by John Corwin
Once inside, I noted it looked exactly like the last place, though this one also had a cloud futon near the window. I leaned back against the table and faced the Legiaros. "How would the city legion fare against the Brightling First Battalion?"
He returned a pensive look. "Many of the soldiers in the Tarissan Legion have been to the front lines. They are a match for the Brightling infantry, but would have less success against the archangels."
"Do you have anything to match the archangels?" I asked.
He shook his head. "So far, flight eludes us. I believe our most skilled fighters would be a match for the enemy if they had such an ability."
"What about levitation?" I asked.
"Levitation requires too much magical energy to maintain even if one hovers in place." He pressed his lips together. "Why do you ask such things? Do you mean to take us to the front lines?"
"That's exactly what I intend to do."
Ketiss stiffened. "We are at your command, Destroyer. Give me the word and we will take the skyway north."
I gave him a sly half smile. "Those aren't the front lines." I pointed in what I figured was the general direction of the Alabaster Arch. "The front line is Eden. I want your legion to come back with me tomorrow."
His eyes flashed wide for an instant. "To the Promised Land?"
"Exactly."
"We would be honored." He straightened, clapped his hands twice, and gave me a curt bow. "I must prepare the legion at once. It will require several hours to mobilize."
"How many soldiers do you have?" I asked.
"Approximately eight hundred fighters plus two hundred support, which includes logistics, healers, and a command staff of fifty."
"Sounds good." I stifled another yawn. "Please get your people ready. As soon as I wake up, I want to get a move on."
"As you command." Ketiss performed the strange clap-bow salute again and left the room.
"I cannot wait to see the Promised Land," Flava said, her voice full of joy. "We won't disappoint you, Justin."
"That's great," I mumbled, barely able to keep my eyes open.
"I will remain and monitor you in case the drug is still affecting your body," she said.
I was too tired to care. I flopped onto the cloud bed.
Soldiers howl in agony as I cut them down with Brilliance. Blades burst simultaneously from Thala’s and Uoriss's chests. Blood sprays from the wounds. Crimson foams in their mouths. I kneel in a lake of blood and look into the accusing eyes of my victims. Thala says something in a faint whisper. I lean closer to her mouth, but the words die on her lips.
I jerked upright in bed and let the unpleasant dream slip away. Flava looked as though she'd fallen asleep while sitting on the futon, judging from the awkward angle of her body.
Why do I keep dreaming about swords in their chests?
I'd immolated the soldiers; cut them down with pure, fiery Brilliance. Channeled differently, the same destructive energy could be used to cut like a blade, just as the Brightling had sliced my chest with a wing. That thought took my brain by the hand and led it to another question. Why had there been blood on the floor? Uoriss and Thala should have burned like the rest.
I closed my eyes and thought back to the incident. I'd been conscious and aware of everything even if I hadn't been in total control. The only people with swords in that room had been the soldiers. I got out of bed and picked up my gem from the table. I obviously hadn't owned a gem during the massacre so there would be no recording from my point of view. Imagining the scene in my head, I willed the gem to replay the video.
The video started from the perspective of one of the soldiers. The view jumped around as soldiers fell. Pause. The image froze. Using my hands as I'd seen Flava do, I rotated the scene. Though I could view nearly everything in front of the recording device, everything behind the bearer was gray since the gem didn't have a clear view of it.
Show all recordings from this incident.
A list of names and pictures of faces scrolled onto the holographic image. My heart weighed heavy in my chest as the dead confronted their killer from beyond the grave. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I forced myself back to the task at hand. Touching an item in the list replayed their recording. Most of the recordings were useless since the angle showed only the back of the soldier in front of the viewer just before my white death ray cut them down.
It took some time to work my way down the list. The last three recordings showed the first-person view of the soldiers charging into the room before the playback abruptly burst into static. I reached Thala's recording. In the picture next to the description, she wore a pleasant smile. She had been a lovely sera. Despite her zealotry, she'd been mostly pleasant.
Stop guilting yourself!
I stiffened my spine and played her video. Her video played back from a similar perspective as the others. Since there were no other videos listed under her name, I assumed that meant the colored gem she wore on her sleeve was only for command authorization instead of recording. Thala threw up her hands as my demon form bared its teeth and unleashed a torrent of death on the soldiers. The view lurched and flickered. As Thala fell to the floor, the ceiling came into view.
Rewind.
I paused the video at the moment just before the flicker and rotated the perspective. Though I could see nothing behind Thala, the look of surprise and pain on her face made it clear she'd been wounded. I rotated the image again and saw my demonic shape focused on a group of soldiers on the right, all the way across the room from Thala and Uoriss. As I continued rotating, I caught sight of Uoriss's profile. Her face was locked in a grimace of pain. I let the playback move forward a frame at a time. The image flickered and suddenly Thala was on the floor.
Something was wrong. I ended Thala's recording and went to Uoriss's. Her recording showed the same exact time lapse. I briefly wondered if perhaps all the magic I'd blasted into that confined space might have damaged the gems, but since most of the other gems hadn't shown such anomalies, that theory didn't hold water. It also didn't explain why three soldiers' recordings blanked out seconds after the fight started.
