"Mother, listen to me! Find Father! Get out of here! Do you understand?"
Verna tore her gaze from the flames dancing across the invisible shield.
"N—No!" Verna said, grabbing Serena by the shoulders. "You're coming with us. I'm not leaving you here."
Serena smirked. "Why, Mother, I'm touched. You do care about me, after all."
Her mother looked incredulous. "How can you make jokes—? Serena, you will come with me this very instant."
Serena took one look at Persimmius, rage pouring from him in a measure equal to the flames, and knew she wasn't going anywhere. Verna must have come to the same conclusion, for when Serena turned back to her she nodded, let go of her daughter with a lingering hand on her arm, then ran.
Serena watched her go before she turned her full attention to her former master. She knew the wizard expected her to strengthen her shield or counterattack with water or ice or some other elemental combination. Instead she did the last thing she thought he might expect: she let her shield collapse. All at once, Persimmius's fire came at her in a blast of white-hot heat and flickering tongues. Serena let it pour over and surround her, but not burn her.
"You're wrong about something, Persimmius," Serena said, taking a step closer to the wizard. "I may have had problems controlling the Inferno, but you're not the Inferno."
Serena seized the flame surrounding her and, far from trying to quench it, gave it new strength. The orange of its flame faded until only pure crimson remained. Then she sent it back at Persimmius in a tidal wave of force. It knocked him to his knees, but no further. Their conflicting wills collided, shooting snake-like offshoots of energy in all directions. Serena took hold of each of them, wrapping some of those tentacles around Persimmius while launching others at the skeva soldiers. One touch and each became a shrieking torch. Serena pitied the creatures, but they were here for blood, and left her no choice. Again and again, without looking away from her adversary, she sent the fiery appendages at the ratmen. Again and again, a skeva died writhing in pain. Persimmius did nothing to stop her. Or rather, he'd no way to stop her. Serena was just finding her stride, while Persimmius, like an overspent runner, bent over and gasped. She saw it in his face, which had none of the smugness of earlier. His brow was furrowed in concentration. Sweat beaded his forehead. His hands were held before him in ever tightening fists and his eyes... His eyes were losing focus. Any more of this, and he'd expend himself.
It happened to sorcerers who went too far. Every wizard had only so much sri inside of them. Use it up until nothing was left, and you died. It was one of the simple facts of sorcery, taught to every apprentice from the very start. Persimmius disregarded this most basic aspect of their training. Or did he? She started to feel it at the fringes of her exertion. Something like pinpricks, but drawing closer as it filtered through her aura of magic. This wasn't simple exhaustion, but the Nullification Engine entering full activation. For now, its influence had far more effect on Persimmius than her.
"It's the engine!" she yelled at him, realizing too late he didn't know anything about it.
It didn't matter. He didn't even look at her anymore, but at the people he'd come to take his revenge upon. He was so consumed, he probably didn't even realize he was about to die.
Serena relaxed her will. The fires around her person lessened, but did not extinguish. An opportunistic skeva thought to take advantage, leaping at her with sword poised to strike. Serena lifted the creature from the floor and, taking a page from Ansanom's book, hurled it shrieking across the room. She turned her attention back to Persimmius, whose eyes had glazed over now, though none of the maniacal fury had left his face.
"Do you truly hate them so much?" she asked him.
The question shocked his focus back to her. It took him a moment to process her question. "Yes!" he yelled, spittle escaping his lips. "They ruined me! Your mother ruined me! You ruined me!"
"I told you I didn't know! Nobody told me what Mother had done to you. Otherwise I would have come back. I would have made things right."
The flaming tentacles subsided. The flames between them lessened. Whether from the engine or Persimmius relaxing his will, Serena didn't know.
"But you didn't," he spat. "You didn't come back."
"No, I didn't." Serena sighed, letting her magic fade further. "I was the one who ruined you. If you need someone to blame, Master, then blame me."
