by John Corwin
"Son of a monkey's ass," Shelton said as he regarded the red brick walls on three sides. "I'll bet Underborn is having a good laugh."
"Did we miss a turn?" Bella waved her wand around the alley, casting revelation spells intended to highlight illusions. Her spells fizzled on the walls and failed to find anything.
I looked at my notes and recounted the trip in my head. Despite the complex instructions, I felt positive we hadn't missed any steps. I examined the last few sentences.
Turn right into Blind Wizard's Alley.
Take a bow.
When I'd first read the last sentence, I thought it was telling us to pat ourselves on the back for getting here. Now I felt certain it was literally telling us to nod our heads. I lowered the carpet to the cobblestone road, looked at one of the walls, and bowed.
With a loud grating noise, the red brick wall at the end of the alley slid down into the ground, revealing a dark passage.
"Thank heavens," Bella said. "I think Harry was about to lose his temper."
Shelton grumbled something about kicking mysterious assassins in the rear end and walked into the dark passage. He vanished from sight the instant he stepped inside. Narrowing my eyes, I peered into the pitch black, but Shelton was nowhere to be seen. I stepped through after him. The second I crossed the threshold, I stood inside a large well-lit garage instead of a pitch-black tunnel.
Bella bumped into me. "How interesting. It would seem this place doesn't hide behind illusion. It uses some kind of pocket dimension magic."
"Underborn set it up for me," said a young Asian man as he came around the corner. He sported thick black hair and wore tight-fitting black jeans and a light-blue T-shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on the front. "I'm Rai."
Shelton snorted. "You sure as hell don't look like an underground racer to me."
Rai shrugged. "What did you expect? A nom grease monkey?"
"I sure expected more after traipsing all over the blasted city looking for this place." Shelton scowled like a hungry man who'd just dropped his last jelly-filled donut into the gutter.
I glanced around the garage. One side held racks upon racks of brooms. Stainless steel pedestals resembling the kind of stands used to repair bikes held broomsticks in various states of construction. A large bin in the back contained what looked like straw and next to it were stacked bins of wooden rods, each one labeled by the type of wood. Some of the other containers held exotic-looking materials I didn't recognize.
I walked to the proprietor and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Rai. I'm Justin."
He grinned and gripped my hand firmly. "It's an honor to meet you. You look a lot younger than I'd imagined."
"I moisturize daily." Not wanting to waste time on idle conversation, I waved a hand toward all the brooms in the back. "Are those the boomsticks?"
Rai rubbed his hands together as if I'd just asked him his favorite question. "Yes, they are. Each one of them handcrafted by me or one of my skilled apprentices."
"You look awfully young to have apprentices," Shelton said.
Rai arched his eyebrows. "You look awfully young to be so grumpy."
"You'll have to forgive Harry," Bella said sweetly. "He doesn't know much about the sport." She ran a finger along one of the brooms clamped into a broom stand. "I see you're using Bavarian straw and wood in your construction. Do you prefer it over Italian?"
Rai's eyes brightened. "Now that is a debate I could go on and on about." He cast a sideways glance at me. "I don't think Justin wants to wait that long, though."
"I used to be a boomstick racer back in the day," Bella said. "It looks like things haven't changed much since then."
"A lot has changed if you're talking about gadgets," Rai said. "But if you want pure power and speed, you'll still find the same old arguments about wood quality, the kind of straw used, and the best aerodynamic design."
"How much more aerodynamic could a broom be?" I asked, examining the slender rod of wood.
"Magic doesn't completely free us from physics," Rai said. "That's why all the novelty crap like flying mops and vacuum cleaners handle like pregnant pigs saddled with bathtubs." He looked proudly at the racked brooms. "Nothing handles quite the same as a hand-crafted broom."
"How hard are they to fly?" I asked.
Rai glanced at me. "Ever flown one before?"
I shook my head. "Flying carpets only."
"These things will run circles around even the fastest flying carpets." He winked. "Why do you think the Templars have so much trouble catching us?"
