Prometheus shook his big head. “No, the Awakening is the most dangerous process of all.” Tilting his head back, he breathed deeply. “And I can tell by the stink that clings to you that you were Awakened by Mars Ultor himself.”

Josh nodded, surprised by the vehemence in the Elder’s voice. “In the Catacombs of Paris.”

“Ah, so that’s where she hid him,” Prometheus said enigmatically. “When all this is over I must go and pay my respects.”

“You don’t like him?” Josh asked, curious.

“He was my friend, my closest friend, closer than a brother. He married my sister and I was thrilled…” The Elder’s voice faded away.

“Something happened?”

“The swords happened. Mars found Excalibur in an abandoned temple on a deserted island. And it led him to Clarent. Zephaniah claimed it was the swords that corrupted him, but I was never sure about that. All I know is that he betrayed the people he had sworn to protect. I hunted him across the world and through the Shadowrealms, and just when I was closing in on him, he disappeared. Later, centuries later, I discovered that my sister had secreted him away to keep him safe from my vengeance, but I never knew where.” He bared his teeth in a grimace that might have passed for a smile. “Until now. Thank you.”

“Leave him alone,” Josh said fiercely. “He’s in terrible pain, trapped in a shell of molten lava. He’s been that way for thousands of years.”

“Good,” Prometheus said cruelly. “It is a small price to pay for what he did to my people.”

“Your people?”

“My people. The humani. I created them, Josh. It was my aura that brought them to life. Every humani on this planet-including you-has a spark of my aura within them. Do you know why Mars Ultor enslaved the humans and sacrificed them on the ancient pyramids?”

Josh shook his head, but he suddenly remembered the flickering images he’d caught while he’d been carrying Clarent. They started to make sense now.

“For that spark of life. Mars Ultor was harvesting my aura.”

“Why?”

Prometheus shook his head. “That is also another tale for another day. You are here to learn the Magic of Fire,” he said suddenly, changing the subject.

“Yes. If you will teach me.”

“I will. But I want you to know that I am doing this against my better judgment,” Prometheus continued. “I am doing this because my sister said I should, and as you know, saying no to your older sister is practically impossible. And also because I don’t think she has ever been wrong.”

Josh sighed. “That sounds just like Sophie.”

Prometheus flicked his thumb and a flat gray disc spun in the air.