by John Corwin
Lily's eyes grew wide. "Do you need me to get something for you?"
I shook my head. "Hopefully, no. We have another plan that should minimize the risk, but it's possible that it won't work and I'll need a backup. Do you know of any way to get into the ingredients vault?"
Lily tapped a finger on her chin. "Professor Grace might help me."
"Really?" Ambria sniffed. "Why would that horrible man help you?"
"Because he believes—" Lily choked up. "Harris was his golden boy, and I'm Harris's friend."
I tried not to think about the way Victus's spell had punched a hole in Harris's chest, or how he'd gloated over the boy's corpse, but the images replayed in my mind no matter how hard I tried to forget them. "Do you really think Grace will just let you take any ingredients you want?"
Lily waggled a hand in a so-so manner. "Maybe. It can't hurt to ask."
"It could tip him off that you're up to something," Ambria said.
Lily tilted her head. "What exactly do you need, Conrad?"
I gave her the list Percival gave me. "From what I understand, these are rare ingredients. I don't know if that will make Grace more suspicious or not."
Ambria snorted. "Everything makes that man suspicious."
"Don't do anything unless I call you back," I said.
Lily nodded. "Understood. Good luck."
"Thanks, Lily." I offered a smile. "Right now, we need all the luck we can get." We said our goodbyes and ended the call.
Ambria and I remained silent for a while, looking out at the moonlit countryside, consumed by our own thoughts. Ambria eventually broke the lull. "I hope Kanaan is okay."
"I doubt he's in any danger," I said. "I hope he contacts us soon, though."
We went back inside. Most of the household had gone to sleep. Since we'd lived in another time zone for the past month, I still wasn't tired. Ambria went into her room to do some reading. I went into the kitchen for a snack and found a silver-haired Seraphim drinking a cup of tea. She and the other two Seraphim hadn't spoken a word of English when we'd rescued them. Unlike Ivy and Nightliss, the trio preferred to keep to themselves.
She looked up from a cup of tea, her matching silver eyes glinting in the light, but said nothing.
"Hi." I sat down across from her and buttered a slice of bread.
"Percival tells me you are looking for way to help us."
I reeled back in surprise. "You speak English now?"
She nodded. "Some. Apparently, we knew English before."
"We?" I asked.
"My companions." She pointed up. "I do not remember their names, but I feel as if I knew them." She shrugged. "I do not remember Ivy and Nightliss."
I leaned forward, interested. "You remember bits and pieces?"
"Yes. I know we come from another realm." She motioned with her hand again, as if pointing out the direction of said realm.
"The Grand Nexus is broken, so you probably won't be going back to Seraphina anytime soon."
She shook her head. "Not Seraphina. Olympus."
This revelation had me at a loss. "Are you certain?"
"Very certain." She took a sip of tea. "We lived on Olympus. We traveled to many realms. I can imagine some of the places, but not the names. Sturg, is one, I think. Draxadis." Her eyes narrowed in concentration. "There is another place with much water."
"Does Olympus have an Alabaster Arch?" I asked.
She shook her head. "An arch? No." Her eyes widened. "Ah, I remember it—yes, a small orb. The Chalon!" She moaned as if in pleasure. "Yes, that was it. We opened gateways to many worlds through Voltis. No need for an arch. All worlds lead to Atlantis and Olympus." Her eyes flared again. "Atlantis!"
I was completely lost. "You mean the mythical city that sunk into the ocean thousands of years ago?"
She hugged herself, eyes closed as if reveling in pleasure. "Your questions helped me remember, even if only a little."
"Tell me more about Atlantis and Olympus," I said.
"I can see Atlantis far below Olympus," she said without opening her eyes. "It is all that remains of the original Earth before the shattering into realms."
The bread dropped from my fingers. "Part of the world before the Sundering is still left?"
"Everyplace leads back to Atlantis." The Seraphim opened her eyes. "If only I could get back to Voltis." She looked around, gaze distant, then abruptly focused on me. "What is this place?"
"Italy?" I said. "Eden?"
