‘How?’ I jumped in.
‘There are stories about a poison there – either in the serpent’s bite or within the apple, depending on which version you want to believe, but something in that garden changed humans from being as indestructible as angels to the mortals we are now.’ He looked away and didn’t seem comfortable with the conversation. ‘I’ll do some research.’
Evelyn shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, but there’s no book that has such details in it.’
Dapper gave her a condescending sniff. ‘Yes, there is.’
Evelyn stood. ‘No, there is not! We hunted this potion for over fifty years. The only chance of ever finding a written reference to it went up in flames a long time ago, along with the–’
‘Library of Alexandria?’ Dapper cut her off with raised eyebrows.
Her eyes widened. ‘Yes. Who are you?’
Dapper moved over to the minibar, grabbed a towel, and started to polish it while casting suspicious glances towards Evelyn and Dad, before finally settling his gaze on me.
I nodded, interpreting his unspoken question. ‘He’s my dad, Dapper, you can trust him.’
He went back to polishing. ‘And her?’
I gnawed on my lip and decided on the truth. ‘Still deciding. But I can give you my word that I’ll protect your secrets if she betrays you.’
I ignored the stunned look on Dad’s face and the almost-proud one on Evelyn’s.
‘Good enough for me,’ Dapper responded, putting down the towel. ‘I’m human. A descendant of the first patriarchs.’
‘The first patriarchs?’ Griffin repeated, as if the connection made all the difference.
Dapper nodded.
Griffin looked taken aback. ‘The first patriarch’s line ended with the flood,’ he murmured, as if mentally running through history.
‘That’s what we thought, too,’ Evelyn said, equally shocked. ‘And we looked, believe me.’ Her expression morphed to one of suspicion.
Dapper gave a knowing smile. ‘Not my fault you couldn’t find us. We’re very good at remaining unnoticed.’
Griffin looked at the rest of us, less historically blessed. ‘The first patriarchs were the direct descendants of Adam – the bloodline that flowed all the way down to Noah. They had certain unique qualities, including lifespans that stretched to almost one thousand years – but they were all thought to have been wiped out by the flood.’
‘But isn’t Phoenix a descendant of Adam?’ I asked.
Griffin nodded. ‘He is, but Adam impregnated Lilith before Original Sin – from the immortal version of humanity. The first patriarchs descend from Adam in his mortal state, and from his mortal partner. It is they who are the forefathers of humanity as we know it.’
Dapper sighed, and I felt his fear at finally letting this secret out. ‘After the flood, the bloodline continued in secret. Our family tree is extensive and our role has remained the same – collectors and scribes of knowledge, our lives are extended in order that we can provide as much service as possible. Our purpose is to remain in the background; we never take sides and only document events.’
‘That’s why you never wanted to get involved,’ I said, feeling guilty yet again that we had dragged him into our messes.
He shrugged. ‘Old habits. But I long ago left my position as patriarch to other, more willing, family members. I am, for all intents and purposes, just a long-lived barman with some regenerative powers that I can sometimes share.’ He glanced at Steph and Onyx.
Onyx threw back a shot of something and slammed the glass back on the bar. He’d just realised it was Dapper who’d healed him after the exile attack. Steph’s hand went to her face. She’d made the same connection.
‘What is this book you speak of?’ Evelyn continued, ignoring everyone’s reaction to Dapper’s revelation and getting back to business.
‘Do you know how the Library of Alexandria was destroyed?’ Dapper asked the room.
‘No one does exactly,’ Steph chimed in. ‘Some say the fire was started by Julius Caesar.’
Onyx nodded. ‘And, of course, Mark Antony pilfered thousands of scrolls to woo Cleopatra.’
Dapper nodded.
‘Another theory was that the patriarch Theophilus had the books destroyed when he turned the Temple of Serapis into a Christian church,’ Griffin added.
‘Or that it was Caliph Omar, when he took the city of Alexandria and gave instructions for the library’s holdings to be destroyed,’ Dad said.
When everyone turned to stare at him, he gave a dry laugh. ‘What? I studied history. Omar ruled the contents as “superfluous”.’
‘Happy times,’ Spence threw in, earning a stern look from Griffin.
Dapper went back to the minibar and poured himself a long drink. ‘And over what period were all of these events?’
‘Six, seven hundred years?’ Steph answered quickly.