by John Corwin
My eyes went to the body bag as it shuddered. "I guess we can bring along the Flarks and question them if they revive."
Underborn gave me a gold ASE. "Contact me with this when you're ready to move on Daelissa."
I rolled my eyes. "Look, enough with your special ASEs and sneaky ways. Just give me your stinking phone number so I can text you." I held out Nookli to him with the number pad on the screen.
He seemed to wrestle internally with the idea. Apparently, the idea pinned him to the mat because he finally entered his digits. "Do not give this out to anyone."
"Wouldn't dream of it." I planned to write his number on bathroom stalls and give it out to telemarketers once the war was over. I grabbed one end of the body bag and dragged it toward the glimmering portal Elyssa had come through. "We'll be in touch."
Underborn reached into his pocket and withdrew the key. "I almost forgot to return it to you." He regarded me with a curious look. "How do you plan to use it to transport an army?"
I took the key and flashed a confident grin. "If my plan works, I'll be sure to let you know." With that, I left the assassin with a disgruntled look on his face.
We stepped through the portal and into the omniarch room in Queens Gate. I closed the portal.
Elyssa burst into laughter. "I loved the look on Underborn's face when you left him hanging."
"It was the least I could do after all the crap he's put us through." I exited the room, dragging the body bag behind me. The movements inside it became more frequent.
Shelton stood outside the mansion watching the construction golems as they put the finishing touches on the roof. He turned as we drew near and flinched back a step when he saw the body bag.
His upper lip curled back. "What in the blazes is inside that?"
"Flarks," I said.
Shelton jumped back. "Are you crazy? There's no way—" He stopped midsentence and narrowed his eyes at me. "You're just kidding, right?"
I shook my head. "This is diamond fiber, though, so they shouldn't be able to get out."
He opened his mouth and shut it several times. "I don't even know what to say, but I sure as hell want to hear the story."
I gave him the short version and held up the map and key. "Mission accomplished."
"You've got balls, I'll give you that." Shelton shuddered. "The Brotherhood of Assassins ain't no pansy organization to be screwing with."
"The Assassins Guild," Elyssa said.
I tucked away the map and key. "I need those giant unfolding doors as soon as possible."
"I'm on it." Shelton took out his arcphone and tapped on it. "Adam is going to come over and assist me."
"Not that you need the help, of course." I grinned.
He returned a knowing look. "Nah, I figured he could learn something by hanging out with a pro."
Elyssa snorted. "You two have fun."
My smiled faded as I thought about the terrifying images Underborn had shown me of Daelissa's army. "Even with Fjoeruss's battle golems, I don't know if we can win this." I told Shelton what I'd seen.
"Holy butt macaroons," Shelton growled. "We can't catch a break, can we?"
"Our timeline just got a lot shorter. We need more help." I sighed. "The Brotherhood—"
"The Assassins Guild," Elyssa said. "How many times do I have to remind you that they're equal opportunity?"
Usually I would've enjoyed joking around with her, but my mood was growing more sour by the moment. "What good will assassins do against an army? Daelissa has an army of giant battle golems. I doubt even Fjoeruss has numbers to match hers. If we don't cut her off from the nexus soon, she'll have another battalion of archangels and infantry too."
Shelton grunted. "We need bigger and badder guns."
I completely agreed. Unfortunately, we'd been soundly turned down by the only people who might be able to help. Without Science Academy, I didn't know how we could win.
Chapter 28
The next few days felt like the calm before a massive storm. Nom volunteers flooded Queens Gate, eager to lend a helping hand to angels who could not only save the world, but also cure the volunteers of illnesses and disabilities the nom medical system had been unable to treat. With the prisms provided by Fjoeruss, the Darklings dual fed and grew stronger. I tried to find new allies, even going so far as to beg Altash and Lulu for their help again, but the leviathan dragons once again ignored my pleas. Slitheren and the smaller dragons were nowhere to be found.
