“The Codex-the Book of Abraham the Mage,” Dee said, almost reverentially. “I devoted my entire life to finding this book…” Wrapping a corner of the red silk around his fingers, he carefully opened the cover. “And when I finally acquired it, the last two pages were ripped out.” He turned to the back of the book, where the torn edges of two thick leaves jutted from the binding. The Magician giggled, the sound high-pitched and unnerving. “And do you know something, Virginia: the last two pages contain the Final Summoning, the formula needed to bring the Elders from their Shadowrealms into this world. My masters were very upset that I’d lost it.” His giggling turned to laughter, which quickly grew louder and more hysterical, shaking his entire body. “But now it turns out that we don’t need the Final Summoning, because the Elders will not be coming back.”

“Doctor!” Virginia snapped, suddenly growing frightened of Dee. She’d never seen him like this. “Control yourself.”

John Dee drew in a deep shaky breath. “Of course. I apologize.” He closed the Codex and ran his silk-covered hand across the metal surface. “We will let the monsters ravage the earth for a week, we’ll allow the armies, navies and air forces to exhaust themselves battling the creatures, and then, just when all seems lost, you and I will announce ourselves as the saviors of mankind. We’ll draw away the creatures and take control of the planet. We will become the immortal rulers of the world. You have no master, and mine will either be dead or trapped in a Shadowrealm with no access to this world, so I am safe. I can use this book to remake and reshape the earth in any way that we wish.” He smiled. “The only limits are our imaginations.”

“I’ve got a very vivid imagination,” Virginia murmured. “However, haven’t you forgotten one tiny thing?” she added calmly.

Dee looked at her in surprise. “What?”

“All of this depends on Coatlicue’s doing your bidding.”

“She will,” he said confidently. “The real moment of danger is when she first awakens: she will be ravenous. I just have to make sure to feed her.”

“Coatlicue is not a vegetarian,” Virginia reminded him.

The Magician’s smile turned feral. “Yes, I know. And I’ve got such a tasty feast lined up for her.”

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

Josh leaned against the door of the study and peered inside. Two of the walls were lined with books, a third with DVDs, while an enormous projection TV took up the fourth wall.

The red-haired Elder was stretched out in a lounger, idly flicking through cable channels at high speed. He hesitated when he came to CNN, watched it for a moment, then clicked to another channel.