Infinite Core (School of Swords and Serpents Book 5)

by Gage Lee

  I leaned back against the gurney’s headrest and closed my eyes. If the Consul Triad had me killed, they’d dissolve the Shadow Phoenix clan and scatter its members to the four winds. The Flame’s quest would fail. Everything I’d tried to do would unravel. And Xaophis would still be out there, pushing the world deeper into chaos.

  I tried to imagine all the students going back to their communities after Xaophis infected them. The spirit would goad them into attacking their friends and families. My mother’s violence would pale in the face of that madness. If the clan elders were worried now, they’d be terrified when the disaster at the School spread around the globe.

  Or, maybe, Xaophis would just stop what it was doing and go away once I was out of the picture. It seemed so sure that its purpose was to protect the now-outdated Design. Without me to threaten that version of reality, did Xaophis still need all those kids under its control?

  It was impossible to say. Though I’d never known anyone, or anything, to give up power once they had their hands on the reins. Xaophis may have been quiet for all this time, but something told me now that it was loose in the world it wanted to stay that way.

  As much as that bothered me, what really troubled me was how the Flame had let me down. I’d followed its directions to a T. All it had to do was move out of my body and into the shiny new core I’d built for it. If it had done its part, everything else would be fine.

  So what had I done wrong? What had I missed?

  I needed more time to figure out how to fix this. I wouldn’t give up until they put me in the ground. And after what happened the last time I’d died, maybe not even then.

  “When is the tribunal?” I asked. “Or will they skip that and go straight to the hanging?”

  True shook her head and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. She stretched her wings, grimaced when they reached the limits of the transport, then folded them up again. “Hanging’s not on the menu for you. Reyes wants to go old school because you’re such a threat to the very nature of reality. She wants to lock you in a tomb and fill it with molten lead.”

  Well, that was certainly an interesting way to go out. Even my master-level core wouldn’t be able to resist the heat of molten metal. If, by some miracle, I survived that, I’d be sealed up in a solid block of lead.

  Things were really looking up for me.

  “When do they plan to off me?” I asked.

  “They’ll drag you in front of the Consul as soon as we land,” Tru said. “They’ll want your testimony to make it all look nice and legal. Clem’s mom agreed to represent you while you were out. I hope you have sense enough to let her help you.”

  “I’m not an idiot,” I said. “Of course I’ll let Adjudicator Hark help me.”

  “Really?” Tru gave me a look of disgust. “That’s a shock. All I’ve seen you do is turn down help. I wanted to be your friend, Jace. All you had to do was let me. We could have figured something out. Not trusting anyone got you into this mess. The dragons could have interceded with Reyes on your behalf.”

  “No one could have changed her mind,” I said. “Her family has been gunning for me from the beginning. It wouldn’t surprise me if she put Theodosia on the field as bait. She knew we’d end up fighting, eventually. And I keep telling you—”

  “Right, the dragons would have turned you into their puppet,” Tru said.

  The two of us said nothing for a few minutes. The transport bumped and bounced through some turbulence, and Tru reached out to steady my gurney. Her hand brushed against mine, and when our eyes met, there were tears leaking down her scaled cheeks.

  “This is killing Eric,” she said. “I don’t know what he’ll do when they execute you.”

  “There’s nothing he can do,” I sighed. “That’s why I sent him, Abi, and Clem back to their clans. I didn’t want them to get into trouble. I didn’t want anyone to think we were friends.”

  Tru coughed up a bitter laugh. “Friends? Jace, that man loves you like a brother. He’s been beating himself up about turning his back on you ever since you ran away to hide. He and the others will go insane if this execution goes down the way Reyes planned.”

  “They won’t kill me,” I insisted. “I’ll come clean, tell them everything about the quest and why they have to let me go. I’ll convince the other two Consuls to trust me—”

  Tru threw her hands up and shouted, “Why would anyone trust you? You don’t trust anyone else. Every time someone reaches out a hand, you slap it away. They think you’re a dangerous loner, Jace. Letting Adjudicator Hark hold your hand at the last minute won’t change that.”