Persimmius didn't want to let go. His lips were pulled back in a rictus, his teeth pressed together. But his skin had gone ashen, his entire body drooping. He was either about to use up the very last bit of his sri or the engine was going to take it from him. Serena had no desire to see such a thing. So weak now, with the swirling flames dissipating around them, Persimmius offered no resistance as Serena quenched the last of his magic. The action sent a jolt through him. He looked at her once, then used what strength remained to stand and stagger away. He picked a path through the chaos and then he was gone from the ballroom.
"Are you all right?"
Serena turned to see the patroller, who'd been pushed into the room when the ballroom doors had finally re-opened, standing right next to her. Two of the three dwarves were with him. While the patroller looked concerned for her, he and the other two continued to scan the battle still raging around them.
"Think you can toss a few more of those rats about?" he asked. "I saw what you did to the one. We'll protect you. Their elite are too much for us. Even for the dwarves."
One of the dwarves flashed the man a sour look.
"But their skill won't do them much good if they're hurtling through the air, smashing into walls."
Serena let out a deep breath. "I can try." She felt worn out. Her expenditure coupled with the engine had taken its toll. She hoped Aaron would deactivate it soon. Looking across the room while the patroller and dwarves took places around her, she searched for her first target.
The patroller offered a suggestion. "How about that big one? I'm not sure how much longer the krill can last against him."
Serena focused, reaching out to take hold of the one indicated. It had no defense against her as she lifted it into the air. Its greater weight strained her will as she sent it across the ballroom at an ever-increasing velocity. This one didn't shriek like the other, even as it neared the room's far side. Intent on smashing it into the wall, Serena misjudged, and instead sent it crashing through an upper window. "Oops." With it out of sight and then out of her mental range, she lost cognizance of it. She doubted it had a very pleasant landing.
Free from his skeva combatant, the krill saluted her from across the room with one of his oddly curved knives. Serena nodded back.
The skeva she'd hurled from the room must have been important, for as others realized what had happened, the backbone of the skeva assault broke. First one and then another of their warriors ran from the ballroom. Some dropped their weapons. Others hurled them at their foes. But soon all were in a full rout, clawing over each other to get away. Serena recognized Captain Fuchs, directing his men to pursue, until he was the sole member of the palace guard still in the room.
"I need to warn the city guard," the captain said as he strode by. "Skeva may be all over the city." Just past Serena, he stopped to say, "Thank you, sorceress." Then he was gone before she even had a chance to acknowledge his gratitude.
Serena's entire body ached, and she felt so dizzy of a sudden she didn't realize she had almost fallen to the floor until her eyes fluttered open to find herself in the patroller's arms. He had the most handsome face.
"Miss, are you all right?"
It occurred to her that he'd asked her that twice now. Serena shook her head, trying to clear it. The motion worsened her wooziness. The patroller helped support her a while longer until she finally nodded him away. "I—I think I'm all right now, Mr. ...?"
"It's Evan. Evan Kingsley."
Serena's mind remained in a fog, so she wasn't sure she'd heard him quite right. "Kingsley? Of the King's Pa
trol?"
One of the dwarves behind him let out a chuckle. Evan only sighed.
"We should get you somewhere where you can rest," he said. "The battle is done here, and you've done your part."
The ballroom was close to being deserted now as those unable to flee the room during the battle hurried out. Serena spied a growing throng outside in the square. She imagined they were trying to figure out what had just happened and why.
Serena shook her head. "Yes. I mean, no. There's something else. I can't explain it now, but we need go to the earl's wing. My friend was supposed to stop it, but it's still happening."
The three of them, and now a fourth as the remaining dwarf joined them, exchanged curious stares.
"No time to explain," she said. "Just make sure I get there."
The krill joined them. "I think I know of what she speaks. Direct us, sorceress, and we shall escort you."
