Bridget walked down to the canoes at the far end. She noticed Fritz wasn't even glancing at the loot; his eyes scanned the lake. “What are you looking for?” she asked.
“We're not alone down here, remember?” he reminded her. “The quicker we find whatever we're supposed to and get out of here, the better.”
Of course . . . the monster. Bridget had almost forgotten in the excitement over the treasure. She ran to the last canoe, which held the strangest cargoâa long metal box, sealed up. Another wooden box sat at its foot, and this box had broken open, spilling out what looked like a rolled-up poster. Placing Fritz and Clarence into the canoe, she picked up the roll, feeling rough canvas, and unrolled it. She shouted in alarm, dropping the canvas into the canoe as she fell back into the sand.
“Bridget, be quiet!” Fritz hissed as Rory and Hex came running over. “You'll attract the wrong kind of attention!”
“It was staring at me!” she cried. “Right at me!”
Hex grabbed the canvas and unrolled it. His brow furrowed in perplexity at what he saw. “I don't understand how this can be.” He showed the others the painting, for it was a painting. A portrait, of a narrow-faced man with large ears and a big, bushy beard. It looked like any portrait, except for the eyes. They seemed to pop out as if someone were standing right behind the painting, looking through. The eyes were alive.
“This is a god portrait,” Hex said, confused. “This should be up in the Portrait Room. It looks familiar . . . I didn't know you could take those portraits off the wall, especially when the god was still alive, as this one obviously is.”
Bridget could see a name written small in the corner of the painting. She leaned in and read it aloud. “Peter Minuit.” She glanced up in confusion. “But he's dead!”
“I know,” Hex said, looking like he wished he could drop the thing. “I've seen this before! But the portrait I saw, the one hanging in the Portrait Room, has dead eyes. That's how everyone knew he was gone.”
“It looks like he isn't gone, after all,” Fritz said. “Kieft must have switched the portraits.”
“But why?” Rory asked. “To get the gods to make the Agreement with the land? To make it seem like the newcomers were fading away?”
“They were fading away,” Hex replied. “It wasn't only Minuit. Many of the gods grew weak and the mortals from whom they sprang were dying out as well. No, this wasn't about the Agreement, I bet. This was something else. Could he have . . . no, not even Kieft would dare that.” He glanced at the large, metal box. “Or would he?” Hex stepped over to the box, running his hands along the smooth metal surface.
“What are you thinking?” Rory asked uncertainly. “What's in the box?”
Hex didn't reply. Instead, he closed his eyes and began to chant. After a moment the box began to glow softly until finally, the top popped open. Hex's jaw dropped at what he saw.
“I don't believe it . . .”
Bridget ran over to Hex's side, and her jaw joined Hex's on the floor. Inside the box lay the body of a man, senseless but still breathing. He was dressed in old Dutch clothing, and his beard was matted and dirty. Bridget recognized him right away, given that she'd just been staring at his portrait.
“What is Peter Minuit's body doing in a box among Kieft's treasure?” Fritz asked. “I don't understand.”
Rory bent over the body and lifted the chain around its neck up to take a good look at the locket. Bridget shudderedâit was like fooling with a corpse and she didn't like it. Rory turned and showed them the necklaceâhalf the gold locket was gone.
“Do you think Kieft took it?”
“I don't know how he could,” Hex said. “That's supposed to be impossible.”
They stood there, staring at the body, wondering what it could mean, until finally Hex turned away. “We've got to grab as much stuff as we can and get out of here before that creature of yours shows up,” he said, walking back to the other canoes. Rory ran to his side.
“No! We're only supposed to take one thing away. And that's gonna be the spell to save my mom!”
“I made no such promises,” Hex said, picking up a small idol. Rory grabbed it out of his hands and threw it back into the canoe.
“I promised!” he said. “If you want to bring any magic out with you, you better start memorizing some spells.”
“Don't you talk to me like that, you little brat!” Hex yelled, his voice echoing across the lake. Fritz hissed at him to quiet down, but the fallen god ignored the roach. “I told you I would help you in return for magic to humble Kieft, and I will take that magic! You have no right to keep me from my spoils!”
