Dearest Mother of Mine (Overworld Chronicles)

by John Corwin

  "Exfil?" I asked.

  "Sorry, another military thing. It means to sneak them out."

  "Opposite of infiltrate," I said, filing the jargon deep into the recesses of my mind. "So, I guess that's a 'no' to telling him."

  She sighed. "I hate to say it, but I think there's a high certainty he'd go after them, if for no other reason than to remove uncertainty. Let's keep it quiet for now."

  I nodded. "I just hope he isn't pissed later when and if we tell him."

  "We should tell him about your mother, though."

  My gut instinct was to say no to Elyssa's suggestion. Then again, it couldn't hurt. Thomas might even throw in a helping hand if the Templars added another angel to their arsenal. "Do you plan to tell him about breaking into Darkwater?"

  Her lips parted a fraction. "On the other hand, maybe we shouldn't tell him just yet. Let's see how our plans pan out."

  I spotted Katie coming down the hallway. Her eyes brightened when she saw me. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "The explosion—I don't know how you survived."

  "Same way as usual," I said. "Blind luck and Axe Body Wash."

  She laughed but sobered quickly. "It isn't luck. No matter how hopeless things look, you never give up. If anyone can beat the odds, it's you."

  "Why didn't you or Nightliss tell me about her becoming the new Divinity, or whatever you call her?" I leaned back against the wall with Elyssa to my right. "She's still way below a hundred percent."

  "She didn't want to tell you. She thought you'd discourage her." Katie's eyes looked worried. "You're not mad at us are you?"

  "No." I sighed. "I just don't want her falling into a relapse. I don't know how much stress giving 'gifts' causes, but it's a risk, and we need her full strength for what's to come." I remembered how strong Katie's grip had been earlier. Something about her had changed, and it wasn't from working out. The answer hit me. "Did she give you a gift?"

  Katie offered a sheepish grin. "I let her try it out on me to see how the strain would be. She can't protect us against the Brightling curses or make us as strong and fast as Daelissa made other Templars, but there's a huge difference." She flexed her hand. "Now I know how Ash and Nyte feel."

  "You're not indestructible," I said. "Don't go playing superhero."

  "Pot, meet kettle." She grinned. "I won't. I will be training with the initiates, though. Maybe I can learn some karate." She made a chopping motion with her hand.

  Elyssa laughed. "I think it's amazing what Nightliss is doing. I hope you go far."

  "Thanks," Katie said, her eyes softening. "I want to make a difference. It's boring being a nom."

  "Will you keep going to school?" I asked.

  "Yeah," she said wistfully. "I'll train when I'm not working. My parents made me get a job. They told me I need to learn responsibility."

  "I don't think that'll be a problem with training," Elyssa said. She motioned toward the kitchen. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

  My stomach rumbled in agreement.

  The three of us sat at the table with Thomas and Leia, Elyssa's mother. The woman's attitude toward me was positively rosy compared to the last time I'd seen her. Even so, the conversation consisted mainly about Templar stuff, so I mostly listened and tried to keep the wise cracks to a minimum.

  By the end of the day, I was more than ready to be out of there. Templars kept coming up to me to shake my hand. Embarrassingly enough, some even asked for autographs. When we got back to the mansion, I felt dead on my feet.

  Lornicus, of course, chose that time to call. "It appears the brotherhood has homed in on Queens Gate," he said. "I'm not entirely clear on the details, but it has something to do with you and Harry Shelton."

  I groaned. "Let me sleep. I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

  "I'm sure it will only take a moment for you to tell me," he said. "It's important I know if I'm to keep you protected."

  I grumbled some dirty words and told him about the car chase. And since I figured he would find out soon enough, I also told him about the assassination attempts.

  "Goodness," he said. "Daelissa wishes to clear the table of opposition, it would seem."

  "Obviously," I said, stifling a yawn. "Can I go to bed now?"

  "I have more information for you," the golem said. "Information you may be very interested in—if you can remain conscious."

  I almost nodded off, and jerked awake just in time to keep the phone from slipping from my fingers. "Wha—huh?"

