit is getting boxed up and shipped off on tour."
I raised my eyebrows in annoyance, "Perhaps if someone had given me more notice that we would have need to steal this statue—"
"Forget it." He cut me off as if knowing this arguing on the roof would get us nowhere. It was a few moments of silence before I decided that it was safe to speak again.
"So let's just stick the plan. Go through the side window, find the statue, and float it out through the ballroom. We'll figure out what to do with the wedding party when we get to that, maybe create a diversion."
Carter frowned. "A diversion?"
"Carter, brother dear, you simply worry too much." I replied. "Unless, perhaps you have another idea?" I bet Carter didn't have a clue for another idea. I could tell that he was babbling in his head for a long time before I popped up again and asked the imposing idea and push on and don't hope for errors to occur.
"Yeah, I guess so then." He replied glumly.
"Bloody lovely," I replied. "Khufu, I want you to watch to stay here and keep watch, okay? Open the dome when you see us come up, okay?"
Khufu nodded his head. "Agh!"
I could tell that Carter wasn't comfortable with what was about to go down.
"Come on," Carter pulled my hand. "Let's go see how Jaz and Walt are doing."
He pulled me to the ledge outside the 3rd floor, which housed the Egyptian collection. Jaz and Walt had done their work perfectly, they had duct taped the Sons of Horus statues around the edges of the window and painted hieroglyphs around the edges of the glass to counteract the mortal security system. As Carter and I landed near them, they seemed to be in somewhat of a serious conversation and Jaz, was holding Walt's hands making me squirm in my thoughts, [Thought I will NEVER admit to Carter!] Why would I even care? Okay a little after New Year's, when Carter and I sent out our djed amulet beacon to attract kids with magic potential to our house, they had been the first respond and arrived at house headquarters. They'd been training with us for over 7 weeks, longer than anyone else, so we'd gotten to know them pretty well.
Jaz was a cheerleader from Nashville, her name was short for Jasmine, but don't EVER call her that unless you want to get turned into a shrub. She was pretty in a blonde cheerleader sort of way—but not really my type—but you couldn't help but like her, none the less. She had a talent for healing magic, too; so she was great to have around when you got in trouble, which was us 99.9% of the time for us. Tonight, she was wearing a black bandanna, tied up her hair; she had her magician's bag slung over her shoulder, which had the symbol of the lion goddess. She was just telling Walt that we'd figure it out when Carter and I dropped down next to them, and Walt was looking embarrassed about what Jaz had said.
Walt, how to explain him without getting a nosebleed? Let's see, he's the same age as Carter, tall enough to play varsity. Who knew hanging around my brother would cause me to learn stuff I hadn't known before? His skin tone was a little darker than Carter's, his hair was buzz cut, so it was really short. He was wearing a black sleeveless tee and workout shorts, apparently his magic wasn't affected by it, and we didn't argue since he was a natural sau—a charm maker. So a bunch of gold neck chains with magic amulets hung around his neck. Once Walt had noticed that we'd interrupted their conversation, Walt let go of Jaz's hands real quickly and backed away from her. I could feel my eyes watch both of them, trying to figure out what was going on between the two of them.
Walt then stated the window was ready, trying to break the awkward silence. I calmly thanked Walt and asked what they'd meant by: we'd figure it out. Jaz looked as if she was a fish out of water, which Walt quickly butted in saying that it was The Book of Ra, which Jaz had then reacted saying it was The Book of Ra. I could really tell they were lying, but I let it slide. Carter butted in before I could strike up a new conversation.
"Okay, let's go and begin this fun." Carter spoke up opening the window, no magical explosions or alarms.
We entered the Egyptian wing with ease and I let out a long slow sigh of relief. As we made it through the first room, passing through the Egyptian-styled Zodiac mural on the ceiling; I could hear the celebration going on in the grand ballroom down the hallway to our right. Music and laughter echoed through the building. In the second Egyptian room, we stopped in front of a stone frieze the size of a garage door and chiseled into the rock was a picture of a monster trampling some humans. Jaz then asked if the monster was a griffin and Carter replied that it was the Egyptian version.
The animal had a lion's body and the head of a falcon, but its wings weren't like your ordinary griffin pictures. Instead of having bird wings, the monster's wings ran across the top of its back—Long, horizontal, and bristly like a pair of upside-down steel brushes, If the monster could've flown at all, they would've moved like a butterfly's, I suspected. Carter then spoke out that Griffins were protectors and they guarded treasures and stuff.
