by John Corwin
Elyssa put a finger to her lips and shook her head.
I didn't know why she was so worried about being heard. Anyone in that room would be hard pressed to hear someone whispering outside it.
A good twenty minutes passed before we saw movement. A section of wall misted into a doorway at the end of the corridor. I caught a glimpse of a seraph in silver Daskar armor and two seras, one in metallic blue armor and the other in red before I ducked back into cover.
Boots stomped down the corridor and voices became clearer. "I will go below and check their progress," a male voice said. "We must be ready before more invaders try to breach the pass."
"Wait, Zero," a female said. "What of the foundry? We are dangerously low on personnel. I do not believe we have enough soldiers to carry out the task."
"Why did you not bring this up with Kohval during the meeting, Two?" the male, presumably Zero, said.
"I do not want to disappoint our leader," Two replied. "I want him to think us capable of carrying out his wishes."
"They took all foundry personnel with them to Tarissa," another female said. "There is no one here with the knowledge to work its Arcane secrets."
"It is as Thirteen says," Zero replied. "We might as well try to bake soldiers from clay as attempt to work the foundry. Without help from our true master, we can do nothing." The boots walked past and in the direction of the levitators. "Kohval will contact us in twenty-four hours. We must be done with the task by then."
I peeked around the corner for a glance. The female in red spoke. I identified her as Two by her voice. "As you say," she said. "I will gather the others."
"I still think we should have looked for that Mzodi ship," said Thirteen, the other female. "They could have been the precursor to a larger force."
"If we complete the task, there will be no need to worry," Zero said.
Their voices faded as the levitator carried them down.
Elyssa and I exchanged worried looks.
What task are they carrying out?
While Two and Thirteen bore resemblances to Nightliss, Zero looked quite different. He reminded me of someone but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Elyssa's gaze locked onto the war room at the end of the hall. She looked up and down the intersecting corridor and then walked purposefully toward the room where the Daskar had met.
Several dark red gems lay in neat rows on the table. I charged the first one. It rewarded me with a holographic image of Kohval's floating face staring intently at me. His square jaw, hooked nose, and lean face made him look like a hawk, but his rich voice made him sound like he should have gone into voice acting.
"I have moved up the timeline for your mission, Zero," Kohval said.
Zero was not in the image, but his voice spoke. "As you command, Legiaros. We are ahead of schedule and nearing completion."
I freaked out and deactivated the gem before someone heard it.
"They must have recorded their briefings with Kohval," Elyssa said. She noticed my concerned expression and smiled. "I don't think anyone is left in the building, so we can talk freely for now." She nodded at the gem. "Keep playing it."
I resumed the recording.
"It is vital that you complete it soon," Kohval said. "Our borders must be secure."
"Of course," Zero said.
Kohval offered a curt nod and the holographic image faded. I charged the next gem. Kohval appeared alongside three people I didn't recognize. I realized they were standing around this very table when the recording took place.
"I've called you here today to discuss the invasion of Tarissa," Kohval said. "Reports from the west indicate Meera has plans of her own, and we can't allow her to control the capitol."
The gray-haired seraph to his right spoke first. "Sir, I thought you were coordinating a meeting with Meera to discuss peaceful transfer of power."
"That was indeed true, Horus, but plans have changed to match the circumstances." Kohval looked grimly at each of them. "Meera no longer desires peace, but conquest."
A stout female with short-cropped hair frowned. "That information is not congruent with what I've heard. My spies tell me Meera is still intent on a peaceful transition."
Kohval glowered at her. "Perhaps you forget who is in charge here, Voda." He turned his glare on a tall, thin male. "What is on your mind, Uthor?"
Uthor didn't look the least bit cowed by Kohval's demeanor. "As you well know, in the case of a power vacuum, the remaining legion commanders are to elect a temporary leader until such time as the population can elect a new Trivectus." Uthor raised an eyebrow and drew nods from Horus and Voda, then continued. "As subvectus for this province, I have the authority to replace you if I deem you unfit for duty."
