Dead Waters - Anton Strout [111]
“What kind of ceremony are we talking about here, Godfrey?” I asked.
“It would definitely be magical,” he said, “but not on the scale we use regularly up in Greater and Lesser Arcana. We’d have to start a whole new division to classify it. Maybe Super Greater Arcana or Godlike Arcana . . .”
“We can name it later,” I said. “Focus on the ceremony.”
He thought for a moment before answering, but there was uncertainty in his voice. “I would think this type of large-scale ceremonial magic is best performed at liminal times and places, but I’m not sure.”
“Liminal?”
“It means being at a crossroads,” he said. “On the cusp of great change.”
“Like a threshold?” I asked. He nodded. “You said those two monsters guarded the Strait of Messina. That’s a threshold of sorts. And isn’t a bridge like the Hell Gate another one? I think you may be right about liminality. By their very nature, those two creatures are bound to liminal places.”
“You’re right,” he said, counting off on his fingers. “For instance, the shores of bodies of water . . .”
“We have that,” I said. “Check.”
“Not just places,” Godfrey said. “Time is important, too.”
“Like when?”
“There’s a whole list,” he said. “Solstices, equinoxes, full moons, midnight . . .”
I pulled out my phone to check the time, date, and weather. “We’re near the September autumnal point of the equinox.” I checked the phase of the moon on my weather app and relaxed when I saw it. “Oh, thank God. We’re only at a new moon, not a full one.”
Godfrey didn’t relax. “I was getting to that on my list,” he said.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t say that,” I said. “Dammit. I think the crossing over of all these various thresholds may be enough.”
“Tonight may be the night she attempts the ceremony, then,” Godfrey said.
I checked the time on my phone again. “The good news is midnight is almost six hours from now. There’s still time, but we have to act now. Any idea how one goes about killing sea monsters, God?”
“Nothing on record that I know of,” he said, “but the two of them may be at their most vulnerable right before the ceremony. If that doesn’t hold true. . .Well, when in doubt, go for the heart seems to be the advice that works best.”
“I’m not all that keen on getting that close,” I said. “And as a matter of perspective, I’d need a pretty goddamn big stake to pull something like that off.”
“Sorry,” he said. “Clearly this is why I don’t teach any of the paranormal combat classes.”
I nodded and smiled. “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’ve got to hurry, but thanks for the information, Godfrey. I feel good now.”
“You feel good,” he repeated with a wary tone. “Why?”
“Because there’s a power in knowing what something is,” I said. “A power that’s going to help me kill it before it gets a chance to rise and take on New York, and most important, a power to save Jane. Do me a favor. Go up to Allorah Daniels’s office and let the Inspectre know about this.”
I ran off for the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Godfrey called out after me. “What are you going to do?”
I didn’t bother to turn back. I was already bounding up the steps, a hint of hope finally in my heart after days of frustration. “Looks like I need to prep the boat with something sea monstery,” I said. With all this talk of mythological connections, I only wished I had some Argonauts on my side to go with it.
29
Affixing a pointed ram to the front of the Fraternal Order’s boat was a daunting task. It wasn’t like there were IKEA instructions on how to mount one, but after a fair amount of Googling, I felt relatively secure with my handiwork when I finished a few hours later. By the time I got back from the docks, I was surprised to see that along with the students, the Inspectre, Connor, and Jane were all still in Allorah’s office, each of them off working in separate corners on small piles of files and folders. Allorah Daniels was at her desk and looked up when I walked in.
“Please tell me you are here to take them away,” Allorah said.
I nodded. “Not the kids. Just Connor and Inspectre. What’s going on?