by John Corwin
"This seraph needs your help." I motioned her over to Kohval. "They were being drained of their souls."
Elsa bit her lower lip and nodded. "I will do what I can." She placed her hands on the dying seraph's chest and closed her eyes. A soft ultraviolet halo glowed around her hands and her brow furrowed in concentration.
The rest of us backed out of the room to give her space.
"What in the blazes did he mean by air on is?" Shelton said. "It's nonsense."
Adam tapped a finger to his chin. "Air on is. Demon woman."
Shelton grunted. "Like I said, zero sense."
"Demon woman?" I leaned back against a wall. "Could he mean the dolem versions of Nightliss?"
Adam kept repeating the phrase over and over again.
"Saying it a million times won't magically transform it from gibberish," Shelton said.
Elyssa snapped her fingers. "Aerianas, demon woman—a Daemas."
"Whoa." I pushed myself off the wall. "That's impossible. I kicked her ass at my dad's wedding and the Daemos locked her up."
Shelton's face went white as a sheet. "No. You're wrong."
"Didn't she crash that shindig and try to send Kassallandra to Hell?" Adam said.
"Even worse," I said. "The Abyss." Technically, it was a special holding place where the Apocryphan were imprisoned after their war splintered Earth into separate realms.
Elyssa grimaced. "The Daemos transferred Aerianas to Templar control just before the war. Both she and Vadaemos were imprisoned by Templar factions loyal to the Synod."
"You gotta be kidding me." Shelton spit on the floor. "I thought that bitch was permanently out of the picture."
Adam's worried gaze met mine.
Shelton had a bad history with Aerianas. She'd seduced him with her Daemas wiles and made him do some really bad things when he was a bounty hunter. He'd sent innocent people to prison.
Adam put a hand on Shelton's shoulder. "Dude, are you okay?"
Shelton shook it off and scowled. "I'm trapped in a realm where all the natives can kick my ass with magic and just found out a woman who used and abused me might be here raising an army of demon golems." He glared at us. "To answer your question, I'm just peachy."
"I thought you were over the whole Aerianas thing," I said. "You're married to Bella now. You've got your happily ever after."
"Aerianas is a succubus, Justin." Shelton's hands clenched. "You know better than anyone what kind of control Daemos can exert over people. She practically controlled my mind. She made me do whatever she wanted me to do. I was her stupid, helpless puppet." He pounded a fist on the wall and winced. "Let's just say I ain't the least bit happy to hear that a criminal I thought was locked up for life might be roaming free."
Elyssa took Shelton's fist and pressed it into the palm of her hand, her violet eyes full of sympathy. "Harry, I understand. If Aerianas really is free, we'll do everything we can to put her away again."
Shelton blinked, obviously taken aback by Elyssa's demeanor. "Uh, thanks."
"Daemos like Aerianas and her father, Vadaemos, are the kind who gave all Daemos a bad name," Elyssa said.
"Don't forget about Yuuki," I said through clenched teeth. I put my hand on top of Shelton's where it still rested in Elyssa's palm. "Don't worry, brother. I'm right here with you."
"Me too." Adam put his hand on mine. "We're gonna send that demonic whore right back to Hell!"
Shelton snorted. "Demonic whore?" He burst into laughter. "I don't know why, but that's the funniest thing I've heard all day."
"Should we count to three and do a cheer?" I asked.
Shelton took back his hand and grunted. "Nah. I feel better already."
Elsa pulled her hands from Kohval and let out a deep sigh. She turned and came into the corridor. "I cannot keep him alive. His soul is too damaged and his body too frail."
"Is he dead?" Elyssa asked.
She looked back at the room and shook her head. "No, but he will be soon."
I had more questions for her, but those could wait. I rushed back to Kohval's side. He looked up at me with bleary eyes. "Who are you?"
I didn't have time to tell him everything—he'd probably be dead before I finished—so I kept it short. "Someone who wants to keep Victus from destroying Pjurna."
Kohval nodded. "Victus came around the time news of a war in Eden reached us. He told us he would help us build an army to defeat Daelissa and the Brightlings. He brought with him a woman, Aerianas, who would help us. I gave her all the resources she needed."