  Tru’s anger hit me like a physical blow. The worst part was that she was right. No one had any business trusting me. But that didn’t have to be the end of my life.

  “I’ll fix it,” I said, though I didn’t know how. “I’ll prove to them that they need me. Even Consul Reyes isn’t crazy enough to throw away the only chance they have to restore the seers and put mortals back on the right path.”

  “You really believe that,” Tru said, amazed. “What’s your plan, Jace? You’ll go back in time and be Sage Reyes’s friend? You’ll stop your mother before she becomes a complete lunatic? Or maybe you’ll never fight Hank at the Five Dragons’ Challenge. Come on. You can’t undo years of trouble with a speech.”

  But even as Tru spoke, a small seed of hope blossomed in my core. She was right, there was no way to make the Consul trust me after everything that had happened. But she’d showed me a path that didn’t require trust.

  “You’re a genius,” I said. “Unshackle me so I can give you a big hug!”

  Tru looked at me with real alarm in her eyes. “You’ve lost your mind.”

  But I hadn’t.

  I’d just realized where I’d made my mistake. Maps had spelled it out for me. I had to build the core to the precise dimensions she’d given me, but the shell had to be anchored before the Flame was transferred.

  That’s what I’d forgotten.

  More importantly, I now realized where it had to be anchored. The Grand Design was laid out like a web, spreading out in every direction. And like a spider creating its web, the Empyrean Flame had first created anchor points and then spun webs between them.

  Starting from the center.

  That’s where the shell had to be anchored.

  There was still a way out of this, but it wouldn’t be easy. This was a gamble bigger than any I’d ever made, and the risk of utter failure was enormous.

  Still, it was the only path I could see. And Tru had shown it to me. Because going back in time was exactly how to solve everything.

  Unfortunately, the young dragon was right about the mistakes I’d made. It was impossible to finish this quest alone. I’d need help from my allies.

  And the enemy who hated me most.

  Because the only person who could help me pull this off was Consul Reyes.

  The Terms

  TRU AND I DIDN’T HAVE much to say to each other for the rest of the trip. She was frustrated and angry with me, and my assurances I’d learned my lesson fell on deaf ears. I couldn’t blame the young dragon for lashing out at me. From her perspective, I’d made a colossal mess of things.

  She and I came from different worlds. Tru worked for the Scaled Council. She believed in their fair and just guidance for the draconic people.

  I, on the other hand, saw those in authority as undeserving of the most basic level of trust. In my eyes, the power-hungry fools who led the other clans had willingly tossed their young people into a meat grinder to stop me.

  It was maddening. The clans had risked everything, and without even knowing what they were trying to prevent. My heritage as an Eclipse Warrior and son of a lunatic was enough for them to hate me.

  The transport vessel slowed and began its descent. Tru let out a pained sigh, reached out, and took my hand.

  “Here’s how this works,” she said. “Once we land, you’re in Golden Warden custody. They’ll make sure you’re wel
l enough to give your testimony and hear the results of the Tribunal. Once they’re satisfied you won’t keel over in front of the Consul Triad, the Wardens will move you to a secure area where your legal counsel is waiting.”

  “Thanks,” I said, sincerely. “I’m glad it was you with me on this trip. Believe me. You’ve changed everything.”

  Tru smiled and squeezed my hand. “They didn’t want me here, but you know how I can be.”

  “Bossy?” I said with a grin.

  “Something like that.” She chewed the inside of her lip for a moment, then leaned down to kiss me on the cheek. “I hope you get out of this noose you stuck your head through. And thank you, too. For the orichalcum. And for being a friend.”

  The transport touched down with a pair of gentle bumps before we got any sloppier. The instant we stopped moving, the back of the transport opened up to reveal a squadron of five Golden Wardens standing on a flat black landing platform.

