“We, the students of Manutius, have worked for centuries to unlock his codex vitae. We believe it contains all the secrets he discovered in his study of the ancients—first among them, the secret to eternal life.” Rain spatters on the window. Penumbra takes a deep breath. “We believe that when this secret is finally unlocked, every member of the Unbroken Spine who ever lived … will live again.” A messiah, a first disciple, and a rapture. Check, check, and double-check. Penumbra is, right now, teetering right on the boundary between charmingly weird old guy and disturbingly weird old guy. Two
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