"Your people built the foundry?" I said.
"Yes." His eyelids fluttered. "She guided the builders into drawing the patterns on the floor. We did not realize what they were."
"Demon summoning patterns," I said.
Kohval tried to nod, but seemed too weak. "She tricked me. Took part of my soul and summoned a demon. It took my form and that was the last thing I remember."
"That's awful," Elyssa said from behind me.
I was confused. "How did Aerianas take a part of your soul?"
"Demon magic," he whispered. Kohval's eyelids fluttered shut. "Soulstones." A final breath rattled from his throat and the real Legiaros Kohval went still.
I looked at Shelton. He looked at Adam. Adam looked at Elyssa. She looked at me. I stuck out my tongue and crossed my eyes to break the tension. It didn't work.
Shelton gave me a sour look. "Soulstones are no laughing matter."
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Adam said, "but soulstones can only capture soul essence at the moment of death, right?"
"As far as I know," Shelton said. "That was why we used them against the Nazdal."
Elyssa grimaced. "The Nazdal absorb the life force of the dead and dying, but the soulstones sucked it up before they could."
Adam waved a hand toward the room of crystal coffins. "If a soulstone did that, then it's a different kind than what I've heard of."
"His soul was torn," Elsa said. "Badly damaged."
That still didn't answer something. "Daemos can consume soul essence, but they can't just transfer it into a soulstone, can they?"
"No," Adam said. "I suspect Aerianas has a modified soul stone, or maybe even a gem."
I walked toward the other coffins. "Can you check out the others? See if anyone else is alive?"
The healer nodded. "I will do what I can."
Shelton showed her the bulge on the side of the coffin. "Push in on that if you need to open one, but it'll also break the preservation spell."
Elsa ran a finger along the surface. "Can they be closed again?"
Shelton pressed the bulge on Kohval's coffin and the top misted back into place with a hiss. "Looks like it."
Adam touched the hole in the wall. "Maybe this is where they placed the soulstone."
"I need to understand the process from start to end." I looked through the hole at the pattern. "How did they get the soul fragments into the soul globes? How did they get the globes into the demon bodies?"
"I don't know much about golem creation," Adam said, "but the globes are made first and the sparks are created inside of them."
"Yeah, but how do you get the soul fragment inside?" Shelton said. "The globes are three-dimensional containment circles, so the aether for the spark is already trapped inside. I imagine you'd also have to charm the globe to keep the soul fragment locked inside too."
"Cinder might know," Adam said. "I suggest we give him something to research when he gets here."
"Oh, he'll eat that up like candy," Shelton said.
"Can we get out of here?" Elyssa shivered. "This place gives me the creeps."
"Amen to that." Shelton gave one last look of disgust around him and left, the rest of us close behind.
We circumnavigated the foreboding demon patterns on the floor and took a collective deep breath when we got outside again. This place had been home to dark magic that might plunge Seraphina into chaos. We needed to destroy everything inside once we studied and understood it
better.
The first Mzodi ships with our people began arriving early the next morning, sleek majestic curves glinting in the sunlight. The flagship, Uorion, floated serenely overhead, its levitation foils glowing brilliantly. The massive ship set down in the practice fields and the three relatively smaller ships landed side-by-side in the neighboring field. Moments later, Templars began streaming off the Uorion.
"The cavalry has arrived!" Shelton shouted.
The huge felycan leader, Saber, strode down the gangway of the Rekt, McCloud, the lycan pack leader, by his side. The elite vampire soldiers of Red Cell marched from the Kestra, and beyond them, Arcanes and Blue Cloaks emerged from the Ogan.
Two massive ships resembling blue whales, the Krstuk and Volante, sailed low over the trees and landed well away from the others. Their gangways disgorged a mass of people dressed in the ultraviolet and dark hues of civilian attire commonly worn in Tarissa. They favored tight-fitting cloaks, pants, and shirts more like uniforms than standard clothes.
"Cinder is probably on the Uorion," Adam said. "I'll go fill him in."