"Eden!" She clasped her hands together. "Yes, Eden! Where is Voltis here?." She said something in another language and squeezed her eyes shut. "The center of the triangle?" After a moment she shook her head and opened her eyes. "If we could get to the triangle, we could return home."
"The triangle?" My bread had landed butter side down on the table, but I didn't care anymore. "Back up a step—you can get to Seraphina from Atlantis?"
She nodded. "Every realm leads there."
The breath caught in my throat. If she was right, that meant once she remembered how, she could take us to Seraphina and Justin Slade.
Chapter 6
"Who are you?" I asked.
The Seraphim paused, taken aback. "Pizza." She shook her head. "No, that is why we came. I am"—she gasped and looked at me—"Purah."
I blinked a few times trying to understand how she'd gone from pizza to Purah and wondered if she even knew what she was talking about. "Purah is your name?"
"I believe it is." She pressed a hand to her chest. "It feels right."
"What did you mean you came for pizza?" I asked.
"Eden has pizza," she said slowly, "and we came many times for pizza."
I hadn't eaten a lot of pizza, though admittedly it was one of life's more enjoyable foods. Cora had taken me for pizza and hamburgers when she was my foster mother.
"What is your favorite topping, Conrad?" Cora smiles from across the table.
My mind, as usual, is slow to respond. I struggle to come up with an answer.
"Use association to remember, Conrad." Cora touches my hand. "The last time I ate pizza, I…"
"The last time I ate pizza, I enjoyed…" An image sprang to mind of me eating pizza with mushrooms and olives. "Mushrooms and olives!" I clapped my hands together, so pleased to recall such a clear picture even with my dull mind.
Cora giggles. "Then that is what we shall get on our next pizza."
I blinked back to reality. It's like using keywords to search memory. Purah stroked her long silver hair, eyes lost in thought. I cleared my throat to get her attention. "Let's try word association."
Purah frowned. "I do not understand."
"The last time I wanted pizza, the others said…"
Purah raised an eyebrow. "The last time I wanted pizza, the other said—" Her lips pursed. "The last time I wanted pizza, the others said…" She repeated it over and over, eyes closed.
I dared not interrupt, instead, picking up my bread and inspecting the buttered side. It was a mess, so I tossed it and wiped off the table. I selected a fresh slice and began buttering it. A jubilant shout startled me so much, I flailed and flung my snack across the room.
"Sithain said, 'No anchovies this time.'" Purah leaned forward. "Gallifer said, 'But anchovies are my favorite!'"
"Your companions are Sithain and Gallifer?" I'd never heard those names before and wondered if anyone else might recognize them.
Purah stroked her hair and beamed. "Yes. You have done well, mortal."
Her sudden imperious tone rankled me. "Mortal?"
Purah frowned. "You are a temporary being, are you not?" Her English had gone from broken and accented to clear and precise. It was as if the fog surrounding her language skills had evaporated.
I didn't like her tone, so I lied. "No, I'm immortal."
"Oh." Her eyebrows lifted and some of her previous accent returned. "I thank you for your assistance."
"Then I ask you for a favor in return," I said.
"Name it."
&nbs
p; "When you return home, I would like assistance reaching Seraphina. Perhaps you would let me borrow the Chalon."
Purah nodded. "Granted." She stood. "I must tell the others what I have remembered. This is a joyous occasion and requires pizza." Without another word, she left.
I didn't know where she planned to get pizza in the middle of the countryside, but that wasn't my problem. I could barely contain my own excitement. We don't need the Grand Nexus! We have a way to bring back Justin Slade and the others!
Moments later, Purah and her companions entered the kitchen, laughing and talking.
"This boy helped you?" The blond Seraphim put warm hands on my shoulders.
Her touch didn't soothe me like Nightliss. Instead, I felt uneasy.
"Yes." Purah coiled a strand of silver hair around her finger. "Sithain, meet Conrad." She looked at the man with the cloud of black hair. "Gallifer, meet Conrad."
"We owe you much thanks," Sithain said in heavily accented English. "Purah told us your request."
