by John Corwin
He stared at me with a dark look for a moment before tapping on his watch. "Very well."
"Prisms?" Mom asked.
I showed her the one Fjoeruss had given me.
Her upper lip curled in disgust. "What use do you have for those things? Once they were used to force Darklings to feed on Brilliance in an effort to 'correct' their orientation. It drove them mad."
"Now we can use it for balance," I said. "Feeding from humans sickens Darklings, but if the essence is balanced between Murk and Brilliance, they're unaffected."
Mom sighed. "I hope they work."
Several minutes later, a gray man carrying a large briefcase stepped from an elevator. He stopped next to Fjoeruss, balanced the case in one hand, and presented it to his master. Fjoeruss undid the latches and opened the lid. About fifty of the small prisms were held in place by thick gray foam. Fjoeruss unfolded the foam to reveal even more. I counted the rows and columns, did some quick math, and estimated there to be about two hundred.
I nodded. "Thank you."
Fjoeruss folded the top layer back into the briefcase, closed it, and his golem handed it to me. "Proof about my sister, if you please."
A group of gray men bearing the crushed bodies of their fallen comrades entered the lobby. I was shocked when Chinese janitors stepped from another elevator and began cleaning up the remains of the other golems. Before I could admonish Fjoeruss, it occurred to me they might be golems as well.
If so, they looked really convincing. One of them was going bald and had a beer belly while another looked like a little old lady. What gave them away was the dead look in their eyes. They bent to their task without question or conversation, faces devoid of any emotion. Then again, if I were called in late at night to clean up bodies, I might look the same way.
I motioned Fjoeruss toward the portal. "Right this way."
Elyssa watched the janitorial golems work. "You must save a bundle on labor costs."
"Millions," Fjoeruss said, and stepped through the portal.
Once everyone had stepped through the gateway and back to La Casona, I deactivated the portal. Using a well-memorized image, I opened a portal to the cavern in El Dorado just outside the control room. Mom and Elyssa stepped through first, followed by Fjoeruss and me.
He paused to stare at the giant dragons in the center of the cavern. "Impressive," he said, his voice once again similar in tone to what he used as Lornicus.
Looking at Altash and hearing Lornicus's voice only reminded me of the hell I'd gone through to save my mother. I'd needed blood from Maulin Kassus to open the diamond fiber prison holding Mom. Fjoeruss had told me he could easily get the blood, but would only do so at the price of one cupid.
I took a deep breath to quell the anger and buried my emotions with a placid façade. "In here." I led the group into the control room and to the stacks of null cubes. I set the briefcase with the prisms next to the wall.
"You are more clever than I thought," Fjoeruss said, a note of admiration in his voice. "When I heard about the Battle of Kobol Prison, I thought it a tremendous blunder on your part." He gazed at the stacks of cubes. "Instead, you feinted with your queen in order to steal all the enemy's pawns."
I ignored his praise since it was probably an attempt to fish for more information. In his guise as Lornicus, he'd used a similar tactic. Most people like to talk about themselves, and I was no exception. If you pump them up a little, they're more likely to brag. Knowing what I knew now, I intended to weigh everything I said in his presence. He was extremely perceptive, as evidenced by his ability to guess our plans for the Grand Nexus from a few small clues.
I found the affinity sphere sitting on its pedestal to the right of the Brightling cubes. "This shows us the alignment of the husks in the cubes." I demonstrated by measuring a Brightling. The sphere turned white. I did the same for a Darkling, and the sphere turned deep ultraviolet. "Observe this cube," I said, and let the affinity sphere do its thing. Within seconds, it turned medium gray.
Fjoeruss hissed a breath through his teeth. "This is not a trick?"
I rolled my eyes. "Who do I look like—you?"
He stared longingly at the cube, seemingly unable to take his eyes from it. "You will revive my sister if I agree to help you close the Grand Nexus?"
"No," Mom said. "You must help us to defeat Daelissa."
His gaze remained on the null cube with his husked sister. "I assume trapping her in Seraphina counts."