"My baby is on that ship too," Shelton said, a little skip in his step. "Man, I can't wait to see Bella." He set off at a quick walk and the rest of us hurried to catch up.
Adam chuckled. "At least I know one thing that'll make Shelton run."
The Uorion had six gangways, each one filled with Templars marching in orderly fashion off the ship. Though they still wore black uniforms, most were not in Nightingale armor. Despite the strict demeanor, the soldiers looked tired, eyes longing for a realm they might never see again—Eden.
"They look bad," Elyssa whispered to me. "Looks like someone drained the spirit right out of them."
"I know how they feel." I looked up the ramp at the line of grim faces. "We came here to unify Seraphina, but instead this realm is even more fractured than before."
A wide command platform lifted off from the deck of the Uorion and drifted down to land nearby. Commander Thomas Borathen's ice-blue eyes met ours as he stepped off, leaving the Templar crew behind to guide the platform where the rest of their equipment was being gathered.
Elyssa pressed a hand to her chest in salute. "Commander."
"At ease," Thomas said. He looked toward the command center in the distance. "Follow me."
I wasn't used to such a curt welcome from Thomas, but then again, he probably didn't want to show too much emotion in front of the troops. He tended to have a stick up his butt about such things.
"Baby!" Shelton shouted, and ran toward one of the other gangways where a short Colombian woman waved wildly back.
"See, I told you he'd run," Adam said. His eye caught on a blonde walking down the gangway behind Bella, and a grin split his face from ear to ear. "Uh, I'll be back later." He set off at a dead run after Shelton.
"I guess Meghan and Bella are in for some intimate reunions," Elyssa said with a chuckle.
I snorted. "It's been a while."
Elyssa tugged on my sleeve and we followed Thomas toward the command center. When we got inside the deserted building, Thomas faced us, fresh urgency in his eyes. "What's the situation here?"
Elyssa gave him a quick rundown of everything we'd done and the mysteries we were working on solving now.
"The real Kohval is dead." Thomas's lips formed a grim line. "I was hoping we could use him to convince his troops that they're following an impostor."
"He's virtually unrecognizable," Elyssa said. "Besides, they might think it's a trick."
Thomas pounded a fist into his palm. "We need solutions and we need them fast."
"Hopefully, Cinder can figure out how the Daskar are made," I said. "In the meantime, there's no telling if Aerianas is making more."
"That's a name I'd hoped never to hear again," Thomas said. "Unfortunately, many top-priority prisoners escaped during the war. Some were released by the Synod to fight for them, and others escaped damaged facilities."
Elyssa's forehead furrowed. "Dad, what's going on? Why are you so antsy?"
Antsy was not a term I'd ever use to describe Thomas, but in this case, he really did look unsettled. "Yeah, you do look a little anxious."
Thomas went absolutely still, face as hard as a rock. "The civil war in Tarissa was short-lived. Shortly after we finished evacuating, our scouts reported that Kohval and Meera joined forces and now control the entire city." He folded his arms across his chest. "It's only a matter of time before they attack us."
Chapter 15
I gulped. "You think they'll come up here and attack us?"
Thomas paused a moment then nodded. "Reports indicate that they are turning their eyes north, perhaps because you prevented Zero from finishing the task of blocking the Northern Pass and reporting to Tarissa." He pursed his lips. "I suspect closing the pass was a last resort. It's possible Aerianas has her eyes set on Guinesea and beyond."
"Is Meera still in charge of her legion?" I asked.
"I don't know, but it would appear that the golems who took the place of her top lieutenants may have done something to her." Thomas's gaze went distant. "She may have been replaced or killed."
"I'd guess killed," Elyssa said. "I don't think it's that easy to make identical copies of people or we'd have an epidemic on our hands."
"Agreed." Thomas turned to her. "In any case, we may soon have the combined legions marching north. I left sentries to watch for and capture enemy scouts, but it's only a matter of time before Kohval figures out we're up here."
"Kohvalla isn't defensible from the south," Elyssa said. "There's nothing stopping a force from marching in and wiping us out."