"Yes." Gallifer's voice was deep and booming. "Travel to Seraphina."
"Provided, of course, I can remember where we placed the Chalon." Purah seemed to deflate a bit. "There is much to remember, but this is a good start."
"If all goes well, Percival's potion will help even more." I fished another slice of bread from the breadbox and buttered it.
"Then we hope for your success." Purah held up two fingers and channeled a tiny sphere of glowing white that fizzled after only a moment. Her lips curled into a snarl. "Without my powers, I am weak."
"Do you remember anything else about your past?" I asked.
The trio looked at each other, shook their heads.
"Pizza," Gallifer said after a moment of silence.
Sithain nodded vigorously. "Agreed. We must find it."
Natalia walked into the kitchen. "I keep hearing the word 'pizza'. What's going on, and can I have some?"
"We must find pizza," Purah said.
"Won't find any nearby." Natalia cracked her knuckles. "Thankfully, I keep some premade dough and could probably whip you up a pie in no time."
"Delightful." Sithain rubbed her hands together. "We would be eternally in your debt."
I woke up late the next morning, tired from staying up and eating pizza with angels and a felycan. My damaged skin was itchy and peeling, so I put on more of the pink lotion. The backs of my hands itched the worst so I slathered it on extra thick.
After giving it a moment to dry, I went downstairs to the kitchen. A few cold pieces of bacon sat on a dish on the table, so I helped myself. Stan stepped in the back door and took off his rubber overshoes.
"Raining cats and dogs." He grinned. "Makes doing the chores harder."
I looked out of the back window at the chicken coop and the flock of sheep in the pasture. It reminded me of the fateful day a man had tried to kill me by mind-controlling sheep and chickens. Instead, I'd accidentally killed him. That led us to Queens Gate and his house where we'd discovered he was Ambria's older brother, Levi Rax.
"You look troubled, Conrad." Stan put a hand on my shoulder. "Anything I can help you with?"
I shook away the memories. "No, just thinking about the farm at the orphanage."
He grimaced. "Well, no child slaves on this farm."
I laughed. "That's good to know." I looked around. "Mind if I take some eggs and make some toast?"
"Absolutely not. Help yourself." Stan turned on the gas stove and put a pot of water on it. "I'll have some tea ready in a few minutes."
Ambria and Max stumbled into the kitchen moments later, both of them looking as if they hadn't slept a wink.
"Do I smell eggs?" Max rubbed his tummy. "I could eat a whole dozen."
Stan chuckled. "Guess we'd better double the food order."
As I put more eggs in the frying pan, I saw Ivy and Nightliss walking from the direction of the pasture. Their soaked hair and clothes hung heavy, but they carried on an animated conversation, completely oblivious to the drizzle and continued to talk unabated when they burst into the back door.
"Ladies, you're tracking mud." Stan put his hands on his hips. "I'm too old to clean up after everyone."
Ivy stopped in her tracks. "Oh, I'm sorry! Bigdaddy would be so angry right now." She sighed. "I wonder where he is."
Max grimaced and shot me a look. He'd told me that her Bigdaddy had been Jeremiah Conroy, one of the many incarnations of Moses, dead now for years. None of us had the heart to tell her, and hoped she didn't react badly when her memories came back.
Nightliss took off her soaked shoes then got down on her hands and knees and began wiping up the mud with a towel.
Stan sighed, but couldn't help but smile. "I don't think these angels are used to cleaning up."
Max looked horrified. "Nightliss, please! You're the Templar Clarion. I'll clean it up."
Nightliss looked up at him, green eyes sparkling with amusement. "Even the Clarion must follow house rules."
My heart melted in the glory of her smile. She is so beautiful. I knew how hopeless it was to pine after someone like her. She was thousands of years older, and I was still just a boy. Her eyes found me and I nearly swooned.
"Good morning, Conrad." Nightliss stood, holding the muddy, dripping towel. "Asha and Galfandor wished me to say goodbye for them."
I blinked out of my stupor. "They what?"
"Did they leave?" Ambria looked out the back window. "They didn't even tell us!"