I was glad Elyssa wasn't around to argue the point. "We need as many brooms as you can spare."
"What exactly do you plan to do with them?" Rai actually looked a little worried, like a father dropping off his kid for the first day of kindergarten.
"We're up against flying Seraphim," Shelton said. "Maybe even goliaths."
The proprietor's eyes grew wide. "I've heard rumors, but it's still hard to imagine these Seraphim actually exist, much less fly."
I put a hand on his shoulder and looked him directly in the eye. "We absolutely need these brooms and the training to go along with them. We can pay you whatever you want."
"I have fifty-eight completed brooms. I usually sell them for around three thousand or more, depending on the mods." He looked up as if performing some quick calculations in his head. "I'd be willing to let them go for a hundred thousand tinsel."
Shelton whistled. "What the hell are these things made, of, gold?"
I gave Shelton a warning look. "Money isn't an issue."
Shelton pshawed. "Tinsel ain't gonna be worth squat if Daelissa wins."
"My people and I will also help with the training," Rai said.
I gave him a curious look. "Why are you being so helpful?"
He crossed his arms, a grim look on his face. "Cyphanis Rax's enforcers killed some of my friends after that joke of a vote by the council to make Rax the Arcanus Primus. I want payback."
Rax's enforcers had nearly taken out Elyssa and me not so long ago. Thankfully, we'd chased those thugs out of town when we'd taken control of Queens Gate with the help of the tragon.
I gripped Rai's hand and shook it. "Welcome to the team."
He grinned. "I hope you kick their asses back to the Stone Age." Rai called his people so they could inspect the broom inventory and fine-tune any stale stock.
I called Cinder once we left. A text from Elyssa popped onto the screen as the phone rang. I swiped it aside to answer later when Cinder answered. "How many combat-worthy revived Seraphim do we have?" I asked.
"Seventy-three, Justin." He made a loud grunt. "Unfortunately, we lost many people during the last battle." Cinder grunted again, but softly this time.
"Why are you grunting?"
"Ah, Shelton told me that by interspersing grunts throughout a conversation I could sound more natural." As if to underline the point, he unleashed a rumbling grunt. "Do you agree?"
"Maybe you should hold off on the grunting until you study how people use it." I gave Shelton a dirty look. "Shelton grunts a lot because he's always in a foul mood."
Shelton snickered like a kid who'd just given someone a wedgie and said in a loud voice, "Don't listen to Justin. You keep on grunting, buddy."
I groaned. "Really, Shelton?"
He shrugged. "How else am I gonna entertain myself?"
Bella tweaked his ear. "Harry, you can be so mean sometimes."
I returned to more important matters. "Cinder, I need at least thirty candidates for broom flying school ready to assemble on the main back lawn behind Arcane University tomorrow. Do you think you can pick the best ones?"
He grunted. "I believe my close work with the reborn qualifies me to handle such a task, Justin."
"Excellent, thanks." I bid him farewell and ended the call. "Grunting, eh?" I shook my head. "That poor golem is never going to fit into society."
"Grunting is an important part of daily societal nutrition." Shelton shrugged. "B
esides, he freaks me out sometimes when he goes completely still and silent while he's thinking something over. I like a person who makes some noise."
We got back on our flying carpet and took it up to Arcane University. I caught Shelton staring at the silvery organic curves of Science Academy across the way.
"Have you come up with any brilliant ways to change their minds?" I asked.
He shook his head. "I did some digging, though. Turns out Frankenberg and Newton met with Cyphanis Rax right after he locked down Queens Gate. My instincts tell me they reached some kind of non-aggression treaty."
"Yeah, but Rax fled Queens Gate when we took it over. For all we know, he's hiding in Thunder Rock."
Bella made a sour face. "Perhaps speaking with the man is counterproductive."
Shelton snorted. "Did you really just call Frankenberg the man?"
"He is the man." Bella gave him a fierce look. "Thinking back on my racing days has certainly revived my rebellious side. I think we need to subvert the academy council and go straight to where the levitation spell hits the road."
