by John Corwin
"She has free will?" Alysea asked.
Thomas looked between Issana and Bliss. "Yes, I think so."
"I concur," Cinder said. "Though a golem spark can be programmed quite specifically, the dolems also possess soul fragments."
Shelton scratched the back of his neck. "You're saying soul fragments automatically give them free will?"
"To a certain degree, yes," Cinder replied. "Free will can be overridden, but it would take many months of intense mental programming. I do not think Aerianas wishes to invest so much time into what she looks at as a disposable soldier."
"I'm not something you can just throw away," Bliss said. "I'm a living being with my own thoughts." She pressed a hand to her chest. "I am real."
Shelton grimaced. "Sounds just like a damned teenager."
Bliss glared at him. "I don't know what that is, but I know you're insulting me."
I wanted to hate her. I wanted to objectify her as a thing so it would make it easier if I had to get rid of her or use her like a tool. But seeing the pain and anger in her eyes, whether real or simulated, jabbed my guts with guilt. I held up my hands. "Look, let's take it easy on the name calling. I think we've established that Bliss has her own agenda that we can't sway her from. We'll just have to deal with her when the time comes."
Cinder nodded. "Simply put, we cannot trust her, but that does not excuse rude behavior."
"Amen to that," Alysea said. "We were all created through no choice of our own, whether by birth or at the hands of another." She made eye contact with Cinder. "Someone once said, it's not what we were born or created as that defines us, but what we choose to do with our lives."
David snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that little green dude in the space movie said that, right?"
"Wasn't it Jesus?" Adam said.
Shelton shook his head. "Nah, definitely a Star Trek reference."
Alysea huffed and looked at me. "I'm sure someone else said it before, but I remember a time when people weren't so accepting of my son for what he is."
I felt my face start to burn and the guilt in my guts start to rise. Back when I'd first come onto the scene, nobody wanted to join forces with a demon spawn. Daemos had earned a bad reputation, but I'd proven that I could be more than the negative stereotype. Hell, even my dad had proven he could rise above his jackassery and do some good.
I'd forced myself to think of the dolems as unnatural things that should be wiped out. As blights on Nightliss's good name. They reminded me so much of her that it hurt knowing bits and pieces of her were being used by bad people. But that wasn't Bliss's fault or Issana's. All the dolems had been brought into this world and fed a crock of lies by evil assholes.
But what if the truth set them free? What if they could eventually rise to be as good as Nightliss? My dear friend might be dead, but maybe the world would be a better place with hundreds of versions of her in it, each one growing parts of her soul back into something hopefully resembling the original.
To accomplish that, I had to make the choice right now to treat Bliss and Issana like I treated anyone else—with respect. I had to at least give them a chance to mature into something good, before condemning them.
Thomas took my mother's words in stride despite his adversarial history with me. "I think we've all learned that irrational hatred breeds more hatred." He turned to Bliss. "Because you possess a piece of her soul, you are a daughter of Nightliss whether you want to be or not." Thomas put a hand on her shoulder even as she flinched at his touch. "Nightliss was the Templar Clarion, a revered figure, a powerful Seraphim, and above all, a friend to all of us."
I felt my eyes burning with tears. Even Shelton's eyes were red despite doing his best to look unaffected by the memories Thomas evoked.
"You did not know your mother," Thomas continued, "but we did. It is my hope that you, Issana, and your sisters can be more than just a familiar face to us—you can be family."
"Wow," Elyssa said in a hushed voice. She leaned into my ear. "Did my dad just give an inspirational speech about family?"
I wiped my eyes. "Yeah, he sure did."
Cinder clapped. Alysea and David joined him, and soon the others joined while Issana and Bliss looked utterly confused.
Illaena walked over from the bridge and put her hands on her hips. "What is the meaning of this?"
"We're having a moment," Shelton said. "Is that okay, captain?"
Illaena pursed her lips. "I suppose so." She turned to me. "We are safely out from Guinesea, but we have not rescued the Mzodi prisoners. Did you locate them?"