I went to the last recording in the list: Cephus's. He'd been near the back and to the left. If anyone's gem had been in a good position, it would've been his. The playback started. I heard screams and saw a gout of white fire incinerate a soldier. The view shifted to the right, showing the three soldiers whose recordings weren't working draw swords. Something shifted across the view and blacked it out for several seconds. I rewound the video and examined the obstruction. It appeared to be a piece of cloth, but I wasn't sure.
I punched at the immaterial image as frustration got the better of me. "Son of a biscuit eater." I continued the video. The offending cloth went away a few minutes after the fight ended.
"Someone has tampered with the recordings," Flava said in a hushed voice. She looked down as I jerked my head her way. "Apologies, Justin. I awoke several minutes ago and did not want to interrupt you."
I waved away her concern. "How would someone edit the recordings?"
"One of my friends who works for the historical archives said that someone at a higher level could possibly alter a recording if they have access to the storage crystals." She projected the image of a vast chamber filled with glowing crystals that seemed to float in the air. "There was once a scandal involving a sub-minister who tried to erase evidence that he'd abused servants in his household."
"Could someone alter the recording before it left the gem?" I asked.
"They would have to be quite skilled at enchantments." She braced her chin on a hand and seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. "From what I know, the enchantments will notify the historical authorities if you try to tamper with them."
"What's to keep people from covering up the gems with something like their hand so they don't record?" I made a frustrated sound. "What's to keep people from just leaving them at home for that matter?"
"There are ways to rebuild a scene i
n its entirety even if the gem is covered." Flava stood from the futon. "You could order someone from the historical archives to do that. So long as the recording is not corrupted, they have advanced methods for reconstruction."
She continued to explain the process, but my mind was already wandering down a different path. I had been attacked in two highly secure locations. Brightlings had attacked me in a building surrounded by a security barrier that could detect them the instant they crossed it, just as that same barrier had detected my ability to channel Brilliance. The second time I'd been attacked, my assailants had practically waltzed into the Ministry of Defense and killed my guards.
Whoever had engineered these feats had high-level access. Whoever was in charge of my would-be assassins bore an absolute hatred of religion. The people who followed this person echoed this hatred. If someone who worked in the historical archives held similar beliefs, they would, in all likelihood, willingly help the cause.
So far, I'd only met three people who had the charisma and power to convince so many people to follow them. Out of those three, two were extremely religious. Those same two were also quite dead. The more I thought about it, the more sense my conclusion made.
I looked at Flava. "I think I know who's been trying to kill me."
Her eyebrows arched in tandem. "Who?"
I folded my arms, narrowed my eyes, and gave ample time for a dramatic pause. "Minister Cephus."
Chapter 15
Flava's eyebrows rose another millimeter and her mouth dropped open. "Why would Minister Cephus do such a thing?"
Part of the answer had already occurred to me, but how had he known I would kill those soldiers? Had he taken advantage of an opportunity, or somehow planned this out? The conclusion hit me like a ballpeen hammer in the funny bone. My guts twisted into a hangman's noose and proceeded to execute my stomach as logic led me down a horrifying trail of cause and effect.
"When Cephus used a spell to teach me your language, he was able to see my history all the way from childhood to the present." I dropped onto the futon and gripped the sides of my head. "He discovered how volatile my inner demon becomes when it interacts with Brilliance. That was why he asked me to transform into demon form in front of the Trivectus. He knew it would frighten Uoriss and Thala and cause them to call in their guards. The minute those soldiers stormed into the room, he's the one who sealed the levitators so nobody could escape."
Flava staggered back. "He made you assassinate the other ministers?"
I shook my head. "I didn't kill them." I looked at her. "The three soldiers in the back of the room, the ones whose videos wouldn't playback—they killed the ministers." I pointed at the still-hovering holographic image of Thala and Uoriss soaking in their own blood while all around them were the smoking remains of incinerated soldiers. "Don't you see? I burned the soldiers, but the ministers were stabbed by swords."
I recounted everything, all the way back to the moment I'd met Cephus. He'd seen me beat the snot out of the soldiers who'd tried to imprison Nightliss and me. That was probably when he'd conceived the notion of using me to kill the other ministers. Once he'd read my mind, he'd known exactly how to trigger my demonic rampage.
If Cephus had tried to use me from the beginning, that meant—ice-cold panic raced down my skin—Pross might have been working for Cephus. They might have kidnapped Nightliss. They might have killed her. In all likelihood, Pross was not, at this moment, healing Elyssa.
If I was right, Nightliss might be dead and Elyssa was only days away from death.
My fists clenched tight. I ground my teeth. My body shook with absolute rage. Cephus, you bastard! I'm going to kill you if anything has happened to Nightliss. In the calmest voice I could muster, I said, "How do I find Cephus?" I remembered what the minister had told me about Nightliss's bad reputation with the Primogenesis crowd and wondered if it would be dangerous to use her name.
Flava seemed to sense my anger. She backed away a step. "I will find out for you." She tapped her gem.
Ketiss spoke. "Yes, Healer Flava?"
"I am looking for Minister Cephus." Her voice quavered ever so slightly.