"How could they leave without telling us?" I stood next to Ambria at the back window and felt my heart sink. "Did they say anything else, Nightliss?"
Nightliss looked confused. Her eyes wandered between me and Ambria. "No, I am sorry they did not say anything else. Is there something wrong?"
Ambria growled. "I guess the only thing that's wrong is that we're kids."
Max came over and stood between us. He put a hand on each of our shoulders and quietly said, "Well, I guess that means we have to rely on Gwyneth."
I checked the time and saw how late it was. Either Gwyneth had forgotten about us or something terrible had happened.
Ambria must have noticed the look on my face. "You haven't heard anything from her?"
I shook my head. "Nothing yet." Since the kitchen was getting crowded I motioned my friends to follow me into the family room where we could be alone. "On the other hand, I found out something very interesting last night."
Max's eyebrows rose. "What do you mean found out something interesting?"
I told them about my conversation with Purah, Sithain, and Gallifer.
"You've got to be kidding me," Max said. "They have a way to travel between realms that doesn't require an arch?"
"If this is true, we have all the more reason to go get those potion ingredients for Percival." Ambria put a hand to her forehead. "We wouldn't have to rely only on Ivy and Nightliss to help us. We'd have the entire Eden Army behind us."
"Unless Aerianas defeated Justin in Seraphina." Max winced as if he wished he hadn't said that. But he was right. We had no idea if Justin Slade and his army were still alive.
I pulled up Gwyneth's contact information and stared at it, wondering if I should call and see if she was okay. What if she was somewhere dangerous? What if her phone rings and it gets her killed? "Maybe I should just let her call when she's ready."
Max nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. I would hate to distract her at a crucial moment."
Ambria also nodded her agreement. "She did say there's no telling how long it might take her."
Max rubbed his belly. "I'm going to go get some more bacon and toast."
Ambria grunted. "Maybe you should just eat a few spoonfuls of lard. That might keep you full longer."
He stuck out his tongue and left.
Ambria went to the front window, leaned on the sill, and looked forlornly at the rain. "There goes our picnic."
I put a hand on her shoulder. "We could always have a picnic inside.".
"Y
eah, but a picnic inside isn't as much fun."
I wasn't sure what to do with myself at this point. Without Kanaan around to train us, I decided to go into my room and do some reading. I took out my arc phone and pulled up one of the Arcnology books written by Adam Nosti. After couple of hours, I couldn't take it anymore.
Though I was afraid of what I might see, I decided to revisit Delectra's memory about the crack in the world. I didn't think it would help with our current quest, but maybe it would help me find another way back into the Glimmer. I couldn't bear not seeing Cora for so long.
I closed my eyes and retreated within, picturing the rift.
Meditation always came at a cost. Images of blood-spattered bodies, of screaming victims and burning spells flashed like faded pictures in the back of my mind. I'd grown used to pushing past them so I could use magic, but they were always there, like spiders crawling in my hair.
Any time I used magic, I had to push through that barrier of nightmares to reach the silence of the void so I could aetherate and focus my will. Even then, I heard the whispers of the dead.
I focused on the rift. Show me more.
I tremble in fear at the edge of the void. Victus means to kill me, of that I am certain. The demon he'd sent across was annihilated, flesh and spirit. What will become of me if these guardians attack?
Victus pushes me onto the invisible bridge. "Step forward, dear. If my theory is correct, you will not die."
Moments earlier, he removed the infernal totem from around my neck, allowing the demonic influence in my mind to wane. To bring back more of the real me. Gone is the cold, evil woman. Back is the vulnerable Delectra. The foolish girl who allowed herself to be duped by a charismatic man. Perhaps I should welcome oblivion instead of this prison of flesh.
"Perhaps if you explain this to me, I can help." I don't even have a wand. Victus took it from me in case I try to escape.
He reveals the same smile he used to seduce me all those years ago. He's so handsome, so magnetic, and so terribly evil. Victus points to the rift guardians. "Moses created those things, but they transcend everything I know about magic. They are not aether. They are not wards. They seem to be alive."