Dire Destiny of Ours (32 page)

"He did, indeed. I don't think there's any way I could convince him to let me borrow it." I smiled in the way I imagined a con artist would smile after assuring everyone that his plan to rob a bank couldn't possibly go wrong. "If diplomacy fails, we're going to steal them."

Everyone spoke at once, except for Ketiss who still didn't seem to understand who this Underborn character was or how dangerous it was to piss him off.

I held up my hands. "Simmer down, everyone."

"Putting yourself at such risk is unacceptable," Thomas said. "While your idea to use the map and key might be sound, I suggest we open a dialogue with Underborn."

"Maybe there's something in Jeremiah's vault we could trade him for the relics," Elyssa said. She snapped her fingers. "We still have the original Chalon and the Chalon from the Shadow Nexus. Maybe we could trade him one of those."

"You'd give him the very key to the Grand Nexus?" Phoebe shook her head vehemently. "Not a good idea."

"The Chalon is redundant." Thomas touched his chin in a thoughtful manner. "Since Daelissa is using the Chalon she gained in Seraphina and she controls the Grand Nexus, we can't use either Chalon in our possession."

Elyssa nodded. "They're useless."

Phoebe gave her a warning look. "Unless there's something about them we don't know."

"I studied the Chalon with Jeremiah and he didn't seem to think it had any other use besides attuning the Grand Nexus." I exchanged my sly expression for something professorial. "The Chalon enables a gateway between realms while the map and key operate similarly to an Obsidian Arch. Since the Chalon requires a very specific arch to operate, I think we can safely trade one to Underborn."
I just hope he actually wants it.

"Sounds a lot safer than trying to rob an assassin," Elyssa said with a relieved look.

"We should thoroughly examine Jeremiah's vault to be sure there's nothing else of value there," Thomas said. "Perhaps the answer to our logistical problems lies within."

"The vault is huge." Elyssa widened her arms as if to encompass the room. "It would take us weeks to search it, and that's provided we even understand what we find."

"We sure as hell don't want to cause any more snowstorms." I made a sour face. "For all we know, Jeremiah stored certain items in there to make the world a safer place."

"We're going in circles." Phoebe looked exasperated. "I'll speak with Captain Takei about having some of his most knowledgeable Blue Cloaks catalogue Jeremiah's vault while you two open communications with Underborn and find out if he's willing to trade. That will be the most efficient plan of action."

I had to agree with Phoebe. Thanks to Daelissa's "blessing," Elyssa's sister was exceptionally smart and would be a good person to lead this effort. "Okay, you're in charge of that operation."

Phoebe smiled. She looked so much like Elyssa, I had to glance at my girlfriend again to see the differences.

"Thank you for trusting me, Justin." Phoebe stood. "I'll get on this right away."

I nodded. "Elyssa and I will move on the Underborn angle." I took out my arcphone and transmitted an image of the vault to Phoebe's phone. "There's no other way into the vault except using that picture with an omniarch."

"Understood." Phoebe looked at me for a long moment before clearing her throat and glancing at her sister. "I'll be on my way then." She hurried from the room.

I turned to Thomas. "Can you can coordinate with Fjoeruss and find out what sort of assets he has? We'll need a count of his battle golems and their capabilities."

"I'll speak with him." Thomas stood and turned to Ketiss. "Please check on your troops and make sure they're having no difficulties feeding from noms or using the prisms. Their health is vital."

Ketiss nodded. "I will do so immediately."

There was so much to do if we wanted to survive. Despite the dire circumstances, I couldn't wait to be alone with Elyssa again. Every part of me ached to touch her.

Elyssa and I left the war room, took a left, and went up the main staircase in the large common room. We walked quickly without saying a word. She and I looked at each other. The intensity of her gaze flushed my body with heat. The moment I got her inside our bedroom, I slammed the door and attacked her lips with mine. She wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed herself tight against me.

"I missed you so much." The words trembled in my throat.

She wiped a tear from her eye. "You went to the ends of the earth and back for me." Elyssa kissed me gently on the lips. "I don't ever want us to be without each other."

"Promise me you'll never die or almost die again." I smiled and kissed her forehead.

She rolled her eyes. "I can't promise you that, but I can promise something else?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

"How about I give you a calisthenics workout you'll never forget." She pulled off my T-shirt in one fluid move and ran kisses up and down my chest.

I shivered. "Best workout ever." I assaulted her clothing and before long, we were under the bed sheets and working out like it was our last day on Earth.

A couple of hours later we showered, put on fresh Nightingale armor, and ate.

I idly formed a gray ball of Stasis and stared at it while I waited on Elyssa to finish off her food.

"Any luck figuring out what Clarity does?" she asked.

I shook my head. "It's really bugging me too." I turned toward her. "I keep thinking about the vision I had when I made the choice."

"The one where you saw the rivers of Brilliance and Murk?"

"Yeah, and the sky was like a fountain of gray Stasis."

She pursed her lips. "You said an inner voice told you the choice was clear and you realized you could choose everything."

I noticed the gray sphere I'd channeled was fading, and blew it. It scattered like smoke. "If choosing this clear magical element was so important, why doesn't it do anything?"

"Maybe you haven't been testing it correctly." Elyssa took my hand. "Try it out on me."