"It does." Mom stepped beside him. "We cannot trust you with simple assurances. I don't for a moment believe you wouldn't try to find a loophole to get out of any agreement that didn't suit you."
"Draft whatever contract makes you comfortable." Fjoeruss directed his gray gaze at Mom. "I will keep my word and help Mr. Slade end his war."
"It's not my war." I gave him a look of disbelief. "If anything, it's Daelissa's war."
"War is war, Mr. Slade." He crossed his arms. "When will you revive my sister?" Fjoeruss's gaze caught on something behind me and tightened.
"My creator," Cinder said in a calm voice.
I turned to see my golem friend standing in the control room doorway.
"I would dearly love to look at your spark," Fjoeruss said. He walked toward Cinder and extended a hand. "I am Fjoeruss." Aside from Fjoeruss's peach-colored skin, the two looked identical.
Cinder shook the Seraphim's hand. "I would prefer you not open my head, but it is a pleasant surprise to meet you." He tilted his head. "Should I refer to you as Dad?"
Fjoeruss chuckled. "That might be somewhat awkward." He released Cinder's hand and looked him up and down. "I see you still dress in gray. It would appear much of the original programming still drives your spark."
"There are certain urges which are hard to ignore," the golem said. "Justin has told me you have golems with natural skin tone. Would it be difficult to change my skin color so it is not so"—he looked at his pallid hands—"lifeless?"
"I'm sure we could come to an agreement," Fjoeruss said.
Mom quickly stepped to Cinder's side. "Be very careful making deals with this man or you might end up losing your spark to him."
"Man?" An amused smile slipped over Fjoeruss's lips. "You've spent too much time among the mortals, Alysea. Do you also refer to Daemos as men and women?"
"You're sidestepping the point," Mom said. "What is your price for giving Cinder normal-looking skin?"
"A chance to examine his spark." Fjoeruss held up his hands. "The golem will come to absolutely no harm. I promise."
"You just barely finished making a deal to revive your sister in exchange for help against Daelissa, and you're already wheeling and dealing again," I said. "Looks like an addiction to me."
"You still have not answered my question," Fjoeruss said to me. "When will you revive my sister?"
"I will have her put into an aether pod with the very next batch if you'll grant Cinder his request for natural skin."
Cinder shook his head. "No, Justin. I believe that would be a very unfair deal for you."
Fjoeruss raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"First, I should apologize for eavesdropping." Cinder looked at me. "I stood in the doorway and listened to the terms of your agreement with Fjoeruss. Although you did not agree to a timeline for reviving his sister, I believe you could glean valuable information from him by adding certain conditions."
I saw Fjoeruss stiffen and knew he hadn't expected Cinder to show such business acumen. I had to admit, I was a little surprised myself. Although the golem had issues pretending to be human, he was excellent at finding and disseminating information.
"What conditions?" Fjoeruss asked.
"I think it would be very beneficial to our cause if you would share how you create golems." Cinder approximated a shrug. "Though I have seen golems made of stone, wood, and even metal, only yours simulate real people. How do you make lifelike flesh? How do you make them act of their own accord without constant input?"
The Sera
phim regarded Cinder with an almost proud look on his face. "Rather than have me change your skin to a natural hue, you would learn the very secrets of creation itself."
"In this way, my selfish request could instead be used for the common good." Cinder turned to me. "Does this sound acceptable, Justin?"
I had to admit I didn't like the idea of using someone's sister as collateral for a deal, even if that person was Fjoeruss, a person who'd tried to kill me in the past.
Mom made the decision for me. "It sounds like an excellent deal."
"Even if I gave you the secrets, you would be unable to use them," Fjoeruss said. "It requires someone with my particular affinity to create such lifelike facsimiles."
"What about someone like me?" I asked.
He pursed his lips. "You have demonstrated an ability to channel both Murk and Brilliance, so it would not surprise me if you are capable."
"It doesn't sound like you lose anything if you tell us the secret to making gray men and their more lifelike brethren." I felt a rush of gratitude toward Cinder. If I could close this deal, I could make an army. "If I agree to put your sister in the front of the line for revival, will you also divulge those secrets?"