"So you mean that they attack for example: thieves, breaking into museums and stealing artifacts?" I asked.
"It's just a frieze." Carter replied, which wasn't really helping.
"There." Walt pointed towards a point across the room. "That's it, correct?'
We all made a wide arc while walking around the griffin and walked towards the 8 foot statue in the middle of the room, the god was carved from black stone and dressed in typical Egyptian style: Bare-chested, with a kilt and sandals, he had the face of a ram and horns that had partially broken off over time. On his head was a Frisbee-shaped crown—a sun disk, braided with serpents. I squinted toward the hieroglyphs inscription trying to read what it said.
"KNM" I read. "I suppose that would be pronounced Khnum, it rhymes with ka-boom?"
Carter nodded trying to figure out how it would help us find The Book of Ra. Walt asked about the child in front of the god, which Jaz had answered that Khnum had been the god that made humans out of clay, she then looked at Carter to double-check if she was right. Carter seemed off when he answered her. I made a joke of the god being the God of Moose, since he reminded me of Bullwinkle. Carter then corrected me telling me it wasn't the god of moose. He then explained that Khnum was one of the aspects of Ra.
Jaz looked totally confused even after Carter explained it and I gave a furthered example, which Carter then promptly told me to shut up. Walt then asked why we needed The Book of Ra so badly, which Carter hesitated. After Carter and Walt discussed the Scarab, I got an idea and tapped the god's amulet which opened into four parts and a little yellow papyrus scroll was sticking out.
"Voilà." I exclaimed proudly and pulled the scroll out of the amulet.
The scroll must have been booby-trapped, because as soon as I pulled it out, cracked appeared on the walls and a fire began burning a ghostly white flame appeared and when I tried to shake it out it just spread to a display case nearby and oh crap when it reached the Griffin at the entrance, you could hear a blood-curling scream from the beast and I knew what my brother was thinking: Spencer found the diversion.
"Get it off!" I screamed the scroll was stuck to my hand.
(2. We Tame a Seven-Thousand pound Hummingbird)
Since we had given up our merge with the gods it made it harder to do normal stuff, much less protect ourselves from the monster that the scroll had awoken. The griffin was twice the size of a regular lion; the reddish-gold fur coated with limestone dust, its tail was studded with spiky feathers; that looked hard and sharp as daggers. With a single flick, it pulverized the stone slab it had been encased in, its bristly wings were now straight up on its back and when the griffin move they fluttered so fast, they blurred and buzzed like wings of the world's largest, most vicious hummingbird. The griffin fixed its hunger eyes upon me, the white flames were still engulfing my hand and the scroll, and the griffin seemed to take it as a challenge. I had heard a lot of my brother's falcon cries when he was a falcon—but when this monster opened its mouth and let out a glass rattling screech.
"Spencer, drop the scroll, NOW!" Carter said.
"Hello? It's stuck to my hand!" I protested. "And did I mention, I'M ON FIRE!"
Some of the patches of the ghost fire were now burning across all the windows and artifacts now the scroll seemed to have triggered every single reservoir of Egyptian magic it could find, and I was pretty sure that was bad. Walt and Jaz stood frozen in shock, then again this was their first monster. The griffin took a step towards me. Carter was standing next to me and pulled out his weapon an Egyptian khopesh, a sharp, hook shaped-blade. I must've looked like the Statue of Liberty to my brother with my hand in flames, but I managed to summon my staff covered with hieroglyphs. I then asked Carter if he had any hints on fighting griffins and he had responded by telling me to avoid the sharp points. Not much help, brother dear.
"Bloody brilliant, dear brother." I replied.
"Walt," Carter called. "Check the windows and see if you can open any of them.
"B-but they're cursed." Walt replied
"Yes, and if we try to exit through the ballroom, the griffin will eat us before we get there."
"I'll check the windows then."
"Jaz, help Walt."
"The markings on the windows," Jaz muttered. "I—I've seen them before—"
"Just help him!"
The griffin proceeded to lung, its wings buzzing like chain saws. I through my staff and it turned into a tiger mid-air, slamming into the griffin with its claws unsheathed, but the griffin wasn't impressed and knocked the tiger aside, then it lashed out at an unnatural speed, opening its beak impossibly wide and snapped my staff. The griffin gulped and burped, and the tiger was gone.
