Reborn_Age Of Magic_A Kurtherian Gambit Series

by CM Raymond

  “What is it?” Aysa asked, impatient for the answers.

  “She could have opened more rifts whenever she wanted, but she hasn’t. She’s chosen to focus her attention on my doorstep so that I would focus all of mine there as well. She is trying to weaken me, to consume my power, so that when the true worldwide invasion comes I will be helpless to stop it.”

  The room fell quiet at the thought that their enemy had been waiting patiently for decades, until the moment was just right.

  “I’m sorry,” Vitali said. It was the first time he had spoken since they landed. “I know that I’m new to all this, but I still don’t get it. How has she been destroying you? I thought you were immortal.”

  “No,” she said. “Although my life has spanned millennia, death will eventually come for me as it must for all living things, and my end will soon be upon me. In order to counteract Laughter’s incursions, I redesigned one of New Romanov’s weapon systems. It is similar to the satellite you just retrieved, but on a much smaller scale. I connected it to my energy source, and have been pouring power nonstop into the Rift to hold it closed.

  “But forty years of using the wrong tools for the wrong job have worn out my systems. I will not be able to sustain even basic functions for much longer, and I now suspect that this was Laughter’s plan all along. She has been waiting for me to falter so she can send in her full force, both through our Rift and throughout Irth.”

  Gregory jumped to his feet, and he looked angrier than Hannah had ever seen him. “But that’s not going to happen, because you’re not standing alone. We completed our mission. I just need some time to reconfigure the crystals, and then with your help I know we can get the new, er, old technology online. We’ll be able to save you and close the Rift for good.”

  Lilith didn’t answer, which was strange, and Hannah noticed a bizarre look cross Ezekiel’s face. The old man stood and placed a hand on the machine, and he forced a smile.

  “That’s the spirit, Gregory. I know you’ve been burning the candle at both ends, but I need to ask that this Gate project take precedence over everything.”

  “Of course,” Gregory said.

  “Don’t worry,” Laurel said with a grin, “I’ll pump him full of kaffe, then stay out of his hair. I wouldn’t want my perfect body to distract his perfect brain.”

  Gregory flushed red and suddenly became very interested in the cracks forming in his shoes.

  “Believe me,” Olaf said, “when I say that saving Lilith is of great concern to me. Protecting her has been my mission for most of my life, but if Laughter does have the ability to open new doorways, we have to assume she will use it to her advantage. We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario.”

  “And that is?” Aysa asked.

  “All-out war.”

  “Then we’ll train,” Hannah said. “Day and night, if we have to. The Laughing Queen may have outwitted us at every turn so far, but I’d place my money on the muscle and magic in this room over anything. And if we can share even a fraction of our experience and skill with the people out there, then this will be the easiest war this world has ever seen.”

  “Speaking of the world,” Parker said, “what if she’s dividing her forces? Irth is a big place—bigger than I ever assumed. How do we know she’s not dropping demon armies on the other side of the globe?”

  Lilith spoke up again. “While distance may be a detriment to us, time is on our side. Creating a hole large enough to move her forces through takes a lot of time and a lot of power. She can’t divide her focus too much, and the new rifts she will create won’t be large enough for a full-on assault, at least not right away.”

  “That checks out,” Hannah said. “The rift we faced coming back from Kaskara was much smaller and easier to close.”

  “Aye, but look at what that ‘tiny’ rift was able ta spit out,” Karl said. “Those flyin’ buggers weren’t exactly a Sunday picnic.”

  Hannah considered her next words carefully. “You’re right, Karl. It’s quite possible that Laughter is dropping her horrors all over the planet even as we speak, but I have to believe that we’re not the only fighters out there. Even now there are other heroes, men and women, who are learning their true strength. Maybe when this is over we can go and help them, but for now we have to trust that they have what it takes to hold their own.”

  Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, and Hannah could see that the smile on Ezekiel’s face was now anything but forced.