  He chuckled. "I believe this will wake you up."

  I shook my head to clear it of sleep. "Just spit it out."

  "It's about your mother."

  Adrenalin shocked me wide awake. "Really? Tell me."

  "As a matter of security, the Conroys rarely stay in one place for very long. They own a network of houses, all fully furnished, and move from place to place to prevent anyone from discovering where they live."

  My heart sank. We just found out where they live! "Did they just move?" I asked.

  "No, but according to my spies, they will be moving in two days."

  Two days? Oh, crap. "How did you find out?" I asked.

  "It appears they have a bit of a logistics problem," he said, voice sounding amused. "One which they did not have the last time."

  "Stop beating around the bush," I groaned. "This is important."

  "In two days they will relocate to another home. In addition, they will move your mother. If you wish to rescue her, it will probably be your last chance."

  Chapter 20

  Adrenalin made sleep a distant memory. They're moving Mom in two days? I considered it for a moment. "You're sure about this?"

  "I am," he said. "The semi-trucks used to move very dangerous supernatural criminals are a rare resource. Every time one of these vehicles is employed, I'm notified."

  "Daelissa can't teleport her to the new location?" I asked.

  "Seraphim have limits," Lornicus said. "Their ability to blink is based on line of sight. If they cannot see through an object like the back of a semi-trailer, they cannot escape from it. And Daelissa would be hard-pressed to keep your mother contained during such a move by herself, even if she is much stronger."

  "I take it they can't put her in an astral prison while moving her?"

  "To my understanding, it would be impossible."

  When he didn't elaborate, I asked, "Is it possible to break someone from an astral prison?"

  "Every cell has a key, yes?" he said laconically.

  "Of course."

  "The creator of the micro-dimension, which houses the prisoner, creates the key when they create the prison. But the key is not something physical. Rather, it is more like a word or thought which must be sent by the creator." He sighed. "Otherwise, an astral prison is somewhat impenetrable."

  "If the person who casts it dies…" Horror at the idea choked off the rest of the question.

  "There is literally almost no way to free the prisoner," Lornicus finished.

  "You said 'almost'. That leaves the possibility of breaking someone out," I said.

  "Indeed. Someone of your particular persuasion might manage it, or a skilled summoner." He paused, as if letting the suspense build. I kept my mouth shut. "To penetrate such a prison, the use of a powerful demon would be a necessity."

  I had no skills in that area, so I didn't know what he meant by his "persuasion" comment. On the other hand, rescuing Mom in transit sounded like our best bet. "Do you know the details of her transport?" I asked. "Will Daelissa or the Conroys be present?"

  "I believe I can safely say no to both of those questions," he replied. "I do not know for sure, of course, but judging from the way the Conroys operate by hiding in plain sight, they will secure your mother, go about their usual business, and secure her at the new residence. It is possible they may even move her to a more permanent holding facility. I've heard rumors Darkwater has been working on such a place."

  "Their own personal prison?" I blew out a breath and fought back more
questions. Mom first. "What else do you know about the truck?"

  "The transport was leased by the Templars—those loyal to the Synod, of course. They listed it for transporting a dangerous Arcane."

  His mention of the Synod helping the Conroys reminded me of the meeting at the Grotto. While Daelissa was out making best buds with the vampires, the Synod Templars, and probably other higher-ups in supernatural nations, our side had been diddling its collective thumbs.

  "Unfortunately," Lornicus said, "I have no further details. I do not know the route, or who will be guarding it, though Darkwater will almost certainly be involved."

  "They're definitely moving her in two days?" I asked.

  "That is when the truck is scheduled to leave the facility, yes."

  "You have a destination address?"

  "I can secure such information for a price, Mr. Slade."

  Even though I already knew the answer, I asked anyway. "What's the price?"

  "Why, a Seraphim infant, of course."

  "As in just one?"

  "I believe that would be fair compensation." Lornicus made a pleased noise. "This can be highly profitable for both of us, and all you need do is remove one infant and bring it to me. I promise the child will never want for anything."