Kohval's jaw tightened. "You wouldn't dare."
"Something about you changed the day Cephus attacked Tarissa," Voda said. "You have always placed Pjurna first."
"You once told me that war was a last option," Horus said. "Kohval, my old friend, what has changed?"
"We know about this secret army you've been building," Voda said. "We know about the foundry."
"The world has changed," Kohval growled. "It is time we take control of the shattered remains of our nation and mold it into the war machine it could be. We will raise armies and cast our might across Seraphina." He held up a fist. "The Brightlings will one day know what it is to be conquered!"
Uthor's eyes widened with disbelief. "No, I will not allow it." He pounded his fist on the table. "In the presence of your other top advisors, I do hereby declare you unfit for duty and assign Voda the position of Legiaros."
Kohval bared his teeth in a feral grin. "You no longer hold authority over me." He touched a red gem at his collar. Daskar flooded into the room. "You said you know of my secret army?" He flourished an arm toward the armor-clad soldiers. "Here they are, the elite Daskar."
"What are you doing?" Horus said. "I have known you since you were a child, Kohval!"
"No, old seraph, you have never known me." Kohval reached toward the table and the recording went dark.
Chapter 7
"Holy crap," I hissed. "Looks like Kohval suddenly went off his meds or something."
Elyssa frowned. "This must have been just before we came here."
"Sounds like it." I charged another gem, but it was a long, boring border report. Another gem carried news about Cephus's attack on Tarissa, and yet another dated all the way back to the day I'd been framed for murdering the Darkling Trivectus. I shivered at the memories of that terrible day.
The next gem showed Kohval in a meeting with the three advisors from the earlier recording, but in this one, everyone looked a lot happier.
"My spies report no border activity," Voda said. "Well, they did catch Legiaros Pagos toying with another of his mistresses in the ocean."
Uthor grinned. "That old Brightling couldn't turn down a female's advances if he tried."
Kohval chuckled. "What else is he supposed to do? His career was over the moment they assigned him to our shores."
Uthor barked a laugh. "I think the only reason the Brightlings hold onto the Vjartik beachhead is so they'll have someplace they can send useless commanders."
Elyssa gripped my arm. "Pause and zoom on Kohval's face."
I didn't really want to look any closer at the madman's face, but I froze the holographic image and pinch-zoomed until I could see the pores on Kohval's hooked nose.
Elyssa huffed. "Not that close." She pinched her fingers on the image until Kohval's face filled the view. She bit the inside of her lip. "Can you put the first video we watched next to this one?"
"Sure." I picked up the first gem and charged it. When Kohval's grim face filled the view, I paused it and put the images next to each other.
Elyssa looked back and forth a couple of times then pointed to a small mole on the upper right of Kohval's forehead. "Now look at the other image."
I examined the two foreheads. The mole wasn't present in the newer recordin
g.
Elyssa gripped the image of the smiling Kohval and twisted it to show his profile then did the same for the grim Kohval. "Look at his chin and his nose." She traced her finger along each profile.
The differences were minute, but discernible. Kohval's nose in the older video had a small bump right where it began to hook downward. Grim Kohval had no bump, but a smooth transition. His chin was slightly rounder in the older recording.
I peered closer. "I don't suppose Kohval had plastic surgery since the first recording was made?"
Elyssa shook her head slowly. "What if Victus made a demon golem that looked nearly identical to Kohval and replaced him?"
"That's terrifying," I said. "Do you really think Victus could waltz in here and pull that off without anyone figuring it out?"
"I think it would explain why Kohval went from this guy"—she pointed to the smiling visage in the older recording—"to this guy." Elyssa's finger traced the profile of the grim-faced Kohval. "We need to examine all these gems and the foundry they mentioned."
"I don't think we have the time to look at all the gems," I said. "It'd be better if we waited until we took over the city first."
