“Find what you were looking for?” he purred.
She looked up and met his gaze. His blue eyes were so clear, so beautiful, she nearly winced. Those were the kind of eyes that could pierce a soul, find hidden secrets and unveil them with little effort. For her, that meant nothing but danger.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said stiffly. “I was merely admiring the map. It’s really quite stunning. So unique.”
He leaned closer to her, his eyes scanning her face. “Yes, beautiful,” he said softly.
She ducked beneath his arms and moved away from him.
“You know about the prophecy. That’s why you wanted the map,” he said, more to himself than her.
He’d said the word “prophecy,” and her heart nearly stopped. Damn him, but he was making it nearly impossible for her to keep any secrets. She barely needed to say anything, and it was as if he could see inside her and pick out her very thoughts. Still she kept her mouth closed.
“You were quite serious before? About your family being descendants of Atlantis?”
“Yes, I was very serious.”
“Then certainly you would already know of the prophecy.” He leaned forward and pointed to the clump of trees she had discovered. “It’s all there. Wound up in the map in various places.” He identified another area in one of the water rings. Another below the palace.
She moved closer to the map, following his finger as it pointed out the inscriptions. Written in Greek, the words moved in and out of the images effortlessly. It was a wonder he had ever discovered them.
“It took me a very long time to find them all.” He fell into his desk chair. “Why the interest in the prophecy? That’s my second question.”
She was silent for a moment, then sighed. “Of course we know about the prophecy. But this map is the only remaining place you can see the prophecy in its entirety.” That was the complete truth, and it annoyed her how the knot in her stomach seemed to dissolve at her honesty. “It was also in an ancient text at one time, but the pages were stolen hundreds of years ago.”
“And this is why you were after my map? To see the prophecy?”
She took a cleansing breath, closed her eyes, and nodded. “Yes.”
“What do you know of the recent activities here in London?” he asked.
Activities? Could he possibly know about Madigan? Panic seized her heart. “Nothing,” she said. She stepped around the desk.
“I think someone is trying to fulfill the prophecy,” Max said.
She turned abruptly to face him, but she said nothing for fear of revealing too much. Instead she sank into a chair.
“There have been murders,” he began.
“Madigan,” she whispered. But then his words sank in. “You said murders. As in plural?”
“Five of our military leaders. With a promise for more. I’m guessing at least two, if we’re going by the number in the prophecy,” he said.
Military leaders, but that didn’t include Madigan. She gathered a fistful of fabric from her skirt. “A promise?”
“He left a note. With the bodies.” He shook his head. “Damn. I’m not supposed to even know this, but I was consulted by a friend from Scotland Yard because of my interest in Atlantis.” He picked up a stray coin from his desk and rolled it between two fingers. “Does the term ‘guardian’ mean anything to you?” he asked.
Sabine knew her expression changed, and though she quickly looked down, it seemed unlikely he wouldn’t have noticed.
“It does.” He leaned forward. “What does it mean, Sabine?”
“I can’t,” she said and shook her head for emphasis.
“Whoever this guardian is, he’s in danger. Tell me what you know, and I can protect him.”
“What do you mean, he’s in danger?” she asked.
“The note left with the bodies was addressed to the guardian. It warned that the killer is getting close, and that what the guardian protects will soon be his.”