“That wasn't the deal,” Rory began, but Hex cut him off.
“I don't care about your deal!” he shouted.
“Shut up!” Fritz told them. “Do you hear that?”
They immediately quieted, looking around in sudden fear. Bridget thought she heard a splash in the distance, but it could have been no more than the falling water. She peered intently across the glittering lake, looking for some sign of the creature. At first she saw nothing, then a flash of white broke the surface, just for a moment, sending a chill down her spine.
“I see it,” she said, fear gripping her. “We've got to get out of here.”
“Not yet!” Rory said. He ran up to the canoes and began tearing through the treasure, tossing things left and right. Hex joined him, grabbing things and putting them into his pockets. Bridget could hear something coming nowâsoft splashes as something big briefly broke the surface of the lake.
“It's coming, guys,” she said. “Hurry up!”
She could see it clearly now. A long strip of white gliding through the water like a snake. Was that what it was? A huge water snake? What was this monster? She really didn't want to find out. She quickly turned to scan the wall, looking for a way out. She saw nothing but rock in every direction.
“Just leave it!” Fritz cried, no longer caring about being quiet. Bridget turned back and gasped. The white thing was closer than ever, cutting through the water like a submarine, and it was very, very big.
“Come on, Rory!” she cried, terror overwhelming her. “It's almost here!”
Rory let out a triumphant shout and lifted a bundle of bound parchment into the air. “I found it, Bridge! These are Munsee spells! Mom's gonna be all right!”
But as he stood there waving the book in the air, something rose up in the water behind him. Bridget's fear became unbearable as the huge white creature emerged from the lake. It had a long jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth, and its eyes rose up on either side like attic windows. She realized she knew exactly what it was, but Fritz said the words first.
“Oh my God!” the roach breathed. “It's the Albino Alligator.”
Bridget was flabbergasted. She'd heard stories about the Albino AlligatorâMr. Little used to tell tales of the giant reptile patrolling the sewers under the streets. Supposedly some kid had dropped a baby alligator into a manhole, and it grew up down in the sewers, white as snow since it never saw the light of day, preying on anyone who walked underground. There was no such alligator, of course, but it made for a scary tale. But this creature was more than some stupid story. This creature was a monster.
The huge white alligator, easily the size of a tour bus, burst out of the water with jaws open. For a moment Bridget was afraid she'd lost her brother for good. But Rory heard the creature just in time, leaping aside just as its mammoth jaws clamped down. Its head landed with a crash on the beach where Rory had just been standing, and a few of the canoes were crushed beneath its weight.
“Get out of there, Rory,” Bridget screamed. But Rory hit the ground hard, lying in the sand with the wind knocked out of him, the book of Munsee magic clutched tight to his chest. Bridget knew he was wearing Soka's protective rune, but she didn't think that tiny little smudge was going to work against something so mammoth. So she did the only thing she could thing of: she ran straight for her brother, ready to save the day.
She reached his side just as the giant reptile pulled back for another assault. If it weren't for the putrid stench wafting from its mouth, she'd have thought it was some animatronic creature from Disney World. Its shiny, wet scales were too huge, its mammoth eyeballs spinning in sockets too large, to be alive. But its teeth were extremely real, and they were dripping with saliva as the alligator pushed off with its giant, scaly, clawed feet. It made another lunge for the two of them. Bridget grabbed her brother and pulled him to his feet. She leaped forward, carrying him, just as the alligator lunged. Its giant mouth smacked down on her feet, and she heard something crunch beneath the force of those huge smackers. She yanked herself free, hobbling forward, Rory now helping her.
“Your foot!” he shouted, and she glanced back. An entire piece of her foot had been bitten off, toes and all. She was down to one steel-top. But she didn't let it stop her, balancing on the back of her heels as they scrambled away from the shore.
A loud rush of flame rang through the cavern and they spun to see that Hex was fighting back. He'd grabbed one of the Incan idols and was breathing through the back of its head, making fire shoot out its mouth. The alligator reared back, though the lick of flame seemed pitiful compared with the power of the huge reptile. It gave Hex enough time, however, to run toward the last canoe.