I shook my head vehemently. "Are you kidding me? I just got you back. I'm not about to risk killing you."

"Just use a tiny bit of power." She regarded me seriously. "This is really important, Justin."

I ran a hand through my hair and considered it. It would be safe if I kept the energy level really low. Besides, Clarity didn't seem to damage anything. I pressed my lips together. Nodded. "Okay."

Elyssa kissed my cheek. "Take your best shot, babe."

I conjured a small orb of Stasis and let it hover between us. "Hold out your hand."

Elyssa put her hand in front of the gray ball. She winced as if preparing for a shock.

Using my fingers, I channeled a trickle of Murk and Brilliance through the sphere. A stream of clear rippling energy emerged from the other side and flowed into Elyssa's hand. Her body stiffened. She gasped, eyes flaring, mouth forming a wide O.

"Elyssa!" I stopped channeling immediately and gripped her.

Her eyelids fluttered. Her forehead pinched. "That was so strange."

I inspected her hand. It looked a little pale, but otherwise undamaged. "What happened?"

"It was like an out of body experience." Her violet eyes flashed. "I don't know how else to explain it."

"You left your body?"

Elyssa looked at her hands and flexed the fingers. "For an instant, I was floating on a perfectly clear lake. At the same time, I hovered over my naked body and looked down on myself." She turned a confused gaze on me. "It was like a dream where you see yourself as another person. I looked happy and content. If I stared long enough I thought I'd be able to see through my body and into my soul."

I groaned. "Just great. If I ever want to make somebody trip balls, I'll just dose them with Clarity. It must be the magical equivalent of LSD."

Elyssa giggled but a frown quickly stole her smile. "I'm sorry. I wish Clarity was more useful."

My legs abruptly turned to jelly. I dropped into a seat as the world blurred and a heavy weight seemed to fall on my shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

I leaned on a hand. "Yeah, I guess channeling Clarity into a person is a lot more exhausting than inanimate objects or animals."

Elyssa's eyes widened. "You've been testing it on animals?"

I gave her a sheepish look. "Just Cutsauce."

She glared at me. "Justin Slade, you leave that poor hellhound alone."

A text from Phoebe buzzed on my phone and saved me from further chastising.
I'm onsite at the vault with several of Takei's people. I closed the omniarch portal in case you need to open one here.

Elyssa read the text and gave me a look. "I think my sister is sweet on you."

I flinched like she'd slapped me. "Say what?" I shook my head like a dog shaking off water. "Look, even if that's true, I don't want to talk or think about it."

Elyssa took a sip of water and gave me a serious look. "When you thought I'd die, did you ever consider her as a replacement?"

"Never." I mustered some energy and slashed a hand through the air to underline that statement. "I also never thought you were going to die—not if I could help it."

"I'm not trying to trick you."

It's a trap!
"Can we move on to something worth talking about?" The bone-deep weariness retreated, leaving only a faint background fatigue behind. I stood and picked up my plate so I could take it into the kitchen.

Elyssa smiled. "I'm sorry. I was just curious."

A lone figure emerged from the foyer and looked at us with inhumanly large eyes the color of green seawater. Her light blue hair writhed as though it had a life of its own. A diaphanous gray dress that resembled fog enveloped her form.

I almost dropped my plate in shock. "Melea?"

"Is it true an Abyssal walks the Earth?" Her mellifluous voice belied her very young appearance.

I hadn't actually spoken with Fjoeruss's adopted sister. She'd only been reborn for a short time so it was very surprising to see her physical age was that of a teenager. Rather than answer her, I gave myself a moment to overcome the surprise of seeing her here. "I'm glad to see you're in good health." I stepped closer to her and tried not to gawk at her strange hair. From a distance, she seemed to have a headful of sea anemones. Up close, I saw that her hair flowed and billowed almost as if she were underwater.

"Why do you not answer, Justin Slade?" Melea seemed to sing when she spoke. Her large eyes blinked.

"I'm curious why you came all the way from El Dorado and asked me that question without so much as a 'hello.'" I gave her a suspicious look to underscore my statement.

She blinked again. Her hair flowed back to reveal long pointed ears. "The Abyssal are a grave danger to all the realms."

Elyssa stepped forward. "Are your people the ones who banished the Abyssal to Haedaemos?"

"So it is sung." Melea tilted her head slowly and her hair flowed back as if in a gentle water current. "Oddly, I do not remember all the songs I should."

"Because you've only recently been revived," I told her. "Most of your memories should return before too long." I decided it wouldn't hurt to test her memories since she was a member of the race that built the arches. "I'll answer your question, but I'd like to ask you a few questions as well."

"If they are within my power to answer, so shall I." Melea nodded her head like a queen granting a favor.

I repressed a sigh. "Yes, an Abyssal escaped my control."

"What was his true name?"

My mouth opened, but I didn't have an answer for her. As Daemos, I had far more control over summoning demons than Arcanes who required protective circles to contain the powerful beings. Having the true name of a demon meant you could have complete control over a demon without most of the other prerequisites—or at least that's what my father had taught me.

I shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I don't know."

"By now, those in the Abyss have changed their names." She looked sad. "We will require new songs to send them back."