  A ramp descended from the cargo bay, and Tru moved well away from me. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t care for the weird, faceless soldiers.

  Two of the Golden Wardens hustled up the ramp and wheeled my gurney down to the landing area, where the others formed a triangular perimeter around us.

  I wondered what they were guarding me against. The landing platform was a mirror-smooth disc floating in a sea of blackness. There were no stars in the sky above, no sun or moon, not even the wispy ghost of a distant nebula. The air tasted flat and dead, and it was still as a tomb. There was no visible source of light, but we could still see perfectly fine. That bothered me more than the other strange details of my surroundings.

  Before I could ask the Wardens where they were taking me, a ramp opened in the platform’s surface. The soldiers rolled me down to a second platform. This one was much smaller than the first, with barely enough room for the Wardens to stand around my gurney. A narrow bridge extended from the far side of the platform to an austere building that hung above an endless void.

  Charming.

  A door opened in the side of the building facing us. A figure descended the steps from the door to the bridge and headed in my direction. It took her most of a minute to reach me, but I recognized her as Clem’s mother long before she arrived.

  “Please remove the restraints from my client,” Adjudicator Hark said to the Wardens. When they didn’t move, she tapped her foot impatiently. “Elder Warin promises to be on his best behavior. Isn’t that right?”

  “Cross my heart and hope to die,” I said with a lopsided grin. “Though I suppose you’ve got that last part covered for me.”

  All but one of the Wardens aimed their pikes at my chest while the last unbuckled my hands and feet. I waited patiently, then hopped off the bed with my hands raised high into the air. I didn’t want them to have any excuses to stick me.

  “Follow me, Elder Warin,” the adjudicator said. She pivoted and led me across the bridge, up a short flight of steps, and into the building. It wasn’t a large structure, I realized. The emptiness that surrounded it just made it seem more imposing.

  To my surprise, there were no guards waiting for us. We walked down a long hallway with doors spaced evenly along its length. The corridor seemed to go on for a much greater distance than the building would allow. Finally, Clem’s mother stopped at an unmarked door that looked exactly like the others we’d passed. She pressed her palm against its surface, and the barrier swung open.

  “After you,” she said with a smile.

  I entered what looked like a conference room in any other office building. A long table, flanked by three chairs on each side, with more imposing seats at either end, occupied the chamber’s center. A small table against the wall opposite the door supported a tray that held a pitcher of water and a small bowl of fruit.

  “Can I have some water?” I asked.

  “Help yourself,” Adjudicator Hark said. “If you want anything else, let me know. The facilities are accommodating.”

  “Thanks,” I said, “I’m good.”

  And I was. The Flame had restored its energy, so I no longer needed to eat or sleep. That would come in handy for the rest of this plan. I crossed the room, my feet sinking a half-inch into the plush carpeting, and poured myself a glass of water. It was cold and flavorless, and I savored it as I took in the rest of the room.

  The ceiling rose to a point above the center of the table. A simple chandelier hung from the peak by a golden chain and filled the room with a soft, warm light.

  And that was it. The room was otherwise featureless.

  “I don’t know what we can do here, Jace,” Clem’s mom said as she watched me down the water. “I can petition for exile rather than execution. I know it’s not ideal, but at least you won’t be...”

  Her words trailed off.

  “Thank you,” I said, “but that isn’t necessary.”

  If I didn’t get out of here to finish my mission, the Grand Design would unravel, and the world would end. Xaophis might crawl back into its hole, or it might plunge the clans into an endless war until it had killed or dominated every mortal in the known world.

  In either case, exile wouldn’t be any better than death.

  “Jace,” Clem’s mom said, “please, let me help you.”

  “There is one thing you can do,” I said as I took a seat at the end of the table.

  “Anything,” she responded.

  “Get me a meeting with Reyes. Alone,” I said firmly. “It’s the only way out of this.”