I sighed. "I'm sorry, Illaena, but they were transferred to Cabala. I think Kaelissa wanted them to build her ships."
"Impossible!" she scoffed. "No Mzodi would betray our secrets to the Brightlings."
"I hope you're right." I looked out at the dark sea. "In any case, we need to cross the ocean and go to Cabala."
It was time to visit the Brightling Empire.
Chapter 24
Azoris, the Seraphina equivalent of North America was a long flight from the bottom of the world, but it seemed the next best place to look for Kaelissa. The capitol city, Zbura, sat on a chain of mountain islands where the state of Florida existed in Eden.
In this realm, the landmass of California and Baja lay under the ocean. The western coast of Azoris consisted of the Algan Mountains and treacherous aether vortexes. Cabala was on the other side of those natural barriers, and our next stop in the search for Kaelissa.
Kaelissa had been severely injured during the Battle of Atlantis. Arturo had saved her and they'd escaped on a hijacked Mzodi ship. Since Voltis was almost directly in the middle of the route leading from Pjurna to western Azoris, it seemed likely Arturo had taken his empress to Cabala. That meant the Brightling legions were also still there, for whatever unknown reasons Kaelissa had for concentrating them in one place.
Even if she'd already left Cabala and returned to Zbura, it would save time to stop there.
Thomas called a meeting once we were underway to discuss our options. Illaena left Tahlee in command so she could attend. We held the gathering in one of the large empty holds, and even then, it was standing room only. Thomas, Michael, Leia, and Phoebe stood next to my parents. I chose to stand on the other side of the circle because I liked to keep an eye on Thomas's expressions for clues about how well the meeting was going.
Thomas started things off in his usual blunt manner. "A few days from now we'll enter the Brightling Empire. I don't know what to expect, or what dangers we'll face, but enemies will surround us on all sides."
"Are we stopping in Atlantis?" Shelton said. "We might need more food for such a long trip."
Illaena frowned. "Our food stores are well stocked. There is no need to stop."
Shelton grimaced. "Yeah, we have plenty of glurk, but I don't consider that real food."
"It'll take us nearly a day to get in and out of Atlantis," I said. "If Aerianas has agents near Kaelissa already, we don't have any time to waste. We need to get there first."
Thomas turned to Bliss. "Do you have any information to offer about Aerianas's plans?"
Bliss had been hesitant to say anything after Thomas's interrogation and inspirational speech. Even now, she looked down and shook her head. "I—I don't."
"Is it really a good idea to have her in here?" Shelton said. "What if she escapes and blabs on us?"
"Aerianas must first take control of Guinesea if she plans to follow us to Azoris," Thomas said. "Even from there, the skyways only travel east to Sazoris and west to Ijolica, right into Brightling territories."
"It isn't Aerianas and her army we have to worry about," Adam said, "it's her dolem agents already ahead of us that could screw over our mission."
"Yeah, so what if Bliss knows about those agents?" Shelton threw up his hands. "She ain't talking, so there's no reason for her to be here."
Alysea nodded. "I agree, Thomas. Unless she offers us information, we should exclude her from this meeting."<
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"Very well." Thomas turned to Bliss. "I'll have you escorted back to the top deck."
Bliss pulled her eyes off the floor and met his gaze. "I will give you something if you allow me to stay."
Shelton grunted. "Better be good."
Thomas tapped a finger on his chin. Nodded. "What do you have to offer?"
Bliss chewed on her lower lip, hesitated a few seconds before answering. "Aerianas will invade Guinesea this very night."
A ripple of murmurs passed through the room.
"How do you know this?" Cinder asked.
Bliss shifted from foot to foot, like a nervous child. "Aerianas gave me very little time to subvert or kill Victus's agent Ontidam. She knew he gathered an army that could come south at any moment to take over Kohvalla while Kohval's legions went south to secure Tarissa. Though Ontidam could not muster a great army, it would be enough to slow her march north."
A puzzle piece fell into place, but I let Bliss explain it.