  True, the baby might be well-tended, but what kind of psycho would Lornicus raise? In the short term, I might rescue my mother, but in the long term, we might have an even more dangerous adversary than Daelissa to worry about. "Tell me exactly what you intend to do with the baby," I said.

  "Feed him, teach him, clothe him—"

  I felt my jaw tighten. "I mean in the long run, smartass."

  "I will expose him to various stimuli and raise him to suit my needs," Lornicus said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  "Brainwash."

  "A rather crude term."

  "Absolutely not," I said. "You'd have to promise—"

  "Mr. Slade, I will not negotiate the rearing of the child. Do you wish me to find the destination and route for your mother, or not?"

  "You'll need to do more than that to deserve an angel baby," I said. "You'll need to directly help us rescue her."

  "Unfortunately, I cannot. If Daelissa sees my master's golems helping you in any way, she'll think he's abandoned his neutral stance and come out against her. This would make him very angry, and I'm afraid he would destroy me."

  "He should oppose her," I said. "What she wants is wrong. It's bad for us, and it's bad for him if he's telling the truth about enjoying this life."

  "I believe he is sincere in his desire to preserve this place," Lornicus said. "But he believes balance and moderation is the key."

  I groaned. "Moderation? Moderation? There is no moderation when it comes to world domination and invasion."

  "He has events well in hand," Lornicus said tartly, as if I'd just insulted him directly. "Do not expect him to choose one side over the other."

  "Because he's on the third side," I said. "His side."

  "These are very interesting times, Mr. Slade," Lornicus said. "A great split in former alliances. The harbingers have aligned themselves with the Templar factions. Daelissa has already spent her best assets on a failed assassination attempt."

  "Why don't you make some popcorn and enjoy the show?" I asked emphasizing a tone of disgust. "And just sit by while good people die."

  "Now, now, Mr. Slade. I believe our information sharing has already proven to be quite helpful in your endeavors. Don't ruin a good thing." He made a tutting noise. "Perhaps you should sleep on it and decide about my price tomorrow." The line went dead.

  I growled and resisted throwing the phone on the floor. Elyssa entered the bedroom, smiling and humming something to herself. She noticed my face and frowned. "What's wrong?"

  "We have two days to plan a prison transport jailbreak," I said.

  Her eyes widened. "Is that all?"

  I nodded, and filled her in on the details.

  "We definitely can't let Lornicus have a cupid," she said. "Besides, Stacey, Bella, and I are breaking into Darkwater tomorrow night."

  "Tomorrow?" I said, a shock of panic racing through me.

  "Calm down," she said, and kissed me on the cheek. "The timing of Lornicus's new information is perfect. If Darkwater is handling the transport, maybe they'll have information on the route and destination. We don't need to give up a cupid to Lornicus. Our original mission was to search for the location of the Conroys, but if breaking someone out of an astral prison is really as hard as Lornicus claims, then rescuing your mother en route really might be our best hope."

  "Unless Lornicus somehow already knows about our plans to break into Darkwater and gave us this information to trick us into doing something else."

  "Justin, don't try to second-guess him." Elyssa squeezed my hand. "Let's move forward with the plan—"

  "I'm coming," I said. "I'm not letting you do this alone."

  "No, Justin," she said, steel in her voice. "This requires finesse and stealth. Any more than three people will be too many."

  "I can watch the outside. Warn you if anyone is coming in."

  Her eyes hardened. "I said no, and I meant it. We've spent a lot of time planning this. We know what we're doing. So help me, if I find out you've gone anyway, I will flay you with my katana and move back in with my parents."

  I felt my mouth drop open and my eyes go wide with hurt. "If you don't want me helping just say so," I said sarcastically. "I don't want to get in the way."

  She rolled her eyes. "How many times have you run off without letting me come along, or without even telling me?" She took my hands. "Justin, I love you, but you have to believe in me and my team. We can do this."

  I felt the wind go out of my sails as my shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine."

  "There is one thing you can do," she said, as if something had just occurred to her. "Since Kassus wants you so badly, maybe you could put in an appearance somewhere far away and draw him and his gang out of the Grotto. Maybe even the Atlanta area altogether."

