I hope this goes quickly, she thought. Ivy Sinclair had been
running as hard as the others for the last 48 hours.
After getting off the plane, they had slipped the noose of the various
investigators commissioned to invest investigate the skyjacking. A train
had carried them from Madrid and through the mountainous Pyrenees into
France.
Now they had
arrived in Paris and Fergus was on the phone to his family. It
wouldn't be long before a car could be sent for them and they would
then be
transported to his family's estate in the Vinelands.
As she and Alexandra Sullivan waited at the snack bar, the bustle
of the busy train station surrounded them. All these places,
Ivy thought. Before now I'd never left New York City; now my fake
passport has as many stamps as a seasoned tourist!
A commotion out front drew everyone's attention. A French police
sedan, followed by an ambulance, raced past and stopped just outside.
Clearly there been some kind of accident.
"Alex", she said. "I have to see what's happening."
"Are you sure?" replied Alexandra nervously. Obviously, Alex was
concerned. They had kept a low profile up till now, and it would be
best to stay to themselves.
But Ivy new better. The spirit inside her, her Tem'ak, drove her
forward. She must reach out to those unfortunate souls in the street
outside.
------------
The crowd gathered in front of her and she could barely get close
enough to the accident ahead. An ambulance and a number of police
vehicles were there and Ivy could tell that an accident had occurred
involving another car. It had careened up onto the sidewalk.
As she approached through the crowd, a small girl appeared before
her. She appeared to be about 10 years old and was dressed in a blue
jumper and light gingham shirt.
"Are you all right?" asked Ivy as she knelt down.
The child looked to her and said, "My family is afraid, but I am
all right now. I have a message for you."
Ivy had been scanning the crowd looking for a path through. The
child's words suddenly drew her attention. "What did you say?".
The child's face took on a strange countenance. She seemed to grow
very serious as she looked deeply into Ivy's eyes.
In her small voice, she
said:
"Make ready to do my bidding. A mortal is causing a great
disturbance in the Ma'at. The scales of fate and destiny are being
altered. You are ordered to seek this mortal and return his soul to the underworld."
The child's head seemed to move suddenly, as if by violent force.
It lasted but a moment, yet was enough to shock Ivy even further. The
voice then changed and took on a deeper, masculine sound:
"Failure in this matter will bring you to the attention of Osiris
himself. I suggest that you do not fail in this matter. In addition, two other servitors
have disappeared. We wish to know where they have gone. We feel the
disturbance is centered on the Dessler Building. You must go to Berlin
and return to me when you have done your work."
Ivy barely had a chance to digest what had just occurred when the
little girl suddenly turned and hurried back into the throng of people. Ivy
followed, pushing her way through, realizing she did not know the child's name to
call out to her.
She reached a policeman and quickly told him that she was a medic and
wanted to help. Looking over his shoulder to view the scene of the
accident, she could hear his voice close to her ear. "There's no helping them now,
Mademoiselle." he said in a deep French accent. "At least not the little one."
Ivy could see on the wet ground where the passenger car had skipped
the pavement. With bereaved family and onlookers gazing down,
paramedics were even now drawing a sheet over the body of the small
child to whom Ivy had spoken just moments ago.
The south of France would have to wait. The champions were needed
...now.
