The Parisian Codex

46 - As Much as a Galaxy

Silence had fallen over the pit. The ghosts of the mine workers floated near the ceiling. They had been joined by a fourth ghost: a skinny youngster in baggy pants—a little girl if the wide eyes under her cap were anything to go by. She must have sought refuge in the tunnels one winter's evening and lost her way like so many others.

The three miners and the little girl watched the scene unfolding beneath their feet.

Nadine Leroy stood at the center of the magic circle, the boundaries of her silhouette blurred by the many ghosts superimposed upon her. Nadine and her ghosts were staring at a small hole—barely a dent—in the mine floor in front of them, where the codex had lain a moment earlier. True to the mission Romane had entrusted to them, the Swiss Guards had taken the book with them into the depths of Montmartre.

Nadine dropped to her knees and began digging the ground with her bare hands. She scraped her fingers on the rock but failed to deepen the hollow left by the codex. One by one, the ghosts left her body and began to sink into the ground—in pursuit of the codex.

Zagan leaped into the circle and repeated his demonic incantation. The Brotherhood's ghosts burst into flames, flailed for a moment, then disappeared. Near the ceiling, the four ghosts—the quarrymen and the street urchin—sank silently into the stone wall. All that remained in the cave were Nadine, prostrate in the middle of the circle, Zagan, disheveled and out of breath, Romane still pressed against the cave wall, and yours truly.

We had succeeded. The Codex was safe. No Apocalypse for Madame Leroy.

Suddenly, the entire universe condensed in my right pocket. The lead tube I'd cobbled together weighed as much as a galaxy. Inside, the magic ring capable of vanquishing a demon. Able to enslave Zagan and finally bring me my revenge. I plunged my hand into my pocket and closed my fingers on the tube.

In front of me, Nadine was still raking her fingers over the stone, so eager to retrieve the codex that she seemed oblivious to the pain. Perhaps the hallucinogenic smoke had something to do with it. I, for one, still felt its effects. For at that moment, I thought I saw myself in Nadine's place, so focused on seeking revenge that I didn't realize the damage I was doing to myself, or how I gouged my own existence.

Deep in my pocket, I released the tube.

In the silence, I heard the hiss of Nadine's atomizer. The device was still releasing its hallucinogenic smoke. Perhaps this explained why the cave floor swayed under my feet, and also Zagan's sadistic grin. As for Romane, she stared into the distance with wide eyes. What could she see?

"Keep an eye on them," I said to Zagan, "but don't torture anyone. I'll be back in five minutes."

I staggered to the entrance of the gully. The atomizer was stuck halfway along, still emptying towards the main tunnel. I pushed it forward until I reached the other side. Here too, the air was saturated with smoke. I grabbed the atomizer and sped off down the main tunnel.

I bumped into the walls several times, caught a pillar in the face and tripped over my own feet, but finally reached the entrance to the narrow tunnel that had been used as a privy. I swung the atomizer as hard as I could. The first time I aimed wide, the object bounced off the wall and back into my face.

Nadine Leroy had just broken my nose, and her atomizer cracked my cheekbone to boot. I knew I had to be wary of damsels in distress. It wasn't as if Nadine Leroy was the first femme fatale to try and screw me over. I should never have taken this job...

The third attempt to get rid of the atomizer was a success. I trotted back to the gully.

Zagan extracted Nadine from the pit and dumped her on the ground in the main tunnel. The woman was tied up like a chicken with one of my climbing ropes.