Page 102 of The Secret of Secrets

Souls are reborn again and again.

Gilgul neshamot…

That fateful night, as he studied the cycle of souls, he was struck by the realization that he, like the original golem, had materialized with clarity and without preamble into this realm, a blank soul awaking inside a physical form that felt so foreign to him as to be repulsive.

He recalled that first moment inside the dank mental institution when, inspired by an act of unspeakable cruelty, The Golěm had suddenly perceived himself and felt purpose…rising up out of nothingness…seeing a helpless woman being beaten senseless by a night nurse. He had launched himself forward and struck the nurse to the ground, strangling her unrelentingly until the life left her.

Then he had stood over his victim and savored his victory, empowered by his first act of service in this realm. The woman he saved had not been conscious to witness his act of valor. Nor had she felt him transporting her beaten body back to her bed, where he tended to her wounds and then slipped back into the darkness…beginning to understand who he was and why he had been summoned.

I am her protector.

From then on, he served as a silent guardian within those prison walls, watching from the shadows, confirming she was safe. Not until that night in Prague, reading the words of Rabbi Loew, had it finally dawned on The Golěm why the Jewish legend felt so familiar…and the real reason why he had been brought to Prague.

I am The Golěm.

He pictured the clay monster awaking without warning, knowing only that he was here to protect.

My story is his story.

Like the ancient clay monster, The Golěm often felt like an outcast, condemned to being alone. He too struggled with his sanity. Sometimes The Golěm longed for recognition of his sacrifice, but that was not his place. And so he continued to move through her world unseen.

Today brought a vastly different challenge. He had killed her mentor and also her lover—two monsters who had abused her trust—but it was critical that Sasha not discover his actions on her behalf.

She would never forgive me…never understand.

For this reason, The Golěm had decided what needed to be done. He had gently locked Sasha away in darkness, where she would be blessedly unaware of all that was transpiring…and all he was about to do.

As he neared the synagogue, he felt burdened, and yet the weight he was carrying was not only spiritual. His cloak pockets were full—a Vipertek stun gun, a retractable blade, and a metal wand to control the Ether. The Golěm suspected he would need them all.

Before reaching the temple, The Golěm veered abruptly left on Široká Street, heading not for the synagogue today, but rather for the lot next door—three acres of earth surrounded by a tall stone fortification.

Both revered and feared, what lay within these walls had become known worldwide…as the ghostliest place on earth.

Chapter 66

Under different circumstances, Lieutenant Pavel might have tried to appreciate the serenity of this ancient library, but today he had no room in his life for calm. The rage growing within him was unlike anything he had ever felt.

My captain, my uncle…murdered.

“Professor!” he bellowed into the empty space, pulling out his weapon and scanning the balcony above him. “I know you are up there! Stand up!”

No movement.

Silence.

“Show yourself now!”

Pavel rotated slowly, allowing his weapon to trace a slow line around the entire perimeter of the walkway.

Nothing.

Turning toward the corner of the room where the docent had indicated there was a concealed staircase, Pavel moved stealthily across the floor and located a portion of bookcase that was discreetly cut out into a doorway. He grabbed the tiny brass handle and pulled, but the door moved only slightly before it stopped.

He tried again. The door was somehow locked from within.

Bracing himself, Pavel pulled on the handle with all his strength, but the door moved only a reluctant half inch before the brass handle tore free of the historic bookshelf, sending Pavel tumbling backward onto the hard parquet. The collision with the floor sent searing pain through his already pounding skull.

Incensed, the lieutenant leaped to his feet, aimed his gun at the bookshelf door, and squeezed the trigger. With an explosive echo, a bullet passed through the bookcase and clanged loudly off something metal on the other side, perhaps the spiral staircase the docent had told him led to the second floor.