"Even with the Mzodi, we'd be hard pressed to defeat both Victrix and Gallix legions," Thomas said. "Our chances are even slimmer if they're producing more Daskar."
I raised a hand. "Uh, dumb question, but what should we do?"
"Retreat to Atlantis?" Elyssa said.
"It's an option." Thomas put a hand under his chin. "Think about it. I'm meeting with the other faction heads later so we can discuss options." He saw the worry on our faces. "We sabotaged the skyway leading from Tarissa to Kohvalla, so that will buy us some time."
"Days, maybe," Elyssa said. "Unfortunately, we need years."
A team of Templars arrived to help Thomas set up the command center, though I wondered what good it did to get comfortable if Kohval might send forces north at any time. Elyssa and I went back outside to locate Shelton and Adam, but they were nowhere to be found.
"Must be getting some afternoon delight," I said.
Elyssa offered a wan smile. "They deserve it. I feel like I haven't seen everyone for a year."
"That trip to Voltis wasn't just a walk down the street." I weaved my way between hundreds of people disembarking the sky ships, my gaze darting from face to face in hopes of finding familiarity.
A female on a flying carpet flew overhead shouting instructions. "All Tarissan civilians please report to the location of the yellow flares for your housing assignments!"
I spotted the flares she mentioned, bright yellow fireworks shooting high into the sky near the civilian sector. Templars filed into the barracks near the command center while the vampire army marched to ones on the other side of the training grounds.
As the crowd thinned, I spotted two familiar faces coming our way—my mother, Alysea, and father, David. David pointed at something and laughed, but Alysea's nose wrinkled as if she didn't think it was very funny.
My parents looked like a young couple in their early thirties. The kind of couple just starting out in life and looking to buy a house, adopt a dog, and start a family. In reality, they were each over two thousand years old and from opposite sides of the tracks. David started life as a demon—a blue spirit that successfully melded with a human to form the first demon spawn in the world. Alysea was from Seraphina, a Brightling who'd once been besties with Daelissa.
Even to this day, I found it mind-boggling that an angel had fallen for a demon and had kids. I also didn't
understand how anyone could deal with all the lame jokes my father came up with, especially over eons.
David ruffled Alysea's blond hair and kissed her on the cheek. She responded by thoroughly mussing his black hair until it stood on end and then burst into musical laughter. David looked my way and waved when he saw me, completely unconcerned that he looked like he'd just woken from a long nap.
Elyssa and I jogged over to them. Alysea embraced Elyssa while I gave David a handshake and one-armed bro-hug. He ruined it by wrapping both his arms around me and squeezing.
"Great to see you, kiddo." He ruffled my hair like he'd done to Alysea and grinned. "It's good to see you still in one piece."
Alysea hugged me and kissed my cheeks. "As usual, David is completely understating how relieved we are to see you, son." She hugged me again and backed off. "It looks like we're already in the middle of another crisis."
David nodded seriously and motioned toward the civilian sector. "Yeah—do we choose the purple house, or the blue one?" He tapped a finger on his chin. "Then again, I've really got a thing for that canary yellow ranch style on the west side."
Alysea sighed. "I told you I don't like yellow houses." She smiled and turned back to me. "Can we please sit down and have dinner together? I just want some family time before we have to run from Kohval's army."
I squeezed her hand and smiled back. "That would be great. Shelton's got some Eden-styled food on the Falcheen. I could whip up pizza or something."
Alysea's eyes brightened. "You have pizza?"
David rubbed his belly. "Oh man, you'd better not be teasing me. I'm so sick of glurk and quintos I could puke."
Alysea took Elyssa's hands. "Will you join us?"
"I'd love to." Elyssa looked back at the command center. "Is it okay if I ask my father to join us?"
David wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug. "Hey, there's always room for more family. Maybe Michael would like to come too."
"Yeah, if I can find him." Elyssa shrugged. "I think the next twenty-four hours are going to be very busy."
David squeezed my shoulder. "Hey, let's go make that pizza. Better make it four of them. I think I could eat an entire one myself."
