Aetherial Annihilation (19 page)

Within a couple of hours, Ivy disabled four more crystoids. As we closed the portal, she slumped. "I think I'm tired now."

Mom gathered my sister at her side. "Let's go rest."

Dad ruffled her hair and looked at me. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." I hugged them goodbye. "Great work, Ivy."

She managed a weary smile. "Thanks, bro."

After they left, I looked at the holographic map of the crystoids. Shelton marked out the last one and sighed. "Man, we've got our work cut out for us."

"Most of the targets are under heavy nom guard," Elyssa said. "I don't know how we'll get close enough to take pictures so we could open an omniarch portal, much less infiltrate the sites and disable them from there."

"Magic is still out of the question," Shelton said. "We can't use the omniarch to open portals unless the location is right over the aether beam from a crystoid."

"Not to mention, many of the military forces in control of the crystoids are going to be a lot tougher to penetrate than the National Guard troops they had at the Atlanta site." Elyssa pressed her lips together. "It could take us months to do this."

"In the meantime, the leyworms will weaken and possibly die." I blew out a breath. "There's got to be a faster way."

"My father wants to meet first thing in the morning," Elyssa said. "I'm sure he'll come up with something."

Adam nodded. "If he doesn't, Shelton and I will."

"Let's hope so." I drooped with exhaustion. "I'm ready for bed."

Shelton cracked a yawn. "Me too."

"At least the magic is back in Atlanta," Bella said with a bright grin.

I couldn't help but smile. "At least there's that."

Elyssa wasn't kidding about Thomas's meeting being the first thing in the morning. She woke me up at the ungodly hour of six a.m. and we had a quick breakfast in the mansion's kitchen. Since we'd disabled the crystoid in the Atlanta area, the ley lines there had recovered enough to allow us to use the omniarch to portal straight to Templar headquarters.

We stepped through the portal and into the underground complex beneath the barn. My joints, muscles, and bones ached. My body still hadn't recovered from touching the crystoid, and it didn't feel like I'd be able to do much heavy lifting if we found another meteor to disable. I hoped Ivy and Nightliss were up to the task.

Templars stood guard next to the closed conference room door. They snapped to attention when they saw us.

"Did they start without us?" I asked.

The one on the left answered. "Sir, I'm not authorized to answer that."

I looked at the one on the right. "How about you?"

He stared at the rock wall across from the door. "No, sir."

The door didn't have a handle and was typically sealed magically from the inside. "Can either of you open this door?"

"No, sir," they answered in unison.

Elyssa took out her phone. "Thank goodness the aether lines are working again."

I heard a voice answer on the other end.

"Commander, we're here," she said to her father.

The door slid open a moment later, and the sounds of a very heated discussion spilled into the corridor. I stepped inside and flinched at the number of people inside. Across the table from Thomas and Nightliss stood Victus Edison and Colin McCloud, the lycan Alpha. He and a tall, pale man glared at each other while another man in Arcane robes cast furious glances at Victus.

"Ah, Justin, good to see you again." Victus ignored the other Arcane and extended his hand to me. "I'd like you to meet my wife, Delectra."

A handsome woman with long black hair and a haughty tilt to her head acknowledged me with the barest of nods. She extended her hand as a queen might to a subject. "A pleasure."

Her imperious British accent rankled me, but I forced a smile, gripped her hand, and shook it vigorously. "Nice to meet you."

Her eyes flared and for a moment, I thought she might yell at me.

Victus wrapped an arm around her waist. "We were hoping we might speak with you in private later."

"Absolutely not!" The other Arcane slipped in between them and me. "I must insist that any conversation regarding the Arcane Council take place with me present."

I was about to ask him who he was when a slap on my shoulder jolted me forward.

"Justin, lad!" McCloud appeared from behind me and gripped my hand. "Good to see you again." A Scottish brogue thickened his words. "We're having a lively political discussion." He shuddered.

"Justin Slade?" The tall pale man offered me a curt bow. "I am Komad Rashad, executor of the Red Syndicate—"

"The bloody vampires want back in," McCloud interrupted. "Just in case you didn't recognize him for what he is."