"That was my favorite staff!" I cried.
The griffin then turned its eyes toward Carter, he gripped his sword tightly and it began to glow. "Walt!" He yelled. "How's the window coming?"
"Trying it now," Walt replied.
"H-hold on," Jaz said nervously. "Those are the Symbols of Sekhmet. Walt, stop now!"
Then a lot of things happened at once, Walt opened the window and got blasted with a roar of a white flame, knock him to the floor, and Jaz ran to his side. The griffin lost interest in Carter and paid attention to the moving target—Jaz—and proceeded to lung at her.
Carter charged after it, but instead of snapping up our friends, the griffin soared straight over Walt and Jaz and slammed into the window. Jaz pulled Walt out of the way while the griffin went crazy, thrashing and biting at the white flames. It was trying to attack the fire. The griffin snapped at the air. It spun, knocking over a display case of shabti. Its tail smashed a sarcophagus to pieces.
I'm not sure what possessed me, but Carter yelled, "Stop it!"
The griffin froze. It turned toward him, cawing in irritation. A curtain of white fire raced away and burned in the corner of the room, almost like it was regrouping. Then carter noticed other fires coming together, forming burning shapes that were vaguely human. One looked right at him, and Carter sensed an unmistakable aura of malice.
"Carter, keep its attention." I said as I hadn't noticed the fiery shapes, my eyes were still fixed on the griffin as she pulled a length of magic twine from her pocket. "If I can just get close enough—"
"Spencer, wait." I tried to process what was going on. Walt was flat on his back, shivering. His eyes were glowing white, as if the fire had gotten inside him. Jaz knelt over him, muttering a healing spell.
"RAAAWK!" The griffin croaked plaintively as if asking permission—as if it was obeying my order to stop, but didn't like it.
The fiery shapes were getting brighter, more solid. I counted seven blazing figures, slowly forming legs and arms. Seven figures…Jaz had said something about the symbols of Sekhmet. Dread settled over me as I realized what kind of curse was really protecting the museum. The griffin's release had just been accidental. It wasn't the real problem.
I threw my twine.
"Wait!" Carter yelled, but it was too late. The magic twine whipped through the air, elongating into a rope as it raced toward the griffin.
The griffin squawked indignantly and leaped after the fiery shapes. The fire creatures scattered, and a game of total annihilation tag was on. The griffin buzzed around the room, its wings humming. Display cases shattered. Mortal alarms blared. I yelled at the griffin to stop, but this time it did no good.
Out of the corner of Carter's eye, he saw Jaz collapse, maybe from the strain of her healing spell. "Spencer!" Carter yelled. "Help her!"
I ran to Jaz's side and Carter chased the griffin; he looked like a total fool in his black pajamas with his glowing sword, tripping over broken artifacts and screaming orders at a giant hummingbird-cat.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, half a dozen party guests came around the corner to see what the noise was about. Their mouths fell open. A lady in a peach-colored dress screamed. The seven white fire creatures shot straight through the wedding guests, who instantly collapsed. The fires kept going, whipping around the corner toward the ballroom. The griffin flew after them.
Carter glanced back at me, who was kneeling over Jaz and Walt. "How are they?"
"Walt is coming around," I said, "but Jaz is out cold."
"Follow me when you can. I think I can control the griffin."
"Carter, are you mad? Our friends are hurt and I've got a flaming scroll stuck to my hand. The windows open. Help me get Jaz and Walt out of here!"
I had a point. This might be our only chance to get our friends out alive. But I also knew what those seven fires were now, and I knew that if I didn't go after them, a lot of innocent people were going to get hurt.
Carter muttered an Egyptian curse—the cussing kind, not the magic kind—and he ran to join the wedding party. The main ballroom was in chaos. Guests were running everywhere, screaming and knocking over tables. A guy in a tuxedo had fallen into the wedding cake and was crawling around with a plastic bride-and-groom decoration stuck to his rear. A musician was trying to run away with a snare drum on his foot. The white fires had solidified enough so that he could make out their forms—somewhere between canine and human, with elongated arms and crooked legs. They glowed like superheated gas as they raced through the ballroom, circling the pillars that surrounded the dance floor. One passed straight through a bridesmaid. The lady's eyes turned milky white, and she crumpled to the floor, shivering and coughing. Suddenly the griffin swooped down out of nowhere, followed closely by my magic rope, which was still trying to bind it. The griffin snapped up one of the fire creatures in a single gulp and kept flying. Wisps of smoke came out of its nostrils, but otherwise, eating the white fire didn't seem to bother it.