He reached into the large box and pulled out the senseless body of Peter Minuit.
“What are you doing?” Fritz yelled.
“The only way to get the beast to leave us alone is to offer a sacrifice, isn't that what you told me?” Hex screamed back. “Who would you rather it be? One of you or this poor, unconscious fool?” He dragged the body free of the canoe, dropping it on the beach.
“Wait a second,” Bridget called out. “This isn't right! We can't just feed that guy to the alligator.”
“You have a better idea?” Hex yelled. The alligator had regained its senses, and Bridget could see it was readying for another assault. She knew what Hex was doing was wrongâbut Rory and Fritz stood frozen, unable to act. She knew she'd regret this later, but she had to do what was right.
She ran at Hex, grabbing the body of Peter Minuit by the legs and pulling him away. Hex scowled at her, trying to pull the body back toward the lake.
“You're going to get us all killed!” Hex screamed.
“We can't just kill him in cold blood,” Bridget screamed back. “It's not right!”
“I don't care!” He lifted the Incan idol and blew a quick breath through it, sending a flame right toward her face. She fell back, beating at her skin furiously. Thankfully, the fire didn't catch, but by the time she could see again, Hex had almost reached the alligator.
“Here, take this and leave us alone!” he cried out, and the Albino Alligator crouched, as if ready to take the offering.
“NO!” a voice yelled out. A form burst out of the water on the other side of the alligator and ran right at Hex. It was a man, disheveled and drenched, and he grabbed Minuit from a disbelieving Hex and dragged the senseless god to safety.
“What did you do?” Hex screamed at the man, running over to him. The man who'd saved Minuit turned to face him and Bridget realized who he was.
“Dad . . . ?”
She glanced over at Rory to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but he was just as astonished as she. Peter Hennessy stood toeto-toe with Hex, preventing the magician from taking Minuit to the alligator.
“Harry Meester?” Hex said, jaw dropping as he recognized Bridget's father. “What are you doing here?”
“You can't do this, Burr,” Bridget's dad said. “It won't work.”
“Of course it will work,” Hex said. “It's a sacrifice.”
“No, it isn't,” Mr. Hennessy insisted. “A sacrifice has to mean something. Killing someone you've never met before means nothing, at least nothing good. All you'll accomplish is destroying the one piece of proof you have that Kieft is living a huge lie.”
“What are you talking about?” Hex asked. “Who are you to decide this?”
“Believe me, I know,” Mr. Hennessy said. He turned to Rory. “Rory, this has to be your sacrifice. It's the only way.”
“No!” Bridget cried, hobbling to her brother's side. “I won't let him!”
“So I have to die, is that what you're saying?” Rory asked. Bridget glanced at the water, where the alligator was gathering its wits and getting ready for another rush.
“No, of course not!” Dad replied, his face turning white. “I would never allow that. But you need to give something up.”
“What?” Rory asked, his face frightened and confused. Dad pointed to the book.
“Those spells were never meant to be written down. It was wrong of Kieft to steal them. You need to let them go.”
“No!” Rory screamed, tears running down his cheeks. “If I don't bring this back with me, Mom's gonna die!”
“She won't!” Dad replied. “You're not down here to get that book of magic, believe me. It's meaningless.”
“Guys, it's coming back!” Bridget warned as she watched the alligator crouch.
“Rory, the Fortune Teller did say that if you follow the path she laid out for you, your mother will live,” Fritz reminded him.
“But I already have the answer right here,” Rory said, shaking the book as tears welled up in his eyes. “I can't throw it away on some stupid blind hope!”
“But, Rory, it's not just about your mother,” Mr. Hennessy said. “Do you want her waking up to the shell of a city? A city ruled by Willem Kieft? She might not be able to see it, but she will feel it. Every mortal will. And you will have to live with that. I have faced this challenge, Rory, and I have failed miserably, so please, listen to me. Or you will regret it for the rest of your life.”