"The students?" I asked.
She replied with a brisk nod. "I'm sure you could convince them to help, Justin."
"Yeah, but after the show he put on for the council, they've probably got his face embedded in the recognition software of every battle bot on campus." Shelton frowned. "Even if they couldn't harm him, the fireworks and destruction would probably scare off any potential recruits."
"I'm don't want to put students at risk," I said.
Shelton waved away my concern. "Bah. They've got as much a stake in this as anyone else."
"I think I know who can help." Bella took out her arcphone and tapped on it, her face screwed up with intense concentration. After several minutes, she grunted in satisfaction.
"See?" Shelton said with a grin. "Everyone grunts when they're thinking."
Bella rolled her eyes. "I was texting someone." She regarded her phone as someone might regard a venomous snake they'd managed to grasp by the tail. "I still don't quite like these techie things, but they have their uses."
"Who'd you text?" I asked.
She flashed a bright smile. "Lina Romero."
I steered the carpet over the sparkling diamond dome of the massive library at Arcane University and gave Bella a confused look. "She didn't go to Science Academy. She was going to Arcane University like me."
"True, true." Bella gave me a smug look. "But her boyfriend attends the academy."
"What does that get us?" Shelton said. "One student isn't gonna convince all of them to join us."
"Do you remember the last Grand Melee?" she asked.
I snorted. "How could I forget? I let the tragon chase me into the arena so it could take out a rampaging battle golem. Elyssa saved me from the tragon, I almost died from the vampling curse, and Ivy decided to save me." A shrug. "Just another day in the life of Justin Slade."
"I suppose it was rather memorable," Bella said. "Lina met a young man who was with the battle bot team from Science Academy. He may have the connections to help you."
"I'm willing to try anything," I said.
Shelton nodded sagely. "More grunting."
I grinned. "I'm gonna shove you off this carpet."
"Madre de dios!" Bella jumped as if something had bitten her. A sheepish look came over her face and she withdrew her phone from within her pink robes. "I did not realize it was set to vibrate."
Shelton and I burst into laughter.
Bella muttered something in Spanish and looked at her phone. "Ah, Lina replied. She said she and her boyfriend can meet with Justin at the Science Academy ferry dock."
"Why there?" I held out my hand. "Can I see your phone?"
"Of course." Bella handed it over.
I texted Lina. This is Justin. Can't we meet in town? I'm not sure SA is the safest place to meet.
Ryan can't leave campus. Under lockdown. He can temporarily disable robot guarding ferry dock. Meet there ten PM.
I didn't like the arrangement, but didn't have much choice in the matter. OK. CU then. I gave Bella her phone and told them about the meeting.
"We'll come watch your back," Shelton said.
I shook my head. "No. If things get ugly, it'll be best if it's just Elyssa and me. Maybe you could take a flying carpet and keep watch from a distance."
"You got it." He flicked his wand as if blasting something. "I hope Frankenberg shows his ugly mug. If he's really consorting with Rax, he's gonna go down."
I landed the carpet at Colossus Stadium and found Ketiss in his command tent. After filling him in on the broom plan, I asked him to choose thirty candidates for training.
He gave me a dubious look. "I am not familiar with this broom thing you speak of. Can you describe it?"
It took me a moment to remember that the Darklings probably didn't know much about the more mundane items that played important roles in everyday life in Eden. "Well, brooms have long wooden handles with stiff straw on the end. We use them to sweep debris off floors." While I didn't know much about the real origin behind flying brooms, I told him what I knew. "In my culture, flying brooms were used by witches."
"Oh, brother." Shelton gave me a disgusted look. "I hope Zagg gave you an F in history."
Ketiss looked extremely confused. "Why should anyone wish to ride a cleaning implement? It sounds undignified."
"My friend Zagg can give you all the history you want on flying brooms," Shelton said. "At least they're a lot more stylish than flying plungers."