"Hey!" Carter yelled.
The griffin turned toward him, which slowed it down just enough for my magic rope to wrap around its back legs.
"SQUAWWWWK!" The griffin crashed into a buffet table. The rope grew longer, winding around the monster's body while its high-speed wings shredded the table, the floor, and plates of sandwiches like an out-of-control wood chipper.
Wedding guests began clearing the ballroom. Most ran for the elevators, but dozens were unconscious or shaking in fits, their eyes glowing white. Others were stuck under piles of debris. Alarms were blaring, and the white fires—six of them now—were still completely out of control.
Carter ran toward the griffin, which was rolling around, trying in vain to bite at the rope. "Calm down!" He yelled. "Let me help you, stupid!"
"FREEEEK!" The griffin's tail swept over my head and just missed decapitating him.
The griffin stopped thrashing. The buzzing of its wings slowed. Chaos and screaming still filled the ballroom, but he tried to stay calm as he approached the monster.
"You recognize me, don't you?" Carter held out his hand, and another symbol blazed above his palm—a symbol he could always summon, the Eye of Horus. "You're a sacred animal of Horus, aren't you? That's why you obey me."
The griffin blinked at the war god's mark. It ruffled its neck feathers and squawked in complaint, squirming under the rope that was slowly wrapping around its body.
"Yeah, I know," He said. "My brother's a loser. Just hang on. I'll untie you."
Somewhere behind Carter, I yelled, "Carter!"
Carter turned and saw Walt and I stumbling toward me, half-carrying Jaz between them. I was still doing my Statue of Liberty impression, holding the flaming scroll in one hand. Walt was on his feet and his eyes weren't glowing anymore, but Jaz was slumped over like all the bones in her body had turned to jelly. They dodged a fiery spirit and a few crazy wedding guests and somehow made it across the ballroom.
Walt stared the griffin. "How did you calm it down?"
"Griffins are servants of Horus," I said. "They pulled his chariot in battle. I think it recognized my connection to him."
The griffin shrieked impatiently and thrashed its tail, knocking over a stone column.
"Not very calm," I noticed and glanced up at the glass dome, forty feet above, where the tiny figure of Khufu was waving at us frantically. "We need to get Jaz out of here now," I said.
"I'm fine," Jaz muttered.
"No, you're not," Walt said. "Carter, she got that spirit out of me, but it almost killed her. It's some kind of sickness demon—"
"Abau," I said. "An evil spirit. These seven are called—"
"The Arrows of Sekhmet," Jaz said, confirming my fears. "They're plague spirits, born from the goddess. I can stop them."
"You can rest," I said.
"Right," Carter said. "Spencer, get this rope off the griffin and—"
"There's no time." Jaz pointed. The bau were getting larger and brighter. More wedding guests were falling as the spirits whipped around the room unchallenged.
"They'll die if I don't stop the bau," Jaz said. "I can channel the power of Sekhmet and force them back to the Duat. It's what I've been training for."
Carter hesitated and I knew Jaz had never tried such a large spell. She was already weak from healing Walt, but she was trained for this. It might seem strange that healers studied the path of Sekhmet, but since Sekhmet was the goddess of destruction, plagues, and famine, it made sense that healers would learn how to control her forces—including bau.
Besides, even if I freed the griffin, I wasn't one hundred percent sure I could control it. There was a decent chance it would get excited and gobble us up rather than the spirits. Outside, police sirens were getting louder. We were running out of time.
"We've got no choice," Jaz insisted. She pulled her wand and then—much to my shock—gave Walt a kiss on the cheek. "It'll be okay, Walt. Don't give up." Jaz took something else from her magician's bag—a wax figurine—and pressed it into my free hand. "You'll need this soon, Spencer. I'm sorry I can't help you more. You'll know what to do when the time comes."
Jaz ran to the center of the ballroom and touched her wand to the floor, drawing a circle of protection around her feet. From her bag she produced a small statue of Sekhmet, her patron goddess, and held it aloft. She began to chant. Red light glowed around her. Tendrils of energy spread out from the circle, filling the room like the branches of a tree. The tendrils began to swirl, slowly at first, then picking up speed until the magic current tugged at the bau, forcing them to fly in the same direction, drawing them toward the center. The spirits howled, trying to fight the spell. Jaz staggered, but she kept chanting, her face beaded with sweat.
