‘—Marren has the three master lists. All royal families will receive formal notification from him as to which of the three rendezvous points they are to report to. Don’t call him in Geneva. He’s busy as hell. His executive secretary, Jennifer Fraser, will call you—’

‘—We haven’t received anything yet—’

‘—Just got ours. Raven Rock. Flying there now—’

‘—I heard Sky Kingdom families are being sent to Xian—’

‘—What if we don’t get a call?—’

‘—Then you must’ve pissed off Sphinx—’

‘—There are Siren bells going off all over the world. Sphinx gave them to the Knights of the Golden Eight and those bastards are ringing them everywhere without a fucking care who’s still around. I gotta get that call—’

‘—Zampieri just texted me. He and his family are on their way to Austria—’

‘—So are we. I received an encrypted message from Sir John’s executive secretary thirty minutes ago. He’s ordered us to report to the European rendezvous point, Hohensalzburg Fortress. He’s on his way there from Geneva right now, to make sure everything is in order before he heads to Raven Rock to manage the overall transition—’

Stretch stopped the playback and looked at his team.

‘I’m sensing a lot of anxiety out there in the secret royal world.’

‘The rich and powerful fear nothing more than losing their status,’ Sister Lynda said. ‘Even with the world falling down around them, they hold on tightly to their money and privileges.’

Pooh Bear said, ‘So, who’s this royal banker? Who is Sir John Marren?’

Lynda said, ‘He is an old friend of Sphinx’s and a very powerful ally. They went to boarding school together. Marren is a blue blood of the highest order; his family line goes back centuries. While Sphinx was dispatched to his faraway station as Watcher of the City of Atlas, Marren remained firmly ensconced in the royal world. But he always maintained his friendship with Sphinx, inviting him to royal weddings and the like.

‘John Marren is supersmart. Shrewd and cunning. And the ultimate numbers man. If the royal world wants to crash a stock market or bankrupt a country, he’s the one who makes it happen. He was actually the banker for the Sea King for many years until he was elevated to the rank of Duke during the Great Games when Jack competed in them. But then, after the previous royal banker was killed in the minotaur uprising at the end of the Games, Marren was named royal banker for all four of the kingdoms.’

Tracy added, ‘Hohensalzburg Fortress is a likely place for them to gather. It’s long been owned by European royalty.’

‘Where is it?’

‘Salzburg, Austria. Not far, actually. About halfway between here and Vienna.’