  “So what are we waiting for?” she said. “Let’s get out there and win a war.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Hannah stood by the entrance to the tunnels and waited.

  Minutes turned to an hour, but there was still no sign of Ezekiel.

  She had to talk with him. He was hiding something from her, and she needed to know what it was.

  The meeting had ended on a positive note. Despite the myriad threats hanging over their heads, the Bitch and Bastard Brigade had gone up against terrible odds before. They knew what each was capable of, and they knew they could count on each other no matter what.

  That trust turned them into a powerful force, but they would need to be at their very best to win this thing.

  But trust requires honesty, so while everyone else was preparing—Gregory and Aysa in his lab, the fighters with their weapons, and Vitali to whatever the hell he did—Hannah stood watch.

  Ezekiel was still in with Lilith, and had been since the meeting. She thought about barging in and asking him what the hell was going on, but she decided to give him space—at least a little.

  He deserved that much from her.

  Finally she heard his footsteps and his wooden staff knocking against the stone floor. Hannah crouched farther into the shadows to the side of the entrance, wondering just how good the old man’s awareness was.

  Ezekiel stepped out of the tunnel and looked up into the perfect night sky. He took a deep breath and sighed contentedly without looking in her direction.

  She just stared at him, holding her breath, a mischievous smile on her face.

  He sighed again, then asked, “To what do I owe the honor of this ambush?”

  She laughed and rose to stand next to him. “What gave me away?”

  He turned to look at her. “Promise you won’t sic your lizard on me if I tell you the truth?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You know damn well he’s not a lizard any more. And yes, in light of the truth I will demonstrate a most mature restraint.”

  “Well honestly, it was the smell. I think you’ve been cooped up aboard the Unlawful with Karl for too long. You’re starting to smell like a rearick.”

  Her eyes flashed red, and she punched him hard in the arm. “Bastard! I’m a damned lady!”

  He held up his hands in surrender. “Ah, restraint, restraint! I’m just a feeble old man, after all. Another punch like that and you’re likely to break me in half.”

  She laughed, putting her fists down. “That was me showing restraint. And you may look old, but I know it’s all an act. You’re really a big baby.”

  Ezekiel shook his head. “If only that were the truth. If I’d had half the wisdom when I was your age that I do now, the world would be a much better place.”

  He stared into the sky again, and Hannah could tell he was thinking about Adrien.

  “You can’t keep kicking yourself over that forever,” she said. “That asswipe wasn’t worthy of your trust, but that doesn’t mean you were wrong for giving it. It means you’re kind, and that you’re willing to see the best in people. It’s our own fault if we don’t always live up to it.”

  Ezekiel looked at her seriously for a second, then broke into the widest grin she had ever seen.

  “Who would have thought,” he said, “that the tough-talking girl from the Boulevard would have become such a romantic? That was possibly the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “Yeah,” she laughed. “Bet it makes you feel like a douche for telling me I smell
.”

  “That it does,” he replied, “but sometimes telling the truth makes one a douche.”

  They stood silently for a minute, enjoying the company and the stillness of the night. Although war loomed on the horizon, Irth seemed perfectly at peace in this moment. And with Ezekiel by her side, Hannah felt at home.

  “OK,” Hannah finally said, breaking the silence, “I need some more truth from you, even if it might make you seem douche-y.”

  He nodded. “As much as I enjoy spending time with you, I figured there was some other motivation behind this conversation. Ask if you must.”

  Hannah took a breath and said, “I need to know how much you trust me.”

  Ezekiel seemed taken aback by the question. “Hannah, I’d hope you knew by now that I trust you with my life. And frankly, not just with my life, but with the lives of every human on the planet.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, but do you trust me with non-human life?”

  He stared at her. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Zeke, I’m asking if you’ll trust me with her life.” She paused, then added, “Lilith’s life.”

  Ezekiel stopped, taking in her words, and scratched his beard fitfully. “Have you been practicing your mental magic?”

