Archibald Lox and the Sinkhole to Hell by Darren Shan

Author:Darren Shan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Home of the Damned Ltd
Published: 2022-05-31T00:00:00+00:00

15

King Lloyd is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery, a sprawling, lovely old graveyard in Brooklyn, with beautiful views across the river to Manhattan. The king chose a plot in the shade of a crypt many decades ago, which is to be decorated with a small, glass, skyscraper-shaped statue, no inscription.

Cal and Nora are present, but the rest of the mourners are Born, mainly men and women who worked for him, maintaining his business interests. He was a wealthy man, though he had little to do with the running of his empire. I imagine most of these people have no idea the Merge exists — to them he was just a rich, eccentric old guy who liked to keep a low profile.

Cal chats with a sad-looking man and woman at the end of the service. He pointed them out to me earlier as the king’s great-great-grandnephew and -niece. (“Give or take a great or two,” he’d chuckled.) They do know about the Merge, and have been closely involved with the bankers and lawyers in the king’s employ over the years, making sure that dividends from his various companies were paid out to his modern-day relatives, even those who knew nothing about him.

“Do you have relatives in the Born?” I ask Pitina, who came to the cemetery with Winston, Inez and me. She knows that Winston and I will be joining Inez and her on their trip to Sapphire, and she had no objections.

“Certainly,” she says, “though I have nothing to do with them. I’ve spent most of my life in the Merge, so I’ve long out-lived those who were around when I was a young woman. I don’t feel any real connection to those who’ve come along since.”

“Are most Family members like that?” I ask.

“It varies,” she says. “Some of us make our home in the Merge and live there for centuries. Others lead fairly normal lives on this world and only occasionally cross spheres.”

“Do royals usually tell their relatives about the Merge?” I ask.

“Again, it varies,” she says. “If you have a spouse and children, it’s hard not to share that part of your life with them. On the other hand, if you’re young when you’re activated, without too many ties to this sphere, it’s easier to say nothing. I kept my Merged activities a secret and gradually distanced myself from my family and friends.”

“Is it strange when you come back?” I ask.

She nods. “But it’s a fascinating strangeness.”

“What would happen to you if you were killed?” I ask, and Inez digs an elbow into my ribs.

“The questions you pester people with,” she growls.

Pitina laughs. “It’s alright. I’ve heard about Archie’s accident, so I understand why he asks questions like a Born.”

That’s my cover story, for all but my closest friends and allies. Inez tells people I bumped my head when I was delivered and my brain has never quite worked right since. Although, now that Adil knows the truth about me, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to get away with the deception.

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