"Can't we help her?" Walt asked.
"RAWWWWK!" the griffin cried, which probably meant, Helloooo! I'm still here!
The sirens sounded like they were right outside the building now. Down the hall near the elevators, someone was shouting into a megaphone, ordering the last wave of wedding guests to exit the building—like they needed encouragement. The police had arrived, and if we got arrested, this situation was going to be difficult to explain.
"Spencer," Carter said, "get ready to dispel the rope on the griffin. Walt, you still got your boat amulet?"
"My—? Yeah. But there's no water."
"Just summon the boat!" Carter then dug through his pockets and found his own magic twine. He spoke a charm and was suddenly holding a rope about twenty feet long and he made a loose slipknot in the middle, like a huge necktie, and carefully approached the griffin. "I'm just going to put this around your neck," He said. "Don't freak."
"FREEEEK!" the griffin said.
Carter stepped closer, conscious of how fast that beak could snap him up if it wanted to, but he managed to loop the rope around the griffin's neck.
Then something went wrong. Time slowed down. The red swirling tendrils of Jaz's spell moved sluggishly, like the air had turned to syrup. The screams and sirens faded to a distant roar.
You won't succeed, a voice hissed.
Carter turned and found himself face-to-face with a bau. It hovered in the air a few inches away, its fiery white features almost coming into focus and it seemedto smile. Chaos is too powerful, boy, it said. The world spins beyond your control. Give up your quest!
"Shut up," He murmured, but his heart was pounding.
You'll never find her, the spirit taunted. She sleeps in the Place of Red Sand, but she will die there if you follow your pointless quest.
"No," He said. "You're a demon, a deceiver."
You know better, boy. We've met before.
"Shut up!" Carter summoned the Eye of Horus, and the spirit hissed. Time sped up again. The red tendrils of Jaz's spell wrapped around the bau and pulled it screaming into the vortex. No one else seemed to have noticed what just happened.
I was playing defense, swatting at bau with my flaming scroll whenever they got close. Walt set his boat amulet on the ground and spoke the command word. In a matter of seconds, like one of those crazy expand-in-water sponge toys, the amulet grew into a full-size Egyptian reed boat, lying across the ruins of the buffet table. With shaking hands, Carter took the two ends of the griffin's new necktie and tied one end to the boat's prow and one to the stern.
"Carter, look!" I called.
Carter turned in time to see a flash of blinding red light. The entire vortex collapsed inward, sucking all six bau into Jaz's circle. The light died. Jaz fainted, her wand and the Sekhmet statue both crumbling to dust in her hands. We ran to her. Her clothes were steaming. I couldn't tell if she was breathing.
"Get her into the boat," Carter said. "We have to get out of here."
I heard a tiny grunt from far above. Khufu had opened the dome. He gestured urgently as searchlights swept the sky above him. The museum was probably surrounded by emergency vehicles. All around the ballroom, afflicted guests were starting to regain consciousness. Jaz had saved them, but at what cost? We carried her to the boat and climbed in.
"Hold on tight," Carter warned. "This thing is not balanced. If it flips—"
"Hey!" a deep male voice yelled behind us. "What are you—Hey! Stop!"
"Spencer, rope, now!" Carter said.
I snapped her fingers, and the rope entangling the griffin dissolved.
"GO!" Carter shouted. "UP!"
"FREEEEK!" The griffin revved its wings. We lurched into the air, the boat rocking crazily, and shot straight for the open dome. The griffin barely seemed to notice our extra weight. It ascended so fast, Khufu had to make a flying leap to get on board. I pulled him into the boat, and we held on desperately, trying not to capsize.
"Agh!" Khufu complained.
"Yeah," Carter agreed. "So much for an easy job."
Then again, we were the Kane family. This was the easiest day we were going to have for quite a while. Somehow, our griffin knew the right way to go. He screamed in triumph and soared into the cold rainy night. As we flew toward home, my scroll burned brighter. When I looked down, ghostly white fires were blazing across every rooftop in Brooklyn. I began to wonder exactly what we'd stolen—if it was even the right object, or if it would make our problems worse. Either way, I had a feeling we'd finally pushed our luck too far.