"You are not the same boy who asked me for help when his mother was kidnapped." A pleased smile crept over Fjoeruss's lips. "Using my sister in such a way is rather ruthless."
A pang of guilt knotted in my chest. I did feel kind of bad. But not that bad.
"Your sister caused the Desecration," Elyssa said in a low, angry voice. "She sacrificed thousands of lives so she could get what she wanted. I suggest you look at her example if you want to define ruthlessness."
Fjoeruss's lip curled into a snarl. "My sister was a brave, caring soul. She wanted an end to the conflict. If only I had listened to her sooner!" He flinched, as if suddenly realizing he'd said too much.
His outburst gave me a hint of insight into the way he operated. Fjoeruss wasn't simply intent on maintaining the status quo—he wanted to maintain peace at any cost. "Everything you've done up to now has been in your sister's name, hasn't it?" I asked.
The Seraphim pressed his lips tight and turned to me. "I will agree to your price. Draft the contract and let's be done with it."
I could tell from the look on his face I wouldn't be getting any more informative freebies right now, so I nodded, turned to Mom. "Please create the contract."
She excused herself and took a portal back to Big Creek Ranch.
"Cinder, would you give me a tour of this facility?" Fjoeruss asked after Mom left.
Cinder looked at me. "Is this permissible?"
I nodded. "I doubt there's much here he doesn't know about already." I slapped Fjoeruss on the back. "Plus, he's part of the team now, right?"
The Seraphim looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Do not assume such familiarity with me, Mr. Slade. I am partnering with you on a temporary basis, nothing more." He offered a sarcastic smile. "There will be no lasting friendships from this venture."
I shrugged. "Your loss, dude. I think you could use a few friends in this world instead of being the guy nobody trusts." I looked at Cinder. "I'll be here if you need me."
"Very well, Justin." Cinder turned and left with Fjoeruss in tow.
Elyssa squeezed my hand and squealed with delight. "We did it, didn't we?"
I gazed at the doorway. "We did something." For some reason, the excitement had faded. Would Fjoeruss keep his word, or would he cite some technicality and leave us hanging out to dry?
Only time would tell.
Chapter 16
As Fjoeruss spoke with Cinder, Elyssa and I took a stroll to the dragons. Altash, his long lean muzzle resting on the floor, regarded me with a parietal eye. Things were approaching a climax about ten hours from now and there was one major faction I hadn't convinced to join our cause.
Jeremiah had been on friendly terms with the dragons, and Altash had once spoken to me. I hoped that meant he would talk to me again. The problem was, I didn't exactly know how to broach the subject.
Keeping it simple seemed best, so I went direct. "We need your help fighting the war against Daelissa."
I heard a low rumble and suddenly Lulu's giant purple head shifted toward us to the right. It was definitely creepy having a giant eye looking at us from both sides.
Elyssa gripped my arm. "Did they say anything?"
I shook my head. A couple of deep breaths settled my nerves. Since I wasn't sure who wore the pants—err scales—in the family, I looked back and forth to make eye contact with both of the dragons. "We need to shut down the Grand Nexus for good. The dragons fought in the first war. Will you help us end this one quickly?"
Lulu seemed to regard Altash. He snorted. She snorted back. He vibrated the air with a growl. Lulu's pupil shrank. She picked up her head and moved it away back to its original resting position.
"Is that a yes?" I asked.
WE CANNOT. The loud words echoed in my head.
Elyssa and I jumped and shouted in surprise at the same time.
Altash curled his head back onto his snakelike body. Our brief audience was over.
My pulse was racing. Elyssa pressed a hand to her heart.
"He needs to lower his voice," she said.
I felt my jaw tighten as I looked at the lazy dragons. I was tempted climb up Altash and kick him in the snout until he agreed to help us. Unfortunately, he was many times larger than the tragon and I'd only succeed in hurting my foot.
"Why won't you help us?" I shouted. "At least explain it to me!"
No explanation came.
I blew out a frustrated breath and turned to Elyssa. "Have you seen Slitheren and his gang around?" Slitheren and the leyworms like him were a smaller, different breed of dragon from Altash and Lulu, but he was still plenty big.
