Phoebe, still not understanding, wrenched the bracelet from her arm. “You bloody rat bastard.”
Bran let Phoebe’s bracelet drop into my palm, then stood and crammed the imaginary objects into his bag. “Got them, Mother.”
Carefully, I eased my hand behind my back and held it there until I felt Phoebe stiffen, then pluck the bracelet from my fist. Pink and orange flared in the east. It could only be minutes now. We just had to stay alive till then.
“Flint.” Celia sounded amused. “The Nonius Stone is strapped to dear Sarah’s arm. Get it for me, por favor.”
Impotent rage boiled through me. I wanted to rip her black eyes from her head. I trembled with it as Flint shoved me aside and ripped the dagger from Mom’s limp arm. He sheathed it, then handed it to Celia.
“Finally,” she whispered. “Finally.”
As Celia unsheathed the blade, turning it to the last of the moonlight, she gasped and reeled back. Her head whipped toward me, lips peeled back in fury.
And all at once, I knew what had bothered me about the stone back in Eleanor’s chambers. I think Hectare had realized it too. The legendary Nonius Stone was reputedly an extremely large and extremely rare black opal. This one was white.
I beamed at Celia. “Oops.”
“What is this?” she screamed. “This is not the true Nonius! The Nonius Stone is black as night, with all the colors of the rainbow contained inside. This . . . This is nothing but another lodestone. Bah!”
She slammed the dagger into its sheath and tossed it to Flint. He examined it and whistled a murky white mist. “You’re right, boss. It’s ancient. Powerful, too. It’ll be of use, no doubt. But it ain’t the bloody Nonius Stone.” He crammed the dagger into his belt, his wrestler’s shoulders bunching as he threw his hands in the air and stomped off toward the tree line. Evidently, he no longer considered us a threat. The gun in Celia’s hand rose. It swept the clearing as if she couldn’t decide which of us to shoot first.
“It won’t work, Celia.” My mother’s voice was a pallid croak as she pushed herself to a seated position. “Even if you find the Nonius Stone,” Mom said. “You can’t just go back and do whatever you want. You could change history on a fundamental level, and you have no idea what it might do to the fabric of time. You know this.”
Celia stomped toward my mother. Her dark eyes scanned the blood saturating the dirt around her. For just an instant, I thought I saw a flicker of regret cross her features. Then her lips peeled back in contempt. “Saint Sarah. With all your degrees and knowledge, you still haven’t brought him back, have you?”
Collum made a noise, but I didn’t take my eyes off Celia.
“It is your fault Michael is gone,” she spat. “If you hadn’t insisted on bringing back these stupid brats, he would never have sacrificed himself like that. If he hadn’t stepped in front of the blade I intended for you, he and I would be together now.” She shrugged. “No matter. When I find the Nonius Stone and my men alter the device, I will find him.”
Celia paused, head tilting to one side as she noted the horrified glance Mom cast at me.
Celia threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, es fabuloso. Do not tell me you never told your precious daughter the truth about herself? At least I did not raise my son on lies. Brandon knows where he came from, don’t you, hijo?”
“Oh yes, Mother,” he said. “You’ve never let me forget that, have you?”
Celia ignored him, looking from me to Mom. “Look at this girl. How she protects you. And still you lie to her. Your daughter, yes,” she said. “But not of your blood.”
A kind of nervousness rolled over me as my mother’s voice turned querulous. “Celia, don’t. Please. Not like this.”
“Mom?” The shadows that had always covered my earliest memories began to thin and dissipate. Images edged in at the corners of my consciousness.
“You had no idea my father was there too, looking for the good doctor. You didn’t even know John Dee held the Nonius Stone.” She stepped closer, whispering the words. “But I did. And I now know who she is.” Celia swung the gun toward me.
At the sound of the man’s name on Celia’s lips, firecrackers exploded inside my head.
Smoke and stamping horses. A frozen forest. Thatched roofs on fire. Shouts in the distance as a man rocked me in his arms. His long gray beard tickled my cheek as he whispered fiercely, “You must run now, granddaughter. There are men here who would take what I’ve been entrusted with protecting. They are hurting these good people who sheltered us, and I must help them. But do not fret, for I will come after you.”