Great earthen pots of it, heaped in piles of coins. Glittering jewels filled others, and weaponry lay along the walls, propped like garden tools in an old shed. Bows, swords, lances—it was a veritable armory.

Stranger still were the bodies. Twelve in all, six on either side. They were not mummified; rather they were each seated on a throne, resplendent in feminine, multilayered garb. Skulls leered at Cade from these seats, in stark contrast to the beauty of their robes.

“Wives and concubines,” Cade said. “Buried with him. You have to hope they had already died from natural causes when they were left here … but somehow I doubt it.”

“And his horse,” Amber said, standing beside him.

Indeed, the full skeleton of a horse was laid out in battle armor at the foot of a large coffin. The coffin was finely carved from wood, covered in engravings of horses and war.

There was more to be seen—fine statues carved from jade, bundles of rich cloth, and fine china and crockery piled haphazardly throughout the room.

Cade could hardly imagine the loyalty one must have needed to lock away so many riches, knowing they would never be used or seen again. Genghis, even in death, exerted complete control of his people.

Legionaries piled in behind Cade, wandering through the riches with awe upon their faces.

“What do we do with it?” Atticus asked. “Even this is too much to carry back with us.”

Cade rubbed his eyes, then handed the torch to the nearest legionary. “I need to speak with Abaddon.”

There was a moment’s silence, then: “Fine. We shall check on the others.”

Cade waited until the Romans had left the room. He sat upon the stairs down into the chamber and laid the gun beside him. He waited for the footsteps to recede, then spoke.

“Well? I know you’re watching.”

The little girl poked her head out from behind the coffin, a simpering smile stamped across her features. “I see you have been busy.”

Cade grunted in acknowledgment.

She skipped closer, though her feet left no impression on the sandy floor. “I assume you wish to barter?”

“I want to know how it works first,” Cade said, gesturing at the treasures in the room. “What’s this worth to us?”

“It depends.” The girl giggled. “Are you beside the treasure, or far away from it? Is the remnant you wish to purchase one that has already been discovered, or is it one yet to be released onto Acies?”

Cade rubbed his eyes again. For the past few hours, he had given up on ever getting the bomb to the keep. Now, suddenly, it was back on the table.

“How much to transport the nuclear bomb to the keep?” Cade asked.

Abaddon wagged the girl’s finger. “Not so fast, my eager little friend. You must transport the whole remnant—no picking and choosing. The plane comes too, and for that, you’ll have to pay.”

Cade said nothing, waiting for her to continue.