Underborn began experimenting with the Alabaster Arch at the Three Sisters to see if he could indeed wrest control from the Grand Nexus. For some reason, the recordings of my mother singing didn't work as well with three Chalons. Mom and a crew of Arcanes who specialized in arch operations joined his research.
I met with the leaders of allied factions and went over different scenarios that might help us win the next fight. Fjoeruss informed us that he had only four battle golems—far fewer than half the units Daelissa possessed. He'd seen little utility in creating such monsters with an army of gray men to rely on. By the end of the meeting, he admitted that even if he committed all his time to building more battle golems, he would need months to match Daelissa's current numbers. By then, her own army would likely have outpaced his efforts.
The political situations in nom governments were also growing more unstable. Russia had already invaded Ukraine and increased tensions across all the Baltic nations and Europe. The nom news stations were filled with stories about a new cold war. Daemos operatives were doing all they could to keep the larger governments from destabilizing, but Russia was a lost cause.
I spent as much time with Elyssa as possible. Every day with her was a gift I didn't intend to squander, especially since the next battle with Daelissa might end the war with us on the losing end. We set up a massive movie screen in Colossus Stadium and showed the Darkling army the Princess Bride. Flava absolutely loved the movie and began referring to Daelissa as a warthog-faced buffoon. Ketiss and many other Darklings mistook the movie for a historical documentary and wondered if we might enlist the help of the Dread Pirate Roberts.
As for our mortal enemy, Daelissa—well, she seemed to be content to wait. What little information our spies brought from Thunder Rock indicated the Seraphim forces were feeding from humans and growing stronger every day. Her battle mages were working on more battle golems and other magical weapons. But the most troubling news came at the beginning of the following week when one of Underborn's spies hand-delivered a small scroll to me.
Elyssa and I had just returned from a nice dinner at the Copper Swan in Queens Gate. I opened the parchment and held it so we could both read it.
The Brightling Second Battalion is three days away from entering an Alabaster Arch in Seraphina and arriving in Eden. There is also talk in Daelissa's camp of another unknown ally coming through the portal. Suggest we move up the timetable for taking control of the Alabaster Arch network. Send word through my messenger.
-Underborn
"Unknown ally?" Elyssa grimaced. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Or the Second Battalion." I incinerated the parchment with Brilliance and turned to the spy. "Tell Underborn to meet us at El Dorado first thing in the morning. We'll use the Alabaster Arch there."
The spy nodded and sped away without another word.
"Why El Dorado?" Elyssa said. "What if Daelissa figures out which arch we're using to bypass the Grand Nexus?"
"There are several good reasons." I hooked an arm around her shoulder and headed down the path from the ferry dock toward the Dark Forest. "The Three Sisters is still under siege. If it weren't for tons of rocks and debris, Daelissa's people would have already broken through. If we convert another Alabaster Arch into the new Grand Nexus, we can more easily control and defend El Dorado."
"We would be fighting aboveground, I assume."
I nodded. "The caverns would be too cramped."
She pursed her lips. "If the dragons change their minds, at least they're n
ot far away."
"Exactly." I was so sick of them ignoring me, but even I couldn't bully one of those monsters into a conversation. "Daelissa forced the last fight by attacking the city we call home. Now she seems content to sit back and build up her forces. I have a feeling that once the Second Battalion reaches Eden, she'll attack again."
Elyssa wrinkled her forehead. "I agree, but what would her next target be? Queens Gate?"
I shook my head. "She has no easy way to get her troops here. Even if she hijacks the Obsidian Arch in the way station or Colossus Stadium, she'll be faced with a bottleneck. Funneling her troops through one of those arches while under attack would only lead to staggering losses on her side."
"True." She thought about it for a moment. "She has an Obsidian Arch in Thunder Rock, which means there are hundreds of different places she could attack."
I booted a rock out of our path as we reached the walkway near the dorms at Arcane University. "I don't know much about her new tactician, Arturo, but from my conversations with Ketiss, it sounds like he's the sort of seraph who sticks with what works."
