“Good,” said Coralis. “We still have time.” He released Henry’s hands and the opal’s colors diminished, settling on a warm amber infused with blue highlights.

“Still have time for what?” Henry asked nervously.

“Don’t worry, my boy.” Coralis looked at Henry, kindness seeping into the creases of his frown and softening the edges. “What Bella told you about the bad moon … ”

“Bella?”

Coralis chuckled. “I almost forgot. You know her as ‘The Amazing Zeppo.’ Did you have any idea what she meant by ‘bad moon’?”

“No, sir.”

“There will be time for explanations later. For now, let’s deal with the immediate problem.”

Coralis reached into a desk drawer and took out a large leather-bound book, covered in runes and fastened together with clawlike hinges that bit firmly into all four corners. He whispered a phrase in Latin. Several of the runes shifted and joined together, forming the shape of a keyhole. He placed his index finger over the shape and pressed firmly. The book gave a barely noticeable sigh. The hinges relaxed their grip and the rigid edges of parchment rippled, almost with relief, as he reverently opened the book.

He once again gripped Henry’s hands, but gently this time. His eyes danced with anticipation. “Let us begin.”

Chapter Fourteen

Dai She arrived in Mexico City on the Nightmare Flight. What was supposed to be a four-hour, nonstop flight had encountered bad weather and an endless series of mechanical problems.

Three forced landings and seventeen hours later, Dai She finally emerged into an overcrowded airport terminal to the stares of hundreds of people who had apparently never before encountered a quasi-albino—a short, round one at that.

Dai She had always been round. He’d always been very, very pale. But the feature that drew the most attention was the large orange birthmark that covered his entire nose. As a child, he’d suffered the incessant teasing of his peers. Their cries of “Frosty the Snowman” had haunted his nightmares for years.

Already in the foulest of moods, he glared at a young girl who stood staring at him, openmouthed in wide-eyed wonder. “It’s not polite to stare, little girl!” he snapped at her.

The fact that she didn’t understand English didn’t keep her from running to her equally frightened mother, screaming all the way.

Dai She had grown to expect people to gawk at his condition over the years, which is why he seldom ventured out of his secluded estate. But the fuss from these people was beyond rude. Perhaps, he thought as he walked into a restroom, ivory-white skin and facial birthmarks were even rarer in Mexico.

And then he looked in the mirror.