for—”
“Dad,” Beatrice interrupted. “Trust me when I say, we could talk about that library for years—and probably someday, we will. But right now, I think there’s one book we really need to know about.”
“Of course.” Stephen nodded, taking a deep breath and leaning back in his seat, though Giovanni could still see the energy snapping off him. “Of course. I just… I had no idea you had no confirmation of its existence, Giovanni. I’d be happy—”
“Another time, Stephen.” Tenzin rolled her eyes. “Tell them about the manuscript. Tell them about Geber’s work.”
“Geber?” Giovanni’s ears perked up. “I wondered. So it was alchemy, or early chemistry? A lost manuscript? An experiment?”
“An incomplete work, but his greatest achievement. Of that, I have no doubt.”
“Okay,” Beatrice broke in. “Geber. I know I’ve heard the name, but remind me.”
Giovanni turned to her. “Jabir ibn Hayyan. He was called Geber during my time, Tesoro, but he was an eighth century Persian alchemist.”
“One of the first to apply modern scientific methods to his work,” Stephen said. “He was hugely influential in the Middle East and later in Europe.”
Tenzin piped up. “His work mostly related to the artificial creation of life. Not achievable, that we know of, but his formulas held promise and were better tested than others of the time. He wrote in deliberately cryptic ways, so many of his original formulas are still a mystery.”
“But what is so special about this book? The book you stole, Dad? Why is it worth killing for?”
“‘Knowledge is power,’” Giovanni murmured, still haunted by the words of his father. He shook his head and squeezed Beatrice’s hand. “Humanity steals it. Trades it. Covets it. Many have killed for it. What is the knowledge that Lorenzo seeks from this, De Novo?”
Stephen sighed and spread his hands on the table.
“Life. The secret mankind has sought for centuries. Geber found the elixir of life. He discovered its source.”
Beatrice shook her head. “That’s not possible, that’s—”
“And it’s not just for humans.”
Chapter Four
Mount Penglai, China
August 2010
“The elixir of… life?”
Beatrice could hear the skepticism dripping in Giovanni’s voice.
Stephen only nodded. “Yes, the elixir of life.”
“Let’s pretend I believe that this is possible,” he said. Tenzin barked something in Mandarin, but he just waved a hand in her direction and continued looking at Stephen. “I’ll pretend this is possible, and you tell me why on earth an immortal vampire like Lorenzo wants this elixir enough to start a war with me.”
“I told you, it’s not just for humans.”
Beatrice’s eyes were darting around the table. She was as skeptical as Giovanni, but she knew her father had never been easily fooled, and he looked dead serious.
“I’d like to know why you think this is plausible, Dad.” She spoke quietly, but every head at the table swung toward her. She had forgotten about her food almost as soon as it was set in front of her, but she played with her chopsticks nervously. “I mean, from all accounts, alchemists have tried for thousands of years to create a magic formula to prolong life, but none of them ever accomplished it.”
Tenzin finally spoke. “But, none of them—as far as we know—had the advantage that Geber had.”
“And what was that?” Giovanni leaned back in his chair as he spoke.
Stephen said, “Four vampires willing to work with him.”
All attention was on her father again.
“What?” Giovanni narrowed his eyes, glaring at Stephen.
“Geber had four vampires, one of each element, that he was working with. I finally figured it out by reading one of his journals in Andros’s library. It’s one of the other books I took. I took the manuscript with the formula, along with three of Geber’s journals and a few books I knew I would be able to sell for
“Dad,” Beatrice interrupted. “Trust me when I say, we could talk about that library for years—and probably someday, we will. But right now, I think there’s one book we really need to know about.”
“Of course.” Stephen nodded, taking a deep breath and leaning back in his seat, though Giovanni could still see the energy snapping off him. “Of course. I just… I had no idea you had no confirmation of its existence, Giovanni. I’d be happy—”
“Another time, Stephen.” Tenzin rolled her eyes. “Tell them about the manuscript. Tell them about Geber’s work.”
“Geber?” Giovanni’s ears perked up. “I wondered. So it was alchemy, or early chemistry? A lost manuscript? An experiment?”
“An incomplete work, but his greatest achievement. Of that, I have no doubt.”
“Okay,” Beatrice broke in. “Geber. I know I’ve heard the name, but remind me.”
Giovanni turned to her. “Jabir ibn Hayyan. He was called Geber during my time, Tesoro, but he was an eighth century Persian alchemist.”
“One of the first to apply modern scientific methods to his work,” Stephen said. “He was hugely influential in the Middle East and later in Europe.”
Tenzin piped up. “His work mostly related to the artificial creation of life. Not achievable, that we know of, but his formulas held promise and were better tested than others of the time. He wrote in deliberately cryptic ways, so many of his original formulas are still a mystery.”
“But what is so special about this book? The book you stole, Dad? Why is it worth killing for?”
“‘Knowledge is power,’” Giovanni murmured, still haunted by the words of his father. He shook his head and squeezed Beatrice’s hand. “Humanity steals it. Trades it. Covets it. Many have killed for it. What is the knowledge that Lorenzo seeks from this, De Novo?”
Stephen sighed and spread his hands on the table.
“Life. The secret mankind has sought for centuries. Geber found the elixir of life. He discovered its source.”
Beatrice shook her head. “That’s not possible, that’s—”
“And it’s not just for humans.”
Chapter Four
Mount Penglai, China
August 2010
“The elixir of… life?”
Beatrice could hear the skepticism dripping in Giovanni’s voice.
Stephen only nodded. “Yes, the elixir of life.”
“Let’s pretend I believe that this is possible,” he said. Tenzin barked something in Mandarin, but he just waved a hand in her direction and continued looking at Stephen. “I’ll pretend this is possible, and you tell me why on earth an immortal vampire like Lorenzo wants this elixir enough to start a war with me.”
“I told you, it’s not just for humans.”
Beatrice’s eyes were darting around the table. She was as skeptical as Giovanni, but she knew her father had never been easily fooled, and he looked dead serious.
“I’d like to know why you think this is plausible, Dad.” She spoke quietly, but every head at the table swung toward her. She had forgotten about her food almost as soon as it was set in front of her, but she played with her chopsticks nervously. “I mean, from all accounts, alchemists have tried for thousands of years to create a magic formula to prolong life, but none of them ever accomplished it.”
Tenzin finally spoke. “But, none of them—as far as we know—had the advantage that Geber had.”
“And what was that?” Giovanni leaned back in his chair as he spoke.
Stephen said, “Four vampires willing to work with him.”
All attention was on her father again.
“What?” Giovanni narrowed his eyes, glaring at Stephen.
“Geber had four vampires, one of each element, that he was working with. I finally figured it out by reading one of his journals in Andros’s library. It’s one of the other books I took. I took the manuscript with the formula, along with three of Geber’s journals and a few books I knew I would be able to sell for
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