  “Well, yes,” she said, “but that wasn’t how I figured out something was up. I know you, Zeke, better than I know almost anyone, and I saw the strange way you and Lilith were acting tonight. What’s going on? We’re preparing for the end of the world, and I need to know if there’s anything happening here that could jeopardize that.”

  “I forget sometimes that you’re not a child, but rather a battle-tested commander. You still look so young.”

  “Zeke…”

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. I never had a daughter, but if I had…”

  “Zeke!” Hannah choked. Tears started to form in her eyes, and she took a breath. Since losing her mother Hannah’s experience with parents had been a real shit-show, but Ezekiel had freed her from the tyranny of her father. She cleared her throat. “Let’s just save the mushy stuff for after we save the world, OK? I’m not going to be much use to anyone if I’m a blubbering mess, and you still haven’t answered my question.”

  He nodded, wiping away a tear of his own before it could reach his beard. “Fair enough. The truth is, Lilith is dying.”

  Hannah gave him a strange look. “I know, Zeke. We’ve kind of been through all this before, remember? ‘Save the Oracle, save the world.’ But Gregory’s a wizard when it comes to this tech stuff, plus Lilith will be able to guide him. I’m sure he’ll get the tech working.”

  Ezekiel sighed. “I’m not so sure. She undersold just how bad it is in the meeting, and she will force Gregory to prioritize modifying the Gate over repairing her. And she’s right to do so. If the technological solution fails she will probably be destroyed by Laughter anyway, but even if we’re able to seal the Rift there’s no guarantee we’ll have the time or the knowhow to save her.”

  “Why keep this from us?”

  “Lilith knows that the fate of our world is hanging on by a thread, and she doesn’t want the team to be distracted. She already fears that I’m emotionally compromised by the knowledge.”

  Hannah had to blink away tears again. It wasn’t the impending loss of Lilith. Hannah liked the strange machine-lady, but it took a lot to bring the girl to that kind of emotion.

  The look on Ezekiel’s face had been enough to do it.

  Hannah could see in that moment that Ezekiel loved Lilith. Loved her in ways Hannah would have never guessed.

  The sadness turned to smoldering rage and Hannah said, “She’s not going to die, Zeke. I won’t let that happen. There has to be something else we can do… A Plan B in case Gregory can’t solve it in time.”

  Ezekiel looked at her with pride and fear and hope mingled in his eyes.

  “There’s one other way, but we cannot do it.”

  “Spit it out,” Hannah said. “We’re being honest here. If you don’t tell me, I’ll hide kaffe in your robes and Sal will bowl you over trying to get it.”

  “It’s you,” he said. “You could save her. In theory, anyway.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Help for Lilith was the real reason I returned to Arcadia. During my absence, I searched Irth for people who had the skills to save her. I saw wondrous things and met honorable people, but I found no one with the right gifts. I had hoped that Adrien could offer some sort of technological fix, but when I saw you in the market I knew there was a better option available.”

  “A better option?” she asked.

  “You see, Lilith was never meant to live like she is now—trapped inside that thing. The Kurtherians—her people—believe that life without a body is an abomination. In fact, when she was first discovered, the Matriarch considered having her killed. For such a great mind to be trapped forever like that—it was assumed she would go crazy. It’s a testament to Lilith’s character that she has remained herself despite what she calls her ‘penance in the caves.’”

  Hannah nodded, trying to picture what that life would be like. “Yeah, I get why that would be the case. I’d started blowing shit up after a day trapped in a metal box.”

  Ezekiel continued, “But when I saw what you did to Sal… The magic coming off you, it changed him into something this world had never seen. You created something new. I hoped when I first saw it that you held the key to unlock a new form of magic, something powerful enough to create a new vessel for Lilith. It’s one of the reasons I pushed you so hard, put so much on your shoulders.”