"Agents were left behind to seal the pass and keep Ontidam and his army out while Kohval and Meera's legions secured Tarissa and conscripted more civilians to join them." Bliss swallowed hard, as if speaking these words was physically difficult. "She has the means to quickly clear the pass so it will not delay her plans to move on Guinesea."
I held up a hand to stop her. "I thought Ontidam wanted to ally with the Darkling army. Why would Aerianas worry about him invading?"
"Victus created Ontidam and other agents in secret. Aerianas only recently discovered some of these moles." Bliss squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, as if overcoming an internal struggle. "It is very difficult for me to tell you this without feeling like a traitor."
Elyssa took out her arcphone and projected a holographic whiteboard. At the top, she put an image of Victus and next to that, one of Aerianas.
Aerianas's thin, pale face brought back memories of Kassallandra's disastrous attempt to wed my father and ally House Assad with House Slade. Despite my nearly being killed by Aerianas and her demonic cohorts, I couldn't complain about the results. It had certainly prevented Kassallandra from becoming my evil stepmother.
Elyssa drew a vertical line beneath Victus and put the name Ontidam at the end. Beneath Aerianas, she put Bliss's name. "This should help sort the convoluted relationships."
"What about Cephus?" Shelton asked. "He might be dead, but he still has agents running around."
"If he does, I do not know of them," Issana said. "As I said, I owe no loyalty to the dead."
"Let's keep it limited to these two," Thomas said. He stepped forward and drew a horizontal line connecting Aerianas and Victus. "If it makes it easier, Bliss, we'll connect the dots, and you tell us if we're wrong."
Bliss stared at the diagram for a moment, then stepped forward and drew another line under Victus. At the end, she put the name Siricle and beneath it, location unknown. "Aerianas discovered the existence of Ontidam and Siricle and sent agents to discover their whereabouts and missions. Ontidam was to be Victus's failsafe for securing Pjurna in case Cephus failed."
"And Siricle?" Thomas asked.
"We know only that Siricle passed through Guinesea and took the skyway to Sazoris sometime after Cephus was killed." Bliss looked at me. "After you and your army killed Cephus." She still seemed disturbed by my true identity.
Shelton whistled. "In other words, Siricle could already be in Zbura with a plan to take over the Brightling government."
A frightening idea hit me. "What if Kaelissa was part of that plan? After all, she took power right after Cephus died."
"Doubtful," Thomas said. "In fact, I think Kaelissa was not part of Siricle's plan, but a monkey wrench."
"Agreed," David said. "Before Kaelissa took over, Siricle might have had an easier time plotting a coup against a weakened Brightling government. Instead, Daelissa's mother took the throne with the backing of Arturo and the military and promptly tried to take over the world."
"The Battle of Atlantis probably weakened Kaelissa, made her vulnerable." Elyssa put an image of Kaelissa on the board and moved Aerianas and Victus beneath her. "It means we might not have much time before Siricle comes up with a way to complete his mission."
Thomas pursed his lips. "Agreed." He turned to Bliss. "Does Aerianas have agents in Zbura?"
"Yes." Bliss winced. "She sent one to Zbura, and another to Cabala. We have received no word from either."
"Are they Nightliss clones?" I asked.
She shook her head. "All I know is that Aerianas said they were quite special."
"In other words, we have agents ahead of us, and Aerianas's army behind us," Shelton said. "Sounds like a real party!"
Bliss nodded. "Within a week, Aerianas will be able to take the skyway to the city of Olam in Sazoris and then turn north for Zbura."
"What about the Brightling military in Olam?" Shelton said. "They aren't going to just let her waltz in."
"Unless Kaelissa sent her legions back to their posts, there isn't much standing in Aerianas's path." Elyssa highlighted the route from Pjurna to Sazoris on the map. "Kaelissa withdrew all her legions and concentrated them in Cabala. We assume she thought she'd need them to invade Atlantis."
"Though, if she hasn't ordered them back to their posts, she may have had another reason," Thomas said.
