Clearly, losing hadn’t been in their plan. Steve frantically stood and tried to put more energy into the shield, which, oddly, seemed to grow stronger only if he put less power into it. He put that thought in the back of his mind for later consideration. A booming voice began to declaim in the distance. “Lucifer, the Morning Star! Is it she who bears the Light, and with its splendors intolerable, blinds feeble, sensual, or selfish souls? Doubt it not!” The sphinxes fluttered in confusion. “Return to your places! The sanctuary cannot be so long unguarded.” The voice continued. “Would you have the people say that the city has lost both Wisdom and Power?” It struck Steve that most people believed that wisdom and power had fled Washington long ago. A man–or more accurately, an eleven-foot-tall statue of a man–was approaching with giant strides from the direction of the Old Soldiers’ Graveyard.
