The Nullification Engine (The Alchemancer: Book Two)

by Scott Marlowe

  Serena's evil stare melted away. "The way you're talking you make it sound as if Lord Phillip put you in charge of the project." The idea must have sounded plausible, because she sat forward, slowly, and thumped her fists on the bed. Her eyes went wide. "He did, didn't he? He put you in charge of everyone!" A spate of coughing interrupted her outburst. "I bet you've got snobby ol' Professor Othini cleaning the beakers, huh?"

  "Well, no, not exactly."

  "And those others greasing the gears and cataloging the parts."

  "Ah, no, not that either. You see—"

  "What are you not telling me, Aaron? And don't say 'nothing.' I can tell the way you're squirming that you know something."

  Aaron stopped squirming—he hadn't realized he'd been doing that—and let out a deep breath.

  "What is it? What happened after I fainted?"

  "I think... I mean, in your current condition, it's probably better if I don't—"

  "Aaron, just tell me."

  Still, he hesitated. Not because he didn't want her to know, but because the entire horrific event still clung to him, and no matter how hard he tried to look at events logically, he failed to shake from his mind that last, final look on Professor Willum's face as he realized he was going over the edge regardless of anything Aaron might do. It wasn't the first time he'd watched someone slip away like that. Shanna's expression had been no less horrified when she'd been sucked into the vortex deep below Norwynne.

  "Aaron?"

  Aaron came back to the here and now.

  "Was somebody else...? I mean, the same thing that happened to me, only...?"

  Aaron managed a nod.

  "That's horrible." The enthusiasm of just a little while ago left her as she sank back into her pillows. "Who? And what about Lord Phillip?"

  Aaron leaned forward. He took a part of the bed's comforter in his hands and started fidgeting at the embroidery. "After you were taken out, we all wanted the earl to go, but he wanted to stay and help, even though there really wasn't anything for him to do. Professor Willum asked him... Even Othini..." Aaron let out a breath. He met Serena's stare, but then let his gaze drop. "Lord Phillip is gone. Willum, Othini, and all the rest of them too. I'm not really..." Aaron sat back in the chair. He didn't look up at her. "I'm not really in charge. There just isn't anyone else left. I tried... Everything happened so fast. If I'd had more time, maybe I could have figured something out, but..."

  Serena came closer, pushing the blankets aside so she faced him from the edge of the bed. Her hand moved to cover his.

  "Are you saying everyone is dead? Even Lord Phillip?"

  "Not everyone. The earl's other guests were escorted out. But everyone else..."

  Serena went silent. It wasn't every day you lost two earls in less than a week. "Aaron, I know you did everything you possibly could." She hadn't the slightest hint of doubt in her voice. "You're the smartest person I've ever met, so even if you didn't stop everything from happening, I know you prevented a lot worse."

  Aaron met her gaze. He wasn't sure he deserved the trust he saw in it. Pulling his hand away, Aaron stood. "Serena, I have to ask you something."

  Serena grabbed one of her larger pillows and wrapped her arms around it. "What? Anything."

  Aaron paced a bit. "I don't want to upset you."

  "Aaron, stop worrying and just ask."

  Aaron squared himself. "It's about the Inferno."

  "Oh." She slumped back. "What do you want to know about it?"

  "I don't really want to know anything about it. I mean, I do, but that's not what I was going to ask you. I wanted to ask you—that is, if you think it's safe—can you get it for me? When you're feeling better, I mean."

  She straightened. "Why in the world would you want me to do that? What are you planning on doing with it?"

  "I want to study it. You said it was found when they were doing excavation work inside the city?"

  "Yes, that's right. About twenty years ago. No one knew what it was at first until they summoned Master Persimmius. Once he identified its magical properties, it was given to him for further study. Before that, someone was trying to sell it as a piece of jewelry. So, why in Uhl do you want to study it?"

  "Because I wonder if it might be related to the machine. We know the Four Elements were created by the elementalists. I think they also built the engine. Another device found in the area with elemental properties? It's too much of a coincidence. I just wonder if there isn't some link between the Inferno and the machine."