  Adjudicator Hark dropped into the chair on the other end of the table and sighed. “Consul Reyes won’t talk to you. She wants you dead. Those were the words from her own mouth. She won’t be satisfied until she’s encased you in a cube of lead and dropped it into the deepest ocean.”

  “She’ll see me. I have something she wants,” I said.

  “You’re in over your head, Jace,” Clem’s mom cautioned me. “Whatever you have planned, you can’t escape. What is it you think she wants badly enough to talk to you?”

  “The location of my clan’s members,” I said. “But I won’t give them up to anyone but Reyes.”

  “You can’t use other students as hostages, Jace.” The adjudicator pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’ll only make things worse.”

  “Worse?” I leaned back in the chair and put my feet up on a table. “I’m a prisoner awaiting a tribunal that’s already decided to execute me. Things can’t get any worse. Please set up the meeting. It’s important.”

  The adjudicator eyeballed me for a handful of moments. Finally, she shook her head with frustration and stood up. “I can’t promise you she’ll agree. If I put you in a room with her, promise you’ll behave. Consul Reyes thinks you’re a monster who dishonored her clan and killed her niece. She wants to show that to the world in the tribunal. Don’t give her any more ammunition to use against you.”

  With that, Adjudicator Hark stood and walked to a blank section of the room’s wall. She pressed her hand against it, and the smooth surface sucked her into itself with a faint slurping noise.

  “Neat trick,” I said.

  I left my chair and paced the room, which was exactly five steps long and eight steps wide. I went round and round the table until my feet left a path in the carpet. When a door opened in the wall, I expected to see Clem’s mom with a sad smile and a shake of her head.

  Instead, three Golden Wardens and one furious consul entered the room.

  “Sit at the end of the table,” Consul Reyes snapped. She pointed at the chair intended for me with such force that her curly hair bounced against her shoulders. “If you move toward me, the Wardens will kill you.”

  I held both my hands at shoulder height, palms facing the guards so they could see I meant no trouble. I wasn’t afraid of the Wardens, but there was no point in causing trouble with Reyes.

  I was about to ask a big favor of her.

  Once I’d settled in my seat, the Consul stood at the end of the table opposite me. “You’ve go
t three minutes. Let’s start with the location of your hostages.”

  “You mean the clan members that I’m protecting from the insanity the other elders turned loose at the School?” I asked.

  “Two minutes, fifty-five seconds,” Reyes said coldly.

  “Fine, let’s play hardball,” I said. “I will not, under any circumstances, give up those students until you do something for me.”

  I secretly hoped that once I’d completed the Flame’s quest, most of my troubles would go away. The Consul Triad would realize none of this was my fault, I’d defeat Xaophis, and I could go back to being a student and clan elder. Whatever promises I made to Reyes would be moot.

  “What do you want?” Reyes asked, curiosity warring with derision in her voice.

  “I need you to get me out of here,” I said. “There are a few other things—”

  The Consul unleashed a harsh laugh. “You will never see the world outside this facility again. You have dishonored my clan, wounded my family, and your very existence is a threat to reality as we know it. You are finished, Elder Warin.”

  I’d hoped Reyes might be swayed by the chance to add a bunch of new clan members when those were at a premium. That gambit hadn’t worked, but there was still a chance to pull a win out of this disaster.

  “I know you hate me,” I said as calmly as I could manage given the circumstances, “and I understand why. But there is a grave danger, something bigger and more horrible than I’ll ever be. This is bigger than either of us, Consul, and I need your help to stop a disaster that could end Empyrean society as we know it.”

  Her hands twitched at her sides as she listened to me. “Explain yourself.”

  “No one else needs to hear what I have to say. It’s dangerous,” I said firmly. “The Wardens should wait outside.”

  The fewer people who knew the whole story, the better. If anyone else found out an Eclipse Warrior was creating a new Empyrean Flame, and a new Grand Design to go along with it, my life would become very complicated, very fast.