I blinked back confusion. This was the vampire head honcho? "What happened to Otto Strassman?"

"Our former leader was relieved of his position." Komad offered an unsettling smile.

I didn't need to guess what he meant by that.

"Doesn't matter who's in charge of the vamps," McCloud said. "You betrayed us once, and you'll do it again." He pounded a large fist against the table. "The vampires have no loyalty but to themselves."

"It comes as no surprise a lycan would say such a thing." Komad's calm words slithered around the accusation.

The other Arcane tugged on my shoulder, drawing my attention back to him. "Mr. Slade, my name is Evan Farnsworth and I'm also running for Arcanus Primus." He jabbed a finger toward Victus. "This man would have you believe he's the best qualified—"

"Farnsworth, I'm certain we could arrange for a civilized meeting, but now is not the time to hound Justin." Victus shook his head slowly. "I believe we are here to discuss an issue more pressing than politics."

"Nothing is more pressing than politics with you, sir," Evan shot back.

"You would do well to remain quiet," Delectra said in a calm tone.

"What stake do the vampires have in this discussion?" McCloud said before Evan could retort. "For all we know, they're behind these anti-magic attacks."

A sensuous, burning odor tickled my nose. I whipped around as Kassallandra Assad strode purposefully into the room. Her flaming locks hung across milky white shoulders bared by her low-cut glittering red dress. Sensuous lips curved into a small smile when our eyes met. She bowed. "A pleasure, Kohvaniss."

I'd hoped to permanently shelve all the Daemos social niceties, but it looked like I was back in the thick of things.
It's like I never left.
I bowed to her. "The pleasure is all mine, Maedras Kassallandra Assad."

She took my hands and kissed me on both cheeks. "House Assad stands ever ready to aid."

"Thank you, Maedras." I waved a hand around the room and introduced everyone, including those I'd just met.

Kassallandra simply nodded and said, "A pleasure," as they greeted her.

Delectra seemed none too pleased to have another woman in the room as snooty as her. I didn't know much about Victus's wife, but she certainly hadn't made a good first impression. Kassallandra and I had a history rougher than Colin McCloud's mutton chops, but after I'd saved her life from Aerianas, another crazy Daemas, she'd been the first to acknowledge me as Kohvaniss—supreme devourer of all souls. It wasn't something I'd put on a resume.

"It is good to see the Templar Clarion," Kassallandra said to Nightliss. "I had heard you took a leave of absence."

Nightliss offered her a small smile. "It is no small thing to fight a war, and harder still to recover from the toll on one's body and mind."

"Wise words indeed," Kassallandra replied. "I should enjoy a holiday as well, but fear the houses of Daemos would not afford me the leisure."

Thomas, who'd withdrawn into a corner to speak with Elyssa, finally took back the reins by knocking on the conference table. "Now that everyone is here, let's proceed." He turned to Elyssa. "You have the floor, Templar."

"Thank you, Commander." Elyssa gave everyone a moment to find seats before continuing. "We have disabled five crystoids."

McCloud grinned and slapped the table. "Bloody good work!"

"Remarkable," Komad said.

I watched his face for signs of disappointment, but his poker face revealed nothing. Delectra narrowed her eyes and looked at Victus. His shoulders stiffened, but he maintained his affable smile.

"I am pleased to hear this," Kassallandra said. "Is there a plan to quickly disable the rest?"

Elyssa's eyes paused on Delectra, and I wondered if she'd seen her reaction as well. "We're working on a way to bypass the various nom military forces that control the other crystoids. Unfortunately, it will be a slow process."

"Might I ask how you disabled the crystoids?" Victus asked.

"Channeled Stasis renders them inert," Elyssa replied.

"Ah, the third element of aether," Victus said. "The other two are Brilliance—destruction—and Murk—creation."

He apparently didn't know about Clarity.

If he was looking for a gold star from Elyssa, she wasn't handing them out. "Correct."

"How did you channel magic without aether?" Delectra asked.

"The crystoids emit a beam of aether." Elyssa said. "We intercepted the aether beam with an omniarch portal and used it to channel magic."

"Ingenious." Victus turned toward me. "It's no wonder you defeated Daelissa."

