An ancient evil.
A doomed expedition.
The heart of the British Empire is about to fall prey
to an unspeakable curse....
TWELVE-YEAR-OLD JACK HARKETT
is a street urchin living on the London
docks. So when a merchant ship sails into
port at twilight, Jack recognizes it for what it is: an opportunity. But Jack has never seen a ship quite like this one. Aside from a flock of enormous black bats that flies from its hull, there's only one living soul on board a young stowaway named Benedict Cole.
Jack and the wealthy, educated Ben have little in common. But once Jack hears Ben's hair-raising story of an ill-fated expedition to Mexico - and the strange sickness that's followed him back - the two boys find themselves on the same side of a deadly struggle. With no one to turn to and nothing to rely on but their wits, they face a plague the likes of which London has never seen....