  Playing bait wasn't usually my idea of a good time, but if it made Elyssa's task any easier, it was a no-brainer. "I'll make sure I get his attention," I said with a confident grin.

  She purred, sounding almost like Stacey as she nipped my ear. She'd obviously been hanging out with the felycan too much.

  "Let's go to bed." Her lips worked down my neck, sending electric waves of pleasure tingling through my skin.

  I took her in my arms and fell onto the soft bed with her.

  The next morning, I told Shelton and Adam about Mom. I also told them about Elyssa and her gang infiltrating Darkwater that night.

  "I know all about it," Shelton said, looking worried and miserable. "Bella told me if I tried to interfere, she'd leave me because it meant I didn't trust her."

  I chuckled, remembering how similar Elyssa's words had been.

  "It ain't funny," Shelton said. "What if something happens to her, man? I don't know what I'd do." He seemed to suddenly remember Adam was there and covered his worry with his poker face.

  The attempt obviously didn't slip under Adam's radar. "You need to stop repressing," he said, rolling his eyes. "Bella, Elyssa, and Stacey are more than capable taking care of themselves. If there's anyone I'd be worried about, it's the poor saps that get in their way."

  "Yeah, well what if Meghan was going?" Shelton said.

  Adam shrugged. "She knows how to handle herself. These women are more than capable."

  I knew he was right. "I hope they can get the route information and times for moving Mom," I said. "Otherwise, I don't know what else to do."

  Shelton pulled up the schematic of a semi-truck on his arcphone. "Special transport trucks are about as secure as they get," he said. "The trailer is made almost entirely of diamond fiber, and the doors are sealed with blood so only the person who closed them can open them."

  I remembered my time as a captive in Maximus's Colombian compound. He'd used his blood to seal the diamond fiber
straps around me, and only quick thinking by Felicia had gotten me out of that when she dug in his garbage and found a bloody tissue he'd used after cutting himself while shaving.

  "So, even if we take out the guards and take control of the truck we're screwed," I said. "Because there's no way to break it open."

  "Can we use the arch to get inside?" Adam asked.

  Shelton shook his head. "The trailer is identical to every other one like it. You remember what happened last time we didn't have a precise location." He looked to me. "What about that blink thing you do?"

  "Similar issue. I have to see my destination," I said. "Otherwise, my mom could probably escape on her own."

  "Once the Conroys move to the new house, we should be able to raid their old one," Adam said. "Maybe dig through the garbage and find traces of blood."

  "But, whose blood will they use?" I asked.

  "I'd be willing to bet Jeremiah's," Shelton said. "But Arcanes like him don't just leave bodily fluids lying around for his rivals to get hold of. You can do some nasty stuff with someone's blood, even if it's old. He probably uses magic disposal to get rid of loose hairs and that kind of stuff."

  "Back to square one," I grumbled.

  "I disagree," Adam said. "Nobody's perfect. With enough planning, we can get the blood. First, though, we need to know whose blood."

  Shelton pursed his lips. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." He threw up his hands. "I'm gonna hate waiting while the girls are off on their little mission."

  "We don't have to wait," I said. "Elyssa asked me to help with a diversion to draw the Darkwater people away from their HQ."

  "Good idea," Shelton said, face brightening. "I assume we'll use the omniarch to travel somewhere?"

  "I'm thinking Bogota." I said.

  "Why there?" Adam asked.

  "If we appear in Bogota, Kassus's people will have to use the Obsidian Arch in La Casona to get there," I said. "As the Templar commander in Colombia, Christian Salazar has the authority to shut down the arch and keep the Darkwater people from returning to Atlanta anytime soon."

  "Oh, I see." Shelton clapped me on the shoulder. "Good thinking, man."

  "Elyssa and her crew will need to use the omniarch tonight to open a portal inside Darkwater," I continued, trying not to smile to broadly at Shelton's compliment. "We'll need Meghan here to reopen a portal for us so we can get the hell out of Bogota once Kassus and his crew show up."