"You think he'll attack Atlanta again?"
I nodded. "The information Underborn gave us indicates that the only reason Arturo didn't commit all their battle golems was because they weren't fully weaponized. Daelissa probably pushed him to finish the war, so he finally attacked with what was available, drew us out, and did his best to annihilate our army."
"I'd concur with that assessment," Elyssa said in her military tone of voice. "It would also explain why goliaths Bronze, Ash, and Quartz were underpowered. Some of their weapon shards weren't fully functional. I'll bet they were rushed through production."
"Exactly." I directed us down a walkway leading to the left of the dark dormitory buildings. Aside from occasional patrols, the campus was like a ghost town. "Arturo has probably convinced Daelissa that the best option is to bring all their unconventional forces fully online and wait for the Second Battalion to arrive."
"An army of goliaths and nearly two thousand Seraphim sounds like Daelissa's wet dream come true." Elyssa stopped walking and faced me. "We can't let her wait, Justin."
"Exactly. We need to force a fight somewhere." I rested a hand on her hip. "I've considered trying to force a confrontation at El Dorado, especially if we can take over the Grand Nexus. It's far away from nom populations, and Daelissa couldn't transport her goliaths there very easily since there's no Obsidian Arch within hundreds of miles."
"But would she attack without her prime assets?"
"If we cut her off from Seraphina before reinforcements arrive, there's a good chance it would leave her with little choice."
Elyssa bit her lower lip and thought it over. "Fighting on our turf, our army versus hers, we might have a shot at winning this." Her eyes brightened. "I think it's worth a try."
"My main concern is Arturo. He might convince Daelissa to simply proceed with another Atlanta attack."
The excitement faded from her face. "What will we do if he does?"
I shook my head. "I know this sounds horrible, but I don't think we can afford to respond. Without a counter to their goliaths, I don't see how our forces could survive another encounter."
"In other words, we have to make sure Daelissa doesn't listen to him." A slow smile spread across her lips. "Daelissa has a horrible temper and she hates you with a passion. If we take control of the Alabaster Arch network, maybe you could rub it in her face. I'd be willing to bet that would make her come to El Dorado."
"I think you're right." I kissed her on the nose. "Maybe I'll call her a warthog-faced buffoon."
Elyssa rubbed her hands together. "I can't wait to see the look on that bitch's face."
"Let's go home and compile a list of insults. I want to be prepared for this."
She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck. "You really know how to show a girl a good time."
The next morning, we met Underborn at El Dorado. My mother was already there with the assassin, inspecting the Alabaster Arch. She gave me and Elyssa warm hugs.
Underborn didn't give us hugs, opting instead to nod briefly in our general direction. "I can see why you've chosen El Dorado, Mr. Slade. Should Daelissa discover which Alabaster Arch we've used to take control from the Grand Nexus, she might think twice before attacking here."
"Actually, I'm hoping she'll attack us here." I outlined my plan to force a fight we might win.
"She won't bite," Underborn said without hesitation. "If there's anything stronger than Daelissa's ego, it's her sense of self-preservation. You might anger her, but unless she feels confident of victory, she won't attack."
"I'd have to agree." Mom quirked her lips into a sad frown. "I've seen Daelissa so angry she was literally foaming at the mouth. Somehow, she bottled up that rage and saved it for later. I don't think you can goad her into such a risky attack."
"But, Justin and I stayed up late making a list of insults," Elyssa said. "We came up with some pretty funny ones."
"I had it all planned out." I blew out a breath of disgust. "It all started with calling her a miserable, vomitous mass, and ended with telling her to stick her head in doo-doo."
Underborn blinked a couple of times. "You obviously put some serious thought into this, Mr. Slade. I fear you'll have to come up with something better."
"I'm not giving up on the idea." I turned to the Alabaster Arch. "What have you found out so far about taking control from the nexus? We have less than a day before her troops reach the gateway."