Serena nodded. They started off at a run, which quickly slowed as they realized the pace was too much for her. Still, she pushed herself, knowing if the engine still ran then something might have happened to Aaron. The feeling of having her energy sapped away became one of dread as she imagined Aaron lying injured, or even dead. Banishing such thoughts, Serena forced herself to run faster. She had to reach Aaron before it was too late.
25. Nullification
AARON SAW ENSEL RHE AS soon as he ran into the machine room. The mercenary was with an eslar girl Aaron did not recognize. Both stood at the middle of the catwalk, uncaring of the chasm below as they stared at the engine. The elemental collecting arms spun so fast now the entire core assembly rattled. Steam poured from exhaust vents and the core mixture glowed brighter than ever. This close, with the engine nearing full activation, Aaron felt the debilitating effect pressing down on him, slowing his movement and turning his mind sluggish. Aaron switched on his suppressor device. Like a slap across the face, his strength returned and his mind cleared. As Aaron drew closer to the eslar, he saw the pair was not so much looking at the engine, but specifically at the topmost platform. Aaron saw movement. Someone was up there.
Ensel Rhe glanced over a shoulder, acknowledging Aaron with his usual indecipherable stare before his attention returned to the activity on the platform. The eslar girl turned completely around to face him. One look at that grim visage, blood-spattered dress, and milky white, otherworldly eyes narrowing at him and Aaron took an involuntary step backward.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"I—I'm Aaron. You must be Jakinda Rhe." The family resemblance was unmistakable.
"How do you know my name?"
"I—That is, your father and I, we—"
"It's all right," Ensel Rhe said, his attention remaining on the platform. "He is a friend."
Aaron saw some of the rigidness leave Jakinda's stance. That bit of loosening up created a cascade effect, though, as her legs almost gave out. She stayed upright only because of her grip on the railing. This wasn't exhaustion, but the engine's effect.
"Here," Aaron said, fiddling with his suppressor. "I've been working on a way to extend the field. Let me see if... There! You should start feeling a little better now."
Jakinda stood straighter. She let go of the railing. "I do. I don't know what..." She shook her head, confused.
"It's a long story. Just stay close to me. The suppressor has a limited range." Aaron wondered if he shouldn't increase the field's diameter even more to encompass Ensel Rhe, but he didn't seem affected by the engine at all. He was reminded of the eslar's negative reading, but didn't have time to think on it further right now. He pointed at the uppermost deck. "Who's up there?"
"Ingrid Kane," Ensel Rhe said.
"She must be trying to figure out why the engine's gone into its final stage. The process has accelerated for some reason. But...it doesn't matter. I know how to turn it off. But I need to get to the control deck and, ah, you two are in the way."
They let him through. Aaron ran straight to the control panel, where he slid the primary keypad out. An input lever was right next to it. Before proceeding, he went over the numeric sequence in his head one more time, making sure he had it right. Then he took a deep breath and started to input the sequence, one key at a time, making sure each input registered on the pin-plate beneath. Ensel Rhe and his daughter stood behind him now, watching with curiosity but saying nothing to break his concentration. Then he was finished. Aaron placed his hand on the input lever and pulled. He didn't know what might happen next, but he expected the arms to slow, the engine to stop rattling, and the glowing mixture to abate in intensity. But none of that happened. Aaron looked at the eslar, as if they might have something to offer. They both just stared at him. He went through the motions again, making sure each key input took. Another pull of the lever yielded no difference.
"It's not doing anything," Aaron said. He started to inspect the input assembly, wondering if it was damaged.
"Ingrid must have done something," Ensel Rhe said.
Aaron looked up at him.
"He thinks Ingrid is here for some nefarious purpose," Jakinda said.
"Yes, I know. But I still don't understand why she's been helping me then."
Jakinda was already at the ladder. "Let's ask her, once and for all."
Aaron and then Ensel Rhe followed.