  Serena sighed. "I'm beginning to really dislike these elementalists."

  "Me, too."

  "About the Inferno... I don't know, Aaron. You heard what Chane said. It's still burning. I don't know how, but it is. I don't even know what I can do with it, if anything. The last time..."

  "Serena, I don't want you to do anything you don't want to, but this is important. I went to see it. The Inferno, that is. It's true what Chane told us. Even at a distance, I saw it burning. I tried to get close, but it was too hot. But, if you got close enough, do you think you could deactivate it?"

  Serena pushed the covers away, swung her feet out over the edge of the bed, and stood. Her nightgown covered her from her neck to her ankles, so Aaron felt no need to look away. He did wonder, however, how anyone slept in such a thing. Serena wobbled over to him. A hand on his shoulder steadied her.

  "Still don't feel so well," she said, standing stock-still. "I don't know if I can turn it off. I don't remember how... Well, I never turned it off the first time, did I? Aaron?"

  Aaron's gaze had drifted off.

  "Are you all right? You seem...distracted."

  "I'm fine. Just tired." He sighed. "Even with all I did last night, I've still a lot more to do today, too."

  "You need help. As soon as I'm able, I'll come down to assist you."

  "No! I mean... No, Serena. You can't. Given what just happened..." He shook his head. "The closer you get to the machine, the more it will take from you. It's better you stay away from it for the time being. Here, let me see." Aaron took another reading with the encorder. "Slightly higher than last time. Your inherent energy is returning. Good. It also means the machine can't reach you here. I think we should keep it that way."

  Serena sighed in frustration, but she reasoned it out for herself and didn't argue.

  "Besides, I do have some help. Remember the eslar woman, Ingrid Kane? She came down at different times last night to assist me with one thing or another. Though I'm not sure about her book-smarts, she seems to have a natural sense for some things. Not mechanics. She seems really lost when it comes to gear ratios and such. But she's provided some useful insight on the energy conversion properties of the engine. She's helped a lot so far."

  Accepting that without comment, Serena asked, "So what's your plan with the machine? Can't you just turn it off?"

  Aaron shook his head. "It's too late. It's built up too much energy. Shutting it down now would be the same as letting the containment field collapse. The problem is, the longer it runs, the more energy it stores, and the bigger the consequences if something goes wrong."

  "And if it continues to run and does whatever it's supposed to do? Is that any better?"

  Aaron shrugged. He had no idea.

  "You have to figure out why the elementalists built it. The fact that it's taking energy from the environment... Do you think it's a weapon they meant to use against the druids?"

  Aaron shrugged again. "Maybe."

  "If you think the Inferno will help, then I'll bring it to you. If I can." She caught his glance, looking him straight in the eye. "Are you sure that's all you're going to do with it? Study it?"

  "Yes. I'm only going to study it."

  "Good." Serena let her hand fall from his shoulder. Almost immediately she began to sway. "Maybe I should have stayed in bed..."

  Aaron caught her before she fell. Despite his earlier comment, she didn't weigh so much, and so they made their way back to the bed, where Aaron depos
ited her beneath the blankets. Once she was settled, he took a seat, this time on the bed.

  "There's one more thing I haven't told you. The machine's technology is old. But not all of it. There's a device at the very top of the machine which is fairly new. Probably installed sometime in the past decade or so, is my guess. It's a series of receptor nodes and a differentiator hooked into the machine's core. I think the device is what caused the machine to activate."

  "Receptor nodes? Calibrated to what frequency?"

  Serena might be a sorceress, but she knew her science.

  "Elemental. But, specifically, to the one I observed coming from Shanna the last time we saw her. The nodes are calibrated to the frequency of the Fifth Element. I think Erlek had something to do with this. Somehow, he knew about the machine, either from his prior association with the druids or the elementalists, or maybe he discovered it while looking for the Four Elements. He installed the activation assembly so when the Four Elements were joined, the machine would turn on. The question is why. If he already had the Fifth Element, what did he want with the machine? What does it do that he needed?"