"It has proven considerably more difficult than I thought." Underborn withdrew the three Chalons. Each sphere was small, white, and etched with tiny lines. "We've tried individually aligning the orbs with Seraphina, and then affixing them to the arch, but the Grand Nexus resists our attempts to remove it as the primary arch."
"I can sense our Chalons overpowering the nexus, but just when they're about to take control, the nexus take the arches offline and resets." Mom threw up her hands. "I don't know what else we can do."
"I know just who to call." I sent a text to Adam Nosti. Need help hacking an Alabaster Arch at El Dorado.
He responded a moment later. I can be there in an hour. Helping Shelton with your magic doors.
"Magic doors?"
I flinched and saw Underborn standing behind me. "Snoop much?"
He didn't seem the least bit embarrassed. "Do these doors have something to do with the map and key?"
"They're making giant doors that can fold into compact form for easy transport."
"Interesting." He narrowed his eyes. "That would solve a great many logistics problems should your unconventional idea work."
"Exactly." I put away my phone. "Now if only we had an army of battle golems to transport with them."
"Given the lack of time before our next conflict, I don't believe constructing more battle golems is the answer." Underborn idly rolled the Chalons between his fingers like a street magician manipulating marbles. "You've made ample use of flying carpets, but have you considered rocket sticks and flying brooms? They're much faster."
"Flying carpets are more stable," Elyssa said. "Arcanes find it easier to cast from them."
"Perhaps, but what about Seraphim?" Underborn gave us a sly smile.
"Flying brooms?" I'd never even considered such a thing. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. "Are they hard to fly?"
Underborn waggled his hand in a so-so gesture. "The learning curve is a little steep, but it just so happens that you have a resident flying broom expert."
I knew the answer immediately. Underborn seemed intent on making me wait for the answer so I decided to ruin his fun. I folded my arms. "I'm totally over your dramatic pauses. You're talking about Bella."
Disappointment flickered across the assassin's face. "Indeed. Your friend Bella used to be in one of the underground boomstick leagues here."
"Boomstick?" My forehead pinched. "Isn't that a shotgun?"
"It's Arcane sla
ng for highly modified broomsticks and rocket sticks, especially those used in racing," Elyssa said. "The Templars bust racers who decided to take their sport into nom cities."
"Sweet!" It seemed there was always something cool I hadn't known about the Overworld. I'd seen flying brooms around campus during my first days at Science Academy and Arcane University. Heck, I'd even seen frat boys riding flying vacuum cleaners, mops, and those rolling floor sweepers used in restaurants. I'd never considered them viable for combat operations, especially the one Bella wanted to pack for our trip to Seraphina. I took out my phone and called Bella. I didn't waste time explaining what I wanted when she answered. "Are you a boomstick expert?"
She paused as if the question caught her off guard. "Dare I ask why you want to know?"
"Underborn suggested flying brooms might be more effective for our Seraphim combat operations than flying carpets," I said. "What do you think?"
She made a squealing noise. "I think it's a wonderful idea. We'll need modified broomsticks. Do you know where we can get them?"
I turned to Underborn. "Where can we get boomsticks?"
He took out his arcphone and tapped on it. "I have an excellent contact in the underground league who can supply them. Give me a few moments and I'll make the arrangements."
I put the phone back to my ear. "I'll let you know once we have them."
"This will be fun, Justin." Bella sounded super-excited. "I can't wait."
I wanted to feel optimistic about this venture, but a part of me decided I was desperately grasping at straws, or more specifically, straw brooms. The other Seraphim and I might be more mobile, but would we be any match for the archangels? More importantly, would we have time to train with them?
Chapter 29
Underborn's contact came through, but he wouldn't deal with Templars, so I had to leave Elyssa behind. Shelton, Bella, and I took a flying carpet down into Queens Gate. The meeting place didn't show up on the map, so we used directions given to us by Underborn. After twisting through countless alleys, we finally arrived at a dead end.