"Believe me, if we can train some of your soldiers to ride properly, they'll be able to take on the archangels in the sky." I grunted and gave Shelton a pointed look. "They might even be better since our Seraphim won't be using their own power to fly."
Ketiss nodded. "Commander Slade, you are, of course, right. I will choose my most skilled fighters for this new airborne unit."
We left the tent and headed toward the hidden tunnel to the mansion.
Shelton chuckled. "Angels on flying brooms. I'll bet the Christians would throw fits if they heard about this."
I imagined winged beings in white robes flitting about on brooms while holding onto their halos to keep them from blowing off. An amused smile touch my lips. "It would certainly liven up Halloween."
I just prayed flying angels would be enough to overcome Daelissa's superior forces.
Chapter 30
Elyssa was waiting for us in the main hall of the mansion. "I've been worried about you. Why didn't you reply to my text?" Planting hands on hips, she tapped her foot while waiting for an answer.
Cutsauce stood by her side and yipped at me.
"Uh, we'll see you in a few." Shelton took Bella's hand and hastily led her upstairs.
I tried to look sheepish, but probably only managed something goatish. I remembered the text she'd sent to me while I was on the phone with Cinder. "I forgot?"
"You forgot." Judging from the stern look on her face, that answer wasn't going to fly. She strode right up to me. "I know this shady underworld contact of yours refused to do business if you took me along, but dammit, I have a right to know you're okay." A tear trickled down her cheek.
Cutsauce growled.
I felt absolutely awful. "Babe, I'm sorry. You texted me when I was talking to Cinder. Then I had to coordinate stuff with Ketiss, and I completely forgot to text you." I took her hands and kissed them. "Forgive me, please."
She took a deep breath, nodded. "It's okay. I'm just on edge."
I hugged her. "We all are."
"Everything is so uncertain. We don't know what Daelissa is planning. We don't know if the next attack will take us all out." She pulled away, closed her eyes. An intense look of concentration overcame her face. "I don't feel like I'm in control of my own emotions right now. Ever since I came back, I've been deathly afraid that you're going to die and leave me alone."
That once sentence brought all my fears rushing back in. The faces of the people I loved flashed in my
mind. "There was a point in my life where I had nothing to lose. Then I met you, Ash, Nyte, Stacey, Shelton—the list goes on. Now I have so much to lose I have to force myself not to think about it, or it completely paralyzes me." I brushed a strand of raven hair from her face and tucked it behind an ear. "I just have to keep remembering that if I don't fight, I'll lose everything anyway."
She cast her eyes at the floor and nodded. Her fair cheeks blushed pink. "I'm sorry. God, I can't believe I said something so stupid."
I gave her a gentle smile. "You are my greatest treasure, Elyssa. I almost lost you twice. Once because Daelissa wiped your mind, and another time because Qualan blew a hole in your chest. You're my greatest reason to fear the war and my greatest reason to fight it." I gripped her shoulders. "I use the fear to fuel my determination. I won't let Daelissa deny me a happily ever after with you. I will fight her, and I will win."
Her violet eyes met mine. "Then we can ride white horses into the sunset?"
I kissed her long and hard before answering. "Then we can explore everything together from the Cliffs of Insanity, to the Fire Swamp; and we'll do it all together."
"I like the sound of that." She snuggled her head into the crook of my neck. "I can't wait to start our happily ever after."
"Me either."
Cutsauce whined and looked up at us as if he wanted in on the loving. I sent him a mental command. Go bother Shelton! He barked once and took off upstairs.
Elyssa sighed, kissed me, and took on a business-like attitude. "I think it's time you filled me in on the broom situation."
"Let me sweep you off your feet, babe."
She groaned and rolled her eyes.
We went upstairs to our bedroom. Once there, I brought her up to speed and told her about the late-night rendezvous with Lina and her boyfriend, Ryan.
"I hope he can give us some help," Elyssa said.
I nodded. "You and me both."
Elyssa twisted her lips. "More importantly, we have to come up with a name for our airborne angels."
"What do you mean?"
"Daelissa has the archangels, so we need something badass for our people."