  Serena had no answer to it. She did, however, have a question.

  "Why didn't the elementalists turn it on? It's finished, right?"

  "As far as I can tell."

  "Then why didn't they activate it?"

  He'd considered that very question most of the night. He had a theory, but needed more time to consider it before presenting it to anyone. For now, he left Serena's question unanswered.

  "I should probably go," Aaron said. "You need your rest."

  Serena looked as if she were ready to fall back to sleep, and so she raised no protest. Her voice stopped him halfway to the door.

  "What about the dogs? Are they still in the city? Have they harmed anyone?"

  Unlike their master, who'd gone back through the gate and therefore beyond Aaron's perception, the hounds had stayed and were running loose. Aaron knew because he felt their urges gnawing away at him every second. They wanted simple things, mostly: to run, give chase, and satisfy their pack leader. Right now, that was Aaron. They wanted other things too. Things Aaron fought to keep them from doing. Like killing.

  "No, they haven't harmed anyone. They're still under my control. That's how I'm going to keep it, too. Don't worry."

  He'd almost left when something else occurred to him.

  "Oh. About Lord Phillip. Lord Chancellor Marcel told me not to tell anyone. I guess they're trying to figure out how to let everyone know. You probably shouldn't tell anyone what I told you."

  "I understand," she said in a sleepy voice. "I won't say anything to anyone."

  "Also, not that you're in any shape to go anywhere, but Lord Chancellor Marcel lifted the restrictions on us. We can go wherever we like, and no more guards following us around."

  "That's nice," she said, sounding as if she hadn't really heard him.

  Aaron took a deep breath, then he walked back to the bed. He leaned over Serena and kissed her on the forehead.

  "What was that for?" she asked in a mumble.

  "I'm just glad you're all right."

  "Me too."

  Aaron quietly closed the door on his way out.

  Their probation had been lifted that morning. Satisfied by their story and Aaron's efforts thus far with the engine, Marcel had further put all of Brighton's resources at Aaron's disposal. Aaron wasn't sure what all those resources were just yet, but the lord chancellor had made Aaron's directive abundantly clear: he was to do anything and everything to disable, deactivate, or simply turn off the machine before another accident harmed more people. When the chancellor had learned of Lord Phillip's demise, he'd wanted the machine taken apart, piece-by-piece, right then and there. It had taken Aaron some time to impress upon him the folly of even attempting such a thing. The lord chancellor had gone off to deal with the remains of the earl and to see to whatever other matters came along with that, but he had returned to the machine room once during the night. Aaron had been at the controls, and had only spied the lord chancellor standing at the other end of the catwalk by happenstance. The man had stayed there for some minutes, just staring at the machine. He'd finally left, but it had been with the full weight of his burden slowing his every step. The earldom had no ruler, and, from what Aaron had learned, no clear succession plan since Phillip had no heirs. Popular belief called for Lord Malcolm of Agratis to step in. The notion made Aaron wonder if he might stand face-to-face with the baron before this was all over.

  Outside the palace, Aaron pulled his coat tighter and jammed hands into pockets. With his head down, he followed the Highbrook, and the slow river barges floating down it, away from the Earl's Quarter. Across a canal bridge, he came to Old Gate, which he'd heard was the doorway to the city's seedier side. The Sunken Slums, people called it. Aaron saw why right away. All of the buildings were old. Many needed repairs. Its inhabitants were a mixed lot, trying to make a living from the scraps they'd been handed. But for all of the Slums' reputation, Aaron saw genuine malice in only some of its denizens. The remainder cast suspicious or envious looks at him, but mostly because of his unfamiliar face or perhaps because of the finery of his clothes. No one challenged him, though Aaron began to worry when he saw a few individuals following in his wake. He had his bone-handled knife with him, though he wore it out of habit now more than anything else. He certainly had no idea how to use it properly. Whoever shadowed him soon broke off when they caught sight of the darker shapes stalking him. When all dozen loped along, just at the periphery of Aaron's vision, no one even looked his way, let alone tried to follow. Aaron quickened his pace. He didn't want anyone around when he confronted the hounds and their master. The timing of their meeting was not entirely up to him, though, so he stopped at a four-way intersection that looked deserted enough and waited. The mist came quickly, rolling in from all directions at once so Aaron wasn't sure from which lane Krosus meant to emerge. As always, the hounds came first. Huge and dark, with acidic saliva dripping from hanging jowls and eyes the color of blood, all twelve took up positions around Aaron. All but one sat or lay down. The one who remained standing was one of the largest. It fixed Aaron with such a blood-red stare he had to clench his jaw and fists to keep from shuddering.