"He is on his way to see me." Ketiss made a disgruntled noise. "Apparently, he discovered we are mobilizing and wants to dissuade us from going to Eden."
"Where are you?" I asked.
"We are in the plaza outside the building you're in, Destroyer." Ketiss cleared his throat. "We should be ready to go within two hours."
"Do you know a healer named Pross?" I asked.
"Yes, that is Minister Cephus's personal healer."
"Where does she work?"
Ketiss made a disapproving grunt. "She works for the Ministry of Research. Flava can show you where it is." He paused. "May I ask why?"
"It's nothing important," I said. "When will Cephus be here?"
"Perhaps thirty minutes," Ketiss said.
"I'm going to visit Pross." I took a deep breath to ward off more pain as thoughts of Nightliss intruded. "Don't tell Cephus, and keep him here until I return."
"As you command, Destroyer."
I nodded at Flava.
She ended the communication. "Why are we going to see Pross?"
I decided to use Nightliss's real name. Flava would find out sooner or later. I'd just have to convince them not to sacrifice my friend. "Pross was supposed to return to Eden with a friend who came here with me so she could heal someone very dear to my heart."
"I was not aware of that." Flava said. "Do you believe Pross did not return to Eden?"
I nodded. "I think she kidnapped my friend. Her name is Nightliss."
Flava's right eye twitched. "Your friend is named after the betrayer who caused the Schism?"
"She is the original Nightliss."
Her eyes flared. "Have you brought her here for us to sacrifice?"
"Absolutely not." I gripped her shoulders. "Nightliss was not the cause of the Schism. The Brightlings spread lies about her because she fought against them. The Brightlings themselves caused the Schism."
Judging from the look in Flava's eyes, she was having a hard time processing this. She took a deep breath. "You are the servant of the Primogenitor. If you say Nightliss is not to blame, I believe you."
Thank goodness the Destroyer has street creds. With that out of the way, I switched back to the troubling topic at hand. "Because Cephus lied to me from the start, I believe Pross never went to Eden with Nightliss. Either my friend is dead or Pross is holding her somewhere." My thoughts kept ricocheting between Elyssa and Nightliss. "Pross and Nightliss were supposed to go back to Eden to heal my love, Elyssa." Hot tears burned my eyes. I wiped them away and gripped Flava by the shoulders. "Can you heal her?"
She flinched. "Your love?"
"Elyssa is my heart."
A troubled look crossed Flava's face. "How severe are her injuries?"
After a few deep breaths, I was able to explain the situation. I let go of her and backed off. "Can you do it?"
"I think so, Justin." She looked down. "I have healed many terrible wounds during my time on the front lines. I will do my best."
I allowed a tiny bit of relief to warm the icy despair in the pit of my stomach. Even though it felt like I'd been trapped in Seraphina for weeks, I'd only just arrived yesterday. Elyssa still had time. But what about Nightliss? With a name like Ministry of Research, I didn't dare think what kind of horrors they could've committed on her.
"Let's go." I ran out to the balcony and spotted a small cloudlet with two soldiers on it. "You two, come here."
They stiffened and directed their ride to the balcony at once.
I motioned them off. "Flava and I must attend something important. We'll be back soon."
"As you command, Destroyer." The soldiers clapped twice and bowed.
I grabbed Flava's hand and pulled her after me to the cloudbank. "Take us where we need to go."
"Yes, Justin." She directed her gaze to the right and the cloudbank moved in that direction.
It picked up speed until we were moving at a decent clip, though nowhere near the speed I'd managed on Templar flying carpets.
"Can it go any faster?"
She shook her head. "The skyway might move faster, but it would take us by a more indirect route." Flava pointed to wide domed structure barely visible behind the taller buildings in front of it. "That is our destination."
"Will we be able to walk right in?"
She glanced back at me. "You are the Destroyer."
I waited for further explanation, but apparently, being Mr. Destroyer gave me all the authority I needed to go anywhere. A few minutes later, Flava landed the cloudbank just outside a security perimeter similar to the one around the other ministry buildings. I walked up to the sentries. A symbol on their uniforms caught my attention. It looked like a white circle around a black void.
I addressed them. "Do you know who I am?"
The two seraphs exchanged glances. "Yes, Destroyer," the one on the left replied. "How may we serve?"
"I need to see Pross."
"Of course." The guard made as if to touch the gem on his chest.
I grabbed his wrist to stop him. "This is a surprise inspection." I motioned toward the building. "Why don't you two lead me inside?"
The two guards seemed extremely uneasy with this suggestion, but nodded.
"As you command, Destroyer." The left guard said.
They entered the security field. I followed them in, but it didn't sound an alarm. I wondered if they'd modified it to recognize me somehow. Many other guards patrolled the grounds. All of them wore the symbols on their uniforms. I put my curiosity about them on hold and entered the building behind the seraphs. They guided me to a holographic three-dimensional map of the building, including several stories below ground.
"Locate Healer Pross," the first guard said.
A light blinked in one of the sub-basements labeled Restricted Access.
My stomach lurched at the confirmation that she was still indeed in Seraphina. "How do I get there?" I asked.