"Cinder told me the smaller dragons were out on their rounds." She bit her lower lip. "There's no telling when they'll be back."
Leyworms seemed to be responsible for maintaining ley lines, the magical power conduits running through the world. How exactly they performed such tasks remained a mystery. The smaller leyworms seemed to do all the work, judging from how much Altash and Lulu lazed around.
"Let's see if we can find them anyway." We spent better part of an hour wandering through the various tunnels and holes in the nearby vicinity, but failed to locate any of the gang.
Mom finally returned with a very long scroll drawn up by a Templar legal expert.
Elyssa grimaced when she saw it. "Looks like something a nom government would write."
My eyes swam just looking at all the neatly quilled verbiage on the yellowed parchment. "I'm getting a headache." I returned it to her. "Will it hold up?"
Mom nodded. "This Templar has done hundreds of deals with Daemos over the years. As I'm sure you've observed with your father, they are known for trickery. If anyone knows how to confine the Trickster to a contract, it would be this woman."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"I believe even he will be hard pressed to find a loophole in this document." She rolled the parchment. "Both you and he will need to sign it."
We found him talking to Cinder near the bank of aether pods in the main cave. Altash's red, scaly head rested on the floor behind them, providing a surreal backdrop. As I watched Fjoeruss and Cinder talk, several alarming thoughts ran through my mind. What if Fjoeruss still had control over Cinder? What if he'd reprogrammed my friend without me knowing? I had no idea if that was possible. Altash's parietal eye blinked open and seemed to stare at me for a moment.
Not a word was said, nor a sound made, but something told me the huge dragon was looking out for Cinder and wouldn't let anything happen. I braced myself in case he planned to say something. Altash had spoken to me once through telepathy, and it was like the mental version of an old person texting in all caps at the top of their lungs. I didn't like anyone, much less a giant dragon, yelling in my head. Aside from my rambling thoughts, I didn't receive any mental communic
ations.
I met the leviathan's gaze. Yeah, you just keep on being stoic, big fella.
Altash closed his eye and resumed being lazy. Ever since we'd created the aether pods, the dragons hadn't consumed any more husks and projectile vomited them back out once they were restored as cupids. They really didn't seem to do much except sleep and occasionally open their eyes to watch us.
Fjoeruss saw us coming and looked at the scroll in Mom's hand. He took it from her without a word and read it. I fiddled with a game on my phone while I waited and waited some more. When he finally finished reading, he chuckled. "Very thorough, Alysea. Whoever designed this agreement did an impressive job."
Mom held a quill out to him. "Ready to sign?"
Fjoeruss channeled a hovering gray tabletop, placed the contract on it, and signed. He handed the quill to me. I was thankful my time at Arcane University had taught me how to write with a quill even if my signature looked like a spaghetti noodle had collided with a ball of yarn. I signed and handed the quill to Mom.
She looked it over and nodded. "The deal is sealed."
Fjoeruss waved a hand toward the aether pods. "Cinder tells me this batch will be done within hours. I would like my sister put in a pod the moment one becomes available."
I checked the time. It was already super late, and we had a battle to fight the next day. "Agreed. Can you do that Cinder?"
"I would be happy to, Justin." Cinder turned to Fjoeruss. "I was interesting meeting you."
The Seraphim gave him a nod. "Consider my offer. I promise no harm will come to you."
Cinder tried on a smile. "I will, though I admit my sense of self-preservation makes me hesitant."
"Now, for business." Fjoeruss folded his arms across his chest. "What role will I play in this assault on the Grand Nexus?"
Elyssa took out her arcphone. "I conferred with my father. He'll need the number of your golem forces, their strengths, and weaknesses."
"The gray men, as you call them, are not all alike." Fjoeruss looked at his watch. "I have an elite force of two hundred who would be a match for the vampires' Red Cell. Another hundred are less physically capable, but crafted to withstand magical attacks and disable Arcanes." He flicked the screen on his watch. "The rank and file consist of two-hundred golems that are a match for most common vampires." He gave us a wry look. "Though after today, I am short by the eighteen you destroyed."