Elyssa frowned but nodded. "You're right. Let's poke around a little more and then we'll rendezvous with Shelton."
We went back to the stairs and took them down to the bottom floor. I leaned my head around the corner and looked into the central corridor. Just then Zero shot up the levitator shaft in the corridor and vanished to one of the higher floors. Luckily, he was studying something in his hand and didn't look up or he would've seen my surprised face peering around the doorway.
I jerked back into cover. "That was strange."
Elyssa hadn't seen him. "What is it?"
"There must be another floor beneath this one." I told her what I'd seen.
"Zero mentioned going below." She touched the walls in the stairwell. "Do you see any gems that might open another stairway?"
"No." I edged back to the doorway and looked at the levitator alcoves. "Something tells me that's the only way to get down there."
"What if you need a password?" Elyssa whispered.
"Then we're screwed." I tiptoed down the hall and stepped into the shaft. An invisible platform held me in place. Light glowed in the alcoves on the floors above me, but below was only darkness. Levitators were the magical equivalent of elevators, except they didn't use buttons. Instead, you willed them to take you to a specific floor.
Take me down.
Nothing happened. Take me below. Go down. Sublevel One. I sent it a stream of commands, but the levitator didn't know what to do with me.
"You look constipated," Elyssa said in a quiet voice. "What are you doing?"
"Trying different commands." I sighed. "Nothing's working."
She stepped on next to me and the platform seemed to drop out from beneath us. In the space of time it took me to stifle a shout of surprise, we stopped at in a black-walled corridor.
"Hmm." Elyssa grunted in satisfaction. "Level Zero did the trick."
I groaned. "Why didn't I think of that?"
Noises echoed from ahead. Elyssa put a finger to her lips, activated stealth mode, and stalked down the hallway like a panther in search of prey. I shadowed her and hung back while she checked the corner at the end of the hallway. She motioned me forward and we emerged in a large room lined with shelves. Sets of black crystal armor filled the shelves, and on the other side of the room were tables fitted with the sort of gems I'd seen the Mzodi use to rebuild damaged sections of the Falcheen.
Three people with shaved heads stood near the tables, their backs to us. Before them were three silver frames, each one holding a gem the size of their bald heads. The gems were mottled and ugly as a Hawaiian shirt with dog barf on it. Shelton had come across a smaller but similarly splotched gem in the hold of the Falcheen and asked Eor what it was good for.
Eor had promptly thrown it out, saying those sorts of discolored gems were good for nothing. The baldies down the way from us had apparently found some use for the ugly things.
I ducked around the shelves and crept down to the end near the tables for a better angle, Elyssa close behind. From here, the people stood in profile to us, though I could only see the one on our end since he blocked the view of the others.
Brow furrowed in concentration, sweat dripping down his face, the seraph channeled ultraviolet energy into the mottled gem. Crackling static beamed from the other side and into a large transparent gem clamped onto the table in front of him. The energy emerging from the mottled gems arced and undulated like a wild snake, sometimes missing the target gem and splashing against the back wall where it left black furrows.
The target gem sparkled with malevolent energy like a diamond spinning in the rays of the sun. I'd seen this sort of energy before. I'd seen it lay waste to an army and had nearly been killed by it.
I pulled back into cover and looked with alarm at Elyssa. "They're channeling malaether."
Her eyes flashed, forehead pinching into a V. "Are you sure?" she whispered.
I nodded and looked back at the channeling seraph. Two more crystal clear gems sat on the floor next to the table bearing the target gem. Another table farther down held two more gems. Beyond that was a doorway leading into a tunnel.
One of the channelers gasped and buckled. The other two stopped and went to his aid.
"I can't continue this pace," he said. "It's too much."
"We're almost there," the second said. "Just two more and then we can join the army in Tarissa."
"We should already have more than enough to complete the task," said the third.
"Let us take a brief break before continuing," the first said. "We will have to channel all night if this is to be ready by the deadline."
