The Burning Man

2

Miller wrung his hands together. ‘Where are we? Inside the pyramid? Or not?’

‘You’ll get used to it.’ Ruth watched the door for any sign of Veitch returning. He’d been gone for at least two hours with the Anubis Box. Ruth had tried to accompany him, but the gods had barred her way.

She waited with Miller in an opulent state-room covered in hieroglyphics and decorated with gold and lapis lazuli. Water splashed from a graven lion’s head into a large rectangular pool that reflected the torchlight. Everywhere appeared cool and peaceful, but there was an underlying air of tension.

Way out of his depth, Miller hugged his knees. ‘Are they really gods?’

‘They like to think they are. Higher powers, say. None of them can be trusted — they’ve all got their own agendas.’

‘I wish Ryan would tell me why he needs me.’

‘Why do you keep giving him the time of day?’ Ruth replied with frustration. ‘You should brain him with a rock the first chance you get.’

‘Ruth!’ Miller tried to see if she was joking. ‘He’s a good man. He just doesn’t know it.’

‘He’s murdered hundreds of decent people, if not thousands. That’s not any definition of “good” that I know.’

Miller shook his head defiantly, but Ruth noted he didn’t press her with any more questions.

‘I’m sorry you got dragged into this,’ she said. ‘You seem all right.’

‘I just don’t understand what part I have to play.’

‘A big part.’ Ruth put a maternal arm around his shoulders. ‘You’re not alone, Miller. We’re all pawns that those higher powers shuffle around the board, and most of the time we’ve got no idea what part we’re playing in this big, incomprehensible game.’

‘I wish I was like you. Confident.’

Ruth was surprised; she didn’t feel confident. Most of the time she was acting on instinct, trying to hold it together. Was that really how others saw her?

‘And that spear you’ve got. Sometimes when I look at it out of the corner of my eye, it doesn’t seem like a spear at all. It’s like a …’ He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

‘I’m surprised Veitch lets me keep it.’

Miller laughed. ‘You don’t know how he feels about you!’

‘What?’

‘He thinks you’re special. He trusts you. And he … oh, it’s not for me to say.’ He looked away shyly, but his meaning was clear.

‘You’re joking. He really thinks he’s got a right to fall for me?’

‘If you knew how strongly he feels-’

‘Shut up. I don’t want to hear it.’

The great gold doors at the far end of the room swung open soundlessly. Four guards in headdresses and silver kilts flanked Veitch, who held the Anubis Box tightly against his chest. The guards had a plastic quality to their faces that Ruth had seen on the younger members of the Tuatha De Danann, as if they had been newly constructed.

‘Sold the human race down the river yet?’ Ruth asked.

‘You’ve got it all wrong,’ Veitch replied. ‘The gods are as scared of this as you are. They don’t want to use it, just keep it safe somewhere.’

‘That doesn’t make sense. They created it.’

‘Who cares? All I know is that it’s going to buy us safe passage across all the Great Dominions. No more of these bastards preying on us. Then I’ll be able to find the Second Key without any hassle and get down to business.’

Miller eyed the box warily. They could all feel some kind of force coming off it in waves. ‘Why haven’t they taken it away from you?’

‘They said they need to prepare for it.’

‘You trust them?’ Ruth asked.

‘No. But they know — like you — that if anyone tries to screw with me, I’m taking the lid off this thing. Then we’ll see what happens.’