  Hannah’s mouth drifted open as she let Ezekiel’s words settle. “You want me to make her a body?”

  “Yes. That was my hope, but it was a fool’s dream.”

  “You’re many things Ezekiel, but you’re no fool,” Hannah insisted. “Why can’t we pull this off?”

  “Because no one is that powerful, not even you.”

  “I don’t know... I’m pretty damn powerful,” she said with a smirk.

  But he was past being playful. “I’m serious, Hannah. The effort would kill you.”

  Hannah considered that, considered whether she was truly willing to die for something else, for someone else.

  The answer was easy.

  “Screw that. I have to try, no matter the cost.”

  “Hannah—” he began.

  “Zeke, I see the way you look at her and how you talk about her. I know what this means to you, and while I may be the child you never had, you’re definitely the dad I never knew. For you I’d risk anything.”

  “Hannah,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I cannot let you do this. I forbid it.”

  She smiled so widely that it looked like a maniacal grin in the moonlight.

  “Since when have I ever listened to what you told me not to do?”

  He stood silent, staring at her with a new look of awe and admiration in his eyes.

  “I... I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. In fact, it would be better if you didn’t. Lilith’s right. We can’t let the team lose focus, but know that if the time comes I will save Lilith, even if I die trying.”

  ****

  “Ah! Dammit,” Roman screamed as he shook out the sting from his right hand. The wrench clattered to the floor at his feet.

  Gregory looked up from his work as the boy hopped around, cussing up a storm. Yuri sat by his side and silently smiled.

  “Good thing your grandmother isn’t here. I think Mrs. Shutov would have a thing or two to say about that list of expletives. She’d expect much more from you, Roman.”

  “No shit,” he said around the knuckles in his mouth.

  Gregory looked at his two apprentices, proud of the work they were doing. They had come a long way since they had first helped him reshape the cannons from the Unlawful, and although they weren’t trained in mechanics, he trusted that
they would do as fine a job as anyone else working on the tech the team had dragged back from Kaskara.

  He placed his own tool carefully on the bench and walked around to stand over the boys. They had already removed the outer casing and were making their way into the guts of the thing when Roman had rounded off the head of a bolt—and his knuckles.

  “Damn it, look what I did,” he said, tracing his finger on the rounder. “Thing’s bound up tighter than Yuri’s asshole.”

  Yuri cocked his head at his friend before slowly raising his middle finger.

  Gregory chose to hold his tongue, though he knew if Hannah were here there would be some ridiculous mention of the source of Roman’s knowledge of Yuri’s posterior. Instead he inspected the bolt. “It’ll be fine. I think I can work with this.”

  The Arcadian picked up a rusty old pair of pliers, a tool they had salvaged from the damp depths of the tunnels beyond Lilith’s residence. Squeezing the head of the bolt, he gritted his teeth and turned with all that he had. With a pop, the bolt loosened enough for Gregory to turn it out of its threaded shell. He tossed it into the air for Yuri to catch.

  Eying the clean threads, Yuri whistled and raised his brows.

  “I know, right?” Gregory replied. He patted the tech on the bench and grinned. “Back when they made this beauty they had all sorts of methods we can only dream of now.” He pointed at the shining metal between Yuri’s fingers. “That is stainless steel. Damn strong. Won’t rust, not ever. This machine has been sitting on an exposed floor in the most humid place I’ve ever been to and she still looks good as new.”

  Roman laughed, looking at the banged-up metal and cracked ceramics on the tech’s exterior. “Maybe not quite good as new. What exactly did the ancients use this thing for?”

  “Well,” Gregory said, “you know those cannons we took off Unlawful?” The boys nodded. “It is kind of like that, only a hundred times more powerful.”

  “Doesn’t look anything like it,” Roman said.

  Gregory shrugged. “No, and it shouldn’t. Even though this little bugger and my old cannons have a similar job, their applications were different. The cannons were made to be fastened to the underside of the ship.”