Elyssa pulled up a map of Seraphina next to the whiteboard and circled Cabala. "We received intel from an Mzodi ship one week ago indicating the Brightling troops are still concentrated here."
"Did the ship dock in town?" Adam asked.
She shook her head. "They were bypassing Cabala." Elyssa tapped a finger on her bottom lip. "The crew reported several dragon sightings, though they avoided any fights."
David made a thoughtful noise. "Maybe that's why she put all her troops there. Didn't Cephus's experiments with portals open a few holes to Draxadis? For all we know, they might be hip-deep in dragon poop right now."
Alysea rolled her eyes.
"Well, ain't that dandy?" Shelton threw up his hands "Dragons and a Brightling army right in our favorite vacation spot."
I stared at the mark on the map and imagined a badly injured Kaelissa being taken there for recovery. It wouldn't make sense to move her all the way across the continent to Zbura in the southeast, at least not right away. If dragons were a problem, she might have remained to command her forces. I certainly didn't relish the prospect of entering such a dangerous zone.
Cinder raised his hand. "Once we locate Kaelissa, what is the plan?"
"Ideally, we replace her with a dolem," I said.
Bliss and Issana flicked uneasy looks my way.
David raised an eyebrow. "I assume you'll need my expertise with demon summoning to make it happen?"
"Can you do that?" I asked.
David pursed his lips and tapped his chin. "From what you described, I can definitely handle the summoning bit. As for the technical aspects—creating the soul-infused spark and inserting it, someone else will have to handle that."
"The demon summoning pattern in the foundry was for Baal," Shelton said. "The freaking demon king. Do you really think Aerianas got him to show?"
"I don't know exactly what she did." Concern flashed in my father's eyes. "If Baal is truly involved, you can bet there's a price attached."
"Is it true that Baal is powerful enough to resist a summons even with his name?" Bella asked.
David nodded. "His pattern could be attached to a demonicus to lend it extra power even if he doesn't manifest."
"Holy key-rist!" Shelton blew out a breath. "Is his name really that powerful?"
"Most definitely," David said. "Hell, for all we know, he might be pulling the strings."
Shelton made the sign of the cross with his fingers. "Please tell me we don't have to worry about Baal walking in the room and making us his bitches."
"If you'll remember the Demonicus Incident, it's possible for powerful demons to take physical shape, provided enough souls are used in the summon
ing," Thomas said. "Anything is possible."
Elyssa frowned. "I thought a demon overlord required a daemonculus to take on a permanent physical form."
"In Eden, yes." David motioned toward the hovering whiteboard. "Can I use some space?"
"Be my guest." Elyssa moved aside the evil mastermind flowchart to give him room.
David drew four messy circles with his finger and marked them with cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west. He connected them with a large circle and then drew another circle in the middle of it all. He stepped back and inspected it and nodded in satisfaction as if it was a work of true art.
"Now that's talent," Shelton said. "Need some water colors to make them pop."
David looked hurt. "Hey, I worked hard on this."
Alysea sighed. "David, the point, please?"
"Yes, dear." David touched the northern circle. "Each of these circles is a demonicus." He waved his hand around the entire diagram. "A demonicus usually consists of three concentric circles of demon-summoning patterns, but as with the one at the foundry, it can still operate with only two, especially in Seraphina."
"Aha!" Adam said excitedly. "In Eden, they used ley lines to connect all four demonicus, but Seraphina is overflowing with aether, meaning the patterns don't need ley lines."
"Exactly." David put a hand on the center of the daemonculus. "In other words, it's possible for a Daemas as powerful as Aerianas to create a compact daemonculus, especially if Baal is cooperating."
"Whoa." Shelton took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. "If that's the case, how do we know Baal isn't already here in physical form?"
"We don't," David said. "If he's here and has an eye on the throne, there's not a whole hell of a lot we can do to stop him."
"We can't kill the physical body?" I asked. "Banish him?"
"Emily Glass could, but she's not here." David shook his head grimly. "We'd just better hope Aerianas needs something else to summon Baal in physical form, or we'll soon be bowing down to my dear old demonic dad."