chapter Thirty-One
Lawson kept his eyes on Bliss as she held the chronolog in one hand and used the other hand to position all the hands on all the faces, lining up the dates and the latitude and longitude positions and then pressing the button on the side of the device. The gears below started to whir and the arms descended onto the points. The device began to buzz, its gears grinding like those of a windup toy.
Entering the timeline felt different from before. The previous trips through the passages had been dizzying, with the bright light rendering Lawson unable to see their movement through history, but now it was as if the chronolog was physically moving him, stopping on occasion in locations that clearly weren't Rome, at least not yet.
One pause: he felt a warm fire at his back and the chill of a winter breeze at his face. Up ahead he saw footprints in the snow. A pair of figures stood in the distance. They wore heavy coats of fur and walked on snowshoes around a circle of tall stones. The image receded. His head ached and his ears felt funny. He turned to Bliss, but before he could speak, the darkness of the passage enveloped them once more as they moved through the timeline.
Another pause: now there was light snow on the ground. They stood in the center of another circle of stones. Beyond the gray monoliths, Lawson saw an earthen mound and a pit. It looked like another portal, another entrance to the passage, just like the serpent mound.
One more: the air darkened, and when they stopped again, Lawson was standing in front of a grouping of stones. They were arranged in long rows. He turned around to see Bliss, Rafe, and Malcolm, who looked dazed. Edon and Ahramin were not far behind.
Lawson tapped Malcolm on the shoulder. "Where are we?"
"I don't know," Malcolm said. "I think we're in France. Maybe Carnac." He placed his hand on the gray stone. Fresh chisel marks littered its rough face.
The light dimmed again, and the darkness returned. Lawson closed his eyes, then opened them to see stars streaking through the black void of the passage. No more pauses now; they were moving quickly through time, through a long patch of nothingness that continued until his whole body ached. He wished for the journey to end, though he knew things would only get harder once they stopped. He clenched his teeth, and his mind lost track of how long they had been traveling.
"It's okay, we're here," he heard a voice say after what seemed an eternity. "Open your eyes."
Lawson felt a warm hand on his back. Bliss. He opened his eyes to a bright Mediterranean sun. In the distance he saw snowcapped mountains stretch downward to a city that was nestled amid seven hills. They were finally in Rome, at the beginning. Red banners stretched from all the buildings; the streets were packed with carts; the buildings' limestone facades shone in the sun. This was the city at its very first breath. This was the dawn of the empire.
They were standing on a third-story balcony overlooking the city. The street below connected to a vast piazza; in the open space a large crowd gathered at the steps of a grand building. At the top of the steps, a red-robed figure, flanked by a group of centurions, waved a golden staff. Everywhere red banners waved in the warm sun as soldiers paraded down the avenue carrying a statue of a ferocious-looking man with a long flowing beard and a trident in one hand.
"Neptune," Malcolm whispered. "You did it. We're here."
"What do we do now, though?" Bliss asked.
"We'll need to blend in," Ahramin said, taking charge. "We can't go out there like this." She indicated their grimy outfits. "Split up - Edon and I will check the lower floor; Mac, you and Rafe check this one. Lawson - you and Bliss whistle if you hear anyone. I think everyone's out at the festival, the place feels empty. I bet not even the servants are around."
Lawson nodded, a bit annoyed that Ahramin was giving orders, but she knew the lay of the land better; as a hound, she had been privy to the old traditions.
He squinted out the window, at the giant robed figure waving his golden staff. Romulus. How strange to think that something that had happened in the past had been caused by an event that was far off in the future. His birth. Was Bliss right? Was he the one? He remembered what Master Corvinus had said - that he was special, that he was to be Romulus's heir. Lucifer had foreseen it himself. The Dark Prince had ordered him turned into a hound before he could fulfill his true destiny.
Everything was hanging in the balance - the past, the future, his life, and the lives of everyone he loved. He didn't want to fail. He thought about the shifting images on the postcard, from kidnapping to murder. History was unfolding before his eyes, and it was his responsibility to make sure the timeline remained intact. He was a wolf, a guardian of the abyss. A keeper of time. He watched Romulus leave the podium, followed by two of his guards. Hounds, most likely. Where was Tala? She had to be close by.
"Someone's coming," Bliss warned.
Lawson nodded, preparing to subdue whoever walked into the room.
"Check me out!" Malcolm said. He was wearing a wool toga with red edging; it was short and sized for a child and the hem didn't come down quite far enough to hide his sneakers. "Nice, right?" The rest of the group were all dressed in similar costume. "We looked out the window, everyone's in red for the parade."
"Here," Edon said, handing folded linens to Lawson and Bliss. "Go and get changed."
When everyone was suitably attired, Lawson called them together and told them how he intended to preserve the timeline. "Remember, everything has to happen the same way. Romulus has to give the signal."
"But the orders from the oculus will tell the hounds to take the women - not kill them," Ahramin said, nodding. "We will take care of it."
Ahramin, Edon, Malcolm, and Rafe left to find the nearest oculus and change the orders. Bliss had opted to stay with Lawson. She was the only one who knew there was more to his plan than simply securing the timeline and saving Tala.
"You don't have to come with me. I can take care of Romulus," he said.
"I know you can. But even Fenrir can use a friend, can't he?"
For once, Lawson did not argue.