The Pyramid of Souls (10 page)

   Siti leaned over to Isabella and whispered, "Who is this strange little man?"

   "Strange little man?" Sergei shouted. "I am the greatest black-market dealer the magical world has ever known! You need a chattering monkey? You call me. You need a dancing bear that can count to ten? You call me. You need a llama that can tap dance to the balalaika, you just speak into the ball! You need pizza and Chinese food at two in the morning? You call me! The name's Crazy Sergei. My prices are INSANE!"

   Atsu laughed. "I think every family has someone like Sergei. In our family, his name is Chisisi."

   Sergei chuckled. "I know Chisisi. He once cheated me in cards."

   "That doesn't surprise me," Atsu replied.

   "Come on. You want the African sniffer rat or not? I give you good deal, Kolya."

   "What is a sniffer rat?" Nick asked.

   "Trained to sniff anything. Like a bloodhound. I trained him with cheese balls. The sniffer rat is the real deal. Come on, Kolya. We're old pals. You and your family know me."

   "Indeed, we do," came Theo's voice from behind them. "No rats!"

   Nick whirled around. "Theo, I can explain."

   "You can explain how it is you came to be in my classroom, peering into crystal balls that belong to
me? Negotiating fo
r a rodent with Sergei? You can explain?" Theo towered over them, scowling.

   "We were trying to help."

   "Help do what?"

   "Recover the Pyramid of Souls," Nick said, swallowing. "We thought if we looked in the right crystal ball, we could find out who took it." He hesitated, already positive the raven lady stole it. "And then we could help get it back."

   "And you thought this ball, with the sphinxes, would tell you where it was," Theo finished for him.

   Nick nodded.

   "Do you really know how dangerous the loss of the Pyramid of Souls is?" Theo demanded, straightening his long robes.

   Nick looked at Isabella, and then at the twins. All four of them slowly shook their heads. "I mean, I know it's not good," Nick said.

   "Come along. All four of you! Sascha, my friend, you must remain." Theo snapped his fingers. It took no longer than a blink: Nick felt himself hurtling, and when he exhaled—and opened his eyes—he, Isabella, and the twins were standing next to Theo in a blazing hot desert.

   Camels clopped along, bending their funny knobby knees. There was sand beneath their feet, and the sky was cloudless and a pinkish-gray hue.

   Nick shielded his eyes. "Where are we?"

   "Sanctuary."

   Nick loosened the bow tie on his tuxedo. "It's so hot!"

   "Come," Theo said. "We will remedy that."

   In front of Nick, a huge pyramid rose up from the shifting sands. As they walked closer, the shadow it cast made the air a tiny bit cooler. The stones were tremendous, each one the size of a small room.

   Nick and Isabella followed Theo as he walked to a small doorway and stepped inside the pyramid. Atsu and Siti stood outside.

   "My sister feels it is best if she does not enter," said Atsu.

   Nick nodded. "I understand."

   Siti looked at him solemnly, her dark eyes filled with

sadness. "The true Great Pyramids were constructed from pain. Even if Sanctuary was constructed magically, there is too much history in her walls. I cannot touch the stones."

   "I will wait here with her," Atsu said.

   "See you soon, then," Nick said.

   The temperature dropped even more after a step or two inside the pyramid, and Nick blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dimness after the bright sun. He touched the stone walls. Hieroglyphics were carved deep into the rock. His fingers slid into the recesses of stone. The figures seemed to quiver in front of his eyes. He assumed it was his eyes adjusting to the interior of the pyramid after the brilliant light outside. Then Nick poked Isabella. "Look!"

   Sure enough, the figures moved. This wasn't just any pyramid—that would be amazing enough. Nick could feel magic all around them. Along the walls, as Nick and Isabella walked, flames from lanterns lit the way, casting the stone in an eerie orange glow. The hieroglyphic figures followed them on either side of the hall. They had a peculiar way of walking—their hands jutting out at right angles, their necks thrust forward. They walked rhythmically and in uniform fashion, like trained soldiers. Some of the figures had depictions of dogs, wolves, or birds with long legs beside them.

   "What is this place?" Nick whispered to Isabella.

   "It's part of Newton's Fourth Law," she said. "If you disappear in the real world, you must then equally appear in the mirror on the other side, the magical realm. You can't simply disappear into nothingness. We may be magical, but we are flesh and blood, too. We are matter. This space has been declared a Sanctuary."

   The passageway narrowed. Theo turned sideways, and so did Nick and Isabella. Now Nick heard murmured voices—and music. When they reached the end of the passage, they emerged in a cavernous room. A banquet table ran along one stone wall, laden with roasts and fancy dishes; at one end were cakes and pies and puddings set on silver platters.

   "This is like one of the all-you-can-eat buffets Grandpa takes me to," said Nick, smiling in spite of his nervousness. "Now
this is food I could dig in to." He looked at the platter
s and tureens. "And no borscht!" His mouth watered.

   All around, people in every kind of costume imaginable stood chatting. A string quartet played a whimsical waltz. Two men sat at one table, wearing tuxedos and playing a game of chess, only the pieces—complete with small horses for knights—were magical and moved themselves.

   "Who
are
all these people?" Nick whispered to Theo.

   "They are magicians. All of them are here, disappeared from the real world, for a time. It could be as part of an act. It could be because they are hiding."

   Nick spied a large lion with a magnificent golden mane sitting in the corner, gnawing on a juicy steak. "I guess someone made a lion disappear."

   "Exactly. So when you make Penelope and Isabella disappear, this is where they will come. And when you retrieve them, this is where you will get them."

   "Why do you call it Sanctuary?" Nick asked.

   Theo lowered his voice. "See that man over there?"

   Nick and Isabella looked in the direction he gestured. The man was dressed in a black suit and was playing a game of solitaire with quietly chattering cards.