Ingrid took note of their arrival with a glance, but she otherwise remained preoccupied with a handheld measuring device she had directed at the catalytic chamber. The device looked nothing like a typical encorder, for where most encorders were long and rectangular, this one was round, with a different arrangement of dials and needle gauges. She made an adjustment to the instrument, and only then seemed satisfied. Curious, Aaron took out his encorder and held it up.
"Don't bother," Ingrid said. "A standard encorder can't measure the metatonic energy." She gestured with her special encorder. "I had to build this one in order to make sure the energy levels were at the appropriate capacity."
Aaron shook his head. "Why?"
Ingrid slipped her special encorder into one lab coat pocket while pulling her hand from another. "So I'd know when to insert this."
In her hand was the metal filament which Aaron had secured inside a locked chest. He felt for the key in his pocket. It was still there.
"Once Ensel Rhe revealed himself to me, I went back to my suite to make sure the reactant was secure. Of course he'd taken it. But I knew he'd want to know its secrets. I also had a pretty good idea to whom he'd take it to discover them." She looked at Ensel Rhe. "I'll admit I was surprised to see you. Bal's agents said you were in the area, but I didn't think I'd actually run into you. How long has it been? Five years?"
"Seven," Ensel Rhe said.
"Seven? Humph. Time flies."
"The only thing which will fly is you, when I toss you over—"
Ingrid still had the filament in one hand, but now she'd something else in her other. Something which she pointed at Ensel Rhe. "Not one step closer!" The size and configuration of a hand crossbow, it had a wooden handle set beneath a brass barrel. At the top of the barrel was a small vial filled with a stack of glass balls, each one filled with a dark alchemical liquid. With her finger hovering over the trigger, Ingrid pointed the weapon at each of them in turn, making sure they all understood she'd use it if necessary.
Aaron had a suspicion regarding the contents of the ammunition balls. "I think you should listen to her," he said.
Ingrid smiled at him, then her gaze went back to the Nullification Engine. "Impressive, isn't it? We were trying to build our own when someone named Erlek Abn Nee approached us. He told us all about this one. Apparently he helped build it all those hundreds of years ago, if you can believe that. I came out here to verify his claims and, of course, everything checked out. Otherwise we wouldn't be standing here right now. There seemed no point in continuing with our efforts with this one already complete and not being used. Unfortunately, we didn't know how to start it. It takes a very specific energy spike in the
metatonic field. Turns out Erlek had a solution to that as well." She gestured at the triggering assembly, which was nothing more than a brass column with a series of receptor rods attached to it. "The man was obsessed with finding something he called the Four Elements. I always wondered why Bal didn't want them for himself, until I found out they were useable only by very specific individuals. That severely limited their value to us, but since Bal possessed knowledge concerning the whereabouts of one of them, a deal was made. Information pertaining to the Element of Earth in exchange for a way to activate the Nullification Engine. Turns out the energy wave created by joining the Four Elements was the trigger we needed. But, since Erlek did not have them all in his possession, we had to wait while the savant traveled all over Uhl looking for them. I think you know how that all turned out." She smiled at each of them. "I know you're all wondering why I'm here and what I'm doing. As to the 'why,' the engine's process was taking too long, so I sped it up. Oh, don't look glum, Aaron. I've had years to study the machine unbeknownst to anyone, so of course I know a lot more about it than you or anyone else. Sorry I had to keep you in the dark. I've made several modifications of which you're probably not even aware. I had to, to make sure the engine fit our needs. As to the other question, I will show you." With a deft hand, and before anyone even thought to stop her, she slipped the reactant into the slot inside the catalytic chamber. They all watched as the metal fused itself to the crystal housing. "There, it's done. Nothing can stop the inversion process now. Least of all any of you. If you value your lives, leave before the process initiates. There's nothing more any of you can do here."
"I've come to kill you, Ingrid," Ensel Rhe said. "I shall leave when that task is complete."
The Nullification Engine (The Alchemancer: Book Two) Page 37