  —Her name is Misery. She wishes to kill you.—

  The words, come from all directions at once, sounded in Aaron's mind. They brought with them an ache in his temples.

  —I wish to kill you.—

  Aaron winced at the raspy barrage of pointed daggers piercing his brain. Fumbling at the tooth hanging about his neck, Aaron managed to remove it from beneath his shirt. It was warm in his hand.

  "Show yourself, Krosus."

  He tried to infuse his words with conviction, but instead they nearly came out in a stammer. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that, as long as he had the tooth, he was in charge here.

  —The tooth burdens you. Relieve yourself of it.—

  "And let you and your pack kill me?" Aaron turned in a full circle, not seeing anything but the hounds loitering about in the mist. "I said, show yourself!"

  —I am here.—

  Behind him. Aaron spun around, and there he was. Tall and broad, with his horned helm and smoking crimson for eyes, the houndmaster's sword remained in its sheath as he stood with legs apart and arms crossed across his muscled chest. At some unspoken command, one of the hounds rose from a sitting position and padded over to stand next to him. Aaron saw right away that this one was bigger even than Misery, and probably the largest of them all.

  —He is called Scourge. He is the alpha.—

  "Does he want to kill me too?"

  —Yes, and then eat your remains.—

  Aaron imagined they all did. He took a moment to look at each of them. Carnage. Havoc. Ravage. Ruin. Shatter. Agony. Mayhem. Discord. Turmoil. Terror. Their names came to him all at once. So too did their desire to see him dead so they could return to Barathrum. Barathrum, Hell, the Pit.
They were one and the same. Once, Aaron had tried ordering them back there. No such luck. So instead he'd thought of the furthest, most remote locale in Uhl to send them, intending they spend eternity there, or at least until Aaron died of natural causes. That hadn't worked, either, for he discovered they'd only suffer so much distance between them. Still, for right now, any distance was better than none.

  "I want you to leave the city," Aaron said, sweeping his gaze across the lot of them.

  —Remove the charm and we shall gladly leave the city with your head in my hand and your entrails hanging from the mouths of my hounds.—

  Aaron drew himself up. "I order you to leave the city. Go back through your gate of darkness if that suits you. I don't care. Just leave."

  He held the tooth higher to emphasize his control over them, but neither hounds nor master showed any signs they meant to obey. Krosus, however, turned his head, looking toward the heart of the city. Aaron didn't miss that it was also the direction of the palace.

  —The charm grows weaker. Ever since we came to this place, it seems.—

  The houndmaster stepped closer, his very movement pressing against the bond holding him and his hounds in check.

  "Stay where you are."

  Many of the hounds rose to their feet, low growls escaping from their mouths.

  "I said, stay!"

  —It is the elementalists' machine, isn't it?—

  "How do you know about that? How do you know about them?"

  —It draws power to itself, including the magic of the tooth. Strange that it does not also affect us.—

  It didn't? Aaron let the tooth fall to his chest as he reached for his encorder. With the houndmaster inching closer, he took a reading. What he saw perplexed him. The master's energy level was negative. Aaron considered taking a reading from the hounds as well, but one look at their approach and he decided he didn't want to narrow that distance any further.

  "You can't harm me," Aaron shouted.