   "Yes," Isabella whispered.

   "That man is D. B. Cooper."

   "Who's that?" Isabella asked.

   "He's a Magickeeper—and an outlaw. He jumped out of a plane with $200,000 and was never seen or heard from again."

   Nick stared at the man. "How long has he been missing?"

   "Over thirty years."

   "Has he been here all that time?"

   "No. It is not wise to stay in Sanctuary for a long time. But the fact is, the Magickeepers are furious with him. He called attention to us—unwanted attention. Sure, he tried to cover it up by parachuting, but then he disappeared…and for what reason? For a mere $200,000? It was for the thrill. But"—Theo lowered his voice even more—"in Sanctuary, all are respected. No fights may occur here. It's a neutral zone. So even though D. B. Cooper angered the Magickeepers, here…nothing is said."

   "Though no one is playing cards with him," Isabella noticed.

   "That's because he is a sore loser," whispered Theo.

   "Can Shadowkeepers come here?" Nick asked.

   "No. This is hallowed ground. They would not be comfortable here for long. But out in the desert, I believe they could strike."

   Nick watched as a woman in a dazzling magician's assistant costume—all sequins and feathers and glitter—said good-bye to the people nearest her and promptly disappeared.

   "So," said Theo, "now that you know where things go when they disappear, it should be easier for you to make Penelope disappear."

   "What about the Pyramid of Souls?"

   "The pyramids have great meaning to Magickeepers. We are all descended from the original Magickeepers of ancient Egypt. If the Pyramid of Souls was brought here, to hallowed ground and someone collected souls from here, it would—be deadly. No one would expect an assault in Sanctuary. No defensive arts. No battleground here. We must find that relic."

   "So who do you think took the Pyramid of Souls, Theo?"

   "The Shadowkeepers. But surely they don't want just any soul. They are hoping to capture an important soul." Theo stared down at Nick meaningfully.

   Nick bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't like the sound of that. Rasputin, the evil leader of the Shadowkeepers, seemed very intent on having Nick join him. And if Nick wouldn't join him…then Rasputin wanted to destroy him. Nick just didn't know why he was so important.

   The three made their way back through the narrow staircase and out into the desert. Collecting Siti and Atsu, Theo swept his hand, and again, in the space of time it took Nick to blink, he felt a
whoosh in the pit of his stomach and foun
d himself standing back in their classroom.

   Theo said, "Now, all four of you, off to bed. Let me worry about the Pyramid of Souls. There's been enough excitement for the night."

   Nick had no intention of falling asleep. From experience, he knew that when it came to magic—his family's magic—the "excitement" was probably just beginning. And so was the danger. He was determined to make sure, once again, that the Shadowkeepers didn't get what they were after…whatever that was.

In the middle of the night, Nick felt as if he couldn't breathe. When he jolted himself awake, and realized he
had
fallen asleep despite himself. Then he realized Sascha's two front paws were leaning on his chest. Isabella was next to her, poking Nick in the arm.

   "Haven't you heard of knocking?" Nick grumbled.

   "Couldn't chance anyone else hearing us."

   "What do you want, Isabella?" He ran his hands through his hair and pushed aside Sascha's paws.

   "I need you to teach me to sword fight."

   He sat up and frowned at his cousin. "Are you insane?"

   "No. You saw Maria. I think she is here for me. And what if she and that raven woman have the Pyramid of Souls? What if she captures me?"

"Isabella, no one is going to let that happen."

   "Just the same, I want to be able to fight. I'll show them that I'm not a little girl anymore. That I'm as strong as you—as strong as anyone!"

   "Isabella, I don't think that's a good idea. Damian and Theo—they're tightening security. Everyone is looking for the Pyramid of Souls. No one is going to let anything happen to you." He nodded at the tiger. "Sascha would never let anything bad happen to you."

   "But don't you see, Nick? Other tigers have died in this battle. I could never let anything happen to Sascha. It's the other way around. She's like my sister. I could never let her defend me to the death."

   Nick looked into the tiger's eerie blue eyes. Then he looked into his cousin's eyes. All he saw was determination.

   "No," he said, equally determined. "Swords? No, Isabella. They're dangerous. You would have to ask Boris."

   "Boris thinks I am a baby. Besides, he scares me."

   "He scares everyone. His legs are as thick as tree trunks. He's huge!"

   "Precisely, so you need to teach me."

   "Look, if Boris found out I was teaching you and not him, it would be my head!"

   "If you don't teach me, I'll teach myself!"

   Nick sighed. "You are the most stubborn girl I have ever met!"

"I'll take that as a compliment."

   Nick climbed from his bed. He checked on Vladimir, who was usually hungry at night. His pudgy little hedgehog tended to munch on vegetables, cooked meats, and fruit. But ever since Isabella had told him that Vlad liked worms, Nick put some extra-tasty (at least, he assumed they were tasty!) mealworms in the hedgehog's cage. He patted his pet on his soft little snout. He was trying to think—trying to buy some time to figure out how to talk Isabella out of her crazy scheme.

   "If you're trying to stall, it won't work," his cousin said.

   "All right!" he relented. He knew better that to try to outstubborn his cousin. Together, they left his room and tiptoed down the darkened hallway to Boris's training room, with Sascha right behind them.

   "If Boris catches us, he'll make Damian look like a teddy bear," Nick whispered.

   The two of them gently pushed open the door and stepped into the room, which looked a bit like a karate studio, with hardwood floors ready for training. The difference was the array of swords gleaming on the wall. Boris had hundreds: long and pointed, short and dagger-like. Their metals were shining silver and gold. Some were encrusted with gemstones. Most of them had writing on the hilts or blades—ancient ciphers and symbols from languages long forgotten.

All of them were magical.