"Agreed," said the third.
The first seraph sat with his back to a shelf and closed his eyes while his comrades did the same.
A figure in Daskar armor but no helmet appeared in the tunnel followed by five more.
As with the others, they looked like variations of Nightliss, all slightly taller and stouter, but undeniably made in her image. The first one scowled at the dozing seraphs. "Sleeping again?" She booted the one closest to her and he jumped up with a shout of alarm. "Get back to work. We need to finish so we can leave."
"We're exhausted!" the first baldy protested. "We'll never finish if we burn ourselves out."
The Daskar bared her teeth. "Fifteen minutes, then back to work. I'm eager to join the conquest of Tarissa." She turned to her comrades and barked orders. The other four Daskar each hefted a gem sparkling with malaether and then vanished back down the tunnel, leaving the bald seraphs in peace.
"I'm taking thirty minutes," the first one said once the Daskar were gone. "I haven't properly rested in days."
Elyssa and I waited until the trio were snoozing again and sneaked back to the levitator. We took it up to the first level and then made our way back outside. We timed our run so the lone sentry in the tower wouldn't see us and took cover behind the barracks.
"I want to check out the foundry," Elyssa said.
"I want to know what they plan on doing with those malaether gems," I said.
She grunted. "Looks like they're making bombs to take on Meera."
"Just a couple of those gems would probably level half the city." I stared at the command center and shook my head. "I don't think Kohval wants to destroy Tarissa."
"What if it's not Kohval?" Elyssa said. "What if the seraph in charge of the legion is one of those demon golems?"
I shuddered. "Then there's no telling what it'll do."
"Cephus is dead and Victus is out of reach in Eden." Elyssa tapped a finger on her chin. "If Kohval is a clone, that means he's got no one to give him orders."
"A demon golem ordering around more demon golems." I blew out a breath. "This is crazy."
"So far, I've counted thirteen enemy combatants," Elyssa said. "The two Daskar in the forest, Zero, Two, an
d Thirteen, the three bald seraphs, and the five Daskar."
"Don't forget the one up in the sentry tower."
She flashed a smile. "Sometimes you're more observant than I give you credit for being."
I snorted. "You were testing me, weren't you?"
She shrugged. "Maybe."
"Why don't we take out the sentry so it's easier to move around?" I suggested.
Elyssa shook her head. "No. If the sentry is checking in with someone else, they'll know something is wrong when she goes dark."
I pursed my lips, nodded. "You're right." I nodded my head toward the far end of the building. "Let's see if we can find the foundry."
We tiptoed around the military sector, keeping an eye out for more enemies and adding them to our count as we went along. It was hard to be certain if any of them were part of our original number since the Daskar all looked so similar whether they wore their helmets or not. Zero seemed to be the only male golem.
After an hour of methodically creeping through most of the sector, we found an octagonal building tucked away in the northern section of the military zone behind rows of barracks. The obsidian octagon measured about twenty feet tall and maybe thirty yards in length and width.
There were no trees or other places to hide between us and the open doorway, so we'd have to run for it. Elyssa surveyed the area and shook her head. "We shouldn't risk trying to make it inside."
"What if it's the foundry?" I said.
Elyssa grabbed me and pulled me behind the corner of the barracks as Zero, Two, and Thirteen walked around the corner of the neighboring barracks, no more than forty feet away. Just the three of them wouldn't have worried me, but close behind them marched over a dozen fully-armored Daskar.
I pressed my back to the wall and held my breath, afraid they might hear my panicked breathing. Elyssa gripped my hand and squeezed. She peered back around the corner, ducked back, eyes filled with alarm. I risked a peek and was happy to see the formation heading away from us and toward the Northern Pass.
Then I saw what worried Elyssa.
A cloudlet laden with malaether gems floated not far behind their formation, and behind it, another and another. If each one of those gems could level a city, what havoc could three dozen wreak?