Nightliss's eyes went hard at the mention of her dead sister.

I wasn't quite ready to take his compliments, especially since they reeked of politics.

Evan glared at the other man. "I'm sure we can agree that Mr. Slade is quick on his feet without the brown-nosing."

Delectra turned a fierce gaze on Evan. "Perhaps you should learn to detect a genuine compliment when you hear one."

Evan pshawed. "Genuine? More like—"

"That's enough." Elyssa's steely voice quieted them. She displayed the crystoid map. "As you can see, we have a monumental task ahead of us." Next, Elyssa showed them the video footage from the ASE that went into Seraphina. The big reveal about Cephus brought a round of concerned looks.

I was going to remind her to tell them about the robot attacks, but everyone began to speak at once.

McCloud pounded a fist on the table. "We win a war, and yet Eden is once again besieged by the Seraphim." He leaned forward. "We need to end this threat once and for all."

"First, we have to disable the crystoids here," Elyssa said. "We have to ensure the health of Eden before embarking to another realm."

Victus raised a hand and spoke. "Might I ask how you propose to compromise nom security around the other crystoids without magic?"

"We're still working on it," she replied. "Omniarch portals would offer the easiest way, but without a clear picture of the crystoid from a position directly in its aether beam, we can't open portals."

"Nor can you send ASEs," Evan said. "I suppose using nom aircraft is out of the question."

"We'd likely be shot down on sight," Elyssa said. "We've also received news that some nom governments are enclosing the crystoids in concrete domes."

"A reaction to reports that several exploded?" Victus asked.

She nodded.

"I have other troubling news," Evan said. "According to some of my best researchers, the affected ley lines will be permanently damaged within a month." His mouth set in a grim line, he delivered the kicker. "Magic in Eden will be no more."

Chapter 16

Delectra didn't seem convinced by his dire prognosis. "Won't the ley lines simply refill with aether once the crystoids are gone?" She gave him a disbelieving look. "After all, a dry riverbed can still sustain a river once the water returns."

"Your analogy is not quite on point." Evan seemed to repress a smug smile and turned to Elyssa. "When the organisms in soil die, vegetation can no longer thrive. This is why enemies would salt the earth of the conquered."

"Are you saying these crystoids are like someone salted the earth?" I asked.

He nodded. "The lack of aether is killing the ley worms." He steepled his fingers. "No doubt many of you have at some point seen Altash and the smaller ley worms in El Dorado."

"Aye, I've seen them before." McCloud's grew troubled. "Are they dead?"

I shook my head. "No, we've managed to preserve them."

Evan raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Unfortunately, the ley worms in El Dorado are but a small sample of the creatures that keep the magical ecosystem in Eden healthy. The vast majority are, no doubt, dying like fish out of water."

His warning sounded much like Meghan's theory. "You think this aetherial annihilation will kill the earth dragons within a month?" I asked.

He nodded. "We discovered several smaller ley worms in Thunder Rock. One of them appeared dead. The other two were alive, but slumbering."

"They should recover now that the Atlanta crystoid is gone," I said.

"There are ley worms in other realms," Delectra said. "Even if we lose many of the ones here, I'm certain we could import others."

"They're sentient creatures," Elyssa said. "I doubt they'll move here at our request."

"Let's call them what they really are," I said. "They're earth dragons, and they're far older and probably far smarter than anyone here."

Even Kassallandra didn't argue that point.

Thomas broke his silence. "The reason I called you here today is to gain cooperation for a common cause."

"It would seem to be more of an Arcane problem," Komad said. "The vampires have no stake in this."

McCloud made a spitting sound. "Spoken like a true vampire. The lycans don't use magic, but we're ready to assist in any way we can."

"As are the Daemos," Kassallandra said.

Victus tossed his hat into the ring before Evan could. "Science Academy and the Arcane Council are, of course, committed to doing whatever it takes to solve the crisis."

"Despite my disagreements with Victus over who should lead the Arcane Council, I agree with him there," Evan said. "But, I'd like to point out why the vampires have a major stake in this fight."

Komad regarded him coolly. "My interest is piqued, Mr. Farnsworth."